Getting Started on the Internet

Michael Devitt

Keeping Your PC Trouble-Free, Part II: Optimizing Your System Online

In our last article, we reviewed a number of software packages and
programs that are available to help keep your computer running smoothly 
and maximize your system's performance.  In this issue, we'll examine 
three online services that are dedicated to personal computer care, 
maintenance and troubleshooting.

SupportHelp.com -- So Much for So Little

If you're like me, you know how frustrating it can be when a new piece 
of software creates an unforeseen conflict with your operating system or 
a new device wreaks havoc with your computer's registry when it gets 
installed.  It's even more frustrating if you've misplaced (or thrown 
out) the operating manual that contains the all-important phone numbers 
for technical support.  In instances like these, it's comforting to know 
that there's a website like SupportHelp.com to help extricate you.

SupportHelp.com offers free contact information for more than 4,500
companies and 11,000 different computer products. The site's easy to use 
search engine allows users to conduct a search either by company name, 
product name, or by a keyword.  Each search provides a wealth of 
technical support information: the company's name and mailing address; 
telephone and fax numbers; departmental contact names; e-mail accounts; 
and Web address, where applicable.

SupportHelp.com also provides direct links to more than 30 Usenet
newsgroups related to technical support. There are newsgroups for 
specific products (such as Freehand, Pagemaker and Corel Draw) and 
particular brands of computers (Gateway 2000, Micron, etc.). There are 
links to general newsgroups that cover modems, software compliance, 
CD-ROM drives, hard disks, and Internet security.

The site has set up a number of free "technology forums" (19, at last 
count) for users with questions about different operating systems and 
programs.  There are discussion rooms and chat sessions for Windows 95,
Macintosh programs, and even venerable computers like the Apple II and 
the Amiga were represented with their own forums.

Admittedly, SupportHelp.com does little in the way of directly 
optimizing your system or enhancing its performance.  What it may lack in
that area, however, it more than makes up for with its ease of use and 
the sheer amount of data available.  It has become an essential resource 
of information, especially if you've ever had a reason to pick up the 
phone and call for technical support.  The fact that it's a free service 
only makes the site that much more appealing.  With its growing database 
of contact information and support rooms, it's no wonder SupportHelp.com
advertises itself as "your virtual world life preserver."  
SupportHelp.com's website can be accessed at http://www.supporthelp.com. 

Tuneup.com: Great Support -- For a Price

While SupportHelp.com is more of a bulletin board for technical support 
and discussion, TuneUp.com offers both vendor information and online PC 
care, maintenance and troubleshooting. Since its opening in May of 1996, 
the company has expanded its options to users and now includes antivirus
detection, hard drive optimization and software updates to its online
program.

Users can browse through a number of sections in TuneUp.com.  There's a
technical directory of hardware and software manufacturers, which 
includes phone/fax numbers, mailing addresses and e-mail accounts.  
There's also a "Tip of the Day" section, on how to maximize their PC's
performance, and a column called BugNet that alerts users to computer 
trends and recently discovered bugs in computer software.

Paying members have access to TuneUp Forums, a group of bulletin-board 
style message boards organized by topic.  Members receive the ShopTalk 
monthly e-mail newsletter, and can browse the Searchable Knowledge Base 
Library, which includes FAQ lists and other answers from the technical
staff.

The biggest benefits for members are the two downloadable software 
programs, TuneUp and TuneUp AV.  TuneUp AV provides antivirus protection 
and hard drive diagnosis and repair software.  You can update the 
program each month to get the latest virus definitions and diagnostic 
tools.  TuneUp helps keep your PC up-to-date by providing thousands of 
drivers and software updates from an extensive list of manufacturers.  
This program will make a profile of your computer, then provide you with 
a list of available upgrades and patches.  Users can download the 
upgrades and fixes they want, and the program will install them 
automatically on their system.

TuneUp.com membership costs $4.95 per month or $39.95 a year to join.  
What makes the service so worthwhile, though, is the quality of customer 
support offered. If you e-mail them a question about your system, you'll 
receive a response within two hours during the business day, or within 
two hours of opening the next day if you send your question at night.  
And the online technical staff answers questions in everyday English, a 
language that other companies are apparently unfamiliar with.

