What You've Learned

This lesson introduced Apple's systematic troubleshooting process. The trouble shooting steps outlined in this lesson are not hard-and-fast rules. They are a recommended, field-tested process. Your organization may already have an established set of troubleshooting guidelines that you follow.

With whatever process you go through, you'll need to be flexible while completing it. Sometimes you'll have to go back and repeat earlier steps. For example, after you research the problem, you may find that you need to go back and try some different quick fixes. It's also possible that your research was incomplete, and a periodic review of your technical resources can ensure that you stay up-to-date.

When you complete your troubleshooting, be sure to complete the task. Review your notes, document the issue as needed, and evaluate your trouble shooting to determine whether you could do things more effectively.

Also, remember the human factors involved. You may be helping someone who is stressed, uncooperative, or inexperienced. You may not be at your best, because you're fatigued or hungry. You and your user are a team for the duration of the troubleshooting, and anything you can do to help things work smoothly will help make you a more effective troubleshooter.

References

The following Knowledge Base documents (located at www.apple.com/support) will provide you with further information regarding troubleshooting Mac OS X:

• 9804, "Mac OS System Error Codes: 299 to 5553"

• 9805, "Mac OS System Error Codes: 0 to 261"

• 9806, "Mac OS System Error Codes: 1 to 32767"

• 10182, "Mac OS: Rebuilding Desktop File and Icon Recovery"

• 25398, "Mac OS X: How to troubleshoot a software issue"

• 42642, "'To continue booting, type mac-boot and press return' Message"

• 55743, "Common System Error Messages: What they Mean and What Might Help Resolve the Problem"

• 60351, "Determining BootROM or Firmware Version"

• 75178, "Knowledge Base: How to use keywords"

• 86194, "Mac OS X: What's stored in PRAM?"

• 106227, "What's a 'kernel panic'? (Mac OS X)"

• 106388, "Mac OS X: How to Start up in Single-User or Verbose Mode"

• 106464, "Your Mac won't start up in Mac OS X"

• 107199, "Mac OS X: If your computer stops responding, 'hangs', or 'freezes'"

• 107329, "Mac OS X: Unexpectedly Displays Negative Image (White on Black, Reverse Type)"

• 107396, "Mac OS X: Cannot print, use Classic, start file sharing, burn discs, or update software if /tmp missing"

URL

Visit the following website for more information:

• Apple Remote Desktop: www.apple.com/remotedesktop