Problem Self-Help

Tips, Techniques,and Warnings

For Do-It-Yourself

Sorting Useful Help from the rest

• Most of these techniques work with multiple browsers

• Finding information is not at all difficult• However, finding useful information is a bit

more difficult• Need to learn how to search, and • Need to learn where to search

Starting off with Internet Explorer

I’m using Google

• Other search engines MAY work in similar manner, I have not tested them

• I generally use one of two different search engines:

• Google• Duck Duck Go• I don’t Bing, or Yahoo; and especially don’t use

shopping oriented search engines

Exact error message andthe powerful site: command

In Chrome

in Edge (windows 10)

In FireFox

A Search result site:microsoft.com

Trusted Sites

• Not all sites can be trusted• Some sites deliberately give malicious

information or information to push product sales

• How do I determine whether to trust a site?• Manufacturers sites• Software Developers sites• Malware cure sites

Trusted site: bleepingcomputer.com

Bleepingcomputer has a forum

Malware Bytes Support and Forum

AVG Support and Forums

HP Support and Forums

Several 100 fake security vendors

Fake product imitating real product

Error Messages can be helpful

• Copy the exact error message• Or sometimes the error number or code• Use that along with the site parameter in your

search• Some examples follow

Compatibility Issues

Warning on changing File Extension

The ONLY way to figure this one out is to hope a search will answer

(unless you are a system level programmer)

Again, copy the error message for the search

The Error Code may be helpful

Then, there are those days …

Copyright 2015Jim Cason