220-1201 Practice Test 44 — 15 Questions

Question 1

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 2

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 3

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 4

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 5

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 6

A technician is building a new workstation for video editing and needs to ensure the power supply can handle dual GPUs and multiple hard drives. Which specification is most critical to check when selecting a PSU?

Accepted Answer

The combined amperage on the +12V rail(s).. The +12V rail provides power to the CPU, GPUs, and drives; its combined amperage determines how much power can be delivered to these components. For high-power builds, a single +12V rail with high amperage or multiple rails with sufficient combined capacity is essential. Neglecting this can lead to instability or shutdowns under load.

Answer

The total wattage rating of the power supply.

Answer

The number of SATA power connectors.

Answer

The physical form factor (ATX, SFX, etc.).

Question 7

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 8

A technician is upgrading a workstation and notices that the new CPU is not listed in the motherboard's supported CPU list. The motherboard uses an LGA 1200 socket. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard's chipset does not support that CPU generation. CPU compatibility depends on both socket and chipset. Even with the correct socket, the chipset may not support the CPU's power delivery or microcode. This question tests deeper knowledge of motherboard-CPU compatibility beyond just the socket.

Answer

The CPU is physically too large for the socket

Answer

The CPU requires more power than the motherboard can provide

Answer

The CPU is a server-grade processor not meant for workstations

Question 9

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 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 reports that their desktop PC randomly shuts down when playing graphics-intensive games, but runs fine during web browsing. The power supply is a 450W unit. What is the most likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The power supply is underrated for the system's peak power draw.. This scenario tests understanding of power supply wattage requirements under load. Graphics-intensive gaming draws more power, and if the PSU cannot supply enough sustained wattage, the system may shut down to protect itself. A 450W unit is often insufficient for a gaming GPU, especially if the system has multiple drives or high-end components.

Answer

The CPU thermal paste has dried out, causing overheating only during gaming.

Answer

The graphics card driver is corrupted, causing system instability.

Answer

The motherboard capacitors are failing, causing intermittent power loss.

Question 12

A customer reports that their computer beeps three times, pauses, then repeats, and nothing is displayed on the screen. What does this POST code typically indicate?

Accepted Answer

Memory error. Three beeps in many BIOS versions (especially AMI and Award) indicate a memory error, such as a faulty or improperly seated RAM module. This is a standard POST diagnostic code. The question tests basic familiarity with beep codes.

Answer

CPU failure

Answer

Graphics card failure

Answer

Power supply failure

Question 13

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 14

A technician is setting up a new branch office and needs to assign IPs to 30 devices. The ISP provided a public IP block of 203.0.113.0/28. The technician decides to use private IPs internally and NAT. Which of the following is the most appropriate private IP range for this network?

Accepted Answer

192.168.1.0/24. (192.168.1.0/24) is correct because it provides a private IP range (per RFC 1918) that supports up to 254 hosts, which is more than sufficient for 30 devices. The /28 public block from the ISP is used only for NAT translation, not for internal addressing, and private IPs must be used internally to conserve public addresses.

Answer

203.0.113.1 to 203.0.113.14

Answer

10.0.0.0/8

Answer

172.16.0.0/12

Question 15

A user complains that their laser printer is printing blank pages. The printer has toner, and the paper feeds correctly. Which component should the technician inspect first?

Accepted Answer

The toner cartridge.. Blank pages from a laser printer with toner usually indicate the toner cartridge's shutter is closed or the drum is not making contact. The toner cartridge is the most common cause and should be inspected first.

Answer

The fuser assembly.

Answer

The pickup rollers.

Answer

The network cable.