Troubleshoot:

To isolate the source of a problem and fix it. In the case of computer systems, the term troubleshoot is usually used when the problem is suspected to be hardware related. If the problem is known to be in software, the term debug is more commonly used. (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/troubleshoot.html)

This is PHO. Pho is Vietnamese beef noodle soup, but is also the acromym we will use for our troubleshooting strategy. "P" is for Physical, "H" is for hardware and "O" is for Operating System. You can use this acromyn in a hierarchy, meaning that you should check all of the Physical issues first, the Hardware issues second and the Operating System issues last. The biggest reason we use this strategy is that it works on the most general issues to the most complex issues. This is the type of troubleshooting strategy recommended by most professionals in the Information Technology field.

A. Physical:

Check all of the connections going to the computer.

1. Power: Surge protector plugged into outlet and turned on.
2. Power Cables: Power cables for both the system unit and monitor are plugged into the surge protector
3. Peripheral cables: Keyboard, mouse, monitor and ethernet cables are all connected to the system unit.
• On a PC, using PS2 connectors (round) the purple connector - Keyboard, green connector - Mouse
• Newer computers use USB connections for the mouse and keyboard. Make sure these are plugged in snug to the computer.
4. Check and re-insert any cables that appear to be loose. This is especially important for the ethernet cable, since Novell will attempt to detect ethernet connectivity as the system is booting.

B. Hardware:

1. Some devices may not be recognized if they have been unplugged and then reconnected when the computer is running. If this is the case try to rebooting the system.
2. More complex issues need to be referred to the Technology Coordinator for review and repair.

C. Operating System:

1. Applicaton Lockups: Reboot the system. About 85% of all issues with technology are corrected by rebooting the system.
2. Missing Component: Report back to the Technology Coordinator for repair.

Rebooting a PC:

• There are times that a PC locks up in such a way that the user cannot control the keyboard or mouse to shutdown or reboot the system. Here are a few ways that you can shut down a PC that is frozen or locked up.

- Using the Keyboard:

• A) Ctrl-Alt-Del: This brings up the Windows Task Manager. From this point you can navigate using the 'Tab' key to the 'Shutdown' button on the desktop.

• B) Alt+F4: Selecting the Alt+F4 keys will close the Window on the top of the desktop, or the window that currently has 'focus.' You can use the Alt+F4 keyboard to close down all of the open windows, until they are done. At that point the Alt+F4 keyboard combination will shut down the computer.

• C) Hard Boot: If either method A or B do not allow you to shut down the computer, you will be forced to 'Hard Boot' the computer. This entails pressing the power button on the front of the computer for 6-10 seconds contininously. You should be able to see the lights turn off and hear the computer stop running. After 5 seconds try to boot the computer normally.