Troubleshooting Flashcards
What causes frequent shutdowns?
Faulty hardware or drivers; may also be caused by power settings.
To troubleshoot: check Event Viewer to view the Kernel-Boot or Kernel-General logs. These logs will let you know if the OS is shutting down properly or from a lack of power.
If a hardware problem, reinstall the drivers before swapping out working components.
What do you do for services that aren’t starting?
Services can be stopped, started & restarted in the Services menu. Can also be viewed from Task Manager. If a service associated with an app won’t start, consider reinstalling the app.
What causes boot-up problems?
The boot-up process involves the hardware transferring control to the OS. A failure to boot means the computer is unable to load the OS.
Troubleshooting begins by collecting as much info as possible.
The Windows Recovery Environment provides this info - as well as options to allow Windows to repair itself via the Startup Repair option.
What is one thing the Windows Recovery Environment can help to diagnose?
Info on boot-up errors
Where does the OS store the data it is currently using?
On RAM
If RAM fills up, what happens?
Some of the working data is moved to the paging file. A low memory warning occurs when the page file runs out of room.
How do you configure auto-allocation of space to the page / paging file?
Control Panel
How much can the USB controller (provides power & a data path to connected devices) handle?
Most 2.0 ports can do 5 concurrent loads of 100 mA
3.0 ports can do 6 concurrent loads of 150 mA.
If the connected device draws more power than the controller can handle, the USB controller resource warning will appear.
The simples way to address this problem is to relocate USB devices to other USB ports.
What is the first thing you do for system instability?
Look for uninstalled updates / patches for the app or OS.
Check the Reliability Monitor (provides info on app crashes, as well as dates for updates & patches)
The Events Viewer in the Reliability Monitor gives info and insight into Microsoft-based apps.
“No OS Found” failure to boot
Occurs when the computer can’t locate the OS files. Either the storage devices do not contain OS files, or the boot configuration load is pointing to the wrong partition.
Slow profile load
Too many apps trying to load at startup, or insufficient hard drive space or memory
Time drift
When the real-time clock (RTC) on the motherboard begins to shift. Usually worse on an OS running a hypervisor. Time drift can cause authentication problems & invalidated certificates.
What do you do if an app or program isn’t running well?
Try rebooting the computer - try restarting the service. Services deal with both system functions & specific apps. Services can be restarted in the Computer Management MMC by selecting services.
Troubleshooting crashing applications
Critical app files may have been overwritten / corrupted. From Start Menu > Settings > Apps > Apps & Features - choose to repair or update. If that doesn’t work, reinstall.
Scaling up hardware refers to adding resources (RAM, CPUs, CPUs, SSDs, etc.)
How does ‘Repair Windows’ work?
System File Checker will only replace files that fail an integrity check - Repair Windows reinstalls all files from the source media regardless of integrity, maintaining apps and user files. Need a clean copy of Windows, typically from a flash drive or a mounted ISO.
What is the System File Checker?
scans files for integrity; replaces critical files when an OS stops functioning properly. Can be accessed through the Command Prompt using sfc.exe and can be set to evaluate all files or a specific file.
How does System Restore work?
Creates a restore point of the OS configuration. Turned off by default on Windows 10 & 11.
What is reimaging?
For extreme cases, it means uninstalling & reloading the operating systems. Windows gives options to preserve files.
Is it possible to rebuild a Windows profile?
Yep
Steps to take in case of malware infection:
Update anti-malware software
restart in Safe Mode
run a virus scan
Troubleshooting application LAUNCH failures:
try to force quit the application (maybe it’s still running)
clear the application cache (if allowed)
delete and reinstall the app if necessary
Troubleshooting app crashes / failure to close:
Try to recreate the scenario
Force quit
Clear the cache
Reinstall
What if an OS fails to update?
Reboot to clear RAM space
Ensure compatibility
Check storage space
Check network connectivity
Random device reboots
Check battery health, storage capacity, needed updates, overload of running apps, auto-restart options
Does AirDrop (Apple data transfer software) work over Bluetooh or Wi-fi?
It needs both.
What is developer mode on an Android?
A mode that allows a user to connect to a device via USB and allows increased access to device functionality. On iOS it’s called Xcode.
What is Root Access/ Jailbreak
Allows the user to act as a superuser, with access to the entire OS and device. Can flash the device & install different OSs. It is no longer connected to the manufacturer and no longer auto-updates or patches.
Jailbreaking is the term used for Apple devices.
Bootlegged applications
Premium application with digital rights management removed - often contain malicious code
