Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional Resource Kit

Author Microsoft Corporation Pages 1792 Disk 1 Companion CD(s) Level Int/Adv Published 02/02/2000 ISBN 9781572318083 ISBN-10 1-57231-808-2 Price(USD) $69.99 To see this book's discounted price, select a reseller below.	More Information About the Book Table of Contents Sample Chapter Index Related Series Related Books About the Author Support: Book & CD Rate this book

Chapter 31: Troubleshooting Tools and Strategies

• Quick Guide to Troubleshooting
• General Troubleshooting Strategy
• Analyzing Symptoms
• Checking for Common Issues
• Isolating the Source of the Problem
• Defining an Action Plan
• Checking Technical Support Resources
• Startup and Recovery Tools
• Safe Mode
• Recovery Console
• Emergency Repair Process
• Maintenance and Update Tools
• Chkdsk
• Disk Defragmenter
• AVBoot
• Windows Update
• System File and Driver Tools
• System File Checker
• Driver Verifier
• Driver Signing
• Drivers
• Applications Tools
• System Information
• DirectX Diagnostic Tool
• Registry Editors
• Networking Tools
• NetDiag
• IPConfig
• NBTStat
• PathPing
• IP Security Monitor
• Troubleshooting Procedures
• Using the Hardware Compatibility List
• Checking Hardware for Problems
• Troubleshooting Problems with System Startup and Shutdown
• Using Windows File Protection
• Device Driver Problems
• Saving Output from Troubleshooting Tools
• Disaster Recovery

Troubleshooting computer problems can be a complex and arduous task. Microsoft® Windows® 2000 provides tools with which the user can resolve problems that might occur. This chapter details the most important troubleshooting tools, as well as troubleshooting strategies and procedures for some common problems.

Related Information in the Resource Kit

• For more information about troubleshooting problems during Windows 2000 Setup and installation, see "Setup and Startup" in this book.
• For more information about troubleshooting disk problems and recovering from viruses, see "Disk Concepts and Troubleshooting" in this book.
• For more information about troubleshooting Stop errors, see "Windows 2000 Stop Messages" in this book.

Quick Guide to Troubleshooting

This chapter provides information about troubleshooting some of the more commonly encountered problems with using Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional, as well as tools that you can use to diagnose and treat problems. In addition, many chapters in this book discuss troubleshooting specific types of problems. Use this guide to determine where to find the information you need to maintain and troubleshoot your system.

You are having problems with your computer and don't know the cause.

Follow general troubleshooting procedures to isolate and repair the problem. Collect data along the way, in case you need to contact support personnel.

• See "General Troubleshooting Strategy" in this chapter.

Your computer does not start.

Startup problems can be caused by a variety of factors, such as viruses, disk corruption, or missing startup files. Some startup problems can be easily resolved; others might require that you perform emergency repair procedures or recovery operations.

• See "Startup and Recovery Tools" in this chapter.
• See "Troubleshooting Problems with System Startup and Shutdown" in this chapter.
• See "Disaster Recovery" in this chapter.
• See "Setup and Startup" in this book.
• See "Disk Concepts and Troubleshooting" in this book.

Your system experiences a failure and displays a "blue screen" error.

Stop errors, also referred to as "blue screens," are kernel-level errors. The Stop message provides information about the problem that caused the error and can be used by support personnel to fix the problem.

• See "Windows 2000 Stop Messages" in this book.

Your computer has been infected with a virus.

Viruses can infect the MBR or boot sector and cause problems such as preventing the system from starting up successfully. You can use tools to scan your computer for viruses and remove any that are found.

• See "Maintenance and Update tools" in this chapter.
• See "Disk Concepts and Troubleshooting" in this book.

You cannot connect to the Internet or local network.

If you are connecting to the Internet through a modem, check your hardware and dial-up configuration. If you are connected to the Internet or an intranet through a local area network (LAN), check that the server and client are correctly configured and working properly. Make sure that you have permission or a user account to access the network.

• See "Networking Tools" in this chapter.
• See "Using the Hardware Compatibility List" in this chapter.
• See "Telephony and Conferencing" in this book.
• See "Local and Remote Network Connections" in this book.

Your network connection is slow or unreliable.

Slow or unreliable connections can have a wide range of causes, such as problems on the remote server, with the line you are using to access the network, or with the connection hardware or software you are using.

• See "Networking Tools" in this chapter.
• See "Using the Hardware Compatibility List" in this chapter.
• See "Telephony and Conferencing" in this book.
• See "Local and Remote Network Connections" in this book.

