220-1101 Question 241
Single answer3.5-inchA technician is restoring data from an older desktop that uses a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive. After replacing the motherboard, the system powers on, but the floppy drive activity light stays on continuously and the drive cannot read any disks. Which action should the technician take FIRST to resolve the issue?
- A
Reverse the floppy ribbon cable connection at the drive or motherboard
- B
Replace the 3.5-inch floppy disk with a higher-density disk
- C
Configure the drive as master using jumpers
- D
Connect the floppy drive to a SATA data port instead of the floppy header
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This question tests practical troubleshooting of legacy hardware. For a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, a constantly illuminated activity light is a well-known indicator that the floppy ribbon cable is reversed. Best practice is to check physical connections first after hardware changes, especially when a symptom appears immediately after motherboard replacement. Technicians should verify the floppy cable orientation by aligning pin 1 correctly on both the motherboard floppy header and the drive, and confirming the drive is attached to the proper connector on the cable. CompTIA A+ Core 1 objectives include recognizing legacy storage technologies and applying basic hardware troubleshooting steps to identify likely cabling and connector issues.
- A. Correct.
Correct. A continuously lit activity LED on a 3.5-inch floppy drive is a classic symptom of the ribbon cable being installed backward. On floppy drives, incorrect ribbon orientation commonly prevents communication and leaves the light on. The first troubleshooting step is to verify and correct cable orientation, including pin 1 alignment and the twisted cable position if applicable.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Using a different floppy disk density will not cause or fix a constantly lit drive LED. While using the wrong media can lead to read/write failures, it does not explain the specific symptom of the light staying on continuously after motherboard replacement.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Standard 3.5-inch floppy drives in PCs are not configured as master or slave like older PATA hard drives. This option reflects a common misconception by confusing floppy drive setup with IDE device configuration.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A 3.5-inch floppy drive does not connect to a SATA data port. It uses a dedicated floppy controller/header on older systems. Attempting to use SATA would be incompatible and would not address the LED symptom.