Eliciting Information from the End User Regarding the Problem
Before looking at the computer to begin the troubleshooting steps, talk to the end user to elicit information regarding the problem. As the previous chapter mentioned, this can be a tricky process and should not be overlooked. Sometimes the end user can give an idea of what they might have done to cause the problem. Establish what they were doing at the time they began to experience issues. For example, find out what application they were using at the time or if they were attempting to install or uninstall a piece of hardware or software. Finding out this information first before even touching the computer will give a better idea of where to start troubleshooting the computer and what area to look at first.

As stated before, eliciting information from the end user can be a tricky process. Although it is valuable because it may determine where to start troubleshooting, note that each end user who calls for help will be different. Some end users will be easy to deal with and they will answer all the questions honestly, others will not. In a working environment, end users are for the most part limited in what they are allowed to do to their computers. The administrator will determine the level of access they are granted to their computers and some end users will not like this. Unfortunately, many of the troubleshooting calls will be as a result of an end user trying to do something they are not supposed to be doing, such as installing software or downloading files from the Internet. Obviously, if their systems were not working as a result of these actions, they would be less likely to say exactly what is wrong. Another source of difficulty is because administrators or service technicians usually have more knowledge about computers than the typical end user. For this reason, be patient with the end user and do not get frustrated or say something that makes them feel stupid. They may not know much about computers. A trivial problem that might be obvious to the administrator may be something that the end user does not understand. It is always important to be polite and courteous when eliciting information from an end user.

Reproducing the Error Symptoms
After talking to the end user to find out what they were doing and what application they were using when they began experiencing the problems, it is a good idea to start by reproducing the error symptoms. This is another reason why eliciting information from the end user about the problem is so important. It becomes necessary to reproduce the error symptoms. This is a good first approach to take because it will give an idea as to what the end user was doing when the error occurred. Reproducing the error symptoms is helpful because knowing at what point the error occurs in the process can help identify what area to begin the search for the problem. For example, the previous chapters discussed the boot process. A call from an end user states that when they boot up their computer it stops and they get an error message stating that there has been an error that is preventing their computer from booting up. In this case, reproduce the error symptoms by rebooting the computer, which will determine at what point in the boot process the computer stops.

Identifying Recent User Changes to the Software Environment
Identifying any changes that the end user has made to the software environment is another important step that can make the troubleshooting process easier and fix the problem. Many times troubleshooting calls are a result of an end user either installing or uninstalling software. Sometimes they may have deleted a critical folder or file by accident. Again, here is where eliciting information from the customer can help tremendously. The end user will be the best source of information because they use the computer and know what changes have been made.

The customer may have installed software that is incompatible with the operating system or the software they installed could have overwritten or deleted files and therefore they are experiencing problems. Sometimes an end user will uninstall some software and may accidentally delete some files that are critical to the operating system, which will lead to the operating system not functioning.