There are many issues with computers that need support. The way we can receive that support is what computer support technology is all about. Since support is part of computing
life and there are always bugs, problems, guidance, etc… that need to be given by some sort of a support entity, we can expect ways that will help us receive that much-needed support.

The ways that we have today for giving support
are either making a phone call for a support member at the service center or contact him by online chat, and just chat with him about your problems, exactly as if you were chatting with your friends on a messenger software, describe your problem and get the instructions to your solution from the tech guy on the other side. Another option is to get someone to log in to your computer and see what you see and solve your problems. You can decide just to open a support case, on the company’s support page on the web, and you will get your solution via e-mail.

So, to summarize what I just mentioned, there are these types of support ways:

1. Calling a support tech, talking on the phone to describe the problem and get solution options.
2. Opening an online chat, write your problem description and read the answers given by the tech support person to get solution options.
3. Opening a support case, describe the problem, and wait for the solution via e-mail. Unless you have registered to get full support, then maybe you will get a call from the support person and get the solution options on the phone.
4. Ask someone to login to your computer with your permission and let him fix your problems online. (web-based shares – or programs that enable control).

•    The telephone, Cell-Phones: Well this technology is one of the oldest, as the first telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in the year 1876. Using phones is the quickest way of getting the information exactly when you need it. Many use cell phones today since it’s available, quick and efficient to get the information you need ASAP. If you get lost in a city and need to find a place you can call a friend with an internet connection, that can quickly check on an online map, to find you the address you need and direct you to it, so the Phone technology is one of the more common ways to get support.

You have to remember that every website – usually has the “contact” section, where you can usually contact the company, by either phone call, sending an e-mail request by filling out a form, etc… The contact ways will be detailed there.

•    Since most of us use the Internet today, there are options to browse online and seek a solution to your problem. You can address the company that gives the support, and if they have an online chat option, you can use that to talk to someone online and get the answers you need immediately.

i.    (the downfall of that is that most of those online chats are really busy, and you might spend some time waiting for the tech support person to be available to you.)

Some Examples:
a)    Live Person – This company has some solutions, for placing a live support chat on your website, check it out.
b)    Provide Support – This is another solution to place a live chat on your website.
c)    Mioot – Another live chat software – check it out.
d)    SightMax – This is a live chat software – that also fits a smart mobile phone.

•    Opening a Support Case: There are websites that enable their clients to open a support case. Mostly the support case might be available only for registered users, or it might enable you to enter the contact information, during the process of opening the support case, since they have to know how to contact you when they have the solution, which e-mail to contact or the phone number to give you a support call back.

Some Examples of Support Case websites:

• Citrix – Explanation on opening a support case.
• Automation Anywhere – This shows how does an online contact information form look like.
• Cisco – This shows a login screen for returning registered clients – by Cisco.
• SugarCRM – This website shows on the left menu – the options given for customer support.

•    Remote Desktop Sharing: There are ways to get the support you need by just allowing someone to access your computer, with your permission (you have to allow them to go in, following their instructions) so they could see your screen, and do the problem solving for you. They can see the problem you are experiencing and help you solve it. You can even see them do it.

Some Examples of such solutions:

• The top 6 remote desktop sharing programs – You can see some of the remote desktop sharing solutions out there, which enable a support person to access your computer, see your desktop and give you support.
• Mikogo – This website enables you to share your desktop, and other solutions like online meetings, conference and remote support.
• SkyFex – A web solution that enables remote desktop support.
• NetViewer – This website enables online support, online meetings, and presentations, etc…

Anyone who travels much, and uses a computer needs to choose a laptop computer. The laptop computer is Portable, you can take it with you, and plug it to a screen keyboard and mouse at home and use it as a home computer. When you stumble upon a problem with your laptop, you might have to get help to solve your problem.

Laptop computers are being built in an assembly line at the factory since they are being built exactly the same and each model has many copies. In contrast to a desktop computer, which you can select each part that you want the desktop computer to include, on laptop computers you just get an assembled computer that has a specific hardware configuration, which you can know ahead exactly what you are buying and what it includes.

This is, on one hand, makes your purchase decision easier since you know exactly what you are getting and of course when you get to support the support member knows exactly what your laptop includes, and it makes it easier for him to give you support.

Some models might have a specific problem, which probably will occur on all of the laptops from the same model since they are all built exactly the same. Such problems might get a recall or a repair suggestion on the warranty expense. The maker of the laptop might send you the proper repaired part that you need, or request that you will go to visit the closest technical lab, which is closest to your location, so they will be able to do the repair for you.

