Answer: The stage of the hardware lifecycle that this scenario belong to is (maintenance).
Hardware lifecycle simply refers to the holistic approach that is used in managing the lifecycle of an IT hardware. The four main stages of the hardware life cycle include plan, deploy, maintenance, and recycle.
It should be noted that when a machine is having issues, an IT Support Specialist has to file an RMA, or Return Merchandise Authorization form, with the vendor of the machine, the stage of hardware lifecycle is maintenance.
