220-1101 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Practice Test 10 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A user reports that their desktop computer shuts down unexpectedly without warning, typically when playing graphics-intensive games or running video rendering software. The technician has verified that the CPU cooler is properly seated with fresh thermal paste and that all fans spin freely. The event logs show a kernel-power error 41. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Test the power supply under load or replace it with a known-good unit. Kernel-power error 41 indicates an unexpected loss of power. Under heavy GPU load, a failing or underrated power supply can drop voltage or current, causing the system to shut down instantly. Since the CPU cooling is verified, the power supply is the most likely culprit.

Answer

Replace the RAM modules with known-good ones

Answer

Run a hard drive diagnostic test

Answer

Update the graphics card driver to the latest version

Question 2

A network printer with a static IP address of 192.168.1.100/24 is unreachable from all workstations on the same subnet. The technician can successfully ping the printer's IP address. The printer's web interface loads when accessed from a browser, but shows the status as 'Offline.' Print jobs sent from workstations remain in the queue with a 'printing' status and are never printed. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The printer's firmware is in a hung state. The printer is reachable via ping and its web interface loads, confirming Layer 3 connectivity and that the IP/subnet mask configuration is correct. However, the web interface shows 'Offline' and print jobs are stuck in the queue with a 'printing' status, indicating the printer's firmware or internal print engine is hung and not processing jobs. A hung firmware state prevents the printer from accepting or processing print data even though network communication is intact.

Answer

The printer's subnet mask is misconfigured

Answer

The print server's driver is corrupted

Answer

The network cable is faulty

Question 3

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop PC in a small office. The PC can access local network resources (file servers, printers) by IP address but cannot access any external websites by domain name or IP address. The PC uses a static IP configuration: IP 192.168.1.100, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.1.1, DNS server 192.168.1.1. The technician successfully pings 192.168.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 fails. Pinging 8.8.8.8 from another PC on the same network succeeds. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The router's network address translation (NAT) is malfunctioning.. The PC can access local resources by IP and ping the default gateway, indicating Layer 2/3 connectivity within the LAN is fine. However, pinging 8.8.8.8 fails while another PC on the same network succeeds, which isolates the issue to this specific PC. Since the PC uses a static IP and can reach the gateway, the most likely cause is that the router's NAT is malfunctioning for this particular host, preventing its traffic from being translated to a public IP for external reachability.

Answer

The PC's subnet mask is incorrect.

Answer

The default gateway on the PC is misconfigured.

Answer

The DNS server setting is incorrect.

Question 4

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop PC that randomly shuts down without warning, particularly when the user runs resource-intensive applications like video editing software. The technician has already replaced the power supply, verified that the CPU temperature remains within normal limits under load, and updated all drivers. The event logs show a kernel-power 41 error with no preceding critical errors. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Inspect the CPU socket for bent pins or improper seating. The kernel-power 41 error indicates an unexpected loss of power or system crash without a clean shutdown. Since the power supply has been replaced and CPU temperatures are normal, the next likely cause is an intermittent electrical or physical connection issue at the CPU socket. Bent pins or improper seating can cause voltage drops or signal corruption under heavy load, leading to sudden shutdowns even when temperatures are acceptable.

Answer

Replace the RAM modules with known-good sticks

Answer

Replace the CMOS battery

Answer

Reinstall the operating system

Question 5

A user reports that the network printer in the office is no longer accessible from any workstation after an overnight power outage. The printer has a static IP address of 192.168.1.50. The technician checks the printer and sees it is powered on, the network cable is connected, and the link light on both the printer and the switch port is solid. The technician pings 192.168.1.50 from a workstation, but there is no reply. The technician checks the printer's network settings from its front panel and sees that the IP address is 169.254.10.25. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The printer lost its static IP configuration due to the power outage.. The printer's IP address changed from the static 192.168.1.50 to an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address in the 169.254.0.0/16 range. This occurs when a device configured for DHCP fails to obtain a lease from a DHCP server, which can happen after a power outage if the printer's non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) lost its static IP configuration and it reverted to DHCP. Since the printer is now on a different subnet, workstations cannot reach it, explaining the failed ping.

Answer

The printer's network adapter is faulty.

Answer

The switch port is configured with the wrong VLAN.

Answer

The DNS server is not resolving the printer's hostname.

Question 6

A user reports that their desktop computer shuts down unexpectedly after about 10 minutes of use. The computer can be turned back on immediately after shutdown, and no error messages are displayed. The technician suspects the CPU is overheating. Which of the following steps should the technician take FIRST to confirm this suspicion?

Accepted Answer

Enter the system BIOS/UEFI and check the temperature monitor.. The technician should first enter the system BIOS/UEFI to check the CPU temperature monitor. This is the quickest, non-invasive step to confirm if the CPU is overheating, as the BIOS/UEFI provides real-time temperature readings without requiring hardware disassembly. If the temperature is abnormally high (e.g., above 90°C at idle or under load), it confirms the overheating suspicion.

Answer

Replace the thermal paste on the CPU.

Answer

Remove the CPU cooler and inspect the fan.

Answer

Update the system firmware.

Question 7

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages with faint text and a gray background. The toner cartridge has already been replaced with a new one, but the issue persists. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Clean the corona wire. Faint text with a gray background on a laser printer typically indicates a problem with the primary corona wire (or charge roller) failing to apply a uniform negative charge to the photosensitive drum. Even with a new toner cartridge, if the corona wire is dirty or damaged, the drum will not be properly charged, causing toner to be attracted to non-image areas (gray background) and insufficient toner to be deposited for the image (faint text). Cleaning the corona wire restores the correct electrostatic charge distribution, resolving both symptoms.

