Ever since I started using computers I’ve been struggling with them.

A phrase that will often pop into my mind is, "Computers are great – when they work!"

Yesterday, a new computer "challenge" presented itself.

One of the computers here at the office got stuck and wouldn’t boot.

It just froze on one of those first screens you see when you start a computer and made a high-pitched clicking sound.

After turning it on and off several times and unplugging it, and plugging it back in – it just continued getting stuck.

Having exhausted the depth of my own technical expertise, I did what anyone like me would do…

I panicked.

Grabbed the cell phone and dialed the wife.

Her words were not soothing.

She seemed to think it might be a bad processor.

I’m no Bill Gates but I know that when a processor "chip" goes bad, it means whoever needs to use that computer is going to have a bad day.

Reluctant as I am to dial technical support, I had reached the point where I had to.

Fortunately, we realized a long time ago that the extra cash paid up front for three-year "gold" technical support, really pays off sometimes.

And so, since we had the "gold" support, I was able to reach a technician on the phone instantly. And he could even speak clear and easily understandable English!

I explained the problem to him and he asked me to unplug the keyboard and try a different one.

It worked.

Apparently, it was just a stuck key on the keyboard.

He solved the problem in less than 5 minutes.

I can tell you that I was filled with a tremendous sense of relief and showered the tech support guy with thanks and appreciation.

A little expert knowledge, I’ve found, can go a very long way.

editor@thecountywide.com