What To Do When Your PC Is Broken and You Can't Fix It

by Lee Hudspeth
(This article appears in The Naked PC #6.05, February 27, 2003)

** 02. What To Do When Your PC Is Broken and You Can't Fix It
       (by Lee Hudspeth)

Say you've got a PC hardware or software problem, and you can't 
solve it. The dog, er, PC, just won't hunt. Assume that you don't 
know a local PC consultant or repair technician. In this article 
I suggest what you can do to fix a problem before it becomes so 
severe that you have to take it in to a repair shop. In a 
subsequent article I'll cover how to mitigate the risks of 
leaving a broken PC in someone else's hands. (But if you must 
visit a PC repair shop before that article is written--assuming 
your PC is not so broken that it can still boot and make a 
backup--at an absolute minimum make a full backup of your data. 
You won't have scrubbed the PC of proprietary data, but you at 
least have a backup copy of your data. Also make sure you eject 
any CDs or DVDs in your drives.)

My first caveat is about privacy. Although it is a machine, a PC 
isn't like a car or appliance; it contains volumes of personal 
information that you probably don't want anyone to see. When your 
PC is giving you fits, consider the following steps.

1. If the PC is under warranty, use that channel to make the 
repairs. Otherwise, contact the manufacturer and inquire if you 
can renew or extend the service warranty and if doing so will 
include coverage for the *current* problem.

2. If the PC is out of warranty, ask the manufacturer for the 
name and phone number of the company they use to provide regional 
in-warranty support for your system and contact that firm 
directly.

3. (Assuming your problems are solely or at least partly caused 
by the operating system...) Contact Microsoft and get your 
questions answered under the operating system's warranty. Caveats 
apply if you've already used up your quota of free support 
incidents, but Microsoft does offer fee-based support. 
Microsoft's Web site offers the following resources when trying 
to get support--either free or fee-based--for an operating 
system.

a) Computer Manufacturer's Support Phone Numbers -- this page 
provides a listing of the largest OEMs from Acer to Toshiba, with 
an A-Z set of links for the rest:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/605/tr.cgi?lee1

b) To find out about the support options for your Microsoft 
operating system, go here, select the product by name, and answer 
the wizard's questions:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/605/tr.cgi?lee2

When I follow this process for Windows XP Home, here is what I 
see. If I choose phone support, I get two incidents and 
installation support free by calling 425-635-3311 (see the Web 
site for the hours of operation), after that paid support is 
$35/incident by calling 800-936-5700. I can also choose online 
support which is available 24x7. Here is Microsoft's definition 
of an incident, "An assisted support incident is defined as a 
single support issue and the reasonable effort needed to resolve 
it. A single support issue is a problem that cannot be broken 
down into subordinate problems. If a problem consists of 
subordinate problems, each shall be considered a separate 
incident.  Before Microsoft provides support for an assisted 
submission, the customer and Microsoft's designated Support 
Professional must agree on what the problem is and the parameters 
for an acceptable solution. An assisted support incident may 
require multiple phone calls and off-line research to resolve it. 
Support Professionals are responsible for determining what a 
single support issue is and communicating this to customers."

4. If you know a computer consultant or technician, ask her or 
him what to do about your problems. If they are too busy or don't 
know the answer, ask for a referral to the technician or repair 
shop *they* would personally use if they were in your shoes and 
didn't have the time to make the repairs themselves.

5. If you don't know a consultant or technician, ask local 
friends and colleagues for referrals to same. Ask plenty of 
questions about the referral, and especially if the person had 
any direct experience with an in-shop PC repair at the facility 
they're referring you to. As before, ask them, "Where would you 
take *your* PC if this was happening to you?"

6. Pay an expert for online, live (phone), or email support. 
(Note: I have not personally used or reviewed any of these 
services, I just found them by a simple Web-based search. They're 
presented here in alphabetical order.)

Ask Me Help Desk:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/605/tr.cgi?lee4

HelpShare:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/605/tr.cgi?lee6

Keen:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/605/tr.cgi?lee3

LiveAdvice:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/605/tr.cgi?lee5

7. Get free online help from newsgroups.

Microsoft's product support newsgroup interface is here:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/605/tr.cgi?lee7

You can also access newsgroups via Google Groups:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/605/tr.cgi?lee8

(Thanks to Gary Ames, Managing Director, www.ActiveJobSearch.com, 
for the inspiration for this article.)

(c) 2003, Lee Hudspeth
You can reach Lee Hudspeth at:
mailto:LeeHudspeth@TheNakedPC.com

You can reach Lee Hudspeth at:
leehudspeth@TheNakedPC.com

To go to Lee's main page and see a list of links to his other articles and supplemental pages, click here.

To go to The Naked PC's articles index page, click here.

To go to The Naked PC's home page, click here.

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