| Getting started |
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| » What
is the geographic availability of the HP Support Forums? |
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| » What are
the access requirements? |
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| » How do I search the HP Support Forums? |
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| » Are the
HP Support Forums a `chat room'? |
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| » How do I
register and login? |
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| » How do I
recover a lost login ID or password? |
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| » How can I
update my registration information? |
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| How to post messages |
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| » How do I
post a new question or topic in a discussion area? |
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| »
Can I post any message I want? |
| »
Are there rules of conduct I must adhere to? |
| »
How do I reply to a question or topic? |
| »
How do I reply to my own question or topic? |
| » What should I
include in the new message `subject' box? |
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| » Is it acceptable to submit
messages in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS? |
| » Can I include a link or URL
to another web page? |
| » Can I preview my messages
before submitting them? |
| » Can I attach a file to my
message? |
| » What is the best way to
print a discussion thread? |
| » How can I "close" my threads to keep additional replies from being posted? |
| » How can I "reopen" my threads that I have closed? |
| » Retain message format to share code or other formatted text. |
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| Member profile |
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| » How do I learn more about
other members of the community? |
| » What is included in my
Support Forums public profile? |
| » How do I update my public
profile? |
| » What are `my favorites' in
my profile? |
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| Message guidelines |
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| » Are there HP moderators, and
if so who are they? |
| » Are messages ever edited,
deleted, or moved? |
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| Notification features |
| |
| » Can I be notified if someone
replies to my new message or topic? |
| » How can I be notified if
someone replies to a message thread I am interested in, but
I didn't author? |
| » Can I be notified daily of
new questions or topics that are posted in areas of my
interest? |
| |
| Point system |
| |
| » What is the member point
system? |
| » I've read the replies to my
question and I see "unassigned" next to each reply. What
does that mean? |
| » How do I earn points in the
Support Forums? |
| » What are the "point
milestones" and icons? |
| » Are there other levels of
status I can earn in the community? |
| » How can I keep track of the
points I earn? |
| » How Do I Assign Points? |
| » How many points should I
assign to replies? |
| » Are the points redeemable? |
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| What is the geographic availability
of the Support Forums?
The Support Forums are currently available on a worldwide
basis. The language for content is English.
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| What are the access requirements?
Anyone can access, search and read existing discussions
in the HP Support Forums. However, to participate by posting
a message, creating a profile, or subscribing to
notifications, you must be a registered member. Simply click
`login' on the left sidebar of any Support Forums page.
Registration is free.
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| How do I search the HP Support
Forums?
You can perform a general search of all Support Forums
areas by entering a keyword into the search box located at
the top of every Support Forums page and clicking the `go'
arrows. The default selection is to search the IT Resource
Center Support Forums. Clicking on `more option' provide you
a search interface with additional search options. You can
also search all of HP by clicking the associated radio
button.
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| Are the HP Support Forums a `chat
room'?
No. The HP Support Forums are THE gathering place for
professionals to exchange knowledge, best practices, and
experience in support of their product or work environment.
The Support Forums are not "real-time" like chat rooms,
although responses to questions often occur in a matter of
minutes! The greatest difference is that the discussions are
focused and pertain to the community charter. Unlike a chat
room where discussions can get off-topic very quickly, the
Support Forums are intended for support. Also, the Support
Forums are searchable, and with all the knowledge submitted,
they are a goldmine of information!
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| How do I register and login?
By clicking the `login' link located in the left sidebar
on any Support Forums page, you will be directed to the
login screen. If you don't already have long credentials,
simply click `register now' under `new users'. If you have
login credentials, simply enter your member ID and password.
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| How do I recover a lost login ID or
password?
At the login page, you can use the automated Member
ID/Password retrieval process (located on the login screen).
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| How can I update my registration
information?
To update the information in your registration profile,
simply login and then go to My Profile located on the
left-hand navigation bar. From there, you'll be able to
select your registration information page and edit the
fields you wish to change.
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| How do I post a new question or topic
in a discussion area?
Great question! It is imperative you locate the correct
discussion area first. Go to the Support Forums home page
and select a relevant `family' area. You will be directed to
a page that includes a host of sub-categories. Select a
category that best fits your question or topic. To create
your message, click the "new message" button. A message
creation screen will appear. Enter a subject line - this
will be the title of your message. Compose your text in the
text box, attach any files you wish to include, and then
click the `submit' button. You can also click the `preview'
button to see what the message will appear like in the
forum.
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| Can I post any message I want?
Well, unfortunately for some, no. The HP Support Forums
are not a chat room. They are a community of like-minded
professionals who gather for problem solving, knowledge
exchange, and learning. Posting messages of value using
"good" words will help ensure the community remains vibrant
and valuable for all. We encourage you to share your
knowledge and allow thousands of others to learn from your
expertise. When members read your messages of value, they
will learn more and recognize you as a valuable contributor
to the community. "Rants" or "flaming" messages serve no
useful purpose in the community and will not be tolerated.
