Take note of your responses on this website to see what you've narrowed your issue down to.
Provide as much information as practical to avoid back-and-forth phone calls - bonus points if you have everything ready before making contact.
Checking the serial number of your device on its manufacturer's website may give some information about its status.
If you have a recurring issue, take note of the past solutions attempted, and consider if you need to make a reinstallation/replacement or get a new product.
If someone resolves your issue, try to learn from them what caused the issue and what actions were taken to resolve it.
Provide any useful context surrounding your issue like how pressing the issue is and the impact it is having.
On behalf of IT and call center people around the world, please be patient.
Understanding customers are more pleasant to work with, and whoever is supporting you will have the breathing room to do their job well.
Besides, the person you are contacting most likely did not cause this issue.
Troubleshooting Questions To Ask Yourself
When did this issue start? What were you doing when the issue started?
Are there any other users with you experiencing this same issue?
Did you make any changes or updates leading up to this issue? If so, what were they?
Did you notice anything in particular about this that stands out to you? Are there any errors showing or something on your screen to make note of? It may help to send a picture.
Have you consulted any documentation or instructions regarding your issue? If so, what have you reviewed?
Have you tried resolving this issue yourself? If so, what have you tried?
(If applicable) Have you tried using your device's/application's built-in diagnostic tool(s)?
(If applicable) What is the model/version/tag/serial number of your device(s), operating system(s), and/or software?
(If applicable) Have you tried updating, restarting, or power cycling your application(s)/device(s)?
General Tech Troubleshooting
The root of all tech issues is change. Find out what changed and use backups/restore points for when change happens.
If it’s a hardware issue, try replacing the device or testing the computer with another device.
Hardware issues can be intermittent at times and may not be permanent.
If it's a software or firmware issue, it may need to be resolved by a developer, but installing updates can help.
If possible, firmware issues can also be treated by running diagnostic scans.
Laptops with hardware issues can be hard to resolve as everything is permanently integrated.
Information Security Information
Take time to read the terms of service and privacy policy!
As soon as you set up a device, install an application, or make an account anywhere, the first thing you should do is go to your settings and configure everything accordingly.
There are three categories of vulnerabilities: design flaws, misconfigurations/misimplementations, and operation security failures.
Design flaws may happen outside of your grasp, and you may not always have the settings available to make proper configurations, but you can control your operational security!
By exercising awareness and caution when surfing the web, ordering something online, streaming content, playing a game, or checking your email, you will be much better off.
After all, an anti-malware program won't prevent you from falling for that phishing email, giving into a scam, clicking on that advertisement disguised as a button, or believing what was on that popup.
A strong password can be long rather than complex, making it more secure and easier to memorize.
