CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005)TroubleshootingHard
A server administrator is investigating unexpected reboots on a critical production server. The event logs show a 'Blue Screen of Death' (BSOD) error with a stop code of '0x00000124' (WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR). Which of the following hardware components is MOST often associated with this specific error code?
- APower Supply Unit (PSU)
- BNetwork Interface Card (NIC)
- CHard Disk Drive (HDD)
- DCPU or Motherboard
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. CPU or Motherboard
The WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR (Windows Hardware Error Architecture Uncorrectable Error) stop code (0x124) is a critical hardware error often indicating a problem with the CPU (e.g., overheating, overclocking instability, voltage issues) or the motherboard (e.g., chipset, PCIe bus errors). It signifies a hardware fault that the operating system cannot recover from.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. PSU failures generally cause sudden power loss or intermittent reboots without a specific BSOD error, or they might cause general instability, but not precisely this stop code.
- B. NIC issues typically manifest as network connectivity problems, not BSODs with this specific error code.
- C. HDD issues usually lead to data corruption, read/write errors, or boot failures, not a WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR.
WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR (0x124)
A Windows stop code indicating a severe, unrecoverable hardware error detected by the Windows Hardware Error Architecture.
- Often points to CPU or motherboard issues.
- Can be related to overclocking, voltage, overheating, or faulty hardware.
- Requires thorough hardware diagnostics.
Memory trick: 124 on the floor, CPU's sore, hardware's core!