Troubleshooting Solutions( Comptia Objective 3.1) Flashcards
1
Q
What is defragmentation and how does it work when it comes to spinning hard drive disks( HDD)?
A
- Spinning hard drives often store files in fragmented pieces which become scattered over different locations on the drive over time which eventually slows down read and write speeds.
- Defragmentation then moves file fragments so that they are contiguous sharing a common border. This in turn increases read and write speeds of the drive.
** Note this is not required with SSD’s as there are no moving parts and is only required for HDD’s
- You can perform the defragmentation from the properties window of the drive or by using the command prompt using the command “defrag”
- Often the defrag process is automated and is part of a weekly schedule inside of Windows. This can be found inside of the Control Panel under Administrative Tools/ Task Scheduler.
2
Q
What is one of the most common troubleshooting tasks to start with and why is it used so often?
A
- Reboot. “ Have you tried turning it off and on again? “ There is a reason this works.
- Sometimes the problem is an issue associated with bad code such as a bug in your router software by rebooting the router you would restart the router software and get back to a known good state.
- This may also be a situation where an application is using too many resources eventually the application uses all of the resources available and the system crashes requiring a restart.
- Sometimes a bug with a piece of software that can cause something like a memory leak which will slowly eat away at all of the available RAM until it has all been used again in this scenario your best option is just to reboot which clears the RAM and starts again.
3
Q
What is another good alternative to rebooting your system in the event of a crash or slow down?
A
- Access the Task manager go the processes tab and Kill the task causing the issue. This is done by accessing the task manager/processes tab look for a task causing major CPU and Memory usage right clicking that task and selecting “ end task”
- You can speed up this process by sorting the task manager by Resources used by clicking on the heading of each column( CPU, Memory, Disk, Network etc)
- Killing the task can save you from having to restart your computer.
4
Q
What are Services and how can issues with them be troubleshooted?
A
- Services are applications that run in the background with no user interaction.
- Services can have similar issues as a normal processes or applications such as resource utilization, memory leaks crashes etc.
- In a situation where you have an issue with a service similar to an application it may need to be started, stopped, restarted etc. You can do this by accessing the Task Manager selecting the services tab, right click on the service having an issue and then choose to start, stop, restart it or open the services application to find out more details about that particular service.
5
Q
What is one common Network related issue that can cause significant slowdowns and require updating the network settings?
A
- Speed and Duplex settings.
- Usually auto negotiations work fine until they don’t. The issue is however the network adapter card driver may not show the negotiated value this information however can be found under network details in the event viewer or inside the Command line.
- Key is the devices network settings for speed and duplex must match that of the switch/router etc and both sides should be identical.
** Note you only configure speed and duplex settings for an Ethernet connection.**
6
Q
Because Windows is a big and deep operating system that is complex and can be time consuming to troubleshoot sometimes what are a few excellent options to get you back up and running again faster than troubleshooting the problem?
A
- ” Build a new haystack”
- Many organizations use prebuilt Windows images that they can simply load from and reinstall Windows quickly along with files to avoid wasting time researching issues.
- If you are a home user of Windows are are using Windows 8/8.1 or Windows 10 you have the option to “Rest this PC” this will give you a couple of different options one of which is to “keep my files” where Windows get’s installed removes all of your applications and settings but keeps your personal files or you can choose to “remove everything” which reinstalls Windows from scratch and removes everything. This setting can be found under settings/update and security/Recovery.
7
Q
If you make a change to your Windows Configuration and it creates a problem then how could you resolve this easily?
A
- You can rewind to an earlier point in time using Windows Restore Points. This essentially allows you to time travel back to a time when your configuration was working properly without erasing your work.
- This feature can be found under System Properties under the System Protection or by pressing F8 when your system is booting.
8
Q
When are Restore points automatically created in Windows if System Restore is enabled?
A
- Restore points are automatically created when applications are installed. That way if you run into an issue after installing an application you can restore to a point when that application wasn’t on the system creating problems.
- Restore points are also automatically created when drivers are installed. This is because they can break Windows the system restore allows you to go back to using the prior working driver.
9
Q
When it comes to Updating and patching what functionality is provided by Windows?
