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If your Windows machine restarts without warning, consider the troubleshooting methods below for assistance in addressing the issue.

Software issues: Microsoft intended Windows to automatically reboot when issues, such as a blue screen of death, occur since the release of Windows XP. Although this feature is useful for random FAILURES, it makes troubleshooting and repair more complex. The procedures to disable and enable this function in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10 are listed below.

• Right-click My Computer on the desktop. Open File Explorer in Windows 8 or 10 and right-click This PC in the left navigation pane.
• In the pop-up menu, choose the Properties option.
• Select the Advanced TAB or the Advanced system settings link in the System Properties box.
• Click on The settings option under Startup and Recovery on the Advanced tab.
• Disable the Automatically restart check box in the Startup and Recovery window.
• Click the OK button.

Hardware issues: If you've PREVIOUSLY attempted to introduce a new hardware device, make sure it's not the source of your problems. By looking for problems in Device Manager, you can make sure you're not having any hardware conflicts. If you've just installed new hardware drivers, you might WANT to go back to an older version. If the unexpected reboots persist despite updating drivers and removing any newly attached hardware, the computer memory is bad. Finally, improperly installed hardware devices in the computer can result in random reboots. Ensure that all cables and EXPANSION cards are correctly connected to the computer.

Computer viruses: These viruses usually cause the computer to reset every 5, 10, 15, or 30 minutes after it has booted. If you suspect your computer is infected, make sure you have an antivirus program installed and that your virus scanner definitions are updated.

Overheating: Most computers today are intended to shut down or reboot automatically if the processor, video card, or other components become too hot. Examine the rear of the computer to see if the fan on the power supply is operating. A temperature gun can be used to determine how hot the computer's hardware devices or integrated circuits are.

Issues with the Operating System: If your computer continues to reboot after completing the steps above, you're most likely dealing with a problem with the Microsoft Windows operating system. When the computer starts to boot up, restart it and enter BIOS setup. Allow the machine to sit idle for several minutes after you've loaded the BIOS setup.

If the system doesn't reboot after resting in BIOS and you've exhausted all of the above options, try enabling a restore point in Windows from before the problem began. If enabling a previous restore point fails, or if no restore points are available, you will most probably have to reinstall Microsoft Windows.

We are optimistic that this article on troubleshooting interview questions has improved your knowledge of troubleshooting and related concepts. If you have a good grip on all of the questions offered here, you will be able to comfortably crack any relevant interview. 

Useful Resources:

• Networking Interview Questions and Answers
• OS Interview Questions
• Computer Network MCQ With Answers

The working memory of your computer is its random access memory (RAM). The operating system and programs on your computer are constantly writing and retrieving data from RAM. When you open a web page such as this ONE, for example, your web browser saves it in RAM as you read it. When you start a PC game, it loads data from a slower storage system (such as a hard disc or solid-state drive) into considerably faster RAM.

If your computer's RAM is defective, you may experience issues. When your computer goes to read the RAM, it will consider various data than it saved to RAM. Software crashes, system freezing, blue screens of death (BSODs), file corruption, and other issues can result as a result of this. These programs work by writing data to every sector of your computer's RAM and then recovering it back in a sequential manner. If the utility returns a different result, it means your RAM is bad.

The finest RAM testing software necessitates booting into a separate bootable system. This gets Windows (or some other operating system) out of the way and gives the tool complete access to your RAM at a low level. You can run tools from within Windows, such as HCI Design's MemTest, but they aren't as trustworthy.

• Launch the Windows Memory Diagnostics program. A RAM testing tool is included with Windows. It comes preinstalled on Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 7, and all other recent Windows versions.

• You can install and use MemTest86 if you need a more CAPABLE testing tool. It runs a larger range of tests and may uncover issues that the Windows test would miss. If you want to try something else, MemTest86+ is a free and open-source program. Both of these programs are self-contained and bootable. You can copy a USB image from MemTest86 to a USB disc. To make a bootable USB drive, SIMPLY run the EXE file provided with the download as well as provide a spare USB drive. Restart your computer once you've made bootable MEDIA and instruct it to boot from the USB device where you copied the memory test tool.

The fundamental distinction between incremental and differential backups is that incremental backups save space and time by simply saving modified data. Incremental backups, on the other hand, are not as effective as differential backups. Let's discuss Full Backups before diving into the distinctions between Incremental and Differential backups. A full backup is the launching point in both incremental and differential backup schemes in their most basic form. Of course, a complete backup BACKS up all the information on a partition or disc by copying all data-containing disc sectors to the backup image file.

