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Using Your Computer > Troubleshooting Computer Problems
Sample fault log
By Lasa Information Systems Team
Unfortunately, computers will have problems from time to time. Logging these faults systematically can help with diagnosing and preventing problems. An fault log can also help you justify that a machine needs replacing if it has continual problems and is taking up a lot of resources (staff time / support calls) because it repeatedly needs fixing. Below is a suggested format for recording computer faults.
The fault log should include the date, which equipment had the fault, a brief description of the fault, what applications were being used when the fault occurred, a note of any error messages generated, and a record of any action taken to resolve the problem. An example fault log is shown in the table below:
| Staff Name and Date | Problem and description (including any error messages) | Time taken to fix problem | Attempted solution and suggestions for next step | Person who fixed it | Contact information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian / 31/7/03 | Mouse stopped working. No error messages | 30 mins | Checked mouse device settings in control panel / system. No properties found. Turned off PC and Swapped over mouse. Mouse started working again. | Jo | Central Services IT co-ordinator |
| Sally / 12/8/03 | Monitor screen not displaying properly, screen display looks different to normal. | 1 hour | Called support contractor. Came next day they: Checked display properties in control panel. Nvidia graphics card only has 16 colour option available. Downloaded latest graphics driver from Nvidia.com and installed. This then caused error message showing "nwiz causing crash in kernal 32". Ran MSConfig and removed nwiz from start-up.Problem solved. | Had to get support contractor to come in and fix | IT co-ordinator has details of support company |
About the author
Lasa Information Systems Team
Lasa Information Systems Team provides a range of services to community and voluntary organisations including ICT Health Checks and consulting on the best application of technology in your organisation.
Lasa IST is responsible for maintaining the ICT Hub Knowledgebase.
Glossary
Published: 12th August 2003 Reviewed: 26th April 2006
Copyright © 2003 Lasa Information Systems Team
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.
