Fishing for Answers to Team System Questions

Martin Woodward blogged about where to turn for help when working with Team System, and I want to endorse what he wrote (TFS Top Tip #8 - Where to get help). 

For over two years I've been answering Team System questions. Whether it's to help with a wayward install (the vast majority of which were the result of not following the Team Foundation Installation Guide), disambiguate a licensing issue, or track down an answer to an original question, I've been happy to respond. As time goes by, the questions begin to repeat. In addition, I'm not a support engineer and I can't spend as much time as it takes to answer every question I receive in e-mail.

There's a proverb that says, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."

Here's how you can fish for answers to Team System questions:

  • Use your favorite search engine. I recommend starting with MSDN Enhanced Search, which already filters content to several appropriate Microsoft resources, including the product documentation. Failing that, try a Web search engine, such as MSN SearchWindows Live Search, or something else. If you couldn't find your answer, it either doesn't exist, or perhaps you're using different terminology.
  • Ask your question in the forums. We decided not to provide newsgroups to support Team System. Instead, we chose to create Web forums - Visual Studio Team System forums. Since their inception, people have asked and answered thousands of questions on Team System. If you used MSDN Enhanced Search, you should've found your answer if it exists. If not, choose the forum that most closely aligns to your question and ask it there. When posting your question, remember to follow basic netiquette. You can also try Team System Rocks Forums and TeamFoundationServer.org Forums, too.
  • Try Microsoft Support Services. If your question in the forums didn't receive the answer you need, try Microsoft Support Services. Note that many of our support engineers monitor the forums for unanswered questions and will respond if possible.
  • Submit feedback. If your question is related to something you suspect is a defect in the product, or something you think we should improve, submit feedback through Microsoft Connect.
  • Send me e-mail. If all else fails, send me a question (rob.caron@microsoft.com). I'll do my best to find you an answer. However, when you do, include the link to where you asked the question in the Forums and I'll answer it there. This will ensure that the answer I find is available to the next person seeking it.

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Tags: vsts | team system