Black Magic of Troubleshooting

It often seems like many professional technophiles have some sort of black magic they use when resolving problems. If you blink, you miss whatever it is they do to get the system back in working order. It's often as if you are working with a techno-mage.

Yes, it is true that some of our skills at resolving problems do seem like hocus pocus. But in reality, it's a mixture of experience and knowledge. Both of which you can gain with time and effort.

In my experience, I've found that most computer problems are physical in nature. Meaning some component is not connected properly or has become damaged. Of the remaining 5%, more than 4.99% is caused directly by the userwhether through deliberate or accidental activity. User-caused problems are typically configuration changes, installation of new drivers, or deletion of important files and folders.

When I troubleshoot a problem on my own systems, I try to mentally walk backwards through whatever I've done to the system over the last few days or weeks. In many cases, I'll remember installing some downloaded application or changing some Control Panel setting that I meant to uninstall or reverse, but never got around to do it. If the brainstorming fails to highlight any suspects, I check for physical issues. Is everything powered on? Are cooling fans still spinning? Are all the right cables still firmly connected?

If I don't discover anything obvious physically, I try a power-off reboot. The power-off reboot will reset all hardware devices, and in many cases resolve the problem (if it was device related). If possible, shut down the system gracefully. Then keep the power off for about 10 seconds before switching the system back on. You'll be amazed at how often this works.

My next steps always include a walk through the Event Viewer and any other types of log files I can find. Let the problem guide you in this process. For example, if the video system is failing, you probably don't need to look through the modem logs.

For me, every problem is unique. Often requiring a different resolution than any other problem I've tackled in the past. However, there are some general rules or guidelines I try to follow:

• Try only one change at a time

• Reboot twice after each change

• Test each change for success

• Try the least invasive first

• Keep a log of your changes, you may need to undo them to produce a result, or you may need the resolution process again in the future

• Consult vendor Web sites for possible solutions, if the problem seems to be specific to one device or software component

• Be patient and take your time

• After a few attempts at possible solutions, step back and re-evaluate before continuing

• If you get frustrated, take a break. Anger and frustration are counter-productive when you need to be thinking clearly

• Try to undo any recent changes to the system, including new hardware or software patches

• Review areas of the system which have caused problems in the past

• Try to repeat the failure; knowing where, how, or why the failure occurs can lead to a solution

Troubleshooting is both an art and a science. You'll need organized patience and outrageous ingenuity. Plus, knowing where to look stuff up never hurts. Keep in mind that the entire Internet is waiting at your finger tips and mouse clicks. Search groups.google.com as well the regular Web. You'll be amazed at what you find. Be precise in your search techniques to help find the exact messages you need to read. The MS knowledge base is extremely helpful, too. Plus, lots of helpful information is included within the Help and Support system of Windows XP as well as the Windows XP Resource Kit. If all else fails, contact Microsoft technical support over the phone (see support.microsoft.com for contact numbers). In most cases, if the troubleshooting techniques in this book don't resolve the issue, it usually beyond the end-user to correct.