220-1202 Software Troubleshooting — 20 Questions

Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation that randomly displays a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) with the stop code 'DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL'. The crashes began after a new graphics card was installed. The technician has already updated the graphics driver to the latest version from the manufacturer. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT to resolve the issue?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Check the graphics card manufacturer's website for a firmware or VBIOS update.. The DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL stop code often relates to driver memory access. When a new graphics card is installed and the latest driver does not resolve crashes, the card's firmware (VBIOS) may be outdated or incompatible. Checking for a firmware update from the manufacturer is the next logical step to ensure hardware compatibility.

Answer

Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to test the system RAM.

Answer

Disable the graphics card in Device Manager and use the integrated GPU.

Answer

Roll back the graphics driver to a previous version.

Question 2

A technician is removing malware from a Windows 10 workstation that redirects the browser homepage and displays pop-up ads. The system is currently running and the user is logged in. Which two actions should the technician take to safely remediate the infection? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Boot from a reputable rescue media and run an offline scan.. Containment by disconnecting the network stops the malware from communicating or spreading, and booting from reputable rescue media enables an offline scan in a clean environment where the malware cannot hide or interfere. These two steps together provide the safest remediation path for an active infection before considering reimaging or other measures.

Answer

Reimage the computer immediately without attempting removal.

Answer

Run a full antivirus scan from within the infected operating system.

Answer

Disable System Restore to prevent the malware from returning.

Question 3

A user's Windows 10 computer displays a message that the Windows license is expired and the system is not activated. The user states the computer was working fine yesterday. A technician checks the system and finds that the date and time are set incorrectly to one year in the past. The technician corrects the date and time, but the activation error persists. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Run the command slmgr /rearm and restart the computer.. An incorrect system date can cause Windows activation to fail or expire. After correcting the date, the activation state may remain in an error condition. The slmgr /rearm command resets the activation timer and clears the current activation status, prompting Windows to reattempt activation, which is the appropriate next step.

Answer

Use the Windows Activation Troubleshooter to resolve the issue.

Answer

Run the command sfc /scannow to repair system files.

Answer

Reinstall Windows using the original installation media.

Question 4

A user reports that after installing a new third-party backup utility, their Windows 11 computer takes several minutes to reach the desktop and shows a black screen with a spinning circle. The user wants to keep the backup utility but needs faster boot times. A technician opens Task Manager and notices the backup utility has a 'High' startup impact. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to resolve the slow boot?

Accepted Answer

Disable the backup utility in the Startup tab of Task Manager.. Task Manager's Startup tab shows the impact of each startup program. When a specific application is flagged as high impact and the timing correlates with its installation, disabling that startup entry is the most direct and least disruptive fix. It preserves the application for manual use and avoids unnecessary system-wide changes.

Answer

Perform a clean boot using msconfig and disable all non-Microsoft services.

Answer

Use msconfig to set the computer to Safe Boot with minimal services.

Answer

Run the System File Checker (sfc /scannow) to repair corrupted system files.

Question 5

A user reports that their Windows 11 laptop occasionally shows a blue screen with the stop code CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED. The issue occurs randomly, about once every two days. The user has not installed any new hardware or software recently. Which of the following should a technician perform FIRST to troubleshoot this issue?

Accepted Answer

Run the System File Checker (SFC) utility.. CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED indicates that a critical system process has terminated unexpectedly, often due to corrupted system files. Running System File Checker (SFC) is a standard first step because it can repair those files without data loss. Other options are either too invasive or target the wrong subsystem, making SFC the most appropriate initial action.

Answer

Update the graphics card driver to the latest version.

Answer

Replace the hard drive with a new solid-state drive (SSD).

Answer

Perform a clean installation of Windows 11.

Question 6

A user reports that after installing a new third-party disk cleanup utility, Windows 11 randomly displays a blue screen with the stop code CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED. The system boots normally in Safe Mode, and the issue does not occur there. Which of the following is the BEST first step to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Uninstall the third-party disk cleanup utility in Safe Mode.. The crash appeared only after installing a third-party cleanup tool and does not occur in Safe Mode, which strongly indicates a problematic third-party driver or service. Uninstalling that utility in Safe Mode removes the offending component directly. Broader repairs like SFC, System Restore, or memory testing are either unnecessary or address causes not supported by the evidence.

Answer

Run System File Checker (SFC) with the /scannow parameter.

Answer

Perform a System Restore to a point before the utility was installed.

Answer

Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to test for faulty RAM.

Question 7

A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation that randomly displays a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) with the stop code 'DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL'. The crashes began after a new graphics card was installed. The technician has already updated the graphics driver to the latest version from the manufacturer. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT to resolve the issue?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Use the Registry Editor to modify the ProfileList key and remove the .bak extension from the user's SID.. The "User Profile Service failed the logon" error typically stems from a corrupted user profile, often indicated by a .bak extension on the user's SID in the ProfileList registry key. Removing the .bak extension and correcting the profile path restores the original profile without data loss. Other methods either delete data or are less direct.

Answer

Delete the user's profile folder from C:\Users and have the user log in again.

Answer

Recreate the user's account and copy the contents of the old profile folder to the new one.

Answer

Run the System File Checker (SFC) utility to repair corrupted system files.

