How to use community support forums
Published: September 7, 2006
Newsgroups are Internet forums where people exchange public messages. These community support forums help people find and help one another, and Microsoft sponsors more than 2,000 free technical support newsgroups that address all aspects of personal computing. These forums help people who are experiencing computer problems get help from volunteer computer experts.
To receive help from a newsgroup, first search the newsgroups for messages posted by people with similar problems. There is an excellent chance that an expert has already posted a solution. If you cannot find a solution to your problem, you can post a support question and attempt to receive help directly from an expert.
Note: Remember, all posts in newsgroups are public, so you should not post your name, password, or any personal information.
How to search Microsoft newsgroups
You should always search existing messages in a newsgroup before posting a new support question.
To search a newsgroup
1. | |
2. | In the Search For box, type your error message or a brief description of your problem. Click the In list, and then click the newsgroup that best fits your problem. Then, click Go. 
|
3. | In the middle pane, click a topic, and you'll be able to read the related message in the right pane. If the problem described in the message matches yours, click the responses displayed below the message in the middle pane. The responses might include help that you can use to solve your problem. 
|
4. | Continue reading messages. If you find a message that helps you solve your problem, click the Yes button next to Was this post helpful to you? 
|
If you cannot find a solution to your problem, return to step 2 and modify the words in your search. In some cases, there are more than one newsgroup that might contain an answer to your problem. To search other newsgroups, return to step 1.
How to ask a support question
Newsgroups contain solutions for the vast majority of problems. Because the experts volunteer their time to help, it's courteous to make sure that they haven't already answered your question before you ask for help. If, after searching carefully, you cannot find a solution to your problem, you can post a new message asking for help.
To post a question
1. | In the center panel of the Windows XP Newsgroups page, click the New button on the toolbar, and then click Question. 
|
2. | If you are prompted, sign in with your Windows Live ID. If you do not have a Windows Live ID, click the Register button to create one, and follow the prompts that appear. Then, return to step 1. |
3. | The New Question window appears. In the Subject box, type a brief description of your problem. The description should enable experts to determine whether they can help with your problem and enable others looking for help in the future to determine whether they have a similar problem. For example, “No sound,” “Cannot open Internet Explorer,” or “Music skips when played” are good subjects  Tip: To get a satisfying response from experts, avoid typing in all capital letters or using multiple exclamation points or question marks. A question that simply says, “Please help! Desperate!” doesn't give the experts much to go on, and they're not likely to read your question. For more tips on ways to write an effective request for help, read How to Ask a Question. |
4. | In the Message box, type a description of your problem. Be as detailed as possible. Include the exact text of any error messages you have seen, provide the manufacturer and model number of your computer, and list any troubleshooting steps you have taken. Describe any recent changes you've made to your computer (installing new software or hardware, for example) that occurred around the same time as when the error started. |
5. | Select the Notify me of replies check box, and then click Post. 
|
After posting a message, you will need to wait at least several hours, and possibly more than a day, to receive a response from an expert. If you do receive a response, you will be notified in e-mail. The message may ask for additional information, in which case you should reply to the message.
If an expert provides you information that solves your problem, reply to the message, indicate that the solution worked correctly, and thank the expert. If you fix the problem yourself before anyone replies, reply to your own message and describe the steps you took to fix the problem. Others with the same problem will be able to find your message and follow your steps to solve the problem.
Experts are unpaid volunteers and cannot respond to every problem. If you don't receive a response, don't take it personally. It just means that your problem is unusual and experts haven't seen a similar problem in the past. If you have additional information that might help an expert solve your problem, you can reply to your original message and add more detail.