After knowing what laptop computers are, and what makes them different from desktop computers we can go through the ways we can get laptop computer help.

1. When you encounter a problem on your laptop, the first action you might want to take is just go and visit the laptop maker’s website (like DELL, HP, Lenovo etc…). There is usually a support section where you can find laptop drivers and other support issues and if there are known problems with that model, you might get your guidance there on how to fix your problem or what actions to take.
2. There are many laptop helping forums that enable you to post your questions and try and get some help for those who are either working as help desk, and have much experience in laptop malfunctions or maybe just someone else who stumble upon such problem that you have encountered.
3. When a laptop problem is common, for the same laptop make and model, you might find that issue popping out more than once, when you Google search the exact problem you have encountered.  The laptop maker might even publish that there is a problem in all of his specific laptop model and suggest some sort of a solution for all those that bought that specific model.
4. You can ask a friend, who might know people in the computer world. You might be able to get help on how to solve the issue from a friend who stumble upon it, or at least get some guidance on how to identify what the exact problem is, by using some diagnostic actions that will pin point the problem.

Those are the basics, of understanding the laptop computers, and how to get some help. Remember that most of the laptops come with a 3 years warranty, and common malfunctions are getting fixed easily just by submitting the laptop to the laptop maker’s lab, and getting it fixed free of charge.

• Laptop computer help
• LENOVO support center website
• HP support center website
• DELL technical support center website
• Laptop help forums

The problem with buying a new computer is that there are many options out there and we need to choose one. There are many types of computers, personal computers (PC) which are also called desktop computers. There are laptop computers and of course server computers – mostly being bought by companies to service their organization’s needs.

Well, the basics of choosing the proper computer for you are simple, just follow these simple steps, and you will know what type of computer you need and how to choose it.

1. What type of a computer: The questions to ask no matter if you choose a PC, a laptop or a server are:

a. Do you need to travel with it? which means do you need it to be portable, do you need to take it outside your home, with you? to the meeting, to work anywhere in the world? etc… If the answer is “YES” then you need a laptop.

b. If you answered “NO” on the question (a), then you need to ask yourself, if you need the computer to do a specific thing? Is it designated to serve others? do others from within a network or from an external network, needs access to it?! if the answer is “YES” then you will probably need a server computer.

c. If you answered “NO” on both (a) and (b) questions, then you probably need a personal computer (PC), and so check for any suitable desktop computer for your need.

2. What type of hardware do we need: Well any computer is actually built from parts, those parts are defining its abilities, it’s performance capabilities and in a way, it defines what you can do with that computer. When you need a powerful computer for games, you will need a modern motherboard that supports faster and larger parts, which will contain a large amount of fast memory cards capacity of at least 4GB (as of today), a large hard-disk for large amount of storage (games take much space) at least 1TB in size, a very good graphic card with at least 1GB of memory (RAM) on it, and a fast processor. That was an example, but you get the idea.

3. What is our price range: The cost is usually the heaviest part of finding and buying a computer. We should always inspire to get the most for the least price. That is a good marketing slogan, which defines how and why this market is so challenging. After we defined what we need out of our computer, it is time to see how much do we need to spend on buying it.

3.1 Usually with the server, you might want to buy a “BRAND” computer (HP, DELL, etc…), those suppliers will give you the best service and best parts for your money, and you will get at least 3 years warranty in case something bad happens to your valuable server.

3.2 Desktops, well… you can decide to buy a “BRAND” computer, but it will probably cost you much more than the usually composed computer. If you are working with a good supplier, you will also get their warranty, in case a problem occurs with your computer that relates to hardware issues.

3.3 Laptops – well laptops are usually “BRAND”s, and as such, you just need to decide which one you prefer by comparing its hardware configuration, the warranty, service provider and how reliable those laptops are (by reading some reviews on the internet).

These procedures will help you define and decide what type of computer you should buy, the rest is about configuration and your choices, in terms of how much do you want to invest on a new computer (the cost), and what you need to get for that price, which will still serve your needs.

Comparing computers

1. Compare computer prices

We might have heard the term, “Chat Room”, a room online (on the internet) that enable many people to chat online with each other. You might also have heard the term IRC (Internet Relay Chat) which is the protocol for those online chat rooms. There were many different programs that were used for the chat client-side, to be able to connect to an IRC server and Login to a chat room. The most common chat client program since the beginning was called “mIRC” which I am sure it is still being used today.

