Have you ever encountered a diagnostic tool or wizard to help resolve an issue you encountered on your PC? Earlier in this module, you learned about the various tools that a PC technician

Have you ever encountered a diagnostic tool or wizard to help resolve an issue you encountered on your PC? Earlier in this module, you learned about the various tools that a PC technician should have in their toolkit. Whether or not you have used a diagnostic wizard in the past, this week's discussion will encourage you to think about the tools that can help with troubleshooting.

In your initial post, address the following:

• Discuss tools you can use to verify or identify whether an issue is a user error or an operating system error.
• Provide a brief description of what each tool does.

In response to two of your peers, address the following:

• Discuss examples of when the tools that your peer described would be used to assist with troubleshooting.
  • Describe the situations in detail to help your peers understand why using that tool would be the best option.
  • You can build upon the original poster's claims by explaining how the tool would be used, given the situation you described.

RESPONSE 1

Diagnostic tools are a critical item that every computer technician should have in their toolkit, they’re versatile tools that can help to isolate the problems in a computer system. Moreover, they’re extremely functional tools for ordinary users as well, not just technicians, someone who is familiar with the processes and software can also identify issues. The Task Manager function is one of the more well-known tools that a technician or average user can utilize to diagnose performance problems. The Task Manager can be used by simultaneously pressing the Ctrl+Alt+Delete buttons and clicking the Task Manager button. The main page shows a list of applications running and background processes as well. If a system is having an issue such as running extremely slowly, this page can help you identify. If the Memory section of the Task Manager is running at 99 or 100% a user can sort the processes to identify which processes is using the majority of the system’s RAM. 

    The Windows Resource Monitor can also be used in a similar fashion just as a more advanced version of the default Task Manager. Other diagnostic tools built into the Windows 10 computer can help with identifying RAM restriction problems. The Memory Diagnostic Tool can be run through the run dialog box by inputting mdsched.exe. The Memory Diagnostic Tool will contain errors preventing optimal RAM use and display the results for the user. If the computer also uses an Intel Processor, the Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool can be used in a similar fashion as well, identifying processor problems such as outdated drivers.

    Third party diagnostic tools are an option as well and may be more versatile as they could be used on multiple systems whereas tools like the Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool is for Intel processors alone and would not work with an AMD processor. CrystalDiskInfo could be a useful third-party diagnostic tool that won’t break the bank as it’s free. It can inform a user about the current state of the system’s disk drives, USB drives, and SSDs. It will give a detailed report to the user even going so far as to display running temperature of the drives and provide the user with an overall health condition.

RESPONSE 2

Hello Everyone,

When you're having trouble with your PC, there are some pretty useful tools that can help you figure out if the issue is caused by you or the operating system. Windows Memory Diagnostic first looks for problems in your RAM that could be causing your computer to crash or run slowly. Device Manager is another very useful tool that checks to see if hardware is working properly and drivers are up to date. Network Troubleshooter can help you figure out what's wrong with your network connection and fix it on your PC. Another great tool is Resource Monitor, which gives you specific information about how your CPU, disk, network, and memory are being used. This can help you figure out what is slowing down your PC.

Windows Performance Monitor is another useful tool that can show you in detail how your system is running over time. This can be very helpful for finding patterns and figuring out when troubles began. System Restore is a great way to get your system back to the way it was before the problems started. This is helpful if the problems started after you made some recent changes or installed something new. Windows Update Troubleshooter can also help fix problems with Windows changes that may be making your computer less stable. It's easier and takes less time to figure out what's wrong when you use these tools. They also give you a better idea of whether the problem is with the user or the OS itself.