220-1101 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Practice Question
A technician is adding a new RAID controller to a server. After installing the card into a PCIe slot and connecting the internal cables, the server powers on but does not POST. The fans spin and power LED is on, but there is no display output or beep codes. The technician removes the RAID controller and the server boots normally. The technician reseats the controller in a different PCIe slot, but the same symptom occurs. The controller is listed as compatible with the server model. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume a compatibility issue or defective slot, but the key clue is that the system fails to POST only when the high-power controller is installed, pointing to a power delivery problem rather than a logical or firmware fault.
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
✓
The RAID controller requires more power than the PCIe slot can provide
The RAID controller is a high-power PCIe device that may exceed the 75W power limit of a standard PCIe slot. When the controller draws more power than the slot can supply, the motherboard may fail to initialize the device during POST, causing a no-POST condition with fans spinning and no beep codes. Removing the controller allows the system to boot normally, confirming the power draw issue.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The PCIe slot is defective
Why it's wrong here
The server POSTs normally with no card installed, proving the slot's power rails and data lanes are not shorted or damaged. If the slot itself were defective, inserting the RAID controller into a different PCIe slot would produce a different outcome—yet the no-POST condition follows the card. A defective slot typically causes intermittent detection issues or link training failures for any device, not a complete system halt that moves with the card. A bent pin or damaged trace would be fixed by relocating the card, but since the failure persists across slots, the slot is exonerated.
- ✓
The RAID controller requires more power than the PCIe slot can provide
Why this is correct
RAID controllers with onboard processors and cache often need a direct power connection from the PSU via a dedicated cable. Without this, the card may not be fully powered, leading to a failure to POST.
- ✗
The server's BIOS needs to be updated
Why it's wrong here
While a BIOS update could add compatibility, the card is listed as compatible, and the symptom (no POST with the card installed) is more typical of a power delivery issue rather than a BIOS compatibility problem.
- ✗
The RAID controller's firmware is corrupted
Why it's wrong here
Corrupt firmware on a RAID controller would prevent the card's option ROM from initializing, but it would not stop the host system's POST from completing—the CPU, memory, and chipset would still power up and display an error or beep code. Firmware is executed during the PCI option ROM scan, which occurs after the platform has already passed its own core self-tests. Since this system fails to POST at all, the hang is in the early power/reset sequence, not in the card's flash execution. A new card is unlikely to ship with corrupted firmware; the more probable cause is an insufficient power connection from the PSU to the card's auxiliary power port.
Quick reference
RAID Level Comparison
| RAID Level | Min Disks | Fault Tolerance | Read | Write | Usable Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAID 0 | 2 | None | Excellent | Excellent | 100% |
| RAID 1 | 2 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 50% |
| RAID 5 | 3 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 67–94% |
| RAID 6 | 4 | 2 disks | Good | Lower | 50–88% |
| RAID 10 | 4 | 1 disk per mirror | Excellent | Good | 50% |
RAID is not a backup strategy — it protects against disk failure but not against accidental deletion, ransomware, or site-level events.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Power Supply Units and Connectors
Key term
Light-emitting Diode
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it, commonly used as an indicator or illumination source in electronic devices.
Key term
Power-on Self-test
The Power-on Self-test (POST) is a diagnostic process a computer runs immediately when you turn it on to check that essential hardware components are working correctly before loading the operating system.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1101 exam.