Support Services Available From Microsoft

Computer users who don’t use Microsoft products are very rare. There are varieties of Microsoft support services available for users. The support options provided by Microsoft are given below:
Professional Support
Professional support is one of the most used support option from Microsoft. In this option, single problems are considered. Any problem falling under it or caused due to it are considered as single problems. Microsoft professionals check the problem and solve the problem upon request by the user. If the problem is caused due to the problems in the software package, user is not charged. Else, the user has to pay for the support provided.
Advisory Services
In this type of support service, the problems faced by the users are checked by the professionals and they give advice for the users in solving problems. This service is a consulting service and no active participation takes place.
Premier & Alliance Support
This type of support is provided for enterprise users who need extensive focus on their systems. In this type of support a variety type of problems are consulted and solved by the Support team. In this type, support is purchased by the users for a period.
Essential Support
This is a new type of service. This service is targeted at small-mid range business users. In this service Microsoft provides support in all the areas required with their software. They provide support for the user whether it is a technical, software or user problem.
Web Support
Although this is the most reliable service provided by Microsoft, this support service is less frequently used by the end users. Upon request filed for support using Web Support service, response from a Microsoft Professional is guaranteed in less than 24 hours. Requesting for this support is very easy. What you have to do is to send the email to address provided in the Microsoft Support site or use the link provided in the website for requesting support or assistance.
Self-Support
Self-support is another type of support option provided by Microsoft. In this support scheme, there is no direct assistance of the support professionals. In this scheme there are a lot of articles and details on the Microsoft Software and issues and problems faced by them in different scenarios. Solutions to the problem are also given in the websites.  User can check for similar issues and solve the problem. In case the issue is not present in the website, you can enter your issue there in the forum.
Hope you enjoyed reading this article.

How Can I Open Windows Firewall Log?

Microsoft introduced Windows Firewall in Windows Operating systems starting with some versions of Windows XP. After Windows XP came Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 who all were packed with inbuilt firewall from Microsoft. The inbuilt firewall is very good for the operating systems. Without the firewall Computer systems are very vulnerable to attacks from connected external networks or Internet. Now a day’s almost all the PC’s have Internet connection and this necessitates the presence of a firewall program in your PC. Windows Firewall is now available in the latest operating systems and Windows support is provided for problems with Windows Firewall also.
Windows Firewall is provided a companion for defending Windows platforms by Microsoft. This companion is Windows Defender. Windows Defender assists Windows firewall by removing and blocking hardware's and livewares entering the systems through network connection or other media. Windows Firewall together with Windows Defender provides a very good security system for new Windows platforms.
Windows Firewall is designed with an option for the user to add exceptions for trusted programs and websites. Exceptions can be added by accessing the Windows Firewall settings in Control Panel. Windows Firewall can also be used as a combination with external firewall and third party firewalls for intense security. This option increases the flexibility and effectiveness of Windows Firewall.
Microsoft provides security updates for Windows which includes the updates of Windows the Firewall. Certain versions of Windows platforms designed for Banks and other extra security required systems are given additional security options with the Windows Firewall. The Windows Firewall provided in those cases are far more secure and effective compared to the normal Windows Firewall.
You have the option for logging Windows Firewall traffic so that you can list dropped and successful connections. It will also record the details of the connections made. Below are some instructions for activating and using Windows Firewall log:
• Open Run option from the Start Menu and type in “%windir%\system32\logfiles\firewall\”. After that click OK.
• Open the recent log of Windows Firewall by double clicking on ‘pfirewall.log’ (Use Notepad). For the old log double click on ‘pfirewall.log.old’.
• The File will be written in fields and details under each field.
• You can save it to another file for further use. Data after a certain time will be deleted automatically.
Windows Support sites provide helps on reading and understanding Firewall logs.