You can download the software and try it for free for 30 days.  After 
that time, you'll have to register with the organization to keep using 
the service.  If you have the time, I'd recommend visiting the site, 
downloading the software and trying it out for the 30 days.  It's an 
affordable, easy way to keep up with the latest software updates, keep 
your computer free of viruses, and find current, useful information 
about computer care.  To find out more about the products and services 
offered, you can access the site at http://www.tuneup.com.

Keep Your Computer Fit at HealthyPC.com

Another online computer maintenance service that has made a vast
improvement in the past few months is HealthyPC.com.  The result of a
partnership between ZDNet magazine and Symantec (the makers of the Norton 
line of computer software), HealthyPC.com recently became part of the 
ZDNet Help Channel.  It now provides users with dozens of links and 
areas in which they can share information and find solutions to their 
hardware and software problems.

As with other online technical support services, many of the features at
HealthyPC.com are free.  One of the site's best features is the Support 
Finder, which lists technical support information.  While its directory 
of vendors and suppliers isn't as comprehensive as SupportHelp, it has 
much more information displayed.  

For instance, one of Dynamic Chiropractic's laser printers was having 
trouble recently, so I decided to get some information on the 
manufacturer. With a few keystrokes and mouse clicks, we were able to 
find the company's mailing address, phone/fax numbers, and a direct link 
to their website for more detailed technical support.  There was even a 
complete product index, which listed the printer's specifications and had
product reviews from some of the leading computer magazines.

There's a lot more to HealthyPC.com than just names and numbers, however.
Among the site's other highlights, there's a "FAQ Superlist" that 
contains links to more than 200 of the best-selling software programs; a 
"Free Downloads" section with dozens of patches, utilities, plug-ins and 
demos; a "ZD University" where you can register for online computer 
classes; and "The TipZone," which provides users with advice and answers 
to help solve your PC's problems.

The only section of HealthyPC that users have to pay for is called the 
HPC Health Club (currently available only to people with Windows 95 
machines).  Those who join the club receive online versions of two 
programs, VitalCheck and LiveUpdate.  The programs are downloaded from
HealthyPC's website (http://www.healthypc.com)onto your computer and are 
then run according to the user's preferences.  You must use either 
Internet Explorer 3.0 (or higher) or Netscape Navigator 3.0 (or higher) 
to run LiveUpdate and VitalCheck.

VitalCheck works as a combination antivirus program and system diagnostic 
tool.  It scans your system for viruses, alerts you if any are present 
on your computer, and then deletes them. VitalCheck also scans a user's 
hard drive for any problems such as cross-linked files or bad disk 
sectors and repairs them automatically.

LiveUpdate works just like the program that's available on most versions 
of the latest Symantec software.  Instead of looking just for virus 
definitions or other updates, it scans your entire system -- both 
hardware and software -- for possible upgrades (a feature remarkably 
similar to the Oil Change program discussed in a previous article).  It 
then tells you if there are any patches, updates, or new drivers 
available for your system.  If there are, users can then have them 
installed automatically on your computer.

There is a $6.95 start(c)up fee to join the health club. Those interested 
in joining have the option of paying either a monthly fee ($3.95/month) 
or a discounted annual fee ($29.95/year), both slightly lower than 
Tuneup.com's rates.  Users can cancel their membership in the club at 
any time, so it may be worth checking out for a month or two.  Whether or 
not you join the club, make sure to bookmark HealthyPC.com -- with so 
much useful information, it's a site you'll definitely want to visit 
again.

In the third and final part of this series, we'll present our readers 
with a small list of essential items that every computer owner should 
have to protect their system from crashing.  We'll also devise a basic
maintenance schedule to help keep your PC operating efficiently.

As always, we welcome your comments.  If you have any questions about 
the programs and services mentioned in this article, or if there's a 
website or Internet subject you'd like to se reviewed, feel free to 
contact me by e-mail or at the phone number below.

Michael Devitt
Huntington Beach, California 
Editorial@DCMedia.com