220-1201 Practice Test 5 — 25 Questions

Question 1

During a routine hardware upgrade, you install a new PCIe x16 graphics card into a desktop motherboard. The system powers on, but the display remains blank. The graphics card's fans are spinning. What should you check first on the motherboard?

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

Accepted Answer

The monitor cable is connected to the graphics card, not the motherboard. When a dedicated graphics card is installed, the motherboard often disables the integrated graphics port. If the monitor is still connected to the motherboard's video output, it will remain blank. The first step is to ensure the monitor cable is connected to the new graphics card's ports.

Answer

The BIOS settings for primary display adapter

Answer

The graphics card power connectors are properly attached

Answer

The PCIe slot is damaged

Question 2

A technician is tasked with upgrading the RAM in a desktop motherboard that has four DIMM slots. The existing configuration has two 4GB sticks in slots A1 and B1. The user wants to add two more 4GB sticks for a total of 16GB. After installing the new sticks in slots A2 and B2, the system boots but only shows 8GB of RAM. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The new RAM is incompatible with the existing RAM. When mixing RAM modules, even if they are the same size, they may not be compatible if they have different timings, speeds, or ranks. The motherboard may default to the lowest common denominator or fail to recognize mismatched modules. This is a common issue when not using matched kits.

Answer

The new RAM is not seated properly

Answer

The motherboard does not support four sticks of RAM

Answer

The BIOS needs an update to support higher capacity

Question 3

A user reports that their computer will not boot and the motherboard's diagnostic LEDs show a CPU error. You reseat the CPU and check for bent pins, but the error persists. Which of the following should you check next?

Accepted Answer

The CPU power cable is not fully connected. A CPU error LED can indicate several issues, including power delivery problems. The 8-pin CPU power connector is often overlooked; if it is loose or not connected, the CPU will not receive power, triggering the error. This is a common mistake during builds or after cleaning.

Answer

The RAM modules are in the correct slots

Answer

The motherboard's BIOS is corrupted

Answer

The CPU cooler is installed incorrectly

Question 4

A server motherboard in a data center fails to boot after a power outage. The system has dual power supplies and ECC RAM. When power is restored, the motherboard's POST beeps continuously in a pattern that does not match any known code for that manufacturer. Which component is most likely causing this issue?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard's VRM has been damaged by a power surge. Continuous beeps that do not match standard codes often indicate a power-related issue, such as a failed voltage regulator module (VRM) on the motherboard. Power surges can damage the VRM circuitry, leading to erratic POST behavior. The dual PSUs may be fine, but the motherboard's power regulation has failed.

Answer

One of the power supplies is faulty

Answer

The ECC RAM has detected an uncorrectable error

Answer

The CMOS battery has been depleted

Question 5

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that randomly restarts under load. The CPU temperature is normal, but the system sometimes fails to POST with a 'CPU Overvoltage Error'. The motherboard is a few years old. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard VRM is failing. A 'CPU Overvoltage Error' typically indicates the motherboard's voltage regulation module (VRM) is failing or the BIOS is incorrectly applying voltage. Aging VRMs can become unstable, causing overvoltage protection to trigger. This is a motherboard hardware fault, not a CPU issue.

Answer

The CPU is overheating due to a failing cooler

Answer

The power supply is delivering too much voltage

Answer

The BIOS needs to be updated to support the CPU

Question 6

During a motherboard replacement, you install the new board and connect all cables. When you power on, the system beeps continuously (long beeps). The CPU fan spins, but there is no display. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The RAM is not seated correctly or is faulty. Continuous long beeps typically indicate a memory (RAM) issue. This could be due to improperly seated RAM, incompatible memory, or a faulty memory slot. The CPU fan spinning suggests power is reaching the board, but the POST process halts at memory initialization.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the new motherboard

Answer

The power supply is underpowered

Answer

The motherboard is shorting against the case

Question 7

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that fails to boot and emits a series of long beeps. The motherboard documentation indicates this is a memory error. Which component on the motherboard is responsible for generating these beep codes?

Accepted Answer

BIOS/UEFI chip. The BIOS/UEFI firmware is responsible for the Power-On Self-Test (POST) and uses the speaker to emit beep codes to indicate hardware errors. The CMOS battery only retains settings, the chipset handles data flow, and the Super I/O manages I/O but not POST beep codes.

Answer

CMOS battery

Answer

Chipset

Answer

Super I/O chip

Question 8

A user reports that their PC randomly shuts down after about 30 minutes of use. You suspect a thermal issue. Which motherboard component is most directly responsible for monitoring CPU temperature and initiating a shutdown if it exceeds safe limits?

Accepted Answer

Super I/O chip. The Super I/O chip is responsible for monitoring hardware sensors, including CPU temperature, and can trigger a hardware-level shutdown if thresholds are exceeded. The BIOS/UEFI configures these thresholds, but the actual monitoring is done by the Super I/O. The chipset and voltage regulator module do not perform thermal monitoring.

