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TROUBLESHOOTING HOWTO (Read this first!)


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#1 pscEx

pscEx

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Posted 16 June 2007 - 04:17 PM

Maybe you recognized that in the last days we solved an issue Iznogoud had with his source CD.

It took some time, because Iznogoud is not always online, and I'm not always online, but the issue is solved.

In the past I have had some similar issues which have not been solved as the original member requesting help either gave up, disappeared or failed to give the needed details and reports.

Therefore let me remind you of the "common sense" advice contained in Rules:

a. Please do use the Search function before posting a question that has already been asked and (hopefully) answered to. This is another reason for rule #10 above, searching meaningful titled posts is easier and faster.

b. Please avoid to put pressure on other members, I have seen on other boards members posting a question and no later than 2 hours later make another post like "anyone?" or "PLEASE, I really need this URGENTLY!". As said, scope of the board is the exchange of informations on boot related technicalities and software, all members have their own work and come here to relax, learn something new, help others and discuss these topics, if you need something really "URGENT" consider hiring a professional consultant (and be prepared to pay him/her). If your request has not been acknowledged by anyone after a "reasonable" time, that in this case means a few days, you are on the contrary invited to "bump" it, as it may happen that a particular post has been overlooked.

c. Please be prepared to spend some time reading and understanding answers and related links, another common type of poster is one that wants something not only "now", but also only as a "few clicks away" solution, and, possibly "exactly" the way he wants it to be, even if it is technically impossible.

d. Please when asking something, be the more specific you can, even without being verbose you can pass along all the needed information, typical examples:

I am running Windows....

Which one? Just from memory I recall 3 or 4 versions of Windows 3.x, 4 or 5 of Windows 95, 2 of Windows 98, then Millennium Edition, NT 3.51 and 4.00 Workstaion and Server, Windows 2000 various versions, XP Home and Professional and of course Windows Server 2003...

I have an error, it printed a number on a blue screen, the text said something like "You cannot boot from this thingy" or something like that....

When reporting an error, the exact number and text is useful to understand what the problem might be, quite obviously, knowing that it is a STOP: 0x0000007B INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE instead of "something like that" will really help ...

Ok, so I read a tutorial on the Internet and it does not work for me...

Which one, there are thousands of tutorials or articles on the Internet, how are we supposed to know which one you are referring to....

Ok, so I read the tutorial on site www.somesite.ext and it does not work for me, I followed it exactly except for two or three intermediate steps, ...

No comment :1st:....

e. Please, if you succeed in whatever you asked help for, do report this and the exact steps you took, it is a form of thanking the member(s) which helped you and to help other people that have the same problem you had.


and, EXPECIALLY the new point f.

Amendment #1 to Rules June 17, 2007 - adding of point f.
Special, more explicit, "common sense" advice, SUPPLEMENTAL to that already present in points a-b-c-d-e above.

Mind you that this advice is given to HELP you solving a problem, and though not compulsory, it will help you more than you might expect in troubleshooting and (hopefully) solve your problem faster.

f. Always think why you are here asking for help:

It is because you are not able to solve that problem by yourself.

Always think why other members might be able to try and help you:

Because they are good guys/gals and know more than you do.

The above implies that AFTER you have done your best to comply with points a-b-c-d of the rules, if any member trying to help you asks you supplemental informations and details, to run one or more programs or to do a determinate series of actions and to post results, it is because there are REASONS for this procedure. (you remember, you weren't able to solve this problem by yourself and they know more than you do.)
So, it would be VERY APPRECIATED, and, as said, it will better the quality of the assistance you might receive if you would:
f1.- Post JUST the problem you are having, with needed details, but WITHOUT suggesting what the solution is according to you.
f2.- Temporarily "disconnect" your mind from your idea of WHAT has caused or is causing the problem you have, and of HOW the fix should be made, solving a problem means finding it's SOLUTION, the method through which the latter is found is not relevant and viewing it from just one side can even prevent from finding the solution.
f3.- DO AS YOU ARE TOLD, do not introduce variations of ANY KIND in the given instructions, there are REASONS why they are suggested, and REASONS why they are suggested in the given order and yet more REASONS why other procedures are NOT suggested
f4.- DO NOT think you are smarter than the member who is trying to help you, even if generally speaking this might happen, it DOES NOT apply on the specific topic, nothing can upset more a willing helping member that someone that asks for advice and later does not try the given suggestions and/or does another thing. On the contrary, once the suggested steps have been tried and gave no result, your ideas are welcome, in other words we try to troubleshoot in a "logical" way, as in the famous Sherlock Holmes saying "when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth", but we like beforehand to exclude the possible, the common, the probable, and this approach solves problems in a MUCH faster way in a large amount of cases.
f5.- BE PREPARED to spend some time interactively searching and (hopefully) finding a solution, remember it is you that are having the problem, the only reason why another member tries to help you is to share and expand his knowledge, and to be gratified by an even small thank you when the solution is found. There are a number of members that, as soon as they see that there is no pre-made one-size-fits-all solution one or a few clicks away, simply disappear from the board, leaving behind an unresolved problem and, possibly, a disappointed member who tried vainly to help.


Peter




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