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.