Chapter 21
Help on the Windows Help System
In This Chapter
Finding helpful hints quickly
Understanding Microsoft’s support policies
Finding help for a particular problem or program
Don’t bother plowing through this whole chapter for the nitty-gritty. What you find here are the quickest ways to make Windows dish out helpful information when something on the desktop leaves you stumped:
- Press F1 when on the desktop: Press the F1 key from within Windows or any desktop program.
Start menu: Click the Start button and click the Get Started tile.
Question mark: If you spot a little blue question mark icon near a window’s top-right corner, pounce on it with a quick click.
App menu: Click the three little lines in an app’s upper-left corner, choose Settings from the drop-down menu, and then click the Help button, if available, on the pane that appears along the app’s right edge.
In each case, Windows fetches help, either by going online, fetching built-in instructions, or leading you to a tutorial built into Windows 10.
This chapter explains how to take advantage of the help Windows 10 has to offer.
Getting Started with Windows 10
The Windows 10 Getting Start app offers a short guided tour to Windows 10. It appeals mostly to the same people who enjoy reading book introductions: They set the mood for what’s coming.
To open the app, click the Start button and click the Get Started icon (shown in the margin) from the Start menu. The app fills the screen, shown in Figure 21-1.
Figure 21-1: The new Get Started app offers a short introduction to Windows 10.
Like most apps, the Get Started app lists icons along the left edge. Can’t see the icons’ labels? Then click the hamburger menu icon (shown in the margin) in the app’s upper-left corner. Clicking that icon in any app expands the app’s left pane, letting you see labels next to the mysterious icons.
Click the What’s New link to see a quick explanation of the biggest changes in Windows 10.
Feel free to click any of the other categories along the left and browse the offered options. However, the Get Started app serves as a very brief introductory guide to Windows 10. It’s definitely not a problem solver.
In fact, the Get Started app has its own problem: Many portions work only when you’re connected to the Internet. If you’re not connected, the app simply displays an error message.
Contacting Support
Windows 10 comes with a new app designed to make it easy to find just the type of help you need for your particular problem. Called simply, Contact Support, the app works much like those phone robots that make you press different numbers on your phone until you’re finally routed to the proper department.
The app, like most things in Windows these days, requires you to log in with a Microsoft account. Microsoft began basing Windows around Microsoft accounts with Windows 8, and without one, you’ll find Windows to be increasingly difficult. (To be fair, Apple and Google also require their own accounts.)
To summon the Contact Support app and begin routing yourself to somebody or something that can help you with your computer’s particular problem, follow these steps:
Click the Start button, click the Start menu’s All Apps button along its bottom left edge, and click Contact Support (the icon is in the margin).The Contact Support program appears, shown in Figure 21-2, and immediately starts to break your problem into manageable categories.
Click the applicable category, and continue clicking through the menus until you find your preferred method of support.
Clicked the wrong category? Click the backward pointing arrow (shown in the margin) in the window’s upper, left corner to return to the previous screen.As you click through the categories, you notice that Microsoft’s support options fall into these categories:
- Online: Some categories simply take you to a website for more help. To its credit, the app usually routes you to the correct place more quickly than you could have done yourself by searching on the Internet. But this option won’t help you if you’re having trouble connecting to the Internet.
- Chat Online with a Microsoft Answer Tech, Schedule a Call, Call Me As Soon As Possible: These three options provide variations on a common theme: paid support. I describe Microsoft’s paid support options in this chapter’s next section.
- Ask the Community: Perhaps your best bet, this involves posting your question in an online forum at
answers.microsoft.com. I describe it in this chapter’s last section.
Figure 21-2: The Windows 10 Contact Support program asks questions that route you to the correct department.
I recommend trying the Online option first. Sometimes reading a website’s Frequently Asked Questions will clear up a common problem. I cover the other two options, paid support, and Ask the Community, in the next two sections.
