- Joined
- Jun 16, 2008
- Messages
- 2,158
Hello
This has really bothered me for a long time. I'd like to help people create better Tech Help threads, because frankly, there are a lot of very hard to read and understand threads out there, and some that I just don't want to click on because of one reason or another. Anyway, I hope this guide will help, and sometime in the near future, this thread, or another one, will get stickied so it will continue to help.
First off, before you jump to make a thread, see if anyone else has had this problem before, either on this forum, or any other (i.e. techsupportguy.com). Read through, and see if there were any fixes there.
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Ok, so no go with finding another person with the same problem that was fixed. Now time to make your eGO thread.
1. IMPORTANT: If you get nothing else from this post, get this. Thread titles like 'halp meh' or 'problem' or even 'tf2 issue' are not good. They tell us nothing about your problem. When I occasionally look over the thread list in the Tech Help forum, I look for threads that have titles that are descriptive, so if the problem is in my area, I might be able to help. So titles like 'TF2 boot memory error 110121' are better, because if someone with the same problem who fixed it or knows how to will see it, and chime in on the thread, and most of the time, you've gotten a fix.
1.5. Make sure that your thread looks nice. No unnecessary indents, or txt speak. We want to be able to clearly read the thread.
2. Post your system info. (It's mandatory http://www.edgegamers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=68514)
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html and www.srtest.com are good web apps to find out the necessary info if you don't know how to.
Give info like:
Operating System (Like windowsXP, Vista, Mac, etc.)
Motherboard (Product type, manufacturer, etc.)
CPU (Product type, manufacturer, speed, etc.)
GPU (Product type, manufacturer, speed, etc.)
RAM (Product type, manufacturer, size, etc.)
Any other relevant info
3. Now, describe your problem. Tell us when it started happening, and any significant events that triggered it (i.e. I installed the latest nvidia drivers 2 weeks ago, and then 1 week ago, a giant banana appears on my screen every 5 minutes). Be very specific in describing. Ideally, get a screenshot of the issue in action, or any error message that pops up.
4. Once you've given it up to the community, BE VIGILANT IN CHECKING YOUR POST. Posting and then just letting it fade is really, really bad. When people spend time trying to answer your question, and then you just blow them off, that's really unkind. I guess this goes without saying, because you want to fix your problem, don't you?
4.5. Post on your thread. Give feedback. When someone suggests you try X, you either post saying you:
a.tried x, and it failed.
b.tried x, and it succeed.
c.didn't try x (for any number of reasons...)
This feedback will help your 'Tech Support Buddies' rule out possible issues.
5. Once you've gotten it fixed, POST HOW YOU DID IT. This way, you can help contribute to the general knowledge of the forum, like I mentioned above. Even if you didn't get it fixed, follow up, say what you did. It'll help someone, I swear.
If I missed any steps or your have any other info I should add, please do tell!
This has really bothered me for a long time. I'd like to help people create better Tech Help threads, because frankly, there are a lot of very hard to read and understand threads out there, and some that I just don't want to click on because of one reason or another. Anyway, I hope this guide will help, and sometime in the near future, this thread, or another one, will get stickied so it will continue to help.
First off, before you jump to make a thread, see if anyone else has had this problem before, either on this forum, or any other (i.e. techsupportguy.com). Read through, and see if there were any fixes there.
|
V
Ok, so no go with finding another person with the same problem that was fixed. Now time to make your eGO thread.
1. IMPORTANT: If you get nothing else from this post, get this. Thread titles like 'halp meh' or 'problem' or even 'tf2 issue' are not good. They tell us nothing about your problem. When I occasionally look over the thread list in the Tech Help forum, I look for threads that have titles that are descriptive, so if the problem is in my area, I might be able to help. So titles like 'TF2 boot memory error 110121' are better, because if someone with the same problem who fixed it or knows how to will see it, and chime in on the thread, and most of the time, you've gotten a fix.
1.5. Make sure that your thread looks nice. No unnecessary indents, or txt speak. We want to be able to clearly read the thread.
2. Post your system info. (It's mandatory http://www.edgegamers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=68514)
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html and www.srtest.com are good web apps to find out the necessary info if you don't know how to.
Give info like:
Operating System (Like windowsXP, Vista, Mac, etc.)
Motherboard (Product type, manufacturer, etc.)
CPU (Product type, manufacturer, speed, etc.)
GPU (Product type, manufacturer, speed, etc.)
RAM (Product type, manufacturer, size, etc.)
Any other relevant info
3. Now, describe your problem. Tell us when it started happening, and any significant events that triggered it (i.e. I installed the latest nvidia drivers 2 weeks ago, and then 1 week ago, a giant banana appears on my screen every 5 minutes). Be very specific in describing. Ideally, get a screenshot of the issue in action, or any error message that pops up.
4. Once you've given it up to the community, BE VIGILANT IN CHECKING YOUR POST. Posting and then just letting it fade is really, really bad. When people spend time trying to answer your question, and then you just blow them off, that's really unkind. I guess this goes without saying, because you want to fix your problem, don't you?
4.5. Post on your thread. Give feedback. When someone suggests you try X, you either post saying you:
a.tried x, and it failed.
b.tried x, and it succeed.
c.didn't try x (for any number of reasons...)
This feedback will help your 'Tech Support Buddies' rule out possible issues.
5. Once you've gotten it fixed, POST HOW YOU DID IT. This way, you can help contribute to the general knowledge of the forum, like I mentioned above. Even if you didn't get it fixed, follow up, say what you did. It'll help someone, I swear.
If I missed any steps or your have any other info I should add, please do tell!
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