220-1101 Hardware Practice Test 6 — 15 Questions

Question 1

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?

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

Accepted Answer

The M.2 slot is configured for SATA mode instead of NVMe/PCIe mode in the BIOS/UEFI.. The most likely cause is that the M.2 slot shares bandwidth with certain SATA ports, and installing the NVMe SSD disables those SATA ports, which may cause the SSD itself to not be detected if the slot is configured for SATA instead of NVMe. Additionally, some motherboards require a BIOS setting to explicitly enable PCIe/NVMe on the M.2 slot. Since the SSD is properly seated and the motherboard supports NVMe, a resource conflict or BIOS configuration issue is more probable than a defective drive.

Answer

The NVMe SSD requires a SATA data cable to be detected by the system.

Answer

The system's RAM is incompatible with the NVMe SSD.

Answer

The SSD must be formatted with NTFS before it can appear in the BIOS.

Question 2

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 3

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 4

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 5

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 6

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 7

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 8

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 9

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 10

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 11

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. 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

Question 12

A user’s desktop computer has 16 GB of physical RAM installed (2 x 8 GB modules), but the operating system and BIOS both report only 8 GB as available. The computer powers on normally and displays video. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

One RAM module is not seated properly. The most likely cause is that one of the two 8 GB RAM modules is not seated properly in its slot. When a RAM module is not fully inserted, the system may fail to detect it during POST, resulting in the BIOS and OS reporting only half the installed memory (8 GB instead of 16 GB). The computer still powers on and displays video because the remaining module provides sufficient memory for basic operation.

Answer

The CPU is failing

Answer

The GPU is overheating

Answer

The operating system is corrupted

Question 13

A technician is building a high-end workstation for 3D rendering. The chosen CPU uses an LGA 1200 socket and supports dual-channel memory. The technician needs a motherboard that supports the CPU, at least two PCIe x16 slots for dual graphics cards, and should allow memory overclocking for optimal performance. Which of the following motherboard chipsets is the most suitable for this task?

Accepted Answer

ATX motherboard with Z490 chipset. The Z490 chipset is the only option that supports both dual-channel memory overclocking (via unlocked memory multipliers) and multiple PCIe x16 slots for dual graphics cards, while also being compatible with the LGA 1200 socket. This makes it ideal for a high-end 3D rendering workstation where CPU and memory performance are critical.

Answer

Micro-ATX motherboard with H410 chipset

Answer

Mini-ITX motherboard with B460 chipset

Answer

ATX motherboard with Q470 chipset

Question 14

A technician is building a new desktop computer and needs to connect the front-panel power button to the motherboard. Which of the following connectors or headers is designed for this purpose?

Accepted Answer

F_PANEL header. The F_PANEL header is a dedicated connector block on the motherboard that interfaces with the front-panel controls of the computer case, including the power button, reset button, and status LEDs. It uses a specific pinout to carry the momentary contact signal from the power button to the motherboard's power management circuitry, allowing the system to power on or off.

Answer

SATA cable

Answer

24-pin ATX power connector

Answer

PCIe power cable

Question 15

A technician installs a new CPU into an existing desktop motherboard that is listed as compatible. When the system is powered on, the fans spin and LEDs light up, but the screen remains black, and there are no POST beeps. The technician has reseated the RAM and GPU, and verified the power supply voltages are within spec. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the CPU socket for bent pins. The symptoms—fans spin, LEDs light, but no POST and no beeps—indicate the motherboard is receiving power but the CPU is not initializing. Since the CPU is listed as compatible but was just installed, the most likely cause is physical damage to the CPU socket, such as bent pins, which prevents proper contact between the CPU and the motherboard. Reseating RAM and GPU and verifying PSU voltages already ruled out those common issues, making a socket inspection the logical next step.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version

Answer

Replace the power supply with a higher-wattage unit

Answer

Test each RAM module one at a time in different slots