220-1201 Practice Test 12 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A user reports that their new SSD is not recognized by the system. The drive is properly connected and powered. Which UEFI setting should be checked to ensure the drive is detected?

Accepted Answer

Set SATA mode to AHCI or RAID as appropriate. To check the SATA configuration mode. If the SATA controller is set to RAID or AHCI when the drive requires the other, or if it's disabled, the drive may not be detected. This tests understanding of how UEFI/BIOS settings affect hardware enumeration.

Answer

Enable Secure Boot

Answer

Disable the TPM chip

Answer

Change boot order to list the SSD first

Question 2

A technician needs to boot a laptop from a USB drive to run a diagnostic tool. The USB is plugged in but the system skips it and boots from the internal SSD. Which UEFI setting is most likely preventing the USB boot?

Accepted Answer

Disable Secure Boot. If Secure Boot is enabled and the USB is not signed or UEFI-bootable, the system may ignore it. Alternatively, the boot order may not include USB. This tests understanding of boot security and order settings.

Answer

Enable Fast Boot

Answer

Set SATA mode to RAID

Answer

Disable the TPM

Question 3

During a routine hardware upgrade, a technician installs a new graphics card. The system powers on but no display appears. The old card works fine. What UEFI setting should be checked first?

Accepted Answer

Change the primary video adapter from onboard to PCIe. If the system has integrated graphics and a discrete card, the UEFI may default to the integrated output. Changing the primary video adapter to PCIe/ PEG forces the system to use the new card. This tests understanding of video initialization order in UEFI.

Answer

Disable Secure Boot

Answer

Enable CSM (Compatibility Support Module)

Answer

Update the UEFI firmware to the latest version

Question 4

A customer complains that their computer takes a very long time to boot and sometimes shows a 'CMOS Checksum Error' before starting. What is the most likely hardware issue?

Accepted Answer

The CMOS battery is depleted. A CMOS checksum error indicates that the BIOS/UEFI settings are not being retained, often due to a failing or dead CMOS battery. This causes time/date resets and boot delays as the firmware re-detects hardware. This tests knowledge of common CMOS-related symptoms.

Answer

The hard drive is failing

Answer

The RAM module is faulty

Answer

The UEFI firmware is corrupted

Question 5

After replacing a motherboard, a technician installs Windows but the system will not boot from the SSD. The drive is detected in UEFI. The technician recalls the previous motherboard used Legacy BIOS. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The UEFI is set to UEFI mode but the drive uses MBR. If the new motherboard defaults to UEFI mode but the SSD was formatted with an MBR partition table (for Legacy), the system cannot boot. Changing to Legacy/CSM mode or reinstalling with GPT is needed. This tests understanding of partition table and boot mode compatibility.

Answer

The SSD is not getting power

Answer

Secure Boot is blocking the Windows bootloader

Answer

The CMOS battery is dead

Question 6

A user reports that their monitor displays a 'No Signal' message when they turn on their computer. The monitor is connected via DisplayPort. The technician checks that the monitor is powered on and the cable is secure. What should the technician check next?

Accepted Answer

Try a different DisplayPort cable or port on the GPU.. The 'No Signal' message with a DisplayPort connection typically indicates a loss of link training between the GPU and monitor. Since the cable is secure and the monitor is powered on, the next logical step is to isolate whether the issue is with the cable or the GPU port by trying an alternative DisplayPort cable or a different port on the GPU. This is a standard hardware troubleshooting step before moving to driver or replacement actions.

Answer

Replace the monitor.

Answer

Check the input source setting on the monitor.

Answer

Update the graphics driver.

Question 7

A technician is configuring a smartphone for a user who frequently travels internationally. The user wants to avoid high roaming charges but still use data when connected to local Wi-Fi. What should the technician do?

Accepted Answer

Disable cellular data in the mobile network settings.. Disabling cellular data in the mobile network settings prevents the device from using the carrier's mobile data network, thereby avoiding roaming charges. The user can still connect to local Wi-Fi networks for data access, as Wi-Fi operates independently of the cellular data radio. This approach ensures that no data is transmitted over the cellular network while traveling internationally.

Answer

Enable airplane mode and then turn on Wi-Fi.

Answer

Enable data roaming.

Answer

Set the device to 2G only.

Question 8

A technician is installing a new M.2 NVMe SSD in a desktop computer. After installation, the drive is not listed in the operating system's disk management tool, but it appears in the UEFI firmware interface. What should the technician do first?

Accepted Answer

Initialize the disk in Disk Management and create a volume.. When a drive is recognized in UEFI but not in the OS, it often means the drive is not initialized or formatted. Disk Management can initialize the drive and assign a file system, making it usable by the OS.

Answer

Update the UEFI firmware to the latest version.

