The troubleshooting of a problem ends once you exactly locate where the problem is. If you know what the problem is then it is a matter of finding out list of solutions available and picking one that best solves the problem, or it could be taking a different course of action. Most of the time people tend to lose focus and look at outside of the real problem area. Most of the times the solution to a problem is already available over the net, people have faced it and experts have answered the solution or they would have suggested the alternative. The following is the list of ways to effectively use the net for troubleshooting.

1. Use the right phrases when you search in the search engine. The best way to get the right phrase is to look at your problem very carefully. Probably what you see as problem may not be the root cause of the problem. It could be something else that is triggering the chain of reaction. Study the trace carefully and try various error messages that form the trace.
2. Use the search engine effectively. Most of the times we do not get into the advanced search, where you can filter the search result and narrow it down to the core area of the problem. This will save a lot of time by not going through a lot of links that are irrelevant.
3. Search in the groups. This is where most of the solutions will be available.
4. Nowadays, blog is where lot of people post their problems and solutions. Use a blog tracker and blog search site like Technorati.

I am sure every one of us would have tried one or the other of above options, but not a combination of them, so it is best to mix and match the above options in various ways to be more productive.