Sometimes the only solution is to have someone look at your machine.

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Summary: Diagnosing some types of failures remotely can be extremely difficult. Sometimes you just need to have someone get hands-on with the machine.

I got a question from a friend this morning that boiled down to something like this:

I told my friend that it was questions like this that are the hardest for me, and the most frustrating. I really, honestly want to help - but...

Well, here's my (slightly edited) response, and you'll see what I mean.

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As you can see, my answer so far has been pretty useless. All I've really said is that it could be something serious, or not, and if there is a problem it could be trivial, difficult or impossible to fix.

I continued:

Really, the only solid piece of advice here was to backup in case the worst happens, and regular readers will know I've been preaching that for a long time, no matter how well things seem to be working.

The last point, though, is one that's been in the back of my head for a long time. The fact is that there are classes of problems - typically suspected hardware problems - where the only way to diagnose is to see the machine, in person. To "lay hands on it", as it were.

And, given the nature of Ask Leo! - that's pretty frustrating.

I can't see the machine.

Sure, in a situation like this sometimes with a clear enough description of the problem I can make some educated guesses, but that's all they are - guesses. This class of problem is frequently impossible to diagnose properly from a distance.

So here's my advice to the average user: have a hardware backup plan. That might mean a backup machine, but more likely it means to seek out a good, local, and easily accessible technician or computer guru. Someone who, if you have a problem, can physically look at your machine and help diagnose it. It can be a family member, a friend, an acquaintance, or even a local business specializing in computer repair.

Unfortunately, in my friend's case, while it's not out of the question, the distances involved are long enough that it's not that trivial for me to be that resource.

For the record, this is a situation where many Apple users have a leg up on things. Since Apple's hardware is proprietary (by and large available only from Apple), Mac owners have been able to take their machines to Apple stores and visit the Genius Bar for - literally - hands-on help with their systems. Apple users within range of an Apple store have a pretty good thing.

I do wish that something similar were more broadly available for other systems as well.

Related:

• Ask Leo! - Why does my computer blue screen?

• Ask Leo! - My computer locks up and won't boot. What do I do?

• Ask Leo! - Why does my computer randomly reboot without warning?

Article 12480 | Posted June 8, 2008