220-1102 Windows OS Troubleshooting — Timed 20 Questions

Question 1

A user is trying to install a legacy application on Windows 10, but the installer fails with a message about 'incompatible version'. The application is known to work on Windows 7. Which compatibility settings should you try first to allow the installation to proceed?

Accepted Answer

Right-click the installer, go to Properties > Compatibility, and check 'Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows 7'.. Windows 10 includes compatibility modes that emulate older versions of Windows. Running the installer in compatibility mode for Windows 7 can often resolve version-check errors, as it tricks the application into thinking it is running on a compatible OS.

Answer

Set the installer to run as an administrator.

Answer

Enable the 'Reduced color mode' compatibility setting.

Answer

Use the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter from the Control Panel.

Question 2

A user in the accounting department cannot print to a network printer that other users can access. They are running Windows 10. When they try to print, they get a message: 'Windows cannot connect to the printer. Access is denied.' What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The user does not have permission to use the printer.. An 'Access is denied' error when other users can print indicates that the user's permissions are the problem, not the printer or driver. This usually means the user account does not have the necessary permissions on the print server or the printer itself.

Answer

The printer driver is corrupt on the user's computer.

Answer

The network cable is unplugged from the user's computer.

Answer

The printer is out of paper or toner.

Question 3

A user's Windows 10 laptop is experiencing random restarts, especially under heavy load like gaming or video rendering. The Event Viewer shows multiple 'Kernel-Power 41' critical errors. The CPU temperature is normal, and the power supply is functioning. Which component is most likely causing the issue?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard is failing.. Kernel-Power 41 errors indicate unexpected shutdowns or restarts. Under heavy load, a failing power supply (even if it appears to function) can cause voltage drops that trigger restarts. However, if the PSU is ruled out, the most likely culprit is the motherboard, as it regulates power delivery to components and can cause instability under load.

Answer

The RAM is faulty.

Answer

The graphics card is overheating.

Answer

The Windows installation is corrupt.

Question 4

A company is migrating from Windows 10 to Windows 11 on 50 computers. After the upgrade, several users report that a critical line-of-business application no longer works. The application ran fine on Windows 10. You need to get it working without rolling back the entire OS. What is the most efficient solution?

Accepted Answer

Reinstall the application on each computer in Windows 10 compatibility mode.. Windows 11 includes a Windows 10 compatibility mode that can be applied to individual applications. Using the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) or the built-in compatibility troubleshooter to set the application to run in Windows 10 compatibility mode is the most efficient fix, as it does not require a full OS rollback.

Answer

Roll back all 50 computers to Windows 10 using the recovery partition.

Answer

Enable Hyper-V on each computer and run the application in a Windows 10 virtual machine.

Answer

Use the Windows 11 'Reset this PC' feature to reinstall Windows 11 and then reinstall the application.

Question 5

A customer complains that their Windows 11 desktop suddenly shows a blue screen with the error 'CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED' every time they try to launch a specific video editing application. Other programs work fine. What is the most likely cause and the best first troubleshooting step?

Accepted Answer

Reinstall the video editing application.. A 'CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED' error that occurs only with one application suggests a problem with that application's files or its dependencies. The best first step is to reinstall the application, as this will replace any corrupted files that may be causing the crash.

Answer

Run a memory diagnostic to check for faulty RAM.

Answer

Update the graphics card driver.

Answer

Perform a system restore to a point before the issue started.

Question 6

A user reports that their Windows 10 desktop is running very slowly, especially when opening multiple applications. They have 8 GB of RAM and a traditional hard drive. Task Manager shows that memory usage is consistently at 90% or higher. Which component is most likely the bottleneck and what is the best upgrade?

Accepted Answer

The RAM is the bottleneck; add more RAM.. High memory usage (90%+) with 8 GB of RAM indicates that the system is running out of physical memory, causing it to use the hard drive as virtual memory, which is very slow. The best upgrade is to add more RAM to reduce reliance on the slow hard drive paging.

Answer

The CPU is the bottleneck; upgrade to a faster processor.

Answer

The hard drive is the bottleneck; upgrade to an SSD.

Answer

The graphics card is the bottleneck; upgrade to a dedicated GPU.

Question 7

A small business is deploying Windows 11 to 20 new workstations. During the setup, you need to ensure that each computer receives a unique computer name and joins the domain automatically. Which Windows deployment tool should you use to automate this process?

