220-1101 Question 314
Single answerFirmwareA technician installs a newer CPU in a small office desktop, but after the upgrade the system powers on with fans spinning and LEDs lit while displaying a black screen and never reaching the vendor logo. The old CPU is listed as supported, and the power supply connections have been verified. The motherboard manufacturer’s CPU support list shows that the new processor is supported only starting with BIOS version 2.30. The system currently has BIOS version 1.80. What is the BEST next step to resolve the issue?
- A
Reinstall the operating system so the correct processor drivers load during startup
- B
Update the motherboard firmware to a version that adds support for the new CPU
- C
Disable Secure Boot in the firmware settings and then reboot with the new CPU installed
- D
Increase the system memory voltage in the firmware to improve POST stability
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
This scenario tests practical firmware troubleshooting. When a PC fails to POST after a CPU upgrade, a key step is to verify motherboard compatibility and the minimum BIOS/UEFI version required for that processor. Motherboard manufacturers commonly publish CPU support lists that specify the exact firmware version needed. If the installed firmware is older than the required version, the board may power on but fail to initialize the CPU, resulting in a black screen or no POST. Best practice is to confirm hardware support on the vendor site, update firmware using the manufacturer’s documented procedure, ensure stable power during the update, and avoid unnecessary changes such as OS reinstallation or unrelated firmware settings. This aligns with standard A+ Core 1 expectations around BIOS/UEFI, firmware updates, and hardware compatibility troubleshooting.
- A. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The system is failing before POST completes and before the operating system loads, so reinstalling the OS would not address the problem. CPU support at this stage depends on the motherboard firmware recognizing and initializing the processor, not on OS-level drivers.
- B. Correct.
Correct. If the motherboard vendor documents that support for the new CPU begins with BIOS version 2.30, updating the BIOS/UEFI firmware is the appropriate fix. Firmware updates commonly add microcode and hardware initialization support for newer processors. In practice, the technician may need to reinstall the old supported CPU temporarily, or use a vendor-supported BIOS Flashback-style method if available, to perform the update safely.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Secure Boot controls whether trusted bootloaders and operating system components are allowed to start. It does not determine whether the motherboard firmware can identify and initialize a newly installed CPU during POST. This is a common confusion between firmware security settings and hardware compatibility.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Adjusting memory voltage is not the best first step and would be speculative. The manufacturer has already identified a clear compatibility requirement: the current BIOS version does not support the new CPU. Changing voltage settings could create instability and is not an appropriate response to a documented firmware support issue.