An incremental backup is a copy of any data that has changed since the last backup. As a result, if you make a full backup of your system on Sunday, an incremental backup on Monday will only transfer and save data that has changed or been added since Sunday. On Tuesday, an incremental backup will only deal with data that has changed since Monday's incremental backup, and so on. The differential backup, unlike an incremental backup, only backs up data that has changed since the last full backup.

The difference between incremental backup and differential backup is given in the table below:

Daily, a differential backup approach backs up files that have changed since the previous full backup. Because less data is stored up, they are much faster than complete backups. In contrast to differential backups, incremental backups copy files that have changed after the last backup of whatever type, which can be a complete or incremental backup. The fewer data that NEEDS to be backed up when incremental backups are conducted, the shorter the time between backups.

One of the advantages of differential backup over incremental backup is that you just need the most recent full backup and differential backup to recover data, which speeds up the process. However, until the next full backup, the amount of space needed by backed up data will increase with each differential backup.

Among the three strategies: full, differential, and incremental, incremental is the one that saves the most space. Even though the incremental backups offer more versatility and granularity (duration between backups), they have a tradition of taking longer to restore because they should be built from the most recent full backup and all successive incremental backups.

When the computer BIOS cannot detect a bootable operating system on any of the storage devices included in the notebook computer's boot path, the Non-System Disk Error or Disk Error message appears.

Here are a few APPROACHES that may be useful, and any of them may be the answer to your problem.

Method 1: Examine all non-bootable storage media.

First and foremost, make a list of all non-bootable storage devices connected to the computer and remove or detach them. When you connect many devices to a computer, the system may have trouble determining which device has the OS loaded, which can result in an error like this. As a result, disconnect all non-bootable external devices.

Method 2: Check the IDE ( Integrated Drive Electronics ) or SATA ( Serial Advanced Technology Attachment )cable on the HDD.

If your hard disk's IDE or SATA cable is damaged or improperly attached, the system may be unable to read the disc, resulting in the "non-system disc error." If the cable is damaged or malfunctioning, simply reconnect it properly or purchase a new one.

If the HDD cable is in good shape and securely attached, but the error remains, it's possible that the HDD on which WINDOWS was installed is not set as the primary disc in BIOS.

Method 3: If necessary, change the boot order.

ACCESS the BIOS/UEFI environment on your PC and make sure the hard disc drive you're trying to boot from is in the correct boot order settings, which should be at the very top of the boot order list. To alter the boot order, follow these steps:

• While the computer is RESTARTING, press the key required to enter the BIOS or UEFI setup screen (usually Esc, F2, F8, F10).
• Select the Boot tab in BIOS with the arrow keys on the keyboard and give the system drive the boot priority, which should be set at the top.
• The mouse pointer can be used to specify the boot sequence in UEFI.
• The BIOS/UEFI setup utility should be saved and exited. The computer will reboot with the new settings in place.

Method 4: REINSTALL the hard drive.

Another option for resolving this issue is to remove and reinstall the hard disc.

Steps:

• Remove the power cable/charger from the PC and turn it off.
• Then the battery should be removed (for laptops).
• Disconnect the hard drive from the computer.
• After blowing out the dust, clean the hard disc using a dry rag.
• Reconnect it to your computer.
• Return the battery to its original position.
• Connect the charger or power cable.
• Restart the computer.

Method 5: Access hard drive and recover data from the hard disk without OS.

Except for external influences, you must accept the fact that something went wrong with the hard disc drive's boot files, which may have gotten damaged or corrupted, and that fixing the HDD's boot sector, master boot record (), and boot configuration data (BCD) must take effect.

• Make a bootable Disk.
• Proceed by booting from the bootable USB.
• Recover data from a non-booting hard drive.

If you discover that there is a problem with LAN CONNECTIVITY on a huge level, you should take the following actions to identify the root cause and resolve it:

• Ping the destination IP if the destination and source have the same subnet mask.
• Otherwise, ping the router's gateway IP address if the destination is on a different subnet mask.
• If both pings fail, first verify the CONFIGURATION settings to see if the subnet mask and route to be taken to reach the target are properly defined in the routing table.
• Check if your source host can ping another hop in the LAN network other than the destination host or route to that once you've completed the configuration section and verified everything to be in order.
• There COULD be a variety of reasons why you are unable to ping another device. It could also be a SETUP problem, a physical connectivity problem, or a problem with REPETITIOUS IP address entry.

