This may be a silly post, but the fact that is posted at all says there is a problem.
I see a lot of posts, especially from "newbies" asking for help without providing basic details. First off we can’t help if we don’t know what the problem is; and we can’t figure out the problem without some basic information such as systems specs and a clear understanding of what the problem is. It is the lack of these two basic things that causes posts to be ignored or incorrectly diagnosed!
Below are three examples of bad/problematic questions. Some were re-worded as not to embarrass.
Example 1:
"Can anyone help me, I was playing Crysis today and all of a sudden the game froze. I have a HP Presario xxx with Vista premium. Can anyone tell me how to fix it?"
This problem can be caused by any number of issues. System specs along with a little more info, such as error codes might help narrow down the problem and eliminate unnecessary steps, or purchases, like buying a new video card, only to find it didn't fix the problem. Doh!
Example 2:
"The Postmaster said my mail box is nearly full! I have a lot of messages in my sent Items folder, but Vista won’t let me delete them!? What do I do now?"
This question is so vague that it leads to more questions than answers. This is an easy post to ignore!
Example 3:
"Help a friend of mine has vista ultimate 64 and has been getting a lot of bsods lately I told him he needs to stay away from vista as it’s the worst thing since hell but he insists that vista is a good os and has gotten a bad wrap but yet he still has bsods and don’t know to get rid of them can someone tell me what to look for to help him since he really doesn’t know computers all that well he as a gateway he bought from best buy with 2gig of memory and a intel cpu and ati 2600 video card thanks"
While you might laugh and think no one would make such a post, I can assure you, I’ve actually helped someone with a post like this. And believe me, it wasn’t fun.
While I’m certainly not going to belittle anyone on their grammar, I would ask that you use at least the basics such as capitals, periods, and paragraphs. A post like the one above is certainly hard to read and understand without them, and in all likelihood, be ignored! Please do not be offended if asked to "fix" your grammar. This only helps to clarify what you’re trying to say or ask.
Part two of the above post is that now we’re working third party, which can get very confusing. If you’re going to ask a question for a friend, be prepared to have all the pertinent information as well as the ability to work with the machine.
The bottom line is if you want people to help you, you need to help us by providing clear concise questions with all the pertinent information for us to make a more accurate diagnoses of your problem.
Remember we don’t physically have your computer in front of us thus the information you provide goes a long way in the quality, time, and accuracy, of your answers/suggestions/help.
While we can’t guarantee your problem(s) will be solved, you can rest assured that the best possible solution will be offered based on the info you provide.
Here are a few suggestions to help us help you:
- Let us know your level of experience with computers.
- Be as specific as possible about the issue rather than saying "it doesn't work" or "It crashes a lot".
- What were you doing when the problem occurred?
- Provide as much information on any error message(s), etc as possible.
- List any steps taken to duplicate or cause the problem and what you’ve tried to fix it.
- Provide as much information as possible about your PC - System specs, OS you are running, etc.
- Use the "System Specs" box under your User Control Panel. This helps to ensure all the pertinent information is listed.
- Likewise don’t list your system specs under your first post, if the thread turns ten pages long, your specs get buried.
- If you do not know the specs of the PC, but it was purchased from a PC manufactures or retailer, provide a link to the model showing the system specs.
- If the problem is solved, tell us!
One last thing, don’t get mad at someone if they remind of some basic forum etiquette such as hijacking posts, privately posting numerous members for help, or posting the same questions in various forums.
These are rules we all have to live by, and are clearly stated when you read??? The forum rules before being allowed to sign up.
Again, help us help you
Thanks.
My two cents
sygnus21
I see a lot of posts, especially from "newbies" asking for help without providing basic details. First off we can’t help if we don’t know what the problem is; and we can’t figure out the problem without some basic information such as systems specs and a clear understanding of what the problem is. It is the lack of these two basic things that causes posts to be ignored or incorrectly diagnosed!
Below are three examples of bad/problematic questions. Some were re-worded as not to embarrass.
