220-1101 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Practice Test 6 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that intermittently loses network connectivity for several minutes at a time. During the outage, the link light on the NIC remains on and flickers. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable and the NIC. The computer is connected to a managed switch port configured for auto-negotiation. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

The switch port for a duplex mismatch with the NIC. The link light remaining on and flickering during an outage indicates Layer 1 (physical) and Layer 2 (data link) connectivity are present, but the issue is likely a duplex mismatch. When one side of a link is set to full-duplex and the other to half-duplex (often due to failed auto-negotiation), collisions and frame errors cause intermittent connectivity loss lasting minutes. Since the cable and NIC have already been replaced, the next logical step is to check the switch port's duplex setting against the NIC's negotiated duplex.

Answer

The computer's IP address for a static conflict

Answer

The operating system's firewall settings

Answer

The network driver version for compatibility

Question 2

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that is printing blank pages. The toner cartridge is new and installed correctly. The printer performs its startup cycle normally. Which of the following components should the technician check 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 fails, toner is not transferred to the paper, resulting in blank pages even though the printer startup cycle completes normally and a new toner cartridge is installed correctly.

Answer

Fuser

Answer

Pickup rollers

Answer

Imaging drum

Question 3

A technician is troubleshooting a user's wired desktop that intermittently loses network connectivity for short periods (1-2 minutes) several times a day. During the outage, the link light on the NIC remains lit and continuous. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable and the NIC. The switch port is configured for auto-negotiation. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the network driver settings for duplex mismatch.. The symptoms—intermittent connectivity with the link light remaining lit—strongly suggest a duplex mismatch. When one side is set to full duplex and the other to half duplex (or auto-negotiation fails), the half-duplex side detects collisions and triggers retransmissions, causing 1–2 minute outages. Since the cable and NIC have been replaced, the next logical step is to check the NIC driver settings for a forced duplex or speed setting that conflicts with the switch port's auto-negotiation.

Answer

Verify the switch port is configured for the correct VLAN.

Answer

Check the DNS server configuration on the computer.

Answer

Disable the firewall to rule out a security issue.

Question 4

A user reports that their desktop computer is experiencing slow network speeds, especially when transferring large files to a server on the same local network. The user's computer and the server are both connected to a managed gigabit switch. The user's NIC and the server NIC are both gigabit capable. The technician checks the switch port configuration and sees that the port for the user's computer is set to speed 1000 and duplex full. The user's computer shows a link speed of 100 Mbps and half duplex in the operating system. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The switch port has a mismatch between the configured speed/duplex and the NIC's auto-negotiation settings.. The switch port is manually configured with speed 1000 and full duplex, but the NIC is operating at 100 Mbps and half duplex. This mismatch occurs because the NIC is set to auto-negotiate, while the switch port has hard-coded settings. When one side is hard-coded and the other uses auto-negotiation, the auto-negotiating side falls back to its lowest common denominator (typically 100 Mbps/half duplex) due to the lack of negotiation pulses, causing a duplex mismatch that severely degrades performance, especially with large file transfers.

Answer

The Ethernet cable is Cat5e and cannot support gigabit speeds.

Answer

The user's computer has a faulty NIC driver.

Answer

The server's NIC is defective.

Question 5

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that intermittently loses network connectivity for several minutes at a time. During the outage, the link light on the NIC remains on and flickers. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable and the NIC. The computer is connected to a managed switch port configured for auto-negotiation. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

The Power Management settings for the network adapter. The periodic one-minute loss of connectivity with the link light still lit strongly indicates the network adapter is entering a low-power state. Windows Power Management settings allow the OS to turn off the NIC to save power, and when the adapter wakes from this state, it can take up to a minute to re-establish the link. Since the cable and NIC have already been replaced, checking and disabling the 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' option in the NIC's Power Management tab is the logical next step.

