1. Chapter 4: Troubleshooting Computer Problems
A Guide to Computer User Support for Help Desk and Support Specialists
second edition
by Fred Beisse

2. Learning Objectives
The troubleshooting process and the thinking skills required for successful troubleshooting
The tools used to troubleshoot computer problems
Develop a personal problem-solving strategy

3. What Is Troubleshooting?
Troubleshooting: the process of defining, diagnosing, and solving computer problems
Uses several thinking and communications skills, information resources, strategies, and methods
Is troubleshooting a step-by-step or an iterative process?
Is troubleshooting a scientific or creative process?

4. Sequential versus Iterative Problem-solving

5. Troubleshooting as an Iterative Process
A repetitious process
A creative process that requires flexibility
Involves several paths or approaches to problems
Steps are repeated in a loop until a fruitful path is found

6. Thinking Skills Used in Troubleshooting
Problem solving
Get from X to Y quickly, accurately, effectively, or efficiently (trends, etc)
Critical thinking
Look for underlying logic, find alternative ways
Decision making
Select an alternative way, pros and cons

7. Problem Solving
An activity where there is a current state X and a goal state Y and alternate paths to get from X to Y
Objective is to get from X to Y quickly, accurately, effectively, or efficiently
Look for:
Analogies: how is this problem similar to others?
Contradictions: two facts cannot be true at the same time

8. A Problem-solving Model
State X: Current State
State Y: Goal State

9. Critical Thinking Cognitive skills used to: Analyze a problem
Search for underlying logic or rationale
Find alternate ways to explain an event or situation

10. Critical Thinking Includes
Creativity: The ability to find a novel or innovative solution to the problem
Hypothesis testing: A guess or prediction about the cause of a problem and test to prove or disprove the hypothesis
Metacognition: The ability to think about your own thought processes

11. Decision Making The ability to:
Select an alternative from among completing alternatives
Weigh the pros and cons of each alternative against predefined criteria
Reach a decision

12. Tools Troubleshooters Use
Communication skills
Listening skills, User’s perspective
Information resources
Personal experiences, knowledgebase, contacts
Diagnostic and repair tools
Remote Access software, Hardware, Software, Network
Problem-solving strategies
Look for an obvious fix, try to replicate the issue
Personal characteristics
Patience and Persistence

13. Communication Skills
Important skills because most troubleshooting situations require at least some communication with an end user or vendor about a problem
Types of Communication Skills
Basic listening skills
Active listening
Probes
Critical questions
Explanation and verification

14. How Troubleshooters Use Communication Skills
To get a basic description of a problem
To learn the user’s perspectives on the problem
To probe for additional information
To effectively communicate the solution back to the user

15. Basic listening Skills
Listen to the words the user chooses to describe the problem
Allow the user enough time to explain the problem
Try to obtain as accurate a description of the problem as possible
Tip: Listen for causal, If…Then statements

16. Active Listening
Active listening: the listener is as engaged in the communication process as the speaker
Compare to a passive receiver of information

17. Paraphrasing
An active listening skill in which you restate in your own words what you heard the user say
Used to resolve misunderstandings and get a clear problem description
Example
End user description: “I don’t know what happened, but the program doesn’t work.”
Support specialist paraphrase: “Let me make sure I understand. The program used to work, but now it doesn’t?”

18. Probes
Probes – Follow-up questions designed to elicit additional information about a problem
A sequence of probes often clarifies a problem situation
Example
“When your computer crashes, is it always the same program, or different ones?”

19. Critical Questions
Critical Questions – Designed to elicit important additional information from a user
Challenge assumptions a support specialist might make
Often reveal information the user wouldn’t have thought to relate

20. Five Critical Questions
What were you doing just before you first noticed the problem?
Have you ever had this problem before?
Has this system (or component) ever worked?
Is the problem repeatable?
Have you made recent hardware or software changes to your system?

