UPDATE: A Kossack saw one of my posts as an entreaty for making this a paid service eventually, but i don't have any interest in doing that. I take back my less-than-artful post about being paid. This is officially a free service or nothing.
Also, even the supreme techies (of which we seem to have a few) are always learning. Don't be intimidated by all the techie-talk you see here. No question is too small.
If you have a question, chances are there are ten other people who have the same one.
Greetings to all Kossaddicts.
Being a recovering Kossadict myself, I've had to extricate myself from the site (there's a whole other world going on out there, with birds and everything!), but I wanted to provide what service I could to those of you who can't don't want to kick the habit.
I am a computer consultant by trade. I have about 20 years of Windows experience, and about 11 years of Mac. Six of those years were on a computer help desk. I'd like to start a weekly Kos-service that would help computer users find free (but not cheap!!) help.
Stengths: most anything except web-page design
Weaknesses: web-page design
Here's how I think it might work:
I would post a diary called "Computer Help Desk" once each week, probably on Mondays after 9:30pm (to include people coast to coast). I would ask that the diary NOT be recommended, to save room for more pertinent fair. You would post questions in the diary, for as long as the diary remains on the "Recent Diaries" list. I (and others?) would answer them.
Since it may take time for some of the questions to be answered, you could bookmark that diary, and revisit it to see if your question was answered.
I am willing to do this as long as certain things are understood:
- I don't know everything (nobody does)
- I may get things wrong sometimes (everybody does)
- Answers would be suggestions only, and I would urge you to save your files and backup data before trying the solutions.
- The answer may have to be "check with a local consultant for help with this problem."
- I would hope that other Kossacks might join in as they could, to help with the answering.
The diary might look like this:
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The Computer Help Desk is OPEN
Computering can be stressful. Consider us your Calgon bath.
Please provide the following information in your post:
- PC or Mac?
- Laptop or Desktop?
- Make and model (DELL Inspiron, Toshiba Tecra, etc.)
- Operating System? (Windows XP, Vista, 2000 - Mac Panther, Tiger, Leopard?)
- Amount of memory (RAM) installed.
- Type of internet connection (Dialup, DSL, Cable, Satellite, etc.)
- Be specific. The more specific you are, the better the answers will be.
Disclaimer: The solutions presented here are for informational purposes. Help Desk guarantees nothing. Save files and backup your files before trying anything. Help Desk is not responsible for any gremlins and/or smoke emanating from your lovely machine. BE CAREFUL!!
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I might also find a theme for each week and give useful tips for how to use our site, and/or general info.
If you are a techie like me, feel free to come in when you can to help out. Corrections of any faulty answers would be MUCH appreciated
This could be a big project, and I'm willing to give it my all, but I do have little daughters, and don't want it to take over our lives. So we'll see how it goes and it might be scaled back to a monthly thing, I don't know.
Any suggestions from other techies on anything I've missed in this diary would be great!
P.S. - as my username is a mouthful, please just call me "Al" (like the