To begin troubleshooting, I first gathered essential information about the network configuration. I used the ipconfig /all command to verify that the computer was receiving a valid IP address and to identify the default gateway and DNS servers. This foundational step allowed me to confirm that the issue was not with the local network configuration and to plan the next steps of the diagnosis.

After confirming the local network was configured correctly, the next step was to use the tracert command to trace the path of the connection. By analyzing the results, I was able to identify a significant increase in latency at a specific hop, which indicated the network slowdown was happening on the ISP's side. This evidence was crucial for guiding the client on their next steps and preventing them from spending time on unnecessary local fixes.