# Diagnose an IT problem I have not been able to fix

Turns symptoms you have already tried to fix into ranked likely causes and the exact next tests to run.

- Topic: Customer Support
- Framework: Chain-of-Thought
- Level: Advanced
- Tags: Customer Support, Analyze, Code, Fill-in Template, Step-by-step
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/diagnose-an-it-problem-i-have-not-been-able-to-fix

## Prompt

```text
Help me diagnose an IT problem I have not been able to fix.

**Symptom:** [WHAT the user sees, exact error message or code]
**Device and environment:** [OS and version, app and version, device model, on-site or remote, network type]
**Scope:** [one user / several users / one location / everyone]
**When it started and what changed around then:** [updates, new software, password change, moves]
**What I already tried and the result:** [LIST]
**Relevant logs or screenshots described:** [Event Viewer, app logs, etc. - optional]

Steps:
1. Restate the problem precisely and say what the scope tells us (user, device, network, or service level).
2. List the 3-6 most likely causes, ranked, with the evidence for and against each.
3. For each, give the next test to confirm or rule it out: exact commands, settings paths, or log locations, starting with quick, non-destructive checks.
4. Note anything I tried that may have hidden the real cause.
5. Say when to stop and escalate, and what to include in the escalation.

Rules:
- Warn me before any step that can lose data, reset a profile, or affect other users, and tell me to back up first.
- If you are not sure a command or menu path exists in my version, say so.
- Do not ask for the user's password; suggest ways to test without it.

Return: likely causes table (Cause | Evidence | Next test | Risk of test), then a step-by-step test sequence and a short ticket note of what was done.
```

## What to fill in

- WHAT the user sees, exact error message or code
- one user / several users / one location / everyone
- updates, new software, password change, moves
- LIST
- Event Viewer, app logs, etc. - optional

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.