220-1101 Exam Simulation 1 — 100 Questions

Question 1

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer with an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU on a B550 motherboard. After installing the CPU, heatsink, RAM, and graphics card, and connecting all power cables, the technician powers on the system. The case fans spin, the motherboard LEDs light up, but there is no display output and no beep codes. The motherboard has a set of diagnostic LEDs; the LED labeled 'CPU' remains lit. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the 8-pin CPU power cable is connected to the motherboard. The CPU diagnostic LED remaining lit indicates a problem with the CPU or its power delivery. The most common cause is the 8-pin EPS12V CPU power cable not being connected, which supplies dedicated 12V power to the processor. Without this cable, the CPU cannot initialize, even though case fans and motherboard LEDs receive power from the 24-pin ATX connector.

Answer

Reseat the RAM modules and try different slots

Answer

Reinstall the dedicated graphics card

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to support the CPU

Question 2

A technician is building a desktop computer and applies thermal paste to the CPU before installing the heatsink. The technician uses significantly more paste than recommended. Which of the following is the most likely consequence of this action?

Accepted Answer

The CPU will overheat because excess paste reduces heat transfer efficiency. Excess thermal paste acts as an insulator rather than a conductor, creating a thicker layer that impedes heat transfer from the CPU die to the heatsink base. This reduces thermal conductivity efficiency, causing the CPU to run hotter and potentially throttle or fail under load.

Answer

The thermal paste will cause a short circuit on the motherboard

Answer

The CPU will run cooler due to better coverage

Answer

There will be no noticeable effect on system performance

Question 3

A technician is building a custom workstation for 3D rendering. The components include an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU, a B550 motherboard (box states 'AMD Ryzen 3000 desktop ready'), two 16GB DDR4-3600 modules (on the QVL), and a dedicated GPU. The system powers on, case fans spin, and the CPU fan spins, but the motherboard’s CPU debug LED remains lit and there is no display. The technician has reseated the CPU and found no bent pins. The RAM and GPU have been verified working in another system. The PSU is a known-good 750W unit. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Upgrade the motherboard BIOS using the BIOS flashback feature. The B550 motherboard is labeled 'AMD Ryzen 3000 desktop ready,' meaning its factory BIOS supports Ryzen 3000 CPUs but not Ryzen 5000 (Vermeer) CPUs like the Ryzen 7 5800X. The CPU debug LED staying lit indicates the motherboard cannot initialize the CPU, which is a classic symptom of an incompatible BIOS version. Using the BIOS flashback feature allows the technician to update the BIOS without a compatible CPU installed, enabling support for the Ryzen 5000 series.

Answer

Replace the power supply with a higher-wattage unit

Answer

Test the system with a known-working Ryzen 3000 CPU

Answer

Replace the motherboard with a newer model that officially supports Ryzen 5000

Question 4

A technician installs a new M.2 SATA SSD into a desktop motherboard. The SSD is not detected in the BIOS. The technician has verified that the SSD is compatible with the motherboard and that it is fully seated. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The M.2 slot shares bandwidth with a SATA port that is in use. The most likely cause is that the M.2 SATA SSD shares bandwidth with a specific SATA port on the motherboard. When an M.2 SATA SSD is installed, it often disables one or more SATA ports (commonly SATA port 5 or 6) because the M.2 slot and those SATA ports share the same PCIe/SATA lanes from the chipset. If a hard drive or optical drive is already connected to that shared SATA port, the M.2 SSD will not be detected in the BIOS, even though it is compatible and properly seated.

Answer

The SSD needs to be formatted

Answer

The BIOS does not support SATA SSDs

Answer

The motherboard requires a firmware update

Question 5

A small business wants to migrate its internal applications to the cloud to reduce hardware maintenance costs. They wish to retain control over the application code and configuration but do not want to manage the underlying operating system or runtime environment. Which cloud service model BEST meets their needs?

Accepted Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS). Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a managed platform where the customer controls the application code and configuration, while the cloud provider handles the underlying OS and runtime environment. This aligns with the requirement to reduce hardware maintenance costs without managing the OS or runtime.

