During the first boot of a new computer, which condition could indicate that memory is not properly seated or the motherboard is defective?

The indication that memory is not properly seated or that the motherboard may be defective is most clearly demonstrated by a failure to POST (Power-On Self-Test). During the initial boot process, the computer performs POST to check the system's hardware components, including the CPU, RAM, and motherboard. If the memory is improperly seated, the motherboard may fail to recognize it, leading to a situation where the POST cannot complete successfully.

In this scenario, when there is a failure to POST, the computer often emits beep codes or displays error messages on the screen, which can help diagnose the specific hardware issue. If the memory is faulty or not seated correctly, it is critical to address this before the system can operate normally.

The other conditions, while potentially indicative of issues, do not specifically point to memory problems or motherboard defects as clearly as a failure to POST. Frequent pop-up errors may suggest software issues or misconfigurations rather than hardware faults, the inability to connect to the internet typically involves network settings or connectivity problems that are not directly related to memory, and overheating issues often stem from cooling system failures rather than memory seating or motherboard status.