Solving Technology Problems...  This Secret Works Every Time, In Any Situation, For EVERYONE.
 

By
Stephen Worden
 

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Have you ever thought, "Man, this problem is frustrating!  Computers are such a pain..."  I've thought that, too.  But after a while I stopped thinking that way because I realized it wasn't helping!  Then I learned a few more things about problem solving.  Finally, I was asked to give a class on troubleshooting and...

Let me back up a minute.

In 1985 I was a hot-shot electronics technician supporting a VERY SOPHISTICATED laser-guided assembly line.  Me and my friend Dennis thought we were the BEST techs, and maybe we were at that time.

But I found out that being the best meant cleaning up other people's mistakes!  And these mistakes often were worse than the original problem.

A couple of things happened all at the same time.  1) I grew up a little, 2) I changed my attitude towards my co-workers, 3) I shared as much as I could with them about how to fix these extremely complex machines.  The first thing I taught them was...
 

            Technology Secret #11          

    Worden's Three Rules For Fixing ANYTHING   

I've called on these rules again and again.  They've never failed me, they've never proven untrue.  I can promise YOU that if you follow them you will solve your technology problems in less time, with less stress.

Rule Number One

"Learn how to learn (if you don't already know) because you're never going to know it all."  I got fooled one day and wasted about three hours fixing what turned out to be a five-minute problem.  The symptom I was seeing had always been caused by a bad circuit board.  I took the machine apart, replaced the board, and put the machine back together...but the problem was still there.

I thought I knew it all, but this problem showed me I didn't.  I didn't THINK about what could have caused the problem, I just reacted...and ended-up doing a lot of unnecessary work.  I could have gotten upset, gotten frustrated, but by now I had learned...

Rule Number Two

"Don't get rattled."  By that I mean don't allow yourself to get frustrated, don't allow yourself to think, "I'm never going to fix this" or "This is too hard."  You, my human friend, have control over your mind, will, and emotions.  Take control now and do not let yourself get upset.  Because once you get upset, you reduce your ability to solve problems.

Buy yourself some time, if you can.  We worked in a high-volume Production environment.  I told my students to look the Shift Supervisor in the eye and tell him with confidence, "I'll have this broken machine back to you in an hour."

"What you just bought," I continued, "is forty-five minutes of stress-free time.  And in that forty-five minutes you will either fix it (and be a hero), figure out what you really need and how long it will take, or call someone for help.  But whatever you do, go back after forty-five minutes and give the Shift Supervisor an update!"  Because if you are "rattled" you lose your ability to concentrate on the problem.

Rule Number Three

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  Simple, right?  But underlying this obvious rule is something more complex...  You must know your equipment / system / computer very well in order to make an accurate determination of what is broken and what is not.

In the example used for Rule One I tried to fix something that wasn't broken...and I wasted three hours of time.  If I had Rule Three I would have been THINKING clearly about what might cause the problem.  I would have been open to more possibilities.

"Don't go down the wrong leg of the trousers," I told my class.  But how do you know which is right?  You must take the time needed to learn your equipment / network / system / etc.  If you don't take time to understand and document your system, how do you expect to fix it?

This is one of the reasons why the IT Survival Guide is so useful.  With the information presented here you can take IMMEDIATE STEPS to protect your network, test your network, and understand your computer systems.

Please tell your friends about this site.  Businesses can implement most of these safeguards at little or no cost!  Help someone comprehend what their technology is REALLY up to.  Point them to the IT Survival Guide.  (Thanks a lot.)
 

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