#2Comptia Pt.iii

Front 1

Which of the following could be used to test the voltage coming from a power supply?
A. Line tester
B. Multimeter
C. Loopback plugs
D. Cable tester

Back 1

B. Multimeter

Front 2

Which of the following should be used to test a parallel port?
A. Line tester
B. Multimeter
C. Null modem cable
D. Loopback plugs

Back 2

D. Loopback plugs

Front 3

A technician is upgrading memory in a desktop PC. The user purchased two 2GB DIMMS from the
PC
manufacturer. The PC powers on and POST shows 2GB of RAM. Which of the following is the
FIRST action to perform?
A. Update the manufacturer's chipset drivers.
B. Replace the two 2GB DIMMs with four 1GB DIMMs.
C. Update the PC BIOS and verify all memory is seen in POST.
D. Replace both of the 2GB DIMMs memory with new memory.

Back 3

C. Update the PC BIOS and verify all memory is seen in POST.

Front 4

An administrator has connected a computer to the network, but does not have connectivity. Which
of the following is the BEST way to test connectivity?
A. Digital multimeter
B. Line tester
C. Network card tester
D. Computer diagnostic software

Back 4

B. Line tester

Front 5

Which of the following tools should the technician use when testing a serial port?
A. Cable tester
B. Multimeter
C. Loopback plug
D. Logic probe

Back 5

C. Loopback plug

Front 6

The print spooler for a local printer continues to fill up with new jobs and no jobs are being
processed at the printer. Which of the following is MOST likely the cause?
A. The network connection is unavailable.
B. The printer is offline.
C. The user does not have the proper security permissions.
D. The print spooler is stopped.

Back 6

B. The printer is offline.

Front 7

A customer has a dim image on their internal LCD panel, but when connecting to an external
display, the image is fine. Which of the following is MOST likely the cause?
A. Inverter
B. LCD cable
C. LCD panel
D. System I/O

Back 7

A. Inverter

Front 8

A technician has to repeatedly set the BIOS time. Which of the following is MOST likely the cause
of this issue?
A. Daylight savings time is checked in the OS settings.
B. The OS system time is wrong.
C. The CMOS battery has to be replaced.
D. Daylight savings time is unchecked in the OS settings.

Back 8

C. The CMOS battery has to be replaced.

Front 9

A laptop optical drive has failed and needs to be replaced with a drive allowing the user to store
25GB of data on each disk. Which of the following drive types would MOST likely be installed?
A. DVD-RW
B. DVD+RW
C. DVD
D. Blu-Ray

Back 9

D. Blu-Ray

Front 10

A technician has been called to a user's desk to diagnose a computer that is making a loud
grinding noise when it is powered on. The computer fails to load the operating system and has an
error that states 'no boot device found'. Which of the following has failed?
A. Memory module
B. Hard drive
C. Motherboard
D. Optical drive

Back 10

B. Hard drive

Front 11

While trying to load an image on a machine, the process stalls at configuring BIOS settings. When
the technician restarts the machine, it does not POST. Which of the following can be performed to
resolve this issue?
A. Move the CMOS jumper, boot, shut down and move the jumper back.
B. Shut down the workstation, reboot, and move the CMOS jumper.
C. Update BIOS firmware, reinstall the OS, and reboot the machine.
D. Restart the machine, remove the CMOS jumper, and reboot the machine.

Back 11

A. Move the CMOS jumper, boot, shut down and move the jumper back.

Front 12

A user needs a laptop keyboard replaced because the space bar is not working. A technician
replaces the
keyboard, and notices that a diagonal set of keys will not respond. Which of the following is the
MOST likely cause?
A. StickyKeys is enabled and needs to be disabled.
B. The new keyboard is defective and needs to be replaced.
C. The system board is defective.
D. The keyboard ribbon is not seated properly.

Back 12

D. The keyboard ribbon is not seated properly.

Front 13

A user states that the LCD display on their laptop has intermittent lines on the screen. The
technician notices that when the display panel is moved, the line appears and then disappears.
Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
A. The hinge on the display panel is damaged.
B. The display cable is loose or damaged.
C. The display panel is defective.
D. The video controller on the system board is defective.

Back 13

B. The display cable is loose or damaged.

Front 14

A technician is installing a second PATA hard drive on the same channel as an existing PATA
drive. With which of the following should the technician be MOST concerned?
A. The motherboard firmware version
B. Matching sizes for the two drives
C. Proper jumper placement on the drives
D. Matching RPM ratings for the two drives

Back 14

C. Proper jumper placement on the drives

Front 15

When installing a floppy drive a technician should pay careful attention to which of the following?
A. The bus speed is compatible with the floppy drive
B. The drive is high density dual-sided
C. The data cable from the drive to the controller is properly aligned
D. The system only has one floppy drive installed

Back 15

C. The data cable from the drive to the controller is properly aligned

Front 16

After replacing the motherboard in a laptop, the system overheats and fails to boot. Which of the
following is the MOST likely cause of this error?
A. Thermal paste was not applied between the heatsink and CPU.
B. The fan is not compatible with the new motherboard.
C. The GPU is not compatible with the CPU.
D. The replacement motherboard firmware is out of date.

Back 16

A. Thermal paste was not applied between the heatsink and CPU.

Front 17

When disassembling a laptop a technician should do which of the following?
A. Remove the hard drive and backup all data before disassembly
B. Carefully place all screws in one container so that they do not get lost
C. Refer to the manufacturer's documentation
D. Start from the top of the laptop, carefully disassembling each component

Back 17

C. Refer to the manufacturer's documentation

Front 18

A new firewall has been installed and now the client offsite is unable to RDP into the server. Which
of the ports need to be open and forwarded to the server?
A. 23
B. 80
C. 3389
D. 8080

Back 18

C. 3389

Front 19

A user would like 50GB of data transferred from their old computer to their new computer. Which
of the following would be the BEST way to transfer their data?
A. Flash drive
B. DVDs
C. Floppy disks
D. USB hard drive adapter

Back 19

D. USB hard drive adapter

Front 20

Which of the following should be used when removing or installing computer components?
A. Thermal compound
B. Anti-static mat
C. Loopback plugs
D. Multimeter

Back 20

B. Anti-static mat

Front 21

Which of the following would BEST be used to test that a power supply is providing the correct
power to a system?
A. Oscilloscope
B. Wire crimper
C. Multimeter
D. Loopback plug

Back 21

C. Multimeter

Front 22

Which of the following should MOST likely be replaced if the laptop will not display any video
through the laptop's screen or an external monitor?
A. LCD
B. Power inverter
C. Video drivers
D. Video card

Back 22

D. Video card

Front 23

Which of the following tools could be used to probe a faulty power supply? (Select TWO).
A. Multimeter
B. Punch down
C. Loopback plug
D. Power supply tester
E. CAT5 cable tester

Back 23

A. Multimeter

D. Power supply tester

Front 24

A laptop LCD screen needs to be replaced. Which of the following tools would be BEST used to
open the case?
A. Flathead screwdriver
B. Plastic shim
C. Metal shim
D. Pliers

