Non-technical users should not be asked to articulate technical problems that may exist with computer hardware, software or networks.
It is a frustrating experience for them and unproductive time for you.
As a computer technician helping end-users diagnose and fix problems, a user's suspicion that "something is not right" is reason enough to help.
But there are not enough hours in the day to attend to each "it doesn't work" or "it's broken" complaint.
SOFIns 'Insert Disk and Apply Power' Method
Instead of wrestling with end users to understand their technical issue, have them boot their computer with a SOFIns Boot Disk.
This boot disk can be delivered as a CDRom or, in the next SOFIns release a USB Flash drive or network boot option (for corporate environments).
Users don't need to be registered with SOFIns to use the Boot Disk. They can obtain the boot disk as a CDRom directly from you or create their own CDRom from a download link you provide to them. If they register with SOFIns, they can generate their own Boot Disk.
The SOFIns Boot Disk is a special purpose Linux operating system that is designed to:
Initialize the user's computer without touching the hard disk drive (everything runs in memory)
Minimize hardware dependencies: only a network card, CPU, RAM and an Internet connection are requred. Monitor, keyboard, mouse, hard disk drive, video controller are not required.
Secure the user's computer (which SOFIns now calls a Target)
Establish an encrypted communication link to the SOFIns platform
Tell the User what is Wrong
Your diagnostic and analysis procedures are applied automatically by SOFIns to the user's remote computer, which is now called a "Target".
Since SOFIns has initialized the Target with a known-good operating system that runs completely from the computer's RAM, it can be converted into a remote analysis tool that can be used to identify and troubleshoot:
Connected hardware, such as attached USB peripherals and internal components
Installed software, such as Windows registry misconfiguration or virus infections
Root kits
Network environment where the Target is located
At the end of the analysis routine, you see the problem clearly and you can tell the user exactly what is wrong that gives the the "something is not right" feeling.
