Troubleshooting Computer
Problems:
This is sort of an
elaboration of an
article I wrote awhile back. I thought that the topic
of PC troubleshooting was worth bringing up again because
one of the things I keep running into lately is the lack of
people’s abilities to diagnose even simple problems with
their computer systems. I think the old adage of “read the
directions” is lost on many people, and it really does apply
to this situation. Taking a step back and reading some
basic directions would really help so many predicaments, and
I will talk about that as this article progresses. I think
people just get caught up in the moment when their system
doesn’t work – and then they get that “deer in the
headlights” look and don’t know what to do next.
So what does this have to do
with security? Data availability for one thing! While you
are sitting there with that “deer in the headlights” look,
you aren’t getting to your data and not getting work done.
Even a seemingly simple problem, if diagnosed improperly,
can lead to lost or corrupted data. The time wasted
troubleshooting and repairing problems that could have been
fixed using fundamental measures equals time that you do not
have access to your data. It isn’t my intention here to
write a checklist for troubleshooting every possible problem
under the sun, but rather to remind people of some very
basic principles that will help solve most of the issues as
quickly as possible. Diagnosing a computer problem is just
not rocket science, folks. I am of the opinion that any
user should be able to diagnose some of the more common
problems on their own, and that computer support staff
should be able to get their customers up and running with
either a fix or a viable workaround within minutes. These
days computer self help can go a long way towards reducing
needless calls to the service desk, and allow the support
staff to concentrate on rot-cause analysis, and eliminate
some of the issues from becoming chronic ones.
There are two classes of
computer people I hope to address in this article: 1)
computer professionals and 2) computer users. Computer
professionals because this is where I am seeing, on a
day-to-day basis, either a lack of troubleshooting skills in
general, or they are simply over-tasked with day-to-day
things that they forget how to troubleshoot and look at
details. The other segment of my target audience, the every
day user, needs to know about diagnosing computer problems
for a couple of reasons: 1) why pay Geek Squad $95 just to
tell you to turn your monitor on if you can figure that out
for yourself? And 2) if the problem really is a more
complex one, being able to tell the Geek Squad guy or your
service desk professional what is going on and what you are
seeing will save time and frustration. Users – I need you
to be able to tell the support person that the CD-ROM drive
won’t open, as opposed to telling them that the automatic
drink dispenser won’t eject so that you can put your drink
on it. Computer technicians and service desk staffs need
intelligent descriptions of the problem. It will save both
you and them time and money.
Computer Professionals:
First, an admonishment:
I am sick
and tired of hearing about people who have lost all their
data because reformatting the hard drive is the only method
you know to fix things, and you were to lazy (or forgetful)
to back up all their stuff. If you take the time to
diagnose the problem, you may find that you don’t have to
format the drive, and you can fix the issue much faster
using common sense and fundamentally sound troubleshooting
skills.
Classify the Problem:
Is it
hardware or software? Is the computer completely dead or is
it just a performance problem? Use the built in tools, and
some of the other tools I mentioned in a previous article to
diagnose bottlenecks and performance issues. Find out what
processes are using all the resources. Which one of the
subsystems has the problem? Is it a video problem? Sound
problem? Blue screen of death? Is it only one application
that won’t function properly, or all of them? Do they all
fail for the same thing?
Is it a mechanical problem –
are there strange noises emanating from the computer?
Hopefully these questions are getting your train of thought
going so that you can start using similar thinking to
discover issues and causes.
Brainstorm Causes and
Solutions:
You see on T.V. how Dr. House writes down
everything on a board, and then he and his team go down the
list of things and list causes. Do the same thing. Come up
with a list of the symptoms, and try to think of all the
possible causes for the symptom. This will give you a list
of things to rule out, and will also give you a checklist of
items that you can eliminate from the cause of that
particular problem. This will also give you a written set
of data that you can give to any technical support whom you
need to consult should you not be able to solve the problem
yourself.
Use Some Fundamental
Maintenance Measures:
Check all of the power and
cable connections. If the computer is running poorly, try
some basic routines. Reboot it. Run some maintenance
utilities such as Scan Disk, Defrag, and Check Disk (CHKDSK).