Accepted Answer

Windows Deployment Services (WDS). Windows Deployment Services (WDS) is designed for network-based deployment of Windows images to multiple computers. It can be configured with answer files to automate computer naming and domain joining, making it the ideal tool for this scenario.

Answer

Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM)

Answer

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)

Answer

Sysprep

Question 8

A user reports that their Windows 11 computer is infected with ransomware. Files are encrypted and a ransom note is displayed. The user has a backup from two days ago stored on an external drive that was disconnected after the backup. What is the best course of action to recover the data?

Accepted Answer

Disconnect the computer from the network and restore files from the external backup.. Since the backup was stored on a disconnected external drive, it is likely not encrypted by the ransomware. The best action is to disconnect the infected computer from the network to prevent further spread, then restore the files from the clean backup.

Answer

Pay the ransom to get the decryption key.

Answer

Run a full antivirus scan to remove the ransomware and then restore files.

Answer

Use System Restore to revert the system to a previous state.

Question 9

A user reports that their Windows 10 laptop will not boot and displays the error 'Bootmgr is missing'. They have a valid Windows installation USB. Which steps should you take to repair the boot manager?

Accepted Answer

Boot from the USB, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt, and run 'bootrec /rebuildbcd' and 'bootrec /fixmbr'.. The 'Bootmgr is missing' error indicates that the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is corrupted or missing. Booting from the Windows installation USB and using the bootrec command-line tool can rebuild the BCD and fix the boot manager.

Answer

Boot from the USB and select 'Repair your computer' > 'Startup Repair'.

Answer

Boot from the USB and run 'sfc /scannow' from the Command Prompt.

Answer

Boot from the USB and perform a system restore to a previous point.

Question 10

A user reports that their Windows 10 laptop takes a very long time to boot and shows a 'Preparing Automatic Repair' message before eventually loading the desktop. They mention this started after a power outage. Which Windows tool should you use first to diagnose and attempt to fix the boot issue?

Accepted Answer

Startup Repair. The 'Preparing Automatic Repair' loop often indicates a corrupted boot configuration or system file. Using the Startup Repair tool from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is the first recommended step, as it can automatically fix many common boot problems without needing to reinstall the OS.

Answer

System Restore

Answer

Reset this PC

Answer

System File Checker (sfc /scannow)

Question 11

A user reports that their Windows 10 laptop suddenly shows a black screen with a movable mouse cursor after logging in. They can press Ctrl+Alt+Del to open the security screen. Which troubleshooting step should you perform first to restore the desktop?

Accepted Answer

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, open Task Manager, then run a new task and type 'explorer.exe'.. A black screen with a cursor after login often indicates that the Windows Explorer shell (explorer.exe) has crashed or is not starting properly. Using Task Manager to manually restart the explorer.exe process is a quick and non-destructive first step that often resolves the issue without rebooting.

Answer

Boot into Safe Mode and run System File Checker (sfc /scannow).

Answer

Perform a system restore to a point before the issue started.

Answer

Check the display driver by pressing Windows+P and switching display modes.

Question 12

A customer calls saying that after installing a new printer, their Windows 10 computer now takes much longer to shut down. They have uninstalled the printer software, but the slow shutdown persists. Which tool should you use to identify the cause of the shutdown delay?

Accepted Answer

Event Viewer. Slow shutdowns are often caused by services or drivers that fail to terminate properly. The Event Viewer logs system events, including errors and warnings during shutdown, which can pinpoint the offending component. This is more effective than generic performance monitoring or disk cleanup for this specific issue.

Answer

Task Manager

Answer

Performance Monitor

Answer

Disk Cleanup

Question 13

A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 computer that randomly restarts without any error message. The system does not create a minidump file. Which advanced startup option should be disabled in the System Properties to help capture the error for analysis?

Accepted Answer

Automatic restart. When 'Automatic restart' is enabled, the system restarts immediately after a critical error (BSOD) without displaying the error screen or creating a dump file. Disabling this option allows the system to halt on the blue screen, showing the error code and enabling dump file generation for troubleshooting.

Answer

Fast Startup

Answer

Write an event to the system log

Answer

Small memory dump (256 KB)

Question 14

A user complains that their Windows 11 laptop's battery drains quickly even when idle. They have checked the Task Manager and no unusual processes are running. Which built-in tool should you use to generate a detailed report of battery usage and health?

