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1. Describe your problem in detail so that you have a good idea of it, who knows it just happens once.

2. Track back in time what happened before and together with the problem, both you and your computer.

3. Think of the possible causes because sometimes it might be something that's not obvious.

4. Get more information whenever you have no idea of what's happening, this could range from Events, to SysInternals Tools, to Performance Analysis, to Debugging, to any other tool in your expertise.

5. Test your assumptions to be sure that your thoughts don't filter the cause away.

1. Describe your problem in detail so that you have a good idea of it, who knows it just happens once.

2. Track back in time what happened before and together with the problem, both you and your computer.

3. Think of the possible causes because sometimes it might be something that's not obvious.

4. Get more information whenever you have no idea of what's happening, this could range from Events, to SysInternals Tools, to Performance Analysis, to Debugging, to any other tool in your expertise.

5. Test your assumptions to be sure that your thoughts don't filter the cause away.

1. That's a proper description by itself, it doesn't just happen once either.

2. You know what happened together with the problem,
   but haven't thought of things you or your computer did before the problem.

   I can't tell this, but you, your event log and recently modified files/folders could tell.

3. Possible cause is most likely to be CPU related, because it's the component that processes things.

   More specific this could be a process, a driver or failing hardware (perhaps temperature problems?).

4. I know it's CPU, but don't know what. Events don't show this, Process Explorer would hang on DPC.

   So, next step, I let trace analysis run which I close after the hang has occured.

   I look into the trace, and I see that driver X is causing the problem!

5. No real assumptions are made. The CPU assumption is handled by our D&Q approach...

1. That's a proper description by itself, it doesn't just happen once either.

2. You know what happened together with the problem,
   but haven't thought of things you or your computer did before the problem.

   I can't tell this, but you, your event log and recently modified files/folders could tell.

3. Possible cause is most likely to be CPU related, because it's the component that processes things.

   More specific this could be a process, a driver or failing hardware (perhaps temperature problems?).

4. I know it's CPU, but don't know what. Events don't show this, Process Explorer would hang on DPC.

   So, next step, I let trace analysis run which I close after the hang has occured.

   I look into the trace, and I see that driver X is causing the problem!

5. No real assumptions are made. The CPU assumption is handled by our Divide & Conquer approach...

Get an idea.

You ain't going to win a battle without any field information.

Get a better idea.

You ain't going to win a battle without sufficient field information.