Well..... I don't know what to do.

Hey Guys,
It's me again, I've been "searching/lurking" the forum here for awhile now, and I can't seem to be able to help anyone(I have limited knowledge of alot of this, although maybe more thatn the normal user). But, everything that people are posting now is beyond me :cry. I have read alot of them trying to learn, but I feel like I'm "stuck".
Spock96

 

Hehehe, that's the way I felt 9 years ago though I wasn't trying to help others at the time, just myself. I read every thread if I knew what was being talked about or not, for the next 3 years. Slowly I learned. Take some courses, that would be a lot quicker than it took me.

Don't be in a rush to help, you'll know when you're ready. (Heck, most of this stuff is still over my head!:-D)

 

REALLY????
Thanks augie

 

Yes really. :-D I'm only OK in hardware and in some general use software, can't help in networking nor malware, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. That's why a forum is so good, what one doesn't know another will help who does know. :major

 

This is it, right here. Auggie hit the nail on the head. There is no one person on this site that knows everything, hell noone knows everything. But put 2 or 3 of us together and you have such a vast array of knowledge.

I have a good range of knowledge in many aspects of PC's but my comfort zone is games and hardware but even though I'm fine in both I will still pick others brains, sometimes I will use the info, sometimes I wont but it's nice to have it there.

Best advice I can offer you Spock is to keep reading threads and if a thread strikes your interest but what is being talked about is kind of flying over your head then take key words and such like and look them up to get a better understanding of whats what.

"Google is your friend" is a phrase used widely across the net, while this is true to some degree it can often be your worst enemy, what I do is find the info I'm looking for and cross reference it with other sites and individual opinions to hone the answer down to a fine point.

Don't think too complicated at first, think simple , I'll give you an example of a buddy of mine who phoned me with issues...

"My sound doesn't work, I've fiddled with settings, downloaded new drivers, old drivers, wrong drivers, right drivers and it still doesn't work"

My question "Do you have the correct plug, plugged in?"

"Yes"

"Are you looking at it now?"

"No, fine I'll double check..... Oh.."

The result was he had accidentally plugged the plug in the wrong socket and spent hours trying to fix it.

Think simple first, take articles with a pinch of salt and add good logic.

Don't just search the question and paste the answer from a page.

It will come together, you may have a great knowledge of many things but missing the 1 piece that brings it all together, but that will come soon enough.

 

Thank you, I am one to jump to complicated responces. Thats one reason I love it here, I auto-think past the small 'common sense" steps and dive into the complicated stuff and there's always someone else here to "rein the thread back in" if you will. I have learned an ample amount just reading and not even thinking about how I could help.
Thanks again guys for the encouragement,
Spock96

 

I started the same,now I love threads where I don't know the answer it gives the opportunity to learn,I remember the last thread I didn't know the answer like it was yesterday back in 1975,ahh memories:-D

Googling an answer and posting it is bad form especially from places like yahoo answers,but googling a computer subject you don't understand reading through swathes of text on the subject until you understand then posting a solution based on what you've learned is a great way to learn and can be very helpful as Ned said. It takes constant vigilance in checking and double checking your facts to make sure the information you've posted is correct,even if I can answer a thread completely from memory I often google to double check facts and the current state of the IT world as it changes VERY fast.

If no one posts a reply to a subject which you now understand and your hanging back waiting for an expert,well your now the closest thing so try and help:cool

If your not tip top on a subject be sure to post your logic and reasoning though and not just an answer like "switch off computer and pull hard drive" explain "switch off computer and pull hard drive and microwave it to stop the feds from finding out what's on it":-D

If you can't explain why a chosen action should be performed then you have no business posting IMO.

 

Agreed, on several occassions I have seen a question posted and have a rough idea of what a possible solution may be, but I'll hold off to see if someone comes up with a solid answer. If no one answers I will post my idea with an explination that states "I'm not 100% here but if you try this the result may be this but please bare in mind this is an educated guess" or something along those lines , or I have an idea and search it on the net then post a link with the statement "This may help but I have not personally tested it"

But as Rikky said, this world of computers moves at an incredible rate.
When I researched graphics cards to buy the one I wanted I could have told you the specs and best uses for just about every newish card on the market.
3 months later a junk load of new stuff comes out and my info is becomming outdated.
In the old carpenters way.... measure twice, cut once.

 

doggie's good at scoobie snacks too! :cool

 

I concur with David also What I said wasn't quite right with regard to posting in threads with no replys as David said don't be in a rush to help everyone even if no one has posted in the thread,it can be really frustrating waiting a long time for an answer and getting one that isn't any help.

I also did this when I first joined,I posted a few one post wonders and had some of them deleted.

These days if I enter a support thread I try to stay with it until its conclusion,until the computer is fixed or we hit a brick wall, I treat the problem as if it were a computer I am fixing in front of me.This is hard to do though especially if the problem drifts into an area your not familiar with and its also very time consuming,then you have the posting delay ontop of trying to explain sometimes complex procedures to someone who may have hardly any experience with computers.

I just thought,tech support in forums is just too hard?:-D and yet here we are?LOL

Wish I had more time lately to contribute to the support forums,I'm just too tired to think ATM.

 

Thanks Guys,
You've really encouraged me. I've been reading through a lot of posts in the hardware section(I like the hardware aspect of computers.. more hands on).

 

First time I've had a little space to look in on this thread and I haven't got time to read it all and digest it; my apologies to all who have taken the time to comment, especially for any comments I might be duplicating.


Just a fraction over 24 hours before this thread was started, I posted the following to someone I have the greatest respect for (I very much doubt if Google will find it ^^):

Which is pretty much similar to something I said many times in RL about Windows/PC -related troubleshooting around 2002 - 2004:

And things have become much more complicated since then: two more major Windows versions alone, SATA, PCIe, 64-bit taking off, SSD's, TRIM, - the list would be a pretty big one.


@ Spock, what OS do you know best, do you have a spare box you could dedicate to it for testing purposes?

@ All: (I think the new avatar's getting to me ) Diagnosis and reading the user is a huge part of finding the root of many problems; if you're early into a new thread/user, check their profile/previous threads - there maybe something there that will help you settle them in and relax them into telling you about the real issues; be insistent (within reason and decency) about them spilling the beans on the history of the problem and answering any questions that could be pertinent.

Don't rush into getting them to install something or run a particular 'fix' because it might help; err on the side of caution (could someone please remind me of this at least daily?). Having said that, it's often something that leaps out from the first read-through that's key to the issue, don't neglect your instincts.

@ Admin/Owners: (now the red's kicking in!) Would you consider creating a 'special' area of the forum for dedicated, proven (or budding) helpers in the 'normal' forums to get together and discuss problematic threads without the inherent problems of the 5-minute lag in the PM system, so that quicker 'fixes', more accurate diagnoses and a more professional approach to 'normal' Windows/computer problems could be worked out amicably and without the multi-post/helper/user confusion that sometimes happens?


I could go on but it's taken me 30+ hours to fit one bottle of red into my wine glass and I'm worn out - I'll try to pop back into the thread when I can find a few minutes probablt next week as a guest!

PS. Don't tell Chas I've been here, ok?

<closes curtains with a long stick so as not to be touched by the rays of the Sun>

 

Thank you.