Download The New Netscape Communicator
How to get tech support
Say goodbye to voicemail

Yeah, you're hip to computers and the Net: You've got a modem, a hookup to the Net, and you're down with those e-mail smileys. You're familiar with your favorite software programs, too, know where to turn if you want to get rid of the irritating auto-format in your Word document. It's only now and then that using your computer makes you want to tear your hair out.

Take tonight, for instance, your Internet Relay Chat program just quit, you can't figure out how to get it working, and you've been forced to leave CuteCyberChick in the chat room all alone.

You'd like to use the chat program's help menu, but you can't even get the application running, so that's not feasible. You could rummage through your bookshelf and find the manual, but you'd spend too long trying to find the right info. You could always look up the number for the company, but even if you found it, it's after business hours.

And then it hits you ... what about the Web? Is there help out there? (Do you really talk this way to yourself?) Well, guess what? You can find tech support online -- lots of it.

Any company that's any company has a Web site these days, so start there. Most tech support sections provide FAQs and troubleshooting tips, as well as e-mail forms, so it's as easy as sending a message to Mom. You may also be treated to patch upgrades and bug fixes when you visit the site.

The truly valuable online resources are newsgroups. In addition to a FAQ list, a newsgroup for Windows 95 users will provide you with countless tips. The experts in residence will also be able to steer you in the right direction if you can't find what you need.

You can search for Web sites of user groups and your favorite high-tech magazine for helpful hints. If you're still not finding what you need, check out newsletters, platform-specific sites, and university pages. You'll get what you need.

What you won't get online is voicemail, cheesy hold music, lines at the local computer store, a ruptured disk incurred by lugging your CPU to the store, a closed sign, a busy signal, or a less-than-informed tech support/surfer dude who keeps interrupting to ask if you know when it's high tide in Kansas.

-- M. Trouble Sample

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Kathryn M. McGrail tells how
to get it done on the Net:
How do I get started?
How do I know what hardware and software I have?
How do I find tech support on the Web?
How can I get help in newsgroups?

Snappy Picks

Big-name hardware and friends
IBM Personal Computer Product Support
IBM Personal Computer Usenet Newsgroups
Apple
MacInTouch Tips Page
Compaq
Dell Troubleshooting Assistant
Hewlett-Packard SupportLine
Radius Tech Support

Software sampler
Microsoft Technical Support
Lotus Support Services
Claris Support and Training
Corel Service and Support
Intuit Support
Adobe Support & Services
Oil Change
First Aid

They wanna hold your hand ...
TechHelper
The Online Support Center
Tech Support Guy
The Center For Statistical Consultation And Research
Cheetah FAQ
EA On-Line Tech Support
Neutron Online Tech Support
JavaNet Support
Other MacUser Groups
WUGNET: Windows Users Group Network
Inquiry.com
Webmonkey
CNET: Guerrilla Guide to PC Support
CyberMedia


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