A user reports that the workstation cannot connect to a networked printer in the office in order to print a report created with word processing software. Which troubleshooting action by the helpdesk technician would follow the divide-and-conquer approach?
- Ask the user to launch the web browser.
- Ask the user to save the working document.
- Ask the user to issue the ipconfig command.
- Ask the user to unplug and reattach the network cable.
Answers Explanation & Hints: The ipconfig command can be used to check the IP settings of the workstation, an internet layer issue, so this is the divide-and-conquer approach. Based on the result, the technician can further investigate either from the lower layer (for example, looking for a network connectivity issue) or the upper layer (for example, checking whether the application is working properly). To ask the user to unplug and reattach the network cable is the bottom-up approach. Asking the user to launch a web browser (to check if an application can start normally) and to save the document (to check that the application is performing normally and to preserve the working document) is the top-down approach.