The IT Support Handbook: A How-To Guide to Providing Effective Help and Support to IT Users

Table of Contents
About the Author
About the Technical Reviewer
Introduction
Part I: IT Support Fundamentals
	Chapter 1: An Introduction to IT Support
		The Fundamentals of IT Support
			What?
			When?
			How?
		Never Make Assumptions
		The Language Barrier
		The Challenges of Local and Remote Support
			Owning or Working in an IT Support Shop
			Providing Support in People’s Homes
			Providing IT Support from a Call-Center
			On-Site Engineers
			Online and Remote Support
		A Note About Data Protection and Privacy
		Summary
	Chapter 2: Understanding Your IT System Better
		A Brief History of Computers
		What IT Systems Might You Encounter?
			Interface Standards
				USB
				Firewire
				Serial
				Parallel
			Bluetooth
			Device Types
			Operating Systems
		The Interconnectedness of IT Systems
		Summary
	Chapter 3: Understanding Your Users: How Much Do They Know?
		How to Communicate with Humans
		Managing Staff Training
		Learning Theory
			Place Everything in Context
		Structuring Training and Education
			Define Your Objectives
			Mix Things Up a Little
			Assess Your Learners’ Knowledge
			Use Mixed Peer Groups
			Help the Learners Consolidate What They Have Learned
			Evaluate the Learners
			Écouter et Répéter
			Self-Evaluation
		Summary
Part II: IT Support Methodology
	Chapter 4: Flow Logic and  Troubleshooting
		How Does Flow-Logic Work in Troubleshooting?
			Process of Elimination
			“Information Is All”
		Paperwork Is a Pain, Or Is it?
		Begin at the End, But Don’t Work Your Way Backward
			“Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow”
		The Impossible Is Possible
		Work with the Team
		Summary
	Chapter 5: Querying Users Effectively
		How to Query Users Effectively to Diagnose Problems
			Users Can Be Anyone, and Anywhere
			Never Make Assumptions
			Yes or No?
		Take the User with You on the Journey
			The User Is Your Friend… Yes, Really
			Swipe Left or Swipe Right?
		The Nontechnical Dictionary
		Online Chat
		Summary
	Chapter 6: Supporting Remote and Hybrid Workers
		Where in the World?
		What’s in a Device?
			Why Is Device Management Important?
			The SME Problem
			Okay, So What the Hell Does All This Mean for Me?
		Summary
	Chapter 7: Joining the Dots: Finding the Root Cause of an IT Issue
		The Beginning of the End
			Working Backward
			IT Troubleshooting: The Movie
		The End of the Beginning
			What Are These Dots of Which You Speak?
		Keeping an Open Mind
		Summary
Part III: Understanding IT System Problems
	Chapter 8: How IT Systems Are Structured
		In the Beginning, the Unix-verse Was Created…
			IP Freely
			Aging Tech
			Windows NT
			Windows vNext
			Creating a New Android
			The Upshot
		Living in the Internet Age
			Oh My God! The World Just Ended!
			Look for the Hashtag
		Hardware Is Hard Wearing
			Hardware Also Wears Out
		Summary
	Chapter 9: The Human Factor
		How the Human Factor and Staff Training Affects IT Systems
		Why Users Screw Up IT Systems
			Hardware
			Software
			Settings
		IT and Accessibility
		Users Are Not IT People
		The Monkey Mind
		People Are Complex
		Summary
	Chapter 10: The Peripheral Problem
		Riding the Legacy Wave
			Adding Legacy Devices to Windows
			Configuring and Troubleshooting Legacy Devices
		Troubleshooting Device Drivers
		What Else Goes Wrong with Peripherals?
		Summary
	Chapter 11: Building and Environmental Factors
		The World We Live In
			Weather
			Sand, Dust, Water, and Moisture
		The Built Environment
			Wi-Fi, Where-Fi Art Thou?
			Bluetooth and Cellular
		Cities and the Countryside
		Summary
	Chapter 12: How Climate Change Affects IT Support
		Right to Repair
		Support Lifecycles
		How Your IT Policies Can Help Climate Action
			What’s in a SOC?
			Should You Buy More Than You Need?
			So How Does This Help You and Your Business?
		Summary
Part IV: Documentation and Reporting
	Chapter 13: Why Good Documentation Matters
		Documentation Saves Time and Money
		Documentation for Training
			Dumbing Things Down
		Documentation for Troubleshooting
			Personnel and SLAs
			Getting in Line
			Engineering Solutions
		Keep It Clear and Concise
		Summary
	Chapter 14: Creating Troubleshooting Guides
		Clean, Concise, and Easy to Understand
			Bots and A.I.
			Flow Logic
			The Dev Problem
			Now Let Me Tell You a Story…
		The Story Continues…
			What and Why
		So Does the Princess Kiss the Frog?
		Summary
	Chapter 15: Creating and Managing Reporting
		First-Line Support Paperwork
		Second- and Third-Line Support Paperwork
		Engineer Paperwork
		How Artificial Intelligence Can Aid Reporting
		Additional Forms and Reports
		Summary
	Chapter 16: Harnessing System and Error Reporting in Windows
		Reliability History
		Windows Tools
			System Information
			Performance Monitor
				Data Collector Sets
			Event Viewer
				Creating Custom Views
				Attaching Tasks to Events
				Getting More Use from Event Data
		Honorable Mention: Task Manager
		Summary
	Chapter 17: Obtaining Advanced Error and Status Information on PCs
		Getting Detailed Information About Errors
			Copying and Saving Event Details
			Connect to the Event Log on Another PC
		Finding Other Windows Error Logs
			Text File Logs
			XML and ETL Log Files
			dmp Files
		Summary
Part V: Providing Remote Support
	Chapter 18: Remote Support Tools
		Remote Desktop
		Windows Remote Assistance
		Quick Assist/Intune Remote Help
		TeamViewer
		RealVNC
		LogMeIn
		Chrome Remote Desktop
		Summary
	Chapter 19: Gathering Information Remotely
		Start with the Asset Tag
			Remote Access for Intune Managed Computers
			Permitting Remote Administration of PCs
			Sign into the Registry as Another User
			Using the Microsoft Management Console Remotely
		Summary
	Chapter 20: Helping Your Users to Help You
		Problem Steps Recorder
		Saving Screenshots
		Screencasting
		Xbox Game Bar
		Summary
	Chapter 21: Taking IT Support to the Next Level
		There’s No “I” in Team
			The Honesty Box
			The Advisory Committee
			Career Advancement
		Looking to the Future
		Okay, So There is an “I” in Team
		“Come Together, Right Now”
		Summary
Index