The purpose of those chat rooms where, well… they had many purposes, but mostly a way to connect anyone from anywhere in the world, into one arena of a chat room, that enabled everyone to talk to everyone. There were other rooms being created, separating by age, or purpose, like to get to know each other for dating purposes, for business purposes, for getting technical advice, etc…

This was a great way to communicate with others around the world, it was free, and you didn’t need to see anyone, only look at the nickname they choose, start a chat, and discover other people around the world. The debate about politics, or the weather or anything you might want to talk about. You could convey the chat where everyone can see, in the general room, or just open a private session with the person you want to talk to. We are
familiar today with chats like the messengers (MSN, Yahoo, Google, etc…) which more features, like using a WebCam, transferring files, and using funny icons to make the chat more enjoyable.

But those IRC chat rooms where the core of communication between computer users, when there were no cell phones, and long distant regular phone calls were too expensive. These IRC chat rooms enabled a way to contact anyone in any country, in any language (even though the most common one was English) and at any hour.

I know of some people that got to know each other using IRC chat rooms, fallen in love, and got married 🙂 so you can understand that before the dating websites, and the communication chats we know today, IRC chat rooms where the arena for global communications.

There are IRC chat programs for any type of operating system, like Linux, Windows, MAC, etc… some can be used using the browser.

Browser IRC chat programs:
•    Chatzilla – This is built on the SeaMonkey add-on addition feature on the Firefox browser.
•    Smuxi – This is a program designated to the Gnome desktop of the Linux OS. This is a flexible IRC client for advance users.
•    Pidgin – This program is joining into it, many different chat applications, which means you can connect to almost any familiar chat messenger program and include it into this program, and an IRC client feature as well.
•    Mibbit – This is a web based ajax IRC client feature.

Windows IRC clients:
•    mIRC – The most popular IRC client, being used by many for almost 20 years. Today this is a shareware program, giving 30-day license which needs to be purchased for using it further.

Photo – http://www.aliendownload.com/files/screens/2228_mirc.gif
•    Vortec IRC – A Dedicated IRC client. It has multi-server support.
•    IceChat – This IRC chat client can run on any Windows OS platform, including 64bit versions.
•    XChat – This is an IRC chat program, that runs on Windows and Linux OS. You can use it to join multiple chat rooms at the same time.

Linux IRC Clients:
•    XChat – The most common IRC client for Linux. It is mostly comes pre-installed on the Linux distribution operating systems.
•    Konversation – This is another popular IRC client on Ubuntu OS. It usually comes with the Kubuntu OS version.

MAC IRC Clients:
•    Colloquy – This one is a free and open-source IRC client program.
•    Ircle – This version requires the “Tiger” 10.4 OSX or higher.
•    Snak – Using this program is not free, you can use PayPal for purchasing it.
•    Linkinus – this program enables a rich social IRC experience, this program has a 15 day trial period, then you will have to purchase it.

So we found that there are many programs out there for IRC use, and you can find good ones for any type of operating system. So just try them out, and experience the worldwide chat arena for meeting people from all around the world 🙂 enjoy.

Computer network is the way computers connect to each other or other computers within the local network (LAN) or using the World Wide Web (WWW – the internet) to connect to distant computers, websites, or any other service we want to reach.

The Computer Network itself is a collection of computers connected together, or at least accessible from each other in one way or another. The internet as we call it is a collection of computers that each gives us different service, websites, ftp, or any other service we might get from a distant computer or company. Those computers have a leg (cable) outside of their own LAN (local area network), which enables us to access it from outside.

When we look at a home computer (to simplify the network configuration) the basic connection configuration to the internet is “computer” –> “router/firewall” –> modem –> ISP (internet service provider). The way we can access it from the outside, is by asking for a permanent IP from the ISP (which will always point to our home computer) and on our network enable access from that IP inside to the local computer’s IP on our LAN using rules in our router/firewall so that access will be enabled and secured. When this last process is done, our computer will be accessible from the internet (from outside). This configuration is the basic network infrastructure which every computer on the network will have with different types of equipments and configurations but the basic will be the same.

• I am not going to go over the network configuration chart, since this article is about network help, and as such I would like to specify the main network problem issues that might occur, and how to get help to solve them.

