220-1101 Practice Test 43 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a server that randomly shuts down after running for about 30 minutes. The server has dual power supplies and is connected to a UPS. The technician has already replaced the CPU cooler and verified that all fans are spinning. The temperature readings for the CPU and motherboard are within normal range. Which component should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The power supply voltage rails. The correct answer is C because random shutdowns after a consistent runtime (30 minutes) often indicate a failing power supply that cannot maintain stable output under sustained load. The technician has already ruled out overheating by replacing the CPU cooler, verifying fan operation, and confirming normal temperature readings. Checking the power supply voltage rails with a multimeter or PSU tester can reveal sagging voltages or ripple that cause intermittent shutdowns, even when the system appears to run initially.

Answer

The UPS battery

Answer

The thermal paste application

Answer

The RAM modules

Question 2

A technician installs a second monitor on a desktop PC. Both monitors are connected to the same discrete GPU. The first monitor works correctly, but the second monitor shows 'No Signal'. The technician verifies the second monitor and its cable are functional by testing them on the first monitor's port. The GPU has two HDMI ports. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The second HDMI port on the GPU is faulty. Since the technician verified that the second monitor and its cable work on the first monitor's HDMI port, the issue is isolated to the second HDMI port on the GPU. The most likely cause is that the second HDMI port is faulty, as all other components have been proven functional. This aligns with the symptom of a single port failing while the GPU otherwise supports dual displays.

Answer

The GPU does not support dual monitors

Answer

The monitor's resolution is set higher than the GPU supports

Answer

The GPU lacks sufficient video memory to drive both displays

Question 3

A technician connects a workstation to a switch port configured for VLAN 30. The network uses DHCP servers located on VLAN 10. After connecting, the workstation receives an APIPA address (169.254.x.x). The technician verifies that the Ethernet cable is functional and the switch port link light is solid. Other workstations on the same switch, connected to ports in VLAN 10, obtain valid IP addresses. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The workstation is not receiving a DHCP offer because it is on a different VLAN than the DHCP server. The workstation is on VLAN 30, but the DHCP server resides on VLAN 10. By default, DHCP broadcasts (using UDP port 67/68) are not forwarded across VLANs unless a DHCP relay agent (IP helper-address) is configured on the VLAN 30 interface. Without that relay, the workstation never receives a DHCP offer, so it falls back to an APIPA address (169.254.x.x per RFC 3927).

Answer

The switch port is configured as a trunk port

Answer

The network cable is faulty

Answer

The workstation's NIC driver is outdated

Question 4

A technician installs a new CPU into an existing desktop motherboard that is listed as compatible. When the system is powered on, the fans spin and LEDs light up, but the screen remains black, and there are no POST beeps. The technician has reseated the RAM and GPU, and verified the power supply voltages are within spec. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the CPU socket for bent pins. The symptoms—fans spin, LEDs light, but no POST and no beeps—indicate the motherboard is receiving power but the CPU is not initializing. Since the CPU is listed as compatible but was just installed, the most likely cause is physical damage to the CPU socket, such as bent pins, which prevents proper contact between the CPU and the motherboard. Reseating RAM and GPU and verifying PSU voltages already ruled out those common issues, making a socket inspection the logical next step.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version

Answer

Replace the power supply with a higher-wattage unit

Answer

Test each RAM module one at a time in different slots

Question 5

A small office has a network with a router providing DHCP, an unmanaged switch, and several workstations. A user can access the internet but cannot print to a network printer that has a static IP address of 192.168.1.100. The user's workstation has an IP of 192.168.1.50. The printer is powered on and its network cable is connected to the switch. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to troubleshoot the issue?

Accepted Answer

Check the printer's IP configuration by printing a network configuration page. The user can access the internet, confirming that the router's DHCP service and the switch's basic connectivity are functioning. The printer has a static IP of 192.168.1.100, which is on the same subnet as the workstation (192.168.1.50), so a layer 3 issue is unlikely. The first step should be to verify the printer's own IP configuration by printing a network configuration page, as the printer might have a misconfigured static IP, a different subnet, or a duplicate IP conflict that prevents communication.

