220-1102 Software Troubleshooting Practice Question
A user reports that they cannot print to a network printer. Other users can print to the same printer without issues. When the technician checks the printer queue on the user's workstation, they see 'Access Denied' errors. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse 'Access Denied' with connectivity or driver issues, but the error message directly points to a permissions failure, especially when other users are unaffected.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The user does not have permissions to print to that printer
The 'Access Denied' error in the printer queue specifically indicates a permissions issue at the print server or printer object level. Since other users can print successfully, the printer, network connectivity, and driver are functional, isolating the problem to the user's lack of print permissions on that shared printer.
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 printer driver is corrupted
Why it's wrong here
A corrupted printer driver typically causes spooler crashes, rendering artifacts, or print failures for every user who attempts to use that driver on the print server or client. Since other users can print successfully and the specific symptom is 'Access Denied,' the driver is not the cause because driver issues are global to the driver installation, not scoped to an individual user account, and they would not produce a security-related error.
- ✓
The user does not have permissions to print to that printer
Why this is correct
Access Denied is a deliberate Windows security response triggered when the user's account lacks the 'Print' permission on the printer object's access control list (ACL) on the print server or local machine. Permissions are evaluated per user or group, so other users with the Print permission can submit jobs successfully while this user cannot. This directly explains why only one user encounters the error, making it the correct diagnosis.
- ✗
The printer is offline
Why it's wrong here
A printer that is offline enters a hardware/connectivity state that is visible to all clients using that print queue, typically displaying 'Printer offline' or 'Not connected' and blocking jobs for everyone. If the printer were offline, other users would also be unable to print, and the error would be a connectivity or spooler status message, not an 'Access Denied' permission message scoped to a single user's account.
- ✗
The wrong IP address is entered for the printer
Why it's wrong here
An incorrectly entered IP address on the printer port would break connectivity for every computer using that port, causing timeouts or 'Printer not responding' errors rather than Access Denied. The TCP/IP port is a device-level setting shared by all users who connect to that logical printer, so a wrong IP cannot selectively deny one user while others print successfully; the failure would be universal to that port configuration.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1102 exam.