Day 11: Troubleshoot like a champ

Today's post is geared toward library staff, but you can follow the tips to do your own troubleshooting or use this as a guide for what info to gather before contacting your library for assistance.

 Day 11: Troubleshoot like a champ

Here are some tips to help you become an OverDrive troubleshooting champion:

1. Ask the patron to sum up the big picture of what they want to do, and then get more specific.
2. Ask for a step-by-step account of what they see on-screen, what they're doing, and what happens at each step.
3. Get the specific details:
   • Library card number
   • Title(s) of problem download(s)
   • Steps to reproduce the problem
   • Exact text of any error messages
   • URLs of any error pages
   • Applicable software
   • Operating system (Mac® OS 10.6.5, Windows® 7, iOS v4.2, etc.)
   • Internet browser (Internet Explorer® 8, Firefox® 3.6, Safari 5.0, etc.)
   • If applicable, device type (Android™, BlackBerry®, iPhone®, iPad®, etc.)
4. If you have time to research the question, check OverDrive's Help pages or the WPLC OverDrive FAQ Wiki.
5. Turn to the WPLC Support form for assistance via email. If you start at the Digital Download Center homepage, click the "help" link in the upper-right corner and follow the links near the bottom of the help pages to get to the form.

Some other common device-specific problems you might encounter:

• Kindle: If your Kindle is Wi-Fi capable and you are in range of a Wi-Fi network, you may need to enter your Wi-Fi network password to allow your Kindle to connect to Wi-Fi and download Kindle Books. See Amazon Help: Connecting with Wi-Fi or try transferring the book via USB.
• iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad devices may have problems receiving WMA audiobooks transferred from a PC after upgrading to iOS5. See the solution.
• Ereader devices (NOOK, Sony Reader, etc.): Confirm that the patron:
  • has Adobe Digital Editions installed (opening it is a good way to test),
  • has activated Adobe Digital Editions and their device with an Adobe ID,
  • can see their device as a bookshelf in the left panel of Adobe Digital Editions, and
  • is using Adobe Digital Editions to transfer the ebook to the reader (NOT doing the drag-and-drop process in Windows Explorer).
  If not, it may help to show the process with screen shots or a video.
• Devices with the OverDrive Media Console app: If the book won't download directly to the app, make sure the app is authorized with an Adobe ID, try powering the device off and then back on, and try uninstalling and reinstalling the app.