Having Problems with RW? Here's some tips on the best way to get help.

[Hawk]

When you post to a forum about a problem you’re having, remember these rules of thumb:

Search the forum, just in case your question is common enough to have already been asked.

If possible, try to grab a screenshot of any error messages you get, or the problem itself. If you can’t grab a screenshot for some reason, at least post the error message in detail, as exact as possible.

If the problem is first noticed after you add something like an engine, rollingstock, activity, route, etc, give the name of the file you downloaded and where you downloaded it. This allows anyone wanting to help the option of obtaining the same item and trying to duplicate your problem.

Instead of deleting anything, move it to a separate folder first and keep it there. Deleting one folder or file can have a ripple effect.

Explain the solutions you’ve tried so far. This saves the recipients of your message from pursuing those same dead-ends, and shows that you’ve attempted to fix the problem yourself before asking for help.

Give your message a descriptive subject line. People are more likely to read a post entitled Incorrect 'Missing marker' errors when loading scenarios than one that screams, HELP! Descriptive titles also make the list archives more useful, as people can see at a glance the post topics in a thread.

State, as detailed as possible, your computer specs; operating system, memory, graphic card, sound card specs, etc.

Please tell us your computer abilities. You are anonymous here; so don't be embarrassed to say you know nothing about computers or RW file structure. If you don't tell us you know nothing about computers or the RW file structure, you may receive a technical response that will be useless to you.

Be polite and to the point. It doesn't help at all if you come here and fire off an angry post criticizing some content creator or the game developers in a derogatory manner. Doing so could possibly get you banned.

Be patient while you wait for answers. If you fail to receive a reply after a day or so and it’s a busy forum, it’s acceptable to post again with ‘BUMP’ as your post text. Posts can be overlooked in particularly large boards, and this is a polite way to remind users that you’ve yet to receive any assistance with your problem.

When you receive answers, try implementing the poster’s suggestions. Avoid becoming upset or angry if the recommendations fail to work, or you feel that the poster is asking you to try very basic measures. I’ve seen threads go on for many posts as different posters weigh in to help a user solve a problem, continuing the discussion until a solution is found. Give people a chance to help!

If you find a solution, post to the thread to explain what worked and what failed. This shows good manners towards those who helped you, and will also aid anyone who searches the archive for information on the same problem. It’s very frustrating to search an archive and find several possible solutions to a problem, but be unsure which (if any) were successful!