220-1101 Hardware Practice Test 4 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is building a desktop computer. After installing all components, the computer powers on. All fans spin, and the LED on the motherboard lights up, but there is no display output. The monitor and cable are known to work. The technician has already reseated the RAM and the graphics card. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the 4/8-pin CPU power connector is securely connected to the motherboard.. The 4/8-pin CPU power connector supplies dedicated 12V power to the processor. If it is loose or disconnected, the CPU will not initialize, causing the system to power on (fans spin, LEDs light) but produce no display output. Since the monitor, cable, RAM, and graphics card have been verified, the next logical step is to check this critical power connection.

Answer

Replace the power supply with a higher-wattage unit.

Answer

Reset the CMOS by removing the battery for 30 seconds.

Answer

Replace the motherboard, as it is likely defective.

Question 2

A technician builds a desktop computer. The motherboard has four SATA ports and two M.2 slots. The technician installs a 2.5" SATA SSD and an M.2 NVMe SSD. The system boots from the SATA SSD, but the M.2 NVMe SSD is not detected in Windows. In the BIOS, the M.2 slot is enabled. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The NVMe driver is not installed in the operating system.. The M.2 NVMe SSD is detected in the BIOS but not in Windows because the operating system lacks the necessary NVMe driver. NVMe drives require a specific driver to communicate with the storage stack; without it, Windows cannot enumerate or mount the drive, even though the BIOS sees it as a valid device. This is a common scenario when installing an NVMe SSD on a system that originally booted from a SATA drive, as the default Windows installation may not include the NVMe driver.

Answer

The M.2 SSD is not properly seated in the slot.

Answer

The SATA SSD is using the same lanes as the M.2 slot, causing a conflict.

Answer

The M.2 SSD is not formatted with a file system.

Question 3

A technician is installing a new M.2 NVMe SSD in a desktop computer. After installation, the computer boots to the BIOS/UEFI, but the SSD is not listed in the boot device list or among the storage devices. The technician has confirmed the SSD is properly seated in the M.2 slot and that the motherboard supports NVMe drives. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

A. The most likely cause is that the M.2 slot shares bandwidth with other SATA ports, and when an NVMe SSD is installed, it may disable certain SATA ports. If the SSD is not detected in the BIOS/UEFI, it often indicates a hardware configuration conflict rather than a physical installation issue. The technician should check the motherboard manual to see if the specific M.2 slot disables SATA ports or requires a specific BIOS setting to enable NVMe detection.

Answer

B

Answer

C

Answer

D

Question 4

A technician is building a desktop computer for a graphic designer. The motherboard supports both SATA and M.2 NVMe SSDs. The technician installs a 500GB M.2 NVMe SSD in the primary M.2 slot and a 2TB SATA HDD for additional storage. The computer boots from the NVMe SSD without issue. However, the SATA HDD is not detected in Windows Disk Management or in the BIOS. The technician has verified the SATA cable is connected securely and the HDD is receiving power. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The M.2 NVMe SSD disables specific SATA ports on this motherboard. The M.2 NVMe SSD uses PCIe lanes that, on many consumer motherboards, share bandwidth with specific SATA ports. When an M.2 NVMe drive is installed in the primary M.2 slot, the motherboard firmware automatically disables certain SATA ports (often SATA port 5 or 6) to avoid lane conflicts. This explains why the SATA HDD is not detected even though it is powered and the cable is secure.

Answer

The SATA HDD is too large to be recognized alongside an NVMe drive

Answer

The SATA controller is disabled in the BIOS

Answer

The SATA HDD requires a jumper setting for 2TB mode

Question 5

A technician is upgrading a desktop computer with a high-end graphics card that requires an 8-pin PCIe power connector. The existing power supply unit (PSU) only has 6-pin PCIe connectors available. Which adapter should the technician use to safely provide power to the new graphics card?

Accepted Answer

6-pin to 8-pin PCIe. The correct adapter is a 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe adapter because the existing PSU already provides a 6-pin PCIe power connector, which shares the same +12V and ground pinout as the 8-pin PCIe connector but with fewer sense pins. This adapter simply adds the two extra pins (typically ground and a sense pin) to meet the 8-pin connector's physical and electrical requirements, allowing the high-end graphics card to draw up to 150W safely.

