Computer Forensics

Plugging in…

Lately I've been feeling like a member of CSI. Read on...

There once was a software soccer game, purchased by a devoted mother for her son. It was purchased from a well established, credible store, nicely shrink-wrapped, in a word, NEW. The game was given as a gift and the playing was much anticipated. But... and there's always a but, the game was missing installation instructions, the code to use the game, and also absent - what the computer required to successfully run the game. Clearly not new. Let the digging begin.

Both the mother and son tried installing the software, which went without a hitch until the young man tried to play the game. The screen went gray, with only a mouse cursor showing and the computer completely got stuck and would only work after re-starting. After hours of trying on their own to solve the problem, they called you-know-who to the scene.

I listened to the soccer tale of woe and began the process of finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. Why wouldn't the game work? I had an inkling but needed "evidence" to prove my case.

On the software packaging was the website address of the manufacturer so that's where I began. The website HELP area was limited, and did not have any search capabilities. The FAQ (frequently asked questions) area was less than helpful, too. I was looking for minimum system requirements for the game because I suspected the graphics card in the computer wasn't capable of displaying the superior graphics in the game. ALL software has minimum system requirements listed somewhere, usually on the packaging, or in the associated manual. Since the packaging was missing this critical information AND the manual was never in the box, I was running on instinct, heading for my own "goal".

I found the minimum system requirements, only after I started to buy the program on the website. I read through the requirements, closed the internet and used Windows to tell me what I needed to know about the computer in question. Through Windows' handy device manager, I was able to look at the model of the graphics card, and bingo - it was one of the "unsupported" series of graphics cards. SCORE!

The WHY won't this run question was now answered - not that this was the desired outcome, of course. Since we now knew which graphic cards the game supported, I priced them for the client to the tune of several hundred dollars. Long story short- they are buying a new computer because the one in question was old (5 years) and not worthy of the additional monies for a graphics card.

One hour later, a few more dollars, no soccer game and they are buying a new computer. Another CSI/Computor Tutor success story.

ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?

Unplugged