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

Question 1

A user reports that their desktop computer shuts down unexpectedly when running video editing software. The technician has already verified that CPU and GPU temperatures are within normal limits under load, the power supply unit is 650W and should be adequate, and all fans are spinning. The system has been stable for two years prior to this issue. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT as the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Inspect the motherboard for bulging or leaking capacitors. Option A is correct because bulging or leaking capacitors on the motherboard can cause intermittent power delivery issues, leading to unexpected shutdowns under load even when CPU/GPU temperatures and PSU wattage appear adequate. Capacitor degradation is a common failure mode in systems that have been stable for years, as electrolytic capacitors dry out or fail over time, especially under sustained thermal stress from video editing workloads.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version

Answer

Run a memory diagnostic (e.g., MemTest86) to check for RAM errors

Answer

Replace the CPU with a known-good processor

Question 2

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that fails to boot after a power surge during a thunderstorm. The computer's power LED illuminates briefly when the power button is pressed, but then nothing happens. The technician has tested the power supply with a multimeter and it outputs correct voltages. Which of the following components is MOST likely damaged?

Accepted Answer

Motherboard. The correct answer is C (Motherboard). Even though the power supply outputs correct voltages under multimeter testing, a power surge can damage the motherboard's voltage regulation modules (VRMs) or power management IC, preventing the system from completing the POST sequence. The brief power LED illumination indicates the PSU is functional, but the motherboard fails to sustain the boot process, which is a classic symptom of motherboard damage from a surge.

Answer

CPU

Answer

RAM

Answer

Hard drive

Question 3

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that will not power on. The motherboard's standby power LED is lit, indicating that the power supply is receiving AC power. When the technician presses the front panel power button, nothing happens. The technician has already tested the power supply by jumping the green wire to a black wire on the 24-pin connector, and the power supply fan spins. Which of the following is the MOST likely faulty component?

Accepted Answer

Power button on the front panel. The standby power LED on the motherboard indicates that the power supply is receiving AC power and is providing +5VSB (standby voltage) to the motherboard. Since jumping the green wire (PS_ON#) to ground (black wire) causes the power supply fan to spin, the power supply itself is functional. The most likely fault is the front panel power button, as it completes the circuit between the motherboard's power switch header pins when pressed; if the button is defective (e.g., stuck open or broken), it will not send the low-voltage signal to the PWR_SW header, preventing the system from powering on.

Answer

Front panel header cable

Answer

Motherboard

Answer

CPU

Question 4

A user reports that their wired desktop computer loses network connectivity intermittently. The technician notices that the link light on the network interface card (NIC) turns off when the computer's CPU is under heavy load, such as during video rendering. The technician has already updated the network driver and replaced the Ethernet cable with a known-good cable. The switch port is active and works with other devices. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

Power supply unit (PSU) is failing to provide adequate power to the NIC under load. When the CPU is under heavy load, the system draws more power from the PSU. If the PSU is failing or underrated, it may not deliver stable voltage to the NIC, causing the NIC to reset or lose link. This explains why the link light turns off specifically during video rendering, not during idle or light use.

Answer

Faulty switch port

Answer

Network congestion

Answer

Incorrect duplex settings

Question 5

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that shuts down unexpectedly when the user runs a 3D rendering application. The technician has already replaced the power supply unit (PSU) with a known-good unit of the same wattage, verified that all cooling fans are working, and checked that CPU and GPU temperatures remain within normal limits during the rendering process. The RAM passes a memory test. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the voltage output from the wall outlet. The technician has already replaced the PSU with a known-good unit of the same wattage, but the issue persists. This suggests that the problem may not be the PSU itself, but rather insufficient or unstable input power from the wall outlet. A voltage drop or brownout condition under load can cause the system to shut down unexpectedly, even if all components are functioning correctly. Checking the voltage output from the wall outlet with a multimeter is the logical next step to rule out an external power quality issue.

