Analyzing Symptoms and Factors

Start troubleshooting by gathering information. Develop a clear understanding of the symptoms and collect pertinent system information to understand the environment in which they occur. Identify the exact problem to make it easier and faster for Product Support Services to solve your problem. Precisely what is not working correctly? Under what conditions does the problem occur? Which aspects of the operating system control those conditions? Is the problem specific to an application, or is it specific to a subsystem (networks, video, and so on)?

Has what you are trying to do ever worked on this computer before? If so, something might have changed that affects it. Have you changed hardware or installed new software? Has somebody else been using the computer, and could that person have made changes you do not know about?

If this program or functionality has never worked on this computer, compare the setup and configuration on this computer with the same program on another computer to identify differences.

The following questions are used by Product Support Services when troubleshooting problems. These questions can help you analyze the problem you are having.

1. Have you read the documentation?
   • If the answer is no, read the documentation to become familiar with important concepts, issues, and guidelines.
   • If the answer is yes, continue with the next step.
2. Can you install Windows 2000 on your computer using the Windows 2000 Setup program?
   • If the answer is no, contact Product Support Services.
   • If the answer is yes, continue with the next step.
3. Have you upgraded to Windows 2000 from the latest version of Windows NT? Did you apply the latest Service Pack? Are you using the latest versions of third-party drivers? Releases contain fixes to known software problems.
   • If the answer is no, install the latest version, service pack, or driver. If the problem persists, continue with the next step.
   • If the answer is yes, continue with the next step.
4. Have you installed new hardware or software recently?
   • If the answer is no, continue with the next step.
   • If the answer is yes, revert to the previous configuration. If the problem persists, continue with the next step.
   • If the error is the result of the recent change, call Product Support Services.
5. Was an error message displayed? Have you looked it up in the Error and Event Messages Help and the Knowledge Base? What is the probable cause and recommended user action?
   • If no error message was displayed, continue with the next step.
   • If you have implemented the user action recommended by the Error and Event Messages Help, and the problem still occurs, continue with the next step.
6. Check the Event Logs (System, Application, and Security, as appropriate) for any errors or warnings and search the Knowledge Base and the Error and Event Messages Help for their Event IDs.
   • If no errors or warnings were displayed, continue with the next step.
   • If you have implemented the user action recommended by the Error and Event Messages Help, and the problem still occurs, continue with the next step.
7. Did the task ever work? What happened just before it stopped working? For example, was new software installed? Did the network crash? Did the computer crash?
   • If the problem occurred after you installed new software or changed a configuration setting, reverse the activity you performed. If the problem still occurs, continue with the next step.
8. Are any files missing or have any been accidentally deleted?
9. If you are troubleshooting an installation problem, examine your notes to see if you can identify where the problem might have occurred. Did you receive any error messages during the installation process?
10. Is this a new system or an established system? If it's a new system, how is it different from earlier systems where this problem did not occur?

    View System Information in the Computer Management snap-in to compare the hardware, software, and configuration of the computer you were using when the problem occurred with the hardware, software, and configuration of a computer where the problem did not occur.

11. Can you reproduce this problem on a different computer that has the same hardware?
    • If the answer is yes, the problem involves software.
    • If the answer is no, check the hardware on the computer you were using when the problem first occurred.
12. What happens in safe mode? For more information about safe mode, see "Startup Process" in this book.

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