Get help with your computer problem

Computer Basics, Fix Your Computer

There are lots of ways to get technical help with your computer problem. Here’s a list:

1) Get personal help from us.

Make a donation to this web site to help us with the costs of running this site, which is visited by more than four million people, and we’ll marshal our staff to personally help you via email.

Need computer buying advice? See our Buyers Guides

How to get personal help via email:
If you donate $30 to support this site a member of our expert troubleshooting staff will help you. We will work with you via email to help you solve your problem. Click the link below to send a $30 donation now:

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After you have donated, send an email to and include your question. Once we have confirmed your donation via PayPal, we will contact you.

In the email please include:

» Your name

» Your email address

And also include as much of the following info as you know:

» Your computer’s brand, make, and model. (Please be specific, if you know.)

» Amount of RAM (System Memory)

» Windows version (this is important!)

» The nature of your problem. If it involves a specific piece of software like Outlook Express please include the version. To find this, start the program and look in the Help menu (top right) and click “About” to see what version it is.

» If your problem involves a scanner or printer or other device connected to your machine, please include its make and model.

» Please include any other facts, like how the problem started, whether you have added any new program, or attempted any fixes (and if so, what the results were).

We will respond via email as soon as we can, often within 24 hours. This is not always possible, but we do attempt to be as quick as we can. Note that our site founder Andy Walker makes a living as a technology journalist, so much of this assistance is done outside of his normal working hours. He may also ask one of the members of the TechnologyTips Team to assist you.

2) Check out the TechnologyTips Tech Help Forums

Andy and other expert users of the Tech Help Forums often help people for FREE if they post their problems there. Sign up and once your account is activated, post your question.

3) Check these quick fixes:

Fifty percent of all tech problems that we encounter through people emailing us can be solved with one of the following quick fixes.

» Shutdown your computer. Wait 30 seconds and restart it.

» Scan your PC for corrupt files and other bugs using Bug Doctor.

» Get a new version of a virus scanner and scan for viruses. One option we recommend is F-Prot Antivirus.

» Get an anti-spyware program and clean your computer. We recommend CA Anti-Spyware 2007.

» Uninstall the problematic program and reinstall it, especially after a virus infection, trojan, or worm.

» Update the software to a newer version if it is very old, especially when it comes to your web browser.

» Reinstall Windows by putting your installation CD in the CD/DVD drive and running setup. Then let the installer overwrite all system files with original versions of them. Take a look at the TechnologyTips Reinstall and Reformat FAQ. Be sure you back up all your important documents and data before you reinstall Windows, because they won’t be there afterward.

» Update your drivers. For additional information, be sure to review this article on How to update a driver.

More resources:

Be sure to search this web site — your question may have an answer in one of our articles.

Some good places to look: