Learning computer troubleshooting skills for fun and (possibly) profit

Casual

I'd like to become more knowledgeable with computers but I'm not sure how or where to start. My current level of skills is pretty average, I'm a PC gamer so I know enough to mod games and maintain my computer and keep all the software and drivers up to date. I'd like to be able to do more like set up wireless networks on my own (the only time I've been successful in this is when it was so automated a monkey could have done it), troubleshoot basic computer problems, remove viruses and reformat computers ect.

It would be nice to know this stuff just for my own benefit but I already know a couple of people who are able to make a bit of extra cash doing not very much work. Apparently there are a lot of people who'll pay just for virus removal.

What is the best way to learn these things?

pacbowl

Honestly, it's all just hands-on and experience. Schooling will take you to a point, but real troubleshooting skills are learned in reading between the lines and knowing how to work around the unexpected. There is always going to be a situation that isn't covered in any manual or FAQ, but at the same time can be solved with a simple google search and that's when experience kicks in. Remember, often times it's not knowing how to fix something off the top of your head, it's knowing where to go to get the information on how to fix it. Don't be afraid that you don't know what the error means, just remember that most of the time someone, somewhere has run into the same problem. Do it enough and you gain an innate skill for troubleshooting. Asking the questions that aren't covered in the manual/class and the more you do it, the better you get.

Don't feel bad about following instructions. The people I know that make $100k a year as network administrators follow instructions too. You say that at times setting up a wireless network is so automated that a monkey could have done it, you're underestimating yourself. It really IS that easy, but you have skills that a lot of people lack, believe it or not. If it's not working the way it's supposed to, there's no shame in calling support and saying "hey, this shit isn't working the way it's supposed to". It happens all the time in the professional world.

You already know how to maintain your own computer. Don't underestimate yourself. Knowing how to search and find solutions is a major part of computer troubleshooting. You'd be surprised on how many people don't know how to do it.

Nakatomi2010

Like Pacbowl said, hands-on experience. Create problems and then fix them. Research issues, then fix them. Figure out a project of something you want to do, and make it happen. I learned a significant amount of stuff about XP because I followed a tutorial for making one of those AIO discs, made me way more capable at understanding how Windows works, let alone the variations of Windows. Did you know that while there are 4 major XP variants (Home, Pro, MCE and Tablet PC) and of these 4, there can be htree variants of each? (OEM, VLM, and retail), all of which use different discs and different keys. This issue doesn't carry into Vista/7 though.

But, see, I wouldn't have learned that if I hadn't taken the time to make the disc and learn what was going on. Same with one of my better diagnostic tools, which is a combination of BartPE and a few other things.

Be curious about stuff, think of something you want to do, develop a lil' project around it and go from there.

Currently I've got a VMWare ESXi box here that I'm using to train a girl at the office while training myself in higher level server management. The girl at the office is learning desktop level support, while I learn server level. It's neat.

Jimmy King

Yep, like has been said, just start doing it. While knowing as many facts and bits of trivia about how all of this stuff works and having fixes memorized is certainly useful, the most useful skills are just being able to figure out how things are related and effect each other and being able to follow a logical process based on what you are seeing happen. That really applies to everything tech related from fixing desktop computers to system administrators to software dev and to much of the rest of life, too.

Cynic Jester

Nothing will teach you troubleshooting like actually doing it. I've done tech support for a few years and you generally got like a month of training. You'll learn more the first day you take calls than you did for the entire training period. Just keep your eyes open and keep an open mind, along with a browser containing your search engine of choice. Learning to trawl the internet for information does wonders for troubleshooting things because chances are some poor shcmuck already went through the issue you experience and found somebody to help him.

Spudge

Break your computer. Fix it. Repeat often

Build a home network. Break it. Rebuild. Repeat. Add "servers" to the mix

Fix your friends' computers

Buy books. Learn. Get certified

Have your friends tell their friends what good jobs you do, get word of mouth going

And for god's sake CHARGE A REASONABLE RATE. The freelance field is oversaturated as it is with kids claiming to be able to "fix any computer problem for $20" it makes it very hard for the people who actually can and do fix those problems to do it for any reasonable amount of money

Casual

Thanks for the info guys. Can any of you recommend good sites for troubleshooting fixes, or is it really just a matter of googling each specific problem and using whatever you find?

I guess I'm just terrified of breaking something on purpose just in case I end up having to pay to get it fixed, that would be a little ironic.

BlindZenDriver

Casual wrote: »

I guess I'm just terrified of breaking something on purpose just in case I end up having to pay to get it fixed, that would be a little ironic.

You don't have to break something as such to get started. Plus it's pretty hard to do actual damage unless you start opening boxes or get into overclocking (note - overclocking can be great but be careful)

You can get going by looking into optimizing your system. Say you run XP on your computer then there is lots of tweaks that can be done and you'll find articles and tools all over. Or you can look into setting up a automatic backup system to an external disk or maybe even setup an old computer as a backup server.

Once you start looking for info on the net it won't be long before you have found what sites fits your needs and which are not all that helpful in the long run. I find that good sites about hardware often have good forums as well and those forums can contain loads of good info.

A good place to start could anandtech.com and there is also usenet (likely usenet will not ring a bell so there is a task, you will need to find a usenet server and install a usenet client).

Nakatomi2010

It's the price you pay for an education. Sometimes you do break it so bad you've gotta pay.

Or you reinstall Windows. In my entire time of messing with Computers the only thing I've had to pay for is the OSes.

Just be sure that you always either have good backups, or a seperate drive for your data. Or, if you've got the budget for it, create an expendable system. Go out to the internet and just find little projects of things you want to do. Be curious about how things work. Think of something that broke, and decide to go learn more about it. Breaking something for the sake of breaking something is not necessarily the best thing to do. But breaking something in an attempt to improve something is.

Also be sure to check out free resources, and take advantage of loop holes. For example, you can run Windows Vista and Windows 7 for 10 days without a key prior to their lock down modes kicking in. A Windows XP SP3 can be installed without a key for about 30 days before the same restrictions kick in. Though you can't get updates. The Server OSes follow the same princples as their cunsumer counter parts. Connect.Microsoft.com is a good resource for beta products, which are often free as well.

Go forth and improve your stuff, find your loop holes, and learn.

www.msfn.org is a fantastic resource of fun things to do accross all the OSes...

pacbowl

Nakatomi2010 wrote: »

Breaking something for the sake of breaking something is not necessarily the best thing to do. But breaking something in an attempt to improve something is.

I can't lime this any harder. Unless you try to overclock your new GeForce GTX460 and end up frying it. Choose your battles. Start with small things. Pick up a cheap wireless card/usb stick and router and learn how to configure them. Even if you don't need it, learning how to do it may help you do it for someone else in the future. Buy a cheap external hard drive and learn how to use/configure the backup software. Again, it's nothing but gaining knowledge. If you have more than one computer available, learn how to share folders and map drives/set permissions. Install VNC and learn how to port forward on your router so you can remote into your computer. That can lead into even other options like having your own FTP server at home. Even if you don't ever intend to do it, learning how to will be invaluable.

MKR

It was a lot easier to get troubleshooting skills when Windows, DOS, every game, and all your hardware were in a war over resources. It's just not the same since the XP armistice.

BlindZenDriver

MKR wrote: »

It was a lot easier to get troubleshooting skills when Windows, DOS, every game, and all your hardware were in a war over resources. It's just not the same since the XP armistice.

LOL - I do remember the struggles with IRQ and also the experiments with what order to load stuff to make the most of the 640 KB available. (To all newbies - the difference between an optimized system and a unoptimized one could mean running games or not running games.)