IT Support for the Home


Posted on June 25th, by Cathy Olsen in Tech Tuesday, Technology Explained. 5 comments

 

IT Support

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IT support staff for the home?

Oh, wouldn't that be nice! Most of us moms get to try and be the IT support function for the home. I am not a desktop/mobile technology expert, but I have fielded many “IT Support” calls for the home. Here are some tips to help ease the pain next time your printer, phone or computer don't behave.

IT Support for the home Tips!

IT Support Tip #1: CTL-ALT-DEL!

In my IT tech days we called this the 'Vulcan Grip!' (If you are any way close to a nerd you will think that was funny!). Press all three buttons in that order. Sounds complicated but YOU CAN DO IT!

Windows:CLT-ALT-DEL – select 'Task Manager.'

MAC:Option-Command-Escape

This will allow you to see all of the processes that are running. If there is an application that is 'not responding,' you can force that application to close. Easy Peasy!

IT Support Tip #2: Turn it off and on!

Typically the only IT Support for the home you have access to is the IT support lines through your Internet or other device that you have purchased. Why does the tech support person (whether here in the US or from India) ALWAYS tell you to turn it on and off again?! Is it some kind of conspiracy?! No, it is the easiest way to resolve a problem. Your computer is running multiple tasks and talking through multiple communication lines at one time. Think of yourself trying to make bread, changing a diaper, wiping the floor, while texting, talking and on a video chat session. If one process stops is hung, all of the other processes will suffer. If you tried the CTL-ALT-DEL and you are still having problems, then the process is probably still running. The easiest way to stop the process is to …

TURN it OFF and ON again!

IT Support Tip #3: Application Conflicts

Home IT Support would help you understand what is installed on your machine. Try to avoid common application conflicts that can cause serious headaches. You shouldn't have two firewalls running at one time. You shouldn't have multiple anti-malware programs running at one time.

Windows IT SUPPORT- Control Panel – Installed applications – Do you have Windows Firewall enabled AND Semantic Internet Security – That is two firewalls. Do you have Windows Security Essentials AND McAffee installed?

MAC IT Support – Go to your applications folder and see if you have two firewalls or anti-virus installed.

IT Support Tip #4: Factory Restore

Printer IT Support:

The most common IT Support question is related to printers. I would be very rich if I charged for every family and friend question I have received about printers. This is what I do to solve a printer issue: 1) Unplug the device (if it is connected through USB) 2) turn off the device 3) turn off the computer 4) turn back on both devices 5) plug the printer in 6) try printing

Next and this is a little more technical, you can try to reinstall the printer software, or drivers. The easiest way to do this is to type in the 'EXACT' printer model into google with the word 'driver' at the end.

Next I would do a factory restore of the printer. You can find how to do this in your printer manual or like above, type the EXACT printer model with the word 'factory restore' and usually it is a few button combinations to get the printer back to factory settings.

Networking IT Support:

Networking devices (wireless routers, cable modems, etc.) typically have a hole at the bottom that can fit a paper clip. If it is powered on and you press a button within the hole with a paper clip it will restore the device to factory settings. Some people have called for IT support because they can't remember their wifi password and they have changed the admin password to get into the device. Instead of performing a wireless hacking attack, just restore the device to factory settings!

dir-628-reset

 

 

 

IT Support Tip #5: Go Back in Time

If you have an automatic backup system enabled such as Time Machine. You can revert to a previous state within your computer. You may know when the problem started to occur. Enter time machine and you can go back to the previous day or two when you weren't having problems. You will lose any documents or work that was performed in those two days. Sometimes it's worth it.

IT Support Tip Final: Reinstall the OS

Have you exhausted the problem solving IT Support tips and are still having issues and problems with your computer? It may be time to wipe the machine and reinstall Windows or your MAC OS. I won't have instructions here because it depends on devices. Most devices now ship with the operating system in a separate portion of the hard drive. So you shouldn't worry about having your operating system discs.

If you aren't very technical, I would recommend going to a MAC support store, Geek squad or ask a technical friend or neighbor to help you. Make sure to back up all of your computer data before you reinstall the operating system.

IT Support for the Home

So there you have it! These tips will solve MOST of your IT issues in the home. Soon you will be the IT Support Guru of your neighborhood and charging your time, or at least charging for babysitting trade!

 





5 Responses to “IT Support for the Home”

  1. David says:

    Nice tips in the post above.Short cut ways to analyze the performance and health of the computers.I really liked the tip of TURNING ON AND OFF this tip really works and I have tried these trick before.Also tip of CLT-ALT-DEL to see the process is useful one.Regarding networking you can avail more tips from below

  2. Cathy Olsen says:

    Glad you liked the post!

  3. Jhon S says:

    Thanks for providing nice tips in the post above.Short cut ways to analyze the performance and health of the computers.

  4. Cathy Olsen says:

    Glad you liked the post! I will post more helpful tech tips in the coming weeks.

  5. Jhon Mike says:

    nice post, I like this informational post :)

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