It also helps to start from a known good state, the best example being a computer reboot. Such systems are less amenable to "bisection" troubleshooting techniques. More complex systems contain cyclical dependencies or interactions ( feedback loops). Simple and intermediate systems are characterized by lists or trees of dependencies among their components or subsystems. However, this process of "serial substitution" can be considered degenerate when components are substituted without regard to a hypothesis concerning how their failure could result in the symptoms being diagnosed. In other words, to fully understand the way the system is supposed to work, so you can "spot" the error when it happens.Ī troubleshooter could check each component in a system one by one, substituting known good components for each potentially suspect one. Third basic principle in troubleshooting is to "know what you are looking for. Second basic principle in troubleshooting is to reduce the "system" to its simplest form that still show the problem. The first basic principle in troubleshooting is to be able to reproduce the problem, at wish. Some failures are part of the normal wear-and-tear of components in a system. The same principle applies to most other electronic devices and similar principles apply to mechanical devices.
ZOOMTEXT 11 TROUBLESHOOTING CRACK
Light bulbs "burn out" more or less at random eventually the repeated heating and cooling of its filament, and fluctuations in the power supplied to it cause the filament to crack or vaporize. It is useful to consider the common experiences we have with light bulbs. The failure could have been a matter of coincidence.) Therefore, troubleshooting demands critical thinking rather than magical thinking. (For example, the failure of a device shortly after it has been plugged into a different outlet doesn't necessarily mean that the events were related. However, there is a well known principle that correlation does not imply causality. (For example, a printer that "was working when it was plugged in over there"). So the initial focus is often on recent changes to the system or to the environment in which it exists. Usually troubleshooting is applied to something that has suddenly stopped working, since its previously working state forms the expectations about its continued behavior. Preventive action is possible using failure mode and effects (FMEA) and fault tree analysis (FTA) before full-scale production, and these methods can also be used for failure analysis. Corrective action can then be taken to prevent further failure of a similar kind. The methods of forensic engineering are useful in tracing problems in products or processes, and a wide range of analytical techniques are available to determine the cause or causes of specific failures. Corrective action can then be taken to prevent further failures of a similar kind. Frequently the symptom is a failure of the product or process to produce any results. Troubleshooting is the process of isolating the specific cause or causes of the symptom. Any unexpected or undesirable behavior is a symptom.
(For example, selecting the "print" option from various computer applications is intended to result in a hardcopy emerging from some specific device). Events or inputs to the system are expected to generate specific results or outputs. The problem is initially described as symptoms of malfunction, and troubleshooting is the process of determining and remedying the causes of these symptoms.Ī system can be described in terms of its expected, desired or intended behavior (usually, for artificial systems, its purpose). In general, troubleshooting is the identification or diagnosis of "trouble" in the management flow of a system caused by a failure of some kind. Finally, troubleshooting requires confirmation that the solution restores the product or process to its working state.
Determining the most likely cause is a process of elimination-eliminating potential causes of a problem. Troubleshooting is needed to identify the symptoms. It is a logical, systematic search for the source of a problem in order to solve it, and make the product or process operational again.
Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving, often applied to repair failed products or processes on a machine or a system. JSTOR ( June 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.