220-1101 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

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?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

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 2

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 common beep code (often associated with Award BIOS) 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

Question 3

A user reports that their workstation experiences intermittent network drops and slow speeds. The technician checks the switch port status and notices a high number of late collisions. The workstation's network adapter is set to auto-negotiate. The switch port is also set to auto-negotiate but the technician observes that the link has negotiated at 100 Mbps half-duplex. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

Duplex mismatch between the workstation NIC and the switch port. Late collisions are a classic symptom of a duplex mismatch. In this scenario, the switch port has negotiated to 100 Mbps half-duplex, which means the switch is operating at half-duplex. If the workstation NIC is actually operating at full-duplex—possibly due to a failed auto-negotiation process or a driver-level forced setting—the mismatch causes the switch to detect late collisions. The full-duplex workstation does not perform carrier sensing, so the half-duplex switch can transmit at the same time and later receive a collision, which it registers as a late collision because it occurs after the collision window.

Answer

Faulty Ethernet cable causing excessive crosstalk

Answer

Incorrect VLAN assignment on the switch port

Answer

IP address conflict on the network

Question 4

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that cannot connect to the network. The technician sees that the Ethernet cable used is a crossover cable. The workstation's network adapter supports Auto-MDI/X. The switch port does not have any link light. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for the lack of connectivity?

Accepted Answer

The crossover cable is faulty. The NIC supports Auto-MDI/X, so it can automatically adjust its internal crossover configuration for either a straight-through or crossover cable, regardless of the switch's support. Since the switch port has no link light, the crossover cable itself is not the issue (the NIC can handle it). The most likely reason is a defective cable, making option A correct.

Answer

The switch does not support Auto-MDI/X

Answer

The NIC driver is out of date

Answer

The cable length exceeds 100 meters

Question 5

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

Fuser assembly. Vertical black streaks that persist after replacing the toner cartridge and drum unit are most likely caused by a damaged fuser assembly. The fuser uses heat and pressure to bond toner to the paper; if its roller is scratched or contaminated, it can leave continuous black streaks. Since the toner and drum have been replaced and the problem continues, the fuser is the next component to inspect.

Answer

Transfer roller

Answer

Laser scanner assembly

Answer

Paper pickup roller

Question 6

A user reports that their workstation experiences intermittent network drops and slow performance. The technician checks the switch port statistics and observes a high number of late collisions and CRC errors. The workstation's NIC is set to auto-negotiate, and the switch port is manually configured for 100 Mbps full duplex. Which two of the following are the MOST likely causes of this problem? (Select TWO).

Accepted Answer

Duplex mismatch. A duplex mismatch occurs when one side is set to full duplex and the other to half duplex. In this scenario, the switch port is manually configured for 100 Mbps full duplex, but the workstation's NIC is set to auto-negotiate. Auto-negotiation on the NIC will fail to detect the manually configured switch port, causing the NIC to fall back to half duplex. This mismatch leads to late collisions (because the half-duplex side waits for a clear channel while the full-duplex side transmits without listening) and CRC errors (from corrupted frames due to collisions). Additionally, a faulty Ethernet cable can cause CRC errors and intermittent network drops due to signal degradation or interference; in some cases, damaged cabling can also lead to late collisions if the signal is reflected or delayed.

Answer

Incorrect IP configuration

Answer

Broadcast storm

Question 7

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

Replace the patch cable from the patch panel to the switch.. After replacing the NIC and workstation cable, the technician verified the horizontal cable between the wall jack and patch panel using a loopback plug and toner/probe. However, this does not test the patch cable from the patch panel to the switch. The intermittent connectivity could be caused by a faulty patch cable. The next logical step is to replace or test the patch cable before checking switch port configuration.

Answer

Replace the switch port.

Answer

Check the switch port configuration for speed/duplex mismatch.

Answer

Check the grounding of the wall jack.

Question 8

A network technician is troubleshooting an issue where users in the Sales department cannot access a file server located in the Engineering department. The network consists of multiple switches connected via fiber optic cables. The technician verifies that the file server is online and can be pinged by its IP address from a Sales workstation. However, when attempting to access the file server by its hostname (\fileserver\share), the access fails. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

DNS server settings on the workstations. The issue is that the file server is reachable by IP address but not by hostname. This indicates that name resolution is failing, and DNS is the service responsible for translating hostnames to IP addresses. Since the workstation can ping the server's IP, connectivity and routing are working, so the first thing to check is the DNS server settings on the workstations to ensure they are configured with a valid DNS server that can resolve the hostname 'fileserver'.

Answer

The default gateway configuration

Answer

VLAN configuration on the switches

Answer

The file server's firewall settings

Question 9

A technician is troubleshooting a printing issue. A user can successfully ping the network printer (IP: 192.168.1.100) from their workstation on the same subnet, but when sending a print job, the printer does not respond. The printer's web interface shows it is online and ready. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Print spooler service on the workstation. After confirming network connectivity (ping succeeds) and that the printer is online via its web interface, the technician should verify that the print spooler service on the workstation is running. A stopped or hung print spooler will prevent print jobs from reaching the printer even though the printer is reachable. If the spooler is running, then check the printer driver.

