In order to save time and money, here's my check-list of things that I suggest you do before you phone me.
check the time - if its after hours and you don't want to incur emergency rates - please do not phone until office hours.
restart your computer, printer and/or modem. Often a restart fixes everything. In all cases leave the devices off for at around 30 seconds for best results and give them about 5 minutes to settle down after a restart.
when your internet stops working, the first thing to try is to switch off your modem, leave it off for at least 10 seconds, switch it on again and wait 5 minutes before trying again.
9 times out of 10 when there is something wrong with your internet connection it is NOT your ISP (internet service provider eg Cybersmart / Mweb / Telkom) but something wrong on your own computer. Phoning your ISP is likely to result in a lengthy call to them (if you ever get through) where their technicians are likely to talk you through a process in which they unnecessarily change all your settings and hence completely mess up your computer and/or router settings. Rather ring me first and I'll have some idea where the problem lies.
check that all the wires are plugged into your machine. Its very easy for a wire to become unplugged or even one key on your keyboard to be stuck, rendering the PC useless. You can't really do much damage by plugging wires into the wrong holes, and in most cases they will only fit into the right holes, so its worth a try.
check to see that you have not exceeded your internet cap for the month. Your ISP's website will generally be available to you, even if you have exceeded the cap.
Viruses
NEVER open an email attachment from someone you don't know and NEVER EVER type in your password for any reason at all unless you are 100% sure. Free anti-virus program are not the best and tend to slow down a PC and pester you with pop-ups and questions. I highly recommend Eset's NOD32 as the best anti-virus program. It's inexpensive, especially if you consider that just 1 callout to fix an infection will cost more than a 2 year license! Ransomware, spyware and Malware (malicious software) are as dangerous if not more so than viruses these days. They can infect your computer so badly that sometimes it’s near impossible to rid you of the infections without reformatting your whole machine. Be very aware when browsing websites about pop-ups telling you that you have a virus or spyware. Unless your own anti-virus program tells you that you have a virus, it’s very unlikely that you do.