Please include as much relevant detail as possible such as the name and version of the program/operating system/hardware and what's going wrong. Describe the symptoms fully enough to give me something to go on, for example quoting any error messages.
Where possible I favour questions that will have some general appeal, whether the specific problem/solution or because it gives me an opportunity to explore an interesting/useful subject. Questions about popular applications, Windows and aspects of the hardware tend to be top of the list.
The sorts of questions I do not answer:
Subscription/back issue queries, problems with the SuperDisc. As a freelancer I cannot deal with these. Please contact the relevant departments.
Long questions that cannot be condensed, or questions to which the answer is very long.
Linux questions, because we have a separate Linux Q&A section. Please email our Linux Q&A maestro, Frank Charlton.
Most programming questions. PC Plus has so many programming columns that I tend to avoid it except with scripting languages, the code is short and there is a payoff for other readers such as a good macro many will want to use or learn from. For pure programming queries it's best to email the author of the relevant section. He or she may be able to use your question in a future column.
Questions about applications that few other readers will have, unless I can bring out a generally applicable point.
Obscure program crashes and incompatibilities with specific hardware/software. Even if I could discover what is causing your problem the answer isn't going to be of much interest to other people unless it is a common difficulty.
Questions that have been covered in the recent past. I try to avoid repetition in the short term unless there is something new to say. There is a searchable database of recent HelpDesks on the PC Plus web site.
Consumer complaints are not within the remit of HelpDesk. Check out the Campaign section in PC Plus and if that looks more suitable, please send your problem to the address listed there.