Problems that result in loss of internet connectivity

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gruimed · #1 Post by **gruimed** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 5:42 pm

Well, another poll on the same subject - PC problems statistics.

What percentage of the problems that average home PC user encounters result in loss of internet connectivity?

ADMIN EDIT: Your "poll" is meaningless and has been edited to reflect this. Rethink the matter and resubmit it.

#2 Post by **GomJabbar** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 6:31 pm

Could you elaborate more?

#3 Post by **bill bolton** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 6:34 pm

I strongly suggest that you do some basic research on designing questions. "Business Research Methods" by William G. Zikmund is one of the standard texts on the topic.

Cheers,

Bill

gruimed · #4 Post by **gruimed** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 7:39 am

Well... maybe you are right.

At any rate, what I meant was - what percentage of all the problems that home PC user encounters result in loss of internet connectivity.

JHEM · #5 Post by **JHEM** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 8:24 am

gruimed wrote:At any rate, what I meant was - what percentage of all the problems that home PC user encounters result in loss of internet connectivity.

Twice as many as half!

This is a "how high is up?" question that's impossible to answer.

James

#6 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 7:21 pm

gruimed wrote:Well... maybe you are right.

At any rate, what I meant was - what percentage of all the problems that home PC user encounters result in loss of internet connectivity.

hmm..
the question, like others have remarked, is badly formed..

either that or it is a riddle..

gruimed · #7 Post by **gruimed** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 2:42 am

Well... I'm missing something here. I seriously fail to understand what's the problem with my original question. I will try to phrase it as clear as I possible can.

Let's say we take a sample of N users which had a PC problem for which they had to turn for support in the last year. Let's assume that each user had exactly one problem. n1 users out of N had a problem that did not prevent them from accessing the internet - like faulty CDROM, buggy application or some adware while n2 users (n1 + n2 = N) had a problem that resulted in some kind of internet connectivity disreptancy - broken ADSL connection, fauly cable modem, windows problem when the OS failed to boot.

Naturally, n2*100/N is the number (or it's estimate) I'm interested in.

Is that clear enough ?

#8 Post by **Kyocera** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 3:12 am

My PC rarely causes a loss of internet connectivity, it's what happens outside the box "so to speak" that is the problem.
Faulty router, weather causes modem to freak out, cable provider issues, etc.

#9 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:33 am

gruimed wrote:Well... I'm missing something here. I seriously fail to understand what's the problem with my original question. I will try to phrase it as clear as I possible can.

At least now, I believe I understand what you are looking for in your poll. Yet still, the question should be phased in such a way that the typical reader can quicky determine what you are actually asking. You need to add enough explanatory, elaborating statements to make your question clear in the readers mind. Keep in mind that a number of people here may not have a background in statistical terminology and methods.

The way I see it, there are several scenerios that are possible.
(1) The computer is essentially dead for whatever reason, failed hard drive, bad power supply, burnt component, dark or unreadable display, forgotten password, virus infection, etc. All of these issues will of course prevent one from accessing the internet on that computer.
(2) The computer works, but has some problems (these could be hardware or software related). Perhaps it will need to be or should be serviced before too long, but it is still usable to a degree. Some of these problems will be of the type that prevent or reduce internet connectivity [see (3) below].
(3) The computer works except that the internet cannot be accessed at all, or can be accessed only intermittently. This could be an internal problem or an external one. The user may not know which - he only knows he has a problem. External problems could be: a bad cable, improperly configured router or modem, interference, poor or unusable line connection to the home or business, etc. Sending in a computer for service will fix an internal problem or should eliminate the computer itself as the problem.
(4) The computer works, but the owner wishes to upgrade or add some internal hardware, ie: bigger hard drive, more RAM, new optical drive, add bluetooth, add or upgrade WiFi card, etc. For a desktop PC, some additional internal upgrades are possible, such as new video card, additional ports, sound card, etc. This upgrade could add internet connectivity or else cause it to be lost because of creating another problem.

I feel it is somewhat difficult to get a good answer to your question with only a poll. A survey with questions that branched from each preceding question would be more useful and easier to answer. Some web surveys do this, basing the next question upon one's previous answer. That said, this site is not set up for these types of surveys as such.

I thought about trying to frame a question for you to use, but I don't think that is appropriate.

Problems that result in loss of internet connectivity

Problems that result in loss of internet connectivity

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