220-1202 Practice Test 47 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A customer reports that their computer is emitting a loud, continuous beep and the monitor shows no display. The technician suspects a hardware issue. What is the most important safety step to take before opening the case?

Accepted Answer

Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.. The most important safety step before opening a computer case is to unplug the power cord from the wall outlet. This ensures complete disconnection from the AC mains, eliminating the risk of electric shock from exposed internal components, such as the power supply unit (PSU) capacitors, which can hold a dangerous charge even when the system is off. While other steps like wearing an anti-static wrist strap are good practices, they do not address the primary hazard of lethal voltage.

Answer

Put on anti-static wrist strap and grounding mat.

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Press the power button to discharge residual power.

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Wear safety goggles to protect eyes from debris.

Question 2

A small office has a UPS that emits a loud beeping sound and a burning smell. The technician suspects the battery is overheating. What is the correct immediate action?

Accepted Answer

Unplug the UPS and move it to an open, well-ventilated area.. The correct immediate action is to unplug the UPS and move it to an open, well-ventilated area. A burning smell combined with loud beeping indicates a critical thermal runaway condition in the battery, which can lead to fire or explosion. Disconnecting the UPS from mains power stops the charging current that is likely exacerbating the overheating, and moving it to a ventilated area reduces the risk of toxic gas accumulation and fire spread.

Answer

Replace the battery while the UPS is still plugged in.

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Reset the UPS by pressing the power button.

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Spray the UPS with a fire extinguisher.

Question 3

A technician is replacing a power supply in a desktop computer. After unplugging the unit, what additional step should be taken to ensure personal safety before touching internal components?

Accepted Answer

Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds.. After unplugging the power supply, pressing and holding the power button for 10 seconds discharges residual electrical charge stored in the system's capacitors (especially in the power supply and motherboard). This step, often called a 'parasitic drain,' ensures that no stored voltage remains that could cause an electric shock or damage components when touched. It is a standard safety practice before working inside a desktop computer.

Answer

Wear an anti-static wrist strap.

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Remove the CMOS battery.

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Unplug all peripheral cables.

Question 4

A technician needs to install a new hard drive in a computer that is under a strict security policy requiring all drives to be sanitized before disposal. The old drive will be replaced. What is the most secure method to ensure data cannot be recovered from the old drive?

Accepted Answer

Use a degausser to erase the magnetic fields.. A degausser generates a powerful magnetic field that physically randomizes the magnetic domains on the platters, effectively destroying all stored data and rendering the drive unusable. This is the only method listed that meets the strict security policy requirement for sanitization, as it prevents any possible data recovery even with advanced forensic tools.

Answer

Perform a quick format of the drive.

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Run the Windows Disk Cleanup tool.

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Delete all partitions using Disk Management.

Question 5

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that repeatedly shuts down. The user mentions the computer is plugged into a power strip that also has a space heater and a laser printer. What is the most likely cause of the shutdowns?

Accepted Answer

The power strip is overloaded and cannot supply stable voltage.. The most likely cause is that the power strip is overloaded because it is simultaneously supplying power to a space heater (a high-wattage resistive load), a laser printer (which draws significant current during fuser warm-up), and the PC. This overload causes the power strip's circuit breaker to trip or the voltage to sag below the PC's power supply tolerance, resulting in repeated shutdowns. Option B is correct because the combined current draw exceeds the power strip's rated capacity, leading to unstable voltage delivery.

Answer

The computer's power supply is failing.

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The space heater is emitting electrical interference.

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The laser printer needs a toner replacement.

Question 6

A client wants to upgrade their entire office of 50 computers and asks for advice on environmentally friendly disposal of the old units. Which approach best aligns with environmental best practices?

Accepted Answer

Contract a certified e-waste recycling company to handle the disposal.. Option C is correct because certified e-waste recycling companies follow strict environmental regulations (e.g., the Basel Convention and local e-waste laws) to ensure hazardous materials like lead, mercury, and cadmium are safely extracted and disposed of, while also securely destroying data through methods such as degaussing or physical shredding. This approach minimizes environmental harm and aligns with the EPA's recommended practices for responsible electronics recycling.

Answer

Donate the computers to a local school without wiping data.

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Sell the computers to a scrap metal dealer.

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Have employees take the computers home for personal use.

Question 7

During a software installation, a technician receives an error that the system does not meet the minimum requirements. The technician decides to override the check by modifying the registry. What safety procedure should be followed before making registry changes?

Accepted Answer

Create a system restore point.. Creating a system restore point before modifying the registry is the correct safety procedure because it captures the current system state, including registry keys, drivers, and system files. If the registry edit causes instability or boot failure, the restore point allows the technician to revert the system to its previous working configuration without data loss. This is a standard best practice for any registry modification, as even minor errors can render the system unbootable.

Answer

Disable User Account Control (UAC).

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Run the installation as an administrator.

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Close all other running applications.

Question 8

During a network equipment upgrade, a technician finds several old switches with visibly leaking capacitors on the circuit boards. What is the correct procedure for handling these switches?

Accepted Answer

Wear nitrile gloves, place the switches in a sealed bag, and label for e-waste recycling.. Leaking capacitors often contain hazardous materials such as electrolytes or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which require special handling to prevent environmental contamination and personal injury. The correct procedure is to wear nitrile gloves (to avoid skin contact with corrosive or toxic substances), place the switches in a sealed bag to contain any leaked material, and label them for e-waste recycling, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations like the WEEE Directive or RCRA.