Messages need to be on-topic and within the scope of the
community - no off-topic discussions, such as on sports or
weather please!
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| Are there rules of conduct I must
adhere to?
The Support Forums community is a valued area with
well-behaved members. Everyone benefits from a positive
experience. So, HP encourages active and open discussions
among the community members, but do insist that conduct is
civil - be it posting a message or emailing another member.
You may not use or allow others to use your registration
membership to:
1. Post or transmit any content that is abusive, vulgar,
obscene, hateful, fraudulent, threatening, harassing,
defamatory, or which discloses private or personal matters
concerning any person.
2. Post or transmit any material that you don't have the
right to transmit under law (such as copyright, trade secret
or securities) or under contractual or fiduciary
relationships (such as nondisclosure agreements).
3. Post, transmit, or link to sexually explicit material.
4. Impersonate any person, or falsely state or otherwise
misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity.
5. Post or transmit any advertising, promotional
materials, or other forms of solicitation including chain
letters and pyramid schemes.
6. Intentionally violate any other applicable law or
regulation while accessing and using our site.
7. Post or transmit any file that contains viruses,
corrupted files, "Trojan Horses," or any other contaminating
or destructive features that may damage someone else's
computer.
HP may at any time and without prior notice remove or
edit any posted message, or ban your account for violating
the above reasonable provisions. You are responsible for all
statements made and acts that occur through the use of your
member name and password. Lets be civil, courteous, and stay
within the scope of the community charter.
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| How do I reply to a question or
topic?
Assuming you are in a discussion topic and want to reply
to the question, or make a comment, simply click the `reply'
button. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to do
so. If you are logged in, you will be directed to a message
creation page. Simply compose your message, include any file
attachment you wish, and click the `submit' button. If you
want top preview your message, click the `preview' button.
Your message will be posted immediately upon submitting it.
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| How do I reply to my own question or topic?
Assuming you are in the discussion topic you posted, simply click the `reply' button to post a reply to your own topic. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to do so. If you are logged in, you will be directed to a message creation page. Simply compose your message, include any file attachment you wish, and click the `submit' button.
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| What should I include in the new
message `subject' box?
Great question! The subject description will become the
title of your new discussion thread. If you are posting a
new topic or question, by all means make the `subject'
relevant. Avoid vague subject descriptions. Include hints as
to the product, software version, hardware, etc. Also
indicate if it is a question, or simply a topic of
discussion. The more relevant, the better the odds someone
will reply.
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| Is it acceptable to submit messages
in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS?
No, not really. All capital letters is considered as
shouting in the online world. Better to you're your messages
posted in lower case.
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| Can I include a link or URL to
another web page?
Yes, simply include the URL in your message. Keep in mind
that any references to inappropriate web sites will be
removed.
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| Can I preview my messages before
submitting them?
Yes, simply click on the `preview' button to see a sample
of how your message will appear in the Support Forums after
you submit it. You can submit the message from the preview
page by clicking the `submit' button. Otherwise, you can
return to your message create window to perform any edits
you wish.
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| Can I attach a file to my message?
Yes, you may attach a file up to 1MB in size to your
message. To attach a file, in the message create window type
in a file and location, or click the `browse' button and
select the file you wish to attach to your message. Click
`submit' to post the message and file to the discussion
area. Please note, all files are reviewed for viruses prior
to being posted, but it is at the discretion of the member
to open any file posted to the HP Support Forums.
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| What is the best way to print a
discussion thread?
On every page is a link called "printable version". To
see a page format that is conducive for printing, click on
"printable version". Use your browser's print command to
generate a printed page.
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| How can I "close" my threads to keep additional replies from being posted?
Login into the forums and go to a thread you have posted. You will see a button called "close thread". If you click the button, a "close thread" message window will be presented. Enter in the message window the reason you are closing the thread. If you have found a solution to your original question, click the solution checkbox. Submit the screen by clicking the "submit" button. Please note to assign points to all replies!
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| How can I "reopen" my threads that I have closed?
Login into the forums and go to a thread you have previously closed. You will see a button labeled "reopen thread". If you click the button, your thread will be opened and other members will be able to reply.
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| Retain message format to share code or other formatted text.
When creating a message, either a new thread or a reply to a thread, you will see on the 'message create' page a checkbox labeled "retain formatting". If the box is checked, any special spacing in the formatting of the message will be retained when the message is posted. If the box remains unchecked, all text will be justified to the left as has always been the default. Checking the box allows you to 'cut-and-paste' snippets of code that has indentation and special formatting for readability. Please note, if you include a URL in a message and retain the message format the URL will not be clickable.
