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Difficulty: MediumMotherboard, RAM, CPU, and Power Issues

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop workstation that shuts down immediately two seconds after pressing the power button. Place the following hardware diagnostic steps in the correct logical sequence according to standard CompTIA troubleshooting methodology.

  1. 1Disconnect all external peripherals, secondary storage drives, and expansion cards to eliminate auxiliary short circuits.
  2. 2Measure DC output voltages and the Power_Good signal on the power supply using a multimeter or PSU tester.
  3. 3Configure a bare-bones minimal POST setup consisting only of the motherboard, CPU, heat sink, power supply, and a single memory module.
  4. 4Swap the isolated suspect component with a known-good spare module to confirm root cause.

Answer

The correct logical sequence is: 1) Disconnect all external peripherals, secondary drives, and expansion cards; 2) Measure power supply output voltages and PWR_OK signal; 3) Configure a bare-bones minimal POST setup with core hardware; 4) Swap the isolated suspect component with a known-good spare.
According to CompTIA troubleshooting standards, diagnosis of an immediate power-off state begins by disconnecting non-essential peripherals and expansion cards to eliminate auxiliary short circuits. Next, the power supply's voltage rails (+12V, +5V, +3.3V) and PWR_OK signal must be tested using a multimeter or PSU tester. After confirming clean power delivery, the technician builds a minimal POST configuration (motherboard, CPU, thermal assembly, single RAM stick) to test basic boot capability. Finally, replacing the suspect part with a known-good spare confirms the root failure.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Disconnect external devices, secondary drives, and PCIe expansion cards.
System complexity is reduced and potential short circuits from auxiliary hardware are ruled out.
CompTIA methodology dictates starting with non-invasive isolation by eliminating secondary points of failure.
2
Test power supply unit (PSU) voltage lines (+12V, +5V, +3.3V) and Power_Good (PWR_OK) signal.
Confirms whether the PSU is providing proper voltage rails under initial load.
Testing power delivery ensures that instability is not caused by faulty DC voltage lines before testing system logic components.
3
Set up a minimal configuration containing only CPU, cooler, motherboard, PSU, and one RAM module.
Allows observation of POST behavior and motherboard diagnostic LEDs/beeps without external noise.
Isolates core processing and memory components required for basic system initialization.
4
Replace the isolated suspect component with a known-good spare.
Verifies whether the replaced part resolves the sudden shutdown behavior.
Direct part swapping provides conclusive verification of the faulty hardware.

Key Concept

Systematic hardware isolation and power troubleshooting methodology
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Topics

Motherboard, RAM, CPU, and Power Issues

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