Set up an automated routine on the customer’s computers so
that these tools run periodically, and help eliminate future
problems. If the problem is happening (coincidently) right
after “Patch Tuesday” then try restoring the computer from a
previous system restore point. These things failing to
solve the problem, move into a more in-depth “layered
approach” as described next.
Use a Layered Approach:
Break the
system up into layers. Use the OSI model that the
networkers if you have to. Start at the physical layer and
work your way up. Start at the bottom (physical layer) of
the troubleshooting model by checking cables, reseating
connections, checking power cords, checking power switches,
and making sure that overall physical integrity is as it
should be. Unplug and plug back in to make sure that dirt
and corrosion are not the problem. Open the case and make
sure memory is seated, fans are spinning, and there are no
cooling issues. Make sure that a cooling fan hasn’t cut
into or worn through a cable.
If you suspect a piece of
hardware is keeping the computer from booting up or working
properly, try disconnecting all hardware and starting up the
computer. If you get no errors, other than the one that
tells you there is no operating system (since you unplugged
the hard drive), then start plugging everything in one item
at a time, until you get a failure. If you have access to
spare parts, try swapping in a known good item and make sure
that fixes the problem. Put the suspected bad component
into a known good computer to verify that the problem
follows.
Moving up the
troubleshooting model, can the user log in? Is there a
password issue? Is the time on the computer correct? Silly
question, I know, but on a domain network, an incorrect time
on the computer will keep the user from logging in or
possibly from accessing other network resources.
Does the computer have a
valid address on the network (if it is a networking issue)?
Are there any problems with the application? Were any
patches, hotfixes, or updates applied right before this
problem started happening?
Moving farther up still –
are there any encryption or crypto key issues. If you are
using IPSec in your domain environment, for example, make
sure the IPSec service is running and the computer meets all
the other requirements to be able to use IPSec in your
environment.
Way up at the top of the
layered model resides the applications themselves. Again –
is it only one or all applications not working? If it is
one, then try a repair or a re-install of that application.
Reinstalling an application rarely results in losing data,
but back up the data nonetheless. If many applications are
not working, then see what they have in common. Are they
all relying on Java or a certain video driver to work
properly? Make sure that all those underlying pieces of
software are installed and working properly. Maybe a patch
broke something. Look for any patches that were applied
that have anything to do with the issue. Uninstall the
patch, see if that fixes it, and reapply the patch to see if
the problem comes back. If it turns out to be a patch
issue, then call the vendor. Microsoft offers free support
for all patch related issues. Open a ticket with them by
calling 1-866-PCSAFETY.
Do Some Research:
It isn’t
a weakness to have to consult user’s manuals, vendor web
sites, or call a vendor’s tech support line for help. But
do some research before you call them. Don’t be the one to
call tech support, for example, just to have them tell you
that their knowledge base article ‘kb123456’ has a
step-by-step procedure for addressing your exact issue. You
should be able to follow the procedures yourself just as
well as if they read them to you.
End Users:
I don’t expect you to become
computer experts, but you should be able to do some
fundamental things to get your system up and running or at
least gather some good information to give to your IT
support person. For example, if your car doesn’t start, you
check the basics. Does the electricity come one when you
turn the key on? Does tightening the battery cables help?
Is there gas in the car? If you have to take it in for
repairs, you don’t simply tell the automotive service people
that “it’s broken…” do you? The same applies to your
computer.
Computer Not Starting:
If the
problem is that the computer doesn’t start up, check for
things like power cords being plugged in, power switches –
ALL power switches (monitor, computer, printer, etc) turned
on. Make sure any power strips are plugged in and working
as well. If you aren’t sure, then plug the computer and
monitor directly into a known working wall outlet and see if
that changes anything.
Have you recently moved the
computer from one room to another or perhaps from one desk
to another? You may have jarred an internal connection
loose. Using caution, make sure the computer is powered off
and open the case, but only if you feel comfortable doing
so. Check all cables and make sure they are secure. It
doesn’t hurt to disconnect them and reconnect them – this
cleans and reseats the connection, at least enough so that
it may change the symptoms or make it start working again.