If we cannot reach the destination IP address and cannot identify a route to the next-hop at any point in the network using the TCP/IP protocol suite, we will utilise the PING and TRACEROUTE tools to diagnose the cause and LOCATION of the problem.

The following are some general steps to troubleshoot IP-related network issues:

• To begin, identify the pair of devices between the source and destination hosts that are experiencing CONNECTIVITY issues.
• The failure could be due to a physical connectivity issue once you've located the devices using the tools. As a result, EXAMINE all of the physical connections along the path.
• If you WORK in a LAN network, there may be a problem with the LAN connectivity as well. As a result, double-check your LAN connections. The local port may be BROKEN or unavailable, preventing the source from communicating with the destination IP.
• A router connectivity issue when travelling through numerous channels to reach the destination could be one of the causes of the error. As a result, verify that the router is appropriately defined at each intermediate hop.
• Examine the configuration options.

If you still can't find a solution after examining physical connectivity, local connectivity, IP connectivity, and routing issues, the fault could be in the transport and APPLICATION layer protocol.

A defect can occur for a variety of reasons:

• The DATA connection has been lost.
• Incoming and OUTGOING traffic is blocked by a packet filter or firewall.
• On the server, a specific service is unavailable.
• Between the client and the server HOST, there could be an authentication and access issue.
• Issues with software incompatibility or mismatches between the source and destination hosts.

It is also crucial to have some best practices in place to make troubleshooting as speedy and PAINLESS as possible. Following these best network troubleshooting practices as you strive to resolve network issues will help speed up the process and minimise superfluous or repeating efforts.

• Gather facts about network and network problems: To PROVIDE the greatest help to your end consumers, you must first determine what the issue is. Collect enough information from the people who are having network problems as well as the network itself to be able to duplicate or diagnose the problem. Take cautious not to confuse symptoms with the core cause, as what appears to be a problem may be a symptom of a greater problem.
• Logs can be customised: Make sure your event and security logs are set up to provide you with the information you need to troubleshoot and analyse the root cause. Each log should provide a clear explanation of the items or events being tracked, as well as the date and time, as well as information about the report's source (MAC or IP address).
• Examine security and access: Check that no access or security concerns have arisen by ensuring that all access permissions are as they should be and that no one has tampered with a sensitive section of the network they weren't meant to. Check that any firewalls, antivirus, and malware software are up to date and that no security concerns are interfering with your users' ability to operate.
• Adhere to an escalation protocol: There's nothing more irritating than going to the IT help desk and getting routed to someone else, who then directs you to someone else, who then refers you to someone else, and so on. Establish a clear escalation system that identifies who is responsible for certain concerns, as well as the last person in the chain who can be contacted for assistance. All of your end customers should KNOW who to contact if they have a problem, so they don't waste time talking to five different people who can't help them.
• Using monitoring tools: Manual troubleshooting is possible, however, it can take a long time if you go through each step. It might be stressful to try to locate the problem, let alone remedy it when you have a SLEW of individuals banging on your office door or sending you frantic emails. It's best to employ monitoring tools in commercial and corporate circumstances to ensure you're obtaining all of the relevant network information and aren't missing anything crucial, not to mention avoiding exposing the firm to excessive danger.

SolarWinds® Network Performance Monitor (NPM) is my preferred monitoring software . It's a well-designed application with capabilities that help you debug network issues quickly and THOROUGHLY. NetPath network path analysis, which shows your network topology and performance pathways, and PerfStack, which enables you to compare multiple performance measures against each other as well as historical data, are two more NPM capabilities. You can use these tools to see which performance issues are linked and troubleshoot the root cause more quickly.

Dynamic discs are logical discs that can use several hard drives in the COMPUTER to provide disc redundancy, mirroring, and improved performance and reliability. Dynamic discs are a type of volume MANAGEMENT that permits volumes on one or more physical discs to have noncontiguous extents.

It is not possible to transform every standard hard disc into a dynamic disc. Removable media, such as ZIP and Jaz discs, for example, cannot be transformed into dynamic discs. The explanation for this is straightforward. A dynamic disc is a storage device that can span many drives. The volume would be broken if it spanned a DETACHABLE disc and the disc was ELIMINATED from the system.