Microsoft’s paid support options
Microsoft offers three types of paid services, described online at the Microsoft Store website (answerdesk.microsoft.com). They break down into these categories:
- Assure Software Support Plan: For a $149 annual fee, Microsoft offers one year of virus removal, and help by online chat or phone (and personal training, if you live close by to a Microsoft Store). For people who constantly take their PC to repair shops or call in-home tech support companies, that may save some money.
- Premium Software Support: If you only need help with Microsoft’s own software like Windows or Office, you can pay $99 for an hour’s worth of online chat or phone support. That $99 is per hour, however. And the charge is for each session, which shows why the Assure Software Support Plan might be a better deal for problems that occur frequently.
- Virus Removal and Protection: Stuck with a virus? Microsoft charges $99 for each session that removes them.
If you’ve purchased your computers directly from Microsoft’s online or retail stores, Microsoft offers extended service and warranty plans. By paying in advance, you can take advantage of Microsoft’s support plans without having to pay a per-incident charge or hourly fee.
Microsoft’s free support options
For free support, your best bet is the Microsoft Answers forum. It’s an online gathering place for confused owners, knowledgeable tech enthusiasts, and Microsoft employees.
You visit the website, choose your category, type in your question, and wait. Sometimes a Microsoft employee will answer, but more often than not, somebody with a similar problem will chime in. The more people that respond, the more likely everybody will find a solution to a common problem.
Remember, though: The forums are for Microsoft products. If you’re having problems with software from another company, you’re limited to that other company’s technical support.
To visit the free Microsoft Answers forum, follow these steps:
- Visit the Microsoft Answers website at
answers.microsoft.comand choose Windows from the Browse the Categories section. - Choose your Windows version from the Browse by Version section.
Sign in with your Microsoft account.
Like most things involving Microsoft these days, you need a Microsoft account to access the Microsoft Answers Forum.
The forum’s website appears, shown in Figure 21-3.
Search the forum for previously answered questions.
If something about your computer isn’t working correctly, it probably isn’t working for others, either. Type a few key words describing your problem in the Search box, located in the window’s upper, right corner, and press Enter.
When the website lists the results, spend some time browsing them to see if any solutions work for your computer’s particular problem. If not, move to Step 5.
Type in your question, fill out a title, problem description, and category. Then click the Submit button.
To ask a question, click the Participate link along the page’s top and choose Ask a Question from the drop-down menu. The website presents a form, shown in Figure 21-4, for you to fill in a title and details about your computer’s problem.
Don’t forget to fill out the Category drop-down lists at the bottom of the form. They let you choose your Windows version, as well as narrow down your question by topic. Those little chores helps others find your question, and possibly provide answers, when they visit later on.
Figure 21-3: The Microsoft Answers online forum provides free tech support.
Figure 21-4: Choose Ask a Question from the Participate link, and type a title for your question.
And then, you wait. When somebody responds, a notice appears in your e-mail with a link to your posted message and the response. Click the e-mailed link to revisit the forum, where you can begin a correspondence that may solve your problem.
The Answers Desk is free, and although it’s not guaranteed to provide an answer, it’s a good place to start.
For the best results, keep these tips in mind when posting a message on the Answers Forum:
- Don’t rant. Remember, most forum visitors aren’t paid. A lot of computer nerds hang out there. They’re actually interested in solving problems, and they’re persuaded more by logic than emotions.
- To attract the best responses, be as descriptive as possible. If you see an error message, list it in its entirety, without typographical errors. Type in your computer’s exact make and model.
- If possible, list the steps you take on your computer to reproduce the problem.
- Most of the best answers don’t come from Microsoft’s paid technicians. They come from strangers who have your same problem, perhaps even the same make and model of computer, and who want to swap tips to make things better for you both.
- Keep an eye on your e-mail Inbox, and respond to people who try to help. The information you’re exchanging will live on for years. If you’re able to solve your problem, you’re leaving a trail that can help others solve their problem, as well.