A laptop's number lock and scroll lock lights are blinking in a certain sequence and is not booting. Which of the following would a technician do FIRST in this situation?

Question

Options

• AInstall a replacement memory module.
• BConsult the manufacturer website for diagnostic codes.
• CAttempt to boot into safe mode.
• DInstall a replacement hard drive.

• A
  3% (1)
• B
  91% (32)
• C
  6% (2)

Explanation

Blinking LED sequences on Num Lock and Scroll Lock keys are hardware-level POST (Power-On Self-Test) diagnostic codes. Laptop manufacturers use these blink patterns to communicate specific hardware faults (e.g., two blinks = BIOS corruption, three blinks = memory failure) when the system cannot display video output. These codes are proprietary and vary by manufacturer and model. The first step must be to look up the specific pattern on the manufacturer's support site to identify what component failed before replacing anything. Replacing memory (A) or a hard drive (D) without diagnosis wastes time and money. Safe mode (C) requires the system to at least reach the bootloader, which it cannot if POST fails.

No community discussion yet for this question.