Help Desk Tech Support

Depending on what sort of system you have, it may or may not include a warranty. If, for example, you bought your system through a school program or as a package deal from a manufacturer, it is likely that there is a warranty included as part of your purchase. If this is true, there are several types of service offered including on-site service, depot repair, and USPS-mailed parts.

Certain kinds of warranties include accidental damage coverage, which means if you spill your cafe latte on your laptop, the manufacturer is required to fix your system. If your system is the property of your employer or school, your company's information technology department should have access to warranty information and will be able to determine this without your having to do any work yourself.

If the computer is your own private property, it is helpful to maintain your own purchase records and any documentation included with the computer. Every computer has a unique ID embedded in it by the manufacturer. This can often be accessed during the initial boot screen if you press F2 (on a PC). Otherwise, there is a serial number or service tag number located on the system itself which is important to have whenever calling in an issue to your help desk.

Depending on the particular software, the help desk may or may not be able to help correct your problem. For example, if you install additional software on your computer that is not supported by your computer or your school, your tech department may not be able to help you correct the problem since it is not part of their policy.

If your employer or school owns the software that you’re having the issue with, it is most likely that their information technology department's duties include maintenance of your software in order to ensure that you are able to continue doing your job efficiently. If the software is integral to your job requirements and your help desk technician is having a hard time understanding the problem, try to give him as much information as possible. For example, taking a screen shot of your computer with PRNT SCRN or writing down any error codes will help facilitate the amelioration of your situation.

The more information you can give regarding the problem, the better. If you call in with “My computer won't work,” your technician will not know what the problem is. Remember to tell your technician when the problem occurred and what it is preventing you from doing. For example, if your email client is not working, determine whether this is an Internet (or intranet) problem by using an Internet browser to see if other programs can access the same network. The more information you can provide as to what the problem is not, the more able the technician is to help correct your problem.

From time to time, a router or computer needs to be updated. Part of this process involves updating or rolling back the firmware. Hardware is the physical part of the computer. Software is the part that you see on the screen. Firmware is the part that runs in the background, which you will usually not change directly. In the case of bad firmware on a router or BIOS, your technician will likely have to fix the computer in person.

Certain viruses embed themselves in firmware, which make them virtually impossible to remove by conventional methods and often require the firmware to be reinstalled or the BIOS to be flashed. Firmware issues are usually crippling and often difficult to diagnose. Again, the most important thing to remember is to give detailed information as to when your problem occurred and what specifically it is preventing you from doing.

Giving information as to what your computer is still letting you do will also help greatly, because it will isolate the problem for the technician. If your email client is not working, but your network connection is working, it is likely an isolated problem with your email client or the email server itself. By telling the technician this, you have already saved time and helped further the process of getting your computer fixed.

Certain issues are caused by hardware failures. This is to be expected, because nothing lasts forever. If there is a blue screen error on a PC, the problem is mostly hardware. In this case, there is often a physical part of the computer that has to be surgically replaced. Occasionally, this is an error on the operating system, but if the software is messing up so much that it results in a hardware error, it is likely that the operating system will need to be reinstalled. Either way, it is a relatively major procedure, because either the physical body of the computer has to be repaired, or the operating system itself has to be repaired.

In the case of a hardware failure, it is not uncommon that there will be additional hardware failures since one failure can result in others. For example, the failure of the computer fan, while minor, can result in the computer overheating which can cause the motherboard, CPU, and hard drive to fail. Because of this, it is important to keep backups of your data, either on an external drive or on a networked drive in order to maintain your data.

Hardware failures can result in software failures and the complete loss of data. It is important to remember to back up your information regularly, and usually on a separate virtual partition or physical drive in order to keep the constantly used sections of your hard drive separate from your sensitive data.

Knowing what operating system you have on your computer will help get you to the right section of your help desk. Depending on your help desk's policy, they may or may not support your particular operating system. For example, at a school, certain call support centers may only work on your computer enough to give it access to the network. If your operating system is having additional problems, often you will have to contact the manufacturer itself.

It is important to know specifically what version of operating system you have and also crucial to keep it up to date. Supported operating systems release periodic security updates and patches to correct bugs and holes in the code. Maintaining your own computer will help reduce the number of problems that result, though cannot guarantee they will not happen. After all, help desks exist to deal with systems that “should work.”

Always give as much detailed information as possible regarding your system. If you do not know anything about your system, it is prudent to find out before you call. The more you know about your operating system and the particular part that is not working, the better your technician will be able to help you.

One of the more frustrating failures is the display on the computer. This can be caused by many errors including software, firmware, or hardware. Occasionally, there is a corruption of the file system, which requires a re-installation. Other times, there is a corruption in the firmware, which causes a display error. Finally, there is the possibility of a hardware error. This could be the monitor itself or the graphics card, which makes it even harder to display.

Depending on the particular warranty, your help desk may or may not be able to help you replace your monitor. From time to time, there is an easy fix for monitors, but it is increasingly more difficult as they become more compact. For a laptop, the failure of the monitor is usually covered, which will result in the manufacturer replacing the LCD for you in order to allow you to use it again easily.

Monitors are one of the more sensitive parts of your computer and should be treated with care. Avoid placing other electronics near it, especially ones that give off electromagnetic noise. Magnets placed near monitors can ruin them permanently, and such damage is rarely covered by warranties.

The failure of a printer can be caused by multiple problems: the printer itself, the network, your computer's connection to the network, the software you are using to print, or an error in the installation of the printer drivers on your system. Because of this, it is once again very important to determine the exact nature of the problem. If your computer can access the network freely, tell your technician this. Also, if other programs are able to print, communicate this information to your call center technician. If possible, ask a coworker or fellow student to print to the same printer. If you both receive the same error, it is more likely than not an error with the printer or network than with your particular computer. All this information will greatly hasten the correction of the error.

If the printer is located nearby, it is helpful to see what message is given, or if an error light is flashing. Whether or not there is an error displayed, it is important to note what is working and what is not working. If there is no error displayed, then it is likely that the printer itself is working, but the connection—either on your end or the network's—is not working properly.

Printers are very complicated, especially because they have to be maintained more than other technological devices. Paper jams, network errors, running out of ink, combined with possible errors on your own computer, make for a matrix of issues contributing to the situation. Therefore, the more possible errors you can eliminate, the faster your help desk technician will be able to help you fix your printer problems.

When reporting a network issue to your help desk, it is important to determine what is specifically wrong. If possible, determine whether or not your network adapter is enabled. If you are unable to do so, see if anyone else is having the same issue. If many people are having the same issue, it is more likely than not an error with the network itself and no one particular computer.

If other people are not having the same problem, it is likely an isolated problem. The first solution is to make sure your network adapter is enabled, and then to reboot your computer before calling your call center. If these attempts do not fix your problem, call with as much specific information about your problem including all error messages and what parts are working and what parts are not. For example, if your email client is not working, but you can print over the network, this will help your technician determine what is wrong.

If you are unable to determine any specifics about your problem, your call will take much longer to diagnose and will often be far more frustrating precisely because of this. To make everything go faster and to fix the problem of delay and complications, finding out as much as possible about the situation will allow your problem to be fixed as quickly as possible. Diagnosing all the symptoms will help them treat the problem.

Many help desk technicians are trained in programming languages, which gives them the ability to help you with company software and other specific issues. Many technicians are outsourced, which gives the additional complication of language barriers. It is important to learn keywords, especially when the technician's first language is not your own. In the case of programming languages, it is helpful once again to give as much detail as possible to your technician. If you are having problems communicating, always ask for your technician's supervisor.