Finding Solutions to Common Problems

It is fairly common for people to purchase furniture, toys, bikes, or other things that require assembly, and then neglect to read the instruction manual until they actually have a problem. Along the same lines, many people never consult a program's Help file, because they don't realize how much good information can be found there.

Windows Help And Support is the place to go when you're having trouble. This is more than just a common Help file. It includes general and task-oriented articles cross-referenced to related articles and resources, a comprehensive glossary, tutorials and demonstrations, and links to most of the tools that you need to keep your computer running smoothly. You can choose from a list of common topics on its main page, search by keyword or phrase, or look up specific topics in the table of contents. If the information you need isn't in Windows Help And Support, you can at least find pointers to other resources.

Windows Help And Support displays static content that is stored on your computer, and dynamic content that it accesses over the Internet. By including online content resources in your searches, you can be confident that you are getting current information.

If your question is of a more technical nature, you can follow a link from Windows Help And Support to the Microsoft Help And Support site, which hosts an in-depth library of Knowledge Base articles written in response to customer inquiries.

You open Windows Help And Support by clicking the Help And Support link on the Start menu. Many Windows Vista windows and dialog boxes contain links to context-sensitive Help files that provide information about the currently displayed feature or program, and assist you in deciding which options you should choose.

In this exercise, you will open Windows Help And Support and search for useful information. There are no practice files for this exercise.

1.	On the Start menu, click Help and Support. The Windows Help And Support window opens. You can display categories of information by clicking the icons under Find An Answer and explore support options by clicking the links under Ask Someone. To locate topics containing a specific word or phrase, enter the word or phrase in the Search Help box, and then click the Search Help button or press Enter.
2.	At the right end of the toolbar at the top of the window, click Options, and then in the list, click Settings. [View full size image]
3.	In the Help Settings dialog box, ensure that the Include Windows Online Help and Support check box is selected. Then click OK.
4.	On the toolbar, click the Browse Help button. Browse Help If you don't know precisely what information you are looking for, you can locate information by general topic from this page.
5.	Click Getting started, click If you are new to Windowsthe basics, and then click Help and support. Notice that the path you followed to get to this page is displayed above the topic list. You can click any link in the path to return to that page.
6.	On the Help and support page, click Getting help (overview). Then in the Windows Help and Support window, click the Maximize button. Maximize The displayed topic contains in-depth information about ways of getting help with Windows Vista. [View full size image]
7.	Scan the topic. When you finish, type getting help in the Search Help box, and then click the Search Help button. Search Help Tip Search terms are not case-sensitive; typing Getting Help produces the same results. A list of the first 30 topics that fit your search term appears. At the bottom of the list is a link to the next 30 topics.
8.	Click any topic link that interests you. Then in the upper-left corner of the Windows Help and Support window, click the Back button. Back You can move back and forth between visited topics in the same way that you do in Windows Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer.
9.	On the toolbar, click the Home button to return to the starting page. Then explore on your own. Home Tip At the bottom of most Help topics, you have the opportunity to provide feedback about the usefulness of the information provided in the topic. Click the appropriate button, provide any additional information requested, and then click Finish to send your comments to the Microsoft support team, who continually refine the Help topics based on this feedback.

Reporting Problems When your computer experiences a hardware or software problem, Windows Vista creates a problem report containing information such as when the problem occurred and what software program or hardware device was involved, and sends the report to Microsoft. If you prefer, you can have the tool ask you before sending the problem reports. In some cases, the problem-reporting tool might request permission to send additional information that will help to identify the problem and develop a solution. You are always given the opportunity to view the additional information before you give permission to send it, and you can deny permission. Personal information from your computer is not transmitted, unless it is contained in a document you specifically authorize the tool to send. If the Microsoft support database contains a solution to or other information about your reported problem, the problem-reporting tool returns with the information. You can choose whether to implement any reported solutions. You can view transmitted and unsent problem reports and collected solutions in the Problem Reports And Solutions window. You can send the collected reports manually at any time. To display the Problem Reports And Solutions window: In Control Panel, click System and Maintenance, and then click Problem Reports and Solutions. To turn off automatic reporting: 1. In the Problem Reports and Solutions window, click Change settings. 2. On the Choose how to check for solutions to computer problems page, select the Ask me to check if a problem occurs option, and then click OK. To manually submit problem reports: In the Problem Reports and Solutions window, click the Check for new solutions task. Windows Vista sends reports about the currently logged issues to Microsoft, and reports any solutions that it finds. You can implement any of the reported solutions; Windows Vista does not implement them for you.