Answer

Replace the motherboard

Answer

Update the BIOS firmware

Answer

Replace the graphics card

Question 6

A user reports that their desktop computer loses network connectivity for a few seconds whenever they start a large video rendering application. The technician has already updated the network adapter driver, replaced the Ethernet cable, and verified that the switch port is not faulty. The computer uses an integrated NIC on the motherboard. The system's CPU and GPU temperatures are within normal limits during rendering. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the intermittent network drops?

Accepted Answer

The power supply unit (PSU) is failing under load.. When a large rendering application starts, it draws significant power from the PSU. If the PSU is failing or underrated, the voltage supplied to the integrated NIC may drop below its operational threshold, causing the NIC to momentarily reset or lose link. This explains the intermittent drops despite the NIC, cable, and switch port being verified as functional.

Answer

The rendering application is saturating the network bandwidth.

Answer

The motherboard's chipset is overheating.

Answer

There is an IRQ conflict between the NIC and the graphics card.

Question 7

A technician notices a constant high-pitched whine coming from the power supply area of a desktop computer. The computer boots and operates normally under all workloads. The technician has already checked that all fans are free of obstructions and that no cables are touching the fan blades. Which of the following components is most likely causing the noise?

Accepted Answer

Power supply coil whine due to electrical resonance. A constant high-pitched whine from the power supply area, especially when the system operates normally under all workloads, is characteristic of coil whine. This occurs when electrical current passes through an inductor (coil) in the power supply, causing the coil's windings to vibrate at a frequency within the audible range due to electrical resonance. Since the noise is not mechanical (fans are clear) and the system functions correctly, coil whine is the most likely cause.

Answer

Faulty CPU fan bearing

Answer

Defective power supply capacitor

Answer

Loose mounting screw vibrating

Question 8

A user reports that their wired desktop computer loses network connectivity for a few seconds at random times. The technician observes that when the issue occurs, the network activity LED on the integrated NIC turns off. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable, tested the switch port with another device (which works fine), and updated the NIC driver. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

B) Check the NIC's power management settings in Device Manager and disable 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power'. The symptom—random, brief connectivity loss with the NIC activity LED turning off—strongly suggests the operating system is powering down the NIC to save energy. Disabling the 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' setting in the NIC's power management properties prevents the OS from entering a low-power state that drops the link. Since the cable, switch port, and driver have already been verified, this is the logical next step.

Answer

A) Replace the motherboard

Answer

C) Disable IPv6 on the NIC

Answer

D) Manually set the NIC speed and duplex to 10 Mbps Full Duplex

Question 9

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that was recently moved to a new location. The computer powers on and all fans spin, but the monitor remains black and the POST speaker emits a pattern of one long beep followed by two short beeps. The technician has already reseated the graphics card and the RAM modules. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the monitor cable is securely connected to both the monitor and the graphics card.. The one long beep followed by two short beeps is a standard AMI BIOS POST code indicating a video adapter failure. Since the technician has already reseated the graphics card and RAM, the next most logical step is to verify the physical connection between the monitor and the graphics card, as a loose or disconnected cable can mimic a video failure by preventing the display from receiving a signal.

Answer

Replace the power supply unit.

Answer

Test the RAM in a different computer.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS.

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that intermittently loses network connectivity. The workstation has an integrated Gigabit Ethernet NIC. During an outage, the technician checks the network adapter status in the operating system and sees 'Network cable unplugged' even though the cable is securely connected to both the workstation and the switch. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable, the switch port, and the NIC driver. The issue occurs more frequently when the workstation's power supply is under heavy load (e.g., during gaming). Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The power supply unit (PSU) is failing and cannot provide stable voltage to the motherboard under load, causing the integrated NIC to drop link.. The intermittent loss of connectivity under heavy PSU load, combined with the 'Network cable unplugged' message despite a known-good cable and switch port, points to voltage instability from a failing PSU. When the PSU cannot maintain stable voltage to the motherboard, the integrated Gigabit Ethernet NIC may drop its link because the PHY (physical layer transceiver) requires a clean power rail to maintain the 1000BASE-T signal. This is a classic symptom of a failing PSU causing link drops under load, not a cable or driver issue.

Answer

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from power cables running near the Ethernet cable is disrupting the signal.

