Good Computer Troubleshooter’s Guide

Good Computer Troubleshooter’s Guide

So what makes a good troubleshooter?  What steps can you do to be better?  Well the good news is troubleshooting is something that can be learned and improved upon.  Leaving prior knowledge and understanding of the basics aside for a moment let us investigate the preliminary concepts. The first thing that any good Computer  troubleshooter job  has is the ability to correctly think and focus on what they are doing.  There has been research done on audiences listening to a lecture.  They listen for a while and drift out for a while.  The same is true with thinking and paying attention to the problem at hand.  When you are approaching a problem be ready to approach it.  Really!  Ok, let us also admit that this cannot always be true.  Sometimes we are thinking about the weekend, family issues or just plain daydreaming.  Once that happens give yourself a moment, get a drink of coffee, and then refocus your energy on the problem you are trying to solve.  You have to mentally be ready. 

Think about this thought for a moment.  The last time you or somebody you know was in the hospital every notice the doctors usually schedule surgeries early in the morning?  Why, because in the morning it is cold and patients have to get up really early and they are cranky.  No, because that is when the doctor is mentally the sharpest and most focused on the task at hand.  When the doctor is doing the procedure there is no drifting between the baseball score and the procedure, all energy is focused on the task at hand.  You need to employ the same attention to detail as well. The second rule is: you rule the problem and not the other way.  You have to approach any troubleshooting issue as yours to solve.  Don’t let the complexity of the situation overwhelm you.  Hold on loosely but do not let go to the problem.  Again you will get your behind kicked from time to time and the problem will consume you.  It has to from time to time, that is the only way to get better.  When that time does arise you must walk away think about in a new way get a better grip and jump on again.  But never loose the prospective that you are the one to solve the problem.

The third rule is: be confident in your ability.  Yes, you make lack years of experience and yes you possibly do not have all of the fundamentals, ok so what.  Your job will be harder and you know what it should be.  But there is light at the end of the tunnel.  It will take time and you too will get it.  Be confident.  There is something to be said about being confident and admitting that you cannot solve the problem without help and guidance, than to doubt yourself, make poor decisions based on lack of confidence and come up with a wrong solution.  I cannot help you when it comes to over confidence and under confidence.  You must know your personality and what makes you who you are.The fourth rule is:  know your personality.  And no I do not mean know how you feel.  No.  Know your personality.  How quickly do you become frustrated with things?  Me, I personally hate computer software.  I like hardware and things I can touch and if need be through into the trash.  But computer software is my weak spot.  You mean to tell me we put the man on the moon how many years ago and we cannot build a computer that will not crash or delete entire copies of written text?  No way can’t I believe it!  Already I feel myself getting upset.  Do not let your weakness get the better of you.  Also do not let your weakness jade your decision making away from a solution because of your weakness.

Lots of things has changed over the years especially when it comes to technology.  Think about how long the TV has been around.  Year after year new TV sets come and improvements are made.  You buy a TV and place it your family room.  After a few months it starts acting up.  Noticeably right after the warranty has expired, that will never change even as technology improves.  The dilemma is you cannot possibly know everything about all things TV.  No way there are just too many things.  But it is up to you to figure out how to at the very least determine a root problem and then determine cost of repair. A few years ago another instructor told me about a TV repair shop that used the 15 minute rule.  Generally if they could not determine the problem within 15 minutes then it was not worth the time or money to solve the problem.  That is a very good philosophy to go by.  They repair owner knew that if it took longer than 15 minutes of their time to determine the problem then it would take an even longer time to fix.  That means less money for them. With the cost of replacement usually cheaper on TVs than repair if it was not simple then it was not worth pursuing. So when you get to looking at the TV and all of its new bells and whistles ask yourself this?  What is the root problem and can it be fixed cheaply.  IF you are stumped then it probably is time for a new TV.  This rule though does not work as nicely on sophisticated things that are not as easy to replace.  For most rules there are exceptions.  You need to determine which item belongs to what category, replace or fix.