21. Explanation and Verification
Explanation – A communication skill in which a support specialist describes the solution to a problem so the user understands:
Why the problem occurred
The steps required to resolve it
Verification – A communication skill in which a support specialist makes sure that a user also feels the problem has been resolved satisfactorily

22. Information Resources for Troubleshooting
Personal experience
Scripts
Knowledge bases
Professional contacts
Colleagues
Vendors
Contractors

23. Personal Experience Based on background and previous experiences
Search personal knowledge for information about the problem or related problems
Tip: Make notes after a problem is solved and organize them by symptoms, equipment type, date, etc.

24. Scripts List questions to ask and follow-up probes to ask
Sometimes in the form of a flowchart
Are arranged in a logical sequence
Cover all possible known paths to solve the problem

25. Knowledge bases
Organized collections of information, articles, procedures, tips, and previous problems with know solutions

26. Types of Knowledge bases
Vendor manuals
Often contain chapters on troubleshooting and frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Trade books
Fill vacuum for well-written information about popular hardware and software products
continued

27. Types of Knowledge bases (continued)
Online help
Manuals
Help systems
Troubleshooting wizards
CD-ROM databases
Permit keyword searches for information about a specific product or problem
Web sites
Maintained by product and service vendors
continued

28. Types of Knowledge bases (continued)
Faxback services
Automated telephone system with menu of questions and information options
Users provide a FAX number to receive responses

29. Professional Contacts and Colleagues
ListServs and Newsgroups
ListServ: An automated service that distributes messages posted to the ListServ to every member who has subscribed to the ListServ
Newsgroups: Internet discussion groups where participants with common interests in a topic post messages
Coworkers and work teams
Provide a different perspective on a problem
Give new insights into the problem

30. Vendors and Contractors
May have seen a baffling problem before and be able to offer suggestions to resolve it
Outsourcing: An agreement with a support services support provider for problem-solving assistance
for a fee
by contractual agreement

31. Escalation and Team problem solving
Escalation – Referral of a difficult or complex problem to a higher support level for resolution
Team approach
Mutual problem solving assistance
Team owns the problem, not an individual

32. Diagnostic and Repair Tools
Software utilities that help troubleshoot computer problems
Remote access utilities help support users in remote locations
Categories of diagnostic tools
Hardware – detect defective components
Software – identify configuration problems
Network – monitor for connectivity problems

33. Problem-solving Strategies
Look for an obvious fix
Try to replicate the problem
Examine the configuration
View the system as a group of subsystems
Use a module replacement strategy
Try a hypothesis-testing approach
Get back to a basic configuration

34. Look for an obvious fix Most computer problems are simple
Develop a check list of possible alternatives
Check for disconnected cables
Reboot the system

35. Try to Replicate the Problem
Try to repeat the problem
Try moving the problem to a different situation or environment – a different computer
Look for results:
The problem moves to a different situation
The problem is localized – dependent on a specific environment

36. Examine the configuration
Many problems occur because a combination of hardware and software do not work well together
Look for installation requirements and incompatibilities

37. View the System as a Group of Subsystems
A block diagram of the subsystems is sometimes helpful
Start at
Either end of a chain of events
In the middle of the chain
Trace the problem forward or backward

38. Use a Module Replacement Strategy
Module Replacement – replace a hardware or software component with one that is known to work
Swap out suspect hardware components
Reinstall software packages

39. Try a Hypothesis-Testing Approach
Formulate a guess or prediction about the cause of the problem
Based on experience
Uses critical thinking
Tip: try brainstorming with others to develop alternate hypotheses
Design an experiment (test) to see if the hypothesis is true or false

40. Get back to a Basic Configuration
Eliminate variables or factors that can make a problem complex or complicated
Remove hardware components to simplify a configuration
Disconnect a system from a network to observe its standalone operation

41. Personal Characteristics of Successful Troubleshooters
Patience and persistence
Enjoy the problem-solving process
Enjoy working with people
Ability to learn

42. What Is a Personal Problem-solving Philosophy?
Includes an understanding of the strengths a support specialist brings to each problem
Recognizes that selected tools and skills have been successful to solve past problems
Relies on information resources that have proved useful in past situations
Is improved by the metacognition process where a problem solver carefully examines his/her own thought processes