Troubleshooting basic hardware and software issues

Common hardware and software issues:

Hardware Issues:

1. PC won't power on – Check power supply, power cord, or battery.
2. Peripheral devices not recognized – Issues with USB ports or drivers.
3. Printer not working – Connection, driver, or paper jam issues.
4. Overheating – Faulty fans or insufficient airflow.
5. No display on monitor – Check cables, power, or faulty graphics card.
6. Keyboard/mouse unresponsive – Connection issues, battery, or faulty device.
7. Hard drive failure – Corrupt sectors or failure to boot.
8. Wi-Fi adapter malfunction – Faulty hardware or outdated drivers.

Software Issues:

1. Slow performance – Too many programs running, low memory, or malware.
2. Program not responding – Corrupt installation or insufficient resources.
3. Software crashes – Conflicting software, corrupt files, or updates needed.
4. OS boot failure – Corrupt OS files or boot configuration issues.
5. No internet connection – Network settings misconfigured or driver issues.
6. Virus/malware infection – System slowdowns or unauthorized access.
7. Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) – Hardware drivers, memory, or OS errors.
8. Failed software updates – Conflicts or insufficient disk space.

Common ports use case in my work

Here are common use cases of the specified ports that a Help Desk Officer might encounter in day-to-day operations:

1. HTTP (Port 80)

• Use Case: Troubleshooting website access issues.
  • Users might report that a website is not loading. As a help desk officer, I could check if the site is accessible over HTTP (Port 80) or if it's being blocked by firewalls or a security policy.

2. HTTPS (Port 443)

• Use Case: Resolving secure website access problems.
  • If a user reports that they can’t access certain secure sites (e.g., banking websites), I will check the connection over HTTPS (Port 443), ensuring that SSL/TLS certificates are valid and that there's no firewall blocking encrypted traffic.

3. RDP (Port 3389)

• Use Case: Assisting remote workers or troubleshooting remote systems.
  • A user working from home might have trouble connecting to their work computer via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). I would help by checking network configurations, firewalls, and verifying that Port 3389 is open for RDP connections.

4. IMAP (Port 143)

• Use Case: Troubleshooting email synchronization issues.
  • Users may experience issues syncing their emails across multiple devices (like a phone and a computer). I would check if the mail client is correctly configured to use IMAP and confirm connectivity on Port 143 to the mail server.

5. POP3 (Port 110)

• Use Case: Troubleshooting email retrieval issues.
  • If users are unable to download their emails to a specific client or device, I might check the mail server configuration and ensure POP3 (Port 110) is functioning properly, although this is less common with modern email systems that favor IMAP.

6. DHCP (Ports 67/68)

• Use Case: Resolving IP address allocation issues.
  • A user reports that they can’t connect to the network because they have no IP address. I would troubleshoot DHCP to ensure that the server is correctly assigning IP addresses to devices over Ports 67/68, and that the device is configured to automatically obtain an IP address.

7. DNS (Port 53)

• Use Case: Diagnosing website or network access issues.
  • Users might report that they can’t access certain websites or services. I would check the DNS configuration to ensure domain names are being properly resolved to IP addresses, and verify that Port 53 is open for DNS queries.

8. TELNET (Port 23)

• Use Case: Testing connectivity to remote devices (legacy systems).
  • Although not commonly used due to its lack of encryption, Telnet (Port 23) can still be used in legacy environments to remotely connect to devices like switches or routers. As a help desk officer, I may use Telnet to diagnose connectivity or configuration issues, although SSH is preferred.

9. SSH (Port 22)

• Use Case: Securely accessing servers or network devices.
  • If I need to troubleshoot a remote Linux server or network device, I will use SSH (Port 22) for a secure connection to run diagnostics, check configurations, or restart services securely.

10. FTP (Port 21)

• Use Case: Uploading or downloading files to/from servers.
  • Users may need to transfer files to a web server or retrieve data from an internal system. I would help set up or troubleshoot FTP (Port 21) connections to ensure files can be uploaded/downloaded, though secure alternatives like SFTP are becoming more common.

11. SMTP (Port 25)

• Use Case: Diagnosing outgoing email issues.
  • If users report that their emails are not being sent, I will check the SMTP (Port 25) settings to ensure the email server is properly configured to send outbound mail. I might also troubleshoot firewall settings or the mail server itself.

Why Information Technology?

1. It allows me to combine my passion for technology with a strong desire to help others.
2. Dynamic nature of IT support brings every day new challenges and problem-solving opportunities which is encouraging.
3. I enjoy the satisfaction of helping customers, resolving their technical issues and making life easier and seeing the immediate results of my work in helping others.
4. Continuous evolution of IT ensures that there's always room for learning and growth,
5. Exciting and ever-changing field which aligns with my career goals of specializing in cybersecurity.

Troubleshooting Hardware

Hardware Troubleshooting 💪

 

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals- AZ900

I have earned Microsoft Azure Fundamentals certification (AZ-900)! 

