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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?

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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?

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.

A

Best answer

Remove the protective plastic liner from the heatsink's thermal pad

Coolers often have a pre-applied thermal compound covered by a transparent plastic film. Forgetting to remove this film prevents adequate heat transfer, leading to immediate high temperatures.

B

Distractor review

Apply the thermal paste in a line instead of a dot

The method of application (dot vs line) is less critical than ensuring full coverage after mounting. It would not cause a 95°C temperature at light load.

C

Distractor review

Use a conductive thermal paste that shorted the CPU

Conductive paste (e.g., liquid metal) can cause shorts, but a typical technician would use non-conductive paste. Additionally, a short would likely prevent the system from booting.

D

Distractor review

Reapply the paste to the heatsink instead of the CPU

Applying paste to the heatsink is acceptable as long as it is spread evenly. The location of application alone would not cause such a severe temperature issue.

Common exam trap

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Technical deep dive

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
  • Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
  • Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
  • Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

  • Underline the problem statement mentally.
  • Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
  • Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Related practice questions

Related 220-1101 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

More questions from this exam

Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.

Question 1

A user reports intermittent network connectivity on a desktop computer. The technician observes that the Ethernet link light on the NIC turns off for a few seconds and then turns back on. The cable passes a wiremap test, the switch port is verified good with another device, and the NIC driver is updated. The issue occurs more frequently when the computer's case fan runs at high speed. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Question 2

A workstation is unable to connect to the internet. The technician runs the 'ipconfig' command and sees the IPv4 address is 169.254.15.200 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. The workstation can ping other devices on the local subnet but cannot ping the default gateway or any external addresses. Which TWO actions should the technician take to resolve this issue? (Select two.)

Question 3

A workstation is connected to a managed switch. It obtains a valid IP address (192.168.10.50) from the DHCP server, but it cannot ping the default gateway (192.168.10.1). The link light on both the workstation NIC and the switch port are solid green. Other workstations on the same switch CAN ping the default gateway successfully. The technician accesses the switch management interface and finds that the workstation's port is configured as an access port on VLAN 10. The default gateway is located on VLAN 20. An inter-VLAN router is configured but not explicitly allowing VLAN 10 access to VLAN 20. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the problem?

Question 4

A company develops a web application that relies on a custom library available only for a specific Linux distribution. They want to deploy the application in the cloud with minimal administrative overhead, but they need full control over the software stack, including the ability to install the custom library and configure the web server. Which cloud service model BEST meets these requirements?

Question 5

A company has a legacy virtual machine running on a deprecated hypervisor (Hyper-V). They want to migrate this VM to a new hypervisor (VMware vSphere) hosted in a private cloud while preserving the VM's configuration, installed applications, and data. The migration must be performed with minimal downtime. Which of the following methods is MOST appropriate?

Question 6

A company hosts a critical database on a virtual machine in a public cloud. The database requires persistent storage that must be retained even if the VM is terminated. The storage must also be accessible from multiple VMs simultaneously for a future high-availability configuration. Which type of cloud storage BEST meets these requirements?

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this 220-1101 question test?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Remove the protective plastic liner from the heatsink's thermal pad — The most common mistake when replacing thermal paste is not removing the plastic protective cover on the heatsink's pre-applied thermal pad. Many coolers come with a thin plastic film that must be peeled off before installation. If left on, it acts as an insulator and prevents proper heat transfer. Using too much paste can cause spillage but rarely causes such high temperatures immediately.

What should I do if I get this 220-1101 question wrong?

Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.

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