Help.app - The Help Application
Help - The Support Application - User Guide
This application is highly internet connected. Meaning, without an active internet connection while running the application, it is basically useless. If you are running applications like Little Snitch which block outgoing traffic, you will want to allow all connections from this application.
Downloading and Installation
Launching and Using the Application
System Profile Publishing
Asking Tech Support Questions
Viewing Tech Support Ticket Status
Remote Control (VNC Server Screen Sharing)
Downloading and Installation
1. Download the application.
2. Double-click on the downloaded file (i.e.. Help1.0RC1.dmg) which will mount a virtual disk on your system.
3. Drag the two applications, Help.app and OSXvnc* to your system's Applications folder.
* OSXvnc 1.61 is distributed with permission from the fine folks at Redstone Software. OSXvnc is only required if you want to use the Remote Control feature of Help.app, otherwise it is not needed. If you have already installed and have the latest version of OSXvnc, you do not need to re-install that application. If you are unsure on whether or not you will use Remote Control, we encourage you to copy it over now as you will not have to deal with it later when you actually need it.
Launching and Using the Application
1. Inside your Applications folder, Double-Click on Help.app (or just Help).
2. When the application launches, you will need to enter your macosx.com site username and password. If you do not already have a macosx.com username and password, you will need to register for a free account by clicking on the Register button. Users with macosx.com site user acounts do not need to register again. This will take you via your Internet browser to the online registration form. You will need to go through the process of verification before moving forward.
3. If you previously installed OSXvnc on your system or you have OSXvnc server running (starts at bootup, etc) choose a VNC Local port which is not being used. This will be the local port on your system that OSXvnc will bind too in the background when you start screen sharing. If you have never used OSXvnc or have no clue what any of this is, use the default port, 5905. Note: The local port configuration is for advanced users only.
4. Your ready to go. You can now public files, start screen sharing, etc.
System Profile Publishing
1. After launching the application and following the instructions under "Launching and Using the Application" you will choose the System Profile tab.
2. Choose which type of profile you want to publish. Apple's System Profiler (which Help.app takes advantage of) has the ability to generate different levels of reporting depending upon the type of question you are asking. We recommend for most users to use the Standard reporting level which provides a lot more information than Basic but not as much as Detailed. To see how the reports are different for your system, repeat steps 2-4 to generate the different views.
3. Choose if you want this machines profile to be public or not. If you check the "Public" box, your profile can be shared with anyone on the internet so you can get help from anywhere you want to get help like other forums or sites. If you don't make your profile public, then only Macosx.com Techs can view your profile to help you with questions you ask. The generate internet population will not be able to view your profiles if left unchecked.
3. Click on the "Generate" button in the lower portion of the Help.app window. Depending on the report detail level, it will take anywhere from 3-15 seconds to generate a report. Your profile name will be assigned the name of your computer and the Profile Data will show up wich you can scroll through and edit before publishing if needed. Use the Generate button to generate new reports at the given reporting level. Only ONE profile may be shared per computer. Renaming your profile will over-write you previous profile.
4. Before your profile can be viewed you must publish it. This includes for both Public and Non-Public use. This act transfers your profile to the server for storage and to be referenced by a tech. Choose the "Publish Profile" button. This should only take a few seconds. Once complete the words "Published Successfully" will show up in Green just above the profile information box.
Note: You can view, edit and delete your online profiles using the System Profiles link in the user side of macosx.com at http://www.macosx.com/help.
Asking a Question
1. After launching the application and following the instructions under "Launching and Using the Application" you will choose the System Profile tab.
2. Select the "Ask Question" tab.
3. Type in the Subject of your Question. (i.e. "My Sound No Longer Works")
4. Choose the Category via the drop-down menu that best fits your question.
5. Type in the your question you want to ask. Please provide as much information as possible concerning the problem you are having, any troubleshooting you have done, etc. Most responses are providing in 24 hours or less.
6. When you are ready to submit your question, click on the "Submit Question" button. If it is successful, you will be presented with a dialog box giving you confirmation of your ticket number. If you go to the "Ticket Status" tab and refresh the listing, you should see your ticket in the queue. (See View Ticket Status notice for 10.3.x users below)
1. After launching the application and following the instructions under "Launching and Using the Application" you will choose the System Profile tab.
2. Select the Ticket Status Tab.
3. Click the "Refresh Listing" button to view an updated list of all tickets you have asked through macosx.com free Mac support and their current status. This list will not auto-update. To get a current status, just click the Refresh Listing button again. If you have never asked a question before, it will simply show that you have no tickets.
Note to 10.3.x users: This feature does not work correctly in the current Release Candidate 1. We are aware of the issue and working to resolve it.
Remote Control (VNC Screen Sharing)
1. After launching the application and following the instructions under "Launching and Using the Application" you will choose the System Profile tab.
Note: At no time do you need to launch OSXvnc application or have it running or configured. Help.app will do all this for you on your behalf in the background.
2. Choose the "Remote" tab in the application's window.
3. Click on the "Start Screen Sharing" button. This will begin the process of setting up OSXvnc server on your computer, establishing a SSH-Tunnel to our servers and configuring a port and password to give you. This will take 5-8 seconds. We have set on purpose a 5 second delay to allow for those with slower connections to connect before we do a final check of your connection.
4. If your connection is successful the status will change to "Connected" and you will be given some important information including a Hostname, Port and Password. These three things you will need to provide the tech who is assisting you. They can not connect to you without this information. It would be a good idea to maintain a IM (Instant Message) session with the tech so you can communciate to each other or use some other means like openign TextEdit to type on.
Mac OS X 10.3.x users: We have had some reports of errors during this process or of a successful connection but not working correctly. We encourage you to view our FAQ and Troubleshooting Guide for possible solutions.
Sessions are limited to 30 minutes each. If sessions last long than 30 minutes, they will be disconnected by the server automatically. If your connection every drops, you can simply restart it again and pass along the new port and password to the tech for another 30 minute session.
5. When the tech connects remotely, you will be able to see them moving the curser around the screen, moving windows, typing, etc. When the tech is complete, they will normally choose the "Stop Screen Sharing" button to disconnect the session. If they don't, you will need to do this on their behalf. It is not a good idea to leave your session connected while you are off mowing the yard or shoveling snow. You are responsible for your computer and your information, please keep on eye on what the tech is doing. If you feel they are doing something which you are not comfortable with, hit the Stop Screen Sharing button to disconnect them. Worst case, reboot your computer.
