220-1101 Display Devices Troubleshooting Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During a hardware upgrade, you install a new high-end graphics card and connect a 144Hz gaming monitor via DisplayPort. The monitor is set to 144Hz in Windows, but the screen occasionally goes black for a few seconds during gameplay. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The monitor's refresh rate is set too high for the cable.. Intermittent black screens at high refresh rates often indicate that the DisplayPort cable does not meet the required bandwidth for 144Hz at the monitor's resolution. This can also be caused by power supply issues or driver problems, but cable bandwidth is a common culprit.

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The graphics card is overheating.

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The power supply unit is insufficient.

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The monitor's firmware is outdated.

Question 2

A technician is configuring a dual-monitor setup for a financial analyst. Both monitors are identical 27-inch 1440p displays. After connecting them, one monitor shows a pink tint across the entire screen. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The video cable is not fully seated or has a bent pin.. A pink tint on one monitor while the other looks normal suggests a loose or damaged video cable, specifically a missing blue color channel. VGA cables are prone to this, but even HDMI or DisplayPort cables can have pin issues. Swapping cables can confirm.

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The monitor's color temperature is set incorrectly.

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The graphics card driver is corrupted.

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The monitor's backlight is failing.

Question 3

A user reports that their laptop screen flickers intermittently, especially when the lid is moved. The flickering stops when an external monitor is connected. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The display cable is loose or damaged.. Intermittent flickering when moving the lid points to a loose or damaged display cable (LVDS or eDP) connecting the motherboard to the screen. The external monitor works because it bypasses this internal connection.

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The graphics driver is outdated.

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The inverter board is failing.

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The LCD panel is failing.

Question 4

A customer reports that their external monitor connected via HDMI to a laptop shows a 'No Signal' message, even though the laptop screen works fine. The monitor has been tested with another device and works. What should you check first?

Accepted Answer

Press the function key to toggle display output.. This scenario tests basic display troubleshooting. The monitor works with another device, so the issue is likely with the laptop's video output or connection. The first step is to check if the laptop is set to output to the external display, often via a function key like F4 or F8.

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Replace the HDMI cable.

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Update the graphics driver.

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Check the monitor's power cable.

Question 5

A customer brings in a desktop PC with a 4K monitor that displays a blurry image at native resolution. The monitor's settings show 3840x2160 resolution, but text is hard to read. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The display scaling is set to 100%.. Blurry text at native resolution on a 4K monitor often indicates incorrect scaling settings in the operating system. Windows scaling should be set to 150% or 200% to make text readable, otherwise it appears too small and blurry due to pixel density.

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The monitor's sharpness setting is too low.

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The HDMI cable does not support 4K.

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The graphics card is overheating.

Question 6

A customer brings in an all-in-one PC that has a cracked LCD screen. The touch function still works, but the display shows a large black area with spiderweb cracks. The customer wants the cheapest fix. What should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Replace the whole all-in-one unit.. A cracked LCD screen requires replacement of the entire display panel, which is often as expensive as the whole unit for all-in-ones. Because the touch layer still works, the damage is to the LCD layer beneath. The most cost-effective solution is usually to replace the entire all-in-one, as screen replacement labor and parts can be prohibitive.

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Replace only the touch digitizer layer.

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Replace the entire LCD panel assembly.

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Use a screen repair kit to fill the cracks.

Question 7

A user reports that their external monitor connected via USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode) works intermittently. When it does work, the resolution is limited to 1920x1080 even though the monitor supports 4K. The laptop supports USB-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The USB-C cable is not rated for video or high-speed data.. USB-C cables vary widely in capability; many only support USB 2.0 data speeds and lack the high-speed lanes needed for 4K video. For 4K over USB-C, the cable must be rated for DisplayPort Alt Mode and high bandwidth (e.g., USB 3.1 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt 3). A cable that only supports USB 2.0 will limit resolution and cause intermittent connectivity.

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The laptop's USB-C port is damaged.

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The monitor's USB-C input is set to a lower resolution in its OSD.

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The graphics driver needs to be updated to support 4K over USB-C.

Question 8

A technician is setting up a new 32-inch 4K monitor for a graphic designer. After connecting it via HDMI, the display shows a 'Signal Out of Range' error. The PC has an integrated Intel GPU. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The monitor's native resolution is set too high for the GPU's capabilities.. 'Signal Out of Range' means the monitor cannot display the resolution or refresh rate being sent by the GPU. Many integrated Intel GPUs have a maximum resolution of 4096x2160 at 30Hz over HDMI, but if the PC is set to 60Hz, the monitor may reject it. Booting into Safe Mode or using a lower resolution to adjust settings is the standard fix.