Answer

Molex to 8-pin PCIe

Answer

SATA to 8-pin PCIe

Answer

4-pin to 8-pin ATX

Question 6

A technician is installing a 2.5" SATA SSD in a desktop computer that already has an M.2 SATA SSD installed in the primary M.2 slot. After connecting the SATA SSD to a SATA port, the computer boots normally but the new SATA SSD is not detected in Windows. The technician verifies the SATA cable is secure and the drive has power. The motherboard manual shows that the M.2 slot shares bandwidth with SATA port 5. The technician has connected the new drive to SATA port 3. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Check Windows Disk Management to initialize and format the new drive.. The new SATA SSD is not detected in Windows, but the technician has already verified the cable is secure and the drive has power. Since the drive is connected to SATA port 3, which does not share bandwidth with the M.2 slot (only SATA port 5 does), the issue is likely that the drive is simply not initialized or formatted. The next logical step is to check Windows Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) to see if the drive appears there and needs to be brought online, initialized, or formatted.

Answer

Move the SATA SSD to SATA port 5 to avoid potential bandwidth conflicts.

Answer

Disable the M.2 SSD in the BIOS to free up bandwidth for the SATA port.

Answer

Replace the SATA cable with a known-good cable.

Question 7

A technician installs a new CPU in a desktop computer. The motherboard supports both 8th and 9th generation Intel Core processors. After assembly, the system powers on, all fans spin, but the monitor displays 'No Signal' and the motherboard's diagnostic LEDs cycle through and then stay lit on the CPU indicator. The technician has already reseated the CPU and inspected the socket for bent pins, finding none. The RAM and GPU are known to work from another system. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to a version that supports the 9th generation CPU. The motherboard's diagnostic LED staying lit on the CPU indicates a CPU initialization failure. Since the motherboard supports both 8th and 9th generation CPUs but may require a BIOS update to add microcode for 9th generation support, the most likely cause is an incompatible BIOS version. Updating the BIOS to a version that includes support for the 9th generation CPU will resolve the issue.

Answer

Replace the power supply unit with one of higher wattage

Answer

Replace the CPU with a different unit of the same model

Answer

Clear the CMOS by removing the battery

Question 8

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, heat sink, RAM, and power supply, the system powers on for a few seconds and then shuts down. The CPU fan spins during that time. The technician has verified that the power supply connections are secure. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The thermal paste application between the CPU and heat sink. The system powers on for a few seconds and then shuts down, which is a classic symptom of thermal overload protection (Tjmax) being triggered. Since the CPU fan spins, power delivery is present, but without proper thermal paste, the CPU rapidly exceeds its critical temperature threshold, causing an immediate shutdown to prevent damage.

Answer

The RAM module's compatibility with the motherboard

Answer

The CPU power connector is fully seated

Answer

The front panel power switch connection

Question 9

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, heat sink, and RAM, the technician powers on the system. The fans spin for a moment, then the system shuts down. The CPU fan does not spin at all. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The CPU fan connector is not plugged into the CPU_FAN header.. The CPU fan connector must be plugged into the motherboard's CPU_FAN header for the fan to receive power and for the system to detect fan operation. Many motherboards have a safety feature that shuts down the system within seconds if no fan signal is detected on the CPU_FAN header, preventing CPU overheating. Since the CPU fan does not spin at all, the most likely cause is that the connector is not attached to the correct header.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The RAM is not seated properly.

Answer

The power supply is insufficient.

Question 10

A technician is building a desktop computer. The motherboard manual states it supports DDR4-3200 RAM. The technician installs DDR4-2666 RAM. The system boots and operates normally. Which of the following best describes the performance of the installed RAM?

Accepted Answer

The RAM will run at 2666 MHz.. The motherboard supports DDR4-3200 RAM, but the installed RAM is rated for DDR4-2666. By default, the system will run the memory at the highest speed supported by both the motherboard and the installed RAM, which is 2666 MHz. This is because the memory controller reads the SPD (Serial Presence Detect) data from the RAM modules and sets the speed to the maximum supported by the slowest component.

Answer

The RAM will run at 3200 MHz.

Answer

The RAM will not be compatible and the system will not boot.

Answer

The RAM will run at 2933 MHz.

