Collect
Start with the symptom, then open the relevant hardware, storage, device, update, service, event, or repair page.
SysDiag notes
Planned diagnostic workflow
Version 3 will group the symptom, related records, and repair notes in one workflow.
Process
Four steps
Group
Bring repeated errors and related records together so one problem does not look like many unrelated failures.
Explain
Explain what the result means and whether it needs attention.
Act carefully
Show a repair's risk, confirmation, result, and restart requirement before it runs.
Example
Repeated application crash
One possible way to organize the available records. It is not a guaranteed diagnosis.
Symptom
An application keeps closing
Begin with the time and application involved rather than running general repairs immediately.
Evidence
Events and reliability agree
Group repeated event records, reliability failures, update changes, and any available local crash details.
Next check
Check the records that agree
Open the related diagnostic page and use a repair only when it matches the problem being checked.
Before a repair
Repair checklist
Moderate- and high-risk repairs need a recovery path and a clear description of what happens next.
- Create a restore point before moderate- or high-risk repairs.
- Read what the action changes and whether a restart may be needed.
- Confirm that the action matches the symptom being investigated.
- Refresh the affected diagnostic page after the repair completes.