Symptom Possible Items to Check Typical Solution Cause
All devices Unplug and reconnect
the devices.
For add-on cards,
make sure the card
is fully seated in the
expansion slot and
the bracket firmly fas-
tened to the case.
If devices continue to work erratically after being recon-nected, replace the device cables or card.
| Ports (parallel, | Attach loopback plugs | If ports fail loopback test, | |
| serial, USB, and | and test the ports. | replace ports or mother- | |
| so on) | board. | ||
| Fans spin; no | Power connector | Disconnect and recon- | If problem persists, try a dif- |
| power to other | to motherboard | nect the power leads | ferent power supply. |
| devices | not properly | to the motherboard. | If problem persists, replace |
| connected | |||
| the motherboard. | |||
| Indicator | Indicator lights | Check the indicator | Reconnect incorrectly |
| lights | on front of sys- | light leads from the | installed or loose leads. |
| tem not working | front panel to the | If problem persists, replace | |
| motherboard (see | |||
| lights or case. | |||
| Figure 9-4). | |||
| Smoke | Component | Check the power- | Replace any burnt compo- |
| failure | supply capacitors | nent. | |
| and capacitors on the | |||
| motherboard. | |||
| Check the add-on | |||
| cards and hard disk | |||
| circuit boards. | |||
| Short circuit | Check the wires for | Replace any burnt compo- | |
| short circuits. | nent. | ||
| Burning smell | Major compo- | Check the power- | Replace any burnt compo- |
| nent failure | supply capacitors | nent. | |
| and capacitors on the | |||
| motherboard. | |||
| Check the wires for | |||
| short circuits. | |||
170 CompTIA A+ Quick Reference
Table 9-2 Continued
| Symptom | Possible | Items to Check | Typical Solution |
| Cause | |||
| BSOD | Various prob- | Note the STOP error | Research the STOP error |
| lems with | code. | code at http://support. | |
| Windows con- | microsoft.com. | ||
| figuration or | Replace any defective or | ||
| hardware | |||
| incompatible hardware or | |||
| software. | |||
Figure 9-4Front-panel cables plugged into a typical motherboard. It’s easy to misconnect themduring installation or disconnect them when installing other components.
Troubleshooting Hard Drives and RAID
Arrays
This section reviews common causes for problems with hard drives and RAID arrays and typical solutions. Use the tools in Table 9-3 to find and solve problems with these components.