1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,833 In this lesson, 2 00:00:00,833 --> 00:00:02,190 we're going to talk about step six 3 00:00:02,190 --> 00:00:03,690 of the troubleshooting methodology, 4 00:00:03,690 --> 00:00:05,939 which is verifying system functionality. 5 00:00:05,939 --> 00:00:09,030 Now, CompTIA labels this as verify full system functionality 6 00:00:09,030 --> 00:00:12,330 and if applicable, implement preventative measures. 7 00:00:12,330 --> 00:00:13,980 Now, when it comes to doing step six, 8 00:00:13,980 --> 00:00:14,940 our goal here is to make sure 9 00:00:14,940 --> 00:00:16,980 that we actually solve the problem. 10 00:00:16,980 --> 00:00:19,350 Back in step one, we identified the problem. 11 00:00:19,350 --> 00:00:21,900 In step two, we established a theory of probable cause 12 00:00:21,900 --> 00:00:23,460 by questioning the obvious. 13 00:00:23,460 --> 00:00:26,520 In step three, we tested the theory to determine the cause, 14 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:27,750 and once we confirmed that theory, 15 00:00:27,750 --> 00:00:29,040 we moved into step four 16 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:31,800 of establishing a plan of action to resolve the problem. 17 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:33,360 Then we moved into step five, 18 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:35,010 which is to implement our solution, 19 00:00:35,010 --> 00:00:36,960 and now that we finished implementing that solution, 20 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,960 we're in step six, verifying full system functionality, 21 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:42,960 and if applicable, implement preventative measures. 22 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:44,670 So what does that mean? 23 00:00:44,670 --> 00:00:47,520 Well, we just did some kind of a change to our system. 24 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:49,140 We replaced the power supply, 25 00:00:49,140 --> 00:00:50,640 we upgraded a piece of software, 26 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:52,290 we changed the configuration. 27 00:00:52,290 --> 00:00:55,050 Whatever it was, we did it based on our plan of action 28 00:00:55,050 --> 00:00:56,820 and we've implemented that solution, 29 00:00:56,820 --> 00:00:58,200 but now we want to make sure 30 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,450 this actually solved the root cause. 31 00:01:00,450 --> 00:01:02,730 We want to make sure that whatever component we put in 32 00:01:02,730 --> 00:01:04,440 is now operating properly. 33 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:06,660 Let's say that I just replaced the power supply. 34 00:01:06,660 --> 00:01:08,940 If I did that, I want to make sure the system 35 00:01:08,940 --> 00:01:10,830 is now getting good clean power 36 00:01:10,830 --> 00:01:15,480 at 12, five, and 3.3 volts DC, like it's supposed to. 37 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,030 Also, I want to check the system as a whole 38 00:01:18,030 --> 00:01:21,000 and make sure it's functioning properly and normally. 39 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:22,410 For example, if I went in 40 00:01:22,410 --> 00:01:25,260 and replaced a piece of memory, such as a RAM module, 41 00:01:25,260 --> 00:01:26,670 and I now have replaced that 42 00:01:26,670 --> 00:01:28,290 and I turn the system back on, 43 00:01:28,290 --> 00:01:31,170 I want to make sure the system recognizes that RAM module, 44 00:01:31,170 --> 00:01:32,640 and in addition to that, 45 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:33,600 the operating system 46 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:35,880 is now working more efficiently like it should 47 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,010 because I put in additional memory. 48 00:01:38,010 --> 00:01:39,330 All of these are things that you're going to do 49 00:01:39,330 --> 00:01:41,940 as part of verifying system functionality. 50 00:01:41,940 --> 00:01:43,590 Always make sure that you first check 51 00:01:43,590 --> 00:01:45,270 that the problem that was originally reported 52 00:01:45,270 --> 00:01:46,500 has been solved, 53 00:01:46,500 --> 00:01:49,140 but also you want to inspect the other components 54 00:01:49,140 --> 00:01:51,810 to make sure nothing else is damaged or broken 55 00:01:51,810 --> 00:01:53,100 or got disconnected 56 00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:55,410 while you were working inside of that system. 57 00:01:55,410 --> 00:01:57,570 For example, often when you're putting in 58 00:01:57,570 --> 00:01:59,970 a new piece of hardware inside of the case, 59 00:01:59,970 --> 00:02:03,300 you can accidentally unplug one of the power cables, 60 00:02:03,300 --> 00:02:05,400 the fan cables, the data cables, 61 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,009 or one of the LED indicator cables. 62 00:02:08,009 --> 00:02:09,389 All of these can be problems 63 00:02:09,389 --> 00:02:11,430 that you didn't even realize were happening, 64 00:02:11,430 --> 00:02:14,010 but by verifying full system functionality, 65 00:02:14,010 --> 00:02:15,930 you'll identify those and fix those 66 00:02:15,930 --> 00:02:18,210 before you leave that customer's area. 67 00:02:18,210 --> 00:02:19,440 Another thing to look at 68 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:21,960 is making sure that anything you've disabled or uninstalled 69 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,510 has actually been disabled or uninstalled. 70 00:02:24,510 --> 00:02:25,980 There's a lot of pieces of software, 71 00:02:25,980 --> 00:02:27,930 such as services that you may disable 72 00:02:27,930 --> 00:02:29,580 as part of your troubleshooting process, 73 00:02:29,580 --> 00:02:30,960 and when you reboot the computer, 74 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:32,910 they may enable themself again, 75 00:02:32,910 --> 00:02:35,880 so you want to verify they are fully disabled and turned off 76 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:37,410 and they will not restart themself 77 00:02:37,410 --> 00:02:39,270 after you reboot the computer. 