220-1101 Networking Practice Question
A workstation has an APIPA address beginning with 169.254 after being moved to a new office. Other users in the office can access the network. What is the most likely issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume the DHCP server is down because the workstation has an APIPA address, but the question states other users can access the network, indicating the issue is isolated to the workstation's connectivity to the DHCP server.
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 workstation did not receive an address from DHCP
The APIPA address (169.254.x.x) is automatically assigned by the operating system when a DHCP server is unreachable. Since other users in the office can access the network, the DHCP server is functioning, so the issue is specific to this workstation's inability to obtain a DHCP lease—likely due to a faulty cable, port, or NIC configuration.
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 missing
Why it's wrong here
A missing printer driver would cause print-specific failures like spooler errors or the printer not appearing in Devices and Printers, but it has no mechanism to modify the TCP/IP stack or the DHCP client process. Workstation IP addressing is handled entirely by the network stack and DHCP service, which are independent of printer software installation. Therefore, a printer driver issue cannot explain the workstation having a 169.254.x.x APIPA address.
- ✗
The monitor refresh rate is unsupported
Why it's wrong here
The monitor's refresh rate is a display parameter controlled by the graphics driver and the OS's display settings; it only affects the signal sent to the monitor panel, causing issues like flickering or an 'out of range' message. It does not interact with the network adapter, DHCP client, or IP configuration in any way. A display setting cannot cause the DHCP discovery process to fail or trigger APIPA self-assignment, so this option is unrelated to the symptom.
- ✗
DNS resolution is working normally
Why it's wrong here
With a 169.254.x.x APIPA address, the workstation is confined to link-local communication with no default gateway or DNS server accessible, so any DNS query would be unanswerable and 'working normally' would be impossible to verify. More fundamentally, DNS resolution is a downstream service that depends on having a valid IP configuration, not a cause of IP configuration. The DHCP server unreachability that leads to APIPA is independent of DNS, so DNS cannot be the source of the self-assigned address.
- ✓
The workstation did not receive an address from DHCP
Why this is correct
A 169.254.x.x address is the signature of Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA), which a Windows client uses only after DHCP discovery and request attempts go unanswered. This indicates the workstation sent out DHCPDISCOVER packets but never received a DHCPOFFER or DHCPACK, meaning no DHCP server was reachable on the local subnet. The technician should verify the DHCP service, network link, and VLAN assignment; the client itself is working as designed by self-assigning a link-local address to preserve some communication capability.
Visual reference
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
IPv4 Address Classes and Ranges
Key term
Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing
A fallback method used by a device to automatically assign itself an IP address when it cannot obtain one from a DHCP server.
Key term
Operating system
An operating system (OS) is the core software that manages a computer's hardware and software resources, providing common services for computer programs.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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