Windows XP [Electronic resources] : Visual Quickstart Guide, Second Edition نسخه متنی

Getting Help from Microsoft

When all else fails you can get helpfree or paidfrom Microsoft directly:

Microsoft Help and Support web site. Microsoft's online support pages at http://support.microsoft.com (Figure 3.25 ) let you:

Get answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Download software updates, Service Packs, patches, and device drivers

Ask nontechnical questions about pricing, training, and other Microsoft products

Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base of more than 250,000 support articles, if you don't want to reach it through Help Center

Free telephone support. If you purchased your copy of Windows XP separatelythat is, it didn't come on your computeryou can call Microsoft for unlimited help with installation. After XP is up and running, you can email or call for free (but not toll-free) help with two more problems. In the United States, the number is (425) 635-3311 (Redmond, Washington).

Paid telephone support. The meter starts running after you use up your free requests. Microsoft charges you $35 (U.S.) per request. (A single incident can span several phone calls.) The toll-free number is (800) 936-5700 (Figure 3.26 ).

Tips

When you call, Microsoft will want your 20-digit product ID number. To look it up, choose Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > System > General tab. The ID number is in the Registered To section.

If you're outside the United States, click the International Support link in

Figure 3.25 .

If you refer to a particular Knowledge Base article frequently, you can create a Favorite or shortcut to the URL http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=article_id, where

article_id is the article's six-digit ID number (given in the article).