Unable to find the right YouTube video, a beginner fixed the receiver of a wireless N64 controller by sending ChatGPT photos of the parts and describing what he saw. It walked him through tests, explained how to use his own multimeter from a photo, and he soldered a jumper wire that got it working, saving the $30 cost of a new controller.
I'm a beginner trying to fix my [DEVICE] which [FAULT]. I have [TOOLS, E.G. A MULTIMETER AND SOLDERING IRON]. I'll send photos of the parts and describe what I see. Walk me through one test at a time, tell me exactly which setting to use on my tools, wait for me to report the result before moving on, and warn me before anything risky.
Replace the [PLACEHOLDERS] with your own details before you send it.
How to try it
- Unplug the device and take sharp photos of the board and parts, plus your multimeter’s dial.
- Go one step at a time with ChatGPT, reporting back each test result.
- Stop if anything involves mains power or big batteries, and ask a repair café for help instead.
More tech help use cases
Talk through laptop problems with Gemini Live
One user leans on Gemini Live for computer jobs: after helping him upgrade his laptop, it helped fix a network driver problem, check all the drivers, run a disk check and move on to Windows' memory diagnostics.
My [LAPTOP MODEL, WINDOWS/MAC VERSION] has this problem: [DESCRIBE, E.G. WI-FI KEEPS DROPPING]. Talk me through fixing it one step at a time, starting with the safest checks. Wait for me to tell you the result of each step before moving on, and warn me before anything that could lose data.
Get unstuck when a Windows update breaks your favourite program, with Claude
When columnist Joy Schwabach's favourite game, Peggle, stopped working, another assistant sent her on a wild goose chase. Claude suggested a beta Windows Insider update was the likely cause and guided her to download an official Windows 11 file and run setup, which reinstalled Windows, kept her files and fixed the game, though she had to reinstall a few apps.
My [PROGRAM] stopped working on Windows [VERSION] after [RECENT CHANGE, E.G. AN UPDATE]. I've already tried [WHAT YOU TRIED]. What are the most likely causes, from simplest to most drastic fix? Walk me through each step in plain English, and before any step that could remove apps or files, tell me exactly what will be kept, what I should back up and how to undo it.
Fix a video call camera that won’t work by showing Claude a photo
One user's video wouldn't connect on a WhatsApp call, so she uploaded a photo of her screen to Claude. Within seconds it spotted the problem: her ThinkPad has a tiny privacy shutter slider above the screen, and she'd closed it by accident.
My camera isn't working on [APP, E.G. WHATSAPP OR ZOOM] on my [DEVICE MAKE AND MODEL]. Here's a photo of my screen and the top of the device. What could be wrong? Start with the simplest physical checks (shutters, covers, switches, keyboard shortcuts), then app and system permissions, and give me step-by-step instructions for each.
Reference: Hacker News