Answer

Replace the Ethernet cable connecting the printer to the switch

Answer

Restart the printer

Answer

Check the switch port status by looking at the LED indicators

Question 6

A technician installs a new M.2 NVMe SSD into a desktop computer. The drive is detected in the system BIOS, but it does not appear in Windows File Explorer or Disk Management. The technician checks Device Manager and sees the drive listed under 'Other devices' with a yellow exclamation mark. Which of the following steps should the technician perform NEXT to make the drive available in Windows?

Accepted Answer

Install the correct NVMe driver from the manufacturer. The M.2 NVMe SSD is detected in BIOS and listed in Device Manager with a yellow exclamation mark under 'Other devices', which indicates Windows lacks the native driver for NVMe storage. Unlike SATA SSDs, NVMe drives require a specific driver (typically the Microsoft standard NVMe driver or a manufacturer-provided one) to function. Installing the correct NVMe driver from the manufacturer resolves the driver issue and makes the drive accessible in Windows.

Answer

Enable the drive in the BIOS SATA configuration

Answer

Initialize the disk in Disk Management

Answer

Update the system BIOS to the latest version

Question 7

A network technician is troubleshooting a network laser printer that is intermittently dropping off the network. The printer has a static IP address of 192.168.1.50. The technician can sometimes ping the printer, but often the ping times out. The printer's network configuration page shows it is connected at 100 Mbps, half-duplex. The switch port to which the printer is connected supports up to 1000 Mbps and is set to auto-negotiate. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the intermittent connectivity?

Accepted Answer

The duplex settings are mismatched between the printer and the switch port.. The printer is manually set to half-duplex while the switch port is set to auto-negotiate. When a device is set to a fixed duplex (half) and the other end is set to auto-negotiate, the auto-negotiation process fails, causing the switch to default to half-duplex as well. However, because the printer is already hard-coded to half-duplex, the link may come up but with a duplex mismatch, leading to frequent collisions, retransmissions, and intermittent connectivity — explaining why pings sometimes succeed and sometimes time out.

Answer

The printer's network interface card (NIC) is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Answer

The switch port is configured for 1000 Mbps, but the printer only supports 100 Mbps, causing a speed mismatch.

Answer

The printer is configured with a static IP that conflicts with another device on the network.

Question 8

A technician installs two 16GB DDR4 RAM modules into a desktop motherboard. The motherboard manual specifies to use slots A2 and B2 for dual-channel. The technician installs the modules in slots A2 and B2. The system boots, but the BIOS reports only 16GB of total memory. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

One of the RAM modules is faulty.. The correct answer is C because if one of the 16GB DDR4 modules is faulty, the system will only detect and report the capacity of the working module, resulting in 16GB total instead of 32GB. Since the technician correctly installed the modules in slots A2 and B2 for dual-channel operation, and the system boots, a faulty module is the most likely cause of the memory discrepancy.

Answer

The RAM modules are not fully seated in the slots.

Answer

The modules are installed in the wrong slots for dual-channel.

Answer

The motherboard chipset does not support more than 16GB.

Question 9

A technician is upgrading the RAM in a desktop computer. The motherboard manual states it supports DDR3-1600 RAM. The technician installs a single 8GB DDR4-2400 module. The computer powers on but emits a series of beeps and does not display any video. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The RAM module is not compatible with the motherboard. The motherboard supports only DDR3-1600 RAM, but the technician installed a DDR4-2400 module. DDR3 and DDR4 use different physical notch positions, voltage levels (1.5V vs. 1.2V), and signaling protocols, making them electrically and mechanically incompatible. The beep code indicates a memory initialization failure because the motherboard cannot communicate with the DDR4 module.

Answer

The RAM module is defective

Answer

The RAM module was not installed in the correct slot

Answer

The motherboard needs a BIOS update

Question 10

A technician installs a new high-end graphics card into a desktop computer. The card requires two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The existing power supply unit (PSU) has two 6+2-pin PCIe cables, both of which are connected properly. After installation, the computer powers on, all fans spin (including the GPU fans), but the monitor shows a 'No Signal' message. The technician has verified that the card is seated fully in the PCIe x16 slot, the monitor is connected to the GPU's display output, and the monitor works with another computer. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The power supply unit (PSU) does not have enough total wattage to power the GPU. The GPU requires two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, each capable of delivering up to 150W. The 6+2-pin cables are physically compatible and properly connected, but the PSU may lack sufficient total wattage or adequate amperage on the +12V rail to meet the GPU's peak power demands. When the GPU attempts to draw more power than the PSU can supply, it may fail to initialize properly, resulting in a 'No Signal' output even though fans spin (low-power components still receive enough power).

