Diagnostic Procedures
Communicate
The first step in diagnosing a problem is to communicate with the user. Determine exactly what the user believes the problem is – this will go a long way in determining the true issue and how to best resolve it. The user may describe a symptom to the problem and not the actual problem. For example, a user might say:
“I’ve got a 6:00pm flight to catch and this stupid printer won’t spit out my document. I need this document before I go and I need to go!”
The real issue is that the user needs the document printer so she can run out the door. Spending several hours troubleshooting why the particular printer/document won’t print won’t help her – instead, getting the document printed and then getting the overall problem fixed is the right order – get her the document so she can get out the door, then fix the root problem!
Alternatively, the user might say something like this:
“I can’t get my email!”
When really, the problem is the user isn’t even connected to the network. By identifying what the user believes the problem is also helps in one other way – it puts some constraints on what you have to do so you do not get stuck fixing every possible thing on his machine without solving the one thing he wants you to fix.
You should ask the user probing questions to determine the scope of the problem:
· When did the problem start?
· How often does the problem occur?
· Do you remember adding any software or hardware before the problem occurred?
· Can you re-create the problem for me?
· Does it happen in certain applications or at certain times?
These questions can help narrow down what the problem is.
Backup the Computer
It is good practice (and a question on the exam!) to backup the computer prior to making any changes during troubleshooting and repair. Before you identify what you think the problem could be, backup the computer using Windows system backup or your company’s preferred backup software.
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