FLINT HILLS TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Network Troubleshooting Flowchart

START
Windows Workstation Unable to Access a Network Service
Gather Clues
A. Ask Questions.
 i. What were you doing when the problem occurred?
ii. Have there been any recent changes to the network?
B. Have the customer recreate the problem while you watch.
While watching, check for obvious user errors (ID10T errors), such as Caps-Lock being on.
Do other workstations on the LAN have the same problem?
Yes  or  No
        ↓
Restart the affected workstation. Problem solved?
Yes  or  No
        ↓
Is the Link-Light on the NIC lit?
Yes  or  No
↓        
Execute: ipconfig /all
What type of IP address?
No IP address  or  Valid Static or DHCP  or  DHCP starting with 169.254 (APIPA)
↓                                                                                                                
Possible Solutions
A. NIC driver not installed or wrong NIC driver installed. Install or update NIC driver in Device Manager.
B. Faulty NIC. Try a different NIC in the workstation.
Problem Solved?
Document Your Solution
FINISHED

Click here for a graphical version of this flowchart.