Back 24

B. Plastic shim

Front 25

Which of the following tools is used to prevent ESD?
A. Cable tester
B. Wrist strap
C. Multimeter
D. Power supply tester

Back 25

B. Wrist strap

Front 26

A technician wants to verify that a PC power supply is converting the AC current it receives in to
the correct DC current. Which of the following tools would BEST accomplish this?
A. Multimeter
B. Power attenuator
C. Amperage meter
D. Toner and probe

Back 26

A. Multimeter

Front 27

An advertising firm often prints large amounts of graphics on their color laser printer. Many times
the printer errors out and will not print the graphics; the printer will always print text documents.
Which of the following is the BEST way to remedy this issue?
A. Install more printer memory
B. Print the graphics in grayscale
C. Flash the NVRAM
D. Update the firmware

Back 27

A. Install more printer memory

Front 28

A technician on a Windows PC wants to ping continuously to another PC. Which of the following
commands will facilitate this?
A. ping -l
B. pathping
C. ping -t
D. ping -c

Back 28

C. ping -t

Front 29

After replacing a processor in a PC, the system shuts down after a few seconds. Which of the
following should be done to correct the issue?
A. Apply fresh thermal compound
B. Install a new cooling fan
C. Reset the BIOS to default settings
D. Install a slower processor

Back 29

A. Apply fresh thermal compound

Front 30

New memory has been installed into a PC. The PC fails to POST after the memory is installed.
The manufacturer's website states that the motherboard supports the new memory. Which of the
following may resolve the problem?
A. Upgrade to a compatible processor
B. Configure the memory parity
C. Update the BIOS
D. Upgrade the operating system

Back 30

C. Update the BIOS

Front 31

After installing a replacement floppy disk drive, the LED on the drive stays constantly lit and the
drive does not work. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the problem?
A. Floppy ribbon is reversed
B. Floppy disk is in the drive
C. Floppy ribbon is not connected
D. This is normal after replacement

Back 31

A. Floppy ribbon is reversed

Front 32

A technician needs to add an Ethernet adapter to a laptop computer. In which of the following slot
types would the new card MOST likely be installed?
A. PCIe
B. PCI
C. AGP
D. PCMCIA

Back 32

D. PCMCIA

Front 33

A laptop needs to have a wireless adapter installed. The laptop supports the installation of an
internal wireless card in a mini PCI slot. After installing the card, Windows does not detect any
wireless signals. Which of the following would MOST likely resolve the issue?
A. Enable the mini PCI slot in the BIOS.
B. Increase the power level of the card.
C. Install an external antenna.
D. Connect the internal antenna.

Back 33

D. Connect the internal antenna.

Front 34

A user is attempting to print a very large color graphic to a network color laser printer. After a few
minutes the printer displays an error and does not print the graphic. Regular text documents print
without issue. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?
A. Network connectivity issue
B. Incompatible print driver
C. Firmware needs to be updated
D. Insufficient printer memory

Back 34

D. Insufficient printer memory

Front 35

A laser printer is displaying an error message that the toner needs to be replaced. After replacing
the toner, nothing prints. Which of the following will MOST likely resolve the issue?
A. Calibrate the printer for the new toner
B. Replace the fuser
C. Reset the maintenance page count
D. Remove the seal strip from the toner

Back 35

D. Remove the seal strip from the toner

Front 36

Which of the following switches in Windows can be used to ping a host until stopped?
A. -l
B. -a
C. -t
D. -f

Back 36

C. -t

Front 37

A technician installs a motherboard from a manufacturer that states it supports 4GB of RAM. After
the installation, the computer only recognizes 2GB. Which of the following needs to be performed?
A. Update firmware
B. Update drivers
C. Replace the CMOS battery
D. Windows update

Back 37

A. Update firmware

Front 38

A technician notices that the computer is only obtaining a 169.x.x.x IP address on the network
even when the network card is set to obtain IP address automatically. Which of the following
services is MOST likely malfunctioning?
A. DHCP
B. DNS
C. NAT
D. SNMP

Back 38

A. DHCP

Front 39

A user would like to manage a workstation from a different network. Which of the following would
be used to enable this operation?
A. Enable DHCP
B. Enable firewall
C. Enable port forwarding
D. Enable MAC filtering

Back 39

C. Enable port forwarding

Front 40

Which of the following is the speed a 1600MHz FSB processor will operate at if the FSB of the
motherboard is 3200MHz?
A. 1333MHz
B. 1600MHz
C. 3200MHz
D. 4800MHz

Back 40

B. 1600MHz

Front 41

Which of the following is the speed a 1600MHz FSB processor will operate at if the FSB of the
motherboard is 1333MHz?
A. 1333MHz
B. 1600MHz
C. 2933MHz
D. 3200MHz

Back 41

A. 1333MHz

Front 42

A user replaces a laptop's wireless PCMCIA card with a different vendor's card. All of the new card
configuration steps have been followed. The OS sees all known wireless networks but cannot
connect to the user's network. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for this behavior?
A. DMZ is enabled.
B. MAC filtering is enabled.
C. WEP is being used.
D. SSID broadcast is disabled.

Back 42

B. MAC filtering is enabled.

Front 43

An ACPI PC powers on and runs POST. Less than a minute later it powers off. Which of the
following should be checked FIRST?
A. Memory type and speed
B. Hard drive jumpers
C. HDD for bad sectors
D. CPU fan operation

Back 43

D. CPU fan operation

Front 44

A client is having a problem with crosstalk on their phone line; this is the same line that the DSL is
on. Which of the following tools can a technician use to verify the problem?
A. Multimeter
B. Loopback plugs
C. Cable tester
D. Butt set

Back 44

D. Butt set

Front 45

When replacing a system board on a laptop, which of the following should be done FIRST to help
ensure proper reassembly?
A. Place all screws in a cup
B. Document screw locations
C. Place all parts in a bin
D. Place LCD to the side to prevent damage

Back 45

B. Document screw locations

Front 46

When replacing system components on a laptop, if the technician is unsure of a part location,
which of the following should the technician consult FIRST?
A. Third party support center
B. Manufacturer documentation
C. Microsoft Knowledge Base
D. Technical chat forum

Back 46

B. Manufacturer documentation

Front 47

A technician has just deployed new laptops for a company to be used in conjunction with their
existing wireless access points. None of the laptops can pick up the SSID for the access point.
Which of the following is the MOST likely issue?
A. WPA2 security was not turned on for the access point.
B. The access point is 802.11g and the laptops are 802.11n.
C. The laptops all have their physical wireless switches turned off.
D. The access point is 802.11a and the laptops are 802.11g.

Back 47

D. The access point is 802.11a and the laptops are 802.11g.

Front 48

A user reports that their Windows XP machine, which has a 250 GB hard drive, can only recognize
137GB during usage. Which of the following is the MOST likely problem?
A. The hard drive jumpers have not been set properly.
B. Service Pack 1 has not been installed on the machine.
C. Windows XP does not support hard drives larger than 137GB.
D. The hard drive is defective and needs to be replaced.