A
- Windows Update provides centralized OS and driver updates and typically updates automatically
- Windows Update provides lots of flexibility however and you can change the active hours it checks for updates and can choose to not download over slow network connections or metered connections.
- Similar to OS updates applications need to be updated and patched on a regular basis as well as security issues don’t stop at the OS. These can be downloaded from the publisher usually via the application itself or manually of the publishers website.
10
Q
If you are having an issue with an application and want to avoid uninstalling and installing again what is a good option that is sometimes available to you?
A
- Repair the application if having problems with the application files or configurations.
- Each application has it’s own repair process where you can fix missing files, replace corrupted files, fix application shortcuts, repair registry entries and update or reconfigure drivers.
- This can sometimes be accomplished inside of the Control Panel under Programs and features and then right clicking the application in the list of installed applications and selecting “ change or uninstall” you then may be given the option to repair the application. This works for Microsoft Office when it is having issues. However each application developer may have their own method for repairing apps or may not have any option at all.
11
Q
How would you go about updating the boot order of your system? And why would you want to do this?
A
- Sometimes you may wish to boot an operating system from a USB drive only to find out by default the operating system won’t be able to do this and doesn’t even try.
- This is because the BIOS inside the computer will determine which physical device will be used during the boot process and in which order.
- Inside of the BIOS somewhere you will find the boot order which states in what order the system will try to boot from what drive. E.G. first try CD-ROM next try Removable Devices(USB), then Hard drive. Every BIOS is different however and the setting location for this will vary. By modifying the order of storage devices to boot from you can tell the system to boot from your drive of preference.
- This option can be an easy one to miss and should be the first thing to check if you are unable to boot from a drive.
12
Q
How and why would you want to Disable startup services/ apps inside of Windows?
A
- it’s difficult to tell what application might be the problem child as much of the underlying OS operations are hidden from view.
- Fixing issues with these services/apps is often a matter of trial and error. You can try disabling all startup apps and services or disable one at a time until you figure which one is creating the situation.(This may take several restarts).
- You can manage startup apps and processes inside of the Task Manager under the startup tab for apps and under the services tab for servicews or via the Control Panel under Administrative Tools/ Services.
13
Q
How can Safe Mode be accessed? What are some features of Safe Mode? Why would you want to use it?
A
- In Windows 7 Press F8 on boot and select Advanced Boot Options here you will have several different options available depending on what you are trying to do.
- Safe mode boots with only the necessary drivers and settings instead of loading all of your settings and drivers this can help confirm what setting, driver etc is causing you an issue.
- Selecting “ Safe Mode” will boot your system only with the necessary drivers to get started.
- Selecting “Safe Mode with Networking” will boot the system with just the basic necessary drivers along with required drivers for network connectivity.
- Selecting Safe Mode with Command Prompt will boot your system with just the basic drivers and provide a command prompt window without access to Windows Explorer. (quick and dirty)
- Or you can select to boot into VGA mode by selecting “ Enable low-resolution video” which will help allow you to recover from a bad video installation.
- In Windows 8 you would press F8 as the system is booting and select “ Troubleshoot” then choose “Advanced Options” then select Startup Settings which will give you to the safe mode boot options, you then just select restart now and you will be given the option for safe mode.
14
Q
What issue with Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 can prevent you from being able to press F8 to select the Safe Mode Startup options? How can this be avoided?
A
- Windows Fast startup in Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 prevents a complete shutdown essentially preventing you from being able to access the BIOS splash screen where you would press F8.
- To avoid this you can hold down the shift key when clicking restart.
- Or you can go to settings/ Update and Security/ Recovery/ Advanced Startup/ Restart Now( a lot of work)
- Or by going to the system configuration(msconfig)
** Note these optons will only work if you have access to the Windows desktop, but if you are having an issue booting Windows in the first place you can try interrupting the boot process three times which will then present you with the boot option screen.
15
Q
Once into the startup options menu for Windows 10 how can you choose to boot into Safe Mode?
A
- After interrupting the boot process 3 times from the choose an option screen select the option that says “ Troubleshoot” then select “Advanced Options” and then at the button of the Advanced Options list you would select “ See more recovery options” and choose “ Startup Settings” and then choose “ Restart” this will then restart the computer and provide you with the option to boot into Safe Mode.