Answer

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Answer

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Answer

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

Question 6

A technician replaced the screen assembly on a smartphone. After reassembly, the phone powers on and displays correctly, but the touch screen is unresponsive. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the digitizer ribbon cable is properly seated. The digitizer ribbon cable connects the touch-sensitive layer of the screen to the motherboard. If it is loose or improperly seated after reassembly, the touch input cannot be registered even though the display (LCD/OLED) works fine. This is the most likely cause given the recent disassembly and should be checked first before any software or replacement steps.

Answer

Reboot the phone into safe mode

Answer

Update the touch screen drivers

Answer

Replace the screen assembly again

Question 7

A technician is assembling a desktop computer using an Intel LGA1151 socket motherboard. The CPU has been installed correctly with thermal paste and a heatsink. When the power button is pressed, the system powers on for about three seconds, then shuts off, and then repeatedly attempts to restart. The CPU cooler fan spins normally during that time. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The 4+4 pin EPS12V power connector is not plugged into the motherboard. The 4+4 pin EPS12V connector provides dedicated power to the CPU. Without it, the CPU cannot initialize, causing the motherboard's fail-safe to power off after a few seconds and then repeatedly attempt to restart. The cooler fan spinning normally indicates the system is receiving basic power, but the CPU lacks the necessary voltage to complete POST.

Answer

The RAM modules are not fully seated in their slots

Answer

The CMOS battery is depleted

Answer

The power supply is not rated for the required wattage

Question 8

A technician is building a new desktop computer and needs to connect the front-panel power button to the motherboard. Which of the following connectors or headers is designed for this purpose?

Accepted Answer

F_PANEL header. The F_PANEL header is a dedicated connector block on the motherboard that interfaces with the front-panel controls of the computer case, including the power button, reset button, and status LEDs. It uses a specific pinout to carry the momentary contact signal from the power button to the motherboard's power management circuitry, allowing the system to power on or off.

Answer

SATA cable

Answer

24-pin ATX power connector

Answer

PCIe power cable

Question 9

A small office recently installed 12 new VoIP phones. Each phone is connected via an Ethernet cable to a 24-port managed PoE+ switch. The switch is powered on, and the network cables are properly terminated. However, none of the VoIP phones power on. The switch's power LED is solid, but the port LEDs remain off. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The switch's PoE power budget has been exceeded. The switch's power LED is solid, indicating it has power, but the port LEDs are off, meaning no devices are being powered. Since all 12 VoIP phones are connected to a 24-port PoE+ switch, the most likely cause is that the total power draw of 12 phones exceeds the switch's PoE power budget. PoE+ (802.3at) provides up to 30W per port, but the switch has a limited total power supply (e.g., 250W), and 12 phones at 15-30W each could easily exceed that budget, causing the switch to deny power to all ports.

Answer

The switch ports are configured as access ports for a specific VLAN

Answer

The Ethernet cables are only Category 5 (Cat5)

Answer

The phones require a higher voltage than PoE+ provides

Question 10

A technician installed a new high-end graphics card in a desktop PC. The system powers on, fans spin, but the monitor remains black. The monitor works fine when connected to the motherboard's integrated video port. The technician has reseated the graphics card, connected the necessary PCIe power cables, and verified the card is fully inserted in the primary PCIe x16 slot. Which of the following is the MOST likely next step to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Check the BIOS/UEFI settings to ensure the primary display is set to PCIe. The correct answer is C because when a discrete graphics card is installed, the BIOS/UEFI must be configured to use the PCIe slot as the primary display adapter. If the system defaults to the integrated GPU, the monitor will remain black when connected to the new card, even though the card is powered and seated correctly. Checking and setting the primary display to PCIe in BIOS/UEFI directly addresses this common misconfiguration.