Answer

Replace the fuser assembly

Answer

Check the transfer roller

Answer

Run the printer's self-cleaning cycle

Question 8

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on. The case fans and power supply fan spin, but the monitor displays 'No Signal' and the keyboard and mouse do not light up. No beep codes are heard. Which component is MOST likely causing the issue?

Accepted Answer

Failed RAM. The absence of beep codes, combined with spinning fans but no POST (Power-On Self-Test) progression, indicates that the CPU is receiving power and the motherboard is powered on, but the system is halting before it can initialize the keyboard, mouse, or video output. RAM is the most common cause of a 'no POST' scenario because the motherboard's firmware cannot complete memory training or integrity checks without functional RAM, causing it to hang silently with no beep codes if the speaker is not connected or the board lacks a built-in speaker.

Answer

Failed CPU

Answer

Failed graphics card

Answer

Faulty power supply

Question 9

A technician is troubleshooting a network issue in an office. Users connected to a specific wall jack report intermittent connectivity. The switch port corresponding to that jack shows a high number of CRC errors. The technician removes the wall plate and finds that the twisted pairs are untwisted too far back from the RJ45 connector. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the CRC errors?

Accepted Answer

The twisted pairs are not properly terminated. CRC errors indicate that frames are being received with invalid checksums, typically due to signal integrity issues. Untwisting the pairs too far from the RJ45 connector disrupts the cable's impedance and crosstalk rejection, causing bit corruption that leads to CRC errors. Proper termination requires maintaining the twist up to within 0.5 inches (13 mm) of the connector per TIA/EIA-568 standards.

Answer

The cable length exceeds 100 meters

Answer

The switch port is configured for the wrong speed or duplex

Answer

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from nearby power cables

Question 10

A user reports that their laptop is connected to the office Wi-Fi and can browse the internet, but cannot access any shared folders on the network. Other laptops on the same Wi-Fi can access the shares without issue. The laptop received a valid IP address from DHCP. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The network profile is set to Public. The network profile being set to Public applies Windows Firewall rules that block file and printer sharing (SMB traffic on ports 445, 139) by default. Since the user can browse the internet but cannot access shared folders, and other laptops work fine, the most likely cause is that the laptop's network profile is Public, which disables network discovery and file sharing. Changing it to Private or Domain profile resolves the issue without affecting internet connectivity.

Answer

The DNS server configuration

Answer

A faulty wireless network adapter

Answer

Duplicate IP address on the network

Question 11

A technician replaced a damaged Cat5e patch cable that connected a workstation to a wall jack. After replacement, the workstation reports a network connection speed of 100 Mbps instead of the expected 1 Gbps. Both the workstation's NIC and the switch port support 1 Gbps. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the reduced speed?

Accepted Answer

The new cable is a Cat5 cable instead of Cat5e. Cat5e cable is rated for 1 Gbps (1000BASE-T) up to 100 meters, while Cat5 cable is only certified for 100 Mbps (100BASE-TX) over the same distance. Using a Cat5 cable instead of Cat5e forces the auto-negotiation process to fall back to the highest common denominator supported by the cable, which is 100 Mbps. This explains why the workstation reports 100 Mbps despite both the NIC and switch port supporting 1 Gbps.

Answer

The new cable is a crossover cable

Answer

The new cable exceeds the maximum length for 1 Gbps

Answer

The switch port is configured for 100 Mbps only

Question 12

A technician replaced the toner cartridge in a laser printer. Now the printer produces pages with vertical black streaks down the entire page. The toner cartridge is confirmed to be a genuine, new cartridge. Which component should the technician inspect or replace NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Inspect and replace the imaging drum. Vertical black streaks down the entire page indicate a defect on the imaging drum, such as a scratch or toner buildup. Since the toner cartridge is confirmed genuine and new, the issue is not with the toner itself but with the drum unit, which transfers the image to the paper. Replacing the imaging drum will resolve the streaks.

Answer

Inspect and replace the fuser assembly

Answer

Inspect and clean the transfer roller

Answer

Inspect and replace the pickup roller

Question 13

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 14

After a thunderstorm, a user reports that their desktop computer cannot connect to the network. The technician observes that the Ethernet port on the computer has a steady green link light but no amber activity light. The switch port corresponding to the user's cable also shows a link light. The computer's operating system shows an IP address of 169.254.1.10. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The Ethernet cable has been damaged and is causing frame errors. The 169.254.1.10 IP address is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address (169.254.0.0/16, per RFC 3927), which Windows assigns when DHCP fails. The steady green link light on both the NIC and switch indicates Layer 1 connectivity is intact, but the absence of an amber activity light suggests no data frames are passing. Damaged cabling can cause excessive frame errors or collisions, preventing successful DHCP discovery (broadcast) and data transmission while still allowing the link light to illuminate, as link detection only requires an electrical connection, not error-free communication.

Answer

The network interface card (NIC) has been damaged by a power surge

Answer

The switch port was disabled by the storm

Answer

The router's DHCP server failed after the storm

Question 15

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that will not boot. The computer powers on, the fans spin, but the screen remains black. The technician hears a series of beeps: one long beep followed by two short beeps. This pattern repeats. Which component is MOST likely causing the issue?

Accepted Answer

Video card. The one long beep followed by two short beeps is a standard AMI BIOS beep code indicating a video card error. Since the computer powers on and fans spin, the power supply and basic motherboard functions are working, but the black screen points to a failure in the video subsystem. This makes the video card the most likely culprit.

Answer

CPU

Answer

RAM

Answer

Power supply