Answer

The workstation has a duplicate IP address on the network, causing intermittent disconnections.

Answer

The switch port is experiencing a broadcast storm, flooding the network interface.

Question 11

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that loses network connectivity for a few seconds at random intervals. The technician observes that during the outage, the network icon in the system tray shows 'Unidentified network' or 'No internet access', but the IP configuration still shows a valid address from DHCP. The technician has already replaced the NIC and the Ethernet cable. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the speed and duplex settings on both the NIC and the switch port. The symptom of intermittent connectivity with a valid DHCP address but 'Unidentified network' or 'No internet access' points to a Layer 2 issue, often caused by a speed/duplex mismatch between the NIC and the switch port. When one side is set to auto-negotiation and the other is manually set (or fails to negotiate), the link may appear up but drops frames, causing brief outages. Since the NIC and cable have already been replaced, checking and aligning the speed and duplex settings on both ends is the logical next step.

Answer

Verify that the DNS server is reachable and responsive

Answer

Disable the Windows firewall temporarily

Answer

Increase the DHCP lease time on the router

Question 12

A user reports that their desktop computer randomly restarts during gaming sessions. The technician has replaced the power supply unit (PSU) with a known-good unit of higher wattage, verified that CPU and GPU temperatures remain within normal limits during gaming, and updated all drivers. The RAM passes a memory test. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the wall outlet voltage with a multimeter.. The technician has already ruled out the PSU, overheating, driver issues, and faulty RAM. Random restarts under load can be caused by unstable or insufficient AC power from the wall outlet. Using a multimeter to check the wall outlet voltage is the logical next step to identify if the issue is upstream of the PSU, such as a sagging voltage or a loose neutral connection.

Answer

Replace the motherboard.

Answer

Disable automatic restart in Windows System Properties.

Answer

Run a stress test on the GPU.

Question 13

A user reports that their desktop computer loses network connectivity for a few seconds every time they operate a large power tool (e.g., an electric saw) in the same room. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable, tested the switch port with another device (which works fine), and updated the NIC driver. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the intermittent disconnects?

Accepted Answer

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the power tool affecting the Ethernet cable. The large power tool generates significant electromagnetic interference (EMI) when operating, which can induce noise in the unshielded Ethernet cable, causing temporary signal degradation and loss of link. Since the technician has already ruled out the cable, switch port, and NIC driver, EMI from the tool is the most likely remaining cause.

Answer

Radio frequency interference (RFI) from the power tool's motor

Answer

An IP address conflict with the power tool's network interface

Answer

The DHCP lease is being forced to renew due to the power tool's operation

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a user's desktop computer that intermittently loses network connectivity. The issue occurs only when the building's central air conditioning (HVAC) system turns on. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable, the NIC (network interface card), and the switch port. The computer is connected to a surge protector and the power cabling is properly routed. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the intermittent connectivity?

Accepted Answer

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the HVAC motor. The HVAC motor generates a strong electromagnetic field when it starts, which can induce current in nearby unshielded Ethernet cables, corrupting the data signal and causing intermittent connectivity. This is a classic example of electromagnetic interference (EMI), and the fact that the issue correlates precisely with the HVAC system turning on, combined with the replacement of the cable, NIC, and switch port, points directly to an external interference source.

Answer

IP address conflict due to DHCP lease expiration

Answer

Faulty switch port

Answer

DNS server unavailability

Question 15

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that loses network connectivity for a few seconds every time the building's elevator motor starts. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable, the NIC, and tested the switch port with another device (which works fine). The computer is connected to a surge protector. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Install a ferrite choke on the Ethernet cable.. The symptom—network drops coinciding with elevator motor startup—indicates electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the motor's inductive load. Replacing the cable, NIC, and testing the switch port rules out physical layer faults. A ferrite choke suppresses high-frequency noise on the Ethernet cable by acting as a low-pass filter, preventing EMI from corrupting the differential signal pairs (per IEEE 802.3).

Answer

Replace the power supply unit.

Answer

Configure a static IP address on the workstation.

Answer

Disable the NIC's power-saving features.