Microsoft Windows Troubleshooting Guide
- Introduction
- Malware Removal
- Fixing Networking Problems
- Repairing a System that Won't Boot
- Optimizing Windows
Introduction
Between January and October 2009 I worked for a Computer Networking Service Company that provided networking support for area businesses. This opportunity gave me the chance to get re-acquainted to troubleshooting Microsoft Windows problems. This was a very fast paced job and I joke that it was basically "crisis management" instead of a computer tech job. In order for me to retain the information I learned and to allow others to benefit from my experience, I decided to write this small troubleshooting guide.
As you read this guide, you must keep in mind that nothing is a "silver bullet" that fixes all Windows problems. You must realize that sometimes applying a few of these tips may fix your problems or doing all of these tips may not help your situation. Use this guide as a reference and not a foolproof way to fix Windows problems. Also keep in mind that I am not responsible for any damage that you may cause while following this guide, so don't sue me for your own actions.
Getting Windows to a Stable Environment
As you troubleshoot your Windows problems, you may encounter that the Operating System may be unstable to perform these actions, especially when dealing with Malware problems. The easiest way to combat this is to boot Windows into Safe Mode, which is a diagnostic mode that does not load any advanced drivers or any startup programs. In order to get into safe mode, you must press F8 while Windows starts to boot. Sometimes this is easier said than done and I recommend that you simply turn the computer on and repeatedly tap the F8 Key until you get the following screen.
Windows Advanced Options Boot Screen
Using this menu, you can control how Windows will boot up. For most problems, you should select either "Safe Mode" or "Safe Mode with Networking".
For troubleshooting purposes, the ones you may want to try are "Last Known Good Configuration", "Enable Boot Logging" and "Disable automatic restart on system failure". The first option may give you a really quick fix if you are simply having registry problems, while the later 2 will give you more information on the problem(s) your system may be having.
Note: the location of the boot log is at C:\Windows\ntbtlog.txt
Working with Windows in "Safe Mode"
If for any reason you just cannot get into safe mode using F8, for instance your Keyboard doesn't register outside of Windows, you can always set Windows to boot into safe mode by running the msconfig command, going to the boot.ini tab and selecting /SAFEBOOT and hitting OK. Just remember to remove the /SAFEBOOT option in safe mode using msconfig, otherwise you will always boot into safemode.
Using MSConfig to boot into Safemode
If Windows refuses to even boot into Safe Mode, you may have a very serious problem and should jump directly to the section titled Repairing a System that Won't Boot, which covers how to use various boot CDs to fix common problems.
