Summary

Chapter 4: Basics of Preventive Maintenance and Troubleshooting 5If you are unsure that a backup has been done, do not attempt any troubleshooting activitiesuntil you check with the customer. Here is a list of items to verify with the customer aboutdata backups:■■■■Date of the last backupContents of the backupData integrity of the backupAvailability of all backup media for a data restoreIf the customer does not have a current backup and you are not able to create one, youshould ask the customer to sign a liability release form. A liability release form should containat least the following information:■■■Permission to work on the computer without a current backup availableRelease from liability if data is lost or corruptedDescription of the work to be performedGather Data from the CustomerDuring the troubleshooting process, gather as much information from the customer as possible.The customer will provide you with the basic facts about the problem. Here is a list ofsome of the important information to gather from the customer:■■■Customer information■■■■Company nameContact nameAddressPhone numberComputer configuration■■■■Manufacturer and modelOperating system informationNetwork environmentConnection typeDescription of problem■■Open-ended questionsClosed-ended questions