Answer

The device drivers for the network adapter

Answer

The switch port configuration for VLAN assignment

Answer

The network hub for electrical interference

Question 6

A user reports that their desktop computer frequently freezes and becomes unresponsive during video editing sessions. The technician runs diagnostic software and notices that the CPU temperature reaches 95°C (203°F) under load. The CPU is an Intel Core i7 with a stock cooler. The case has adequate ventilation. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Reapply thermal paste between the CPU and heat sink. The CPU temperature of 95°C under load is well above the typical safe operating range (usually 80-85°C max for most Intel Core i7 processors). Since the case has adequate ventilation and the stock cooler is present, the most likely cause is degraded or improperly applied thermal paste, which reduces heat transfer efficiency. Reapplying thermal paste is the simplest, least invasive, and most cost-effective first step to restore proper thermal conductivity between the CPU and heat sink.

Answer

Replace the CPU

Answer

Replace the power supply

Answer

Install additional case fans

Question 7

A technician configures a server with a static IP address of 192.168.1.100, subnet mask 255.255.0.0, and default gateway 192.168.1.1. The server can access the internet and devices on the 192.168.1.0/24 network. However, it cannot reach a network printer at 192.168.2.50. The printer is on the same physical LAN but in a different subnet (192.168.2.0/24). The router's interface for the 192.168.2.0 network is 192.168.1.2, and routing is properly configured. Other devices on the 192.168.1.0/24 network (with correct subnet mask 255.255.255.0) can reach the printer successfully. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the server's inability to reach the printer?

Accepted Answer

B. The server's subnet mask is too broad, causing it to try to reach the printer directly rather than through the gateway. The server's subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 creates a /16 network (192.168.0.0/16), which includes both 192.168.1.0/24 and 192.168.2.0/24. Because the server believes the printer is on the same local subnet, it sends ARP requests for 192.168.2.50 directly instead of forwarding traffic to the default gateway. Since the printer is on a different physical subnet (despite being on the same LAN), the ARP request never reaches it, and the connection fails.

Answer

A. The server's default gateway should be set to 192.168.1.2 instead of 192.168.1.1

Answer

C. The router is blocking traffic from the server's IP address to the 192.168.2.0 network

Answer

D. The printer's default gateway is misconfigured

Question 8

A technician is troubleshooting a user's wired desktop that can access local network shares and printers but cannot reach any internet websites. The technician pings the default gateway successfully. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

DNS server configuration is incorrect or the DNS server is unreachable. The user can access local resources (shares, printers) and successfully ping the default gateway, which confirms that Layer 2/3 connectivity, IP addressing, and routing are functional. However, the inability to reach internet websites while local access works points to a name resolution failure. DNS translates domain names to IP addresses; if the DNS server configuration is incorrect or unreachable, the browser cannot resolve website names, even though the network path to the internet is intact.

Answer

IP address conflict with another device on the network

Answer

Faulty network interface card (NIC)

Answer

Incorrect subnet mask on the workstation

Question 9

A technician is troubleshooting a server that unexpectedly shut down. The server has redundant power supplies, and the building power is stable. The technician checks the BIOS event log and finds a thermal warning before shutdown. The server is in a rack with other servers, all within temperature range. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Loose CPU heatsink. A loose CPU heatsink causes poor thermal transfer between the CPU and the heatsink, leading to localized overheating even when ambient temperatures are normal. The BIOS thermal warning followed by shutdown indicates the CPU exceeded its critical temperature threshold, triggering an automatic protection mechanism. Redundant power supplies and stable building power rule out power issues, and the other servers in the rack are within range, isolating the problem to the specific server's cooling hardware.

Answer

A failed power supply unit

Answer

Incompatible RAM

Answer

Hard drive failure

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that shuts down randomly after running for 20-30 minutes. The technician has reseated the RAM modules, confirmed the power supply voltages are within specification using a multimeter, and verified that all case fans are spinning. The system has a dedicated graphics card. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT to diagnose the issue?

