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      ❯❯ Callback

      ❯❯ Email

      ❯❯ Paid

      I recommend trying live chat, if it’s available. A window pops up on the screen and you get to type at “Linda” or “Bill” and explain your situation. They can walk you through some solutions or perhaps even offer to fix the problem remotely. See the next section, “Be wary of remote desktop access!”

      Phone support is nice, but often the wait times are intolerably long. So be prepared not only to wait but also to run the risk of chatting with someone who sports a heavy accent. This possibility is why I recommend live chat as your first choice.

      If a callback option is offered, choose it. That way, the support people phone you up at a more convenient time to resolve the issue.

      The email option works, but not quickly. It’s also time-consuming to write back and forth.

      A final option for tech support is to contact a professional tech support service. This is a paid service from a third party, sort of a for-hire online guru. The best services provide that you pay only when a solution is found. For example, you provide credit card information and then together you work on the phone or remotely to fix the issue. If the issue is resolved, you pay the agreed-upon fee; otherwise, you’re not charged.

      

When dealing with any type of tech support, lower your expectations. Not everything that goes wrong with a PC can be fixed quickly or easily.

      

When remote tech support gets serious, you may be asked to surrender your PC to remote desktop access. This is a marvelous way for the other person to see your computer and control things, which greatly aids in troubleshooting. It also opens your PC to a certain risk, so my advice is to be careful!

      No one can access your PC remotely without your permission. (That is, unless your PC has already been compromised by malware.) Ensure that you trust whoever is accessing the computer, which is a tall order. Be cautious of any tech support person eager to use remote desktop access, especially if they haven’t yet directed you to perform a few basic tasks. That’s a big red flag.

      To ensure that remote desktop access is disabled in Windows, heed these directions:

      If you need remote assistance in the future, you can reenable this feature. Otherwise, by following the steps in this section, you ensure that remote desktop access isn’t something that can automatically happen to your computer. Even then, a prompt first appears, where you must grant permission to the remote party for desktop access.

Book 2

      O, We Got Trouble!

Chapter 1

      Startup Problems

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      If this book were about troubleshooting a computer that isn’t turned on, it would be a very short book. That’s because, when a PC is turned off, it performs quite reliably. After power is supplied, however, trouble looms like a flatbed truck loaded with loosely packed logs on a bumpy road.

      To best understand PC startup problems, this chapter walks you through the power-on process, from electronic slumber to electron-invigorated operation. When you appreciate the computer’s power-on sequence, though it may be technical, you can better pinpoint a problem and address specific issues.

      The Onset of PC Heartbreak

      Nothing beats that feeling when you arrive at your desk, set down a hot cup of delicious something, take your seat, and get ready to start a fresh, productive day. That feeling is destroyed when the PC decides to take a detour from your planned route.

      ❯❯ Initial computer woe is almost always a sign of hardware trouble. Replacing the bad part fixes the problem.

      ❯❯ The change that causes computer startup trouble is most often due to time: Parts grow old and fail, most frequently when you turn on a computer. Even so, consider what you’ve changed or modified on your PC or added to it. Have you installed new hardware, modified a software setting, or updated Windows? One of these issues may have caused the problem.

      ❯❯ If the problem isn’t with the PC’s mass storage system (hard drive), your data is probably safe. Replacing bad hardware, such as a video card or power supply, fixes the problem without damaging your data. However:

      ❯❯

You risk losing your data by taking your PC into the shop for repair. That’s because sometimes the technicians replace or erase the hard drive or primary storage media. Of course, when the hard drive is the problem, it needs replacing anyway. That’s why I recommend backups; see Book 4, Chapter 3.

      Phase I: Power On

      During the initial power-on phase, the computer transforms itself from a chunk of quite useless expensive electronics into a chunk of quite useful expensive electronics.

      You press the Power button. When the PC is off, pressing the Power button turns on the PC. It works that way whether the computer was properly shut down, was put into hibernation, or has met an untimely or inopportune demise.

      The computer’s power supply does its job: It starts converting alternating current into direct current. Alternating current comes from the wall socket. Direct current is used inside the computer to power its circuitry and motors.

      The computer fails to receive power. This issue could lie with the electrical supply, a defect in the building’s wiring, or the PC’s power supply.

      The loud sound of nothing when you turn on a PC means that it has a power supply issue. Check the following items in this order: