If your OS won't work, you can't either.
We've got the numbers, URLs, and Usenet groups to contact in case of Windows,
Macintosh, or Linux emergencies.
Windows Support If you bought your upgrade of Windows 95 or 98 retail, you can get
assistance over the phone for free for 90 days after you make your first
support call--just make sure you've got your product ID on hand. If
the OS came with your computer, though, Microsoft won't give free phone
support. Instead, you'll have to find the answers to your questions
online, call your PC's manufacturer, or pay $35 for your call to Microsoft.
Support for Windows CE users is even slimmer: if you can't find help
at Microsoft's site, you have to pay $35 for each problem that Microsoft's
technicians help with over the phone. And if you're looking for Windows
NT support, head to your company's help desk or check out Microsoft's
fee-based options online
Windows 95:
Microsoft.public.win95.setup; Microsoft.public.win95
Windows 98:
Microsoft.public.win98.setup; Microsoft.public.win98
Windows CE: Microsoft.public.windowsce
Windows NT: Microsoft.public.windowsnt.setup; Microsoft.public.windowsnt
Macintosh Support Apple provides support similar to that of Microsoft: 90 days of
free phone support with the purchase of the OS--but Apple offers that
support whether the OS came with your new machine or you bought the
upgrade. After that, you have to pay $49 per incident for phone support,
find your answers online, or buy an extended support package from Apple
(cost varies by machine).
Linux Linux support varies widely. Depending on which distribution you
buy, you may get 30 days of free installation support by phone, or none
at all. Red Hat and Corel offer the most comprehensive support, but
even if your distribution doesn't offer any, you have other alternatives.
LinuxCare, an independent Linux support firm, offers fee-based help
for most distributions over the phone. Plus, since the Linux community
is so active, other users will almost always answer your Usenet queries
in an hour or so.
By phone
Caldera OpenLinux ($150 per incident): 800/850-7779
Corel Linux (free for 30 days): 716/871-2325
LinuxCare, fee-based Linux support (most major distributions): 888/546-4878
Palm OS 3Com encourages Palm OS customers to turn to the Palm Web site or
to email for support issues, unless you're a big corporate customer
with support contracts. However, after you've exhausted those possibilities,
3Com will answer questions for free over the phone for the life of your
Palm device. Handspring, which uses the Palm OS on its personal digital
assistant, also offers a free (but not toll-free) support line.
