Need help solving a computer problem? I usually start with PC World's community forums, home to countless crackerjack users who graciously share their expertise. You can browse the forums to see if your problem has already been posted (and solved), or create a new post and wait for someone to come to the rescue.

In the meantime, there's another destination worth visiting: FixYa, a site that offers free tech support and troubleshooting for all manner of consumer products.

All you do is enter the name of your problem product (or a brief description of your issue), then click Search. Alternately, you can browse lists of product manufacturers and recently posted problems. No luck? Click the Ask button to post your question. FixYa "employs" a volunteer staff of fellow users who may be able to find a solution. (And if you're a tech expert yourself, why not sign up and lend your expertise?)

If you've got a busted printer or something else that requires repair, FixYa lets you search for repairpeople in your area. The site even has downloadable instruction manuals for a variety of products, just in case yours goes missing.