The IP – the network has all of those devices attached to it, and in order to be able to reach each device independently, the network distributes IP’s to any device, computer, appliance that is being connected to the network. Such IP is unique to that device, so if you are connected to the network, your computer should have an IP. The way to check your IP, is to do:

• Windows:

o    start –> run (then hit the ENTER key).

o    Type cmd (then hit the ENTER key).

o    On the command prompt (black screen that opens) type ipconfig – (then hit the ENTER key)

o    This will display a list of IP’s – so if you are on your local LAN, the IP will be one of the IP’s on that LAN network IP range.

o    So if you got an IP numbers on that list, you are connected to your local LAN.

• Linux:
  

o    Just type ifconfig – (then hit the ENTER key)

o    You will receive the list of IP’s

o    So if you got an IP numbers on that list, you are connected to your local LAN.

• So now that we have some basic tools to check things, we will be able to use them to conduct certain tests and checkups when a network issue occurs.

Some basic network problems you might stumble upon:

1)    The internet is not accessible – You can’t browse the internet.

a)    Try unplugging the modem from the electricity, and re-plugging it (this will force it to check/renew its IP from the ISP).

b)    Try unplugging the router/firewall from the electricity, and re-plugging it back in – (in case the router got stuck for any reason).

c)    Call the support line of the ISP your connected through, and ask them to check:

• If they can see your equipment – if they can see the modem is replying.
• Is the user/password they gave you to connect to the internet is still valid and operational. (We all get a user/password from the ISP to connect to the internet, sometimes there are problems with that user (maybe the payment was not received and the user was blocked/cancelled etc…)).

2)    You want to connect to a network printer – On windows it is usually pretty simple and it is being divided into two types of printers:

a)    A network printer – that has an IP on the network

1. Start –>control panel
2. Printer and faxes
3. Add a printer
4. Press next
5. Choose the “local printer attached to this computer” – (don’t tag the “automatically detect…”).
6. Press next
7. Select the “create a new port” below – and choose from the drop down selection box, the “Standard TCP/IP port”
8. Press next then another next
9. Type the IP of the network printer on the “Printer name or IP address” field.
10. Press next
11. You might be requested to install the printer driver or choose from Microsoft Windows printers, so just browse to the location of the printer driver, either on a folder anywhere or on the DVD Rom drive, to install the printer driver.
12. Now, the printer will be added to your printers on your local computer, and you will be able to use it.

b)    A USB printer – that is connected to a computer which has an IP on the network.

i)    On the computer that the printer is connected to, you have to go to:

1. Start –>control panel
2. Printer and faxes
3. Right click the printer – and choose “sharing” – follow the instructions and the printer will be able to be seen by other network users.

ii)    On the distant computer – all you need to do is the following:

1. Start –> run
2. “\\ip of the computer that the USB printer is attached to it” then press “ENTER”
3. Now you will see the printer on the list retrieved from that computer.
4. Right click that printer – select “connect”
5. Now it might request to install the printer’s driver (which you should either have a CD, or a driver suitable to your operating system somewhere on the network), use that file in case the system requests the place for the driver.
6. Now, that shared printer will be on your printers list, and you will be able to print to it.

3)     Sharing a folder between computers on the same network – When you want to copy files from one computer to the other, a good way to do so, is just share a folder from one computer to the other.

a)    You open your “my computer” – or do CTRL+E – to open the file explorer.
b)    You go through the folders until you find the folder you want to share, or just create a new one.
c)    When you find that folder, right click it
d)    Choose “sharing and security”
e)    On the “sharing tab” click on the “network sharing and security” the “network setup wizard”
f)    This will open a new window, so just follow the instructions
g)    Press next till you reach the “select a connection method” select the “this computer connects to the internet through a residential gateway….”
h)    Press next on the naming and on the workgroup name – leave it on “MSHOME” which is the default (if you’re on a domain – you will place your organization’s domain name (xxx.com).
i)    Then you’re done.

j)    To access that shared folder, anyone else needs to just do:

1. Start –> run
2. “\\ip of the computer IP that the shared folder is on” and press “ENTER”
3. Then you will see the folder, and you will be able to access it
4. Remark: most likely you will be requested to enter a user/password – so just type a user/password of that remote computer, and you’re done.

These are the basic network issues which anyone might have to deal with. I have attached another link of such network cases and solutions, so you can review – http://www.computerhope.com/help/nic.htm

The network help you can get, other then those basic issues I have specified here, are from professionals. Either through an online Internet support websites, or just call a local computer technician, that can come and help you find the problem and solve it for you.

