When asking for help, a typical first reply is being asked what kind of system is experiencing the stated problem. This page aids one in assembling the kind of facts that permit a knowledgeabe person to provide meaningful help.

• Information to assemble
  • Your software
    • Which Microsoft Office package? Office 97, Office XP 2002, or Office 2003?
    • Right click "My Computer."
      • Note and write down operating system, Version & Service Pack numbers. Example: WIN 2000, V5.00.2195, SP4
      • Write down amount of RAM. Example: 524,288K
    • Bring up web browser MSIE, Internet Explorer. Go to Help on the menu bar, then About. Write down version, just the first 2 parts. Thus, Version 6.0.2800.1105 is written as "MSIE V6.0" in this context.
    • There are other web browsers - Netscape, Mozilla, Opera, etc. If you use another browser, write type & version.
    • What E-mail program do you use? Outlook, Outlook Express, Netscape, Eudora, etc. Again, type & version.
  • Your hardware
    • Do you have a CD device? Is it playback only, or can it write to a CD?
      • The XP Operating System has built-in s/w to control a CD for both reading and writing.
      • Write down the brand & version of the s/w that controls your CD. Go to Start, then Programs. You're likely to have Adaptec or Roxio. Roxio may be labeled "Roxio Easy CD Creator" or just "Easy CD Creator." Roxio wording varies; the 2 preceeding examples are typical.
    • Do you have a DVD device? Is it playback only, or can it write to a DVD? Do you know its media format? There are several DVD data formats. The media you buy must match the format of your DVD device.
      • Write down the brand & version of s/w that controls your DVD.