[Music] what's up everybody this is Tech G back with another video to help you successfully pass the CompTIA Tech Plus certification exams so let's get into it so in this video we're going to be talking about the troubleshooting methodology which is a systematic approach to resolving technical problems in Computing so whether you're fixing a broken application a malfunctioning device or a network con activity issue following a structured troubleshooting process is key to identifying the root cause and finding the right solution also the CompTIA Tech Plus exam outlines a six-step methodology that will be our Focus for this lesson so let's break down each step providing examples and tips to ensure you are fully prepared all right so the first step in the troubleshooting methodology is to identify the problem so before diving into Solutions you need to understand what is going wrong so here's how you can do that first thing you can do is ask the user questions if you're troubleshooting for someone else you want to gather as much information as possible ask questions like when did the problem start or what were you doing when the issue occurred next you want to observe the symptoms so you want to look at the error messages behaviors or notifications being displayed so for example if a user's computer won't start does it show any lights sounds or error codes then you want to replicate the issue so if possible will try to reproduce the issue to better understand it now during this step you should also establish a theory of probable cause this means developing ideas about what might be wrong you want to start with the simplest possibilities before considering more complex issues so for instance if a computer won't power on first check the power cable before assuming a hardware failure all right so once you've identified the problem it's time to establish a theory of probable cause in other words based on the information you've gathered develop a logical explanation for what might be causing the issue and here are some tips to help you do that you want to start with the simple stuff so think about common causes like loose cables faulty software updates or recent changes to the system do you want to narrow down the possibilities if you have multiple theories you want to test the simplest or most likely one first so for example if a printer isn't working check whether it's turned on and connected before diving into more technical problems like driver issues now it's important to stay systematic in your thinking the idea here is to develop a clear path to potential causes without jumping to conclusions too quickly now that you have a theory the next step is to test the theory to determine the cause and this is where Hands-On testing begins to confirm or refute your hypothesis so for example if you suspect the faulty network cable is causing connectivity issues try replacing it to see if the problem is resolved if you believe a software issue is to blame try running an update or reinstalling the application to test whether that resolves the problem if your theory is confirmed then move on to the next step however if the theory is not confirmed go back to step two to establish a new Theory and test it again this iterative process is crucial to zeroing in on the correct solution after you've determined the cause it's time to establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution and here's how you do it you need to plan the fix once you know what's wrong you need to decide how to fix it make sure your plan is clear specific and considers any potential impacts on the system or users then you want to communicate with the users if the troubleshooting affects others let them know what you plan to do this is especially important in a business environment where downtime can impact productivity do want to backup any critical data so before implementing a solution Ure that any critical data is backed up and this is particularly important if the fix involves reinstalling software or making changes that could risk data loss so for instance if you identify that a computer's hard drive is failing your plan might involve backing up the data and replacing the hard drive with the new one implement the solution carefully and ensure that the problem is resolve before moving to the next step so once you've implemented the solution it's essential to verify full system functionality you want to make sure everything is working as expected and not just the part that you fixed addition Ally Implement any preventative measures to ensure that the problem does not reoccur so here's how to verify functionality you want to test thoroughly so make sure that the issue is fully resolved by testing it in multiple scenarios so for example if you fix the printer issue try printing from different devices and applications to confirm everything is working then you want to implement preventative measures if the problem was caused by a specific action take steps to prevent it from happening again so for instance if a software issue was due to a lack of updates ensure automatic updates are enabled moving forward now the goal is to ensure not only that the immediate problem is solved but also that the user can continue to use the system without running into similar issues all right so the final step is to document your findings actions and outcomes documentation is a critical part of the troubleshooting process as it helps others understand what was done and why it also provides a valuable reference in case the issue arises again so here's what you can include in your documentation the first thing you want to include is a description of the problem so you want to State what the symptoms that you observe and how was the problem identified then you want to list the theory and the cause so what theories were tested and what was determined to be the cause of the issue you also want to list any solutions that were implemented so detail the plan of action that you took to resolve the problem you also want to State any verification and preventive measures so confirm that the solution worked and note any preventative measures implemented and you want to list the outcomes explain the final outcome including any Lessons Learned or further recommendations ultimately effective documentation can save time and effort in future troubleshooting scenarios and improve communication within teams all right so let's summarize the six steps of the troubleshooting methodology step one you want to identify the problem so gather information observe symptoms and then establish a theory step two you want to establish a theory of probable cause develop and refine your theory based on what might be wrong step three you want to test the theory to determine the cause so test your theory to confirm or rule out potential causes step four you want to establish a plan of action and Implement these solution so plan and carry out the fix ensuring data safety and user communication step five you want to verify system functionality and Implement preventative measures so test thoroughly to confirm resolution and take steps to prevent reoccurring and then step six you want to document findings actions and outcomes so you want to record everything to provide a clear record of the issue and resolution by following this methodical approach you'll be able to tackle a wide range of technical issues effectively whether they involve Hardware software or network problems all right so now it's time for our favorite part of the video this is the check on learning section so question one which of the following is the first step in a structured troubleshooting method ology is it establishing a theory of probable cause identifying the problem establishing a plan of action to resolve the problem or documenting findings actions and outcomes the correct answer is identifying the problem so the first step in troubleshooting is always to identify the problem this includes gathering information questioning users and understanding the symptoms to form a clear problem statement before proceeding to other steps like establishing a theory or testing solution next question after identifying the problem what is the next step in the troubleshooting methodology is it test the theory to determine the cause establish a plan of action to resolve the problem Implement a solution or establish a theory of probable cause all right so the correct answer would be establish a theory of probable cause so once the problem has been identified the next step is to establish a theory about what could be causing the issue this helps in narrowing down possible CA es before testing and resolving the problem and our final question is what should you do after you have successfully implemented a solution to the problem should you close the ticket immediately should you verify full system functionality and Implement preventative measures should you document findings and outcomes then walk away or should you move on to the next problem without verifying and of course the answer is you want to verify full system functionality and Implement preventative measures so after implementing a solution it is important to ensure that the issue is fully resolved and that the system is functioning as expected additionally implementing preventive measures can help ensure the issue does not reoccur in the future and this is crucial to confirm the effectiveness of your solution before documenting the process