HOW TO GET HELP
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- Introduction
- CCCC Help Programs
- Internet Sources
- Windows Help
- Microsoft Knowledge Base
- Product Tech Support
All PC users will want help on occasion. I will first describe the CCCC help programs. The remainder of this section will attempt to describe the most important help programs outside of CCCC. This is a very large, varied and changing field. All who read this are requested to bring any needed corrections, changes or omissions to the attention of Dick Savage at (805) 928-4932.
1. Helplines --- The HELPLINES column on the first page of the club newsletter contains a list of club members who have consented to help people who have problems in the areas stated above their name, telephone number and email address. If you have a problem in one of their areas, you have found about as good a way to get help as exists, someone local that you can talk to about your problem. If your problem does not fall into one of the specific areas stated in HELPLINES, you can contact Fred Adams or Dick Savage and he will help you work your problem or put you in contact with someone who is familiar with your problem area.
A request: Anyone willing to help people with a problem contact a club officer relative to the areas they feel competent to help.
2. Special Interest Groups --- At present CCCC has one SIG about Windows Systems led by Dick Trissel. It meets approximately an hour before the regular monthly meeting of the CCCC at the Knollwood Village clubhouse. It is open to all club members and guests, and provides an excellent opportunity for getting help as well as a forum for educating members relative to their areas of interest.
3. This HOW TO GET HELP Section of the CCCC Web Site --- The remainder of this section will attempt to describe the major ways to get help unrelated to CCCC. The first areas described will be where specific questions related to your problem can be asked. The latter areas will describe where general information about computers or software is documented.
Last Updated On - 18 July 2007
Return to MENU OF TOPICSThere are countless excellent sources providing help on the Internet. The best way for accessing them is through a search engine such as Google. If you are not familiar with how to use Google go to www.google.com and click on 'About Google'.
Last Updated On - 20 September 2007
Return to MENU OF TOPICSWindows Help may be found on the Start menu that pops up when you click the Start button on the Taskbar. Help is a well-organized system describing how to accomplish a large number of topics and tasks. A Help window typically has two frames. The left-hand frame is used to find and select a topic to be described while the right hand frame displays the last topic or task selected.
There are three tabs controlling the information shown in the left frame, a Contents tab, an Index tab and a Search tab. The Contents tab organizes the available help into categories, sub categories, and topics. A book icon precedes category titles; a question mark icon precedes topics. Clicking on a Contents tab topic produces a description of it in the right frame. The first topics listed in Contents are in the How To Use Help category and provide more detail on the subject than can be provided here. The last major category in the Contents tab is Troubleshooting which may be of particular value to users seeking help.
The Index tab is like the index of a book. It is a very long alphabetical listing of all the topics and tasks that can be displayed in the right frame. One can scroll through the list to find a task or topic to be displayed or use the search window at the top of the frame. There is an automatic search feature in this frame that can hasten your search. When you type in the first character, the displayed list rapidly jumps to the place where the listed letter starts. When you type the second character, the place on the alphabetical list where the first two letters start is displayed. With this feature one can quickly determine whether there are any topics listed beginning with a given word. When you find a topic on the list you click on the topic to select it and then click the Display button to display it in the right frame. It is somewhat ironic that on my Windows 98 SE Help erroneously says that you can display an Index topic by simply clicking on the topic itself.
The Search tab is pretty straightforward. You type in a key word or phrase to search on and then click on List Topics. Help will then furnish you with a list of topics containing the search criteria. Once again click on the topic listed to highlight it and the Display button to have shown in the right frame.
Last Updated On - 18 July 2001
Return to MENU OF TOPICSThe Microsoft Knowledge Base contains answers to thousands of questions and solutions to hundreds of problems in just about every category relating to Windows, DOS and Microsoft programs. It is one of the best sources for information about problems with Microsoft products.
1. Microsoft provides a program to search its Knowledge Base at http://search.support.microsoft.com/kb/c.asp. Use of this search program is fairly straightforward:
- Step 1 requires a selection of a Microsoft product in the 'My search is about box' If the drop down menu does not list the specific product where you are encountering a problem, select a broad area such as 'All Microsoft Products' or 'Windows 98'.
- Step 2 offers 6 different ways to search. The first option, 'Keyword Search using ...', requiring the selection of one of four logic patterns, is very flexible and is likely to be of most use. If you have the information required by the other options, they may produce a more precise search.
- Step 3 is where you type in the information the program will search for. Prior to clicking on the "Go" to initiate the search:
- Insure that the Options shown after Step 3 are the selections you want.
2. The Google search engine will usually do a better job of searching a web site than the search facility provided by the site. Here is how to use Google to search Microsoft's Knowledge Base:
- Go to http://www.google.com/advanced_search
- Instruct Google as to what it is to search for by filling in the Find results boxes with as much as you deem appropriate. This step is the heart of your search. If the results of your first search are not satisfactory, consider different entries in these boxes. You do not have to use all boxes.
- You will probably want to expand and click on English in the Language box.
- In the Domains boxes, insure that the first box reads: Only and then type: support.microsoft.com in the second box.
- You are now ready to start the search by clicking on Google Search .
Last Updated On - 22 Sep 01
Return to MENU OF TOPICSThe company making the product with which you are having trouble usually has a tech support procedure to assist their customers. These procedures provide an excellent help source. The specific procedures available are too numerous and varied to describe here. Consult the literature accompanying the product or go to the suppliers web site to find out how to contact their tech support personnel.
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CLOSING APPEAL: --- This is a very large, varied and changing field. All who read this are requested to bring any comments or needed corrections, changes or omissions to the attention of Dick Savage at (805) 928-4932 or rsavage65@hotmail.com.
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