Tech Support one click away in Windows 10
All current versions of Windows don't excel when it comes to providing users with assistance when it comes to troubleshoot issues on the system.
The help is nearly useless and while some automated troubleshooting tools are integrated in newer versions of Windows, it is more often than not the case that more assistance is required to resolve an issue.
Microsoft maintains an official support website for customers and non-customers.
This ranges from chat and phone support to Microsoft's Answers community, a large web forum bringing users and Microsoft employees and MVPs together.
Quality of responses ranges from tips that are dead on to copy and paste responses that don't help out at all.
Starting with Windows 10 Build 10049, tech support options have become available directly in Windows 10.
Instead of having to visit Microsoft's Support website or Answers community, Windows 10 users get those options now directly in form of an application.
You open the application for now from them start menu by searching for Contact Support.
Update: Note that Microsoft changed the name of the application from Contact Support to Get Help in the Windows 10 Creators Update. You need to run a search for Get Help if you have the Creators Update or a newer version of Windows 10 installed.
It is unclear if options will be integrated into troubleshooting tools as well to inform users about those options but it would make sense if Microsoft would do so.
Three support options are displayed when you start the application that narrow down the support request.
- My device is for Windows, software and device related issues.
- Microsoft account & billing for account related help.
- Microsoft online services for the company's cloud based offerings such as OneDrive or Office365.
My Device
Four support options are provided on the my device page of which the first, ask the community, is the only one that is redirecting you to another website (the Microsoft Answers Community web forum.
Chat online with a Microsoft Answer Tech opens a chat interface right in the app highlighting the wait time and language support.
The last two options submits a request to Microsoft to call you back either immediately or on schedule. The wait time for the immediate option is displayed in the app window so that you know the approximate wait time.
Microsoft account & billing
This option redirects you to the Microsoft Account website.
Microsoft online services
Offers the same option as My Device. Open a chat with a support agent, schedule call backs or get redirected to the Microsoft Answers Community to get support there.
Closing Words
The support options are not entirely new but integration into the operating system itself makes lot of sense considering that users experience issues most of the time while using the system.
It depends a lot on the visibility of the application though. It may not help much if users don't know about the app or cannot locate it on the system.
Integration in the operating system's troubleshooting tools would make sense as it would improve the apps' visibility significantly.
Now You: Have you used Microsoft's chat or phone support before? How was it?
What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277
I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
Tank you for your help