220-1101 Hardware Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is building a new desktop PC. After installing the CPU, RAM, motherboard, and power supply, the technician connects the monitor to the motherboard's video output. When the PC is powered on, the fans spin, but no display appears and no beep codes are heard. The technician has verified that the monitor works with another computer. 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 RAM modules.. The system is powering on (fans spin) but no display and no beep codes indicate a hardware fault during POST, often caused by improperly seated RAM. Reseating the RAM is a quick, non-invasive first step to ensure good contact. If the RAM were the issue, the motherboard would typically not produce beep codes or display output. Installing a dedicated GPU would not resolve a RAM seating problem.

Answer

Install a dedicated graphics card.

Answer

Replace the power supply.

Answer

Replace the motherboard.

Question 2

A technician replaces the thermal paste on a desktop CPU because the computer was overheating. After cleaning the old paste from the CPU and heatsink, the technician applies a new pea-sized amount of paste and reinstalls the cooler. When the computer is powered on, the CPU temperature quickly reaches 95°C under light load. Which of the following did the technician MOST likely forget to do?

Accepted Answer

Remove the protective plastic liner from the heatsink's thermal pad. The technician cleaned old thermal paste from both the CPU and the heatsink, so the reused heatsink has no pre-applied thermal pad or protective plastic liner. Likely causes of overheating after repasting—such as forgetting to connect the CPU fan, insufficient paste, or uneven cooler mounting—are not listed. None of the options is correct.

Answer

Apply the thermal paste in a line instead of a dot

Answer

Use a conductive thermal paste that shorted the CPU

Answer

Reapply the paste to the heatsink instead of the CPU

Question 3

A technician installs a new M.2 NVMe SSD into a desktop computer. The motherboard has two M.2 slots: M.2_1 supports PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA modes, and M.2_2 supports PCIe 3.0 x2 and SATA modes. The technician inserts the NVMe SSD into the M.2_2 slot. The computer boots from the existing SATA SSD, but the new NVMe drive is not visible in Disk Management. The BIOS shows that M.2_2 is enabled and set to 'Auto' mode. The technician consults the motherboard manual and discovers that when M.2_2 is used in PCIe mode, SATA port 5 (SATA5) is disabled. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Insert the NVMe SSD into the M.2_1 slot instead.. The M.2_2 slot only supports PCIe 3.0 x2, while the NVMe SSD typically requires PCIe 3.0 x4 for full functionality. Although the drive should still be detected at x2, some motherboards may have compatibility issues or require the slot to be explicitly set to PCIe mode. Moving the NVMe drive to M.2_1, which supports PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA modes, ensures it operates at its native speed and avoids potential detection problems. Options A and B are not the first step because the boot SSD is not on SATA5 (otherwise it would not boot), and the BIOS is already set to 'Auto', which should configure the slot correctly. Option C (updating BIOS) is unnecessary if the drive is not detected initially.

Answer

Move the existing SATA SSD from SATA5 to an available SATA port, such as SATA6.

Answer

Change the M.2_2 mode from 'Auto' to 'PCIe' in the BIOS.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version.

Question 4

A technician is assembling a new desktop with a Ryzen 5 5600X CPU and an ASUS B550 motherboard. After installing two 16GB DDR4-3600 sticks in the slots color-coded as 'A1' and 'A2' (both blue slots), the system powers on but shows no display. The motherboard's DRAM_LED remains lit. The technician has reseated the RAM and tested each stick individually in the A2 slot, but the problem persists. The CPU and motherboard are listed as compatible on the manufacturer's website. Which of the following should the technician try NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Install the two RAM sticks in slots A2 and B2 (the second and fourth slots from the CPU). The ASUS B550 motherboard typically requires dual-channel memory to be installed in slots A2 and B2 (the second and fourth slots from the CPU) for proper operation. Placing both sticks in A1 and A2 (both in the same channel) violates the recommended population order, which can prevent the system from posting even if the RAM is functional. The persistent DRAM_LED indicates a memory training or configuration issue, and correcting the slot placement is the logical next step before considering BIOS updates or hardware replacement.

