Lesson 1 Chapter 4 - Troubleshooting

Question 1

What are the 3 basic troubleshooting steps?

Answer 1

1. Have the right tools for the job
2. Backup critical files before repair work
3. Troubleshoot according to best practices (analyze, test, complete)

Question 2

What are FRUs and what does it stand for?

Answer 2

FRU = Field Replaceable Units

Spare parts

Question 3

What are 7 good troubleshooting items to carry?

Answer 3

1. Digital multimeter
2. USB network adapter
3. RAM sticks (DDR2-4, DIMM and SO-DIMM forms)
4. PCIe video card
5. Desktop power supply
6. ESD wrap
7. Thermal paste

Question 4

What does ESD stand for?

Answer 4

Electrostatic Discharge

Question 5

In terms of maintenance and troubleshooting, what should you always make sure you do first? (2)

Answer 5

Backup critical files before troubleshooting, and make sure the computers you’re in charge of are continuously backed up

Question 6

What happens if you run into a partially functional system where you’ll have to reinstall OS but you still have access to the hard drive?

Answer 6

Backup essential information

Question 7

What are the 4 things that should be backed up?

Answer 7

1. emails
2. favorites
3. personal documents
4. anything that isn’t backed up regularly on a server

Question 8

What’s a recovery environment available on Windows called?

Answer 8

System Recovery Options

Question 9

Define the 6 best practice methodology steps for troubleshooting

Answer 9

1. Identify the problem, give an estimated time to repair
2. Establish a theory of probable cause (question the obvious)
3. Test the theory to determine the cause
4. Establish a plan of action to resolve issue and implement it
5. Verify full system functionality, implement preventative measures
6. Document findings, actions, and outcomes

Question 10

What are 5 questions you can ask the user in your initial fact-finding analysis in the first step of troubleshooting?

Answer 10

1. When did it start?
2. Is it intermittent or constant?
3. If it’s intermittent do you notice a pattern or situation of when it’s more likely to occur?
4. Have you noticed anything unusual in your work area like environmental or infrastructure changes?
5. Do you remember anything happening right before the problem started?

Question 11

How do you view system/application log files on Windows?

Answer 11

Event Viewer Utility

Question 12

What 5 questions can you ask yourself to establish a theory of probable cause to narrow down the differential diagnosis?

Answer 12

1. Is it a hardware or software issue?
2. If it’s software, is it an application issue or an OS issue?
3. Does the issue happen in only one application?
4. Does the issue happen system-wide no matter the applications running?
5. Did I check the system/application log files using the Event Viewer utility?

Question 13

What are the 2 main points in establishing a plan of action?

input, options

Answer 13

1. When you have options, need to do some critical thinking and get the end user’s input if necessary (like install new hardware or not?)
2. Let the customer know about their options (repair vs replace, cost-benefit analysis)

Question 14

How do you verify system functionality after implementing a repair/fix?

Answer 14

Don’t just walk away, make sure the user can accomplish all their main tasks and put the system through its paces

Question 15

What are the 5 things to include in troubleshooting documentation?

Answer 15

1. What is the problem
2. Summary of the solution
3. Space where work performed can be itemized
4. Hours spent resolving the issue
5. List parts that were replaced

Question 16

What are 2 questions to ask yourself when trying to identify the problem?

Answer 16

1. What can it be?
2. Do I understand the nature of the problem? Do I need more user input?