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- [Instructor] The CompTIA
A+ troubleshooting process

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can be very helpful when it comes

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to repairing computer issues.

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For example, fixing an
IP configuration problem

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or perhaps ending a process

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so that a non-responsive
application will close.

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The possibilities are endless.

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You never know what you might have to fix

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but you do know that you
will be troubleshooting

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on a regular basis.

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To do so effectively requires the use

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of a troubleshooting process.

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Let's talk about troubleshooting
methodologies now.

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Troubleshooting processes are designed

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to help you logically solve problems.

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When you troubleshoot in
a step by step fashion,

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you're more likely to
one, notice the obvious.

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The obvious problem
and the obvious answer.

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Two, understand why more
complicated problems

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will occur and three, solve any type

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of problem faster and more efficiently.

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Remember to apply a
troubleshooting process

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whenever you face a problem,
especially difficult ones.

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You should write out the
troubleshooting process,

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write out what the problem is

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and how you are attempting to fix it.

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This helps you learn how
to troubleshoot better

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but also the simple
act of writing this out

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or talking it out can help you

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to figure out the actual problem.

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Now, there are many
different troubleshooting

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methodologies out there.

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Ultimately you will need to
use the one that works best

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for you or for your organization,

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but for many technicians the CompTIA A+

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troubleshooting process works very well.

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So let's discuss that now.

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The CompTIA A+ troubleshooting
process is defined

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in the A+ objectives.

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If you haven't downloaded those yet,

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I highly recommend that you do so.

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Download them from the compTIA
website and print them out.

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You'll be referring to these often.

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The process is broken down into six steps.

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Step one, identify the problem.

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You want to question the user,
identify any user changes

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to the computer and perform
backups before you make

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any changes to the computer.

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Step two, establish a
theory of probable cause.

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And you want to question the obvious,

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start with the most likely cause.

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Step three, test the theory
to determine the cause.

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Once the theory is confirmed,
determine the next steps

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to resolve the problem.

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If the theory is not confirmed,
then you wanna reestablish

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a new theory or escalate the problem

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to someone who can help you.

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Step four, establish a plan of action

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to resolve the problem and
implement the solution.

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And again, escalate it if necessary.

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You know, you might have
to bring in another tech.

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You might have to talk to a manager,

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no one technician knows everything.

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Number five, step five is
verify full system functionality

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and if applicable, implement
preventive measures.

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So make sure you test
the system and step six,

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document findings, actions, and outcomes.

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Memorize these six steps.

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Before we go any further,

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it's very important to
always consider any corporate

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or organizational policies, procedures,

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and impacts before
implementing any changes.

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Let's go ahead and illustrate
this troubleshooting process

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as a flow chart now.

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Okay, here, we have a basic diagram

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of this six step troubleshooting process.

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We'll start from the left
and move to the right.

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First, the problem occurs.

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And the first thing you wanna
do really is open a ticket.

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Most companies, most
organizations will have some type

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of trouble ticketing software,

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or some type of paperwork
that you'll need to start.

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And so you're gonna wanna do that.

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Documentation is an ongoing
process unto itself.

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So this documentation will continue.

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This ticket will continue

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until the end of the whole process.

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But step one is identifying the problem.

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You're not actually doing anything yet.

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You want to go to the computer,
look at it, listen to it.

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You want to gather information.

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You want to identify symptoms.

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Then you want to question the user.

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You're not blaming the user.

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You're just questioning
the user to find out

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what happened to the computer,
were any changes made.

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Determine if anything has changed

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since the last time the computer worked,

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that's all part of step one.

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You're not doing anything
really to the computer

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but you're identifying
what the problem is.

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Also during step one, you
want to inquire with the user

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or users regarding any environmental

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or infrastructure changes,

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and you should also review the
system and application logs

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and any other logs that
you can get your hands on.

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It's so important to identify the problem.

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If you do it properly,
it'll save you a lot

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of time through the rest of
the troubleshooting process.

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So gather information, don't just jump

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in and start typing things

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and messing around with the computer.

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Gather information and
determine what has changed

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and find out as much as you can,

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identify that problem first.

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Step two, establish a theory.

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Well, you don't know if the theory's

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gonna be correct or not.

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You wanna establish something.

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You wanna question the obvious.

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You wanna start with the most likely,

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the most likely cause you know,

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if the computer won't turn on,

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maybe it's not plugged in.

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The most likely cause.

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Then step three, test that theory.

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If the computer isn't plugged in,

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plug it in and see if it starts.

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That will decide if the
theory is correct or not.

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If it's incorrect, if your
theory tests negative,

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then you go back to step two
and establish a new theory.

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If the theory tests
positive and it's correct

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then you move on to step four.

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Step four, establish a plan
of action and implement it.

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You know, whatever it might be.

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It could be plugging in the
computer or it could be changing

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out the power supply or
fixing the power button.

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Who knows, I don't know
what the answer's gonna be.

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You don't know what the answer's gonna be

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until you test that theory.

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So once you figure that out,

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you want to establish the plan of action.

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Whatever that is, fix it,
implement that solution.

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That brings us to step five

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where you verify system functionality.

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This is the second most important thing

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on the list here in my opinion.

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You gotta test, test everything you do.

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I don't care if it's an
installation, a configuration,

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a troubleshooting, a problem, whatever.

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You gotta test it.

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Otherwise you could be
caught with egg on your face.

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You don't want that.

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So you gotta test.

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But in addition to that,

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you want to implement preventive measures.

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Why was the computer unplugged?

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Who knows?

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Maybe the power cable
needs to be rerouted.

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Maybe the cleaning crew disconnected it

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and you wanna fix the problem.

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Make sure it doesn't happen again also

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and then train users as necessary.

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Perhaps the user needs to be trained

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on how the computer works.

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A little bit more
information for the user can

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go a long way to you not having to respond

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to the same problem again.

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And once you've done
that step six, document.

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Again, you should have been doing this

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through the whole process

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but at this point you wanna
summarize your documentation.

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You wanna make sure
that you are explaining

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what the problem was,
maybe how you tested it,

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what plan you established,

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and how you fixed the problem
and that it was tested

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and have everybody sign
off on it as necessary.

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It could be you, could be the user

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that was having the problem,

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could be your manager, could
be a combination of all those.

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So document everything.

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And then the problem is solved

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and you can close the ticket
once everybody is signed off.

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So that in a nutshell
is a little flow chart

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of the six step troubleshooting process.

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You can write it out this way

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or you could just write it
out on paper step by step.

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However you wanna do it.

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The best thing to do
is to try to visualize

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what you're fixing and writing it out

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helps you to visualize.

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It gets some of that
stuff out of your head

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and onto paper and clear
some space for your brain

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to do more of the
troubleshooting instead of having

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to visualize everything
in addition to that.

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So definitely go with the
troubleshooting process,

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use it to your advantage

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and it'll help you fix problems faster,

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more efficiently, and be a
better troubleshooter in general.

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Remember, memorize this six step process

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and that's the end of this video.