A method and system of detecting and reporting failures in a computer, in particular a personal computer is disclosed. Event codes related to failure events are given unique alpha numeric designations, allowing universal recognition of failures related to diagnostic programs that are ran. The unique event codes are stored in an error log when a particular failure is found through the operation of a diagnostic program. The error log is parsed as to determined values and can be minimized further by eliminating redundant occurrences of the event codes. Event codes can be related to frequently asked question (FAQ) files, the FAQ files can then be presented to a user. In certain cases, the presented FAQ files can be minimized further by a template that masks out irrelevant FAQ files. The FAQ file that are considered relevant can be predetermined per the requirements of the user.