home and office computer support for D.C., Virginia & Maryland
A quick fix to many common PC problems (non-functioning printers, drivers, web broswers, etc) is possible with the free Fix-it software from Microsoft at:
http://fixitcenter.support.microsoft.com/Portal/
Click Try it Now!, install the software, run Mircosoft Fix it and choose the category of your problem. Mircosoft Fix it then looks for and can automatically fix lots of issues.
Before calling on computer support, see if this free software can help you out.
At Tech DC we occasionally provide remote computer support and take over someone’s desktop to fix a problem. My favorite tool for this is the previously mentioned UltraVNC SingleClick. This requires the remote user to click on an executable to allow me to view their desktop.
A new tool that I started using is Zoho Assist. This is web based remote login software similar to GoToAssist or LogMeIn Rescue, but far more reasonably priced. Unlike UltraVNC SingleClick, Zoho Assist works on PC, Mac, and Linux (SingleClick is PC only) and everything can be setup from a web browser (SingleClick is far more complicated and requires the support person to understand firewalls, port forwarding, and dynamic DNS services). Zoho Assist is free with limited features allowing 5 sessions a month, enough for most people helping a few friends and family. The price for the full service is $12/month.
The person you are supporting has to either click a link in an email you send them or go to join.zoho.com and enter the Session ID for the session you created. Then Java is often automatically installed on the supported computer and the person has to click a series of OKs and Nexts. But overall it is a simple process that you can walk most people though on the phone.
I still recommend UltraVNC SingleClick for advanced support needs for PCs. But for something quick and simple, Zoho Assist is a great service.
If your computer does not boot, there may be problems with drivers or write permissions. In order fix the computer, you can try to boot the operating system into safe mode. This overcomes many common problems that cause a computer not to boot.
Windows
In Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 98, and Windows 95, you get into safe mode by holding the F8 key at computer startup.
You then choose Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking as shown on this screen.
Mac OS X
Although it is not often used, the Mac has a safe mode too. Hold down the Shift key during computer startup.
For a recent Falls Church, Virginia customer I had to do this because the computer’s file permissions got screwed up. Once into the operating system with safe mode, I was able to use Disk Utility and repair permissions.