Troubleshooting Hardware and Storage Devices

Question 1

Troubleshooting steps

Answer 1

1. identify the problem
2. establish a theory
3. test the theory
4. establish a plan of action
5. verify system functionality
6. documentation

Question 2

causes of power isssues

Answer 2

1. power button not connected to motherboard
2. wall outlet faulty
3. power cable to computer faulty
4. power supply faulty
5. power cables from power supply to components faulty
6. incorrect voltage setting on PSU

Question 3

wall outlet faulty

Answer 3

use multimeter or voltmeter to test
- 110-120 in usa
- 220 in rest of world

Question 4

power cable to computer is faulty

Answer 4

disconnect cable, take multimeter, and run resistance check 3 times, ohms should be zero if working fine

Question 5

power supply is faulty

Answer 5

12V, 5V, 3.3V
- use power supply tester

Question 6

power cables from power supply are faulty

Answer 6

use multimeter, check each pin on each cable

Question 7

incorrect voltage setting on PSU

Answer 7

• older servers/PSU
• switch on back of PSU

Question 8

POST

Answer 8

diagnostic program inside system firmware

Question 9

1 short beep

Answer 9

normal POST - system is OK

Question 10

pinwheel of death

Answer 10

Mac
- unresponsive apps

Question 11

Kernel Panic

Answer 11

linux
- black screen with white text on it
- system display gives exit code

Question 12

BSOD

Answer 12

• windows
• problem with underlying hardware

Question 13

cooling issues

Answer 13

• fans working at high speeds
• randomly turning off and on
• feels hot to the touch
• overheating into OS = app problem

Question 14

system overheating

Answer 14

1. shut down system
2. boot into UEFI//BIOS

Question 15

CPU overheating but fan working ?

Answer 15

thermal sink issue, take off heat sank, add thermal paste, put it back

Question 16

rancid smell

Answer 16

blown or burst capacitor

Question 17

inaccurate date time

Answer 17

battery failing on motherboard to keep RTC in sync

Question 18

CMOS

Answer 18

non-volatile type of memory that stores BIOS settings and built into motherboard

Question 19

NVRAM

Answer 19

stores data without being constantly refreshed
- more modern version of CMOS

Question 20

what is problem if computer won’t boot but fans keep spinning

Answer 20

power supply, overheating, or motherboard issue

Question 21

inability to find bootable device, OS not found, invalid drive spec

Answer 21

problem with boot sector

Question 22

bad sectors solution (HDD)

Answer 22

use disk utility like chkdsk

Question 23

SSD bad blocks

Answer 23

use spare blocks at end of device

Question 24

SMART

Answer 24

self diagnostic program that alerts OS if there is a failure
- monitors hard drive and understands health of drive
- IOPS = lower on HDD

Question 25

defrag tool

Answer 25

put files back together and reduce read and write times

Question 26

RAID failures

Answer 26

• single disk failure
• full raid failure
• multiple drives failure

Question 27

flashing screen problem

Answer 27

cable is not properly connected

Question 28

dead pixel

Answer 28

no fix
- replace monitor/display