Abstract: A process, a tool and a computer for analyzing and locating hardware failures in a computing machine storing information on operational errors generated by the various sensible hardware components of the machine, characterized in that it consists of creating a man/machine interface (I) through which the components and the rules for interpreting errors are described in a structural language and used by the machine as external parameters in correlation with the error information to detect the malfunctioning component or components. The preventive process is particularly adopted for computer hardware maintenance.