Improving tech support

[Haneef Bashir]

On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 4:12 AM, Cyborg Alpha <cyborg.alpha.v1 at gmail.com> wrote:
> The best tech support I've seen, on any platform, is community driven.
>
> However, if information is missing then a solution may be more difficult
> to find, as well - it makes it difficult to track problems.
>
> Here are a few suggestion;
>
> 1. at the top of the message should be the users system information,
> particularly OS version and if they are on a dual boot system, and if so
> what version of Windows. The system information should be kept
> through-out the conversation (tread) with other non-essential parts
> [snipped].
>
> 2. I have found, through observing several tech support groups, that
> many people with tech problems are running dual boot  (windows & linux)
> systems. So here is a tech support trouble shooting flowchart;
>
> a. Always ensure your data is backed up, off system and not dependent on
> back-up software to restore.
> b. re-install your version of linux (from CD or DVD) eliminating the
> dual boot to only run linux.
> c. there is more than enough linux-ware to make it run similar to
> windows including finding a MS network (and all systems under that network)
> d. if that solves the problem, then the problem exists with the windows
> dual boot. Which may not be a linux bug, but a MS hd locking technology
> issue.
>
> I've experienced few issues with clean single boot installs. It took
> three re-installs (on a vista laptop) to fully eliminate MS from the hd.
> The tech issues that I did experience were due to a lack of information
> (and errors) on my part.
good advice. i notice that i have less problems with a single install
as well. so far so good. thing that i have a problem with is need to
use voice chat on instant messengers such as msn and yahoo. i have set
to find a work around for that. im thinking about installing windows
on another hard drive to use when i need.