Back 48

B. Service Pack 1 has not been installed on the machine.

Front 49

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that intermittently does not power on. Which of the following
tools would be the BEST choice to use to verify a possible cause?
A. Cable tester
B. Ohm meter
C. Field strength meter
D. PSU tester

Back 49

D. PSU tester

Front 50

Which of the following tools would be BEST to use to pry open the case of a laptop?
A. Metal screwdriver
B. Plastic wedge
C. Needle-nose pliers
D. Extension magnet

Back 50

B. Plastic wedge

Front 51

Which of the following could be tested with a set of loop back plugs? (Select TWO).
A. PS\2 ports
B. FireWire ports
C. Serial ports
D. SATA ports
E. Parallel ports

Back 51

C. Serial ports

E. Parallel ports

Front 52

A technician is troubleshooting a monitor displaying a blank screen and the power indicator light is
on.
Which of the following should the technician do next?
A. Test the computer with a known-good monitor.
B. Check if the monitor is still covered under the manufacturer's warranty.
C. Replace the monitor's power cord with a known-good power cord.
D. Swap out the computer's video card.

Back 52

A. Test the computer with a known-good monitor.

Front 53

A technician finds that a laptop's display only works properly when the LCD screen is positioned at
certain
angles. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?
A. LCD screen
B. Display harness
C. Video card
D. Inverter

Back 53

B. Display harness

Front 54

A technician installs 1GB of RAM in the single SODIMM slot of a laptop. After the installation,
Windows
reports that only 960MB of RAM are available. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
A. The laptop requires single sided memory.
B. The laptop does not have the most current BIOS version installed.
C. The laptop requires ECC RAM.
D. The laptop has onboard video with shared memory.

Back 54

D. The laptop has onboard video with shared memory.

Front 55

After visiting the Windows Update website on a Windows 2000 computer and installing all
updates, a user
reports that they are unable to select any resolution above 640X480 with sixteen colors. Which of
the
following procedures should the technician complete FIRST?
A. Increase the amount of shared video memory in the BIOS settings.
B. Reinstall device drivers for the video card from the manufacturer's website.
C. Set Hardware Acceleration for the video card to full in the advanced area of Display Settings.
D. Uninstall the Windows Service Pack that had been installed most recently.

Back 55

B. Reinstall device drivers for the video card from the manufacturer's website.

Front 56

After opening up the lid of a laptop that is powered on, nothing is displayed on the LCD. Opening
and
closing the lid multiple times usually causes the display to regain the signal. Which of the following
components should the technician check FIRST?
A. Motherboard
B. Video card
C. Cutoff switch
D. AC adapter

Back 56

C. Cutoff switch

Front 57

A technician is installing an additional SATA hard drive on a system. After checking that the drive
has
power and is connected to the motherboard, the drive is not recognized by the PC. Which of the
following
should the technician do FIRST?
A. Configure the SATA drive to master.
B. Go into the BIOS and verify that the SATA port is enabled.
C. Go into the BIOS and verify that all of the IDE connections are disabled.
D. Configure the SATA drive to Slave.

Back 57

B. Go into the BIOS and verify that the SATA port is enabled.

Front 58

A technician is providing new PCs for an engineering team. The engineering team has requested
the highest video performance possible for their new systems. Which of the following should the
technician recommend for the new PCs for MAXIMUM video performance?
A. Turn off the integrated video card on the motherboard and install a PCI video card with 512MB
onboard.
B. Turn off the integrated video card on the motherboard and install a PCI Express x16 video card
with 512MB onboard.
C. Turn off the integrated video card on the motherboard and install a PCI Express x1 video card
with 512MB onboard.
D. Turn on the video sharing for the system memory and use the integrated video card on the
motherboard.

Back 58

B. Turn off the integrated video card on the motherboard and install a PCI Express x16 video card
with 512MB onboard.

Front 59

A technician is troubleshooting a laptop with a powered USB hub. The USB hub has a keyboard,
mouse,
and a removable hard drive plugged into it. The devices are not being recognized by the operating
system.
A USB wireless device is connected directly to the PC and working properly. Which of the
following should
the technician attempt FIRST?
A. Attach the wireless device to the USB hub to verify if the PC will detect it.
B. Verify that the USB ports are turned on in the BIOS and set the proper boot order.
C. Replace the USB hub with a non-powered USB hub.
D. Replace the keyboard and mouse.

Back 59

A. Attach the wireless device to the USB hub to verify if the PC will detect it.

Front 60

Which of the following would BEST allow a technician to find out where a problem is between two
networked computers?
A. IPCONFIG.EXE
B. TRACERT.EXE
C. MSCONFIG.EXE
D. NSLOOKUP.EXE

Back 60

B. TRACERT.EXE

Front 61

Which of the following default ports must be opened to allow a technician to telnet into a machine?
A. 21
B. 23
C. 24
D. 25

Back 61

B. 23

Front 62

If the BIOS does not recognize a new hard drive after installation, which of the following is MOST
likely the
cause?
A. A partition was not created on the drive.
B. The BIOS chip was corrupted.
C. The jumper configuration on the drive was incorrect.
D. The drive was not formatted correctly.

Back 62

C. The jumper configuration on the drive was incorrect.

Front 63

A technician has just completed a CPU upgrade on a motherboard. Which of the following will
MOST likely
cause the PC not to boot?
A. The technician used generic thermal paste.
B. The processor had pins broken during installation.
C. The memory is incompatible with the new CPU.
D. An incorrect fan size was installed on the heatsink.

Back 63

B. The processor had pins broken during installation.

Front 64

A customer has installed a game, added memory, installed a printer, and uninstalled their
accounting software. The workstation boot process stops after POST. Which of the following is the
MOST likely cause of the random restarts?
A. The new system memory is defective.
B. The accounting application needs to be reinstalled.
C. The new printer uses up too much system memory.
D. The game is causing resource conflicts within Windows.

Back 64

A. The new system memory is defective.

Front 65

After a video card upgrade nothing is displayed on the LCD screen. Which of the following is the
MOST likely cause of the problem?
iA. The new video card has to be first installed using the Services MMC.
A. The onboard video of the motherboard is still enabled in the BIOS.
B. New video cards require new monitors as their resolutions do not match.
C. The new video card has to be enabled by a DIP switch on the motherboard.

Back 65

B. New video cards require new monitors as their resolutions do not match.

Front 66

A legacy AGP 2X video card is upgraded to an AGP 8X card. The PC is powered on and nothing
happens.
Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the problem?
A. The AGP 8X video card does not have proper jumper settings.
B. The PC BIOS must use a larger AGP window setting.
C. The AGP version is not supported by the PC BIOS.
D. The AGP card requires the video memory shading enabled.

