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I think everybody knows this situation:

Family members, friends and friends of friends of family members come to you with every computer problem they have.

Sure i would like to help everybody, but i don't know all the answers and/or don't have time to deal with all this. On the other side i don't want to be rude and don't help at all.

Is there a nice (cheap or free) service available where people can get direct help for there computer-related question from another human being?

To clarify: I'm talking about family members / friends who are not able to find/follow instructions on a google, stackexchange or a forum.

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possible duplicate of Tips to prevent becoming the local IT support guy? – Diago Nov 10 '11 at 10:40
I'm not sure if its a duplicate, He asked what can his family members to to fix the problems without his assistance, not how to avoid fixing their computers for free, like your link implies :) – Shai Mishali Nov 10 '11 at 10:46
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@ShaiMishali I honestly can't see the distinction. – Diago Nov 10 '11 at 11:38
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closed as off topic by Diago, Simon Sheehan, Sathya♦ Nov 10 '11 at 11:54

Questions on Super User are expected to generally relate to computer software or computer hardware, within the scope defined in the faq.

2 Answers

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Well, if your family member or friend is a painter or a car mechanic or something then you could say "fine, I'll spend two hours fixing your computer if you spend two hours painting my shed/servicing my car." Quid pro quo. Might work in some situations.

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up vote 0 down vote

First of all the "easiest" solution is indeed Google. I know friends/family members aren't "technical", but most of the small problems people ask (email set up/usual stuff) could be usually found on google in native questions (e.g. search "How can i set up my Gmail account in Outlook Express"), and usually the insturction are easy even for people who aren't from the computer world.

There's also this great startup called Soluto you might want to check out (Windows Only, http://www.soluto.com/) , That sits on your computer and "fixes" it (by what they claim, I haven't personally tried it myself).

Of course , when all else fails, getting a computer technician or some "Helpdesk" service isn't anything of a shame :) There are many online "helpdesk" sites that you pay a small fee too and they will guide you through anything basic or non-basic you need.

Thats just my personal two cents about this subject.

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