When we need help fixing our computer, we need to know what’s wrong first so we can order the proper
solution. We need to know if the problem is hardware related or if it is software related. We need to know which part is the problematic one and we need the solution to that problem.

There are automatic tools, that can perform such tasks. There are online support companies that can give your online assistance and help you fix your computer. Let’s go over some of the solutions out there for such occasions.

PC Matic – This program contains a collection of applications that can provide you the information you need from your computer to understand the problems. This program delivers scanning engines and solution programs that will help fix your computer. (Windows 7, XP, Vista).

• Optimize – Optimize will make your computer go faster – This program will help boost your computer speed, and resolve issues you might experience.
• Disk MD – This program will keep your hard-disk intact and in good health. It includes defrag scans, and disk file use analysis.
• Driver alert – This tool will automatically download suitable drivers for you and install them. Since the connection between hardware & software are the drivers, it is most important to have the correct driver. Having the correct driver, helps to keep the system stable, and have the best performance our of the device.
• Exterminate – This tool includes Anti-Virus, Anti-Spy-ware, Anti-Mal-ware engines. It job is to keep all of those nasty programs, that disturb the computer from working properly.
• Overdrive – This program will create a comprehensive report of your computer performance, security, software, drivers and more.
• Erase – This application will erase any information that is being left as you are working, like cookies, temp files etc…

Check out this package, you might find the help you need to fix the computer.

Other Solutions:

•    MyComputerWorks – This company offers online web support 24/7,  so you will get a trained support technician online, which can assist you in finding your problem and offer a solution. You can also lease their services for a price, according to different support packages.

•    PCDocPro – This pc doctor program, can give you the whole package for discovering and repairing your computer. Check this product out, it might be the solution you need to fix your computer problems.

•    Registry Fix – There are many issues in the Windows operating system that can be solved by fixing the registry. Now registry is pretty dangerous since the whole Windows operating system is built upon it, and if you damage it in any way or remove an item that is crucial for the operating system your computer will not work properly or not work at all. There are automatic tools that know how to fix registry problems. Still, I would recommend backing up the registry before taking any action, automatic or otherwise.

•    Spyware Doctor – Spy-ware doctor is one of the famous programs out there. It is considered one of the best spyware removal programs. Check it out, it might remove those annoying programs that are slowing down your computer.

We all use computers (well maybe there are still some who don’t), but there is a substantial amount of computer users out there. Those computer users use different types of computers, from different types of computing environments. When working with software products and hardware equipment some might cause computer problems, so what can we do? How can we identify the problem?
I will describe some basic reasons for computer problems, which will give us a pretty good cover of what can cause a computer problem? How can we identify it? And of course, knowing those issues can cause us to avoid some of them from happening.

Hardware Issues:

• Plugging/Attaching new hardware – can cause computer problems. There are many hardware devices that get attached to the computer/laptop using the USB connection.

• When we plug a new device to the computer system, the operating system is trying to define it, to be able to recognize it. It starts searching for a known suitable device driver that suits the device we have plugged in, and by doing that define the device as an active accessible device on the system. During that process – sometimes the system has problems identifying the device, and on rare occasions, in windows, it might even cause a crash or a “blue screen of death”.

• Also, in case the USB socket has a problem of some sort, connecting a device through that socket, can cause the system to crash and reboots.

• The motherboard has a battery that preserves the Bios and time clock in sync. It is responsible to give that extra charge, to keep them from damage in case of a computer failure/crash and prevent damage. When the battery has done its duty and doesn’t have enough charge in it anymore, the computer might not start and will start beeping, until you will replace that battery with a new one.

• When a device gets tired, maybe it has some hardware issues, it might cause a short in the electricity of the computer, and either burn important circuits or just cause the computer to crash, or reboot repeatedly.
  

  Map lying on wooden table

Software Issues:

• When we install new software, that might be unsuitable to run on our operating system, it might cause the computer/operating system to crash.

• Software gets updated, (This includes the operating system itself that gets updates as well) some updates might cause a computer crash, either if the update has an issue that wasn’t properly tested by the vendor or if the update just collides with something that only your computer has, like some device that is not commonly being used by others.

• Computer drivers can cause problems, in case you have installed the wrong driver to your device. Each device has a specific device driver for each operating system; the vendors produce the suitable device drivers to suit any type of operating system (well at least the most common ones). If you by chance install wrong or unsuitable device driver, that might cause the operating system to become unstable and crash.