78 00:02:39,270 --> 00:02:40,410 Another thing to look at 79 00:02:40,410 --> 00:02:42,480 is all of your logs and diagnostic tools 80 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,180 to confirm that everything is working the way it should, 81 00:02:45,180 --> 00:02:47,430 and while you're there, you should check to make sure 82 00:02:47,430 --> 00:02:49,110 that all the software and device drivers 83 00:02:49,110 --> 00:02:50,100 have been properly updated 84 00:02:50,100 --> 00:02:52,590 to include the latest software and security fixes 85 00:02:52,590 --> 00:02:55,320 to make sure there's no other problems down the road. 86 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,290 Remember, when you're verifying full system functionality, 87 00:02:58,290 --> 00:02:59,940 it's about making the system works 88 00:02:59,940 --> 00:03:02,610 as good as it did before the problem started, 89 00:03:02,610 --> 00:03:04,380 or even better. 90 00:03:04,380 --> 00:03:07,140 Now, in addition to verifying full system functionality, 91 00:03:07,140 --> 00:03:09,600 you'll also want to implement preventative measures. 92 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:11,970 Now, this is really important when you have an issue, 93 00:03:11,970 --> 00:03:13,890 especially with malware. 94 00:03:13,890 --> 00:03:16,350 Oftentimes computers get infected with malware 95 00:03:16,350 --> 00:03:19,860 because end users are doing things in an insecure manner. 96 00:03:19,860 --> 00:03:22,440 As a technician, it is your job to make sure 97 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:24,870 that people don't cause harm to your systems, 98 00:03:24,870 --> 00:03:26,760 and if they're doing things incorrectly, 99 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:28,500 they are bringing harm to your systems. 100 00:03:28,500 --> 00:03:30,180 So take a few moments 101 00:03:30,180 --> 00:03:33,030 and teach that person the right way of doing things. 102 00:03:33,030 --> 00:03:34,260 If they're visiting websites 103 00:03:34,260 --> 00:03:36,360 and downloading random software off the internet 104 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:37,290 and running it, 105 00:03:37,290 --> 00:03:39,990 you might want to tell 'em that's not a real good idea. 106 00:03:39,990 --> 00:03:41,940 Instead, they should only be downloading things 107 00:03:41,940 --> 00:03:43,200 from trusted websites, 108 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,000 or in a lot of organizations, 109 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,460 they shouldn't be downloading anything at all. 110 00:03:47,460 --> 00:03:49,800 This again depends on your acceptable use policy 111 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:51,930 and the organization's other corporate policies 112 00:03:51,930 --> 00:03:53,490 for their end users. 113 00:03:53,490 --> 00:03:55,740 Additional areas to look at for preventative measures 114 00:03:55,740 --> 00:03:58,350 might be if people are damaging the equipment. 115 00:03:58,350 --> 00:03:59,880 For example, I've had people 116 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:01,800 who spill coffee on their keyboards, 117 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,170 so one of the preventative measures that we've installed 118 00:04:04,170 --> 00:04:06,210 was that you cannot drink coffee at your desk 119 00:04:06,210 --> 00:04:07,350 unless it's in a cup 120 00:04:07,350 --> 00:04:09,780 that has a lid on it that can be closed, 121 00:04:09,780 --> 00:04:10,920 and ever since we've done that, 122 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:11,790 we haven't had an issue 123 00:04:11,790 --> 00:04:13,710 with drinks being spilled onto keyboards, 124 00:04:13,710 --> 00:04:16,079 and this makes it so that we don't have to replace keyboards 125 00:04:16,079 --> 00:04:17,040 nearly as often, 126 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:19,170 and this also minimized the amount of trouble tickets 127 00:04:19,170 --> 00:04:20,790 that we got to our service desk 128 00:04:20,790 --> 00:04:23,220 for keyboards not responding properly. 129 00:04:23,220 --> 00:04:24,720 These are the kind of things you can look at 130 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,000 when you're looking at implementing preventative measures. 131 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,610 Now, in some cases, you're not going to have the authority 132 00:04:29,610 --> 00:04:31,770 to create a new preventative measure. 133 00:04:31,770 --> 00:04:33,690 For instance, if you work in an organization 134 00:04:33,690 --> 00:04:35,010 with 10,000 people, 135 00:04:35,010 --> 00:04:36,360 you're not going to be the one who's going to be able 136 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,540 to make the rule on coffee cups having to have a lid. 137 00:04:39,540 --> 00:04:41,700 But if you notice something is an ongoing problem, 138 00:04:41,700 --> 00:04:43,320 you can bring this up to your management 139 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:44,520 and they can then institute it 140 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,190 as part of your corporate policies across the board, 141 00:04:47,190 --> 00:04:48,540 and this will stop this same issue 142 00:04:48,540 --> 00:04:51,000 from recurring over and over again. 143 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:52,890 So keep in mind your goal 144 00:04:52,890 --> 00:04:55,020 is to verify full system functionality 145 00:04:55,020 --> 00:04:57,150 and prevent future issues 146 00:04:57,150 --> 00:04:59,050 by implementing preventative measures.