220-1101 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Practice Test 8 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician installs a new graphics card in a desktop computer. The computer powers on, all fans spin, and the motherboard's POST LED sequence completes, but there is no image on the monitor. The monitor is connected to the new graphics card via DisplayPort and has been verified to work with another computer. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?

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

Accepted Answer

Check that the auxiliary PCIe power cables are connected to the graphics card. The most common reason for a new graphics card to power on (fans spin) but produce no display is that the auxiliary PCIe power cables are not connected. Modern high-performance GPUs require dedicated 6- or 8-pin power connectors from the PSU; without them, the card may appear to operate (fans spin due to motherboard slot power) but cannot output video. Since the monitor and cable are verified working, and POST completes, the next logical step is to check these power connections before assuming a hardware fault.

Answer

Replace the graphics card

Answer

Reseat the graphics card in the PCIe slot

Answer

Update the graphics card driver from safe mode

Question 2

A user reports that their desktop computer's built-in Ethernet port is not working. The link light on the computer's NIC is off, and the user cannot connect to the network. The technician has verified that the Ethernet cable and switch port work with another computer. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the network adapter settings in Device Manager. Since the Ethernet cable and switch port are verified working with another computer, the issue is isolated to the desktop itself. The link light being off indicates the NIC is not establishing a physical or data-link layer connection. Checking the network adapter in Device Manager is the next logical step to see if the adapter is disabled, has a driver error, or is not detected by the OS, which would prevent the NIC from initializing and lighting the link LED.

Answer

Replace the motherboard

Answer

Update the network adapter driver

Answer

Reinstall the operating system

Question 3

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that experiences intermittent freezing, especially when running graphics-intensive applications or games. The technician has updated all drivers, run full antivirus scans, and replaced the RAM. The CPU and GPU temperatures stay below 70°C under load. The event logs show no critical errors. However, the freezing always occurs under high load, and sometimes the system restarts without a blue screen. Which component is MOST likely failing?

Accepted Answer

Power supply unit (PSU). The power supply unit (PSU) is the most likely failing component because intermittent freezing and restarts under high load, without blue screens or critical errors, are classic symptoms of an unstable or insufficient power supply. When the GPU and CPU draw maximum current during graphics-intensive tasks, a failing PSU may drop below required voltage rails (e.g., +12V), causing the system to lock up or reboot. The fact that temperatures are normal and RAM has been replaced eliminates thermal and memory issues, pointing directly to power delivery.

Answer

CPU

Answer

GPU

Answer

Motherboard

Question 4

A technician is troubleshooting a laptop that will not power on. The power adapter's LED is lit when plugged into the wall, but pressing the laptop's power button yields no response—no fans, no LEDs, and no beeps. The technician has already removed the battery and held the power button for 30 seconds to drain residual charge. Which of the following should the technician try NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Use a multimeter to measure the voltage at the tip of the power adapter.. The power adapter's LED is lit, indicating the wall outlet is supplying power, but the laptop shows no signs of life. The next logical step is to verify that the adapter is actually delivering the correct voltage to the laptop's power jack. Using a multimeter to measure the voltage at the tip of the adapter confirms whether the adapter itself is faulty, which is a common failure point before moving to internal components.

Answer

Remove the RAM modules and reseat them one at a time.

Answer

Replace the laptop's internal battery with a known-good battery.

Answer

Inspect the DC power jack on the laptop for physical damage.

Question 5

A user reports that their desktop workstation loses network connectivity intermittently, often occurring when the user bumps the desk or moves the Ethernet cable. The link light on the NIC sometimes flickers and occasionally turns off for a few seconds during these events. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable with a known-good one and tested a different port on the same switch; the problem persists. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The NIC port on the workstation has damaged or loose pins causing intermittent connection. The symptom of losing connectivity when the desk is bumped or the cable is moved, combined with the link light flickering or turning off, points to a physical layer issue at the NIC port. Since the cable and switch port have already been replaced and the problem persists, the most likely cause is a damaged or loose pin inside the RJ45 jack on the workstation's NIC. This creates an intermittent electrical contact that breaks under vibration or movement.