• When messing up with the operating system files, you might cause it to become unstable and crash. Only people, who have a strong knowledge of the system files, should touch them. With windows, there is the registry and if you change something on that registry without knowing what you are doing, or what the effects might be due to the changes you made, this might cause the operating system to crash.

These are only examples of such computer problems caused by software and hardware issues. You can seek some more on the web (internet).

Sometimes help is needed from an expert source outside of your home/company. That kind of help sometimes requires urgent assistance. What can we do to solve such issue, we can use an expert that uses remote tools, to access our computer, take control (with our approval) and see what we see, and perform actions on our computer that can solve our problem. Such remote tools can assist in solving software issues, and maybe recognize hardware issues, but if the hardware is damaged the client will need to replace it physically.

There are many tools out there to perform such tasks, some of them are free and some of them are better than others. I will specify some options and you can choose for yourself, which are suiting you best.

Free Remote Tools:

TEAMVIEWER – (You don’t need to know the client’s IP address) The TEAMVIEWER is the simplest application you can use for free. The program needs to be installed on both sides, on the provider of the support (the expert) that takes control and on the client that receives the support. The application is pretty simple when you run it; you get a screed that gives you an ID and a PASSWORD (usually 4 digits) and on the other side of the application window there is a place to enter the ID (of the computer you want to take control of), you need to get the ID from the client, and his PASSWORD and you just type his ID, connect and when you get the Password request, you just type his password in, and there it is just taking control of his computer, see his operating system desktop and his problem.

ULTRAVNC – (You need to know the client’s IP address) – The UltraVNC (VNC – Virtual Network Computing) is another free remote control application that you can use, the installation instructions are pretty simple, mostly pressing the “next” button until the program is installed. The UltraVNC is working with two sides, the server-side (the client receiving the support), and the client-side (which is the one giving the support – our specialist technician). The one that wants the support needs to install the server-side of the application, and then the remote helper can use his client application to connect to the server. The downfall of this option for a home user, is that this tool uses an IP, you have to know the address of the client you want to give support to, and most home users do not have a constant (permanent IP) from their ISP’s, so this solution will not fit a home user.

LogMeIn – (Using a web service) – The LogMeIn remote controlling program works through the web. You install on the receiving help computer a small listening client which will enable LogMeIn to connect to it. You create an account with LogMeIn (on their website), after registering, and confirming the e-mail we receive, we can log in to the account, and the computers we will set up will be on a list, that we can click, and log-in to those computers whether they are a home or work computer. We will get a user/password log-in screen – that’s the log-in credentials of the windows client you are trying to log-in to, you then click “remote control” and you will be able to see your windows desktop.

Crossloop – (You don’t need to know the clients IP address) – The CrossLoop remote controlling program works like the team-viewer, you have a session window that opens, and includes two tabs – the HOST (the one who needs the assistance), and the JOIN to give the help. You just send the Access-Code number to the one who you want help from. Both sides need to click connect, then you have about a 2 minutes period, to enable the connection (that’s for security reasons, so you won’t open your computer indefinitely then you need to approve the connection whether you share control or give full control to the helper, and you’re all done.

We often get annoyed when we stumble upon a computer issue that we can’t solve, or we just can’t understand why something doesn’t work for us. We want to install something and we get errors. We want to operate software and it doesn’t do what we need it to do. When all of those annoying occurrences happen we wouldn’t mind having someone to call, someone to get computer help live, well… there are some options out there to do so.

Today most of the computer help you might find are remote live support. You contact a computer live help online (there are some who give 24/7 online support), explain your problem, and get the help you need. Those websites – which probably will take a small fee for giving you the service, or you might need to register with them, but eventually you will get the help you need from someone online, someone who will talk to you live, and figure out how to solve your problem.

This type of solution does help everyone, you will get your solution almost immediately (if the problem can be dealt with online, and it’s not a hardware problem issue, which needs you to take the computer to the “Doctor”, the closest computer lab in your area. You will not need to set an appointment with someone who needs to drive to your home, which might have a busy schedule, and can make time for you only in 2 days, those computer live help support team are there for you, and the support lab is open 24/7).

The type of computer live help you can get consists of: Virus & Spy-ware problems that might slow your computer down, popup windows, in short things that happen on your computer without your intervention. Printer issues,
Network issues, Unlock of forgotten passwords, Office installation and guidance issues, Sound problems, Data recovery, Backups and of course just pure advice.

