Abstract: Various disclosed help center features provide help to a user without a staffed help center, provide help to a user before the user recognizes the need, or create targeted commerce opportunities for a provider of goods or services. One help center feature provides a user with help that is specifically related to a component in the user's computer system and that is supplied to the help center feature by the component manufacturer. Another help center feature detects a condition that degrades performance, and hence user satisfaction, and alerts the user. Another help center feature detects an attempt by a computer system to inform the user of degraded performance and offers the user a solution. Another help center feature provides a user with a commerce opportunity specifically related to a component in the user's computer system and/or to the user's geographic location.

Abstract: Various disclosed help center features provide help to a user without a staffed help center, provide help to a user before the user recognizes the need, or create targeted commerce opportunities for a provider of goods or services. One help center feature provides a user with help that is specifically related to a component in the user's computer system and that is supplied to the help center feature by the component manufacturer. Another help center feature detects a condition that degrades performance, and hence user satisfaction, and alerts the user. Another help center feature detects an attempt by a computer system to inform the user of degraded performance and offers the user a solution. Another help center feature provides a user with a commerce opportunity specifically related to a component in the user's computer system and/or to the user's geographic location.

Abstract: A multiplexing bus controller with input conditioning is provided in which the need for a dedicated microprocessor for handling input filtering, input change detection and serial-to-parallel/parallel-to-serial I/O data conversion is eliminated. The controller is realized in a gate array and provides input data oversampling and output refreshing to eliminate random noise coupled to the data lines. In addition, the oversampled data is filtered to debounce the signal received from the input devices. The input data is converted from serial-to-parallel and checked to detect any change from the previous input data stream. Upon detection of an input change, the host microprocessor is interrupted. When the host microprocessor sends data to the bus controller, the bus controller then converts the data to a serial stream for communication to the appropriate output device. Additionally, the bus controller is provided with an internal turnaround circuit to loop back outputs to the inputs for diagnostic purposes.

Abstract: An interface connector device for interconnecting a plurality of input/output devices including a signal bus connected to a control and to the input/output devices for multiplexing the signals between the control and the input and output devices, the bus interconnecting a plurality of interface and connector devices, and each of the interface and connector devices including address recognition circuitry as well as programmable configuration selection logic to configure the connector device to respond to a variety of input/output devices. In addition, the signal bus and connector devices are adapted to recognize and convey various levels of signals, for example, different voltage levels representing control information, framing signals, and diagnostic command signals.