How to Answer a Question.

You see a question that you know the answer to...  So now what do you do? 

Please participate in the Microsoft forums. They only work when users like you help other users with their problems.

• Be Concise: Make sure to include all of the necessary steps needed to resolve the problem. If the answer is a workaround that you are proposing explain why it is necessary.  It is always best if you can number the steps necessary to resolve the issue to make them clearer and easier to follow.
• Give a link to a tutorial: If a tutorial exists that explains how to solve the problem post a link to the tutorial page in your answer rather than explaining how it is done.
• Give a link to a Knowledge Base solution: Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base and post a link to the solution that has the steps already listed to do what the user needs to resolve their problem.
• Request more information: If more information is needed to find the solution ask for specific details. If you can answer a question with no more information from the poster, do it, don’t force the poster return to the forum over and over.
• The forums are not chat rooms.
• Be friendly and polite: Do not talk down to people, everyone was a newbie at one time so keep this in mind when answering.  Be pleasant.  Remember that you are answering to HELP the person not to show how much you know.