Remember the days of calling the help desk at work when you had a PC problem? Well those days are long gone when you strike out solo. Whether you have a full or part-time home office for your business, you ARE the help desk. Is it really the best use of your time to spend countless hours troubleshooting? Does every new purchase, download, or gadget have to be like a trip through hell?

Based on my recent experiences the answer is yes, although my cynicism is probably due to recent woes. Every move you make may result in hair pulling, lost productivity, and years shed from your longevity. Now I am very technically minded. In past lives I have had to troubleshoot the company PC’s and have optimized, troubleshooted, and re-imaged machines. I know what a .dll is, where to find it, and why it is there. Yet,now that I need my machines to work in order to run the business, it seems nothing goes as planned.

For instance, last week all I wanted to do was replace my old worn-out Samsung printer with a new HP color all-in-one. It got good reviews and would meet my office printing, scanning and photo printing needs. However, I installed the software with its minimal drivers and it brought my XP computer, and thus my productivity, to a halt for a good 6 hours or more. Between hours on the line with HP support to the darn hardware breaking when I took out the paper tray, I now await a refurbished replacement. Between my Dell Hell and this, maybe refurbished is the new “new”.

I could wax poetic about my woes and silly tales, but the bigger point I have to make is — how is a small and solo business owner supposed to be productive? Wasn’t technology supposed to make things easier? While I don’t believe we’ll ever reach a paperless office or trouble-free technology, I just have to ask the question — when did it get acceptable for people like me to have to struggle endlessly with the tools that are supposed to make the business run? And, if I understand how technology works and cannot get it to function correctly, what are others doing when it comes to dodging the problems of over-bloated software and random, unadvertised incompatibilities?

Maybe it is just me. Perhaps my belief that it shouldn’t be this way is what is causing me all the suffering. I should perhaps just Zen-it-up and accept that part of life is spending about 10-15% of it troubleshooting gadgets that have little to do with my life satisfaction but a lot to do with my business success. Samuel seems rather complacent in “Laptops and Water Do Not Mix: A Cautionary Tale”:

The more years I use computers, the more times I learn that in the vast majority of computing jams, going all the way back to square one’“including taking a system completely apart’“will eliminate problems. By the way, you can buy spill-resistant keyboard covers for most popular laptops, and Lenovo and other manufacturers have some systems that come with spill-resistant technology. These options are worth considering if you’re going to shell out for a really expensive laptop.

While I have to agree with him that sometimes the best approach is a clean slate — is this really the best way to spend our time? Rebuilding our computers on a regular basis?

Perhaps these woes just fall into the toleration category and Yvonne Perry has a great story about the perils of tolerating a small thing until it becomes a big problem.

Yet I’ve found it difficult to find a cost effective, thorough sources of vendor independent technical support for these occasions. As with most things, start by “Searching the Internet for Help with Tech Questions”. I have solved many-a-problem that way. In fact it is often far better than trying to converse with script laden customer support desks.

At the end of the day, though, if you feel you’ve done all you can and are still watching the clock tick versus actually getting things done, the choices at the end of the rope are not as clear.

Are you a small or solo business owner? If so, what has been your secret to making your PC equipment and peripherals sing in harmony rather than hold you hostage? I would love to hear your stories, advice, and opinions in the comments. What works? What doesn’t? How do you find independent and helpful hardware and software support? At what point do you just throw in the towel? In today’s times it is not just about convenience and avoiding hassle but the bottom line and business viability as well.

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Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, offers life coaching for lesbians to help you gain the clarity, confidence, and courage you need to have success on your own terms. Get the free eCourse “5 Steps to Turn Fear Into Freedom” at her website