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220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is troubleshooting a desktop that…
A technician is troubleshooting a desktop that fails to boot and displays 'No bootable device' after a power outage. The system has a single SATA SSD for the OS and a separate HDD for data. The BIOS detects both drives. What should the technician check first?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Check the boot order in BIOS/UEFI.
After a power outage, the boot order in BIOS can reset to defaults, causing the system to try booting from the wrong drive. This tests understanding of BIOS/UEFI boot settings.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Replace the SATA cable for the SSD.
Why it's wrong here
If the BIOS/UEFI successfully detects the SSD, it confirms that the physical connection via the SATA data and power cables is functional. Replacing the SATA cable would be a relevant troubleshooting step only if the drive were not detected at all, indicating a potential physical layer issue. Since detection is confirmed, the cable is highly unlikely to be the root cause of a boot failure, and replacing it would be an unnecessary action.
- ✓
Check the boot order in BIOS/UEFI.
Why this is correct
A power outage or unexpected system shutdown can sometimes corrupt or reset the BIOS/UEFI configuration, including the critical boot order settings. If the system is failing to boot from the SSD, even though the drive is detected, it is highly probable that the boot sequence has been inadvertently altered. Correcting the boot order to prioritize the SSD ensures the system attempts to load the operating system from the correct device, resolving the boot issue.
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Run a CHKDSK on the HDD.
Why it's wrong here
CHKDSK (Check Disk) is a Windows operating system utility designed to scan and repair file system errors, bad sectors, and logical inconsistencies on a storage volume. This utility is entirely irrelevant when the computer cannot even initiate the boot process from the correct drive. The issue described pertains to the system's inability to *select* the boot device, not to file system corruption on a drive that isn't being accessed for booting.
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Replace the CMOS battery.
Why it's wrong here
While a failing or dead CMOS battery can indeed cause the BIOS/UEFI settings, including the boot order, to revert to default or become corrupted, it is not the immediate first step for troubleshooting. The most direct action is to first verify and correct the boot order manually within the BIOS/UEFI setup. If the settings consistently fail to save or revert after being adjusted, then replacing the CMOS battery would become the necessary subsequent step to maintain configuration persistence.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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Mobile Device Types and Features
Key term
BIOS
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is the low-level firmware stored on a motherboard chip that initializes and tests hardware components before loading the operating system.
Key term
SATA
SATA (Serial ATA) is an interface standard used to connect storage devices like hard drives and solid-state drives to a computer's motherboard.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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