Answer

The switch port is failing intermittently

Answer

The workstation has a duplicate IP address on the network

Answer

The DNS server settings are incorrect

Question 6

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that failed to boot after a lightning storm. The computer powers on (fans spin, LEDs light) but there is no POST and no beep codes. The technician has already tried a different monitor, reseated all RAM and expansion cards, and tested the power supply with a multimeter (all voltages within spec). Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the motherboard for bulging or leaking capacitors. After a lightning storm, a power surge can damage the motherboard's voltage regulator modules (VRMs) or other components, often indicated by bulging or leaking capacitors. The symptoms—power on but no POST and no beep codes—suggest the motherboard is not initializing the CPU or memory, which is consistent with capacitor failure. The technician has already verified the PSU output and reseated components, making motherboard damage the most likely next step to check.

Answer

Replace the CMOS battery

Answer

Test the surge protector

Answer

Reseat the CPU

Question 7

A desktop computer powers on for about two seconds (fans spin, LEDs flash) then immediately shuts down. It repeats this cycle if the power button is pressed again. The technician has already replaced the power supply with a known-good unit, removed and reseated all expansion cards and memory modules, and tested the system outside the case on a non-conductive surface. The problem persists. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard is faulty. The symptom of powering on for about two seconds and then immediately shutting down, followed by a repeating cycle, is classic for a short circuit or a critical motherboard failure. Since the technician has already replaced the power supply with a known-good unit, reseated all components, and tested the system outside the case (eliminating case shorts), the only remaining component that can cause this exact behavior is the motherboard itself. A faulty motherboard can fail to initialize the CPU or power regulation (VRM) correctly, triggering the system's overcurrent or thermal protection within seconds.

Answer

The CPU is faulty

Answer

The RAM is incompatible

Answer

The graphics card is drawing too much power

Question 8

A user reports that their desktop computer can ping other workstations on the local network and can connect to the internet by IP address (e.g., pinging 8.8.8.8 works), but cannot browse any websites using domain names. The network settings show the workstation obtains an IP address automatically via DHCP. The technician checks the DHCP server and confirms it is providing a valid DNS server address. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DNS server address is not being applied correctly. The user can ping by IP address (e.g., 8.8.8.8) and reach local hosts, confirming Layer 3 connectivity and a correct default gateway. The inability to resolve domain names while the DHCP server is configured to provide a valid DNS server address points to the client not receiving or applying that DNS server address correctly. This is a classic symptom of a DNS resolution failure where the workstation's DNS client configuration is missing or incorrect, often due to a stale DHCP lease, a misconfigured DHCP scope option, or a local DNS cache issue.

Answer

The default gateway address is incorrect

Answer

The network cable is faulty

Answer

The web browser is corrupted

Question 9

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that experiences slow file transfers and occasional timeouts on the local network. The workstation is connected to a managed switch via a Cat5e cable. The technician checks the switch port configuration and finds it is set to 'auto-negotiate'. The workstation's network adapter properties show it is manually configured to '100 Mbps Full Duplex'. Other workstations on the same switch do not experience these issues. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the problem?

Accepted Answer

The switch port is negotiating to half-duplex because the workstation is manually set to full duplex.. The workstation's NIC is manually set to 100 Mbps Full Duplex, while the switch port is set to auto-negotiate. During auto-negotiation, if one side is manually configured, the other side will detect the speed via link pulses but cannot determine the duplex setting, defaulting to half-duplex. This duplex mismatch causes collisions, leading to slow file transfers and timeouts, while other workstations using auto-negotiation on both sides operate correctly.

Answer

The Cat5e cable is damaged or too long.

Answer

The switch port is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Answer

The workstation's NIC driver is outdated or corrupt.

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop workstation that can successfully ping other local devices and the default gateway by IP address, but cannot access any websites when browsing with a web browser. The workstation obtains its IP configuration automatically via DHCP. The technician confirms that the DHCP server is providing a valid DNS server address and that other workstations on the same network can browse the internet normally. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The workstation is configured to use a proxy server that is not available. The workstation can ping local devices and the default gateway by IP address, confirming that Layer 2/3 connectivity (ARP, IP routing) is functional. However, it cannot browse websites, which requires DNS resolution (UDP/TCP port 53) and HTTP/HTTPS traffic (TCP ports 80/443). Since other workstations on the same network browse normally, the issue is isolated to this workstation. A misconfigured proxy server (e.g., set in browser or system proxy settings) can intercept or block web traffic, preventing access to websites even when DNS and IP connectivity are working.

