20 Things I Learned From Troubleshooting

Do No Harm. You can and will make it worse if you're not careful.

Celebrate even small successes. This keeps you sane.

Searching the internet for a solution to your problem with a random Microsoft error message is akin to playing Russian roulette with yourself. Your odds pretty much suck.

Everything is fixable. Sometimes that means thinking outside the box or other times it means dropping that box in the ocean.

Between conspiracy and incompetency, bet on incompetency. More often than not, it's something stupid (or someone).

Whatever you do, don't temp fate. Fate will mop the floor with you.

If at any time you say, "Piece of Cake." You're doomed. You should just as well paint a target on your chest.

Ask the obvious questions, even if they sounds stupid. "Did you turn it off, then on again?"

Good troubleshooting is like good art, so don't be upset if people don't understand it.

It is possible to solve a problem and not realize if for an hour or more. This has happened, but mostly its the other way around.

Which means never take credit for coincidence. Just because a problem disappeared, doesn't mean you fixed it. Congratulations can turn to blame in a blink of an eye.

You might be surprised how many hours of downtime can be traced back to someone updating a Windows server.

Breadcrumbs. Remember what you've changed. If you tell an irate manger that you can't retrace your steps, don't be surprised when you wind up in the oven.

Never give an ETR. See #6

Caffeine, Caffeine, Caffeine. And then once more just in case.

Diagram, Diagram Diagram. Whether on paper, whiteboard or in a pool of your own bitter tears. Draw the problem out.

While troubleshooting my fingers look like a dry-erase-Mardi-Gras-celebration. Minus the music, nakedness, hangovers and general 'good time'.

The solution is rarely worth the effort. It's true. One mis-checked box after 5 hours of work can be a little less than gratifying.

Managers want explanations. Lie to them if you want. They wouldn't understand anyway.

Relax, you've earned your pay for the day. Go blog or something...