Answer

Replace the monitor with a 4K display

Answer

Update the graphics card driver in Safe Mode

Answer

Test the graphics card in another computer

Question 11

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, heat sink, RAM, and power supply, the system powers on for a few seconds and then shuts down. The CPU fan spins during that time. The technician has verified that the power supply connections are secure. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The thermal paste application between the CPU and heat sink. The system powers on for a few seconds and then shuts down, which is a classic symptom of thermal overload protection (Tjmax) being triggered. Since the CPU fan spins, power delivery is present, but without proper thermal paste, the CPU rapidly exceeds its critical temperature threshold, causing an immediate shutdown to prevent damage.

Answer

The RAM module's compatibility with the motherboard

Answer

The CPU power connector is fully seated

Answer

The front panel power switch connection

Question 12

A technician is building a database server that requires fast random read/write performance for small data blocks. Which of the following storage devices will BEST meet this requirement?

Accepted Answer

An NVMe M.2 solid-state drive. An NVMe M.2 solid-state drive is the best choice because it connects directly via the PCIe bus, bypassing the SATA controller and its protocol overhead. This provides dramatically lower latency and higher IOPS (input/output operations per second), which is essential for fast random read/write performance on small data blocks in a database server.

Answer

A 7200 RPM hard disk drive

Answer

A SATA-based solid-state drive

Answer

An external USB 3.0 hard drive

Question 13

A small office has a network with 25 workstations connected to a managed switch. The switch is connected to a router that provides DHCP. Workstations receive IP addresses in the 192.168.1.0/24 range. A technician replaces a failed switch with a new managed switch of the same model. After connecting all devices, all workstations obtain IP addresses and can ping the default gateway (192.168.1.1). However, workstations cannot ping each other. The technician checks the switch configuration and sees that all ports are in the default VLAN 1 with no port security. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The switch has Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) enabled and is blocking some ports.. The most likely cause is that Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is enabled on the new managed switch and is blocking some ports to prevent loops. When a switch is replaced, STP transitions ports through listening and learning states before forwarding, which can take 30-50 seconds. If the workstations were connected before STP converged, or if the switch is still in the process of determining the root bridge and port roles, some ports may remain in a blocking state, preventing Layer 2 communication between workstations even though they can reach the router via other paths.

Answer

The switch ports are administratively disabled.

Answer

The router's firewall is blocking inter-VLAN traffic.

Answer

The switch has 802.1X authentication enabled.

Question 14

A technician is assembling a new desktop PC. The motherboard has integrated graphics and a discrete PCIe graphics card is installed. The monitor is connected to the discrete graphics card. When powered on, the system fans spin and the power LED lights, but there is no video output and no POST beep codes. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Connect the monitor to the integrated graphics port on the motherboard. The correct first step is to connect the monitor to the integrated graphics port on the motherboard. Since the system powers on (fans spin, power LED lights) but shows no video and no POST beep codes, the discrete graphics card may be faulty or improperly seated. By switching to the integrated graphics, the technician can quickly determine if the discrete card is the cause of the no-display issue without replacing components. This isolates the problem efficiently, as the integrated graphics are known to work if the CPU and motherboard are functional.

Answer

Reseat the RAM modules

Answer

Replace the discrete graphics card with a known-good unit

Answer

Check the CPU power connector

Question 15

A technician is building a desktop computer. After installing all components, the computer powers on. All fans spin, and the LED on the motherboard lights up, but there is no display output. The monitor and cable are known to work. The technician has already reseated the RAM and the graphics card. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the 4/8-pin CPU power connector is securely connected to the motherboard.. The 4/8-pin CPU power connector supplies dedicated 12V power to the processor. If it is loose or disconnected, the CPU will not initialize, causing the system to power on (fans spin, LEDs light) but produce no display output. Since the monitor, cable, RAM, and graphics card have been verified, the next logical step is to check this critical power connection.

Answer

Replace the power supply with a higher-wattage unit.

Answer

Reset the CMOS by removing the battery for 30 seconds.

Answer

Replace the motherboard, as it is likely defective.

Question 16

A technician is assembling a new desktop PC. The technician needs to connect the power button, reset button, HDD LED, and power LED from the case to the motherboard. Which of the following should the technician consult for the correct pin layout?

