Tips for The Family’s Tech Guy

Post by David Pierce. Find me on Twitter.

Once people figure out you’ve got some computer know-how, you’re sure to get bombarded over and over with questions like “my computer’s on fire. What happened?” and “should this be ticking like that?” Often, these are problems we could fix on our own computers, but with someone else’s, it’s a lot harder. If it’s someone else who’s far away, it’s even worse.

But, like it or not, you’re still on the hook for fixing their problem. So let’s make it a little easier on you, shall we? Here’s my time-refined system of solutions, in order of problem-complication:

Google It

Most problems can be boiled down to a few words, and Googled. If you get an error message, type that into Google. If you do a particular thing to cause the problem, Google that. Odds are great that you’re not the first person to ever have whatever problem you’re having, and that someone else has already had their problem solved by the Internet. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked like a genius, just because I Googled what was going on. Most problems can be solved simply and easily (and without my help) with a Google search or two.

SpyBot/AVG

If a slow computer’s your problem, more likely than not you’ve got some software on it that doesn’t belong. My first step is to tell people to install Spybot Search and Destroy—it’s not the best anti-adware software out there, but it’s the easiest. They set it up, run it, and more often than not find their problem solved.

If the problem’s bigger than spyware or adware, AVG, a free anti-virus program, solves most other problems. It does a great job staying updated, hunting down viruses, and beating the snot out of whatever it finds. Plus, it’s got that same easy interface that makes it easy to explain to someone over the phone.

ShowMeWhatsWrong

The toughest thing about solving computer problems is that most people can’t describe their problems. It’s like walking into a mechanic, and being asked what’s wrong with your car: hell if you know, you just know it’s not supposed to be rattling like that.

ShowMeWhatsWrong is a great piece of software that lets people do exactly that. I can send someone a link that, when they click it, starts recording their screen (and their voice, if there’s a microphone), and shows me a video of what’s going wrong. They can tell me and show me just as if I were sitting there, and most problems make themselves clear.

LogMeIn

LogMeIn is a God-send for fixing other people’s computers, particularly those not quite tech-savvy. I’m looking at you, Mom. Basically, it allows you to actually take control of someone else’s computer (as long as they give you permission) and work with it as if it were your own. Instead of saying “it’s the button on the left. No, the LEFT,” I can just do it for them, and show them what I’m doing because they’re watching it on their screen. There’s a paid version of LogMeIn with tons of cool features, but the basics work just fine with the free option.

My new favorite phrase for when something’s going wrong with a computer is that “the problem is between the chair and the keyboard.” HA! Anyway, most computer problems are easily solved, once you can figure out what the problem is. These solutions have saved a lot of my time and a lot of computers, all without costing me a nickel. Plus, bonus: I’m kind of a hero to the people I know now.  A flash-drive carrying, Dropbox-promoting hero.

Your turn, family IT members of the world: what’s your “becoming the family hero” secret?

(By the way, if you’re still stuck on fixing a computer problem, just follow these steps carefully and you’ll be fine, thanks to XKCD

(Thanks, ashpags!)

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