We treat our computers like appliances. We expect them to turn on and operate flawlessly every time, just like the microwave. The only thing is, they are NOT appliances, more like organisms, with many moving parts that grow and change continuously.

    When we are busy with our daily work, it can be quite frustrating when our computers don't work flawlessly. We can't afford down time, so we often ignore problems until they reach a point where productivity is impossible. When that happens, it is time to get IT involved.

    So, your average IT Support Technician sits by the phone trying to get the next server migration planned, or optimizing some obscure resource. When the phone rings, it could be anyone and the problem could be anything. It is a thankless task, nobody ever calls to tell you, "Everything worked perfectly today!"

    So here are a few things you can do to make the task of your average help desk tech's day a little easier, and might make your calls a little less frequent:

  1. When you receive an error, READ it! It is amazing how many times I get the call about a particular "problem" where there is a warning or some other message that the user haphazardly clicks "Cancel" or "No" when after reading the message, it is clear that this will prevent the very action desired. Additionally, there is often very valuable information that may help the tech diagnose your issue.
  2. Capture a screen shot of your message. Admittedly, some of the messages that you receive if there is a problem are very technical and hard to understand, and even harder to remember. Taking a screen shot may be even better than trying to explain the error to your tech. A picture is worth a thousand words! To take a screen shot, hold down the "ctrl" button and press the "Prt Sc" button. This copies the entire screen to your clipboard. Now open a new document and Paste (ctrl+v, right click and select Paste, or select Edit - Paste from the top menu). This should paste your screen shot into the document. Save it and email your tech.
  3. Try some basic troubleshooting before you call. You can save your tech some time, and possibly even solve your own problem! Start by reading any error messages, and if they offer any suggestions, try that. Try searching your problem online. Likely, you are not the only person to ever have that problem. Try to isolate your problem. If you have several programs running, try to close all and start your process over. Finally, reboot your computer. In my experience, this solves 60% of all support issues.

    The bottom line is this: computers can have problems, and they can be frustrating. Your help desk is here to help you. But it can take time and be costly to try and troubleshoot your problems. If you take a couple of steps, you can make this work a little less challenging for your friendly Support technician. Who knows, you might even solve your own problem!

    Have a great tip to help users troubleshoot their computer problems, or help a Support tech better solve a problem? Post it below.