220-1101 Core PC Hardware Troubleshooting Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During a deployment, you install a new graphics card into a desktop PC. After powering on, the system boots but the display is blank. The monitor is known to work, and the card's fans spin. What should you check next?

Accepted Answer

Check that the monitor cable is connected to the graphics card, not the motherboard. Fans spinning indicates the card is receiving power, but a blank display often means the monitor is not receiving a signal. The most common oversight is connecting the display cable to the motherboard's video port instead of the new graphics card's ports.

Answer

Replace the graphics card

Answer

Update the BIOS

Answer

Reseat the RAM

Question 2

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop that will not boot. The power LED is on, fans spin, but there is no display and no beep codes. The CPU and RAM have been reseated, and the motherboard appears to have power. What should the technician check next?

Accepted Answer

Inspect the CPU socket for bent pins. With power, fans, and no beep codes, the system is likely not completing POST. The most common cause after reseating CPU and RAM is a bent CPU socket pin or a misaligned CPU, which can prevent the system from initializing the processor. This is a common issue on LGA sockets.

Answer

Test the power supply with a multimeter

Answer

Replace the CMOS battery

Answer

Flash the BIOS

Question 3

A customer complains that their PC randomly shuts down after about 30 minutes of use, especially when playing games. The case feels warm to the touch. What should you check first?

Accepted Answer

Check CPU and GPU temperatures. Random shutdowns under load are classic symptoms of overheating. The warm case reinforces this, so checking CPU and GPU temperatures should be the first step to confirm thermal throttling or thermal protection.

Answer

Replace the power supply

Answer

Update the graphics driver

Answer

Run a memory diagnostic

Question 4

A user reports that their PC powers on for a second then immediately shuts off. This repeats in a loop. What is the most likely hardware issue?

Accepted Answer

Incorrectly installed motherboard standoffs causing a short. The power-on-then-off loop is a classic symptom of a short circuit or power issue, often caused by a loose standoff, improperly seated component, or a failing power supply. The most common cause is a short to ground from a motherboard standoff in the wrong location.

Answer

Defective CPU

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Overheated GPU

Answer

Corrupted BIOS

Question 5

A user reports that their desktop PC emits a series of short beeps and fails to boot. The monitor shows no display, and the keyboard and mouse LEDs are off. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Loose or faulty RAM module. A series of short beeps during POST typically indicates a memory (RAM) failure. The lack of display and peripheral response points to a hardware fault that prevents the system from completing POST, and RAM is the most common culprit.

Answer

Faulty power supply unit

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Defective hard drive

Answer

Overheated CPU

Question 6

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that will not boot after a power surge. The motherboard has a built-in diagnostic LED that shows a red light near the DRAM slot. The user had recently upgraded the RAM. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The new RAM module is not compatible with the motherboard.. A red LED near the DRAM slot indicates a memory-related issue. After a power surge, the RAM could be damaged, or the new RAM might have been improperly seated. However, since the user recently upgraded, the most likely cause is that the new RAM is not compatible or is faulty.

Answer

The power surge damaged the motherboard's memory controller.

Answer

The power surge corrupted the BIOS firmware.

Answer

The RAM is not seated in the correct slots for dual-channel mode.

Question 7

A customer brings in a PC that was working fine until they moved it to a new desk. Now it powers on but immediately shuts off after 2 seconds. The technician notes that the CPU fan does not spin at all. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The CPU fan header is disconnected from the motherboard.. Immediate shutdown after power-on is often a protection mechanism triggered by a missing CPU fan signal. The CPU fan not spinning at all suggests the fan connector is loose or unplugged, which is common after moving a PC.

Answer

The power supply is failing under load.

Answer

The CPU is not seated properly.

Answer

The case power button is stuck in the pressed position.

Question 8

A customer complains that their computer will not turn on. The power supply fan does not spin, and the motherboard LED is off. The technician tests the power supply with a multimeter and gets 0V on all pins. What should the technician do next?

Accepted Answer

Replace the power supply with a known-good unit.. A power supply that outputs 0V on all pins is likely dead. The correct next step is to replace it with a known-good unit to confirm the diagnosis, as the PSU is the most probable failed component.