Answer

Change the SATA mode from AHCI to IDE in UEFI.

Answer

Reseat the M.2 drive in the slot.

Question 9

A user wants to boot their laptop from a USB flash drive to run a diagnostic tool. They have already inserted the USB drive and restarted the system. What is the most efficient way to temporarily change the boot order to boot from the USB drive?

Accepted Answer

Press the appropriate key to open the one-time boot menu and select the USB drive.. Most modern UEFI systems allow you to press a key (like F12, F2, Esc) during startup to access a one-time boot menu. This lets you select the boot device for that session without permanently changing the boot order.

Answer

Enter the UEFI setup and change the boot order permanently.

Answer

Disable Secure Boot in the UEFI settings.

Answer

Remove all other bootable drives from the system.

Question 10

A technician is configuring a new workstation and needs to ensure the system can address more than 4 GB of RAM. The motherboard supports 16 GB of DDR4 memory. Which UEFI setting must be verified to ensure the OS can use all installed memory?

Accepted Answer

Enable the 'Memory Remap' feature in the UEFI.. For systems with more than 4 GB of RAM, the OS must be 64-bit, and the firmware must have memory remapping enabled. This feature allows the UEFI to reassign memory addresses previously reserved for PCI devices, making the full RAM capacity available to the OS.

Answer

Set the boot mode to Legacy BIOS instead of UEFI.

Answer

Disable the integrated graphics in the UEFI.

Answer

Change the SATA mode from AHCI to RAID.

Question 11

During a system boot, a user sees an error message: 'CMOS checksum error - Defaults loaded.' The system then boots normally but loses the date and time settings after power-off. What is the most likely hardware failure?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard's CMOS battery is depleted or failing.. The CMOS checksum error indicates that the BIOS settings are corrupted or not being retained. The date/time resetting after power-off points to a failing or dead CMOS battery, which powers the volatile memory that stores these settings when the system is off.

Answer

The UEFI firmware has become corrupted and needs reflashing.

Answer

The power supply unit is not providing enough standby power.

Answer

The hard drive is failing and corrupting the boot sector.

Question 12

A technician is building a new PC for a graphic designer who needs to run Windows 11. The technician installs a 2 TB NVMe SSD and 32 GB of RAM. During Windows installation, the installer reports that the drive cannot be used because it uses the MBR partition table. What UEFI setting or action should the technician change?

Accepted Answer

Convert the drive to GPT using the diskpart utility during installation.. Windows 11 requires UEFI with GPT partition table and Secure Boot. The error indicates the drive is using MBR, which is incompatible with UEFI. The technician should either convert the drive to GPT using diskpart or reinitialize it as GPT during installation.

Answer

Enable Legacy BIOS mode in the UEFI to support MBR.

Answer

Disable Secure Boot in the UEFI settings.

Answer

Update the UEFI firmware to the latest version.

Question 13

A technician is tasked with securing a workstation that will be used in a public kiosk. The requirement is that the system must only boot from the internal SSD and must prevent booting from USB drives or optical media. Which UEFI security feature should be configured?

Accepted Answer

Disable all external boot devices in the UEFI boot order and set a supervisor password.. To prevent unauthorized booting from external media, the technician must set a boot order that prioritizes the internal SSD and disable other boot devices. Additionally, setting a UEFI administrator password prevents unauthorized users from changing these settings.

Answer

Enable Secure Boot and set a UEFI administrator password.

Answer

Set the boot mode to Legacy BIOS and disable USB support.

Answer

Enable the TPM and set a power-on password.

Question 14

A customer reports that their new NVMe SSD is not detected by the system, even though it is properly seated. The motherboard supports both UEFI and legacy BIOS. Which firmware setting should be enabled to ensure the NVMe drive is recognized?

Accepted Answer

Enable UEFI boot mode and disable CSM. NVMe drives require UEFI mode because legacy BIOS lacks the necessary driver support for NVMe controllers. Enabling UEFI boot mode and disabling legacy/CSM allows the firmware to initialize the NVMe drive correctly. This question tests understanding of UEFI's role in supporting modern storage interfaces.

Answer

Enable Legacy BIOS mode

Answer

Enable Secure Boot

Answer

Enable SATA hot-plug

Question 15

A technician needs to install Windows 10 on a new PC with a 2 TB hard drive. The motherboard supports UEFI with GPT. Which partition scheme and boot mode should be used to support the full drive capacity?

Accepted Answer

UEFI with GPT. UEFI requires GPT partition table to boot, and GPT supports drives larger than 2 TB. Legacy BIOS with MBR cannot address beyond 2 TB. This question reinforces the relationship between UEFI and GPT for large drives.

Answer

UEFI with MBR

Answer

Legacy BIOS with GPT

Answer

Legacy BIOS with MBR