re: When tech doesn't work. How much time do you spend troubleshooting?

It depends on what it is. My home-built PC... it will work flawlessly without fail or it will bring great shame to family. For most things, I spend as long as it takes to reach closure -- either determining the cause and fixing it, determining the cause and returning/RMAing if it's a defect or a design flaw, or determining the cause and deciding whether I can live with it or if I need to return it for something else.

If it's something I have no experience tinkering with, I will always instantly consult Google. It's rare there won't be a solution on the internet, so no need to waste my time with trial and error if it's not something I care about.