220-1101 Practice Test 27 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that will not boot. The motherboard has a 7-segment debug LED that displays code '55'. According to the motherboard manual, this code indicates a memory initialization error. The technician has already reseated the RAM, tested each stick individually in different slots, and replaced the RAM modules with known good ones. The computer still displays the same code. Which of the following components is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The CPU is faulty or has bent pins. The motherboard debug LED code '55' specifically indicates a memory initialization error. Since the technician has already reseated, swapped slots, and replaced the RAM with known good modules, the issue is not with the RAM itself. The memory controller is integrated into the CPU (since Intel Nehalem and AMD K8), so a faulty CPU or bent pins on the CPU/socket can prevent the memory controller from initializing RAM, causing this persistent code.

Answer

The motherboard is defective

Answer

The power supply is not delivering adequate voltage to the RAM slots

Answer

The CMOS battery needs to be replaced

Question 2

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages with horizontal white lines running across the printed text. The toner cartridge has been replaced with a new one, and the issue persists. Which printer component should the technician inspect or replace NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Imaging drum. The imaging drum is the component that transfers toner to the paper in a laser printer. Horizontal white lines typically indicate a defect on the drum surface, such as scratches or contamination, which prevent toner from adhering to those areas. Since replacing the toner cartridge did not resolve the issue, the imaging drum (often a separate consumable) is the next logical component to inspect or replace.

Answer

Fuser assembly

Answer

Transfer roller

Answer

Pickup roller

Question 3

A technician is setting up a small office network. The ISP provides a modem with a single Ethernet port and a single public IP address. The office has eight computers that all need to access the internet simultaneously. Which of the following devices should the technician connect directly to the modem to allow all computers to share the internet connection?

Accepted Answer

Router. The router is required because it performs Network Address Translation (NAT), which allows multiple devices on the local network to share a single public IP address provided by the ISP. It also routes traffic between the local subnet and the internet, handling both IP address assignment (via DHCP) and packet forwarding. A switch alone cannot translate addresses or route between networks, so it would not enable internet sharing.

Answer

Switch

Answer

Hub

Answer

Modem

Question 4

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages with vertical black streaks running from the top to the bottom of the page. The technician has already replaced the toner cartridge and the drum unit, but the problem persists. Which printer component should the technician inspect or replace NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Transfer roller. Vertical black streaks that persist after replacing the toner cartridge and drum unit indicate a problem with the transfer roller. The transfer roller applies a positive charge to the paper to attract the negatively charged toner from the drum; if it is damaged, worn, or contaminated, it can cause uneven toner transfer resulting in streaks. Since the toner and drum are already ruled out, the transfer roller is the next most likely culprit.

Answer

Fuser assembly

Answer

Laser scanner assembly

Answer

Paper pickup roller

Question 5

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages with vertical white streaks running down the page. The toner cartridge has been replaced with a new OEM cartridge, and the imaging drum assembly is clean and appears undamaged. The technician prints a test page from the printer's control panel, and the white streaks are still present. Which of the following components is MOST likely causing this issue?

Accepted Answer

Laser scanner unit. Vertical white streaks on a laser printer page typically indicate a laser scanner unit issue. Since the toner cartridge and imaging drum are confirmed good, the laser scanner's optical path (e.g., a dirty lens, misaligned mirror, or failing laser diode) is the most likely cause, as it fails to write the image uniformly across the drum, leaving unexposed vertical bands that appear as white streaks.

Answer

Fuser assembly

Answer

Transfer roller

Answer

Pickup roller

Question 6

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that has intermittent network connectivity. The workstation is connected to a wall jack via a Cat6 cable. The wall jack is connected to a patch panel in the server room. The technician replaces the NIC and the cable to the workstation, but the issue persists. The technician then uses a loopback plug on the wall jack and tests connectivity from the patch panel using a toner and probe; the tone is clear. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the switch port configuration for speed/duplex mismatch.. The technician has already verified the cable path from the wall jack to the patch panel is good (clear tone) and replaced the NIC and workstation cable. Since the issue persists and the physical layer appears intact, the next logical step is to check for a speed/duplex mismatch on the switch port. A mismatch can cause intermittent connectivity, packet loss, and performance issues even when the link is physically up, because the switch and NIC negotiate different duplex settings (e.g., one half-duplex, one full-duplex) leading to collisions and retransmissions.

