2.02 Understand basic troubleshooting of hardware and software.

2.02f The Six StepTroubleshooting Theory

2.02f The Six Step Troubleshooting Theory

  1. Place the six steps of the CompTIA troubleshooting theory in the correct order, 1-6.

Document findings and outcomes
Establish a plan of action
Establish a theory of probable cause
Identify the problem
Test the theory
Verify full system functionality
  1. Questioning the user can be difficult. It requires some knowledge or experience with the issue. Beginning technicians may need to research tips and tricks on certain issues. TechChunks lists the Top 10 Most Common Computer Errors and Their Troubleshooting Tips at After reviewing the article, create two questions that you might ask a customer who describes the symptoms as below:
  2. The computer is unable to start up.
  1. The computer screen is blank.
  1. The computer is running very slowly.
  1. Windows does not boot.
  1. The computer cannot connect to the Internet.

  1. Examine the following scenarios and determine what actions are being used during the six steps of the troubleshooting method:
  2. A customer walks into Travis's Computer Repair with complaints of a video issue. Travis questions the owner and backs up the user's critical data. Travis theorizes that the monitor is bad. Travis then tests the customer's monitor and finds that it does not work. Travis then plans to swap the bad monitor with a known good monitor. Travis connects a known good monitor to the customer’s PC and confirms that the video issue is now resolved. Travis fills out a service tag for the computer, documenting the tests performed and suggests that the customer purchase a new monitor.

STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEP 5
STEP 6
  1. A customer brings in a computer that he believes has a virus. John begins to question the customer, and the user remembers that he recently downloaded a new game. He states that after he installed the game, pop-ups began to appear. After the customer leaves, John backs up the customer’s data. John believes that the computer may be infected with malware. After checking a few forums, John decides to install an anti-malware solution. John then installs the anti-malware solution and runs the scan on the computer. After rebooting the computer, John sees no additional signs of the malware, so he schedules weekly scans using the anti-malware solution. As John completes the service ticket he documents the malware infection. John then calls the customer to pick up his computer.

STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEP 5
STEP 6