beforeyoukillyourcomputer.com Saving computers one at a time from their owners

From the TeamViewer website:
TeamViewer is the fast, simple and friendly solution for remote access over the Internet - all applications in one single, very affordable module:

Remote control of computers over the Internet
Instantly take control over a computer anywhere on the Internet, even through firewalls. No installation required, just use it fast and secure.

Training, sales and teamwork
TeamViewer can also be used to present your desktop to a partner on the Internet. Show and share your software, PowerPoint presentations etc.

File transfer, chat and more
Share your files, chat, switch the direction during a teamwork session, and a lot more is included in TeamViewer

Download TeamViewer 3.6.4606

I was introduced to TeamViewer earlier this week by one of my IT buddies. TeamViewer is handy remote software and unique in the fact that it uses port 80 (same port as internet). This assists greatly in successful connections with someone with a hardware or softwall firewall.

From the TeamViewer website:
TeamViewer is the fast, simple and friendly solution for remote access over the Internet - all applications in one single, very affordable module:

Remote control of computers over the Internet
Instantly take control over a computer anywhere on the Internet, even through firewalls. No installation required, just use it fast and secure.

Training, sales and teamwork
TeamViewer can also be used to present your desktop to a partner on the Internet. Show and share your software, PowerPoint presentations etc.

File transfer, chat and more
Share your files, chat, switch the direction during a teamwork session, and a lot more is included in TeamViewer

Download TeamViewer 3.5.4356

Heck, for the average person, tech support is like throwing darts at a dartboard blindfolded. Recently, I did a couple of tech support jobs for family members, and it drove home the hit-and-miss nature of this enterprise.

One of the jobs was to help my wife’s uncle, who had a rather old system that had ceased connecting to the Internet. His PC started life as a Windows 98 system and had made it only as far as Windows 2000. Still, my uncle’s needs were simple: e-mailing and Web browsing, some document creation—that was about all. Interestingly, he had made the surprising decision to switch this clunker from cable broadband access to Verizon’s edgy, new FiOS fiber-optic online service. That’s when his problems began…

In the end, I empathize with companies like Dell that are trying to support millions of users, with limited success. It’s a huge burden to guide people effectively to the best user experience. However, the solutions that Dell and others have turned to—scripted responses and outsourced help—is not really cutting it. Even if you know the people, speak their language natively, and have a vested interest in helping them, your best intentions and efforts can be thwarted. Apple’s been atop the support heap for years, but if my predictions about the company’s market share come true, it, too, may soon learn the harsh realities of massive user bases and tech support.

We have to face the truth. Tech support as it currently exists is broken.

Source and Full Story

While I empathize with the writer’s personal support examples and understand that many large companies essentially provide tech support that begins and often ends with low-level techs regurgitating scripted responses, I cannot yet agree that “tech support is broken”.