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. Callers range from the timid beginner who still has the computer in the box to the hacker whose computer has been utterly disassembled and desoldered. You can make the job of a tech-support person so much easier by doing a little research before you call. Let us examine 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. Review and accomplish any steps in the troubleshooting section of your operator manual and collect as much information from that experience as you possibly can. Just make sure not to spit it all out in one sentence to the tech-support person as they will need to become acquainted with your situation and it will take a little time for them to catch up. But do have the info ready when it is asked of you.

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 locate the correct tech-support phone number, you should flag it with a post-it label and highlight it some how. Even better, jot it down in the front of the manual. It is always a good idea to add it to your address book. You can even spray-paint it on the wall. Just do not forget where you stashed 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 choose System. When in the Control Panel Classic view, click open the System icon. Or you could simply right-click the My Computer icon from your desktop, and select Properties from that pop-up menu. When in the System window, you can access basic information about your PC.

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.

Windows may not be the problem. It may be some other program you run. In that case, you may need to tell the tech-support person which version of that program you are running. This information is not the same thing as the version number for Windows; each 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.