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| How do I learn more about other
members of the community?
Every registered member has a `public profile'. The
profile of any member is found by clicking on their name
wherever it appears - in a message, in a top users list, or
in the overall members list. Many members have taken the
time to enhance their profiles by clicking on their own name
or going to `my profile' and then editing their profile.
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| What is included in my Support
Forums public profile?
The Support Forums public profile is a unique page for
each individual member. Others can read the content that is
both system generated and member provided. The purpose of
the profile is to provide a greater sense of personality or
identity to each member who contributes to the HP Support
Forums. The profile page contains the following information:
o Name (First and Last)
o Cartoon Representation (optional)
o Country/Region
o Personal Quote (optional)
o Company Name (optional)
o Member technical certifications (optional)
o Member Origination Date
o Date of Last Contribution to the Support Forums
o Number of Replies to Which You Have Assigned Points
o Points Earned and Status
o Areas of Expertise
o All Replies Rated Between 0-7 Points
o All Solution Replies Rated Between 8-10 Points
o All questions you have posted
The above member information helps contribute to a
greater community understanding of the identity of the
contributors to the HP Support Forums. Please note that
private member information, such email address, member ID
number, and configuration of systems and contract levels are
not displayed as part of the public profile.
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| How do I update my public profile?
Some of the fields in the Support Forums Profile are
system-generated while others are user-entered. The
user-entered fields can be modified at any time. To change
the information, simply login and then go to My Profile
located on the left-hand navigation bar. From there, you'll
be able to select your Support Forums profile to edit the
fields you wish to change. You can also access your profile
by clicking on your name in any message you have previously
posted.
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| What are `my favorites' in my
profile?
Every member can add to their personal profile a list of
favorite discussion threads, favorite members, and favorite
forum categories. It is a terrific way to create a personal
list of Support Forums bookmarks and discussion areas. The
easiest way to add a discussion thread to your favorites
list is when you are in the thread itself. You will see a
small folder with a red (+) sign. Click the folder, and the
thread will be added to your list.
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| Are there HP moderators, and if so
who are they?
You will see some community members have an HP logo icon
next to their user names. These folks are our official site
moderators. Their primary purpose is to help keep the
discussion groups running smoothly, answer HP-directed
questions, and report any issues with the service. HP is not
responsible for content provided by HP employees who are not
official site moderators. On occasion, the site moderators
will answer your questions, particularly those regarding how
to use and navigate the site. The moderators contribute to
various discussions as they see fit, but they are free to
contribute or not contribute. Our moderator staff is drawn
from a wide variety of support folks who have knowledge in
some, but not all, discussion areas. They will assist you as
much as possible, but remember that this site is a
peer-to-peer discussion area to share knowledge, experience,
and best practices.
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| Are messages ever edited, deleted,
or moved?
Yes, at the sole discretion of HP, messages may be edited
or deleted for content, or moved to more applicable
discussion areas. While HP will not censor member's
thoughts, a posting that is deemed not acceptable may be
edited and/or removed without notice at the discretion of
HP. Examples of such posts include:
1. Off-topic comments not related to a technical issue
regarding an HP product or related business support issue.
2. "Rants", "slams", or legal threats against HP or
another company or competitor, similar to "chat room"
behavior.
3. Threatening, defamatory or abusive posts, either
between forum members or directed towards an HP moderator,
employee or management.
4. Bigoted, hateful, racially offensive or religious
comments.
5. Language that promotes illegal activity or discusses
illegal activities with the intent to commit them.
6. Unauthorized copyrighted material.
7. Advertisements or posts that contain any form of
commercial solicitation.
8. Spam messages or posts repeated on various boards and
folders with little or no reference to relevant topic.
9. Personal phone numbers and addresses (to protect
privacy).
10. Personal e-mail addresses that are not your own,
including, but not limited to, personal HP e-mails.
11. Vulgar, obscene or indecent language, information or
images.
12. Hyperlinks that lead to sites that violate any of the
forum guidelines.
13. Posts that solicit or promote the use of an illegal
substance.
14. The dissemination of computer viruses or other
destructive material.
15. Posts where a person impersonates another person or
affiliation with an entity, including, but not limited to,
HP.
Occasionally, a message is moved from one category to a more
relevant one due to the message initially being posted in an
area that simply didn't apply to the topic at hand. Please
keep in mind if the area where you are posting a new message
or topic is relevant.
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| Can I be notified if someone replies
to my new message or topic?
Yes. When you create a new message question or topic, you
will be notified by default if someone replies to you. Keep
in mind that the system will use the email address on record
in your registration profile. If you don't want to be
notified of any replies, simply return to the discussion
thread and click "disable notification" button near the top
of the page.
