A customer has recently returned to the United States from a trade show in Europe. They report none of their computers will power on. Which of the following is MOST likely the solution?

Question

Options

• AChange the monitor settings from PAL to NTSC
• BThe motherboard drivers need to be reloaded
• CThe voltage settings on the power supply need to be changed
• DChange the keyboard settings

• A
  2% (1)
• B
  4% (2)
• C
  94% (47)

Explanation

The key detail is travel between Europe and the United States. Europe uses 220–240V AC at 50Hz, while the US uses 110–120V AC at 60Hz. Many desktop power supply units (PSUs) have a small physical voltage selector switch (typically a red slider) on the back of the unit near the power socket. If the switch was manually changed to 220V while overseas (or if the user or a technician accidentally toggled it), the PSU will not operate correctly on US 120V power - often resulting in the computer failing to power on entirely. Switching the PSU voltage selector back to 110/115V resolves the issue. PAL vs. NTSC (A) relates to analog television broadcast standards, not computer power. Reloading motherboard drivers (B) is irrelevant if the system won't even power on. Keyboard settings (D) have no effect on whether a system receives power.

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