If the basic disc is on a laptop computer, it cannot be turned into a dynamic disc. This can be due to a variety of factors. You ought not to be running Windows Server 2003 on a laptop in the FIRST place. Second, the majority of laptops have only one hard drive. Dynamic discs would provide no benefit to a system with a single hard drive. Third, when a laptop has multiple hard drives, one of them is frequently located in a docking station. A dynamic disc volume that encompassed the device's internal hard drive, as well as the docking station's hard drive would indeed be damaged if you removed your laptop from the docking station.

Clustered servers are the third case in which a basic disc cannot be transformed into a dynamic disc. The final criteria about basic drives that cannot be transformed are that any hard disc with a sector size bigger than 512 bytes can't be converted (albeit this is unlikely). Cluster sizes larger than 512 bytes are possible, but not sectors.

Method 1: The system isn't always completely DEAD. Sometimes, it simply won't start because of faulty or damaged system files, malware attacks, software problems, or missing DLLs. In such instances, the BIOS utility built into the system can be used to retrieve data. Follow the instructions below:

• Connect the dead system to a USB drive (made with the Windows Media Creation Tool).
• Turn on your computer, press the F12 BOOT key to access the boot menu, and select the USB installation media.
• You will then be taken to the Automatic Repair setup.
• It will say that the Automatic Repair failed to repair your computer, so select Advanced options.
• Click Troubleshoot->Advanced options-> Command Prompt.
• The window for the Command Prompt appears. Hit Enter after typing notepad.exe.
• Select File > Open from the File menu in Notepad.
• Select This PC from the drop-down menu, then go to the files and folders you want to recover.
• To access them, change the file type to the 'ALL FILES' from txt.
• Select the external disc from the Send to the menu by right-clicking on the chosen file.

If the data is stored on the c: drive, however, this procedure may fail. With the NEW Windows installation, the c: disc will be formatted permanently.

Method 2:

If your system won't start and you're worried about the loss of data, you can use the dead PC's hard disc as an external drive and follow the steps below:

• Remove the hard disc from the affected computer and attach it to a functional computer. To utilise it as a hard drive, use a hard drive connector such as a SATA to USB converter or an external Hard Drive Enclosure. Connect the hard drive to the PC using an appropriate connector if the PC supports PATA/IDE 3.0.
• Open Disk Management  by right-clicking (or long-pressing) the Start button and selecting disk management.
• Assign a drive letter to the hard disc if the system recognises it but shows it as RAW.

Method 3:

When your system fails to boot and you attempt to repair it, you run the risk of losing vital data. To avoid data loss, use reliable data recovery software to recover your important system files, photographs, videos, and documents. These programs provide a bootable recovery disc feature that enables you to recover data from crashed, corrupted, formatted or non-bootable computers.

Below are some of the things that you would need to check to troubleshoot the software program:

• Check to see if the program's or utility's developer has any fixes or updates available. In some circumstances, the software program will need to be updated to work properly on the computer.
• When one executes the software or utility, one must ENSURE all other programs are closed. If the software RUNS successfully after all other programs have been closed, there may be conflicts with other programs.
• After the program is installed, ensure the computer is rebooted at LEAST once. Some programs require a restart of the computer after installation to function properly.
• Check that the date on the computer is correct. Software may rely on the date in various circumstances, and if the date is wrongly specified, it can cause problems.
• If the aforementioned suggestions fail to solve your problems, reinstall the program or utility.
• Your OPERATING SYSTEM may be the source of your software problem in some circumstances. For this, basic operating system troubleshooting steps must be followed.

Following are some ways to resolve DNS issues:

• Check your cords and connections: If you're using wired connections, double-check that everything is correctly plugged in. If you're using a wireless NETWORK, ensure sure it's turned on and connected. Check to SEE if your router is turned on and working.
• Rule out ISP problems: Make sure you're not having problems with your Internet service provider by attempting to link with another device. If you can directly connect to your ISP without going through the router, do so.
• Reboot your router: Turn it back on after a minute and wait till the indicator lights cease blinking before attempting to connect.
• Scan for malware: In some situations, a VIRUS could be preventing you from accessing the internet. In this instance, you may have more pressing concerns to address before addressing IP connectivity.
• Examine your TCP/IP settings: These options control how your computer interacts with others. You could have recently updated these settings and attempted to manually enter them. Find "Manage network connections" in your computer's networking or control panel. Locate and tap on both IPv6 and IPv4 "Properties" under "Local Area Connections," "Properties." Make sure "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS servers address automatically" are both checked.
• Clean out your DNS cache: Your computer's DNS cache is where it saves networking information from previous visits and efforts to connect to online SITES. The cache can get corrupted as a result of incorrect data. Type ipconfig /flushdns into the command prompt to flush, or clear, this cache. The DNS cache will now have to update the DNS information the next time you visit a website.
• Obtain a new domain name: Is your website address functional but taking you to an unfamiliar site? It's most possible that you neglected to renew the domain name.
  If necessary, update and reinstall the network adapter driver: When was the last time you updated your drivers? This may be causing problems, especially if you've upgraded your PC's hardware since purchasing it. You can fix DNS problems by manually searching for network device driver updates and updating them.
• Switch to Google's public DNS servers: Google's servers are usually more dependable and may be utilised without going via your ISP. You can change your DNS servers to Google's by altering the following properties in your Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).