Answer

Power them on to see if they still function before disposal.

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Use compressed air to blow out the leaked substance and then recycle the switches.

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Dispose of the switches in the regular office recycling bin.

Question 9

A company's security policy requires that all laptops returned by employees be sanitized before redeployment. A technician uses a degausser on a laptop's SSD. What is the likely outcome?

Accepted Answer

The SSD is physically destroyed and unusable.. A degausser generates a powerful magnetic field to erase data from magnetic media. SSDs (Solid State Drives) store data in NAND flash memory cells, which are not magnetic. The intense magnetic field from a degausser induces high currents in the SSD's internal circuitry, physically destroying the controller and memory chips, rendering the drive completely unusable.

Answer

The SSD is completely erased and ready for reuse.

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The SSD is unaffected and still contains data.

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The laptop's BIOS is reset.

Question 10

A technician is configuring a new workstation for a customer who is concerned about energy consumption. Which setting should the technician enable to reduce power usage when the computer is idle?

Accepted Answer

Enable sleep mode after 15 minutes of inactivity.. Option C is correct because enabling sleep mode after 15 minutes of inactivity places the computer into a low-power state (S3 sleep, Suspend-to-RAM) where the CPU is powered down but RAM retains data, allowing a quick wake-up. This directly reduces energy consumption during idle periods more effectively than simply turning off the display, as it cuts power to the processor, drives, and most peripherals.

Answer

Disable the screensaver and set the display to turn off after 30 minutes.

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Enable hibernation mode after 1 hour of inactivity.

Answer

Set the power plan to 'High performance' to reduce power draw.

Question 11

A customer reports that their laptop battery drains quickly and the device gets very hot. They want to know the safest way to dispose of the old battery after replacement. What should you advise?

Accepted Answer

Take the battery to a certified e-waste recycling center.. Option B is correct because lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries contain hazardous materials that can leak and cause environmental damage if disposed of improperly. Certified e-waste recycling centers have the specialized equipment and processes to safely extract and recycle these materials, preventing toxic exposure and complying with environmental regulations like the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Answer

Throw the battery in the regular trash bin.

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Burn the battery in an open area to neutralize it.

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Store the battery in a metal container until it stops holding a charge.

Question 12

A small business wants to reduce its environmental footprint by properly managing old computer equipment. They ask which components must be handled separately due to hazardous materials. What should you identify?

Accepted Answer

CRT monitors. CRT monitors contain leaded glass in the cathode ray tube and significant amounts of lead in the solder and phosphor coating, making them hazardous electronic waste that must be handled separately under regulations like the EPA's RCRA and the EU's WEEE Directive. Unlike LCDs, which may contain mercury in backlights but are often managed differently, CRTs require specialized recycling to prevent lead leaching into groundwater.

Answer

LCD monitors

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Keyboard and mouse

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Ethernet cables

Question 13

A customer complains that their computer emits a strong chemical smell and is unusually hot. After inspection, you find the power supply is failing and leaking a brown, oily substance. How should you handle the power supply disposal?

Accepted Answer

Put the power supply in an anti-static bag, seal it, and label it as hazardous e-waste.. Option B is correct because a failing power supply leaking a brown, oily substance (typically from swollen or ruptured capacitors) is classified as hazardous e-waste due to toxic materials like lead, cadmium, and electrolyte fluids. Placing it in an anti-static bag prevents short circuits during transport, and labeling it as hazardous ensures proper disposal per environmental regulations such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) or local e-waste directives.

Answer

Place the power supply in a standard trash bag and throw it in the dumpster.

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Clean the power supply with isopropyl alcohol and then recycle it normally.

Answer

Disassemble the power supply to remove the leaking capacitor and then dispose of the rest.

Question 14

A technician is decommissioning a server room and finds several old cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors that still work. The company wants to dispose of them responsibly. What should the technician do?

Accepted Answer

Contact a certified CRT recycler for pickup and recycling.. CRT monitors contain leaded glass and other hazardous materials (e.g., phosphors, barium) that are classified as universal waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Disposing of them in a dumpster or donating them for non-certified reuse can violate environmental regulations. A certified CRT recycler ensures the monitors are dismantled safely, with leaded glass separated and recycled in compliance with EPA guidelines.

Answer

Sell the monitors to a local thrift store for reuse.

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Break the glass tubes to reduce volume and then place them in a dumpster.

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Donate the monitors to a school art department for projects.

Question 15

A user complains that their laptop battery drains quickly and the device gets very hot. The battery is a lithium-ion type and is three years old. What is the most environmentally responsible recommendation?

Accepted Answer

Replace the battery with a compatible model and recycle the old battery at a certified e-waste facility.. Option C is correct because it directly addresses the user's complaint (battery degradation causing heat and poor runtime) while ensuring responsible disposal of the hazardous lithium-ion battery. Recycling at a certified e-waste facility prevents toxic materials from entering landfills and allows recovery of valuable metals, aligning with environmental best practices.

Answer

Replace the entire laptop with a new Energy Star model.

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Remove the battery and run the laptop only on AC power.

Answer

Continue using the laptop until the battery fails completely.