Example 1:
"Can anyone help me, I was playing Crysis today and all of a sudden the game froze. I have a HP Presario xxx with Vista premium. Can anyone tell me how to fix it?"
This problem can be caused by any number of issues. System specs along with a little more info, such as error codes might help narrow down the problem and eliminate unnecessary steps, or purchases, like buying a new video card, only to find it didn't fix the problem. Doh!
Example 2:
"The Postmaster said my mail box is nearly full! I have a lot of messages in my sent Items folder, but Vista won’t let me delete them!? What do I do now?"
This question is so vague that it leads to more questions than answers. This is an easy post to ignore!
Example 3:
"Help a friend of mine has vista ultimate 64 and has been getting a lot of bsods lately I told him he needs to stay away from vista as it’s the worst thing since hell but he insists that vista is a good os and has gotten a bad wrap but yet he still has bsods and don’t know to get rid of them can someone tell me what to look for to help him since he really doesn’t know computers all that well he as a gateway he bought from best buy with 2gig of memory and a intel cpu and ati 2600 video card thanks"
While you might laugh and think no one would make such a post, I can assure you, I’ve actually helped someone with a post like this. And believe me, it wasn’t fun.
While I’m certainly not going to belittle anyone on their grammar, I would ask that you use at least the basics such as capitals, periods, and paragraphs. A post like the one above is certainly hard to read and understand without them, and in all likelihood, be ignored! Please do not be offended if asked to "fix" your grammar. This only helps to clarify what you’re trying to say or ask.
Part two of the above post is that now we’re working third party, which can get very confusing. If you’re going to ask a question for a friend, be prepared to have all the pertinent information as well as the ability to work with the machine.
The bottom line is if you want people to help you, you need to help us by providing clear concise questions with all the pertinent information for us to make a more accurate diagnoses of your problem.
Remember we don’t physically have your computer in front of us thus the information you provide goes a long way in the quality, time, and accuracy, of your answers/suggestions/help.
While we can’t guarantee your problem(s) will be solved, you can rest assured that the best possible solution will be offered based on the info you provide.
Here are a few suggestions to help us help you:
- Let us know your level of experience with computers.
- Be as specific as possible about the issue rather than saying "it doesn't work" or "It crashes a lot".
- What were you doing when the problem occurred?
- Provide as much information on any error message(s), etc as possible.
- List any steps taken to duplicate or cause the problem and what you’ve tried to fix it.
- Provide as much information as possible about your PC - System specs, OS you are running, etc.
- Use the "System Specs" box under your User Control Panel. This helps to ensure all the pertinent information is listed.
- Likewise don’t list your system specs under your first post, if the thread turns ten pages long, your specs get buried.
- If you do not know the specs of the PC, but it was purchased from a PC manufactures or retailer, provide a link to the model showing the system specs.
- If the problem is solved, tell us!
One last thing, don’t get mad at someone if they remind of some basic forum etiquette such as hijacking posts, privately posting numerous members for help, or posting the same questions in various forums.
These are rules we all have to live by, and are clearly stated when you read??? The forum rules before being allowed to sign up.
Again, help us help you
Thanks.
My two cents
sygnus21
My Computer
System One
-
- Manufacturer/Model
- Custom Built
- CPU
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
- Motherboard
- Intel D975XBX2
- Memory
- Corsair TWIN2X4096-PC8500 (2x2GHz)
- Graphics Card(s)
- ATI Radeon HD 4890 (1GHz)
- Sound Card
- X-Fi Titanium - Fatality Pro Series
- Monitor(s) Displays
- hp w2207h (22" widescreen)
- Screen Resolution
- 1680 x 1050
- Hard Drives
- One 750GB, 2x500GB Western Digital Caviar Black Hard Drives (32meg)
- PSU
- Antec Neo HE 550
- Case
- Antec P182
- Cooling
- Zalman CNPS9500 AT
- Keyboard
- Logitech Wireless Wave
- Mouse
- Logitech MX Revolution
- Internet Speed
- "High" Speed DSL? Is that like low speed FIOS?
- Other Info
- Q6600 B3 Revision OC to 3.0GHz
Thanks! :D
