Troubleshooting Using Online Resources

The Internet is home to an astonishingly wide range of information, but its forte has always been computer knowledge. Whatever problem you may have, there’s a good chance that someone out there has run into the same thing, knows how to fix it, and has posted the solution on a Web site or newsgroup, or would be willing to share it with you if asked. True, finding what you need is sometimes difficult, and you often can’t be sure how accurate some of the solutions are. However, if you stick to the more reputable sites and if you get second opinions on solutions offered by complete strangers, then you’ll find the online world an excellent troubleshooting resource. Here’s our list of favorite online resources to check out:

  • Microsoft Product Support Services. This is Microsoft’s main online technical support site. Through this site you can access Windows XP frequently asked questions, see a list of known problems, download files, and send questions to Microsoft support personnel.

    http://support.microsoft.com/

  • Microsoft Knowledge Base. The Microsoft Product Support Services site has links that enable you to search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, which is a database of articles related to all Microsoft products, including, of course, Windows XP. These articles provide you with information about Windows XP and the use of its features. But the most useful aspect of the Knowledge Base is its help in troubleshooting problems. Many of the articles were written by Microsoft support personnel. By searching for error codes or keywords, you can often get specific solutions to your problems.

    Notes From the Real World

    Quite often in my efforts to troubleshoot or research a problem, I find the assistance of the Microsoft Knowledge Base to be invaluable. This database of tips, how-tos, and workarounds is a gold mine of information. However, like any gold mine, you have to dig deep into the Knowledge Base to get the best nuggets, and that means knowing how to search for what you need.

    First, make sure you choose the Advanced Search And Help link. This displays a form that gives you much greater search precision. Then be sure to use the Select A Microsoft Product list to choose which product you’re working with (such as Windows XP).

    After you enter your search text, use the Using list to choose the option that determines how the search engine should interpret your text: All Of The Words Entered acts like a Boolean AND search; Any Of The Words Entered acts like a Boolean OR; The Exact Phrase Entered treats the search text as a single phrase; and Boolean (Text Contains AND/OR) enables you to enter your own Boolean search operators. If you choose the last option, note that the search engine supports the AND, OR, and AND NOT operators. (Use the last one to match articles that do not contain the search text that appears after the AND NOT operator.)

    Next, use the Search Type options to choose what part of the articles is to be searched. You can search the full text, the title only, or only the article ID number. Searching the full text takes a little longer but will generally result in a larger number of hits and a more successful search. Finally, use the Date Range list to match only articles that were published within a certain time frame (or select the Anytime value to search all the articles).

    Note that if you’re searching by article number, it’s a good idea to get in the habit of inputting the number only (omit the leading "Q"). As of November 7, 2002, the Knowledge Base began phasing out prefix letters in an effort to standardize the numbering schemes for articles across multiple languages. Microsoft promises that existing URLs to Knowledge Base articles will continue to function for two years after the changeover date, but new articles will no longer be published using the old naming conventions.

    —Geoff Winslow

  • Microsoft TechNet. This Microsoft site is designed for IT professionals and power users. It contains a huge number of articles on all Microsoft products. These articles give you technical content, program instructions, tips, scripts, downloads, and troubleshooting ideas.

    http://www.microsoft.com/technet/

  • Windows Update. Check this site for the latest device drivers, security patches, service packs, and other updates.

    http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

  • Microsoft Security and Privacy. Check this site for the latest information on Microsoft’s security and privacy initiatives, particularly security patches.

    http://www.microsoft.com/security/

  • Vendor Web sites. All but the tiniest hardware and software vendors maintain Web sites with customer support sections that you can peruse for upgrades, patches, workarounds, frequently asked questions, and sometimes chat or bulletin board features.

  • Newsgroups. Computer-related newsgroups exist for hundreds of topics and products. Microsoft maintains its own newsgroups via the msnews.microsoft.com server, and Usenet has a huge list of groups in the alt. and comp. hierarchies. Before asking a question in a newsgroup, be sure to search Google Groups to see if your question has been answered in the past.

    http://groups.google.com/

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