Answer

The motherboard's PCIe slot is disabled in BIOS

Answer

The graphics card is defective

Answer

The display driver is not installed

Question 11

A technician is upgrading a desktop computer with a new CPU. The motherboard uses an LGA1700 socket, and the technician installs an Intel Core i7-12700K CPU correctly, lowering the retention arm without force. The system powers on, the fans spin, but the monitor remains black and there are no POST beeps. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A. The CPU is not supported by the current motherboard BIOS version. The Intel Core i7-12700K (Alder Lake) requires a motherboard with an LGA1700 socket and a BIOS that supports 12th-gen CPUs. If the motherboard's BIOS was manufactured before the CPU's release, it may lack the microcode needed to initialize the processor, resulting in a black screen and no POST beeps despite power and fan activity.

Answer

B. The CPU cooler is not installed

Answer

C. The RAM is incompatible with the new CPU

Answer

D. The power supply is insufficient

Question 12

A small business is migrating its on-premises file server to a cloud service. The company wants full control over the operating system, file-sharing permissions, and security settings, but does not want to manage the physical server hardware, storage arrays, or network infrastructure. Which of the following cloud service models BEST meets these requirements?

Accepted Answer

B. Option B corresponds to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), which provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. With IaaS, the customer manages the operating system, applications, and security settings, while the cloud provider handles the underlying physical hardware, storage, and network infrastructure. This matches the requirement for full control over the OS and permissions without managing physical hardware.

Answer

A

Answer

C

Answer

D

Question 13

A technician installs a new SATA SSD into a desktop computer. After connecting the data and power cables, the computer powers on and boots into the operating system from the existing hard drive. However, the new SSD is not detected in File Explorer or Disk Management. The technician has verified that the SATA cable is securely connected and that the power supply is providing power (the SSD does not spin, but it is an SSD). Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Enable the SATA port in the BIOS/UEFI settings. The new SSD is not detected in Disk Management or File Explorer, which indicates the system is not recognizing the drive at the hardware level. Since the technician has already verified cable connections and power, the next logical step is to check whether the SATA port is enabled in the BIOS/UEFI settings. If the port is disabled, the operating system cannot enumerate the drive, and it will not appear in Disk Management or File Explorer.

Answer

Initialize the drive using Disk Management

Answer

Update the SSD firmware using a USB bootable tool

Answer

Replace the SATA cable with a known-good cable

Question 14

A small office uses a single DHCP server to assign IP addresses. Recently, several users have reported that their laptops cannot connect to the wired network. The technician runs ipconfig on one of the affected laptops and sees an IP address of 169.254.13.45 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. The DHCP server shows that the scope has only 5 available addresses out of 100. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the problem?

Accepted Answer

The DHCP scope is exhausted due to the limited number of available addresses.. The IP address 169.254.13.45 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, assigned by Windows when a DHCP server cannot be reached or does not have available addresses. Since the DHCP scope has only 5 available addresses out of 100, the scope is effectively exhausted, meaning new clients cannot obtain a lease and fall back to APIPA. This directly matches the symptom of multiple laptops failing to connect.

Answer

The DHCP server is overloaded and responding slowly.

Answer

The affected laptops have a static IP address configured.

Answer

The network switch is not forwarding DHCP broadcast requests.

Question 15

A technician installs a new discrete graphics card into a desktop computer that previously relied on integrated graphics. After installation, the monitor remains black with no display, and no POST beep codes are heard. The system fans spin, and the power LED is on. The technician reseats the graphics card and verifies that the PCIe power cables are connected. The monitor and cable are known to work with other computers. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Connect the monitor to the integrated graphics port.. Option C is correct because the monitor remains black and no POST beep codes are heard, indicating the system may be defaulting to the integrated graphics output. By connecting the monitor to the integrated graphics port, the technician can determine if the system is actually booting and displaying video through the onboard GPU, which would isolate the issue to the discrete graphics card or its configuration. This step follows the standard troubleshooting methodology of verifying basic functionality before replacing components.

Answer

Replace the graphics card with a known-good unit.

Answer

Reset the CMOS by removing the battery.

Answer

Update the graphics card driver using safe mode.