220-1201 Practice Question: A small office has a desktop PC that will not…

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  The monitor is faulty

  Why it's wrong here

  A monitor displaying a "No Signal" message indicates that the monitor itself is powered on and functioning sufficiently to display On-Screen Display (OSD) messages. This specific message means the monitor is not receiving a video signal from the connected computer's graphics output. Therefore, the problem lies with the computer failing to generate a video signal, rather than the monitor being inherently faulty or unable to display anything.

• ✗

  The CPU lacks integrated graphics

  Why it's wrong here

  If a CPU lacks integrated graphics and no dedicated graphics card is installed, the system would typically fail to complete the Power-On Self-Test (POST) with a specific beep code indicating a missing or faulty video card. However, the motherboard would still attempt to initiate POST, and some form of diagnostic feedback would usually be present. Many modern office PCs utilize CPUs with integrated graphics, making this scenario less probable than a fundamental component preventing POST altogether, which often results in no video output or beep codes.

• ✓

  The RAM is not properly seated

  Why this is correct

  Random Access Memory (RAM) is a fundamental component required for the Power-On Self-Test (POST) process to complete successfully. If RAM is not properly seated, or is entirely absent, the CPU cannot access the necessary instructions and data to initialize the system and its graphics controller. Consequently, the motherboard will fail to complete POST, resulting in no video output to the monitor and often no diagnostic beep codes, even if the CPU and integrated graphics are otherwise functional.

• ✗

  The motherboard's CMOS battery is dead

  Why it's wrong here

  A dead CMOS battery primarily causes the BIOS settings, such as date, time, and boot order, to revert to their default values each time the system loses power. While this can lead to boot issues if specific non-default settings are critical, it does not typically prevent the system from performing the Power-On Self-Test (POST) or displaying video output. The system would still attempt to boot using the default BIOS configurations, which usually include basic video initialization.

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