Answer

Printer driver on the workstation

Answer

Firewall settings on the printer

Answer

Network cable to the printer

Question 10

A user reports that their desktop computer emits a series of long beeps when powered on, and the screen remains blank. The technician reseats the RAM modules and the video card, but the problem persists. The motherboard has four RAM slots, and two modules are installed in slots A1 and A2. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Install the RAM modules in slots A2 and B2 for dual-channel configuration.. Long beeps usually indicate a memory problem. Since reseating the RAM modules did not help, the next logical step is to try the modules in different slots to rule out a faulty or damaged slot. While dual-channel configuration is not required for POST, moving the modules to the motherboard's recommended pair of slots (often A2 and B2) is a simple, safe way to test for slot issues. Even if the original slots are functional, trying an alternative configuration is reasonable before considering replacing hardware.

Answer

Replace the power supply unit.

Answer

Verify the monitor cable is securely connected.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS.

Question 11

A technician is troubleshooting a user's workstation that experiences intermittent network disconnections. The technician has replaced the network interface card (NIC) and the Ethernet cable with known-good components. The switch port link light remains solid when the connection is up, but the problem still occurs. Upon inspecting the switch's interface statistics, the technician notices a high number of CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) errors on that port. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from nearby power cables or lighting fixtures affecting the Ethernet cable. CRC errors indicate frames received with invalid frame check sequences, typically due to physical-layer issues like signal degradation or electromagnetic interference (EMI). Since the NIC and cable have already been replaced with known-good components, the most likely remaining cause is EMI from nearby power cables or lighting, which can corrupt the Ethernet signal without breaking the link. A duplex mismatch can also cause CRC errors, but it usually presents with additional symptoms; in this scenario, after ruling out hardware, EMI is the best answer.

Answer

The switch port is faulty and needs to be replaced

Answer

An incorrect VLAN assignment on the switch port is causing mismatched network traffic

Answer

A duplex mismatch between the workstation and the switch

Question 12

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.. The technician should use the integrated graphics port to verify whether the system is successfully booting and generating video output independently of the new discrete card. If the monitor shows a display, the issue is isolated to the discrete GPU or its configuration. If it remains black, the problem may be with the motherboard, BIOS, or another component. This step is non-destructive and avoids unnecessary component replacement (Option A) or BIOS reset before gathering more information (Option B).

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.

Question 13

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that was functioning normally before a power outage. After the outage, pressing the power button causes the fans to spin briefly (about 1-2 seconds) and then stop. The power LED also lights momentarily. The technician has replaced the power supply unit with a known-good unit of the same wattage, but the symptom persists. The technician has verified the new PSU outputs correct voltages on all rails with a multimeter. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

B. Since the PSU has been replaced with a known-good unit and voltages are verified, the issue is not the power supply itself. The symptom of fans spinning briefly then stopping suggests the system is receiving power but immediately shutting down, often due to a short or open circuit. The front panel power switch can become stuck or faulty after a power surge or outage, causing it to send a momentary signal or remain closed, which mimics a short. Checking the power switch and its wiring to the motherboard is a logical next step before suspecting more complex motherboard faults.

Answer

A

Answer

C

Answer

D

Question 14

A technician presses the power button on a desktop computer. The power LED turns on, all fans spin, but the monitor remains black and no POST beep codes are heard. The technician reseats the RAM modules into their slots and then the computer boots normally. Which of the following was MOST likely the cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The RAM modules were not properly seated.. The symptom of fans spinning and power LED on but no POST beep codes and a black screen indicates the CPU is not executing the POST routine. Reseating the RAM resolved the issue, meaning the RAM was not properly seated or making contact, preventing the CPU from accessing the memory controller and completing POST. Without functional RAM, the system cannot initialize video output or generate beep codes. Therefore, the most likely cause is improperly seated RAM, which corresponds to the correct answer choice.

Answer

The power supply unit is failing.

Answer

The CPU is overheating.

Answer

The graphics card is faulty.

Question 15

After a power outage, a desktop computer will not power on. The PSU fan does not spin, and no LEDs are lit. The technician tests the power supply with a PSU tester; all voltages are within spec. A multimeter reading at the motherboard's power button header shows 3.3V when the button is pressed. The power supply is also confirmed to work when tested in another system. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard has failed. The motherboard has failed because the PSU passes all voltage tests and works in another system, yet the desktop shows no signs of power (no fan spin, no LEDs) when connected to this motherboard. The 3.3V reading at the power button header indicates the motherboard is receiving standby power and the button is functioning, but the motherboard is not completing the power-on sequence (pulling PS_ON# low) to start the PSU. This points to a failed motherboard, likely a short or damaged power regulation circuit.

Answer

The power supply is still faulty despite the tester showing good voltages

Answer

The power button is faulty

Answer

The BIOS has become corrupted