What is this error message? What does this error mean? Why do I get an error message even though everything seems to be working normally? Error messages are one of those things that have quietly infiltrated and taken hold of our modern psyche in recent decades. Before the widespread integration of the microprocessor into everything from cars to toys to toasters, we lived in a world where things just inexplicably failed, and you knew they had failed because they stopped working.

Thanks to the microprocessor though, these devices now all have little brains behind little displays that can tell us when a failure has occurred. But somewhere between the dark ages of analog, and the enlightened age of digital, is some kind of bizarre missing link where the error message was created. The result is a toy that stops working and reports "3RR0R 5C", a toaster that says "E1" accompanied maybe by a few beeps, and a car that lights up a picture of an engine block along with some codes like "VSC" and "TRAC OFF".

Well it may just be that computers, because of their human language interface, were our one best chance to end the reign of confusing and cryptic error messages and usher in a new breed of messages that actually provided some helpful advice or direction in the event of a failure. And to a certain extent, programmers have been successful at writing messages that regular people can decipher. Let's take the computer printer as an example. In the past, a printer would run out of paper, and all you'd get was a little red flashing light on the printer to indicate that it was out of paper. Today however, your computer screen is just as likely to offer a detailed explanation and helpful suggestion such as "Your Printer is out of paper. Please refill the paper tray and click the 'resume printing' button." Hooray for progress!

What are the symptoms? Unfortunately, not all error messages are helpful, and in fact, many are still designed to provide guidance to developers and service personnel rather than to end-users. And so, despite our human language interface, we still suffer through messages like "a fatal exception has occurred" or "Operating System not found" or what may well be the most universally recognized error of the Internet-age "Page cannot be displayed." Here are some other common error messages that our customers report seeing:

• "A network cable has been disconnected"
• "There was an internal error, and one of the windows you were using will be closed. It is recommended that you save your work, close all programs, and then restart your computer."
• "This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor."
• "System Has Recovered from a Serious Error"
• "This connection has limited or no connectivity"
• "Socket not found"
• and of course, one can't overlook the infamous "blue screen of death".

What can be done about it? Some of these errors, as noted earlier, are actually helpful and instructive to end-users, but most are not. Sometimes you can figure out what the error relates to because it happens only after certain events like the launch of a particular program, or connection of a particular device. In these cases, you may be able to get assistance via telephone or chat from the program or device manufacturer.

Some of the symptoms noted can be attributed to hardware failures, some to incompatibility between your computer and equipment such as USB card readers or photo printers. If you have just added any new devices to your computer before experiencing the problem, try disconnecting the device and see if the problem goes away.

Some of the symptoms noted can be attributed to corrupted software or device drivers. If you have a Windows PC, you can try running a windows system restore to an earlier date that predates the error. IMPORTANT: Please note that a system restore and a system recovery are two different animals with dangerously different results! If you are not sure of the difference, then we encourage you to seek professional help and not attempt it yourself.

How can Geek Housecalls help? Your geek arrives with a wealth of experience in troubleshooting computer error messages as well as a toolkit of hardware and software tools that helps get to the root cause of your problem.

If we find that the problem is failed hardware or components, we can work with you to replace those components, often providing or acquiring those components for you if you wish. And if your computer is under warranty, we can deal with the manufacturer for you. And if the problem is with software or configuration issues, your geek can usually identify the cause and correct it.

The truth about computer error messages however, is that there are so many possible errors and such a wide variety of possible causes, that it will often happen that your geek will not immediately know the solution based on just the error message itself. In fact, any good geek or service tech knows that modern computers are notorious for delivering false error messages that incorrectly indicate the source of the error! What our geeks are good at though, is going through a process of discovery, elimination, and research, that will take them to the solution whether it's an error message they've seen a dozen times before, or an error message they are just seeing for the very first time.

You should also consider that sometimes your geek will determine that the cost of troubleshooting, parts, or repairs is higher than may be practical for the age of your system. In this case, we won't twist your arm. If you prefer to go ahead and do the repair anyhow, we will. But if you decide that this is the best time to get a new PC, we can help with that too, either by helping you shop online or at a retail store, or by offering you a replacement PC directly from Geek Housecalls. No matter which route you choose, your problem will be solved leaving you with a well-behaved computer and a smile!