Is it plugged in?

There is a list of questions that any electronic support technician will run through while trying to diagnose malfunctioning equipment. You can pay by the hour for them to ask you these questions, or you can do it yourself:

1. Is it plugged in? Not just into the wall. Have you checked all of your connections? You would be surprised how many times a plug will have wiggled half way out, or a helpful spouse or child will have left something unplugged without telling you. Always start with a complete connection check of all the components of a system.

2. Is it a bad cable? If the printer isn't working, for instance, try using a different cable. Grab a cable from something that is definitely working if you can, and try it between the computer and the printer. Does it work now?

3. Which device is it, really? Can you connect the printer to another computer? Does it work now? Aha! It's not the printer...

4. Does the device have a self-test? Get out your manual. Many electronic devices have a self-test routine and will pretty much tell you what is wrong, and maybe even how to fix it.

If you still can't get it to work - or just don't have the time and inclination to do the basic troubleshooting, you know how to find me!