I need free online support.
Filetonic Free Ask a Tech Help
Funny you should ask. Here at Filetonic, we do our best to answer computer questions - for free! While we are not a full service online tech support service, we try to get you answers to your questions or point you in the right direction. Feel free to “Ask a Tech Jock” as your first step toward solving your computer problems.
Free Online Tech Support Options
Depending on the computer problem you are experiencing, free online tech support may be available. For example, if you are having trouble with your Vonage Internet phone service, the folks over at Vonage are quite helpful. Likewise, your cable Internet service provider is a good first stop for Internet access problems. Many ISPs now offer automated support tools that automatically configure your system or troubleshoot common connection problems. Similarly, if you’re having a problem with a software application or hardware device, the support options at various developers and manufacturers are often free.
Of course, support and service varies and it’s often difficult to pinpoint where the problem originates. For example, if your Vonage Internet phone service isn’t working, it could be a problem with your Linksys router - so who do you call? Linksys or Vonage?
Forums are another good source of online tech support, though you need to be aware of who’s giving advice. For example, anyone can go onto a forum and say “Download this fix” or “Delete such and such from the Windows registry.” If the advice is coming from a Microsoft MVP, you’re probably pretty safe following the instructions given. On the other hand, if the advice is coming from a random user named ILUV2HAK, then you might not want to download that file or follow his advice.
Microsoft’s knowledge base is another good source of free help. Many of step-by-step solutions are offered. In fact, now Microsoft has a “Fix it for me” tool that automatically fixes the issue in question.
Paid Tech Support
We understand that sometimes free tech support comes up short. In these instances, a good paid tech support company can be worth its money many times over. We recommend an online tech support company when we feel a computer error will benefit from a real technician working on the computer remotely.
Another option is to hire a local high school or college kid to troubleshoot your computer problems. Computer students are a bargain and eager to show off their skills.
Please let us know if you have a specific computer problem and we’ll be happy to do our best to tackle it for you.
