Computer troubleshooting and repair can be one of the most frustrating and intimidating things that a computer user ever has to deal with. After years of paying premium prices for on-site troubleshooting and repair, I decided to explore the free and inexpensive computer troubleshooting and repair options available on the Internet. Now, instead of spending $40-$80 per hour for computer repair, I get free advice from professional computer technicians via the Internet. Most of these Internet sites are set up by community-spirited computer technicians, and offer anyone access to computer maintenance and repair options at no cost.In the process of exploring these Internet sites, I've learned a few tips about do-it-yourself computer repair. Try these basic techniques the next time you have computer problems.1. Quit the software application you are in and restart the computer. This reloads the system software and will often resolve minor application software glitches along with freeing up extra memory.2. Save your current file under a different name and location by using the Save As command. Quit the software program, restart it and open the new copy.3. Reinstall your application software. If a software program is corrupted or infected by a virus, throwing it away and reinstalling from the original discs will often fix the problem.4. Try using a disk repair utility such as Norton Utilities. These programs scan and repair your hard drive and perform other system maintenance.5. If these steps don't work, try contacting one or more of the Internet troubleshooting sites listed below.* TechNethttp://www.accessone.com:80/~gamegod/Having a problem with your computer? Wouldn't it be nice if you knew a Microsoft caliber technician that you could ask questions of? Well, here it is. All of the people at this site are systems engineers, and most of them come from or currently work at Microsoft. They decided to put up a Internet page where typical users could ask about system or networking problems. So if you are having a problem, send them an e-mail describing it and they will send you back an answer, usually within 24 hours.* DoctorPC http://www.doctorpc.com/DoctorPC is a online troubleshooting guide designed to assist computer users with the most common computer problems, based on DoctorPC's founder Greg Matthews personal experiences. "After 15 years as a Certified Computer Technician, I decided to create a free Internet site where anyone could come and get help for their computer problems, Matthews said. DoctorPC also has an excellent Web search option that instantly connects you to several of the main search engines.* TROUBLESHOOTERS.COMhttp://www.troubleshooters.com/This site is a great starting point for any troubleshooting or debugging task. Sections include: Client-Server Troubleshooting, Internet Troubleshooting, Microcomputer Troubleshooting, Operating System Troubleshooting, Source Code Troubleshooting, Windows 95 Win95 Troubleshooting, Links to Experts and Specialists, etc.* The Balfer Interactive Free Computer Help Page http://www.balfer.com/This site provides answers to your questions about computers and the Internet, within 24 hours. Areas of specialty include Macintosh software and hardware; DOS, Windows and Windows 95; OS/2; HTML and Web publishing; purchasing and set-up; networking; graphics; games and music; and general Internet. * TechNet's guide to Troubleshooting and Setup in Windows95 http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/ps/win95/setup.htmThis guide provides technical information you may find helpful when installing or troubleshooting problems with Windows 95. Topics include such things as preparing computers for Windows 95, basic setup, how to successfully upgrade Windows 95 over your current operating system, troubleshooting setup issues, uninstalling Windows 95, etc. * Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing (FOLDOC) http://wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk/FOLDOC is a searchable dictionary of acronyms, jargon, programming languages, tools, architectures, operating systems, networking, theory, mathematics, telecomms, institutions, companies, projects, products, history, in fact anything to do with computing. The dictionary has over 8000 entries, and has had over 600 contributors and guest editors. * Links To Various Computer Programming Languages http://uacsc1.albany.edu/~dm3258/c1links.htmlBy accessing this site you can link to the home pages for such computer programming languages as: C, Pascal, FORTRAN, HTML, SGML, DTD and others.* Frequently Asked Questions on Virus-L/comp.virus http://www.datafellows.com/vir-info/vlfaq200.htmThis site is intended to answer some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about computer viruses. This page has sections on tracking new viruses, what to do if you have a virus, along with the various prevention options.* Yahoo! Technical Support http://www.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Companies/Computers/Services/T echnical_Support/This site was created by Yahoo! one of the larger Internet search engines. This page includes links to both free and fee-based troubleshooting sites along with links to software manufacturer's home pages.