My terminal/PC is hung up, and I cannot get into the system. My terminal/PC screen suddenly went blank. My temninal/PC keeps coming up with the same error message. My terminal/PC will not allow me to access the disk  file. My terminal/PC will not print. It will be your job to determine if the problem is user, software, or hardware related. Whenever you receive  a  call  about  a  problem,  obtain  as  much information  as  possible  about  the  person  and  the problem. Ask the user’s name, phone number, the terminal/PC or node identification number, the nature of  the  problem,  and  what,  if  anything,  occurred immediately  preceding  the  problem.  In  addition,  you should ask the user what application he or she was trying to access or currently working with at the time the problem   occured.   Ask   whether   other   users   are experiencing the same or similar problem, did any error messages appear on the screen, and be sure to ask whether  the  PC  was  moved  before  the  problem occured.   Sometimes   moving   hardware   creates problems—the connector cable may not be seated properly. Once  you  have  received  initial  information  about  a problem, it should help you to categorize the problem. Keep  in  mind  most  problems  are  the  result  of inexperienced  users/operators.  Because  so  many different  types  of  errors  can  occur,  it  would  be impossible  for  us  to  list  them  all,  along  with  the necessary steps to resolve them. However, based on past experiences, we can provide you with some helpful hints and guidelines to follow. If the problem seems to be isolated to one user, it is probably user error; if the problem occurs with a group of users in a common geographic location, the problem is usually related to the cable; and if the problem is network wide, a close look at the network software is in order. Let us take a look at some of the more common problems that frequently occur and their solutions in connection with these three categories. PO3 Frost has just called to report he cannot log on to the LAN. You begin solving the problem by asking some preliminary questions. You find this is the first time PO3 Frost has used the LAN and no one else in his area is experiencing any problems. At this point, you should be able to recognize the problem is more than likely the result of an inexperienced operator (user error). The logical corrective action to take is to walk PO3 Frost through the proper log-on procedures and password  security  requirements.  He  follows  your instructions and successfully logs onto the LAN. PO3 Frost should have been able to log onto the LAN by following the User’s Guide on LAN operations. You might want to review the guide to make sure it is current and available to all users. A few weeks later PO3 Frost calls again and reports he has been having intermittent problems while logged on to the LAN. Sometimes while he is saving or retrieving data, his machine locks up for no apparent reason. Again, no one in his immediate work area is experiencing   problems.   After   obtaining   all   the pertinent  information  available,  you  believe  the problem  is  faulty  hardware.  During  the  save  and retrieve operations, a packet is generated and sent through the network interface card, onto the cable, and to its destination. So the two most logical components to  check  are  the  cable  connections  and  the  network interface card. The diagnostic tools to use are the time domain reflectometer (TDR) to check any breaks on the cable and the diagnostics that come with the interface card. PO3 Frost runs the card diagnostics at the terminal while you check the cable continuity. The network card passes the test, but the TDR detects a continuity break near  his  location.  A  LAN  technician  checks  the connectors at the workstation and discovers one of the connectors has worked itself loose. After replacing the connector, the cable is tested again and passes. PO3 Frost logs on to the LAN and experiences no further problems. In this example we eliminated the cable itself because  no  other  user  on  the  cable  segment  was experiencing  problems.  Had  there  been  other  users  also experiencing  intermittent  failures,  then  the  cable  would have immediately been our focal point of testing, since this is the commonality between the users. You arrive at work Tuesday morning and find a stack  of  messages  waiting  for  you  from  users experiencing problems while trying to access the word processing program on the LAN. The only thing these users have in common is they all use the same file server. Immediately you focus your attention on the network operating system and software. You call PO3 Door to ask her a few questions before you begin troubleshooting any further. You learn PO3 Door is able to  access  all  application  programs  on  the  LAN  with  the exception  of  the  word  processing  program.  You immediately  log  on  to  the  network  management program and monitor the data traffic. You discover no user has used the word processing program since 3-2