Here are some links, just as an example – you might want to look for computer live help near your location, in your language.

Computer Live Help Example Websites:
http://computerhelpsos.com/
http://www.livepcrepairservices.com/
http://www.askdrtech.com/
http://www.computergeeksonline.net/
http://www.geeksbyminute.com/

Computers in time need maintenance. The operating system is working and in time, it collects irrelevant information, some programs that we are not using anymore might still be running in the background and we do not need them anymore, and they overload our computer resources for no reason. The capacity of the hard-disks as we store and install many programs grows and increase in size until there is almost no space left for the operating system to perform its operations (the operating system uses some storage resources from our hard-disks, sometimes to do its activities, and some time to be able to increase memory use).

Here are some procedures that you can do in order to maximize your computer’s
performance:

A. In case your computer has many programs which you are not using anymore, and they even might be running in the background (load when the computers start).

1. Go to: Start –> Control-Panel –> add remove programs
2. Go over the list of programs, and if you see a program that you are no longer using, do an uninstall, and remove it.

* If there are programs on the list with the name “Tool Bar”, which are usually being added to the browsers, it is recommended to remove them, the browser will run faster while you are browsing the internet.

B. The windows operating system needs some space on C:> (C hard disk – System drive), and as such you will need to leave at least 2GB of free space (recommended to leave more).

1. Open the File Explorer (press the START button + E).  You can go through the process mentioned in section A, which will remove programs you’re not using and free space from the c:\program files, and free some space on C drive.
2. You can go to “c:/windows/temp” then delete all of the files there (you can press the CTRL + A which will mark all of the files – then just delete the files), you might stumble upon some files which will not delete, that is ok, it means those temp files are being used by one of your running programs. Just mark some other files, and delete, repeating this process until there are only those files which you can’t delete.
3. You can De-fragmentation of your hard disks – This will move all of the files to a tight storage place, that will contain the same blocks, and increase performance. This performance might take a while, but you will feel the performance of the hard disk, and it will increase performance to your computer.

C. Check if you have enough memory to your computer – enough means at least 1GB RAM, with the new operating systems you will need at least 2GB, and today it is preferred to have 4GB of RAM. If you need just ask a computer store for a larger memory card that fits your computer and replaces your old lower memory cards.

D. There might be viruses or spy-ware on your computer, so select a good anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and scan your computer to let it clean the infected files.

When we use computers, like anything else computers also need maintenance. Computers are build from different parts, and those parts eventually get weary and tend to break down, either from fatigue of the material, too much dust or just too many hours of work that made it become old and over used. Such cases can prevent the computer from running smoothly or just from running at all. So you have to get help in case you’re not a computer professional technician.

So, where can we get the help we need? Well, there are many places to get help for your computer problems. You can ask a friend that handles computers, either at home or at his work, they might have stumble upon a problem like yours and they can help you with it, or they can ask around at their working place and try and find the help you need. You can also call a technician lab, and just get them the problematic computer for them to fix, of course that would require you to pay for the checkup as they try and recognize the problem and of course for the fix up, if you choose to get your computer fixed for the price they suggested the fix costs.

You can go online and check a search engine on the internet, to find a solution for your problem, you might be able to find help on the internet, there are many people who publish the problems they encounter hoping their experience with the problem will help others who might stumble upon the same problem. There are many forums that enable people to ask their questions while other expert computer people can answer the questions the forum attendees ask on the forums.

Those are the main options to get help for your computer problems, and of course even if the problem is hardware related or software related, you can find help, some advice and many options to get the help you need. With hardware issues you might have to get to a computer lab, and get the computer parts you need to replace, and if you are not qualified/able to replace the computer parts yourself, you will be able to let them help you with it, and fix it for you (for a price of course). Software issues, are more common among websites, and you probably will be able to find a solution on how to solve your challenge, there is much help out there 🙂

A computer help-desk is a term that defines the procedures to get help. The help desk procedures enable to give the computer help you need in an orderly fashion. The support team giving the help needs to get detailed information of the problem, understand the solution needed and divert the problem to the proper authorities that can give you the solution for your problem.

The help desk is a collection of departments and procedures that enable the help desk to get the correct information and find the best solution for your problem.