It is necessary to CONFIGURE the DNS server IP address on the machine. Take the case of a person who wants to VISIT a website. When a user starts a browser and types the website's URL name, a DNS resolution is required, in which the URL name is submitted to a DNS server. The PC must START the DNS REQUEST, which necessitates the configuration of the DNS server IP address on the PC. The DNS request will fail if the PC does not recognise the DNS server IP address, and internet ACCESS will be lost.

The admin can USE the TRACEROUTE command-line tool to inspect the location where packets are being dropped on the ROUTER.

Traceroute is a command-line tool used in real-time network troubleshooting to determine the path data packets traverse across the internet to their destination addresses. When you visit a website, the traffic must pass through multiple intermediaries before it reaches the website. The traffic passes through your local router, the routers of your Internet service provider, and onto larger networks, among other things.

Traceroute shows us the path that visitors take to get to the website. It also shows the length of time that each halt takes. If you're experiencing trouble accessing a website that appears to be operational, there could be a problem somewhere along the path between your computer and the website's servers. Traceroute would reveal the source of the issue.

In more technical terms, traceroute uses the ICMP PROTOCOL to deliver a series of packets (the same protocol used for the ping command.) The time-to-live (also known as TTL, or hop LIMIT) of the first packet is 1, the second packet is 2, and so on. The TTL is reduced by one each time a packet is forwarded to a new router. The packet is deleted when it reaches 0 and the router delivers an error message. Traceroute ensures that each router in the path discards a packet and responds by forwarding packets in this manner.

The most common fixes for the the ‘No Signal Input’ error on your screen are:

• POWER and Cabling Issues: This may seem self-evident, but the solution could be as simple as double-checking all electrical connections and ensuring the input device is turned on. Make sure your video monitor cable or HDMI cable is securely attached to the PC or other input device as well as the display. If you're using a desktop tower computer, ensure it's turned on. Some PCs feature cooling fans that spin and create noise even when the computer is not turned on. Check that the power light is on and that the monitor and computer are both connected to a power supply. If you ever discover that your monitor isn't turning on properly, this is a superb method to employ. Examine the state of your power cord. This display problem can be caused by a faulty power cord or power STRIP. When working with a frayed or damaged power cord, use caution.
• SOURCE of Input is Incorrect: Make sure the correct input source is selected if your monitor has multiple input channels. If you're using a video output or HDMI cable to connect to a PC, make sure the monitor input is set to the correct source, such as HDMI or Video. You can normally accomplish this by pushing the menu button until you find the input button on the monitor's MAIN menu or control panel, then selecting the input button to cycle through the settings until you obtain the correct video signal.
• Setting the Monitor Resolution: If the monitor display resolutions are out of sync with the input signal, some external display monitors will display no image and an error message. The monitor may display a "no input signal" message if your PC video card or graphics card is set to a display resolution higher than the monitor's native display resolution. To find out what your monitor's maximum and native resolutions are, look at its specifications. If you're not sure and have a Windows PC, consider starting it in safe mode, which has a lower display resolution.
• Problems with Graphics Cards: If you're using a graphics card that can be swapped out, check sure it's firmly seated in its slot. Before removing an internal graphics card, make sure all cables are disconnected and the device is turned off. A display device may produce an error message due to a faulty video card or an incompatible video card driver. When a computer is turned on, never remove the cover.
• Experiment using a different cable or a computer: A damaged video cable is also likely to be the source of the monitor's lack of signal. If the problem persists, try connecting your monitor and PC with a fresh cable. If not, the problem is due to a problem with your video cable. If the problem persists, try connecting your monitor to a different computer. If your monitor STILL displays the no signal message, it's possible that the monitor is the source of the problem. In this scenario, you should seek further advice from the monitor's manufacturer.