220-1201 Practice Question: A customer brings in a laptop that will not charge

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  Replace the laptop's battery

  Why it's wrong here

  Replacing the laptop's battery is an incorrect troubleshooting step because a faulty battery primarily affects the laptop's ability to hold a charge or operate without external power. If the AC adapter is plugged in and confirmed to be working, but the charging LED does not illuminate, the issue lies with the power delivery path *before* the battery charging circuit. A dead battery would not prevent the system from recognizing the external power source or attempting to charge.

• ✓

  Test the DC jack for continuity

  Why this is correct

  Testing the DC jack for continuity is the most appropriate next step because a broken or damaged DC jack is a common point of failure for power delivery. Even if the AC adapter outputs the correct voltage, a physical break, loose solder joint, or internal short within the jack itself will prevent power from reaching the laptop's internal components and charging circuitry. A multimeter can quickly verify if the electrical path from the jack's input to the motherboard is intact.

• ✗

  Update the laptop's BIOS

  Why it's wrong here

  Updating the laptop's BIOS is unlikely to resolve a hardware power delivery issue, especially when the AC adapter is known to be functioning correctly. The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is firmware that manages hardware initialization and boot processes, but it does not control the fundamental physical reception of power from the DC jack. Power delivery problems, such as a non-illuminating charging LED despite a working adapter, are typically hardware faults that cannot be fixed by a software or firmware update.

• ✗

  Replace the AC adapter with a universal one

  Why it's wrong here

  Replacing the AC adapter with a universal one is an unnecessary and incorrect troubleshooting step because the original adapter has already been tested and confirmed to output the correct voltage. This diagnostic step eliminates the external power supply as the source of the problem. The issue must therefore reside within the laptop's internal power path, such as the DC jack or motherboard components, which would not be resolved by simply swapping out a known-good external adapter.

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