Accepted Answer

Check the CPU cooler for proper contact and reapply thermal paste. The random shutdown after 20-30 minutes strongly indicates thermal throttling or overheating. Since the technician has already verified power supply voltages and case fan operation, the most likely cause is inadequate CPU cooling due to poor contact between the CPU cooler and the processor or dried-out thermal paste. Reseating the RAM and checking fans would not address a CPU thermal issue, so checking the CPU cooler and reapplying thermal paste is the correct next step.

Answer

Replace the motherboard

Answer

Update the GPU driver

Answer

Disable the onboard network interface card (NIC)

Question 11

A user reports that they cannot access the internet. The technician checks the network status on the computer and sees that the Ethernet cable is plugged in, but the link light on the network interface card is not illuminated. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The cable connection at the patch panel or wall jack. The link light on the NIC indicates Layer 1 (physical) connectivity. Since it is not illuminated, the issue is almost certainly a physical connection problem, such as a loose or damaged cable at the wall jack or patch panel. Checking the cable connection at the patch panel or wall jack is the first logical step before moving to higher-layer troubleshooting.

Answer

The IP address configuration in the operating system

Answer

The DNS server settings

Answer

The firewall rules

Question 12

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that intermittently loses network connectivity for several minutes at a time. During the outage, the link light on the NIC remains on and flickers. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable and the NIC. The computer is connected to a managed switch port configured for auto-negotiation. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

Apply new thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink.. The critical thermal event indicates the CPU is overheating despite the heatsink being securely attached and fans spinning. Over time, thermal paste can dry out or become less effective, reducing heat transfer between the CPU and heatsink. Applying new thermal paste restores proper thermal conductivity, which is the most likely fix given the symptoms and the technician's initial checks.

Answer

Replace the power supply.

Answer

Reinstall the operating system.

Answer

Run a memory diagnostic.

Question 13

A small office has a file server that is a virtual machine running on a Type 1 hypervisor. Users report intermittent connectivity to the file server. The technician has already verified the following: the physical network cables are intact, the switch ports are configured correctly, the host server's physical NICs are operating, and the VM's operating system shows no errors. The technician notices that the file server experiences brief packet loss when communicating with other VMs on the same host, but not when communicating with physical workstations. Which of the following should the technician investigate next?

Accepted Answer

The virtual switch configuration or the VM's network adapter driver. The issue is isolated to VM-to-VM communication on the same host, which bypasses the physical network and relies entirely on the virtual switch and VM network adapter. Packet loss only between VMs points to a misconfigured virtual switch (e.g., promiscuous mode, VLAN tagging, or teaming settings) or a faulty/driver-level issue with the VM's virtual NIC. Physical connectivity and host NICs are already verified, so the virtual networking layer is the logical next step.

Answer

The host server's RAID controller

Answer

The DHCP server lease time

Answer

The file server's hard disk performance

Question 14

A user reports that their laptop's Wi-Fi connection is unreliable and frequently drops. A technician checks Device Manager on the laptop and sees that the wireless adapter is listed with a yellow exclamation mark. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Update the wireless adapter driver.. The yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager indicates a driver problem, such as a corrupted, missing, or incompatible driver. Updating the wireless adapter driver is the first logical step because it directly addresses the most common cause of this specific error, restoring proper communication between the OS and the hardware.

Answer

Replace the wireless adapter.

Answer

Disable and re-enable the wireless adapter.

Answer

Check the Wi-Fi antenna connections.

Question 15

A user reports that their laptop's Wi-Fi connection drops frequently, especially when the laptop is running on battery power. The technician checks Device Manager and sees the following setting enabled for the wireless adapter: 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power'. Which of the following is the MOST likely solution?

Accepted Answer

Uncheck the power saving option for the adapter. The 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' setting in Device Manager causes the wireless adapter to be powered down when the laptop switches to battery power to conserve energy. This power-down interrupts the Wi-Fi connection, leading to frequent drops. Unchecking this option prevents the OS from suspending the adapter, ensuring a stable connection regardless of power source.

Answer

Disable the wireless adapter in Device Manager

Answer

Update the wireless adapter driver

Answer

Change the power plan to High Performance