Help Desk Checklist

Before you call, make sure that your computer is turned on and within reach of your phone, and have answers to the following questions:

• What kind of computer you are using: is it a Macintosh or a Windows machine?
  
  
• What Operating System (for example, Windows 98, NT, 2000, ME, or Mac OS 9.1)?
  
  
• How much memory is installed on your computer?
• What is the name and version number of the software you are using?
  
  
• If you are calling about a dial-up problem, what is the speed of your modem (i.e. 33.6 or 56k) and what phone number is your modem set to dial?
  
  
• Did you get an error message? If so, write it down and let us know what you were doing when the error occurred.
  
  
• Have you recently installed (or removed) any software on your machine? If so, make a note of the software name and version, and whether your problem appeared only after the installation or removal.
  
  
• Are you connected to the Penn State backbone? If so, make note of the IP address of your machine.