Back 66

C. The AGP version is not supported by the PC BIOS.

Front 67

A client purchased a new internal hard drive to act as a second drive on a legacy machine. When
the client attempts to install the drive, the cable connector on the new drive is not compatible with
the available IDE cables. It is determined that the client has purchased a SATA hard drive. Which
of the following would the technician recommend as the BEST solution to this situation?
A. Have the client purchase a SATA compatible system board.
B. Have the client purchase a SATA to IDE conversion kit.
C. Have the client return the drive and purchase an IDE compatible drive.
D. Have the client purchase a SCSI to SATA conversion kit.

Back 67

C. Have the client return the drive and purchase an IDE compatible drive.

Front 68

Which of the following steps can a technician take to determine if a system board is faulty?
A. Remove the CPU.
B. Remove the BIOS chipset.
C. Take hardware down to the bare minimum.
D. Check the BIOS to see if video shadowing is enabled.

Back 68

C. Take hardware down to the bare minimum.

Front 69

A desktop PC monitor has no display after a power failure. The light on the monitor is on. Which of
the
following actions should be taken FIRST?
A. Power cycle the USB peripherals.
B. Power cycle the breaker switches.
C. Power cycle the PC.
D. Power cycle the uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

Back 69

C. Power cycle the PC.

Front 70

Which of the following is the default system directory for Windows 2000?
A. C:\WINDOWS
B. C:\WINNT
C. C:\
D. C:\SYSTEM

Back 70

B. C:\WINNT

Front 71

Which of the following would a technician install if the motherboard supported a maximum bus
speed of 400MHz and the user wanted the memory to run at the maximum bus speed within the manufacturer's specifications?
A. PC1600
B. PC2100
C. PC2700
D. PC3200

Back 71

D. PC3200

Front 72

A customer is experiencing problems downloading a file from the Internet. The customer is still
successfully receiving emails and has Internet access. Other users are successfully receiving the
file with no issues. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause for the customer's file
problems?
A. The third party firewall software is disabling access.
B. The user's file system is corrupted, and a disk scan should be performed.
C. A copy of the file already exists on the local machine.
D. The server is blocking access to the file.

Back 72

A. The third party firewall software is disabling access.

Front 73

A technician is installing a memory upgrade for a remote user. The technician notes that the
machine is not reporting the correct amount of memory that was installed during the POST step.
Which of the following actions should the technician perform FIRST?
A. Replace the newly installed memory modules with another known-working unit.
B. Remove and reseat the memory, and recheck the memory reported.
C. Leave the configuration intact, and check cabling to ensure nothing was loose during the
installation.
D. Perform a BIOS upgrade on the machine.

Back 73

B. Remove and reseat the memory, and recheck the memory reported.

Front 74

A user reports that they are unable to open any audio files. Yesterday, the user uninstalled third
party
music software. Which of the following is the MOST likely the cause of the user's error?
A. The file associations were not returned after the software was uninstalled.
B. The user is not opening the files correctly.
C. The uninstalled software has corrupted all the audio files on the computer.
D. The sound card is not properly configured.

Back 74

A. The file associations were not returned after the software was uninstalled.

Front 75

A technician has installed front panel USB ports and now they are not functioning properly;
however, the
ports located on the rear of the motherboard are functioning properly. Which of the following would
be the
FIRST step to take?
A. Check the Device Manager for any alerts or question marks over USB related devices.
B. Check the USB rear panel header pinouts, and ensure that the ports are wired per the
manufacturer's
instructions.
C. Ensure that the devices being plugged in are not drawing too much power from the USB ports.
D. Test the voltage output of each USB port with a multimeter and compare front and rear USB
ports.

Back 75

A. Check the Device Manager for any alerts or question marks over USB related devices.

Front 76

A technician has installed a secondary hard drive for a computer. However, the hard drive is not
appearing under My Computer. The disk is receiving power, and appeared on the POST when
Windows started. Which of the following Windows utilities would help configure the new hard disk?
A. Disk Management
B. Services and Applications
C. Removable Storage
D. Device Manager

Back 76

A. Disk Management

Front 77

A technician is performing a memory upgrade by installing an additional 1GB stick of DDR RAM
into a system. When the installation is complete, the computer shows 2GB of RAM at POST; however, it
now
indicates a lower speed setting for the memory. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
A. The newly installed RAM has a lower clock speed than the existing RAM.
B. The CPU is not configured to work with the additional RAM.
C. The system is incompatible with the new RAM.
D. The new RAM is of lower quality, and not dependable at higher speeds.

Back 77

A. The newly installed RAM has a lower clock speed than the existing RAM.

Front 78

In which of the following locations will a technician start and stop the print spooler?
A. Click Start, select run and type Services.msc
B. Click Start, select run and type gpedit.msc
C. Click Start, select run and type regedit
D. Click Start, Settings, Printers and Faxes

Back 78

A. Click Start, select run and type Services.msc

Front 79

While booting a Windows XP computer, it takes approximately ten minutes to boot the operating
system
and the HDD activity LED is continuously illuminated. Which of the following is the MOST likely
cause?
A. The HDD needs more cache memory.
B. The HDD IDE cable is not fully attached.
C. The HDD is near maximum capacity.
D. The HDD activity LED is defective.

Back 79

C. The HDD is near maximum capacity.

Front 80

A technician installed a new video card on a motherboard which has onboard video. When the
monitor was plugged into the new card and the power was turned on, a no signal message
appeared on the monitor.
Which of the following is MOST likely the issue?
A. In the BIOS, the onboard video adapter must be disabled.
B. The video resolution is set too high.
C. The LCD panel is defective.
D. The drivers for the new video card must be installed before installing the card.

Back 80

A. In the BIOS, the onboard video adapter must be disabled.

Front 81

A customer purchased a new PC with Windows XP but wants to run a program designed for
Windows 98.
Which of the following will allow this program to run under Windows XP?
A. Change the file permissions for the executable file.
B. Use the convert utility to change the attributes of the executable file.
C. Make sure that Windows XP has FAT32 file system.
D. Run the executable file under compatibility mode.

Back 81

D. Run the executable file under compatibility mode.

Front 82

Which of the following tools can check multiple computers' power supplies the QUICKEST?
A. A line monitor
B. UPS monitor software
C. PSU tester
D. Multimeter

Back 82

C. PSU tester

Front 83

A customer's laptop CPU constantly changes speed when not in use. The customer wants 100%
CPU performance at all times. Which of the following is recommended in this situation?
A. Install updated drivers for the CPU.
B. Replace the CPU.
C. Reinstall the operating system.
D. Disable SpeedStep in the BIOS.

Back 83

D. Disable SpeedStep in the BIOS.

Front 84

After installing a motherboard on a PC, the power light is not on. Which of the following should fix
this
problem?
A. Reverse the polarity of the HDD LED.
B. Reverse the polarity of the power switch.
C. Replace the power supply.
D. Reverse the polarity of the power LED.