Answer

Replace the patch cable from the patch panel to the switch.

Answer

Replace the switch port.

Answer

Check the grounding of the wall jack.

Question 7

A user reports that their desktop computer intermittently loses network connectivity, especially when the nearby office printer starts printing. The link light on the NIC occasionally turns off during these events. The Ethernet cable runs near a fluorescent light fixture and a power cable. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable with a known-good Cat6 shielded cable, but the issue persists. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the Ethernet cable is not routed near sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI).. The issue persists even after replacing the cable with a known-good Cat6 shielded cable, indicating that the problem is not the cable itself but the environment. The Ethernet cable runs near a fluorescent light fixture and a power cable, both of which are common sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI). Since the link light turns off when the printer starts, the EMI from the printer or nearby sources is likely inducing noise on the cable, disrupting the signal. The next logical step is to reroute the cable away from these EMI sources, as shielding alone may not be sufficient if the interference is strong or the shield is not properly grounded.

Answer

Move the computer to a different electrical outlet.

Answer

Replace the network interface card (NIC).

Answer

Update the NIC driver from the manufacturer's website.

Question 8

A user reports that they can access the internet by typing an IP address (e.g., 8.8.8.8) into their web browser, but they cannot access websites using domain names (e.g., www.example.com). Which of the following network services is MOST likely not functioning correctly?

Accepted Answer

Domain Name System (DNS). The user can reach the internet via IP address but not by domain name, which indicates that the system cannot resolve human-readable names to IP addresses. The Domain Name System (DNS) is the service responsible for this translation, so a failure in DNS resolution is the most likely cause. DHCP, HTTP, and FTP are unrelated to name resolution.

Answer

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Answer

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

Answer

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Question 9

A technician upgrades a desktop computer by installing a new M.2 NVMe SSD. The computer previously booted from a SATA SSD connected to port 0. After the installation, the computer fails to boot and enters the BIOS setup utility. The BIOS detects both the SATA SSD and the M.2 NVMe drive. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to resolve the boot issue?

Accepted Answer

Change the boot order in the BIOS to prioritize the SATA SSD. The correct first step is to change the boot order in the BIOS to prioritize the SATA SSD. Installing a new M.2 NVMe SSD often causes the BIOS to reset the boot order or default to the newly detected drive, especially if the M.2 slot shares bandwidth with SATA ports. Since the BIOS detects both drives, the boot failure is due to the system attempting to boot from the empty M.2 drive rather than the existing SATA SSD with the OS.

Answer

Disable the M.2 slot in the BIOS

Answer

Reinstall the operating system on the M.2 NVMe drive

Answer

Remove the SATA SSD from the system

Question 10

A user reports that their Android smartphone is not recognized by a Windows 10 computer when connected via USB. The user wants to transfer photos from the phone to the computer. The phone charges when connected. The technician checks the computer's Device Manager and sees an unknown device with a yellow exclamation mark. The user has already tried different USB cables and ports. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The phone's USB mode is set to 'Charging only' instead of 'File Transfer'.. When an Android phone is connected to a computer for file transfer, the phone must be set to a mode that allows data access, such as 'File Transfer' or 'MTP'. If the mode is set to 'Charging only' (or similar), the computer will see the device as a charger and may not recognize it as a storage device, leading to the unknown device error. The user needs to change the USB mode from the phone's notification area or settings. A damaged USB port (A) is unlikely because charging works; battery defect (C) is unrelated; Apple Mobile Device driver (D) is for iOS devices, not Android.

Answer

The USB port on the computer is damaged.

Answer

The phone's battery is defective.

