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Flashcards: CompTIA A+ Core 1: Troubleshooting Common Hardware Problems
Define and describe the POST
The Power On Self Test is an automated test that occurs whenever a device is turned on the confirms that all the main hardware systems are working
How are POST failures commonly denoted?
With beeps or codes, the manufacturer will provide documentation for decoding these
What are 2 common reasons for a blank screen on boot?
Bad hardware (video, CPU, RAM, display) and BIOS configuration problem
Why might the BIOS time and setting be inaccurate?
Bad CMOS battery
Why might a system not boot to the OS?
Improper boot sequence
What is a crash screen?
A screen that displays after a critical error that denotes relevant error information
Define and describe BSOD
Blue Screen of Death is the standard windows crash screen
Define and describe SBOD
Spinning Ball of Death is a common indicator of failure in macOS
What may have failed in the event of BSOD on startup or shutdown?
Hardware, Drivers, or Applications
What can you do if a system BSODs on startup?
Revert the system to the most recent operable state, reseat the hardware, run hardware diagnostic software provided by manufacturer or BIOS
What are 3 possible causes of SBOD?
Application stuck in infinite loop, bad hardware, slow paging to storage
What should you do if there is an SBOD?
Restart the computer and check the console logs
What should be checked if there is no video output?
The simple solutions first, is everything plugged in, is the computer configured to use that device, is the brightness all the way down, etc.
What should be checked if there is no power?
Use a multimeter to find a power path, is the outlet good>PSU>Motherboard>Output device
What might be wrong if the fans are powered but nothing else is?
Identify where the fan power is derived, the PSU may only be outputting low voltage or the motherboard may be broken
What is the first step in addressing sluggishness?
Use task manager to identify resource utilization
What are 4 potential causes of sluggishness?
Outdated OS and drivers, overutilized disk space, power saving mode, malware
What should you do in the event of smoke or a burning smell?
Immediately disconnect power, wait for the system to cool down, then identify and replace all damaged components
What should you check first in the event of intermittent shutdowns?
Check event or system logs
True or False: Many things can cause intermittent shutdowns so troubleshooting should focus on deduction by identifying systems that are functioning
True
What can commonly result in intermittent shutdowns?
Overheating
What should you check in the event of application crashes?
Error messages, event logs, or a reliability monitor
What might a rattling noise indicate?
Loose components
What might a scraping noise indicate?
HDD failure
What might a clicking noise indicate?
Fan misalignment
What might a popping noise indicate?
Blown capacitor
What should you check in the event of a lockup?
Search for any signs of life to identify which systems are still operating
What might cause a lockup?
Outdated drivers or software, resource overutilization, hardware failures
What should you check in the event of continuous reboots?
How far does the boot go before resetting
What should you do in the event of continuous reboots?
Restart in safe mode, which will boot from the last known functional configuration
What might cause inaccurate system clocks?
A bad CMOS battery
How can you reset the BIOS configuration when a CMOS fails?
Shorting the CMOS or using a jumper