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| How can I be notified if someone
replies to a message thread I am interested in, but I didn't
author?
In every discussion thread, a "notify me" button will
appear near the top of the page. Click it, and the system
will notify you whenever someone replies to the discussion.
Keep in mind that the system will use the email address on
record in your registration profile.
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| Can I be notified daily of new
questions or topics that are posted in areas of my interest?
Yes. A daily digest of all new questions or topics posted
to discussion areas of interest is emailed to members who
opt-in to subscribe to the free service. To enable this
feature, simply go to your profile by clicking either "my
profile" or your username found in any message you
previously posted. You must be logged in to access your
profile. To subscribe, simply select the checkbox(es) next
to each "area of interest" and click on the "submit" button.
To unsubscribe from an area of interest, deselect the
relevant checkbox(es) and click on the "submit" button.
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| What is the member point system?
Member status is established using a points-based
feedback mechanism. Authors of original questions "grade"
(on a Scale from 1-10) other members who reply to their
questions. The higher the grade the more effective the
response was in solving the question. This feature is HP's
way of turning the reward mechanism over to the community.
Each response to a question is eligible to receive feedback
for its success in solving the user's problems.
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| I've read the replies to my question
and I see "unassigned" next to each reply. What does that
mean?
If you were to login, the term "unassigned" would turn
into a dropdown menu of points. The points are used to rate
the repliers to your question. Points range from 1-10. Every
reply deserves recognition. Another member has taken the
time to try and help you, so please take the time to assign
them a point value based on the value of their reply. See
"How Do I Assign Points".
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| How do I earn points in the Support
Forums?
Another great question! To earn points, simply provide
"replies of value" to questions posted in the Support
Forums. The authors of the questions "grade" your reply or
"solution" using a point scale of 1-10 (higher points
awarded to responses having greater value). The question
author is the only person who can assign points to replies.
The more questions you answer, the more points you'll be
eligible to earn and the more status you'll hold amongst
your peers!
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| What are the "point milestones" and
icons?
All members have an opportunity to earn community status
based on the points-for-assistance system. The points are
awarded to "replies of value" you provide to questions.
There are a number of point milestones that you can achieve
as you earn points. At each milestone, a new status icon
appears next to your username wherever your name appears in
the Support Forums. The more points you earn for messages of
value, the higher status you earn in the community.
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| Are there other levels of status I
can earn in the community?
By responding to member's questions, you have the
opportunity to be recognized as a Support Forums leader at 2
different levels - overall (across all Support Forums
discussion families) and by individual discussion
categories. Top members are recognized in the following way:
Displayed in the "Top Users" list on the Support Forums
homepage, discussion family areas, and family subcategories.
Top member scores are displayed and updated in real-time!
As an overall Support Forums leader based on the point
tier you belong to. Members earn new status at each new
point tier. Each time you accumulate enough points to cross
into a new tier, an icon is displayed next to your Support
Forums member name indicating your "status". This is also
viewable in your public profile.
Please note, your points are not a cash-equivalent and
are not intended for use as a means of bartering or exchange
among members.
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| How can I keep track of the points I
earn?
Your member profile reflects the total points you have
earned to date. All of your earned points are tracked and
visible to other community members, providing you an
opportunity to establish yourself as an expert in a given
discussion area (for example: Servers, Storage, Printers,
etc.). Go to your public profile by clicking on your
username, or click on `my profile' in the left navigation
sidebar to access your Forums profile.
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| How Do I Assign Points?
Only the question author can assign points to a given
response. If you submit a question or new topic and another
member replies to it, you will see a dropdown menu of points
next to the reply (you must be logged in to see the menu).
Select the point value and then click the "submit points"
button. Note that you can rate multiple replies and submit
them at one time.
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| How many points should I assign to
replies?
Every response to your question is eligible to earn
between 1-10 points. No need to worry about running out of
points - when a truly awesome reply rolls in that deserves a
10, you will be able to assign it a 10! However, be careful
to assign points based on the value that a reply truly
provides. Use the following scale as a guideline:
o N/A: The answer was simply a point of clarification to
my original question
o 1-3: The answer didn't really help answer my question,
but thanks for your assistance!
o 4- 7: The answer helped with a portion of my question,
but I still need some additional help!
o 8-10: The answer has solved my problem completely! Now
I'm a happy camper!
Although assigning points is not mandatory, it is a key
component of a strong, interactive community, and it is
STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. Others have taken time to help you, so
please take a moment to give them credit for their
assistance!
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| Are the points redeemable?
The points are not redeemable for prizes or other
monetary gifts. However, the points will help your peers earn
improve their Support Forums status. Your feedback also
validates the quality of the solutions you have received.
Other members can zero in on answers that helped you solve
your problem, enriching the community knowledge exchange.
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