Answer

Check the CPU cooler mounting pressure and ensure it is not too tight

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version

Answer

Replace the RAM with a kit that is on the motherboard's Qualified Vendor List (QVL)

Question 5

A technician is building a custom gaming PC. After installing the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and a dedicated graphics card, the technician connects all power supply cables. The system powers on (fans spin, lights come on) but there is no display on the monitor, and no POST beeps are heard. The technician verifies that the monitor is functional and correctly connected to the graphics card's display port. The motherboard's diagnostic LEDs show a solid red CPU LED. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The 8-pin CPU power connector is not plugged into the motherboard. The solid red CPU LED on the motherboard indicates a CPU-related fault. Since the system powers on (fans spin, lights on) but fails to POST, the most common cause is that the 8-pin EPS12V CPU power connector is not connected. Without this dedicated power, the CPU cannot initialize, halting the POST process before any display output or beep codes occur.

Answer

The CPU is not properly seated in the socket

Answer

The RAM modules are not compatible with the motherboard

Answer

The BIOS version does not support the installed CPU

Question 6

A technician is building a high-performance workstation for video editing. The system uses an Intel Core i9-13900K CPU, a Z790 motherboard, and 64GB DDR5 RAM. After assembly, the system powers on, all fans spin, but there is no POST and no display output. The motherboard's CPU debug LED is lit. The technician has reseated the CPU and verified no bent pins, and tested the power supply with a multimeter (voltages within spec). The RAM is listed on the motherboard's QVL. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The power supply is insufficient. The Z790 chipset natively supports 13th Gen Intel CPUs, so the i9-13900K does not need a BIOS update on this board. With the CPU reseated, no bent pins, and no BIOS compatibility issue, an insufficient or failing power supply is the most likely listed cause: it can allow fans to spin but fail to provide stable power to the CPU VRMs during POST, causing the CPU debug LED and no POST. A multimeter voltage reading alone does not prove the PSU can deliver sufficient wattage under load.

Answer

The CPU is not supported by the BIOS version

Answer

The RAM is not seated properly

Answer

The GPU is faulty

Question 7

A technician installs a new M.2 NVMe SSD into an appropriate M.2 slot on a desktop motherboard. After booting the system, the BIOS does not detect the SSD. The SSD is known to work in another computer. The technician has verified the SSD is fully inserted and secured with the mounting screw. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A SATA port that shares bandwidth with the M.2 slot has a drive connected, causing the M.2 slot to be disabled.. The most likely cause is that a SATA port sharing bandwidth with the M.2 slot has a drive connected, which disables the M.2 slot. Many desktop motherboards share PCIe lanes between specific SATA ports and the M.2 slot; when a SATA device is connected to the shared port, the motherboard firmware automatically disables the M.2 slot to prevent resource conflicts. Since the SSD works in another computer and is properly seated, the issue is a configuration conflict rather than a hardware failure.

Answer

The M.2 slot is disabled in the BIOS settings.

Answer

The power supply does not provide enough wattage for the NVMe SSD.

Answer

The CPU does not support NVMe drives.

Question 8

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After connecting all components, the system powers on and the CPU fan spins, but none of the case fans spin. The technician has verified that the case fans are connected to the motherboard's 4-pin fan headers. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the case fans not spinning?

Accepted Answer

The case fans are defective and need to be replaced.. The case fans are not spinning while the CPU fan operates, indicating power is present. If the case fans are 3-pin DC fans on 4-pin headers and the header is set to PWM mode, they would receive constant 12V and run at full speed. A mismatch where a PWM fan is connected to a DC header can prevent spinning, but the option describes the opposite. Therefore, the most likely cause from the given choices is that the case fans are defective.

Answer

The power supply unit is not providing enough voltage for the fans.

Answer

The motherboard's fan headers are set to a PWM mode that is incompatible with the fans.

Answer

The motherboard BIOS needs to be updated to support the fans.

Question 9

A technician installs a new M.2 NVMe SSD into an M.2 slot on a desktop motherboard. The drive is detected in the BIOS and appears in Windows Disk Management as 'Unknown' and 'Not Initialized'. Which of the following is the MOST likely first step to make the drive usable?

Accepted Answer

Initialize the disk in Disk Management. When a new M.2 NVMe SSD is detected in the BIOS, Windows will typically show it in Disk Management as an uninitialized disk labeled 'Unknown' and 'Not Initialized'. The first step is to initialize the disk by right-clicking it and choosing 'Initialize Disk', which writes a GPT or MBR partition table. Only after initialization can you create a partition and format it. If the disk truly does not appear in Disk Management at all, the issue would likely be a missing driver, but since the drive is detected in BIOS, the most common cause is the uninitialized state.

