What To Do Before You Call Tech Support About Your Computer

You may think that they lied to you when they said that computers are easy to use. A computer is a complex device. Anything can and does go wrong. The tech-support people know this, and they brace themselves for anything. They will receive callers that range anywhere from the stark beginner who has not taken the computer from the box all the way to a seasoned hacker whose PC has been totally disassembled and desoldered. You could make the task of a tech-support person a lot easier just by doing a little research prior to calling. And this means that they can help you much faster. Let us take a look at how.
The first thing you can do is to determine who owns the problem and narrow a few things down. Is the problem a hardware or software issue? This way, you can call the proper department in the first place. Try as many solutions yourself as possible. Tech-support people will be blown away if you have already looked in the Device Manager or worked in the System Configuration Utility. They may have you look there again. If this happens, be patient as they are typically following a script and must check things off before taking you to the next level.
Determine whether the problem is repeatable. Be prepared to demonstrate to tech support that the bug is not random and can be reproduced. Be prepared to give lots of information, so do your homework before you call. Complete any steps in the troubleshooting section of your operator manual and gather as much information from that experience as possible. You do not have to spill it all at once to the tech-support person, but have it ready whenever you are asked.
Keep in mind that you will eliminate a lot of aggravation just by knowing which number to call. This can be extremely frustrating. There are times when you might wait 20 minutes for the tech to answer, only to discover that he or she can not help you. The tech-support number is typically hidden somewhere in the manual. Sometimes, it is right up front or in a tech-support index. But most often it is in a not so obvious place.
When you do find the tech-support number, mark it and highlight it. Better yetl, write it in the front of the manual. It is always a good idea to add it to your address book. You might even want to spray-paint it on the wall in your office or something. Just remember what you did with it.
One important piece of information to relate to tech support is which version of Windows you have. It also helps to know the version of any application or utility that you figure is causing the problem. To find out the Windows version, open the System icon in the Control Panel: From the Control Panel Home, choose System and Maintenance and then System. From the Control Panel Classic view, open the System icon. Or, right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. From the System window you can get basic information about your computer.
You also find in the System window other useful information for technical support, including information about your PC processor and memory and other trivia. You do not have to cough up all the information displayed in the System window. Just make sure and not complicate things, only provide what the tech-support person asks from you unless you have good reason otherwise.
Realize that Windows may not be the issue with your PC. It could be another piece of software that you are running. In such an instance, you might have to provide the tech-support person the version of that particular program. This data is not quite the same as the version number for Windows as every piece of software has its own version number. To find out the version of any specific application, choose the Help About command. The About command is usually followed by the program name. That command displays a dialog box with the program full name, release, and version information. And you could be lucky enough to find a quick button to click for connecting to tech support.

By: Ocar Hanratty

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