Documenting and troubleshooting problems is a critical skill for any systems engineer. Proper documentation helps in diagnosing issues faster and provides a reference for future problems. In a Windows environment, there are several tools and commands that can be used to document and troubleshoot issues effectively. This article will guide you through the process of documenting problems using built-in Windows tools and command-line utilities.

Examples:

1. Using Event Viewer:
Event Viewer is a powerful tool for logging and viewing system and application events. It can help identify the root cause of issues by providing detailed logs.

• Open Event Viewer:
  

   Press Windows + R, type "eventvwr.msc", and press Enter.



• Navigate to Logs:
  

   Expand "Windows Logs" and select "Application" or "System" to view respective logs.

2. Using PowerShell to Export Event Logs:
PowerShell can be used to export event logs for further analysis.

• Export Application Logs:
  

   Get-EventLog -LogName Application | Export-Csv -Path "C:\Logs\ApplicationLogs.csv"

3. Using CMD to Check System Information:
The systeminfo command provides detailed information about the system, which can be useful for troubleshooting hardware or software issues.

• Run System Information Command:
  

   systeminfo > C:\Logs\SystemInfo.txt

4. Using ipconfig for Network Issues:
The ipconfig command is essential for diagnosing network-related problems.

• Display Network Configuration:
  

   ipconfig /all > C:\Logs\NetworkConfig.txt

5. Using tasklist and taskkill for Process Management:
Managing processes is crucial for troubleshooting performance issues.

• List All Running Processes:
  

   tasklist > C:\Logs\TaskList.txt



• Kill a Specific Process:
  

   taskkill /F /PID <ProcessID>

6. Using sfc and DISM for System File Issues:
System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Imaging Service and Management Tool (DISM) can repair corrupted system files.

• Run SFC:
  

   sfc /scannow > C:\Logs\SFCScan.txt



• Run DISM:
  

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth > C:\Logs\DISMScan.txt