What is the best answer for: "my Internet is not working"? [closed]

I look for work in IT Support. One of interview questions is: what would you first say if user call You and tell my Internet is not working?

I think about it a lot and still don't know what is correct answerer nor what answer my future employer expects.

My choice would be something like: What part of Internet? (but more polite). For example I could ask for opening web page that works on my PC.

Please give only serious answers. If You want BOFH or "The website is down" style answers I can create separate question for that.

Solution 1:

I've been doing Internet tech support for a decade. Proper answer is, "I can help you with that. Can you clarify something for me? Do you mean you cannot get any web pages or email, or that are you having trouble with a particular item?"

Solution 2:

1. Verify that they are using the internet properly. Typing "http://www.google.com" into Notepad is not the internet.
2. Check the physical connection, if there is none make sure they have the right wireless network selected.
3. Restart everything, router, computer, modem.
4. Make sure all options are properly configured (DNS, Static / generated IP, etc) under network connections.
5. Have them check any applications that might be blocking it, firewalls or security programs.
6. Ask them their IP address and attempt a ping / traceroute.
7. On an internal network try to ping the nearest router.
8. External networks (someone at home for example) have them contact their ISP.

Solution 3:

"Have you tried rebooting" tends to be a popular one at my work. It resolves the issue a large portion of the time.

Solution 4:

hmm. First an overview - how many systems are connected (router?) and how many of them have issues If its windows

1. ask them to open cmd and type in ipconfig - this should help check if there's a working connection at all without obviously asking them to check their physical connections. If that seems to be the issue, well, check the physical connections

2. get them to flush their DNS - ipconfig /flushdns, or try an alternate DNS

Solution 5:

The single most important question that is not asked enough is:

When did this problem start?

Followed closely by:

Did anything happen right before it stopped working?

I guess they wouldn't be question #1, but probably they should be #2 and #3.

Why is this important to ask? when the answers are

• "a few minutes ago", and "the power went out (but my computer is a laptop so it is ok!)"
• "last week", and "every since I moved my cube to the other side of the office"
• "Never", and "I just got a new computer"

you can already guess what the problem might be in each of these cases.