[COMPILED-READ IT]All-you-need-to-know Tech Form Sticky

[Rbstr]

The point of this thread is to try and get as many questions answered as possible in a nice simple place.

Posting a Problem:<thanks to powdahound>

1.) Be as detailed as possible. In addition to describing the problem, include what programs were running at the time (or the programs that you always run in the background) and what you were doing when it happened.

2.) A picture is worth a thousand words. If you can take a screenshot of your problem (when appropriate), and include it in your post, you would save yourself a lot of typing.

3.) If there was an error message, its important. Include any error messages verbatim (exactly as you see them) in your post.

4.) System Specs - we need them. All of them.
-Operating System version
version of the problem software (if applicable)
-CPU manufacturer, type, and speed
-Motherboard manufacturer and BIOS version
-RAM type, speed, and quantity
-Hard Drive manufacturer(s), size(s), and IDE configuration (Primary Master, Secondary Slave, etc.)
-CD-ROM/DVD/CD-RW manufacturer(s), speed(s) and IDE configuration
-Video card manufacturer, type, BIOS version, and driver version
-Sound card
-Modem (internal or external)
-Network adapters
-Input devices
-Anything else applicable to the situation

5.)Let us know if we fix it, it helps alot to know if a solution worked or not, so we can tell other people with similar problems.
Also if you solve it on your own please tell us what you did.
<more to come>