Accepted Answer

Powercfg /batteryreport. Powercfg /batteryreport is the correct built-in tool because it generates a comprehensive HTML report detailing battery capacity history, usage patterns, and estimated life. This command analyzes the system's power efficiency and battery health, which directly addresses the user's complaint of rapid drain even when idle, without relying on running processes visible in Task Manager.

Answer

Resource Monitor

Answer

Performance Monitor

Answer

Windows Memory Diagnostic

Question 15

During a Windows 10 deployment, you need to ensure that a specific Group Policy setting is applied to a computer before any user logs on. Which policy processing mode should you configure?

Accepted Answer

Computer Configuration. Computer Configuration policies in Group Policy apply to the computer itself and take effect at boot, before user logon. User Configuration policies apply only after a user logs on. To ensure a setting is applied before any user logs on, it must be placed under Computer Configuration.

Answer

Loopback processing mode

Answer

User Configuration

Answer

Administrative Templates

Question 16

A user reports that after a recent Windows update, their computer now boots to a blue screen with the error 'INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE'. They need to get back to work quickly. Which Windows recovery tool should you use first to attempt a repair?

Accepted Answer

Startup Repair. The 'INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE' error often indicates a driver or disk configuration issue caused by an update. The Startup Repair tool in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) can automatically diagnose and fix common boot problems like this. It is the safest and fastest initial step before trying more invasive methods.

Answer

System Restore

Answer

Reset this PC

Answer

Command Prompt (chkdsk /f)

Question 17

After a security incident, a Windows 10 workstation is suspected of having malware that prevents the Task Manager and Command Prompt from opening. You need to run a system scan. Which tool can you use from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to perform an offline antivirus scan?

Accepted Answer

Microsoft Defender Offline Scan. Windows Defender Offline (now part of Microsoft Defender Antivirus) can be run from the Windows Recovery Environment to scan for malware without booting the infected OS. This bypasses malware that blocks security tools in the normal Windows environment. It is the appropriate tool for this scenario.

Answer

System File Checker (sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows)

Answer

Windows Memory Diagnostic

Answer

Diskpart

Question 18

A user on Windows 11 is trying to install a new application, but receives the error 'Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item.' The user is a local administrator. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The file has been blocked by Windows because it was downloaded from the internet.. Even local administrators can be blocked from running executables that were downloaded from the internet because Windows marks them with a zone identifier. The 'Unblock' button in the file's Properties removes this mark, allowing the file to run. This is a common security feature in Windows to prevent accidental execution of potentially unsafe files.

Answer

The file is corrupted and needs to be re-downloaded.

Answer

User Account Control (UAC) is blocking the installation.

Answer

The user does not have 'Read & Execute' permissions on the file.

Question 19

A user on Windows 11 reports that their computer frequently freezes for 5–10 seconds at a time, especially when opening multiple browser tabs. The system has 8 GB of RAM and a mechanical hard drive. Which performance monitor counter should you check first to confirm the likely bottleneck?

Accepted Answer

Avg. Disk Queue Length. Frequent freezing when multitasking on a system with a mechanical hard drive and limited RAM often points to excessive disk usage due to paging. The 'Avg. Disk Queue Length' counter in Performance Monitor indicates how many requests are waiting for the disk; a sustained value over 2 suggests the disk is the bottleneck, likely from swapping memory to the page file.

Answer

% Processor Time

Answer

Available Mbytes

Answer

Pages/sec

Question 20

While configuring a new Windows 11 workstation, you need to ensure that a legacy application can always run with administrative privileges without prompting the user. The user is a standard user. What is the best way to accomplish this?

Accepted Answer

Create a scheduled task that runs with the highest privileges and launches the application at user logon.. Forcing a legacy app to run as administrator without UAC prompts for a standard user requires creating a scheduled task that runs with elevated privileges. The task can be set to run at user logon or on demand, and the application is launched by the task with the stored admin credentials. This bypasses UAC while maintaining security for the standard user account.

Answer

Set the application's compatibility mode to 'Run this program as an administrator' and grant the user full control over the program's folder.

Answer

Disable User Account Control (UAC) via the Control Panel.

Answer

Add the user to the local Administrators group.