In a hurry? Link directly to the A-Shell Support Center to find answers and ask questions. Continue reading, below, for more support information and options.

Technical support for A-Shell is provided according to two plans: you may purchase blocks of hours to be used as needed, or (b) you may purchase an annual software maintenance contract, which includes technical support. The purchase of A-Shell entitles the buyer to three months of no-charge support. See the Support Details page for more information about support and maintenance programs, and the price list for information about the costs of the various support options. Please make sure you have a support plan in place before asking for support via email or telephone.

Have an A-Shell question or problem? Here are your options and directions for technical support, which you should try in sequence until you get your answer. Please do not contact MicroSabio by telephone or email until you have exhausted these sources of information.

• Check out the Troubleshooting section of the A-Shell Setup Guide; it has a fairly extensive listing with descriptions of common A-Shell error messages.
   
• Use the A-Shell Support Center to search for answers to your questions/problems, and to pose questions when necessary. This bulletin board system ("BBS") is an excellent resource for A-Shell information, and your questions will normally be answered quickly--more quickly, in fact, than if you email them. See further down the page for notes on the BBS; here is a link to the bulletin board itself . Note that the BBS should not be used for matters that are private, business-related, or are based on unique circumstances or prior context. See "Tips," below, for good-question pointers.
   
• If you've tried these resources and still can't resolve your problem, email your question or problem to MicroSabio at the address on our Contact page.

The A-Shell Support Center is arguably the best source of problem-solving information about A-Shell. It is strongly recommended that you use the board as much as possible, and in all cases before calling or emailing MicroSabio. Here are some questions and answers about the board.

What is it? The bulletin board ("BBS") is a place for A-Shell users and developers to post questions, and for the people answering the questions (other developers and the MicroSabio staff) to post their answers. The idea is that this electronic environment is, for groups of people with similar interests, a more efficient mode of communication than one-on-one emails and phone calls.

I've used bulletin boards before, and they are frequently nothing more than chat rooms for confused users. How about this one? The bulletin board contributors are experienced independent software developers, who know A-Shell very well. They don't ask silly questions, and they answer only the questions about which they are experts. Also, developers of A-Shell check the board daily and respond to questions promptly.

How do I find an answer to my question or problem? The bulletin board is organized by major topic (like "Windows Printing"), and also provides full-text searching.

How long does it take to get answers? Having your question answered via the board is frequently faster than email or telephone. MicroSabio gives priority to bulletin board answers, because they benefit all users, and to people who play by the rules.

How do I learn to use the bulletin board?  A FAQ (frequently asked questions) page explains everything about using the board.

Why should I use the bulletin board instead of telephone or email?  Whatever your question, it has probably been answered before--and is hopefully posted on the board. By getting your answers off the board, you save us time--which will then be available to help with your unique and more complicated problems when you really need individual help.
How much does it cost? Nothing. At least for now (November '01). Since this level of support is intended mostly for our best customers, we may charge for access to the board in the future. 

Can I contribute? Absolutely.  If you know the answer/solution to a question posted on the board, you are encouraged to share your knowledge and experience. All replies are reviewed by MicroSabio staff to make sure they are technically valid.

Tips on Asking Questions and Writing Messages

Please limit your message to one issue at a time. If you post a message to the bulletin board with several unrelated questions, the message is difficult to answer, to file properly, and to locate when searching. The same applies to email; if you write about several issues, you risk having your response delayed until our staff has time to find answers to all the questions.

Remember that we support many different environments and systems, and don't necessarily know which one you are talking about. Please provide as much information about your environment and problem as possible, and be sure to include the name and version of your operating system, as well as the version number of A-Shell.

Now you know everything you need in order to user the board.  Go for it!