220-1101 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Practice Test 5 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on, but the system emits three long beeps and does not display anything on the monitor. The technician has already reseated the RAM modules in their original slots. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

Test each RAM module individually, or swap with known good modules. Three long beeps during POST typically indicate a memory (RAM) failure. Since reseating the RAM in the original slots did not resolve the issue, the next logical step is to isolate the fault by testing each module individually or swapping with known good modules. This follows the standard troubleshooting methodology of component isolation before moving to more invasive steps.

Answer

Replace the power supply with a known good unit

Answer

Reseat the CPU and reapply thermal paste

Answer

Clear the CMOS by removing the battery

Question 2

A technician builds a new PC. When powering on, all fans spin and LEDs light, but the monitor shows 'No Signal'. The motherboard has a CPU diagnostic LED that remains lit. The technician has already reseated the RAM and GPU, and verified the monitor and cable are functional. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Reseat the CPU and check for bent pins.. The CPU diagnostic LED remaining lit indicates a CPU-related fault. Since the technician has already reseated RAM and GPU and verified the monitor and cable, the next logical step is to reseat the CPU and inspect the CPU socket for bent pins. Bent pins can prevent proper contact between the CPU and motherboard, causing the CPU diagnostic LED to stay on and the system to fail POST.

Answer

Replace the power supply.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS.

Answer

Test the RAM in another system.

Question 3

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on, but the system emits three long beeps and does not display anything on the monitor. The technician has already reseated the RAM modules in their original slots. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

An incorrectly installed motherboard standoff causing a short circuit.. The symptom of powering on for about one second and then shutting down, even with only the CPU, motherboard, one RAM stick, and power supply connected, strongly indicates a short circuit. An incorrectly installed motherboard standoff that contacts the motherboard's traces or solder points can create a direct short to ground, triggering the power supply's overcurrent protection (OCP) and causing an immediate shutdown. This behavior persists regardless of other components because the short is on the motherboard itself.

Answer

A faulty CMOS battery.

Answer

Incompatible RAM speed.

Answer

Overheating CPU due to improper thermal paste application.

Question 4

A user reports that printed pages from a laser printer contain vertical black streaks. The streaks appear in the same location on every page. The technician has already replaced the toner cartridge and the imaging drum with new OEM components. Which of the following printer components should the technician inspect NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Transfer roller. The transfer roller applies a positive charge to the paper to attract the negatively charged toner from the imaging drum. If the transfer roller is damaged or contaminated, it can fail to transfer toner evenly, leaving vertical streaks in the same location on every page. Since the toner cartridge and imaging drum have already been replaced, the transfer roller is the next most likely cause of this specific defect.

Answer

Fuser assembly

Answer

Pickup rollers

Answer

Primary corona wire

Question 5

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on, but the system emits three long beeps and does not display anything on the monitor. The technician has already reseated the RAM modules in their original slots. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

The thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink has degraded. The CPU temperature reaching 95°C under load just before shutdown indicates a thermal throttling or thermal protection shutdown. Since the heatsink and fan are clean and spinning properly, the most likely cause is degraded thermal paste, which reduces heat transfer efficiency from the CPU to the heatsink, causing the CPU to overheat despite adequate cooling hardware.

Answer

The power supply is insufficient for the graphics card

Answer

The CPU fan is not spinning fast enough

Answer

The graphics card is overheating

Question 6

A network technician is troubleshooting inter-VLAN routing. Clients on VLAN 10 (192.168.10.0/24) cannot communicate with servers on VLAN 20 (192.168.20.0/24). The router has subinterfaces configured for both VLANs and an ACL that permits all traffic between them. The router connects to a Layer 2 switch via a single cable. The switch port connecting to the router is configured as an access port in VLAN 10. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the communication failure?

Accepted Answer

The switch port connecting to the router is configured as an access port instead of a trunk. The router connects to the switch via a single cable, and the switch port is configured as an access port in VLAN 10. For inter-VLAN routing using router-on-a-stick, the switch port must be a trunk port that carries multiple VLANs (802.1Q tagged). An access port can only carry untagged traffic for a single VLAN, so frames from VLAN 20 cannot reach the router's subinterface, breaking communication.

Answer

The ACL is blocking traffic between VLAN 10 and VLAN 20

Answer

The router's subinterface for VLAN 20 has an incorrect IP address

Answer

The switch is not configured with VLAN 20

Question 7

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages with a vertical black streak that repeats every 2 inches down the page. The technician has already replaced the toner cartridge and the imaging drum with brand-new OEM components. The streak appears in the same location on every page. Which of the following printer components should the technician inspect or replace NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Fuser assembly. The fuser assembly uses heat and pressure to permanently bond toner to the paper. A damaged fuser roller (e.g., a nick, scratch, or melted toner buildup) will cause a repeating defect at a distance equal to the circumference of that roller. Since the streak repeats every 2 inches, this matches the typical circumference of a fuser roller, and replacing the toner cartridge and drum did not resolve the issue, making the fuser the next logical component to inspect or replace.

