220-1101 Hardware Practice Test 13 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is assembling a new desktop PC. The technician needs to connect the power button, reset button, HDD LED, and power LED from the case to the motherboard. Which of the following should the technician consult for the correct pin layout?

Accepted Answer

Motherboard manual. The motherboard manual contains the front panel header pinout diagram, which specifies the exact layout for connecting the power button, reset button, HDD LED, and power LED from the case. Each motherboard manufacturer uses a unique pin arrangement, so consulting this manual ensures correct polarity and prevents damage to the motherboard or LEDs.

Answer

Power supply manual

Answer

CPU manual

Answer

Case manual

Question 2

A technician is installing a new CPU on a motherboard that uses an LGA 1151 socket. After carefully placing the CPU into the socket, the technician tries to lower the retention arm but it resists and will not close fully. The technician has not applied any force yet. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The CPU is not oriented correctly in the socket. The LGA 1151 socket uses a land grid array where the CPU has no pins; instead, the pins are in the socket. The CPU has a triangular alignment marker in one corner that must match a corresponding marker on the socket. If the CPU is not oriented correctly, the retention arm will not close because the CPU's substrate will not sit flush against the socket pins, preventing the arm from latching.

Answer

The thermal paste is too thick

Answer

The socket is damaged

Answer

The CPU is incompatible with the socket

Question 3

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, thermal paste, and heatsink, the technician connects all power cables and turns on the system. The fans spin, but the system shuts down after about 10 seconds. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The heatsink fan is not connected to the CPU fan header.. The system shuts down after about 10 seconds because the CPU is overheating. Without the heatsink fan connected to the CPU fan header, the fan does not spin, and the CPU quickly reaches its thermal threshold, triggering an automatic shutdown to prevent damage. This is a common safety feature in modern motherboards.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The power supply is insufficient wattage.

Answer

The RAM is not seated properly.

Question 4

A technician is upgrading a desktop PC with a new SATA SSD. After installing the SSD and connecting the SATA data cable to the motherboard and the power cable from the PSU, the system boots but the SSD is not detected in the BIOS. The technician has verified the SATA cable is firmly connected at both ends and the drive is listed in the motherboard's manual as compatible. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Enable the SATA port in the BIOS settings.. The SSD is not detected in the BIOS despite being properly connected and compatible. The most likely cause is that the SATA port to which the drive is connected is disabled in the BIOS settings. Many motherboards allow individual SATA ports to be turned off, and checking this setting is a standard first troubleshooting step before replacing hardware or updating firmware.

Answer

Replace the SATA data cable with a known-good one.

Answer

Update the motherboard's firmware.

Answer

Connect the SSD to a different SATA power cable from the PSU.

Question 5

A technician builds a new desktop computer. After pressing the power button, the system powers on for about 5 seconds, then shuts down, and then immediately attempts to power on again, repeating the cycle. The technician has verified that all power connections are secure and has reseated the CPU and RAM. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The CPU heatsink fan connection. The symptom of a system powering on for a few seconds, then shutting down and immediately rebooting in a cycle is classic behavior of a thermal or overheat protection trigger. The CPU heatsink fan connection (option B) is the most likely cause because if the fan is not connected or is faulty, the CPU rapidly overheats, causing the motherboard's thermal protection circuitry to shut down the system; it then attempts to restart, only to overheat again, creating the loop. The technician has already reseated the CPU and RAM, so the next logical step is to verify the CPU cooler's power connection.

Answer

The power supply voltage selector switch

Answer

The front panel power switch header

Answer

The CMOS battery

Question 6

A technician is upgrading a desktop PC by adding two additional 8GB DDR4-3200 RAM sticks to an existing pair of 8GB DDR4-3200 sticks. After installation, the system powers on but does not POST; the fans spin and the power LED is on, but no display appears. The technician has reseated all four sticks and verified they are fully clicked into place. The original two sticks alone allow the system to boot normally. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The memory controller cannot handle the combined load of four dual-rank modules, causing memory training failure during POST.. The most likely cause is that the memory controller cannot handle the combined load of four dual-rank modules, leading to memory training failure during POST. With four dual-rank sticks, the electrical load on the memory bus increases significantly, which can prevent the system from completing the initial memory training sequence. This is a common issue on consumer platforms where the memory controller is optimized for two modules or single-rank configurations, and the original two sticks alone boot normally because they present a lighter load.