Mostly the procedures will be:
1. Opening a support case – making sure all of the information in regards to the problem you need help with is given, so the best solution will be found.
2. The case is reviewed and the most suitable department is chosen – where the case is transferred there to help solve your problem.
3. A suitable department will find the proper solution and help you get the solution working for you.

You can contact the help desk – using different communication types, use a phone call and describing the problem to the help-desk representative, you can also send an e-mail with the help that is needed. There are some help desks that enable you to open a case with the full description online through their website, and you will get the solution directly to your e-mail.

There are also forums where you can place your question that needs help, and anyone that participates in the forum and knows the solution to your problem will give you the answer on the forum. There are also online support chat (live person) with a support representative online which will read the help you need, and ask questions online to get the full information he needs to understand what type of a solution you need, and you will get the solution options online during the chat, which you can try on the spot and get the info to the online representative and get the solution accordingly to the results you will get while trying his solutions.

While working with computers, we might need to get help. There is much computer help online. All we need to do is learn how and what type of help we can get from online resources.

We might need to ask a question to solve a computer problem, we can access the internet (go online) and find a place that can answer our problem, or find a way to get online help, while someone will talk to us online and give us the tips that will solve our problem and give us the computer help we need. Maybe just find a forum which discusses problems as we encounter, so we might find the answer we need and solve our computer problem.

There are forums that discuss and enable to ask a question on computers and offer help to those who need computer help. There you can ask questions, and there will be probably at least one participant at that forum that might know the solution to your computer problem and will offer the solution to help you with your computer and solve the problem you have.

There are also places where you can receive online help, where there are people who offer online help, either enable an option to overtake your computer (take control of your computer – of course with your permission) and see the problem, and solve your issue and help you with it. This solution has become pretty common, many support services use such tools to help you with your computer problem.

We can use a search mechanism to search the web (the internet) and find a solution to our problem. We need to describe the type of computer help we need, and if we describe the problem well enough (when we know what type of problem we have or what type of error message we receive) we can find the exact solution for our problem. The web is full of websites that contain computer information including computer help and solutions for computer problems.

You need computer help, you need to find computer helpers. Someone that could identify (at least try) the problem, and offer you the help you need. You can invite a helper to help your computer problem in case the problem is unidentified or couldn’t be defined unless the computer specialist has a look at the problem and then help you with it.

You can try and help yourself by trying to recognizing the problem you have, and by doing that try to define the problem your experiencing. What is the problem your seeing, is the problem a slowness of the computer, when does it happen? does it happen when you’re opening a certain program? does it happen from the beginning? (It means from the moment the computer boots and you log in to your system). Maybe you’re getting an error message, so define what happens when the error message occurs like: Does the program opens? or maybe it doesn’t? Does the error message freezes your computer and forces you to reboot by using the start button etc…

When we identify the problem, it helps those who can help us, to define the problem, know or guess how to solve it, give you an estimated price offer, so you can approve and get the help you need from them.  Knowing what the problem is, will help you solve the problem quickly, and reduce the costs of identifying the problem and solving it, you just skip the identifying part. You want to be able to recognize the problem, just follow those simple steps I mentioned earlier, identify the problem, the event that you know is different from what you were used to, and identify the symbols that identify the problem, it will simplify it for those who offer you help, and shorten the solution time.

We can’t all be computer professionals, even though we can all learn if we want to if it interests us, or just if we want to know how to help ourselves. We are using computers every day, computers have become so common, that almost everyone uses them. Wouldn’t it be logical to get to know a tool that we use often, like any other machine in our house that we learn to operate, which ease our lives?

Everything breaks down, any tool needs its own help, and there are specialists that can help you, just contact the

frustrated office worker

suitable computer helper, either software help or hardware help. The solution for your computer hardware problem is a technical lab, a computer lab. They will be able to identify the hardware problem (maybe it’s not a hardware problem), they have the suitable tools for it, and they will be your best choice to identify and fix your computer, they will help you.

When your problem is a computer software issue, you can get help in various ways. You can seek assistance on the internet, there are forums where you can post your questions and get answers from other participants. When you have recognized the problem, saw an error message, you can type it into a search engine on the internet (like Google), type the exact error message and you will be surprised how many results you get. Most of the problems you might encounter have probably already been seen by others, and they might have posted the solution on the web (world wide web = internet).

Just don’t panic, there are many ways to get computer help. There are many professionals in the world, which have much experience in many different areas of computers, and they will be willing to help you, either free of charge or at a small fee.