Troubleshooting Computer Problems
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology
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*What Is Troubleshooting?
The process of defining, diagnosing, and solving
computer problems
Uses several thinking and communications skills,
information resources, strategies, and methods
An iterative process
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*Thinking Skills Used in
Troubleshooting
1. Problem solving
2. Critical thinking
3. Decision making
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology
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Problem Solving
An activity where there is a current state X and a
goal state Y and alternative paths to get from X
to Y
Objective is to get from X to Y quickly,
accurately, effectively, or efficiently
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A Problem-solving Model
State X: Current State
State Y: Goal State
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Critical Thinking
Cognitive skills used to:
– Analyze a problem
– Search for underlying logic or rationale
– Find alternative ways to explain an event or situation
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Critical Thinking
Includes
– Creativity: The ability to find a novel or innovative
solution to the problem
– The ability to design and test hypotheses
– Metacognition: The ability to think about your own
thought processes
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Decision Making
The ability to:
– Define effective alternatives
– Weigh the pros and cons of each alternative against
predefined criteria
– Reach a decision
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Tools Troubleshooters Use
1.
2.
3.
4.
Communication skills
Information resources
Problem-solving strategies
Personal characteristics
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Communication Skills
An important tool because most troubleshooting
situations require at least some communication
with an end user about a problem
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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
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* Types of Communication Skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Listening skills
Paraphrasing
Critical questions
Probes
Explanation
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology
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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
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Paraphrasing
An active listening skill in which you restate in your own
words what you heard the user say about the problem
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: “So, the program used to
work, but now it doesn’t?”
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Critical Questions
Elicit important information from the user
Challenge assumptions a support specialist might make
Often reveal information the user wouldn’t have thought
to relate
Examples
– “What were you doing just before you first noticed the
problem?”
– “Have you ever had this problem before?”
– “Is the problem repeatable?”
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology
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Probes
Follow-up questions designed to elicit additional
information about a problem
A sequence of probes often clarifies a problem
situation
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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
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Information Resources
Personal experience
Scripts
Knowledgebases
Colleagues
Vendors and contractors
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Personal Experience
Based on background and previous experiences
Search personal knowledge for information
about the problem or related problems
Suggestion: Make notes after a problem is
solved and organize them by symptoms,
equipment type, etc.
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Scripts
List questions to ask and follow-up probes to ask
Are arranged in a logical sequence
Cover all possible known paths to solve the
problem
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Knowledgebases
Organized collections of facts, information,
articles, procedures, tips, and prior problem
solutions
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Types of Knowledgebases
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
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Types of Knowledgebases
Online help
– Available with most software products
CD-ROM databases
– Permit searching for information about a specific
product or problem
Faxback services
– Offered by some hardware and software vendors
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continued
Types of Knowledgebases
Internet Web sites
– Maintained by product and service vendors
ListServs and Newsgroups
– ListServ: An automated e-mail service that
distributes e-mail 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 in a bulletin board atmosphere
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Colleagues
Provide a different perspective
Give new insights into the problem
Escalation: Referral of a difficult or complex
problem to a higher support level for resolution
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Vendors and Contractors
May have seen a baffling problem before and be
able to offer suggestions to resolve it
Outsourcing: An agreement with a computer
services support organization to provide
problem-solving assistance for a fee or by
contractual agreement
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* Problem-solving Strategies
1. Look for a quick, obvious fix
– For example ; if a monitor doesn’t work, check the cable
connection first
2. Try to replicate the problem yourself
– Is a process of trying to repeat a problem in a different
situation or environment
– Example; test the Application at another computer with the
same configuration if it gives the same error message
3. Examine the configuration
Some problem may occurs due to incompatible combination
of hardware and software
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Problem-solving Strategies
4. View the system as a group of subsystems
– Divide the computer to a different parts to check the interconnection
where the real problem is
5. Use a module replacement strategy
– Try to replace the hardware/software component to check either its
working or not
– Example; test the CDROM at another computer if it can work
6. Try a hypothesis testing approach
– Test for hypothesis to check the cause of the problem
– For example : if wrong username or password, user cannot login
7. Restore to a basic configuration
– Restore back to basic to eliminate any interaction problem between
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hardware and software
Personal Characteristics
Patience and persistence
Enjoy the problem-solving process
Enjoy working with people
Ability to learn
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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
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