A few months ago I told you about the lack of information provided by a number of users who simply say “It Doesn’t Work“. One of the most basic things you should supply is the name of the software and the version you are using. A pet peeve of mine is users who either don’t know what version they are using or post the wrong version.

For example, a user may say they are using “CorelDRAW 5”. Keep in mind that CorelDRAW 5 was released in 1994 and won’t run properly on any recent version of Windows. I realize the user probably meant CorelDRAW X5, but I always have to ask to clarify as it greatly influences the answer. Other users get so caught up with using X that they use it in places where it shouldn’t be used. For example, they claim they are using CorelDRAW X2. No such product exists.

The best answer is to give the full version number you are using. In CorelDRAW or Corel PHOTO-PAINT, select Help | About to get a dialog box with the full version number. Not only does it have the major version number, it also tells whether or not service packs are installed. If you are asking about a problem solved by a service pack, the answer is very easy….install the service pack. As an example, the full version number of CorelDRAW X5 with SP3 installed would read “15.2.0.686”. Similar dialog boxes are in most software.

When you are asking for help, you need to help the people offering to help you. If you don’t provide the information in advance, they have to ask for information. This will delay getting help and it may mean that some people don’t even want to try helping. Getting the right name and version number of the software is the first piece of information.