You are having name resolution problems.

The problem can be caused by a failure in host or NetBIOS name resolution. Check that parameters have been correctly configured.

• See "Networking Tools" in this chapter.
• See "TCP/IP in Windows 2000 Professional" in this book.

You are having IP addressing or routing problems.

Incorrect configurations on the client computer can cause problems with IP addressing, routing, IP security, and filtering. Also, check that the remote host or resource is available.

• See "Networking Tools" in this chapter.
• See "TCP/IP in Windows 2000 Professional" in this book.

You are connected to a non-Windows-based server, and are experiencing connection or printing problems.

Make sure that you have the correct software installed to connect to the network and that you have configured the client computers correctly.

• See "Networking Tools" in this chapter.
• See "Printing" in this book.
• See "Interoperability with NetWare" in this book.
• See "Interoperability with IBM Host Systems" in this book.
• See "Interoperability with UNIX" in this book.

You cannot install a hardware device.

Make sure that you have installed devices correctly. If a device is not Plug and Play you need to configure it manually. Incompatible hardware devices or device drivers can also cause problems.

• See "System File and Driver Tools" in this chapter.
• See "Using the Hardware Compatibility List" in this chapter.
• See "Checking Hardware for Problems" in this chapter.
• See "Printing" in this book.
• See "Scanners and Cameras" in this book.
• See "Device Management" in this book.

You cannot access a drive or other device attached to the computer.

Several problems can prevent devices from working properly. The connecting cables can become loose. A resource conflict can prevent a device from working. Missing or corrupted drivers can prevent the computer from recognizing devices that are installed. Incompatible hardware devices or device drivers can also cause problems.

• See "System File and Driver Tools" in this chapter.
• See "Using the Hardware Compatibility List" in this chapter.
• See "Checking Hardware for Problems" in this chapter.
• See "Device Driver Problems" in this chapter.
• See "Multimedia" in this book.
• See "Printing" in this book.
• See "Device Management" in this book.

You installed a second monitor, but there is no display, or the display is distorted.

Make sure that you have configured the monitors correctly and that your display adapters are compatible with Windows 2000 Professional.

• See "System File and Driver Tools" in this chapter.
• See "Using the Hardware Compatibility List" in this chapter.
• See "Device Management" in this book.

You cannot play audio, video, or multimedia files.

Problems with playing multimedia files can have a variety of causes, including missing or incorrectly installed sound cards, hardware or drivers that are not properly installed, or volume settings that are muted or turned down.

• See "System File and Driver Tools" in this chapter.
• See "Applications Tools" in this chapter.
• See "Multimedia" in this book.
• See "Device Management" in this book.

Your computer will not wake up from standby or sleep mode.

Make sure that you have configured the monitors correctly and that your display adapters are compatible with Windows 2000 Professional.

• See "Power Management" in this book.

You cannot print.

Printing problems can have a variety of causes, such as corrupted drivers or network problems (if you are printing to networked printer). Make sure that you have a driver installed for the printer that you are trying to access.

• See "Using the Hardware Compatibility List" in this chapter.
• See "Checking Hardware for Problems" in this chapter.
• See "Device Driver Problems" in this chapter.
• See "Printing" in this book.
• See "Device Management" in this book.

Your printed files are unreadable, or your print jobs take a long time.

If text is unreadable, there might be a problem with corrupted fonts, or a problem with the application from which you are printing, or the page settings might be incorrect. If you are printing graphics, you might need to use a different printer.

• See "Using the Hardware Compatibility List" in this chapter.
• See "Printing" in this book.
• See "Fonts" in this book.

The desktop does not behave as expected, or it does not appear correctly.

Check that Group Policy has not been set so that you can customize your desktop. If you use a Web page as wallpaper, make sure that the Web page can be accessed.

• See "Customizing the Desktop" in this book.

General Troubleshooting Strategy

Record-keeping is essential to troubleshooting any complex system. Keep all records of all installed peripherals, the network layout (if applicable), cabling, previous problems and their solutions, upgrades, and hardware and software installation dates.

Many problems can be avoided with routine virus checks. Check for viruses before installing or upgrading to Windows 2000.

To troubleshoot a problem, follow these general guidelines:

• Analyze symptoms and factors.
• Check to see whether the problem is a common issue.
• Isolate the source of the problem.
• Define an action plan.
• Consult technical support resources.