Answer

Enable RAID in the BIOS

Answer

Format the drive with NTFS in Disk Management

Answer

Update the NVMe driver from the manufacturer's website

Question 10

A technician installs two 8GB DDR4 RAM modules into a desktop motherboard. The system powers on, but the monitor remains black and there are no beep codes from the speaker. The technician has verified that the RAM modules are securely seated and that both the CPU and GPU fans are spinning. The motherboard is known to work with the same RAM model. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Test each RAM module individually in a known-working slot.. The system powers on with fans spinning but no POST and no beep codes, which indicates a hardware fault that prevents the motherboard from completing the Power-On Self-Test. Since the RAM model is known to be compatible with this motherboard, the issue is likely a defective RAM module or an issue with the dual-channel configuration. Testing each module individually in a known-working slot isolates whether one module is defective or if the dual-channel configuration is causing a fault.

Answer

Replace the power supply unit.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS using a USB flash drive.

Answer

Check the CPU power connector on the motherboard.

Question 11

A technician installs two 16GB DDR4 RAM modules into a desktop motherboard. The motherboard manual specifies to use slots A2 and B2 for dual-channel. The technician installs the modules in slots A2 and B2. The system boots, but the BIOS reports only 16GB of total memory. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The RAM modules are not fully seated in the slots.. The system boots but detects only one of two 16 GB modules. Since the modules are in the correct slots (A2 and B2), the most likely cause is that one module is not fully seated. This is a common installation error, especially on a fresh build, and it is more likely than a faulty module. Reseating the modules should be the first troubleshooting step.

Answer

The modules are installed in the wrong slots for dual-channel.

Answer

One of the RAM modules is faulty.

Answer

The motherboard chipset does not support more than 16GB.

Question 12

A technician is building a new desktop PC. After installing the CPU, cooler, RAM, and graphics card, the technician powers on the system. The fans spin, but the monitor remains black and the computer emits a series of short, repeated beeps. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The RAM modules are not fully seated in the memory slots.. The series of short, repeated beeps is a standard Power-On Self-Test (POST) code indicating a memory failure. Since the CPU, cooler, and graphics card are installed, but the RAM may not be fully seated in the slots, the system cannot initialize memory and halts with this specific beep pattern. This is the most common cause of such beeps on a new build.

Answer

The graphics card is not properly seated in the PCIe slot.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The power supply unit does not provide enough wattage.

Question 13

A technician is building a new desktop computer. After installing the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and power supply, the technician connects the main 24-pin ATX power cable and the 8-pin EPS12V CPU power cable. When the power button is pressed, the system fans spin briefly and then stop immediately. The motherboard power LED does not light up. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The 24-pin motherboard power connector is not fully seated.. The brief spin and immediate stop of the fans, combined with the motherboard power LED not lighting, indicates that the power supply is entering a protection state (overcurrent or short-circuit protection). This is most commonly caused by the 24-pin ATX connector not being fully seated, which prevents the power supply from receiving the proper 'power good' signal from the motherboard, causing it to shut down to protect components.

Answer

The RAM modules are not seated properly.

Answer

The power supply is not connected to the wall outlet.

Answer

The CPU is not supported by the motherboard.

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop PC that emits one long beep followed by three short beeps immediately after pressing the power button. The system does not display any video. The motherboard uses an AMI BIOS. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the beep code?

Accepted Answer

Memory (RAM) failure. AMI BIOS uses a beep code of one long followed by three short beeps to indicate a memory (RAM) failure. This code typically means the system cannot read or initialize the RAM modules, which prevents the POST process from completing and results in no video output.

Answer

Video card failure

Answer

CPU failure

Answer

Power supply failure

Question 15

A technician is building a PC for a user who needs to run multiple virtual machines. The motherboard supports a maximum of 32GB of RAM across 4 DIMM slots. Currently, two 8GB modules are installed. The user requires at least 32GB of RAM total, and the technician wants to reuse the existing modules. Which of the following is the MOST cost-effective upgrade?

Accepted Answer

Add one 16GB module. The motherboard supports up to 32GB across 4 DIMM slots. With two 8GB modules already installed, the user needs 16GB more. Option C adds a single 16GB module, reaching 32GB total while reusing existing modules and typically costing less than two 8GB modules. Option A costs more and fills all slots unnecessarily. Options B and D discard existing modules and are more expensive. Although Option C may not run in dual-channel mode, the question asks for the most cost-effective solution, not the best-performance one.

Answer

Add two additional 8GB modules

Answer

Replace the two 8GB modules with two 16GB modules

Answer

Replace all modules with four 8GB modules