The first step in troubleshooting Windows is to find as much information as possible about the problem. If an error message appears on the monitor screen, read the whole message; it won’t always tell you exactly how to fix
the problem, but it’s usually a good starting point. And even if the message itself doesn’t contain any useful advice, you can often look up the text in Microsoft’s Knowledge Base or in some other online source of information
that will offer a better and more detailed explanation.
Troubleshooting Windows is a lot easier when you have access to the Internet because many of the sources of helpful information are websites. If you can’t go online with the computer that has the problem and you don’t
have access to a second computer, you might have reached a temporary dead end; you’ll have to either borrow another computer or go someplace where you can use one—such as the home or office of a friend or colleague, an Internet café, or the public library.