Bing as an IT Troubleshooting Tool

For answers to issues that plague IT Pros and the technologies they manage, normal operation most often follows a sequence of steps including: search Google, search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, ask a colleague, post to an email list or forum, and on and on.

Searching using the Google search engine these days brings up pages and pages of results that usually only produces more questions and ends up stealing precious time away when questions needs quick answers. And, the Microsoft Knowledge Base doesn't offer much more relief. Unless you know the exact combination of terms to search for, most times the solution is out of reach.

A lot of IT Pros turn to forums and email lists for help to find answers quickly. A well-trafficked forum or list can produce answers quickly.

But, Microsoft is introducing, and continuing work on, one more vehicle for obtaining technical answers. By incorporating "instant answers" into Bing, the company's search engine (or, decision engine) is starting to provide technical answers.

For an example, jump out to Bing and enter "windows update troubleshooter." In addition to the regular search engine results, the first option provides steps for troubleshooting Windows Update. And, if the steps provided aren't enough to solve the problem, there's also a link to download and run a special Windows Update Troubleshooter application locally.

The component is embedded from Microsoft's support site.

The feature is still in its infancy and there's only a few solutions like this currently available, but Microsoft hopes to add more over time. This feature is also available in the Bing app on Windows Phone.

So, the next time you are torturing yourself sifting through pages and pages of worthless Google results, try Bing, or at least add it to your current troubleshooting process. It can't hurt and in the near future may be your best bet.

Source: Microsoft