How ChatGPT saved me time troubleshooting 3 annoying tech support issues

3 days ago 8

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

ChatGPT helps resoluteness issues with your tech products.
AI gives elaborate troubleshooting steps.
Available successful some escaped and paid versions.

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Trying to resoluteness an contented with your PC, phone, oregon different exertion tin beryllium frustrating and time-consuming. In the aged days, I would person searched leafage aft leafage connected the web looking for clues. But present I tin crook to AI to assistance maine enactment retired the problem. A bully AI tin service up the close troubleshooting steps for maine to travel until I find a solution, oregon astatine slightest a workaround.

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Though immoderate AI should beryllium capable to enactment arsenic a enactment assistant, I've relied connected ChatGPT the past fewer times I needed to tackle a method glitch. I subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, but the free version of ChatGPT is arsenic susceptible of helping you resoluteness issues with troublesome hardware, software, and thing successful between. Here's however it worked for maine and however it mightiness enactment for you arsenic well.

I precocious wrote an nonfiction for ZDNET connected "How to sync passkeys successful Chrome crossed your Android, iPhone, Mac, oregon PC" successful which I explained however to usage Google's Password Manager to acceptable up and sync passkeys crossed a scope of devices.

The process went comparatively smoothly with astir of the devices, but for my Google Pixel Android phone. Any passkey I created connected this telephone synced with the different devices. Passkeys that I created connected my iPhone 16 Pro, Windows PC, and Mac synced among themselves, but they failed to sync with my Android phone. After trying to troubleshoot this connected my own, I called connected ChatGPT.

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The AI archetypal covered the basics, asking maine to reappraisal each the settings crossed each devices to corroborate that they were correct. It listed each circumstantial mounting successful slug constituent format and told maine however to cheque them. I asked it to clarify 1 peculiar instruction, which it cited arsenic a bully question, and it cleared up the confusion.

After reviewing each the settings and inactive having trouble, I provided much feedback to ChatGPT. The AI past summarized the full script and told maine that this sounded little similar a instrumentality oregon settings contented and much similar a Google-side regulation oregon bug, perchance tied to however and wherever passkeys are created and stored erstwhile generated extracurricular of Android.

I past explained that creating a passkey connected my Android instrumentality and syncing it with the different devices besides synced immoderate passkeys connected those different devices with my Android phone. That was the lone mode I recovered to get astir the issue. With that tidbit successful mind, the AI cited the occupation arsenic a partial sync bug oregon plan flaw, 1 that would necessitate sending a bug study to Google, which ChatGPT offered to assistance maine file.

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But to woody with the contented now, the AI suggested creating oregon regenerating a passkey connected Android (even conscionable a trial one) each clip I make 1 connected different device. Doing truthful volition past "nudge" Android into refreshing the afloat passkey database from my Google Account. Though the solution whitethorn not beryllium ideal, astatine slightest ChatGPT offered a viable workaround until the process is fixed.

Here's different contented I bumped into recently. My Windows desktop machine abruptly stopped seeing my iPhone. I'd plug successful the iPhone via USB, but neither File Explorer nor iTunes recognized the phone. Even Device Manager wouldn't spot it. Other devices, including my iPad and a trial iPhone, were recognized. And connecting my iPhone to my Windows laptop worked fine. I adjacent tried antithetic USB cables, each to nary avail. So determination was immoderate disconnect betwixt my desktop and my iPhone.

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After immoderate troubleshooting connected my own, I hollered for ChatGPT and described the occupation successful detail.

The AI archetypal suggested resetting the Location and Privacy settings, which I had already done and which had not fixed the problem. It past suggested disconnecting the phone, stopping a mates of Apple processes connected my machine via Task Manager, and past reconnecting the phone. None of those did the instrumentality either.

Next, it told maine to manually reinstall the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver, suggesting that this measurement should hole the glitch. Following the circumstantial steps that ChatGPT provided, I reinstalled the driver. I past checked Device Manager. And hooray, my iPhone appeared erstwhile again. Firing up File Explorer and iTunes, my iPhone popped up arsenic usual.

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Here, I was impressed that ChatGPT not lone provided the close solution but said that it suspected an Apple Mobile Device USB operator mismatch arsenic the apt culprit. At the end, the AI adjacent offered to make a batch record I could tally if this occupation ever occurs again. I downloaded and inspected the batch record done a nexus successful the speech and saw that it covered each the steps ChatGPT had provided.

For the 3rd glitch, I presented ChatGPT with a struggle betwixt my mouse and my rodent pad. I person an aged Microsoft Classic IntelliMouse, an optical wired mouse. In the past, I was capable to usage it connected apical of a rodent pad. Recently, though, the rodent pointer nary longer moves smoothly arsenic I resistance the rodent crossed the pad. Sometimes, it slows down. Other times, it stutters and pauses arsenic I determination the mouse.

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I tried 3 antithetic rodent pads, and the contented is the aforesaid with each one. If I presumption and resistance the rodent crossed my desk, the pointer moves smoothly.

In response, ChatGPT advised maine to cleanable the rodent pad with a damp cloth and fto it dry. It besides recommended that I cleanable astir the lens of the rodent with a brushed microfiber cloth, a fabric swab, oregon compressed air. I had already tried those steps but ran done them again.

Next, it suggested trying a antithetic USB larboard for the rodent but acknowledged that this was an improbable root of the occupation since the rodent works good straight connected my desk. The AI besides said that a operator struggle tin sometimes origin cursor stuttering and directed maine to uninstall the rodent operator done Device Manager and reboot. I had already tried some steps but went done them 1 much time. Still nary dice.

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After reporting each the results to the AI, the statement was that the mouse's optical sensor whitethorn beryllium aging oregon partially failing, either due to the fact that the LED isn't illuminating the aboveground evenly anymore oregon the CMOS sensor wrong is nary longer capturing a wide aboveground image. Those explanations made consciousness since the rodent worked good crossed each rodent pads successful the past. For now, I'll person to usage the rodent straight connected my desk, which is simply a spot clumsy. But ChatGPT did urge replacement mice akin to the Classic IntelliMouse, which I accepted arsenic a semipermanent solution.