Super excited about it and wanted to share the good news with you! 😊

RDP VS TeamViewer

 

RDP VS TeamViewer

RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) is a protocol developed by Microsoft for connecting to a remote computer.

While TeamViewer also offers the possibility to make connections to remote computers, TeamViewer’s features go far beyond the functionality of RDP and offer a variety of benefits for remote connections.

 

Here is the difference between RDP and TeamViewer.

	RDP	TeamViewer
Multi-platform support	RDP works only on Windows devices.	TeamViewer has much greater platform support: you can use TeamViewer to connect to or from Windows, MacOS, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iOS, and IoT devices.
Port forwarding and firewall configuration	RDP requires you to configure port forwarding on the remote computer’s firewall or router.	TeamViewer works without port forwarding or other firewall configurations and works directly after the installation.
Transparency and Trust	RDP does not allow the user of the remote computer to see (or control) their own screen during an RDP connection. That means the remote user doesn’t know what the supporter is doing on their computer as s/he will be disconnected from the session.	TeamViewer allows the remote user to see everything that is happening on their device.

 Source: community.teamviewer.com               Is your Computer Slow?

Computer restarting all the time

 This is very frustrating !!

Please try these steps to troubleshoot windows PC that keeps Rebooting !!

• Boot PC in safe mode
• Disable automatic restart
• Uninstall latest updates or check for faulty Windows update
• Check for hardware failure
• Be aware of malware attack
• Check for corrupted driver
• Clean dust in the CPU (overheating)

10 most common issues on Windows 10

Computer Slow?? No Problem!!

 

Why my PC is Slow?

 

Computer slow has become a common topic and most of the user wonder what causes it very slow, the unresponsive issues and how to fix this. However, there are many reasons behind those issues, I have discussed some of them with their step-by-step solutions: 

Ø  Recently updated or not up-to-date system or application software

Ø  Applications/ Programs running in the background

Ø  No free hard drive space or not enough RAM

Ø  Hardware conflicts and outdated drivers

Ø  Antivirus software is extremely active

Ø  Apps automatically running at startup

Ø  Dust, fan not working, overheating

Ø  Corrupted Windows System Files

Ø  Virus or malware infection

Ø  Too old PC or laptop

Ø  High CPU usage

10 most common issues on Windows 10

 

Blue Screen of Death (BSoD)

 

BSoD is one of the most common issues experienced by 9/10 windows 10 users. I personally have experienced it; BSoD won't damage hardware but it can ruin our day. As it has ruined me once. That day, I was busy working on my Lenovo laptop (previously Windows 8 was installed) suddenly everything stopped saying "Your PC ran into a problem needs to restart after collecting error info" in blue screen and computer rebooted. However, doing some research I came to know that the main reason behind this problem was updating win 8 to win10; as my hardware couldn't bear the pressure of software installed.

 What is BSoD?

Ø  A critical error from which it can’t recover

Ø  An error, blue screen displayed on Windows computers

Ø  System crash - Windows operating system can no longer operate safely

Ø  Too much pressure OS is handling (need some rest)

Root cause for Blue Screen of Death:

Ø  Newly installed hardware or software (May not be compatible to existing Hardware or Software)

Ø  Memory utilization more than 75% (not healthy) and CPU (below 75% recommended to be healthy running System)

Ø  Windows Updates (If this is causing BSoD, then uninstall recent updates)

Ø  Inadequate air circulation => fan might stop cooling => check the temperature

Ø  Viruses/Malware => Scan system => could corrupt the system files and/or the drivers

If you have experienced any causes of BSoD other than mentioned above, I would like to see in comment box below. Please share your thoughts.

Thanks

 

10 most common issues on Windows 10

10 most common issues on Windows 10

Although Microsoft is updating Windows 10 regularly, there still exists some issues that interrupts the normal functionality of PCs. I came up with 10 common issues faced by windows 10 users and are listed below:

1.       Blue Screen of Death

2.       My PC is Very Slow

3.       File explorer is not working

4.       Computer restarting all the time

5.       Lost word document/ recover unsaved document

6.       Wi-Fi showing but can’t connect to internet

7.       Hard Disk corrupt/ storage full

8.       Backup and Restore

9.       Imaging and deploying of OS

10.   USB problems         

  

ITIL 4: The next generation of IT Service Management

Ideas from this workshop:-

"If we want our companies or businesses to be better than we need to be better in service management"

How??

Follow Best Practices (similar circumstances)

Think about what you're doing and who you're doing it for and why you're doing it?

We need to understand the broader picture so that we can deliver and support what is required for the customers/ Company.

Nowadays, IT is in everything. It is absolutely a key business driver for an organization. Furthermore, it makes companies different from other companies, and it delivers competitive advantage if IT is reliable and successful. Whenever the services are matched to the business needs, the company will perform better and deliver a better service to its consumers. 

Therefore, IT service management as a driving force behind that IT is a key strategic capability of an organization.

" If we don't get it right, nothing works"

Thanks to Ivor Macfarlane (co-author of ITIL) and Cognixia.

Cisco Certified

Meet my achievement!! Loads of hard work paid off....

Networking

Assembling PC