From the course: Windows 11 for IT Support: Troubleshooting Basics

Windows 11 troubleshooting best practices - Windows Tutorial

From the course: Windows 11 for IT Support: Troubleshooting Basics

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Windows 11 troubleshooting best practices

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- [Host] I wanted to begin the course by sharing with you some of my own best practices for troubleshooting Windows problems. I've been working with Windows for over 30 years, and during that time, I've come to realize that the best practices that you see on the screen are the key to solving problems with Windows. So the first best practice is to consider what may have changed recently, because if a machine has been working fine and then all of a sudden you start having problems with that machine, very often those problems are related to a recent change. So maybe there has been a configuration setting that has changed, or maybe a new application has been installed, or something has been uninstalled, whatever the most recent change was, that may very well be what led to the problems that you're experiencing. So if you can undo that change, then that may fix your problem. The second best practice is to document everything. So while you're working through the troubleshooting process, it's a good idea to write down everything that you do, because you never know when You may need to refer to those notes later on in the troubleshooting process, I couldn't tell you how many times I've run into a situation in which I've gone down the wrong road with regard to troubleshooting, and I've had to undo some changes that I've made, and having a documented list of everything that I've done makes it a whole lot easier to undo those changes. Incidentally, it's also a really good idea to create a backup before you begin any troubleshooting on a machine, because if you decide you need to undo what you've done, then being able to restore a backup is an easy way to do that. The third best practice that I want to share with you, is to make one change at a time. If you're having a problem with a machine and you're not quite sure how to fix it, it's a really bad idea to go in and make several changes just hoping that one of those changes, fixes it. Instead, make a change, test that change, and if that change doesn't work, undo the change before you make another change, that will help you to stay organized and to keep track of what actually fixes the problem. The next best practice that I want to talk about is to be careful with internet fixes. Very often you can find the solution to a problem on the internet, but having said that, there are also a lot of misleading solutions out there. Not every solution is an ideal fix for the problem that you're having. So be careful when applying fixes that you find on the internet. One last thing to keep in mind as you work through the troubleshooting process is that occasionally you may run into a situation in which there's more than one problem on a machine. So if you've got a machine that is having some sort of issue and you work through the troubleshooting process and you apply what should be the solution, but the machine is still having problems, there's always a chance that there's more than one thing that's wrong with that machine. So that's just something to keep in mind as you work through the troubleshooting process.

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