Think job is simple and that you can handle it yourself?

Maybe so, but most small business owners have a business to run and may not have time or inclination to work as a telephone or computer technicians setting up an office computer network.

If you are thinking about networking your office, here is some basic information that you need to know before you embark on challenge.

Two Options

Generally, there are two ways to approach your office networking. You can go "wired" and string cables yourself to connect all of your office computers, printers, modems, etc. Or you can follow most recent business trend and go "wireless".

Wireless Option Sometimes a wired cable local area network isn't always practical or cost effective. If you lease your office space and install a hard wired cable network, you must run wires through walls and ceilings. This wiring installation is permanent. Thus, when you move out of that leased office space, you will probably leave your cable wiring investment behind.

However, if you decided to go with a wireless network Your installation is simpler. A "wireless gateway" is placed on a shelf and "wireless cards" are installed within your computer equipment within their open card slots. All without expensive cabling being installed and installed within a matter of minutes.

Wireless networking not only increased productivity, but save you money by eliminating cost of cables for a wired network.

Increasingly, small business people are going wireless route. Wireless costs more but it may be worth it if you have computers in multiple rooms, or you want to use your laptop at multiple points within your office.

Wireless costs more but it may be worth it if you have computers in multiple rooms, or want to use your laptop at multiple points within your office.

Or you click on FILE, PRINT to get a copy of that business proposal that you need to send to a prospective client today and your printer just sits there.

In these and any number of like situations you know that computer problems may crop-up at most inappropriate time. What do you do? You may spent time troubleshooting resolution yourself but you have a small business to run and your business is to make it profitable and not to spend your time troubleshooting PC problems.

Your other option is to call a technical support call center for assistance.

Here are some step-by-step rules to follow to make experience easier.

Some of these items may sound basic but they are necessary to review prior to your next call into any technical support call center.

Before You Call:

~ Make some notes. Be ready to outline, step-by-step, just what happened and what you were doing prior to it happening.

~ Try to repeat problem so that you know what error messages, if any, popped up.

~ Read everything you can in manuals, online information and FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) lists, to make sure you aren't just suffering from an all-too-common and quickly solved problem.

~ Perhaps you should use email support option offered by most companies support services. Often, by writing down problem, it helps you get a clear picture of problem in your mind. Then, your receive reply, you have step-by-step resolution in black & white for your records.

~ Make sure you've downloaded all most recent updates and patches. Don't expect technical support rep to spend a lot of time troubleshooting your copy of their software when it may be two or three generations old. Their are trained to troubleshoot most current version of their software.

~ Have your warranty cards, customer number and serial numbers ready. In addition, have a pen and paper available to take notes. You may want to have your manual ready because you might be asked to refer to it.

~ Have a ready outline of troubleshooting steps you've done to solve problem to this point.

~ If you can, call at off-peak times. Generally, mornings are less busy in customer call centers. You may try to determine where a company is from their literature, manuals, or web site. Generally, that is where their customer support call center is located. If they are located in Palo Alto, CA, that's West Coast Time, if their support line opens at 6 a.m. try then. In addition, newer, less experienced support reps are assigned busiest and odd hour shifts when they first start out fielding customer support telephone calls. Thus, if you make effort to call at right time, you'll hold less time to get to a support person and may get a more seasoned support person who may be able to solve your problem in less time.

Computer Hardware Problems:

~ Make sure your computer is plugged in and turned on and that you have power in your office at that wall electrical outlet. Be certain that all your peripherals, keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, external drives, etc., are connected properly. Unplug them and plug them back in again just to insure that all are seeded properly. This may resolve a hardware problem.

~ Try to isolate problem. What exact piece of hardware is not working and under what circumstance?