Back 84

D. Reverse the polarity of the power LED.

Front 85

After applying a new layer of thermal grease on a passive cooling system installed on the CPU,
the BIOS
still shows the CPU operates above the expected temperature range. Which of the following
should
address this problem?
A. Update the BIOS firmware.
B. Install an active cooling system on the CPU.
C. Increase the voltage to the cooling system.
D. Replace the chipset cooling system.

Back 85

B. Install an active cooling system on the CPU.

Front 86

A legacy PCI IDE controller card does not recognize a new IDE HDD. Which of the following
maintenance techniques would BEST resolve this situation?
A. Perform a BIOS upgrade.
B. Update the IDE controller's firmware.
C. Format the HDD on another PC.
D. Update the IDE controller's driver.

Back 86

B. Update the IDE controller's firmware.

Front 87

A laptop's LCD stays very dark even when brightness is adjusted. Which of the following MOST
likely
describes this problem?
A. The LCD screen has bad transistors.
B. The backlight is not functioning properly.
C. The BIOS settings prevent the adjustment of brightness.
D. There is not enough DC power supplied to the screen.

Back 87

B. The backlight is not functioning properly.

Front 88

Which of the following options would limit a printer's availability?
A. Establish times of printer availability under printing preferences under the printer's properties.
B. There is no option to change printer availability under Windows XP.
C. Remove the printer driver from the local machine.
D. Establish times of printer availability under advanced tab under the printer's properties.

Back 88

D. Establish times of printer availability under advanced tab under the printer's properties.

Front 89

A USB attached storage device randomly powers down while the computer is running. This is
causing file
errors on the USB drive. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause for this occurrence?
A. The file system on the drive is faulty.
B. The USB hub is malfunctioning.
C. The incorrect drivers are installed for the USB device.
D. The USB cable is receiving electronic interference.

Back 89

B. The USB hub is malfunctioning.

Front 90

A technician has a power supply that has a P8 and P9 power connector. Which of the following
motherboards should the technician install?
A. ATX
B. BTX
C. AT
D. NLX

Back 90

C. AT

Front 91

Which of the following motherboards uses a riser card?
A. AT
B. Baby AT
C. NLX
D. BTX

Back 91

C. NLX

Front 92

A technician receives a work order for a NIC that is not working. Which of the following would the
technician do as part of the troubleshooting process?
A. Ensure DIP switches are configured correctly.
B. Check proper seating.
C. Run a CHKDSK.
D. Run a Disk Defragmenter.

Back 92

B. Check proper seating.

Front 93

A technician is replacing a hard drive in a computer that contains two IDE drives. After installing
the new hard drive, neither IDE drive is recognized by the system. Which of the following is MOST
likely the problem?
A. Primary and secondary jumpers are incorrectly set.
B. The new drive is not formatted correctly.
C. Both jumpers are set for cable select.
D. The drives are different sizes.

Back 93

A. Primary and secondary jumpers are incorrectly set.

Front 94

A technician receives a computer for repair that has a faulty AGP 4x video card. Checking the
repair stock,
the technician finds that there are no AGP 4x cards available to be a replacement. The
motherboard also
has an open PCI slot. Which of the following replacement video cards would give the BEST
performance?
A. AGP Pro video card
B. PCIe video card
C. AGP 2x video card
D. AGP 8x video card

Back 94

D. AGP 8x video card

Front 95

Upon booting, the error message 'operating system not found' stops the boot process. Which of
the following will correct the problem?
A. Turn off SATA support in the BIOS.
B. Change the hard drives from master/slave to cable select.
C. Install the device drivers that came with the device.
D. Use the FDISK command to change the partition type to extended.

Back 95

B. Change the hard drives from master/slave to cable select.

Front 96

After opening a malfunctioning PC the technician notices that only one memory slot is occupied.
The
technician removes the memory module and identifies it as RDRAM. Which of the following is
MOST likely
the problem?
A. The memory is too fast for the processor.
B. The memory module is bad.
C. The motherboard was not set to the proper clock speed.
D. The system needs two matched memory modules.

Back 96

D. The system needs two matched memory modules.

Front 97

A technician receives an error message 'inaccessible boot device' on their monitor. Which of the
following
components is causing the issue?
A. Hard disk drive failure
B. NTLDR file is missing
C. BIOS is corrupted
D. System board failure

Back 97

A. Hard disk drive failure

Front 98

Which of the following is the correct syntax to format drive X: using the command prompt?
A. format x:/
B. format x:
C. format x
D. format /x:

Back 98

B. format x:

Front 99

A technician has just installed a new power supply into a desktop computer and now the computer
will not turn on. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
A. The voltage selector switch on the power supply is set incorrectly.
B. The 3.3v power line is connected to the wrong input on the motherboard.
C. The new power supply voltage rating is too high.
D. The 12v power cord is installed incorrectly.

Back 99

A. The voltage selector switch on the power supply is set incorrectly.

Front 100

A technician is removing and replacing a 2.5" drive in a laptop. As the technician tries to install the
new drive the technician observes that the drive's pins do not line up properly with the computer
input. Which of
the following is the problem?
A. The computer uses a UDMA drive and the replacement drive is a PIO4 drive.
B. The adapter sleeve needs to be installed on the replacement drive.
C. The replacement hard drive has the wrong rotational speed.
D. The computer uses a PIO4 drive and the replacement drive is UDMA drive.

Back 100

B. The adapter sleeve needs to be installed on the replacement drive.

Front 101

A laptop ticket description reads, "When the computer was turned on a no operating system
message appeared. There were no warning signs or malfunctions before the failure". The
technician confirms the issue. Which of the following should be done FIRST?
A. Reseat the hard drive.
B. Reseat the memory.
C. Perform a memory test.
D. Reinstall the operating system.

Back 101

A. Reseat the hard drive.

Front 102

A technician is troubleshooting a PC with a 'no video output' error. Which of the following will
BEST
diagnose the problem?
A. Oscilloscope
B. Loopback connectors
C. USB drive with PC diagnostic software
D. POST card

Back 102

D. POST card

Front 103

A PC is powered on and begins POST. The PC takes a long time when scanning for drives. The
BIOS
reports no hard drive can be found but the CD-ROM is identified. The technician knows that there
are two
hard drives on the primary EIDE controller and a CD-ROM on the secondary EIDE controller.
Which of the
following is the MOST likely cause of the problem?
A. Both hard drives have the master jumper in place.
B. One hard drive is set as master and the other slave.
C. The hard drive data cable is reversed.
D. Both hard drives have the cable select jumper in place.

Back 103

A. Both hard drives have the master jumper in place.

Front 104

A laser printer displays 'perform user maintenance'. The manufacturer's information was not
available when the user performed the maintenance, and the laser printer continues to display the
maintenance code. Which of the following items needs to be performed?
A. The printer needs to be sent to the manufacturer for maintenance.
B. The printer's firmware needs to be updated.
C. A printer system reset must be performed.
D. The maintenance page counter must be reset.