Answer

Transfer roller

Answer

Pickup rollers

Answer

Laser scanner assembly

Question 8

A user reports that their desktop computer intermittently loses network connectivity for a few seconds at a time. The technician observes that the link light on the NIC turns off briefly and then back on. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable and the switch port. The issue persists. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check for electromagnetic interference near the cable. The link light turning off indicates a physical layer issue, and since the cable and switch port have already been replaced, the next likely cause is electromagnetic interference (EMI) from nearby sources such as power cables, fluorescent lights, or large motors. EMI can corrupt the signal on unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling, causing the NIC to momentarily lose link. Checking for and rerouting cables away from interference sources is the appropriate next step before replacing hardware.

Answer

Update the NIC driver

Answer

Replace the network interface card (NIC)

Answer

Configure the NIC to use a static IP address

Question 9

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages with a faint, blurry image on one side of the page (right edge). The problem occurs on every print job and the print quality is otherwise normal. The technician has already replaced the toner cartridge and the imaging drum, but the issue persists. Which of the following printer components is the MOST likely cause of this problem?

Accepted Answer

Transfer roller. The transfer roller applies a positive charge to the paper to attract the negatively charged toner from the imaging drum. If the transfer roller is damaged, worn, or has uneven pressure on one side, it will fail to transfer toner uniformly across the page, causing a faint, blurry image on the affected edge. Since the toner cartridge and imaging drum have already been replaced, the transfer roller is the next most likely cause of this localized print defect.

Answer

Fuser assembly

Answer

Laser scanner

Answer

Pickup rollers

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages with a horizontal black line across the top of every page. The line is the same width as the page and appears in the same location each time. The technician has already replaced the toner cartridge and the imaging drum. Which of the following printer components should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Fuser. The fuser assembly uses heat and pressure to permanently bond toner to the paper. A damaged fuser roller (e.g., a nick, scratch, or melted toner buildup) will imprint a consistent horizontal line across the top of every page because the defect contacts the paper at the same rotational point each time. Replacing the toner cartridge and imaging drum did not resolve the issue, confirming the problem is downstream in the fuser.

Answer

Transfer roller

Answer

Primary corona wire (or charge roller)

Answer

Pickup rollers

Question 11

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on, but the system emits three long beeps and does not display anything on the monitor. The technician has already reseated the RAM modules in their original slots. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

Reseat the CPU. The symptoms—power on, fans spinning, keyboard lights flashing, but no display—indicate that the motherboard is receiving power and the CPU is likely initializing, but the system is failing to complete POST. Since the RAM has been reseated and tested with known-good modules, the next most probable cause is a loose or improperly seated CPU. Reseating the CPU ensures proper contact with the socket pins, which is critical for the CPU to communicate with the chipset and memory controller. This step follows the logical troubleshooting flow of checking the CPU before moving to the power supply or other components.

Answer

Reseat the CPU power connector

Answer

Test the monitor with a different cable

Answer

Replace the power supply

Question 12

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on, but the system emits three long beeps and does not display anything on the monitor. The technician has already reseated the RAM modules in their original slots. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

Power supply tester. A power supply tester (D) is the correct tool because it is specifically designed to measure the voltage outputs of a PSU on each rail (e.g., +3.3V, +5V, +12V) under load conditions, directly verifying if the PSU is delivering stable power. While a multimeter can also measure voltage, it requires the technician to probe live pins while the system is running, which is less safe and does not simulate load as effectively. The power supply tester provides a dedicated, safe, and accurate way to test PSU output without needing to power on the entire system.

Answer

Multimeter

Answer

Loopback plug

Answer

Cable tester

Question 13

A user reports that their wired desktop computer intermittently loses network connectivity. The technician checks the Ethernet cable and observes that it is not securely clicked into the NIC port. The cable appears undamaged and the connector is intact. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the intermittent connectivity?

Accepted Answer

Loose cable connection. The technician observed that the Ethernet cable is not securely clicked into the NIC port. A loose physical connection at the RJ45 connector can cause intermittent link drops because the electrical contacts may momentarily lose continuity, triggering a link flap. This is the most direct cause given the cable and connector appear undamaged.

Answer

Faulty switch port

Answer

Incorrect IP address

Answer

DHCP server issue

Question 14

A user reports that a laser printer is displaying a 'Paper Jam' error even though no paper is visibly jammed inside the printer. The technician has removed all paper trays and checked the fuser area, rollers, and output bin, but finds no crumpled or stuck paper. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this error?

Accepted Answer

A stuck paper jam sensor. A stuck paper jam sensor can cause a false 'Paper Jam' error because the sensor remains in the triggered position even when no paper is present. The printer's firmware interprets the sensor's state as a jam, halting operation. Since the technician has visually confirmed no paper in all common areas, the sensor itself is the most likely culprit.

Answer

A faulty fuser heating element

Answer

A worn transfer roller

Answer

Outdated printer firmware

Question 15

A user reports that they can ping other computers on the network by IP address and can access the internet, but they cannot access any shared folders or network printers on the local network. The user's IP configuration is correct and the network cable is securely connected. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The local firewall settings on the user's computer. The user can ping other computers by IP and access the internet, which confirms that Layer 3 (IP) connectivity is working and the network cable is physically intact. The inability to access shared folders or network printers points to a Layer 4+ issue, typically caused by the local firewall blocking NetBIOS (ports 137-139) or SMB (port 445) traffic. Since the IP configuration is correct and the cable is secure, the first logical step is to check the local firewall settings on the user's computer.

Answer

The switch port configuration

Answer

The DHCP server lease status

Answer

The network cable for physical damage