Tech activities · PC troubleshooting
Diagnose a slow or broken PC, hardware versus software
Take a vague 'my computer is slow' or 'it won't boot' complaint and use AI to separate hardware causes from software causes. Practice the questions, the safe-mode checks, and a clean hand-off if it needs the bench.
About 25 minutes. Everything you write stays in your browser.
PC troubleshooting falls into two questions: is it hardware or software, and is it the user or the machine. A good help desk technician answers those two questions before opening the case or installing anything. AI is a useful tutor for the decision tree because it never gets tired of the same questions you have asked five times this week.
Pick a complaint
Pick one. The vaguer the better, because real users speak vaguely.
- “My laptop is so slow today.”
- “Computer won’t turn on. The light comes on but the screen stays black.”
- “Blue screen this morning. Then it restarted itself. Now it works but I don’t trust it.”
- “Fan sounds like a jet engine and the bottom is hot to touch.”
- “Screen is flickering on and off. Started yesterday.”
Ask AI to split hardware versus software
You are training a help desk technician on the first decision in PC troubleshooting: is the cause hardware or software. I will give you a complaint. Walk through the split. Format: 1. Three signs from the complaint that point to hardware (if any). 2. Three signs from the complaint that point to software (if any). 3. One question the technician should ask the user that would most quickly tell them which side it is on. 4. The technician's first hands-on check, after the user answers that question. One specific action. 5. A one-sentence ruling: lean hardware, lean software, or 50/50 with the next question being the deciding factor. Rules: - Use plain language. A user complaint about a "blue screen" usually means a Windows BSOD; explain what BSOD means once if you use the term. - Do not propose installing software, replacing parts, or wiping the OS yet. We are still diagnosing. Complaint: [paste the complaint from step 1]
Save the split, pick a side
Run the safe-mode test (if software-leaning) or the cold-boot test (if hardware-leaning)
If your ruling was software-leaning, the next test is safe mode. If hardware-leaning, the next test is a cold boot with the battery and external accessories disconnected (laptop) or with one stick of RAM (desktop). AI can walk you through the exact steps.
I need to perform one specific PC troubleshooting test. Walk me through the steps.
The test I am running: [pick one and paste it: "boot Windows into safe mode" OR "perform a cold boot with battery and external accessories disconnected on a Windows laptop"]
Format:
1. Numbered steps. Each step is one sentence.
2. After the steps, three things to look for that would change my next move.
3. Common mistake people make on this test, in one sentence.
Rules:
- Assume Windows 11 unless I say otherwise.
- Do not include disclaimers about backing up data unless backup is actually relevant to this test.
- Be specific about menu paths and key combos. ("Hold Shift, then click Restart from the Start menu" beats "go to recovery options.") Write the hand-off note (if it needs the bench)
Sometimes the right move is to escalate. If the diagnostic points to a failing drive, a swollen battery, or a hardware issue you cannot fix at the user’s desk, you write a hand-off note to the bench technician.
You are writing a brief hand-off note to a bench technician who will work on this machine after the user drops it off. I will give you the facts. Write the note. Format: - Line 1: the user's complaint, in one sentence, in their own words. - Line 2: what diagnostics you ran, with results, in one sentence per test. - Line 3: your best guess at the root cause, with the evidence that points to it. - Line 4: any data the user said they need before the machine is wiped, if relevant. - Line 5: how to reach the user. Rules: - Under 100 words total. - No filler. The bench tech is reading 12 of these today. - Use a hardware part name only if you have evidence (do not guess "probably the SSD" if you did not run a SMART check). - Sign with your first name. Facts: - Complaint: [paste the complaint from step 1] - Diagnostics: [list two or three you would have run, with the results you would expect for the case you picked] - Best guess: [your one-line diagnosis] - User data note: user has unsaved files in Documents/QuarterlyReport. Wants those preserved if possible. - Contact: ext. 4421, available 8 AM to 4 PM weekdays.
Compare your first instinct to the AI's framing
What your first instinct said
Before reading the AI’s response, what did you guess?
Most help desk technicians develop pattern-matching. “Slow PC” usually means full disk or malware. “Won’t boot” usually means failing drive. Pattern-matching is fast and right most of the time.
What the structured walk found
What did the structured walk find?
If the structured walk agreed with your instinct, your pattern-matching is solid for this scenario. If it disagreed, ask why. Sometimes the structured walk catches the 1-in-10 case the pattern misses.
Self-check: did you stay disciplined?
Check each one you can honestly say yes to. Saved to your browser.
What to watch for
- AI will recommend “reset Windows” early. Almost never the right first move. It loses data and time. Push back if AI proposes it before basic checks.
- AI mixes Windows versions. Say “Windows 11” explicitly. Otherwise you may get instructions for Windows 7 menus that no longer exist.
- AI confidently diagnoses a part. When the AI says “it’s the SSD,” ask: what evidence? If the answer is “you mentioned the laptop was slow,” that is not evidence. Re-ask with the specific symptoms.
- Never paste device serial numbers, asset tags, or user account names into a public AI. Strip them. Replace with [serial] or [user] before pasting.
- AI is not a substitute for SMART data, memory tests, or event-log review. When the diagnosis is borderline, run the actual tools (CrystalDiskInfo, Windows Memory Diagnostic, Event Viewer) before committing to a fix.