Back 104

D. The maintenance page counter must be reset.

Front 105

A printer will not print from tray two. Which of the following steps will resolve the problem?
A. Power on tray two.
B. Swap the trays in the printer.
C. Configure the options and default settings.
D. Calibrate the printer.

Back 105

C. Configure the options and default settings.

Front 106

A laptop is received from a client who explains that a friend has the same unit and wireless card,
the friend is able to use WPA2 encryption with their home router. The client would like to be able
to use WPA2; however, the client claims the wireless card on the laptop does not have an option
for WPA2. Which of the following should be done to resolve the issue?
A. The client's wireless card can handle WPA2, but needs a driver update. Install the latest driver
and test
for functionality.
B. The WPA2 BIOS option is not properly set on the laptop. Properly set the BIOS and test for
functionality.
C. The client's wireless card can handle WPA2, but needs to have the latest BIOS installed.
Download
the newest BIOS, install, and test for functionality.
D. The client's laptop cannot handle WPA2 without special software that needs to be downloaded.
Download software, install, and test for functionality.

Back 106

A. The client's wireless card can handle WPA2, but needs a driver update. Install the latest driver
and test
for functionality.

Front 107

A user reports that a new printer is generating multiple pages of symbols and unusual characters,
when attempting to print a document from a word processing application. Which of the following is
the MOST likely cause?
A. An incorrect print driver has been installed.
B. The print spooler service is no longer running.
C. An error has occurred on the print server.
D. The network cable is defective.

Back 107

A. An incorrect print driver has been installed.

Front 108

Which of the following is the BEST way to proceed after adding more memory to a laptop?
A. Boot up the machine and confirm the new memory size under the Windows Device Manager.
B. Boot up the machine and set the memory jumpers on the motherboard to the new memory size.
C. Boot up the machine and confirm the change during POST.
D. Boot up the machine and set the new memory size in the system BIOS.

Back 108

C. Boot up the machine and confirm the change during POST.

Front 109

A technician has lost a necessary jumper for a new hard drive that must be installed immediately.
Which of
the following is the BEST solution?
A. Use a jumper from the motherboard where the new drive is going to be installed.
B. Use a jumper from a hard drive that is no longer functioning.
C. Contact the manufacturer of the new hard drive and have a replacement jumper shipped
immediately.
D. The new hard drive must be replaced.

Back 109

B. Use a jumper from a hard drive that is no longer functioning.

Front 110

A user reports that a PC consistently shuts down after hours of usage. Once the PC was shipped
to the repair depot it ran successfully for five days without experiencing any problems. Which of
the following BEST explains the cause of the problem?
A. The system was improperly ventilated at the user's site.
B. Power Management is not configured correctly in the user's computer.
C. The user has a defective power supply.
D. The system needs a new CPU fan.

Back 110

A. The system was improperly ventilated at the user's site.

Front 111

Which of the following would allow a technician to add IEEE 1394 to a system with the LEAST
possible
cost?
A. Replace the existing motherboard with an IEEE 1394 compliant motherboard.
B. Install a firmware update to add IEEE 1394 to the system.
C. Install an IEEE 1394 expansion card in the PCI slot.
D. Replace the existing system case with a system case that includes IEEE 1394 compliant
connections.

Back 111

C. Install an IEEE 1394 expansion card in the PCI slot.

Front 112

A user reports that their PC is making a strange noise. Which of the following is the cause of the
problem?
A. A network cable is vibrating against the system case.
B. An internal wire is improperly routed and is hitting the CPU fan.
C. The thermal grease on the CPU has dried out and needs to be replaced.
D. The CPU needs to be reseated.

Back 112

B. An internal wire is improperly routed and is hitting the CPU fan.

Front 113

Which of the following is the BEST action for a technician to take after moving a PC from one
corporate location to another?
A. Change the NETBIOS name.
B. Install the IPX/SPX protocol.
C. Reseat all expansion cards.
D. Replace all network cards.

Back 113

C. Reseat all expansion cards.

Front 114

A computer is reporting that the internal system temperature on a Socket A based system is too
high. The BIOS shows that the 60mm CPU fan is spinning between 100 and 150 RPM. Which of
the following should the technician do to decrease the temperature?
A. Enable thermal monitoring.
B. Replace the CPU fan.
C. Swap out the fan duct.
D. Add thermal grease to the CPU fan.

Back 114

B. Replace the CPU fan.

Front 115

After reassembling a computer, the power LED on the front of the case no longer turns on when
the power button is pressed. The rest of the computer seems to be functioning normally. Which of
the following should the technician do FIRST?
A. Replace the power LED.
B. Verify all power plugs and connections.
C. Test the power supply.
D. Verify the power LED pinout.

Back 115

D. Verify the power LED pinout.

Front 116

A user reports that their computer will not boot when there is a floppy disk in the floppy disk drive.
Which of the following procedures would resolve the issue?
A. Enable the FDD controller.
B. Change the floppy to secondary master.
C. Change the boot order in the BIOS.
D. Change the jumper settings on the floppy drive.

Back 116

C. Change the boot order in the BIOS.

Front 117

A technician has upgraded a Windows 2000 machine to Windows XP and plans on installing an
internal modem. Which of the following slot types could the technician use?
A. ATX
B. DIMM
C. AGP
D. PCI

Back 117

D. PCI

Front 118

A user is unable to print to the network printer. A print job appears in their print queue and cannot
be deleted. The user has the correct permissions to modify and delete print jobs. All other users
are able to print to the network printer. Which of the following procedures should the technician try
FIRST?
A. Cycle the power on the network printer.
B. Verify the network cable is connected to the printer.
C. Reinstall the printer driver.
D. Restart the print spooler service.

Back 118

D. Restart the print spooler service.

Front 119

A laptop with a soldered DC jack will only charge the battery when the output cord from the AC
adapter is held at a certain angle. Which of the following should the technician inspect FIRST?
A. Inverter
B. Motherboard
C. Main battery
D. BIOS settings

Back 119

B. Motherboard

Front 120

Which of the following can cause a ribbon on an impact printer to tear?
A. The fuser
B. The toner cartridge
C. The platen
D. The printhead

Back 120

D. The printhead

Front 121

A technician replaces an older SCSI drive with a much larger SCSI drive. The system's SCSI
adapter card does not recognize the new drive. The driver for the SCSI adapter is up-to-date.
Which of the following is the BEST action for the technician to take?
A. Check that the SCSI adapter is getting power.
B. Format the SCSI drive with NTFS on another system before the installation.
C. Check for a firmware update from the manufacturer of the SCSI adapter.
D. Change the jumper settings on the SCSI adapter.

Back 121

C. Check for a firmware update from the manufacturer of the SCSI adapter.

Front 122

After a user has installed a USB scanner, nothing on the USB hub works. Which of the following is
the MOST likely cause of the problem?
A. The hub needs to be powered.
B. The scanner driver has become corrupt.
C. The USB driver database has become corrupt.
D. The USB port on PC is faulty.

