Ask Root: Diagnostic Doctor

root — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:55:00 GMT

condar

Root,
I'd like a general guide to diagnosing computer problems. Can you help me out?

Root

Are you just getting into the Geeky world of computers like my friend condar? Have you told your family yet? If you have, I'm afraid to be the barer of bad news.
My dearest young padawan, you have been forever marked.
"Marked, WTF mate?"
You are now your family tree's (as well as any trees nearby) tech support and you will forever be on call 24x7x365 with little financial opportunity.
"But I only told mom...."
I'm sorry son. You are marked.
"What does this mean?"
It means that you will come into 2 different types of problems:
Those that are annoyingly simple to fix (yes, you actually have to turn ON the monitor to see your desktop)
Those that will make you want to reformat and start from scratch... but you can't... because they didn't back up... and have lost the installation cds.
"But-But-I'm too young for number 2!"
Fear not my user, Root is here to the rescue.
Diagnosing problems is a science mixed with a little art and just a touch of luck. While nothing can ever replace experience, we can at least give you an outline that's a good base to start out with for any problem they (said family tree) can throw at you.

Hardware, Software, or Middleware?
There are two main layers to computers. The physical and the logical.
Hardware (physical) is the moving parts aspect of the computer. Typically when it's a hardware issue, you can't boot to the OS or if you can it doesn't last long (unless it's a peripheral problem).
Software (logical) is the witch. This is the application level of the computer, what's more tangible.
"What the heck is middleware?"
Drivers.
Close your eyes and mutter to yourself incoherently all you want, they aren't going away. Drivers are the pieces of code that allow communication between the hardware and software. This is a frequent problem and usually the first to get the finger pointed at. BSOD (blue screen of death) is where drivers' anger problems are usually found (but not always mind you).
The main focus of this section is figuring out which layer it is. Sometimes this can be difficult but the moment you know which it is, you can focus your complete attention on solutions that are more geared toward that layer.

Whiteboard your troubles
Ever seen an episode of House? There is a reason why they write down all the symptoms (as well as things that it isn't). Not only is documenting all the things you have done going to help you in the long run, but sometimes just putting these to paper can shed light on the real problem. "I've done this this and this, what am I missing? Oh, Brainblast!"
Why document? So when you come to tech sites like here for advise, you can easily show them exactly what you HAVE done. Knowing what something isn't is just as important as knowing the symptoms.

Google is your friend
Google is my strongest tool in my arsenal of tools. "Knowledge is power" is something you can take to heart in the computer troubleshooting world. Learn all the different queries and operators, as well utilize Google Groups (a hidden gem). Here is a great page that is a must read IMO. Believe it or not, there is only a finite amount of problems out there and 9 times out of 10 you aren't the first person to experience them.
Tip: Is the answer to your question just a login away? Did that Google Query give you a link that requires for you to be a member? Try checking the cache link next to the link. Sometimes tech sites don't block Google's cache feature.

Learn to think logically
This is probably the most important thing you could take from this post, and for some it's a difficult thing to learn (as well as to teach).
When you get a problem you have to go through, in your mind, how the application/hardware operates and test each of those parts. Divide (preferably in the middle) and conquer. Find out what it isn't and go down the list of what it could be by what it isn't.
Take for instance... A user says they can't boot up and you've narrowed it down to the hard drive. At this point you will want to figure out if it's a hardware or software problem. How would I figure that out? Check the BIOS. If it isn't logging in, then you know it's most likely to be a hardware problem (could be a BIOS / middleware issue though but less likely). Hardware devices need 2 things to operate: power and communication. Test the PSU (Power Supply Unit) and it's power connections to the hard drive. Then test the data communications to the mobo, both SATA/PATA cable and the port on the mobo. Try a different PSU and mobo if you have spares lying around, and make sure that you KNOW that the parts you are using to test are good.

Sort of seeing it now?
As I have mentioned, nothing can replace experience in this matter. Great way to gain it quickly? Scroll through other people's problems and see how some of our community member's respond. Watch how they diagnose people's problems, how they ask certain questions to narrow the problem down to a particular part or software application. You can't magically learn trouble shooting over night. It required knowledge of the product, how it works, and the 'troubleshooting-logical-brain" to go through the possibilities of what it is and isn't.

If anyone else has any tips that aren't in here, by all means post them up!

Until next time users,

root of all evil : Ask Root, Troubleshoot

Ask Root: Diagnostic Doctor