The Art of the Fix - Troubleshooting & Problem-Solving

3) Essential Tools: Using Built-in Tools for Troubleshooting

Operating systems come with a powerful suite of built-in tools that are essential for diagnosing and resolving common issues. Knowing how to use them is a fundamental IT skill.

• Task Manager (Windows) / Activity Monitor (macOS)

  This is your real-time dashboard for system performance and running applications.

  • Function: It shows you a list of all processes and applications currently running, how much CPU, memory (RAM), disk, and network resources each is using, and overall system performance.
  • Common Uses:
    • Force-quitting: Closing unresponsive or "frozen" applications (the "End Task" button).
    • Performance Bottlenecks: Identifying which process is using 100% of the CPU or all the available RAM, causing the system to slow down.
    • Startup Programs: Managing which applications launch automatically when the computer starts up.

• ping

  A command-line tool used to test network connectivity between your computer and another device (a host) on a network.

  • Function: It sends a small data packet (an ICMP echo request) to a target IP address or hostname and waits for a reply.
  • Common Uses:
    • Internet Connection Test: ping 8.8.8.8 (Google's public DNS server) is a quick way to see if you can reach the internet.
    • Name Resolution Test: ping www.google.com checks if your DNS is working (translating the name to an IP address) and if the server is reachable.
    • Local Network Test: Pinging the IP address of another computer on your local network to see if they can communicate.

• ipconfig (Windows) / ifconfig or ip a (macOS/Linux)

  A command-line tool that displays the network configuration of your computer.

  • Function: It provides critical information about your network adapters.
  • Common Uses:
    • Finding your computer's IPv4 Address (e.g., 192.168.1.50).
    • Identifying the Subnet Mask (e.g., 255.255.255.0).
    • Finding the Default Gateway (the router's IP address, e.g., 192.168.1.1).

• Event Viewer (Windows) / Console (macOS)

  This is a system-wide logbook that records significant events that happen on your computer.

  • Function: It provides detailed logs of application errors, security events, system warnings, and hardware failures.
  • Common Uses:
    • Diagnosing Crashes: When an application crashes without an obvious error message, the Event Viewer often contains a detailed report about what went wrong at the exact time of the crash.
    • Finding Hidden Errors: Investigating recurring background issues, like a driver that keeps failing to load or a service that won't start.