220-802 Question #736: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

The correct answer is D: AHCI - IDE setting under SATA options in the BIOS. Removing a CMOS battery resets all BIOS settings to factory defaults. If the SATA controller mode resets from AHCI to IDE, Windows will BSOD because it lacks the necessary driver loaded for the now-active controller mode.

Question

A user reports that they accidentally unplugged their CMOS battery. The unit was reinstalled, but all subsequent boot attempts have resulted in a BSOD. Which of the following should be the FIRST item checked by the technician?

Options

AWhether the boot order now has the optical drive in position one
BIf the BIOS can detect the hard drive at all
CWhether the SATA power cable was unplugged
DAHCI - IDE setting under SATA options in the BIOS

Explanation

Removing a CMOS battery resets all BIOS settings to factory defaults. If the SATA controller mode resets from AHCI to IDE, Windows will BSOD because it lacks the necessary driver loaded for the now-active controller mode.

Common mistakes.

A. An incorrect boot order would cause a 'No bootable device' error or boot from the wrong media, not a BSOD after Windows begins loading.
B. If the BIOS could not detect the hard drive at all, the system would fail before reaching Windows, producing a different error rather than a BSOD.
C. A missing SATA power cable would prevent the drive from spinning up, causing a pre-boot detection error, not a BSOD during Windows loading.

Concept tested. BIOS SATA mode (AHCI vs IDE) and CMOS reset impact

Reference. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/performance/stop-error-code-0x0000007b

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