Answer

The new RAM sticks are of a different DDR generation (e.g., DDR3) and are not compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The motherboard does not support running four memory modules simultaneously; it only supports two modules in dual-channel mode.

Answer

The new RAM sticks are defective, as they do not match the speed of the original sticks.

Question 7

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, heatsink, RAM, and inserting the motherboard into the case, the technician connects all power cables and presses the power button. The system powers on for about five seconds, then shuts down, then immediately attempts to power on again, repeating this cycle. The technician has verified that the CPU cooler is properly mounted and thermal paste is correctly applied. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The case's front panel power button for a possible short circuit. The symptom of powering on for a few seconds, then shutting down and immediately rebooting in a continuous loop is classic for a short circuit or improper front panel wiring. Option D is correct because a shorted or miswired front panel power button can cause the motherboard to receive a constant or intermittent 'power on' signal, leading to the observed power cycling. The technician has already verified the CPU cooler and thermal paste, so the next logical step is to inspect the front panel header connections and the power button itself.

Answer

The power supply unit for insufficient wattage

Answer

The RAM modules for compatibility with the motherboard

Answer

The motherboard for bent CPU socket pins

Question 8

A technician is building a new gaming PC. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory and has four DIMM slots (A1, A2, B1, B2). The technician installs two 8GB DDR4-3200 memory modules into slots A1 and A2 (both on the same channel). The system boots and the BIOS reports 16GB of RAM, but the memory speed shows 2133 MHz instead of the rated 3200 MHz. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The XMP profile needs to be enabled. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory and the RAM is rated for DDR4-3200, but the system defaults to the JEDEC standard speed of 2133 MHz (or 2400 MHz) for stability. To achieve the rated 3200 MHz, the XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) must be enabled in the BIOS, which applies the manufacturer's overclocking timings and voltage. Since the technician installed the modules in slots A1 and A2 (same channel), dual-channel mode is not active, but this does not affect the speed; the speed issue is solely due to the lack of XMP activation.

Answer

The RAM is not compatible with the motherboard

Answer

The RAM is installed in the wrong slots for dual-channel operation

Answer

The CPU does not support 3200 MHz memory

Question 9

A technician installs a new M.2 NVMe SSD into a desktop computer. The drive is detected in the system BIOS, but it does not appear in Windows Disk Management. The technician has verified that the correct driver is installed and the SATA controller mode is set to AHCI. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT to make the drive available in Windows?

Accepted Answer

Initialize the disk in Disk Management.. The M.2 NVMe SSD is detected in BIOS but not in Windows Disk Management, which indicates the drive is recognized at the hardware level but lacks a partition structure or volume. The correct next step is to initialize the disk in Disk Management, which writes a master boot record (MBR) or GUID partition table (GPT) to the drive, making it visible and ready for partitioning and formatting.

Answer

Update the motherboard chipset drivers.

Answer

Enable the M.2 slot in the Device Manager.

Answer

Change the SATA mode to RAID in the BIOS.

Question 10

A technician is replacing the power supply unit in a desktop computer. The new PSU is correctly rated for the system and the technician connects the 24-pin main motherboard connector and the 4+4 pin CPU power connector. When the power button is pressed, the system does not power on; no fans spin and no LEDs light up. The technician verifies that the PSU's power switch is on and that the wall outlet is functional. Using a multimeter, the technician confirms that the PSU outputs correct voltages on the 24-pin connector when the paperclip test is performed. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The 4+4 pin CPU power connector is not fully seated in the motherboard's EPS connector.. The 4+4 pin CPU power connector provides dedicated 12V power to the CPU VRM. If it is not fully seated, the motherboard's power delivery system will detect an open circuit and prevent the system from starting, even though the main 24-pin connector and PSU itself are functional. The paperclip test confirms the PSU can output correct voltages under no load, but it does not verify that the EPS connector is properly engaged.

Answer

The PSU is not compatible with the motherboard's power requirements.

Answer

The motherboard is shorting against the case.

Answer

The power button header is connected to the wrong pins.

