Check this article, by Michael Woods, science editor of the Toledo Blade. The meat of it is this:
"If you get an error code or error message from the computer, copy and paste it into Google or your favorite search site. Highlight the message by holding the left mouse button down and dragging.
Release. Then copy by right clicking in the highlight and selecting “Copy” from the popup menu. Paste by right clicking in the search frame, right clicking, and selecting “Paste.”
If there is no error message, keyboard a description of the problem into the search site. For example, “Word document won’t open.”
To limit your search to “official” fix information from Microsoft, insert this phrase before or after your search terms: site:microsoft.com. For Macs, insert: site:apple.com. (It works to limit searches on other sites, too.)
Help also is available by browsing or searching specialized troubleshooting web sites. Among my favorites are Doug Knox’s Windows Tweaks and Tips (http://www.dougknox.com> ) here and Kelly Theriot’s Troubleshooting Windows XP (http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp).
MacFixIt (www.macfixit.com) is a good place to start for Apple computers.
Search the Internet for “troubleshooting” to locate other sites. The Knox site includes an excellent list. Click on “Links.”
Be sure to include Usenet newsgroups in your search. They contain a big proportion of the troubleshooting information available on the Internet. To include newsgroups with Google, for instance, click the “Groups” link on the search page."