Analyzing Symptoms

Start troubleshooting by gathering information. Develop a clear understanding of the symptoms and collect pertinent system information to understand the environment in which they occur. Precisely what is not working correctly? Under what conditions does the problem occur? Which aspects of the operating system control those conditions? Is the problem specific to an application, or is it specific to a subsystem (networks, video, and so on)? Try to narrow down exactly what you expect to have happen versus what is happening.

Consider the following:

• What is the issue? What do you expect to happen when the problem is resolved?
• Has the system or configuration ever worked? If so, what changed?
• Is the error condition reproducible or random?
• Is the error specific to a particular system, configuration, or application?
• What specific hardware and firmware are involved?
• When the problem occurs, are there any programs running other than those that automatically load when Windows 2000 is started?
• Does the error still occur in Safe Mode?
• Does it happen when another user is logged on to the computer?

Attempt to reproduce the symptom by using another application with similar functionality. If the problem is reproducible, it might be subsystem- or hardware-related. If the problem is not reproducible, investigate the application itself.

Has your task ever worked on this computer before? If so, something might have changed that affects it. Have you changed hardware or installed new software? Might another user have made changes that you do not know about?

If the task has never worked on this computer, compare the setup and configuration on this computer with another computer to identify differences.

Checking for Common Issues

Check to see whether the problem is a common issue by reviewing Windows 2000 Professional Help and other files included on the Windows 2000 operating system CD. For example, check Read1st.inc and Readme.doc in the root folder and the additional text files in the Setuptxt folder of the Windows 2000 operating system CD.

See the Windows 2000 Troubleshooters to diagnose and solve technical problems with the following system components and events:

• Client Service for NetWare
• Display
• Hardware
• Internet connections (ISP)
• Modem
• MS-DOS programs
• Multimedia and games
• Networking (TCP/IP)
• Print
• Remote access
• Sound
• System setup
• Windows 3.x programs

Isolating the Source of the Problem

Try to identify all variables that might affect the problem. Progressively eliminate these variables to isolate the cause of the issue. Record the effect of each action. If you eventually contact a support provider, your detailed notes are invaluable.

Eliminating variables helps determine the cause of a problem. Do symptoms occur when you run the system in Safe Mode? If not, check the programs that run when the system is started normally. Look at the shortcuts stored in the Startup group located in the folder Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu\Programs \Startup. Shortcuts to other programs run at system startup are located in the registry subkey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft \Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.

If programs are run at startup that are not listed in either of these locations, your computer might be using policies. For more information about policies, see Windows 2000 Professional Help and the Group Policy Reference on the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional Resource Kit companion CD.

If the computer is on a network, logon scripts or system management applications might also start programs on your computer. See your network administrator for assistance. If you have a local account on the system, log on to the local computer, to prevent network server - based policies and logon scripts from being carried out.

Windows 2000 only loads the minimum number of device drivers required to start the computer when it is run in Safe Mode. If you determine that the problem is not with software loading at startup, you can attempt to isolate the problem by disabling suspect devices' drivers. For more information about Safe Mode, see "Safe Mode" later in this chapter.

For more information about Plug and Play and using Device Manager, see "Device Management" in this book.

If the problem is the result of a recent change to the system, undo that change. System Information lists installed device drivers. If a device fails and its driver has been recently updated, replace it with the original and retest.

If an update installed from the Windows Update Web site fails to meet your expectations, restore the original files by running Update Wizard Uninstall.

If the problem did not exist before the system was last started, restart the computer and press F8 at the Starting Windows screen. Choose Last Known Good Configuration to restore the system configuration to the last known working version.

Defining an Action Plan

Try to identify all of the variables that might affect the problem. As you troubleshoot the problem, try to change only one of these variables at a time. Keep records of what you do and the effect of each action.

Develop your plan on paper. Decide what steps you want to take and the expected results of each step. Then complete the steps in order, and follow your plan.

If you see a result for which you have no plan:

• Return to the isolation phase.
• Identify what happens in similar situations.
• Define another plan.

Checking Technical Support Resources

Technical newsgroups offer peer support for common computer problems. You can post persistent problems on the appropriate online forum. Other users might have already reported similar problems. Suggestions from others can save you time and give you direction for your troubleshooting. For more information about technical support resources, see the Microsoft TechNet link on the Web Resources page at http://windows.microsoft.com/windows/windows2000/reskit/webresources.

Windows 2000 Professional Help also contains information about online support.