Question 11

A technician installs a new M.2 NVMe SSD into a desktop computer. The drive is detected in the system BIOS, but it does not appear in Windows Disk Management. The technician checks Device Manager and sees the drive listed under 'Other devices' with a yellow exclamation mark. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Install the correct driver for the NVMe controller. The yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager under 'Other devices' indicates that Windows lacks the correct driver for the NVMe controller, not that the disk is uninitialized or unformatted. Since the drive is detected in BIOS, the M.2 slot is enabled and functional; the OS simply cannot communicate with the drive without the proper NVMe driver. Installing the correct driver will allow Windows to recognize the drive normally, after which it can be initialized and formatted.

Answer

Initialize the disk in Disk Management

Answer

Format the partition

Answer

Enable the M.2 slot in BIOS

Question 12

A technician builds a new desktop computer and installs a high-end dedicated graphics card. The system boots into Windows, but the display resolution is locked at 800x600 and the option to change it is grayed out. In Device Manager, the graphics card is listed under 'Other devices' with a yellow exclamation mark. Which of the following steps should the technician perform FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Install the latest graphics driver from the manufacturer's website.. The yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager under 'Other devices' indicates that Windows has not loaded a proper driver for the graphics card, which is why the display is stuck at the generic VGA resolution of 800x600. Installing the latest driver from the manufacturer's website is the correct first step because the operating system cannot utilize the dedicated GPU's capabilities without the correct driver, and this is the most common cause of the described symptoms.

Answer

Enable the device in the system BIOS.

Answer

Reseat the graphics card in the PCIe slot.

Answer

Disable the integrated graphics in the BIOS.

Question 13

A technician installs a new M.2 NVMe SSD into a desktop computer. The drive is detected in the system BIOS, but it does not appear in Windows File Explorer or Disk Management. The technician checks Device Manager and sees the drive listed under 'Other devices' with a yellow exclamation mark. Which of the following steps should the technician perform NEXT to make the drive available in Windows?

Accepted Answer

Install the correct NVMe driver from the manufacturer. The M.2 NVMe SSD is detected in BIOS and listed in Device Manager with a yellow exclamation mark under 'Other devices', which indicates Windows lacks the native driver for NVMe storage. Unlike SATA SSDs, NVMe drives require a specific driver (typically the Microsoft standard NVMe driver or a manufacturer-provided one) to function. Installing the correct NVMe driver from the manufacturer resolves the driver issue and makes the drive accessible in Windows.

Answer

Enable the drive in the BIOS SATA configuration

Answer

Initialize the disk in Disk Management

Answer

Update the system BIOS to the latest version

Question 14

A user's laptop was accidentally knocked off a desk. The laptop powers on and boots to Windows, but the built-in LCD display shows a distorted image with vertical lines and flickering colors. The technician connects an external monitor via HDMI, and the image displays correctly without any distortion. Which of the following components is MOST likely damaged?

Accepted Answer

The LVDS or eDP cable. The correct answer is B because the LVDS (Low-Voltage Differential Signaling) or eDP (Embedded DisplayPort) cable connects the motherboard to the LCD panel. A physical shock from a fall can damage or loosen this internal ribbon cable, causing signal corruption that results in vertical lines and flickering on the built-in display. The fact that an external monitor works perfectly proves the GPU and motherboard are generating a correct video signal, isolating the fault to the display assembly or its interconnect.

Answer

The LCD panel

Answer

The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

Answer

The motherboard

Question 15

A technician assembles a new desktop computer using a third-party CPU cooler. After powering on, the CPU temperature rapidly rises to 95°C within a few seconds, and the CPU fan spins at maximum speed. The technician verifies that the thermal paste is applied correctly and that the CPU fan is connected to the CPU_FAN header. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the high temperature?

Accepted Answer

The heatsink is not properly seated or the mounting pressure is uneven. The rapid temperature spike to 95°C within seconds, despite correct thermal paste application and fan connection to the CPU_FAN header, indicates that the heatsink is not making proper thermal contact with the CPU. Uneven mounting pressure or an improperly seated heatsink creates air gaps that drastically reduce heat transfer efficiency, causing the CPU to overheat immediately under even idle power draw.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the motherboard

Answer

The CPU fan connector is plugged into a chassis fan header

Answer

The power supply unit is underpowered for the CPU