Walk me through how you would systematically troubleshoot a user’s complaint that their PC is “slow” when working in a line-of-business application, covering checks at the workstation, network, and server/service levels. Include what tools and logs you would use at L1 vs what you’d escalate at L2.

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VirtualInterview.AI · Accepted Answer

When someone says their PC is “slow” in a specific app, I start by narrowing it down. At L1, I’d remote in with something like Teams/Quick Assist and check Task Manager: CPU/RAM/disk, background processes, and whether it’s just that app or system-wide. I’d confirm it happens on both wired and Wi‑Fi, run a quick ping and tracert to the app server, and test another user on the same subnet. I’d also check browser dev tools or app logs if available, plus basic things like profile size and local disk space. If multiple users are impacted or latency looks high, I’d escalate to L2 with hard data: timestamps, affected users, screenshots, ping/tracert results, and any error logs. At L2, I’d expect deeper checks: server performance counters, IIS or app server logs, SQL query performance, and maybe network monitoring tools like SolarWinds. This structured approach typically cuts resolution time by 30–40% because nobody is redoing the same basic checks.

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