Troubleshooting Windows operating systems II.

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Instructor, PACE-IT Program – Edmonds Community College

Areas of expertise Industry Certifications

PC Hardware

Network Administration

IT Project Management

Network Design

User Training

IT Troubleshooting

Qualifications Summary

Education

M.B.A., IT Management, Western Governor’s University

B.S., IT Security, Western Governor’s University

Entrepreneur, executive leader, and proven manger with 10+ years of experience turning complex issues into efficient and effective solutions.

Strengths include developing and mentoring diverse workforces, improving processes, analyzing business needs and creating the solutions required— with a focus on technology.

Brian K. Ferrill, M.B.A.

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Troubleshooting Windows operating systems II.PACE-IT.

– Common symptoms, causes, and tools.

– Additional tools for troubleshooting.

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Common symptoms, causes, and tools.Troubleshooting Windows operating systems II.

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Common symptoms, causes, and tools.Troubleshooting Windows operating systems II.

– Boots to safe mode.» Symptom is that the PC boots straight into safe mode.» Causes include misconfiguration of the startup process

and possible malware infection.» Tools include msconfig to check startup configuration

and antivirus software to be run from safe mode.

– File fails to open.» Symptom is that a file fails to open upon request.» Causes include possible unknown file extension,

missing the appropriate application, or the file association has been modified.

» Tools include the Default Programs applet in the Control Panel, and the Command Prompt to determine what file types are associated with applications (the command is C:\>assoc |more).

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Common symptoms, causes, and tools.Troubleshooting Windows operating systems II.

– Missing NTLDR.» Symptom is that the PC will not boot; this error

message appears.» Causes include trying to boot from a non-bootable

disk, incorrect BIOS setting, corrupted boot sector, corrupted MBR, or the NTLDR is missing or corrupted.

» Tools include BIOS settings page to ensure boot order, the command prompt (C:\>fixboot or C:\>bootrec /fixboot to repair the boot sector, or C:\>fixmbr or C:\>bootrec /fixmbr to repair the MBR), and manually copying a new NTLDR file (D:\> copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\ and D:\>copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:).

– Missing boot.ini (only in XP).» Symptom is that the PC will not boot—you’ll get an

error message to that effect.» Causes are the same as missing NTLDR.» Tools are the same as missing NTLDR, plus the rebuild

the boot.ini file (C:\>bootcfg /rebuild).

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Common symptoms, causes, and tools.Troubleshooting Windows operating systems II.

– Missing operating system, missing graphical interface, invalid boot disk, bootmgr not found, bootmgr is missing.

» Symptoms are that the OS fails to load and one of these messages appears.

» Causes include wrong boot order in the BIOS or a problem with the boot sector or MBR.

» Tools include:• BIOS settings page.• Fixboot or bootrec /fixboot.• Fixmbr or bootrec /fixmbr.• Bootrec /rebuildbcd rebuilds the boot configuration

data (BCD) file in Windows Vista and newer; the BCD holds the boot parameters for Windows and informs the PC how to load the operating system.

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Additional tools for troubleshooting.Troubleshooting Windows operating systems II.

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Additional tools for troubleshooting.Troubleshooting Windows operating systems II.

– Recovery Console (RC) or Recovery Environment (RE).

» Available from the “Advanced Boot Options” page (hold down F8 during the startup process).

» Provides additional tools to the user for troubleshooting and repairing a PC.

– Emergency repair disks.» Bootable media that holds a basic OS that allows

access to tools for troubleshooting and repairing systems that will not boot to their own operating system.

– REGEDIT.» Registry editor for Windows OSs. Can be used to modify

or create registry entries. • Caution must be used, as a mistake may cause issues.

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Windows Vista and newer operating systems provide a tool called Startup Repair.

This is an option from the “System Recovery Options” menu. When it is run, it can diagnose and automatically repair many boot sector and MBR issues without intervention from the user.

Additional tools for troubleshooting.Troubleshooting Windows operating systems II.

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What was covered.Troubleshooting Windows operating systems II.

The complexity of the OS can lead to many issues—from files that fail to open to operating systems that will not start. Using a sound troubleshooting methodology will ease your pain.

Topic

Common symptoms, causes, and tools.

Summary

The RC or RE are a boon to technicians, allowing them access to repair options and the control prompt even when the OS will not load. Emergency repair disks are also an option. Microsoft now supplies an automated process to fix many boot sector and MBR problems.

Additional tools for troubleshooting.

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THANK YOU!

This workforce solution was 100 percent funded by a $3 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability or ownership. Funded by the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Grant #TC-23745-12-60-A-53.

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