Computer Starts, Possible
Application Problem:
If the computer is starting,
is it a problem with one piece of software or all of them?
Do some basic maintenance. Your computer has many built in
tools to help solve performance problems. Some basics
include checking the disk for errors (Disk Check or “CHKDSK”),
performing a Disk Cleanup to get rid of all the temporary
files and excess unused files, and the disk defragmenter
(Defrag) to get your disk organized more efficiently. Many
a slow computer has been brought back to a healthy status by
performing these simple tasks. They are built in and easy
to use – just click on a few buttons and let them do their
job. You can even automate these tasks by
seeing my related article here.
As I mentioned previously,
try to determine if the problem with multiple applications
have anything in common. If it is just one, uninstall it
and reinstall it. If your application relies on video or
printer drivers, uninstall and reinstall those as well.
Try looking up the problem on the Internet.
Do Some Research and Use Help
Functions:
Many times, a computer
problem is not really a computer problem at all. Remember
when I said to “read the directions?” It may be simply a
case of not knowing how to properly use a particular piece
of software or how to make one of the features work. Use
the built-in help, or do some searches on the Internet.
Copy Down the Error Message
That You Get:
Try to think of some key words to describe the symptoms, and
do a search. You will be surprised how many error messages
are commonly identified and easily correctable. Most of the
Microsoft knowledge base articles are very easy to follow
and give step by step procedures for fixing the problem. If
you aren’t comfortable doing that and you have to take it
in, then be sure to bring all of your software or restore
disks with you when you take the computer in for service.
Intelligently Describing the
Problem:
When it comes time to take
your computer in to get it fixed, you will be able to get
better service and a quicker response if you look like you
know what you are talking about. Some things that are
particularly helpful to describe:
· What is the general problem – computer not starting,
making unusual noises, starts but then quits after awhile?
· When did the problem start - date, time, on startup,
in the middle of doing work.
· Notable events that were going at the time such as:
o
Storm
o
Power outage
o
Earthquake
o
Moving furniture and relocating the system.
o
You just added a new printer
· When was the last time it worked properly?
· When was the last time you ran any of the built in
maintenance tasks such as Disk Cleanup or Defrag?
· Is
it one application or many?
· What have you done so far to troubleshoot it yourself
and what were the results?
·
Is the problem happening all the time, or is it
intermittent?
· Last but most important question to ask: Is the
computer service professional going to do anything that will
cause possible loss of data?
o
Regardless of the answer,
back up your important data before you take the computer in
for service, and if they also back up your data as well,
make sure to have them note that on the service invoice.
After the computer is serviced and working again, ask them
to erase all of your data and provide you with an
explanation of how and when they did it. Make them note
that fact on the service invoice. If you have personal data
on the computer, take the responsibility for backing it up,
and insist that they do not make copies of anything.
Wrapping it all up:
Whether you are a computer
servicing professional or an end user, troubleshooting
computer problems should be a fairly straightforward and
methodical process. Start with the basics, and try to break
the system up into layers: physical (cables and
connections), operating system and drivers (and patches),
networking (getting access to the Internet or other
computers), any access control or encryption issues
(passwords, crypto keys, encryption programs), and then
finally the applications themselves. Use the built-in tools
in your operating system to see if those correct any
slowness or other issues. Try to determine when the problem
happened, and when was the last time the system worked
properly?
Do some research – it is
amazing how many computer problems are rampantly common and
posted on the Internet. There are many instances where
someone else fixed this problem easily and posted the
procedures that they followed. The built-in help functions
in your computer can also be a very good resources – it may
not be a problem at all, but just a case of not knowing what
to do to make it work.
Above all, don’t panic.
Don’t allow yourself to get that “deer in the headlights”
look. Collect your thoughts and start breaking the problem
up into layers. Take one piece at a time, moving from the
most physical components to the software applications.
Writing down the symptoms helps some people to keep track of
where they are and what they are doing. Even if you can’t
solve the problem yourself, you will end up with a good set
of information that you can take to the people who can help.
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