Before You Post Asking For Help, Please Read This

[DrewKaree]

Many of us here love to help others. Many questions are quite simple to answer, but if you do not provide enough information for us to help you, it could take hours, days, and even weeks, incorrect diagnosis, lots of extra threads and time wasted and frustrate those trying to help you. We can help you better if you keep the following 2 tips in mind when posting:

1: Make sure your question is not already answered.
Simply go to the search page at http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=search and type in a few keywords to search to reduce results. For example, for a trackball question, type in trackball. Also, check the advanced search option for additional options when searching.  The Sticky Posts  with frequently asked questions for reference are posted at the top of their respective forums. 

There is a MAJOR sticky at the top of the Main Forum where a majority of common problems have links to where they have already been discussed.

2: Information, information and more information:
When starting a new thread asking for help, be sure to be a bit descriptive in your topic. In other words, if you're having a problems with your buttons not working, then title your post "One (or more if that's the case) of my buttons is not working", not something like "Urgent" or "HELP!!!". This will better work to get attention from those who know this area and might have experienced the same problem.

Additionally, if asking about computer problems, please supply your Operating system Version followed by your computer's specifications, i.e. RAM, CPU, Hard Drive etc. We need to know your computer specs (speed, memory, operating system, etc.) and there's no such thing as too much info here. This is an easy one, often overlooked. Since you're asking people to diagnosis your problem from thousands of miles away, we need this. Imagine calling a car dealer and saying your car won't start and expecting an answer without giving any other information except that it wont start!

Hopefully this has helped you, and you'll find your experience using these few tips to be a quick and rewarding process, and give you the knowledge to further help others when they experience problems YOU have intimate knowledge of and can answer their questions!

[paigeoliver]

Drew if this forum had reputation I would give you some for this noble fruitless effort.

The constant newbie onslaught is the reason I sometimes have to take a break from time to time. Same questions, over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. The only thing new under the sun are the everything else forums, the project announcements, and the for sale threads.

[1UP]

You forgot to mention the FAQ.

[pointdablame]

Good post Drew... and very good point 1UP... It is interesting how many people end up at these forums with no knowledge of the parent site.

Unfortunately... this will probably get overlooked like every other thread that is stickied.  I don't know why n00bs aren't capable of looking up... but every forum I frequent has the same problem.

[DrewKaree]

You forgot to mention the FAQ.  You know, the other part of this site?  Amazing how the noobs (and even some of the more experienced members here) seem to forget the nifty sidebar
<---- over there with all the helpful links.

Ya know, that's kinda ironical and all, seeing as how I posted this, and I didn't even realize this point you brought up 

I use Firefox and I opened up the forums in a new tab and just bookmarked the forum!  The screen I'm currently looking at has NO sidebar, although I know what you're referring to!

I try to go to the main site every so often to check the new projects out, but I'm so forgetful about it that it usually ends up being every other week (or LONGER  )

Thanks for pointing that out, 1UP....blatant oversight on my part 

Unfortunately... this will probably get overlooked like every other thread that is stickied.  I don't know why n00bs aren't capable of looking up... but every forum I frequent has the same problem.

Me too - but I've NEVER been to a more helpful forum.  Any other forum where there'd be simple posts, they'd be flamed to death....I'm even a member of a forum that bans people for posting something that's covered in their FAQ's 

Even if it's overlooked, at least now I feel like I gave it a try, and I'm POSITIVE there will be at least a few folks who read it and keep those few points in mind.....and at the very least, now I can give them a link to this and tell them "here's what you're looking for"     

[MiKman]

You forgot to mention the FAQ.

[pointdablame]

You forgot to mention the FAQ.  You know, the other part of this site?  Amazing how the noobs (and even some of the more experienced members here) seem to forget the nifty sidebar
<---- over there with all the helpful links.

The name of the site is actually the Build Your Own Arcade Controls FAQ (seriously, folks, look at the title bar on your browser window).  So please read the FAQ, and you'll look a little better when you do post.

Just a note to this, if you were linked directly to the forums from any other site, then no side bar    but if you click the title at the top of the page then you will get to the "main" site and see the sidebar.

Yup, that's just what Drew was mentioning too.  I have a "forums" group in my favorites, and I link directly to this forum, not the main page with the sidebar.  I do check in on the homepage though.  Lots of great info there.

[MinerAl]

Just in case, here's a big link to the main page:

http://arcadecontrols.com

[ras2a]

I've NEVER been to a more helpful forum.  Any other forum where there'd be simple posts, they'd be flamed to death....I'm even a member of a forum that bans people for posting something that's covered in their FAQ's 

Agree completely, this forum/community is without a shadow of a doubt THE most responsive and helpful of any that I too have visited.  There truly are some great people here.  I'm guilty myself of sometimes posting something without really looking around, and it's just blatant laziness really.  Everything is structured simple enough to find what you need, but as you say, a lot of folk will incessantly post the same queries without even bothering to utilize the search!

You're also right about getting flamed for simple questions on other forums.  Dare I mention a certain 'ISO' site?...you learn by experience though!

[GGKoul]

I've NEVER been to a more helpful forum.

[pointdablame]

Agree completely, this forum/community is without a shadow of a doubt THE most responsive and helpful of any that I too have visited.  There truly are some great people here.  I'm guilty myself of sometimes posting something without really looking around, and it's just blatant laziness really.  Everything is structured simple enough to find what you need, but as you say, a lot of folk will incessantly post the same queries without even bothering to utilize the search!

You're also right about getting flamed for simple questions on other forums.  Dare I mention a certain 'ISO' site?...you learn by experience though!

I couldn't agree more.... this site is the most forgiving of any forum I've visited.  We're all guilty of having a moment of laziness, which I don't think people care that much about. I know I've done it myself.

Its the people who incessantly ask simple questions that could be found in 2 minutes get to me, and I think most others.  I think it's safe to say that no one on this board would be sad if we never saw another "what's the best joystick?" thread heh

[DrewKaree]

I never saw the first 37 of them...can someone start a new one? 

PDB, I feel the same way about obvious slack-ness.  I also dislike going to some of the other forums people point us to, and see a person slam someone for the same things they do on this forum.  It makes me think less of that person's character.  I'm just as big an arse everywhere I go 

Don't slam someone in another forum for something you do here, that's all I'm saying.  The kindness shown to the majority of others here SHOULD be taken to other forums we all frequent....perhaps we can start a revolution or some such nonsense 

If anyone feels personally slighted by that comment.....did I hit too close to home?  Think about your actions - they speak for you in ways you never imagined.