Question 8

A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation that randomly displays a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) with the stop code 'DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL'. The crashes began after a new graphics card was installed. The technician has already updated the graphics driver to the latest version from the manufacturer. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT to resolve the issue?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

bootrec /rebuildbcd. When the Boot Configuration Data store is damaged, Windows cannot locate the operating system even though the disk is healthy. The bootrec /rebuildbcd command scans for installations and reconstructs the BCD, directly addressing the symptom. The other commands either repair the wrong boot component, destroy data, or check disk surface errors rather than the boot database.

Answer

chkdsk /r

Answer

diskpart /clean

Answer

bootrec /fixmbr

Question 9

A user reports that their Android smartphone is running very slowly, the battery drains quickly, and they see frequent pop-up ads even when not using the browser. The user installed several apps from a third-party app store recently. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of these symptoms?

Accepted Answer

The device has been infected with malware.. The symptoms of slow performance, battery drain, and pop-up ads appearing outside the browser are indicative of malware, especially adware. Installing apps from third-party stores increases the risk. While other issues like full storage or battery problems can cause some symptoms, they do not explain the ads. Malware is the most likely cause.

Answer

The device needs a factory reset to clear cache.

Answer

The device's storage is nearly full.

Answer

The battery is failing and needs replacement.

Question 10

A user's Windows 10 laptop has become increasingly slow over the past month. The hard drive activity light is constantly on, and the system often freezes for several seconds. A technician suspects the issue is related to a failing hard disk drive (HDD). Which two of the following should the technician perform to confirm the diagnosis? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Check the S.M.A.R.T. status using a diagnostic tool.. To confirm a failing HDD, the technician should check S.M.A.R.T. data for warning signs and run chkdsk /r to scan for and recover bad sectors. These tools directly assess the drive's health and can reveal physical errors, unlike defragmentation, memory testing, or disk cleanup, which address other issues.

Answer

Use Disk Cleanup to remove temporary files.

Answer

Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool.

Answer

Defragment the hard drive using the built-in Windows tool.

Question 11

A user's Windows 11 laptop has become extremely slow, and Task Manager shows constant 100% disk usage with very low actual read/write throughput. The drive is a SATA SSD, and the system is fully updated. A technician notices the drive is using the standard Microsoft AHCI driver. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The drive is using the wrong storage controller driver, causing high latency.. High disk active time with almost no throughput on a SATA SSD often stems from the storage controller driver. The generic Microsoft AHCI driver may not handle the drive's queuing and power features efficiently, causing latency. Installing the correct chipset or storage driver from the system or motherboard vendor is the most likely fix, after confirming SMART health is good.

Answer

The paging file is disabled, forcing excessive disk access.

Answer

The SSD is failing and should be replaced immediately.

Answer

Windows Search indexing is still building its initial index.

Question 12

A user complains that their Windows 10 computer takes a very long time to start up and become responsive after logging in. They have not installed any new programs. Which of the following should a technician check FIRST to improve startup performance?

Accepted Answer

The Task Manager Startup tab to disable unnecessary startup programs.. Slow startup and login are often caused by too many programs launching at startup. Task Manager's Startup tab lists these programs and their impact, allowing a technician to disable unnecessary ones. This is a quick, reversible step that often resolves the issue without deeper troubleshooting. Other tools are either not first-line or target different problems.

Answer

The System Configuration utility (msconfig) to set a selective startup.

Answer

The Event Viewer to look for errors during startup.

Answer

The Disk Management console to check for disk errors.

Question 13

A user reports that their Android smartphone is running very slowly and the battery drains quickly, even when the phone is idle. The user recently installed several new apps from a third-party app store. Which of the following should a technician do FIRST to troubleshoot the issue?

Accepted Answer

Check the battery usage statistics to identify power-hungry apps.. When a phone slows down and battery drains after installing new apps, the most efficient first step is to review battery usage statistics. This built-in tool identifies which apps are consuming the most power, allowing the technician to target the likely culprit without erasing data or removing all new apps.

Answer

Update the Android operating system to the latest version.

Answer

Uninstall all apps installed from the third-party store.

Answer

Perform a factory reset of the device.

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation that is exhibiting symptoms of a malware infection. The technician has already disconnected the computer from the network. Which of the following should the technician do next to remediate the infection? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Run a full antivirus scan using updated definitions.. After isolating the infected system, the technician should run a full antivirus scan with updated definitions to detect and remove malware. Additionally, booting into Safe Mode and using specialized removal tools helps eliminate persistent infections that might resist normal removal. These two actions directly address the malware, while other options are either preventive, premature, or not directly remedial.

Answer

Enable System Restore and create a restore point.

Answer

Reimage the computer immediately without attempting removal.

Answer

Educate the user on safe browsing habits.

Question 15

A user complains that every time they open their web browser, the homepage has changed to an unfamiliar search site and new toolbars appear. They did not change these settings. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The browser has been infected with a potentially unwanted program (PUP).. The sudden appearance of toolbars and homepage changes without user action is characteristic of a potentially unwanted program. These are often bundled with free downloads and modify browser settings. The correct response is to identify and uninstall the PUP, then reset the browser to its default configuration to remove any remaining changes.

Answer

The DNS server is returning incorrect results.

Answer

The user's roaming profile is corrupt.

Answer

The browser needs to be updated to the latest version.