Your software is crashing, displaying error messages, hanging your computer, or otherwise not functioning properly... so what can you do? The following are some general troubleshooting tips before you contact technical support.

 

Don't overlook the obvious

Take it from someone who has completely replaced an internal modem before checking the phone line (yes, the line was dead)---- sometimes the most perplexing problems are often the simplest to resolve.

 

Return your software to default settings

Check your software's help file or manual for instructions on how to do this. In Photoshop 6, you can restore default preferences by holding down the Shift+Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Shift+Option+Command (Mac) as you launch Photoshop.

 

Think about when the problem started occurring

If the problem appeared recently, think about what may have been changed in your system. If you installed some new software or hardware recently, try to remove it to check whether the problem could be solved. If you have Windows XP, use the system restoring function to return your system to the earlier state. See Windows Help for more information on system restoration.

 

Check your hard disks

Make sure your primary hard disk has sufficient spare space. Windows users should perform regular hard disk maintenance by running scanning disk or checking disk and defrag ging. Macintosh users should also defrag hard disks and perform disk maintenance regularly.

 

Read the documentation

If the problem has been occurring since you installed the software, check the installation disks for a readme.txt file and then follow its instructions(yes, I mean read it). This file will include information about known incompatibilities and last-minute corrections that were not made into the printed documentation.

 

Install an system recovery software

A powerful AyRecovery Professional product can prevent your computer from software problems mentioned above.

 

If all else fails

you'll need to contact the software publisher or manufacturer of your hardware product. They have technicians who are specialized in their products and authorized to provide technical support.