February 23, 1998
Good troubleshooting resources are hard to find
By Bob O'Donnell
I'm on the hunt, and I'd like your help. The elusive goal of my digital safari is
high-quality troubleshooting and general computer information resources available here on
the Web. I've come across several in my ongoing quest for this kind of information, but
I'm still not satisfied. So, I want to open this up to everyone with the hope that we can
all benefit from each other's knowledge and experience. Please post your suggestions and
recommendations in the forum.
The problem is that the state of today's computers requires access to good-quality
troubleshooting help. Regardless of your knowledge level or the type of hardware or
operating system you're running, you will eventually run into problems that you simply
cannot solve on your own. Hence, the ongoing need for high-quality information. I'm
particularly interested in information resources that cover popular, mainstream OSes, such
as the various flavors of Windows (3.1, 95 and NT), as well the Mac OS, although OS/2,
Linux, and other OS information sources are also gladly welcomed.
I'm also interested in good technical primers because information about how computer
hardware and various types of software really work is some of the most important
information you can have when it comes to troubleshooting. If you don't know enough about
how something works, then you aren't in a good position to ask the right questions that
might help solve a problem.
The Internet is full of white papers and other technical resources that are supposed to
help in this regard, but the problem I've found is that most of them are not written for
regular users. In fact, most seem to be written for hardware engineers or programmers -- a
relatively small group of people who probably already understand the principles and issues
involved.
Still, there are some good resources written for intelligent, curious adults who want
(or need) to learn more. One of the best that I've come across recently is Charles
Kozierok's PC Guide, which offers lucid descriptions
of all the various hardware components you'll find in today's (and yesterday's) PCs.
Another favorite is Tom's Hardware Guide, which
has a wealth of information about processors, motherboards, chip sets, and other bits of
PC hardware (although I find that its descriptions occasionally get too technical).
Finally, the BIOS Survival Guide
answers lots of questions about your computer's little understood BIOS.
When it comes to general information about Windows 95, you can hardly go wrong with
fellow InfoWorld columnist Brian
Livingston's Windows 95 Secrets book (co-authored with David Straub), which is
now in its 4th edition from IDG Books. On the Mac
side, David Pogue and Joseph Schorr's Mac Secrets, which also comes from IDG Books,
is also very good, although the current 3rd edition is getting a bit stale. (Disclaimer: I
am currently writing a book for the IDG Secrets series, but I've researched many computer
books and found these to be among the best.)
When it comes to specific troubleshooting information for Windows-based OSes, one of
the best resources I've found comes from Microsoft itself. The company's online Knowledge Base offers a wealth
of useful information. And if your company can afford it, the MS TechNet CD subscription
product gives you a monthly update of the entire Knowledge Base, as well as product info,
white papers and more. Other good Web-based resources I've found are Windows 95 Annoyances and Windows 95.Com.
For Mac users, my favorites are Ric Ford's MacInTouch
site, the Mac Fixit site and the Macintosh Software & Extension Conflict
Troubleshooting site, whose name pretty much says it all.
Of course, there are lots more resources for this kind of information strewn throughout
the Web, but not all of them are very good. My goal is to find the absolute best resources
there are. If you've got some favorites that fit the bill, head over to the forum and let
us all in your best-kept secrets.
Copyright 1998, by InfoWorld Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of IDG Communications,
Inc. Reprinted from InfoWorld, 155 Bovet Road, San
Mateo, CA 94402. Further reproduction is prohibited.
