| As good as Microsoft's online technical support is (and it's pretty good, I must admit), it's not the only technical support available on the Internet. Read on and I'll tell you about my favorite sites for online help. Technical Support on the Web There are quite a few computer-related sites on the Web that can prove useful when you need help with Windows XP. Some of these sites offer news and reviews, while others incorporate discussion forums where you can post questions, get answers, and maybe even help out someone else. Still more sites offer drivers and utilities for downloading, deliver online tutorials and how-tos, or provide free or fee-based technical support from experts (both real and self-professed). Here's a short list of some of the best technical sites on the Web: Active-Hardware (www.active-hardware.com). This is a PC hardware-oriented site, complete with tech news, reviews, and a large selection of downloadable device drivers. CNET (www.cnet.com). CNET is one of the best tech portals on the Web, with a network of sites that offer tech news, file and driver downloads, hardware and software reviews, and how-to and help information. Computing.Net (www.computing.net). This site does a good job of centralizing technical support for all operating systems and types of computers. The best part of the site is the support forums, organized by operating system (Windows 9x, Windows XP, Linux, and so on). Also useful are the numerous FAQs that contain answers to the most common questions asked in the forums, a huge listing of downloadable hardware drivers, a number of how-tos for solving common problems, and a section just for novices. DriverGuide.com (www.driverguide.com). This is the place to look for updated device drivers which you'll need if you're upgrading an older system to Windows XP. The site consists of a massive database of drivers, compiled from the site's users. Experts Exchange (www.experts-exchange.com). This site is billed as "the #1 professional collaboration network." It works on a type of bonus system, where you answer questions on a topic for another user, and then earn points toward getting your questions answered by other experts. Karbosguide.com (www.karbosguide.com). This easy-to-use site offers hundreds of illustrated guides and tutorials for all manner of technical topics, from adapters to Wi-Fi. SuperSite for Windows (www.winsupersite.com). Hosted by technical author Paul Thurrott, this is one of the top sites for news, reviews, tips, and advice regarding all versions of Microsoft's Windows operating system. Tom's Hardware Guide (www.tomshardware.com). This is simply one of the best PC hardware sites on the Internet. It features tons of information you can use to either troubleshoot or soup up your system. WinDrivers.com (www.windrivers.com). The main feature of this site is its huge library of downloadable Windows device drivers from practically every vendor in existence. Also features Windows-related hardware support. ZDNet (www.zdnet.com). This tech portal, now owned by CNET, combines all the technology news and information from PC Magazine, Macworld, and other Ziff-Davis magazines.
Technical Newsgroups When you have a particular technical question you need answered, you can try searching through Windows XP's Help system, or browsing through the various technical Web sites I just listed. You may have better luck, however, in a Usenet newsgroup devoted to your particular technical issue. Usenet is where the real techno-geeks hang out, and posting a question in a newsgroup can bring surprisingly fast (and surprisingly insightful) answers. Here's a list of individual newsgroups and hierarchies that could be helpful if you need technical information or support. A wildcard (*) at the end of a name indicates that some or all the groups in that particular hierarchy might be worthwhile. The final hierarchy in this list might not be found on every public newsgroup server. These are the newsgroups that Microsoft hosts on its own msnews.microsoft.com newsgroup server. You also can access these newsgroups by clicking the Go to a Windows Web Site Forum link in the Support window. You can sometimes find the answers to your questions in older newsgroup articles. When you want to search the Usenet archives, go to Google Groups (groups.google.com). This site archives Usenet articles from many years past to today; if somebody posted it, you can find it here! |