Back 122

A. The hub needs to be powered.

Front 123

A technician upgrades the memory in a laptop. The latest BIOS version, memory type and amount
have been confirmed to be correct. The technician powers the laptop on and the new memory is
not recognized by the BIOS. Which of the following is the cause of this problem?
A. The memory was not seated correctly.
B. The CMOS battery needs to be replaced on the system board.
C. Windows Update was not performed correctly.
D. The laptop BIOS was not cleared.

Back 123

A. The memory was not seated correctly.

Front 124

Which of the following is the correct path a technician can follow to adjust the virtual memory?
A. Control Panel > System > Hardware > Hardware Profiles > Performance Settings > Change
B. Control Panel > System > Performance Settings > Advanced > Change
C. Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance Settings > Advanced > Change
D. Control Panel > System > Advanced > User Profile Settings > Performance Settings > Change

Back 124

C. Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance Settings > Advanced > Change

Front 125

Which of the following paths can a technician follow to find Disk Defragmenter in Windows XP
Professional?
A. Start > Programs > Accessories > Accessibility
B. Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools
C. Start > Settings > Control Panel > System
D. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools

Back 125

B. Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools

Front 126

Which of the following is the correct path a technician could follow to find the Services Snap-in
console inside of Windows?
A. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools
B. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs
C. Start > Settings > Control Panel > System
D. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Scheduled Tasks

Back 126

A. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools

Front 127

Which of the following paths can a technician follow to clear the Temporary Internet Files in
Windows XP Professional?
A. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Internet Options > Programs > Reset Web Settings
B. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Internet Options > Advanced > Restore Defaults
C. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Internet Options > Delete Files
D. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Internet Options > Privacy

Back 127

C. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Internet Options > Delete Files

Front 128

A customer reports that their no longer able to use P2P software after updating the firmware on
their
router. Which of the following should the technician have the customer perform?
A. Reset the router.
B. Purchase a different router.
C. Uninstall and reinstall the P2P software.
D. Open the appropriate port on the router.

Back 128

D. Open the appropriate port on the router.

Front 129

After checking a printer's documentation, the technician finds that the COM1 port on a computer
needs to be adjusted to 8-bits. Which of the following commands will make the change?
A. ECHO
B. MOVE
C. PRINT
D. MODE

Back 129

D. MODE

Front 130

Which of the following is the BEST procedure to perform if random keys are intermittently not
functioning on a laptop's keyboard?
A. Adjust the typematic rate.
B. Remove the non-functioning keys and clean with contact cleaner.
C. Replace the keyboard.
D. Replace non-functioning keys with known-good keys.

Back 130

C. Replace the keyboard.

Front 131

Which of the following is the FIRST step when troubleshooting a malfunctioning USB controller?
A. Use Windows Device Manager
B. Replace the USB controller
C. Test the voltage using a multimeter
D. Use the System Information Utility

Back 131

A. Use Windows Device Manager

Front 132

A burning smell is coming from a PC. Which of the following steps should a technician take to
determine the point of failure?
A. Plug the machine back in and monitor carefully.
B. Remove all peripheral hardware from the machine and replace one at a time.
C. Replace the CPU and the memory modules.
D. Visually inspect the machine for damaged hardware.

Back 132

D. Visually inspect the machine for damaged hardware.

Front 133

A tape drive is reporting errors. Which of the following maintenance procedures should the
technician do FIRST?
A. Replace all the tapes with brand new tapes.
B. Install a new IDE drive cable.
C. Uninstall the backup software and reinstall.
D. Use the included cleaning tape on the drive.

Back 133

D. Use the included cleaning tape on the drive.

Front 134

After visiting the Windows Update website, it states that 'the following updates were not installed'.
Which of the following would allow the technician to troubleshoot the problem?
A. Manually download and attempt to install each update that failed.
B. Run Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.
C. Run Windows Update on a third-party web browser.
D. Run Windows Update in Safe Mode with Networking.

Back 134

A. Manually download and attempt to install each update that failed.

Front 135

A technician is repairing a laptop that has a problem with its monitor. The technician hooks up an
external monitor to the laptop and the display works fine. The technician notices that when the
laptop is turned on there is a faint dim light that can be seen on the internal monitor. Which of the
following should be replaced to correct this problem?
A. Backlight
B. Screen
C. Wiring harness
D. Video card

Back 135

A. Backlight

Front 136

A SOHO has added three more wireless devices to their network. And now the new devices are
having problems with signal strength. Which of the following would help with the LEAST amount of
cost to the SOHO?
A. Relocate the wireless router to a more central location.
B. Have a technician come in and install new cable routes to the new devices.
C. Install a second wireless router to cover the new devices.
D. Have a wireless access point installed.

Back 136

A. Relocate the wireless router to a more central location.

Front 137

Which of the following speeds will a PC3200 memory module operate at if the bus speed is
400MHz?
A. 400MHz
B. 800MHz
C. 1600MHz
D. 3200MHz

Back 137

A. 400MHz

Front 138

A technician tests the voltage input on the HDD to be 9V. Which of the following should the
technician conclude?
A. HDD is spinning too fast.
B. HDD is spinning too slowly.
C. HDD needs to be replaced.
D. HDD is not compatible.

Back 138

B. HDD is spinning too slowly.

Front 139

A technician is testing a power supply for correct output voltages at the expansion bus. Which of
the following voltages are representative of a correctly working power supply? (Select TWO).
A. 3.3V
B. 5V
C. 7.5V
D. 9V
E. 12V

Back 139

A. 3.3V

B. 5V

Front 140

When installing a new processor the front side bus speed is set:
A. in the BIOS.
B. by right clicking 'My Computer'.
C. by reinstalling the operating system.
D. in the advanced tab of the device driver.

Back 140

A. in the BIOS.

Front 141

A technician is replacing a bad optical drive. The computer has one hard disk drive installed and
no other drives. On the Primary IDE controller, which of the following configurations should the
replacement optical drive be? (Select TWO).
A. Slave
B. Primary
C. Master
D. Secondary
E. Cable Select

Back 141

A. Slave

E. Cable Select

Front 142

A user receives an error during POST that reads 'System fan not detected.' Which of the following
is the MOST likely cause?
A. The fan is the wrong size for the CPU.
B. The fan and heatsink need to be cleaned.
C. The fan has been removed from the system.
D. The fan is obstructed or has failed.

Back 142

C. The fan has been removed from the system.

Front 143

A user states that when they open their laptop it takes a long time to come out of standby. Which
of the following is MOST likely the problem?
A. The lid switch is stuck.
B. The battery is failing.
C. The backlight is failing.
D. Inverter board is failing.