Question 11

A technician is upgrading a desktop computer with two additional 8GB DDR4-3200 RAM modules. The motherboard has four DIMM slots and supports dual-channel memory. The technician installs the two new modules in slots 1 and 2 (the two slots closest to the CPU). The existing 8GB DDR4-3200 module remains in slot 3. The system boots and recognizes 24GB of RAM, but the technician notices in the BIOS that the memory is running at 2133MHz instead of 3200MHz. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The memory modules are not installed in paired slots for dual-channel operation, limiting speed.. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory, which requires modules to be installed in specific paired slots (typically slots 1&3 or 2&4) to operate in dual-channel mode. By placing the two new modules in slots 1 and 2, and the existing module in slot 3, the system falls back to single-channel mode and often defaults to a lower JEDEC standard speed (2133MHz) rather than the XMP-rated 3200MHz. This is because the memory controller cannot maintain the higher speed across mismatched channel configurations.

Answer

The memory modules are defective.

Answer

The motherboard does not support 3200MHz with four modules installed.

Answer

The CPU does not support DDR4 memory.

Question 12

A technician is building a high-performance workstation for video editing. After assembling all components (CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, PSU), the system powers on, but the monitor remains blank. The motherboard has diagnostic LEDs. The CPU LED lights up briefly and then turns off. The BOOT LED stays on. The technician has verified that the monitor and cable are functional. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The GPU is not fully seated in the PCIe slot.. The CPU LED lighting up briefly and then turning off indicates that the CPU has passed its power-on self-test (POST). The BOOT LED staying on means the system is stuck at the boot device initialization stage, which often occurs when the primary display adapter (GPU) is not detected. Since the monitor and cable are verified functional, the most likely cause is that the GPU is not fully seated in the PCIe slot, preventing the system from initializing the display output.

Answer

The RAM is not compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The boot drive has not been formatted.

Answer

The CPU is overheating.

Question 13

A technician is upgrading the RAM in a desktop computer. The motherboard manual states it supports DDR3-1600 RAM. The technician installs a single 8GB DDR4-2400 module. The computer powers on but emits a series of beeps and does not display any video. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The RAM module is not compatible with the motherboard. The motherboard supports only DDR3-1600 RAM, but the technician installed a DDR4-2400 module. DDR3 and DDR4 use different physical notch positions, voltage levels (1.5V vs. 1.2V), and signaling protocols, making them electrically and mechanically incompatible. The beep code indicates a memory initialization failure because the motherboard cannot communicate with the DDR4 module.

Answer

The RAM module is defective

Answer

The RAM module was not installed in the correct slot

Answer

The motherboard needs a BIOS update

Question 14

A technician is building a desktop computer for a user. The power supply unit (PSU) is a 750W unit with a single 12V rail. The graphics card requires two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The PSU has two separate cables, each with one 6+2 connector. The technician instead uses a single cable that has two 6+2 connectors daisy-chained (one at the end, one in the middle) to power the graphics card. The system boots and runs normally under light load, but under heavy gaming load, the system shuts down. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The daisy-chained cable cannot deliver sufficient current to both connectors, causing voltage drop and shutdown.. The daisy-chained cable is designed to deliver a maximum current per connector, typically around 150W per 8-pin PCIe connector. When both connectors are on the same cable, the total current draw can exceed the cable's rated capacity (often 288W for 18AWG wire), causing voltage drop and triggering the PSU's overcurrent protection (OCP) or causing instability under heavy load. This results in the system shutting down during gaming, even though the PSU's total wattage (750W) is sufficient.

Answer

The PSU does not have enough wattage for the graphics card.

Answer

The graphics card requires a power supply with dual 12V rails.

Answer

The PCIe slot is not providing enough power.

Question 15

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, CPU cooler, RAM, and a dedicated graphics card, the system powers on. All fans spin, there are no beeps, but the monitor remains dark. The monitor and cable have been verified to work on another computer. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

C. Ensure the graphics card power cables are connected. The correct answer is C because a dedicated graphics card requires its own power connectors (e.g., 6-pin or 8-pin PCIe power) from the power supply. If these cables are not connected, the card will not initialize, causing a black screen despite fans spinning. The monitor and cable are verified working, so the issue is likely power delivery to the GPU.

Answer

A. Reset the CMOS battery

Answer

B. Replace the RAM with known-good modules

Answer

D. Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version