Donaldson R F
Servers & Hosting (Plesk, CloudPanel, Linux)
Not Sure What's Broken? General Technical Diagnostic
You know something is wrong with your website, email, server or DNS but not what. I investigate and tell you exactly what is going on and what to do next.
The Problem
Something is not working: a website that is slow or down, email that goes missing, a server that misbehaves, a domain that will not resolve. You do not know where the fault lies, so you do not know which service to buy. Guessing wastes time and money, and fixing the wrong thing can make matters worse.
About this problem
Most technical faults look the same from the outside: a page that will not load, an email that never arrives. Underneath, the cause can sit in the website code, the hosting, the DNS records, the mail setup or a certificate, and the symptom alone rarely says which. A short, structured investigation separates those layers and finds where the fault really is.
People usually come to this when they have already tried a few things, or when they would rather know the cause before paying for a fix. The result is a clear written diagnosis with a recommended next step, so you can decide what to do with facts rather than guesswork.
What's Included
- A structured investigation of the problem you describe, covering website, hosting, DNS, email and certificates as relevant
- Checks of public-facing evidence (DNS records, headers, certificates, response behaviour, error output) and of logs or settings you give me access to
- A plain-English written diagnosis: what is wrong, how sure I am, and why
- A recommended next step, including which fixed-price service from this catalogue would resolve it, if any
- One round of follow-up questions on the findings
What's NOT Included
- Fixing the problem (that is a separate service, scoped from the diagnosis)
- Ongoing monitoring or repeated investigations of different issues
- Investigating problems in third-party systems I cannot reach or have no access to
- Guaranteeing that every fault can be traced to a single cause
How It Works
- I read your description and list the most likely areas to check: website, hosting, DNS, mail or certificates.
- I test what is publicly visible first, such as DNS records, HTTP responses and headers, SSL certificate validity and mail records.
- With the access you give me, I look at logs, error output and configuration on the website or server, read-only.
- I narrow the candidates down by ruling layers in or out, and reproduce the fault where I can.
- I write up the findings: the cause or most likely causes, the evidence, and what each would take to fix.
- I recommend the next step and the matching service, if you want one, with its fixed price.
In practice: you buy the service, send over whatever access or details the job needs, I investigate and do the work, and you confirm it's resolved before we call it done.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I don't know what's wrong. Is this the right service?
- Yes, that is exactly what it is for. Describe what you see and I will work out where the fault is and what it would take to fix.
- Will you fix the problem as part of this?
- No. This service delivers a diagnosis and a recommendation. If a fix is needed I will point you to the right fixed-price service, so you know the cost before you commit.
- What do you need from me?
- A description of the symptoms, the domain or server involved, and when it started. If a deeper look is needed I will agree a safe way for you to share read-only access; please never send passwords in plain text.
- What if you can't find the cause?
- I will tell you honestly what I ruled out and what remains uncertain, with suggested next steps. Some intermittent faults take more than one look, and I will not pretend otherwise.
- Is this the same as the individual check services?
- Those cover one specific area, such as SPF or an error log. This one is broader, for when you do not yet know which area is at fault.
- Can you investigate more than one problem?
- This diagnostic covers one problem or one cluster of related symptoms. A separate, unrelated issue would be a separate order.
- How quickly will I hear back?
- I review your details and reply by email, usually within one working day, and I will tell you if the investigation needs longer.