Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0

Service and support of Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0

Setup and interface: 8 Features: 7 Performance: 6 Service and support: 7 As with most Microsoft products, Internet Explorer 6's extensive support options won't leave you hanging. First off, you'll find the obligatory Contents and Index files under IE 6's help menu. In addition to that searchable database, you can also connect directly to online support via the help menu (or you can visit the Web site). Here you'll find FAQs, newsgroups, and a link to Microsoft's comprehensive knowledge base.

Live support options depend upon the difficulty of your question and your OS. Windows Me users, for example, can contact e-mail support twice for free, after which they'll pay $35 per incident. Similarly, you get two toll support calls for free, then pay $249 per toll-free call Monday through Friday 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT. Windows 2000 Professional users, on the other hand, get two free e-mail questions (thereafter, it's $99 per incident) and two toll-free support calls for free (then pay $249 per incident); extensive support plans are also available. Tech support in general is way too expensive, these days. Let's hope you can find all your answers in the written materials.

On the bright side, when we called tech support with a simulated problem, we quickly reached a courteous rep, who gave us several workable options.