An Overview of the Troubleshooting Process

1
An Overview of the Troubleshooting Process
2
A Brief Look at the Process

• Damage Control
• People and machines
• Symptom Description
• Did you change anything?
• Can you reproduce it?
• Still Happening/Will Happen Again?

• Corrective maintenance
• Windows Updates
• Narrow It Down
• Repair or Replace
• Test
• Brag and Correct For Future

Notes from http//troubleshooters.com By Steve
Litt
3
A Closer Look at Symptom Description

• What are the symptoms that a problem exists?
• Are there error messages, lights, etc.?
• What was the last thing you did?
• Any other components or software involved?
• Reproducible or Intermittent?

4
A Closer Look at Narrowing Down

• Binary Search (Flowchart)
• In the case of an error message, start here
• Web Searching, Windows Event Viewer, Log Files
• In the case of a mystery, start here
• Is it the BIOS (problems at startup) or other
  components (Hardware, Software/Operating System)?

5
Web Searching

• http//www.google.com
• http//www.annoyances.org/
• http//www.computerhope.com/
• Manufacturers Web site
• Windows Support

6
Windows Event Viewer and Log Files

• Windows Event Viewer
• Rt. Click on My ComputergtManagegtEvent Viewer
• Log Files
• My ComputergtC\gtWindows Folder or Program Folder