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The HDMI cable is defective.

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The monitor's firmware is outdated.

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The PC's BIOS has disabled the HDMI port.

Question 9

During a hardware install, you connect a new 4K monitor to a desktop PC using an HDMI cable. The display shows a 'No Signal' message. The PC boots normally and the monitor is powered on. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The HDMI cable is not rated for 4K bandwidth.. Many older graphics cards or motherboards have HDMI ports that only support up to 1080p or 1440p, not 4K at the required bandwidth. The 'No Signal' error often means the graphics output is incompatible with the monitor's resolution or refresh rate. Checking the GPU specifications and using a DisplayPort cable if available is the correct approach.

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The monitor's refresh rate is set too high in the BIOS.

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The PC's power supply is insufficient for the new monitor.

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The monitor's input source is set to VGA instead of HDMI.

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop PC that displays vertical colored lines across the screen immediately after booting. The lines appear even before the operating system loads. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The graphics card is failing or has defective video memory.. Vertical lines appearing during POST (pre-OS) indicate a hardware-level issue, most commonly a failing graphics card (GPU) or a damaged video memory. Since the problem occurs before Windows loads, it is not a driver or software issue. Testing with a known-good GPU or reseating the existing one is the recommended step.

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The monitor's refresh rate is set too high in the BIOS.

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The video cable is not securely connected to the monitor.

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The operating system's display driver is corrupted.

Question 11

A user reports that their laptop screen suddenly went black, but the laptop is still powered on (fans running, power light on). Connecting an external monitor shows the desktop correctly. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The laptop's LCD inverter or backlight has failed.. The external display working normally indicates the GPU and OS are functional. The black built-in display points to a failure in the LCD panel, backlight, or the display cable (e.g., LVDS/eDP ribbon cable) connecting the motherboard to the screen. A loose or damaged internal cable is a common cause, especially in laptops that have been moved frequently.

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The graphics driver has crashed and needs to be reinstalled.

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The Windows display settings are set to 'Show only on external display'.

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The laptop's RAM is faulty and causing video output issues.

Question 12

A customer complains that their LCD monitor shows a persistent dark shadow in the upper-left corner that does not change with different input sources. The monitor is three years old. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The monitor's backlight has failed partially.. A dark shadow that stays in the same spot regardless of input indicates a hardware defect, typically backlight failure or a damaged LCD panel. Backlight LEDs can fail over time, creating uneven illumination. Replacing the monitor is the standard fix because panel repair is often cost-prohibitive.

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The monitor's resolution is set incorrectly.

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The video cable is loose or damaged.

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The graphics card is overheating and throttling.

Question 13

A user has a 27-inch 1440p monitor connected via DisplayPort. They report that text appears slightly blurry and images look less sharp than expected. The monitor's native resolution is set correctly in Windows. What should you check first?

Accepted Answer

Enable and recalibrate ClearType in Windows.. Blurry text at the correct native resolution often means ClearType (Windows font smoothing) is disabled or misconfigured. ClearType improves text clarity on LCD monitors by sub-pixel rendering. Enabling or recalibrating ClearType in Control Panel typically resolves the issue.

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Replace the DisplayPort cable with an HDMI cable.

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Adjust the monitor's sharpness setting from the on-screen display (OSD) menu.

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Set the monitor to a lower resolution to see if text improves.

Question 14

A user reports that their external monitor connected to a laptop via HDMI flickers intermittently. The laptop's built-in display works fine. You have tried a different HDMI cable and a different monitor, but the flickering persists. What should you check next?

Accepted Answer

Inspect the HDMI port on the laptop for physical damage or debris.. The issue is isolated to the external monitor connection, and swapping cable and monitor didn't help. This points to a defective or loose HDMI port on the laptop, which can cause intermittent signal loss. Testing with a known-good display on a different port or device confirms the port as the root cause.

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Update the graphics driver to the latest version.

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Replace the video cable with a DisplayPort cable.

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Disable the laptop's built-in display to force the external monitor as primary.

Question 15

You are configuring a dual-monitor setup for a financial analyst. After connecting both monitors, one display shows a distorted, stretched image while the other works perfectly. Both monitors are identical 1920x1080 models. What is the most efficient troubleshooting step?

Accepted Answer

Change the resolution of the distorted monitor to 1920x1080 in Windows Display Settings.. A distorted, stretched image on one monitor suggests the display resolution is set incorrectly for that specific monitor. In a dual setup, Windows may assign different resolutions per monitor. Adjusting the resolution in Display Settings for the affected monitor will correct the aspect ratio.

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Swap the video cables between the two monitors.

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Update the graphics driver from the manufacturer's website.

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Replace the monitor with a different model.