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Is your service bench static safe?
Lax precautions against electrostatic discharge can reduce the effectiveness of your support team. Here's a checklist to help you set up an ESD-safe workshop.
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System Mechanic results mixed: Boosts Internet speed
We're always looking for ways to increase our computer's performance, and here's a look at one product that might help.
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Mastering the seven phases of a service call
Fixing the problem is only one part of the support visit. Jeff Dray outlines the seven phases of a service call. Following the same method for each ticket will help you tackle each task efficiently.
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What Windows 7 means for support professionals
Does Windows 7 totally flip support upside down? Not entirely, according to IT pro Rick Vanover, who presents these Windows 7 support decision points for organizations considering an upgrade.
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Road warriors need mobile backups
Frequent travel is no excuse for risking data loss. Here is how your users can keep their files safe when they are away from the office.
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Providing home user support
Although there are a lot of similarities, supporting those in an office environment is vastly different than supporting home users. Here are some things to consider when providing support for home use...
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Beware of carefully engineered, manipulative customer service surveys
Have you ever thought that you have been manipulated into answering survey questions to reflect a predetermined outcome? Be careful how your help desk surveys are worded.
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Microsoft's new antivirus is fair game for home businesses
Many free security utilities are restricted to personal or non-commercial use. Microsoft bucks that trend by giving license to home-based enterprises.
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Remote access sites: Blessing or curse? Take the poll
We all hear them advertized, and millions of people use them. Are remote access sites a blessing or a curse to user support professionals?
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How do you keep in touch with colleagues when you work from home?
Jeff Dray addresses the challenges of returning to work after a long absence. How do you get back in the swing of things?
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Be stingy with Administrator privileges in Windows 7
If you've been too liberal in giving admin rights to XP users, the improved User Access Controls in Windows 7 should help break the habit.
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The biggest challenge in a one-person IT shop
What do you consider the biggest challenge in a small - or even one-person - IT shop, and how do you handle it?
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Users in the wild: Some new species
Jeff Dray loves to dissect the quirks and foibles of the customers he runs into during his support rounds. Here are a few "types" to add to the mix.
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Items to address with a PC tune-up
How often do you perform periodic maintenance on the PCs you support? My guess is that most answers will fall between one year and never. Nonetheless, what maintenance steps do you perform? Here's my ...
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Will Linux ever be a popular desktop system? Take the poll
Linux versus Windows has been the subject of debate for quite some time, but will it ever achieve the status of a popular desktop product that we'll have to support? Share your opinion and take the po...
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Make your messages accessible on any device: Use plain-text e-mail
William Jones believes that rich HTML email has seen its day. As people read email in more places and on more devices, content--and not presentation--is paramount.
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Conficker: Was it a real threat or all hype? Take the poll
The Conficker scare has been on the forefront of Internet news and discussion boards for a couple of weeks, now, but was it a real threat, one that actually did adversely affect a lot of users, or was...
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A review of Sony's PlayStation 3 repair service
Video game systems are computers designed for a very specific purpose. What can support techs learn from Sony's PS3 service process?
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Ten things they didn't tell you about mobile working
Jeff Dray reflects on the role of mobile networking in his work as a roving IT support pro and shares some of the mobility "rules" he's discovered over the years.
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Protect your Gmail account by accessing the activity report
Web-based email is convenient, but what happens if you forgot to log out of a public computer? GMail users have an easy solution.
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Product Spotlight: TechSmith's Camtasia Studio 6
Derek Schauland puts Camtasia Studio 6 through the paces with some training materials for users he supports. Find out what he thinks works well and what could use improvement.
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Do you ever help a user with his home computer?
Do you ever help a user with his home computer?
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Warding off the gremlin help desk calls
What do you do when you can solve a user's problem, but you can't explain it?
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Hard disk recovery ice capades
One man's experience putting an old saw of data salvage to the test: Can freezing revive a failing drive?
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Breaking my hoarding habit: spring cleaning behind the help desk
I'm keeping too much hardware in my workshop. Here's my plan to pare down the stock without sacrificing flexibility.
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Are you a good listener? How can you tell?
When you are talking on the phone it can be a little unnerving if the other person is totally silent. here's what happened to me and what i felt could be done to make it better.
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Help desk "support" means more than answering calls
Sometimes, answering the request isn't enough. Make sure you're addressing the real problem.
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Helping a user with his home computer - a confusing conclusion
Helping a user with his home computer - a confusing conclusion
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Streamlining support, getting the job done
Is it right that, for some jobs, the help desk ticket takes longer to resolve than the job itself?
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Password redundancy for the help desk: Craft your own escrow
While there are many different ways to authenticate with IT systems, often things still come down to a master password. By creating a password escrow, you can make sure that your systems can be access...