Basic IT Troubleshooting Techniques

Explore IT troubleshooting principles through a car breakdown scenario. Identify different problem-solving approaches and their effectiveness.

“The IT technician just laughs, 'You're both wrong. What we need to do is push the car back up the hill, roll the car back down the hill and see if it happens again.'”

Learn why replicating a problem is crucial before attempting a fix. Understand the 'turn it off and on again' approach.

“If you turn it off and on again and the problem goes away there is nothing to solve.”

Focus on the principle that most problems have a single root cause. Develop a logical approach to isolate and fix the cause.

“In computers generally there is only one thing causing the problem and it is a matter of treating it like a logical problem to find out what it is find the cause fix it or replace it and the problem goes away.”

Learn to recognize and interpret symptoms to identify underlying causes. Understand that symptoms can be misleading.

“The thing to consider when fixing problems like these is the consequences.”

Learn why replacing a computer can be a faster and more efficient solution than fixing it in certain scenarios.

“The clock is essentially ticking if it starts taking too long replace the computer why because the consequences are lost productivity the longer it takes to fix therefore the fastest fix is often to replace the whole computer.”

Learn to identify and address potential problems before they impact the business. Focus on preventative measures.

“This is a good example of how you can sometimes proactively fix something before it starts impacting the business.”

Troubleshoot a user's inability to access a cloud-based application by systematically eliminating potential causes.

“First let's make sure that we can access the local network the problem could be as simple as a network cable being unplugged or a network device failing.”

Understand that there is no single 'right' way to use the process of elimination. Adapt your approach based on the situation.

“There is no right or wrong answer in fact you could start in the middle by checking the internet first.”

Learn the importance of reporting problems and following established procedures for escalation within an organization.

“Users in your organization will report a problem to your help desk.”

Learn how to use workarounds to bypass problems and maintain functionality when a permanent fix is not immediately available.

“A workaround is essentially something that is used to avoid a problem but not actually fix it.”