Answer

Replace the motherboard.

Answer

Reseat the 24-pin power connector.

Answer

Check the wall outlet with a voltage tester.

Question 9

A user's PC randomly restarts during heavy workloads, such as video rendering. The CPU temperature reads 95°C under load. The heatsink fan is spinning, but the thermal paste appears dry and cracked. What is the most effective first step?

Accepted Answer

Apply new thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink.. High CPU temperatures under load with dry thermal paste indicate poor heat transfer. Replacing the thermal paste is the most direct and effective solution, as it restores proper thermal conductivity between the CPU and heatsink.

Answer

Replace the CPU fan with a higher RPM model.

Answer

Underclock the CPU in BIOS.

Answer

Add an additional case fan.

Question 10

A customer reports that their desktop PC emits a series of long, continuous beeps and the screen remains blank. They recently installed a new graphics card. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The RAM module is loose or faulty.. A series of long, continuous beeps typically indicates a memory (RAM) issue, not a graphics card problem. This is a common POST code that helps isolate hardware faults before the system can boot.

Answer

The graphics card is not seated properly.

Answer

The power supply unit is failing.

Answer

The monitor is not connected to the graphics card.

Question 11

A technician is deploying a new workstation in a retail store. After connecting all peripherals and power, the system powers on but the monitor shows 'No Signal'. The monitor is connected via VGA to the motherboard. What should the technician check first?

Accepted Answer

Connect the monitor to the discrete graphics card's video port.. When a system has a dedicated GPU, the motherboard video ports are often disabled. The most common oversight is connecting the monitor to the wrong port. This scenario tests basic hardware installation knowledge.

Answer

Replace the VGA cable.

Answer

Reseat the RAM modules.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS.

Question 12

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that boots to a blue screen with the error 'INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE' after a user attempted to clone their HDD to an SSD. The BIOS detects both drives. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The SATA controller mode in BIOS is set to IDE, but the SSD requires AHCI.. The 'INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE' error typically indicates that the boot loader cannot access the storage device. After cloning, this often occurs because the boot mode (UEFI vs. Legacy) or SATA controller mode (AHCI vs. IDE) is mismatched between the old and new drives.

Answer

The SSD is not properly connected to the SATA port.

Answer

The boot order is set to the HDD instead of the SSD.

Answer

The SSD is not partitioned correctly.

Question 13

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop that shuts down abruptly after 10 minutes of use. The CPU fan is spinning, but the heatsink feels cool to the touch. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The CPU fan is plugged into a chassis fan header instead of the CPU_FAN header.. A cool heatsink with a spinning fan suggests the CPU is not generating heat because it is not receiving power. This often points to a faulty CPU or motherboard power delivery, but a more common issue is that the CPU fan connector is plugged into the wrong header (e.g., a chassis fan header), causing the CPU to overheat and shut down to protect itself.

Answer

The CPU is not receiving power from the motherboard.

Answer

The thermal paste has been applied too thickly.

Answer

The power supply is failing under load.

Question 14

A user reports that their PC emits a single short beep and then nothing happens. The screen remains blank, and the keyboard and mouse do not light up. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The graphics card is not fully inserted into the PCIe slot.. A single short beep typically indicates a successful POST on many BIOS versions. If the system beeps but then fails to display anything, the issue is likely with the video subsystem, such as a faulty graphics card or loose connection.

Answer

The RAM is not seated properly.

Answer

The power supply is delivering insufficient power.

Answer

The motherboard CMOS battery is dead.

Question 15

A user reports that their PC boots to a black screen with a blinking cursor after installing a new SSD. The BIOS detects the SSD, but the system does not load the operating system. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The boot order in BIOS is set to the old drive first.. A blinking cursor after POST often indicates the system cannot find a bootable operating system. This commonly happens when the boot order is incorrect or the new SSD is not set as the first boot device.

Answer

The SSD is not compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The SATA cable is faulty.

Answer

The SSD needs to be partitioned.