Accepted Answer

Motherboard manual. The motherboard manual contains the front panel header pinout diagram, which specifies the exact layout for connecting the power button, reset button, HDD LED, and power LED from the case. Each motherboard manufacturer uses a unique pin arrangement, so consulting this manual ensures correct polarity and prevents damage to the motherboard or LEDs.

Answer

Power supply manual

Answer

CPU manual

Answer

Case manual

Question 17

A technician is building a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, RAM, and a high-end graphics card, the system powers on but shuts down after about 10 seconds. The CPU fan spins erratically during this time. The technician has verified the CPU is supported and properly seated. The heatsink came with pre-applied thermal paste. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the CPU fan cable is connected to the CPU_FAN header. The CPU fan cable must be connected to the motherboard's CPU_FAN header, not a chassis fan header, because the system monitors the CPU_FAN header for a tachometer signal. If the fan is connected elsewhere, the motherboard detects no fan RPM on the CPU_FAN header and may shut down after a few seconds to prevent CPU overheating, even if the fan is spinning. The erratic fan behavior suggests the fan is receiving power but not being properly controlled or monitored by the CPU_FAN header.

Answer

Replace the CPU with a known-good unit

Answer

Remove and reseat the graphics card

Answer

Check the RAM modules are in the correct slots

Question 18

A small office has 18 computers that need to be connected to share files and access the internet. The ISP provides a modem with a single Ethernet port. The office router has four LAN ports. Which device should the technician add to enable all 18 computers to connect to the network?

Accepted Answer

B. A switch. A switch is the correct device because it provides multiple Ethernet ports (typically 24 or 48) and operates at Layer 2, forwarding frames based on MAC addresses. This allows all 18 computers to connect to the network, share files, and access the internet through the existing router, which only has four LAN ports.

Answer

A. A hub

Answer

C. A bridge

Answer

D. A firewall

Question 19

A network technician is installing a new fiber optic link between two switches located in different buildings. The technician uses identical SFP modules on both ends and connects them with a single fiber patch cable. After powering on, the link lights on both switches remain off. The technician verifies the SFP modules are compatible with the switches and that the cable is not damaged. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Swap the transmit and receive connections at one end of the fiber cable. The correct answer is A because fiber optic communication requires two separate strands: one for transmitting (TX) and one for receiving (RX). If a single fiber patch cable is used, it typically contains two fibers, but the connectors must be crossed at one end so that the TX of one switch connects to the RX of the other. Since the link lights are off despite compatible SFPs and an undamaged cable, the most likely issue is a polarity mismatch, where both ends are wired straight through (TX to TX, RX to RX), preventing the optical signal from being received.

Answer

Change the duplex settings on both switches to half-duplex

Answer

Update the firmware on both switches

Answer

Verify that the VLAN configuration matches on both ends

Question 20

A technician is assembling a new gaming PC with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X CPU and a B550 motherboard. After installing the CPU, two DDR4-3600 RAM sticks in slots A2 and B2 (as per manual), and a dedicated GPU, the system powers on but there is no display. The motherboard's CPU debug LED remains lit. The technician has reseated the CPU and checked for bent pins (none found). The PSU is a known-good 650W unit and all fans spin. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

B. The motherboard's BIOS needs to be updated to support the Ryzen 5 5600X.. The Ryzen 5 5600X is based on the Zen 3 architecture, which requires a BIOS version that supports AGESA ComboV2 1.1.0.0 or later. B550 motherboards were originally released with BIOS versions that only supported Zen 2 (Ryzen 3000 series) CPUs. Without a BIOS update, the motherboard cannot initialize the CPU, causing the CPU debug LED to stay lit and preventing any display output, even though all other components appear powered.

Answer

A. The RAM is not on the motherboard's Qualified Vendor List (QVL).

Answer

C. The CPU cooler is mounted too tightly, causing pressure on the socket.

Answer

D. The PCIe power cable for the graphics card is not connected.