Answer

The computer is missing the Apple Mobile Device driver.

Question 11

A user reports that their desktop computer shuts down unexpectedly when running video editing software. The technician has already verified that CPU and GPU temperatures are within normal limits under load, the power supply unit is 650W and should be adequate, and all fans are spinning. The system has been stable for two years prior to this issue. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT as the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Inspect the motherboard for bulging or leaking capacitors. Option A is correct because bulging or leaking capacitors on the motherboard can cause intermittent power delivery issues, leading to unexpected shutdowns under load even when CPU/GPU temperatures and PSU wattage appear adequate. Capacitor degradation is a common failure mode in systems that have been stable for years, as electrolytic capacitors dry out or fail over time, especially under sustained thermal stress from video editing workloads.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version

Answer

Run a memory diagnostic (e.g., MemTest86) to check for RAM errors

Answer

Replace the CPU with a known-good processor

Question 12

A user reports that their desktop computer intermittently loses network connectivity when the overhead fluorescent lights in the office are turned on. The link light on the network interface card (NIC) turns off during these events. The technician replaced the existing unshielded twisted pair (UTP) Cat5e cable with a shielded Cat6 cable, but the problem continues. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Move the Ethernet cable away from the fluorescent light fixtures. The problem is electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the fluorescent lights, which generates a strong magnetic field that induces noise in the Ethernet cable. Even with shielded Cat6 cable, the interference can still couple into the signal if the cable is routed too close to the light fixtures, especially if the shielding is not properly grounded. Moving the cable away from the fixtures physically separates the cable from the EMI source, which is the most direct and effective next step.

Answer

Replace the network switch

Answer

Replace the network interface card (NIC)

Answer

Check the grounding of the electrical system in the building

Question 13

Employees in a small office report that their wired network connections become extremely slow or drop every time the office microwave oven is used. The microwave is located in the breakroom, and the network cables for the cubicles run through the ceiling directly above the breakroom. The cables currently installed are unshielded twisted pair (UTP) Cat5e. The technician has confirmed the microwave is not physically damaging the cables and that the router and switch are not overheating. Which of the following solutions would MOST effectively resolve the intermittent network issues?

Accepted Answer

Replace the UTP Cat5e cables with STP Cat6a cables. The intermittent network slowdowns and drops are caused by electromagnetic interference (EMI) generated by the microwave oven, which radiates strongly in the 2.4 GHz range. UTP Cat5e cables lack shielding and are susceptible to this EMI, especially when running through the ceiling directly above the microwave. Replacing them with STP Cat6a cables provides foil or braided shielding that blocks EMI, preserving signal integrity and resolving the issue.

Answer

Upgrade the network switches to models that support QoS (Quality of Service)

Answer

Install ferrite chokes on both ends of each network cable

Answer

Replace the RJ45 wall jacks with shielded Cat6 jacks

Question 14

A technician is replacing a failed power supply in a desktop computer. After installing the new power supply unit (PSU), the computer powers on for a few seconds and then shuts down completely. The technician has verified all cable connections are secure. The motherboard requires an 8-pin CPU power connector and a 24-pin main connector. The new PSU provides a 4+4 pin CPU cable and a 20+4 pin main cable. The technician connected the 4+4 pin cable by combining the two halves and inserting them into the motherboard's 8-pin CPU power socket. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Verify the 4+4 pin CPU cable is fully seated and the latch clicks. The 4+4 pin CPU cable must be fully seated and latched to ensure proper electrical contact. If the connector is not fully inserted, the system may start briefly due to initial power but then shut down when the CPU draws more current, triggering overcurrent protection or a voltage drop. The fact that the system powers on for a few seconds and then shuts down is a classic symptom of a loose or improperly seated CPU power connector.

Answer

Replace the PSU with a higher wattage unit

Answer

Check if the CPU fan is connected to the correct header

Answer

Reset the BIOS by removing the CMOS battery

Question 15

Match each memory type to its typical use.