We have recently analyzed all the emails, service tickets and phone calls we have received regarding requests for Tech support help and we have decided to provide a glimpse on what we discovered. Our aim is not to be judgmental towards our clients but to teach users that several computer problems can be avoided by staying calm and using common sense. Also, Westchester county users are not any different from any other user or company in new York City or Connecticut: it’s just a matter for us to be professional in doing or job and provide computer and networking assistance when needed.

OUTLOOK NOT GETTING EMAILS

If a user calls than he or she cannot receive emails, the problem can be caused by the fact that user may have updated recently her password and he/she cannot see the message at the bottom right that says “Need password”.  Also one of the main complaints that users have is that they “did not receive all the emails”. In this case a compare contrast with the cloud version of Outlook will she light on what it’s missing.

MOUSE AND KEYBOARD NOT WORKING

If a hardwired usb mouse and keybaord are not workinmg, the IT consultant should check the connections and possibly swap the USB ports. If instead users has a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, check the batteries first and see if they work or not. Try to replace the batteries with new ones and see if it’s a usb dongle issue.

CANNOT GET TO A WEBSITE

If the user unable to get to a specific website or to any website? If user cannot get into any website, it can be that there is no Internet on his machine or in the office. If the user cannot get into a specific web page, it can be a firewall that blocks it and in that case user can ask IT department to apply an exception explaining the reasons behind the request.

INTERNET IS NOT WORKING

If a user cannot get to any network resource or to any website, the Internet may be down. It’s recommended in this case to do first a reboot of the computer, check the physical connections. Sometimes our clients in Westchester had the NIC that was not picking up signal anymore and with a ethernet to a USB adapter, the issue was resolved and user was back in business.

USER NEEDS ACCESS TO A NETWORK DRIVE

Usually those requests are handled by the help desk in a coporate environment. The access to a shared drive would need to be first approved. Once it is approved, the help desk, pulls up active directory and put the user to the group he/she has been approved for. After that, the user should log off from his machine and log back on to see the new drive showing up in the list of the drives. If the drive does not show up, the tech support can map the drive in person or remotely for the user.

THE AUDIO ON MY PC IS NOT WORKING

The problem here can be that usually users had plugged headsets and forgot to adjust the defalt sound. Also, tech support should check if drivers or software for headsets are needed. If headsets are USB, users can try to use another usb port.

EXCEL CRASHING WHEN RUNNING MACROS

Check if the corporate environment blocks macros first or if macros are allowed, I would run Microsoft Office repair tools or SARA.