Why this site exists
You’ve got a command that should work—maybe it’s a simple `chmod` or a `pip install`—but the terminal throws back an error you don’t understand.
Or you’ve spent twenty minutes Googling a fix, only to find a forum post from 2012 that says ‘just run this,’ with no explanation of why it matters.
This site cuts through that noise. Every guide here starts with the problem as you see it—no jargon, no assumptions—and walks through the fix step by step.
The goal isn’t to make you memorize commands; it’s to show you how they *actually* work, so you can troubleshoot on your own next time.
Who writes this site
Lamar Faulkner runs this site.
Do you test everything on real hardware?
Yes—but not always the same hardware. Some guides are written on a fresh Linux install; others on a 10-year-old Windows laptop with 4GB of RAM. If it works for one, it’ll work for another.
What’s the one thing you’ve gotten wrong that you still haven’t fixed?
The ‘quick fix’ for Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) corruption. I’ve written three versions of that guide, and every time, someone replies with a different step that *actually* works. I keep updating it, but the truth is, WSL is a minefield.
Why no guides on macOS?
Not because I don’t use it—I do. But macOS problems are usually Apple-specific, and this site focuses on what works across platforms. If you’re stuck with a Mac, try the Linux guides first; half the time, the fix is the same.
The first computer I owned had a floppy drive that made a sound like a dying lawnmower. I’d spend hours trying to get *Doom* to run without crashing, and the only way to fix it was to reboot—again—and hope the glitch didn’t come back.
That habit of troubleshooting never left me.
How a guide is built
Every guide starts with a real problem: a command that fails, a setting that doesn’t stick, or a tool that refuses to install. The first step is running it myself—on multiple systems, if possible—to see where it breaks. No assumptions. No ‘just try this.’
The first run
I type the command exactly as written. If it works, I note why—what flags were used, what permissions were needed. If it fails, I check the error message, then the logs, then the documentation. Sometimes it’s a typo in the guide. Sometimes it’s a missing dependency.
Most times, it’s a permission issue or a PATH variable that wasn’t set.
The fix
Once I know what went wrong, I rewrite the steps so they *actually* solve the problem. No ‘run as admin’ without explaining why. No ‘edit this file’ without saying where it lives. If a command needs `sudo`, I say so up front.
If a tool requires a reboot, I put it in bold.
What we will not do
This site isn’t for selling software, recommending paid tools, or pushing a specific OS. If a free alternative exists, we’ll use it—even if it’s less polished. And we never link to cracked versions, pirated licenses, or ‘unofficial’ patches.
Things you will never find here
- Step-by-step tutorials for proprietary software that won’t run on Linux
- Guides that require buying a specific hardware upgrade
- ‘Best of’ lists with no explanation of why one tool is better than another
- Troubleshooting advice that starts with ‘Have you tried turning it off and on again?’
Where to start
Browse the ‘Troubleshooting’ section if your system is acting up. Check ‘How-To’ for step-by-step guides on common tasks. If you’re setting up a new machine, start with ‘First Steps.’ Still stuck? Use the search bar—most problems have been solved already.
Say hello
I like hearing about the weirdest command that fixed your day, or the tool you’ve been using for years that no one else knows about. If you’ve got a question that isn’t answered here, the contact page is the place to ask.
The guides are grouped by category: App, Coding, Hardware, Operating System, Outlook and PowerPoint.