Answer

Duplicate IP address on the network

Answer

Incorrect subnet mask configured by DHCP

Answer

The workstation's DNS client cache is corrupted

Question 11

A workstation is unable to connect to the internet. The technician runs the 'ipconfig' command and sees the IPv4 address is 169.254.15.200 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. The workstation can ping other devices on the local subnet but cannot ping the default gateway or any external addresses. Which TWO actions should the technician take to resolve this issue? (Select two.)

Accepted Answer

Run 'ipconfig /release' followed by 'ipconfig /renew'. The 169.254.15.200 address with a 255.255.0.0 mask is an APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) address, which Windows assigns when a DHCP server cannot be reached, so option A is correct because running 'ipconfig /release' followed by 'ipconfig /renew' forces the client to discard the APIPA address and request a valid lease from DHCP. Option B is also correct because the root cause is that the DHCP server is either down, unreachable, or not responding on the subnet, so verifying that the DHCP server is operational and reachable is essential to restoring proper IP configuration. The workstation can ping local devices because APIPA only allows link-local communication, which explains why the default gateway and external addresses are unreachable. Option C is incorrect because disabling the Windows Firewall would not resolve an APIPA-assigned address and would only weaken security. Option D is incorrect because the NIC is clearly functioning, as evidenced by successful pings to other local devices, so replacing it would not address the DHCP failure.

Answer

Disable the Windows Firewall

Answer

Replace the network interface card (NIC)

Question 12

A user reports that their desktop computer will not boot after a power surge. When the power button is pressed, the case power LED lights up, fans spin for about two seconds, and then everything stops. There are no beep codes and no display. The technician has tested the power supply with a multimeter and confirmed that all voltages are within specification. The motherboard shows no signs of physical damage or bulging capacitors. Which component should the technician test or replace NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Motherboard. Since the power supply voltages are confirmed good and the motherboard shows no visible damage, the next most likely culprit is the motherboard itself. The symptom of fans spinning briefly and then stopping without beep codes or display indicates a failure in the motherboard's power sequencing or POST logic, often due to a damaged voltage regulator module (VRM) or chipset from the power surge, even without visible bulging capacitors.

Answer

CPU

Answer

RAM

Answer

Graphics card

Question 13

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on but displays nothing on the screen. The technician hears two short beeps from the motherboard speaker and then silence. The CPU fan spins, and the power LED is on. Based on the beep code (two short beeps) typical of AMI/BIOS, which component is most likely faulty?

Accepted Answer

Memory (RAM). Two short beeps from an AMI BIOS typically indicate a memory (RAM) error. The system powers on (CPU fan spins, power LED on) but fails POST due to faulty or improperly seated RAM, halting before video initialization. This makes RAM the most likely faulty component.

Answer

Power supply

Answer

Graphics card

Answer

CPU

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that loses network connectivity intermittently, specifically when the user runs CPU-intensive applications like video rendering. The link light on the network interface card (NIC) turns off during these episodes. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable with a known-good cable and switched the workstation to a different port on the same switch, but the problem persists. The same port and cable work fine when tested with a laptop. The workstation has a recently installed high-end graphics card and a 400W power supply that came with the case. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Insufficient power supply wattage. The intermittent loss of network connectivity specifically during CPU-intensive tasks like video rendering points to a power supply issue. The 400W power supply is likely insufficient to handle the combined load of the high-end graphics card and the rest of the system, causing voltage drops that starve the NIC of power, making its link light turn off. Replacing the cable and switch port with no effect, while the same port works with a laptop, isolates the problem to the workstation's internal power delivery.

Answer

Faulty network card

Answer

Outdated network driver

Answer

Electromagnetic interference from the GPU

Question 15

A user reports that their desktop computer intermittently loses network connectivity, especially when the nearby office printer starts printing. The link light on the NIC occasionally turns off during these events. The Ethernet cable runs near a fluorescent light fixture and a power cable. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable with a known-good Cat6 shielded cable, but the issue persists. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the Ethernet cable is not routed near sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI).. The issue persists even after replacing the cable with a known-good Cat6 shielded cable, indicating that the problem is not the cable itself but the environment. The Ethernet cable runs near a fluorescent light fixture and a power cable, both of which are common sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI). Since the link light turns off when the printer starts, the EMI from the printer or nearby sources is likely inducing noise on the cable, disrupting the signal. The next logical step is to reroute the cable away from these EMI sources, as shielding alone may not be sufficient if the interference is strong or the shield is not properly grounded.

Answer

Move the computer to a different electrical outlet.

Answer

Replace the network interface card (NIC).

Answer

Update the NIC driver from the manufacturer's website.