Answer

BIOS/UEFI firmware

Answer

Chipset (PCH)

Answer

Voltage regulator module (VRM)

Question 9

A technician is upgrading a workstation from DDR3 to DDR4 memory. The motherboard currently has two DDR3 DIMM slots occupied. What must the technician verify before installing the new memory?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard has DDR4 DIMM slots. DDR3 and DDR4 have different notch positions and voltage requirements, so they are not interchangeable. The motherboard must physically support DDR4, which means it must have DDR4 DIMM slots. The CPU socket type and chipset are secondary; the key factor is the motherboard's memory generation support.

Answer

The CPU supports DDR4 memory

Answer

The power supply has a 4-pin connector for memory

Answer

The chipset supports dual-channel configuration

Question 10

During a hardware installation, a technician needs to connect the front panel USB 3.0 ports of a new case to the motherboard. The motherboard has a 20-pin USB 3.0 header. Which cable from the case should be connected to this header?

Accepted Answer

A 20-pin (19-pin) USB 3.0 cable. The USB 3.0 internal header is a 20-pin (or 19-pin) connector that carries data for up to two USB 3.0 ports. The case's USB 3.0 cable will have a matching connector. USB 2.0 headers are 9-pin, and the audio header is different. The power LED is a separate 2-pin connector.

Answer

A 9-pin USB 2.0 cable

Answer

A 4-pin power LED cable

Answer

A 10-pin audio cable

Question 11

A customer wants to add a dedicated graphics card to their PC for gaming. The motherboard has one PCIe x16 slot, but it is currently occupied by a Wi-Fi card. The customer asks if they can use the PCIe x1 slot for the graphics card. What should the technician advise?

Accepted Answer

No, the graphics card requires a PCIe x16 slot. PCIe x1 slots are physically shorter and provide only one lane of bandwidth, which is insufficient for a modern graphics card's performance needs. A graphics card requires a PCIe x16 slot (electrically x8 or x16) for adequate data transfer. The Wi-Fi card can be moved to the x1 slot, but the graphics card must go in the x16 slot.

Answer

Yes, but the graphics card will run at reduced performance

Answer

Yes, but only if the motherboard supports SLI

Answer

No, because the Wi-Fi card must stay in the x16 slot

Question 12

A technician is replacing a failed motherboard in a desktop PC. The original motherboard had an LGA1151 socket. The replacement motherboard has an LGA1200 socket. The technician attempts to install the original CPU but finds it does not fit. What is the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

The CPU has a different number of pins. LGA sockets are keyed for specific generations of CPUs. LGA1151 is used for 6th/7th/8th/9th gen Intel, while LGA1200 is for 10th/11th gen. The physical pin count and keying are different, so a CPU designed for LGA1151 cannot be inserted into an LGA1200 socket. The chipset is irrelevant to physical fit, and the power connector is unrelated.

Answer

The CPU is incompatible with the new motherboard's chipset

Answer

The power supply connector is different

Answer

The CPU is an AMD processor

Question 13

A technician is building a PC for video editing and wants to install 32 GB of RAM using four 8 GB modules. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory. Which DIMM slot configuration should the technician use to achieve the best performance?

Accepted Answer

Install two modules in channel A and two in channel B. For dual-channel memory with four modules, the motherboard typically uses slots A1, A2, B1, and B2. To enable dual-channel, matching pairs must be in the same channel (e.g., A1 and A2 for channel A, B1 and B2 for channel B). Installing all four modules in the same channel would force single-channel operation, halving memory bandwidth.

Answer

Install all four modules in the same channel (e.g., A1, A2, A3, A4)

Answer

Install one module in each channel, leaving two slots empty

Answer

Install three modules in channel A and one in channel B

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that randomly freezes during boot. The technician notices that the motherboard has a 24-pin ATX power connector and an 8-pin EPS12V connector. The power supply only has a 4+4 pin CPU power cable. What should the technician do?

Accepted Answer

Combine the two 4-pin halves to form an 8-pin connector and attach it. The 4+4 pin CPU power cable is designed to be used as an 8-pin EPS12V connector by combining the two halves. This is standard for modern power supplies. Using only a 4-pin connector may cause instability under load, but the 4+4 pin cable is fully compatible. The 24-pin main connector is separate and already connected.

Answer

Connect only the 4-pin portion of the cable to the 8-pin header

Answer

Use a 6-pin PCIe power cable in the 8-pin CPU header

Answer

Leave the 8-pin header unconnected and rely on the 24-pin connector

Question 15

A technician is tasked with connecting a legacy parallel port printer to a modern motherboard that lacks a parallel port header. The motherboard has an LPT header (25-pin) but it is not populated with a bracket. What is the best way to add a parallel port?

Accepted Answer

Purchase an LPT bracket that connects to the motherboard header. The LPT header on the motherboard provides the necessary signals for a parallel port. A bracket with a ribbon cable that connects to this header is the correct solution. A USB-to-parallel adapter would work but may have compatibility issues and is not the best use of the existing header. A PCIe parallel card is an alternative but unnecessary if the header is present.

Answer

Install a USB-to-parallel adapter

Answer

Use a PCIe parallel port expansion card

Answer

Solder wires directly to the motherboard's LPT header pins

Question 16

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 17

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 18

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 19

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 20

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