Back 143

A. The lid switch is stuck.

Front 144

A user states that their web browser was recently updated and continuously crashes. Which of the
following could the technician use to gather more information about the issue?
A. NTBACKUP log
B. Advanced tab in the System applet in Control Panel
C. Event Log
D. Internet Options applet in Control Panel

Back 144

C. Event Log

Front 145

A client's computer has bluescreened twice in the same day. Which of the following locations
could be accessed to find the stop code?
A. Performance monitor
B. Task Manager
C. Event Viewer - Application Log
D. Event Viewer - System Log

Back 145

D. Event Viewer - System Log

Front 146

A user says that the laptop screen has gone blank even though the computer is on. Which of the
following is the EASIEST way to eliminate the laptop screen as a possible cause?
A. Twist the screen to check for a loose connection.
B. Replace the laptop screen with a known good laptop screen.
C. Connect an external monitor to see if it displays.
D. Replace the system board.

Back 146

C. Connect an external monitor to see if it displays.

Front 147

A user states that they have purchased memory to upgrade their laptop. The user wants a
technician to install this memory. Which of the following steps are needed to install the upgraded
memory?
A. Verify new memory is compatible with laptop model>power down system>access memory
module>remove old memory>install new memory>replace memory module>reboot system>put on
antistatic strap>verify system recognizes new memory size.
B. Check new memory to insure they are new>power system down>open memory module
door>remove old memory modules>install new memory modules>close memory module
door>power system up.
C. Verify new memory is compatible with laptop model>power down system>access memory
module>put on antistatic strap>remove old memory>install new memory>replace memory
module>reboot system>verify system recognizes new memory size.
D. Verify new memory is compatible with laptop model> put on antistatic strap>put system into
standby mode>access memory module>remove old memory>install new memory>replace
memory module

Back 147

C. Verify new memory is compatible with laptop model>power down system>access memory
module>put on antistatic strap>remove old memory>install new memory>replace memory
module>reboot system>verify system recognizes new memory size.

Front 148

When a technician moves a dynamic hard disk from one computer to another, the disk type
displayed in Disk Management will be:
A. dynamic.
B. healthy.
C. basic.
D. foreign

Back 148

D. foreign

Front 149

The user reports that a computer will not turn on after a new motherboard, processor and HDD
were installed. After inspection, power is getting to the computer but it does not POST. Which of
the following is the MOST likely cause for this issue?
A. The motherboard is loose.
B. The hard disk drive is not seated properly.
C. The processor is installed incorrectly.
D. The motherboard is grounding out on one of the standoffs.

Back 149

C. The processor is installed incorrectly.

Front 150

A technician is replacing a processor that is attached perpendicular to the motherboard. Which of
the following processor types is needed?
A. Ball grid array processor
B. Socket processor
C. Pin grid array processor
D. Slot 1 processor

Back 150

D. Slot 1 processor

Front 151

A user states that their laptop shuts down when they use the laptop in on their lap but it does not
shut down when they use it on the desk. The problem continues when the technician uses
compressed air to clear dust from the heatsink. Which of the following explains the issue?
A. The hard drive is being over-clocked and is causing the system to over heat.
B. The fans are not spinning at full speed.
C. The heatsink is made of copper which has low thermal properties.
D. The user is blocking the intake for the system fan.

Back 151

D. The user is blocking the intake for the system fan.

Front 152

A user states that the system time continuously resets when the power goes out. Which of the
following battery types would the user MOST likely replace?
A. CR2025
B. CR2032
C. 9V
D. AAA

Back 152

B. CR2032

Front 153

The fan on a power supply has stopped spinning completely due to dust collection. Which of the
following is the BEST way for a technician to correct this issue?
A. Open the power supply and replace the fan.
B. Supplement with additional case fans.
C. Use a screwdriver to move the fan blades.
D. Remove and replace the power supply.

Back 153

D. Remove and replace the power supply.

Front 154

After installing a second IDE hard drive on the same IDE cable as the primary hard drive, neither
drive is recognized by the system. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for this to
occur?
A. The system board only allows one device per IDE cable.
B. The jumpers on the hard drives are not correctly set.
C. The hard drives must be on separate IDE cables.
D. The power supply is overloaded and will not power the drives.

Back 154

B. The jumpers on the hard drives are not correctly set.

Front 155

A technician needs to get into the BIOS of a PC, but finds a password is required to enter the
BIOS. The password was never given to the technician. Which of the following methods, by
default, in MOST PCs will remove the BIOS password?
A. Remove the hard drive.
B. Unplug the PC for the power source for 5 minutes.
C. Perform a BIOS firmware update.
D. Remove the CMOS battery.

Back 155

D. Remove the CMOS battery.

Front 156

Which of the following commands will display the network address of the local machine from which
it is
run?
A. verify
B. nslookup
C. ipconfig
D. net use

Back 156

C. ipconfig

Front 157

Which of the following commands can be used to change a file from read-only to a writable state?
A. label
B. edit
C. set
D. attrib

Back 157

D. attrib

Front 158

A user reports they get the following message when connecting a USB drive to their system: 'This
device can perform faster'. Which of the following should they do?
A. Re-format the drive. The current file system on the device is incompatible with this operating
system.
B. Move critical data from this device. This device is fragmented and will probably fail soon.
C. Continue to use the drive. This is an indicator a USB 2.0 device was plugged into a USB 1.1
interface.
D. Run a scan on this device. This message indicates the device is infected with malware.

Back 158

C. Continue to use the drive. This is an indicator a USB 2.0 device was plugged into a USB 1.1
interface.

Front 159

A user states that when the computer is turned off for a few days then turned back on, the clock is
not set properly. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
A. RAM failure
B. Motherboard failure
C. CMOS battery failure
D. Hard drive failure

Back 159

C. CMOS battery failure

Front 160

A customer states their LCD in their laptop is getting darker the more they use it. The customer
has maximized the brightness of the LCD with the function keys. Which of the following would be
the NEXT logical solution?
A. Check and replace the back light.
B. Check and replace the video memory.
C. Check and replace the inverter.
D. Replace the LCD in the laptop.

Back 160

A. Check and replace the back light.

Front 161

A customer states their laptop is running low on batteries, but when they plug it into the wall outlet,
it still
operates on battery power. They have tried using a different power cord, but the results are the same.
Which of the following will BEST resolve the issue?
A. Replace the motherboard.
B. Provide the customer with another battery.
C. Replace the power cord with a new cord.
D. Test the wall outlet for power.

Back 161

A. Replace the motherboard.

Front 162

A technician builds a new computer and loads the latest operating system on the machine. After
the operating system is installed, the technician checks the device manager and ensures all
hardware devices are working properly. After playing a sound file, no sound is produced. Which of
the following will MOST likely ensure there is sound?
A. Install the codec for the sound file that is trying to be accessed.
B. Verify the correct speaker settings in the Sound Property window.
C. Check to see if there is a second sound driver and install it.
D. Reinstall the same sound driver from another source.

Back 162

C. Check to see if there is a second sound driver and install it.

Front 163

A workstation that is reporting memory errors that started when a memory upgrade was
completed. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the errors?
A. The new memory was installed in the second bank and runs at a lower speed than bank one.
B. A different brand of memory was installed in bank two.
C. The memory stick was larger than the memory stick already installed.
D. The memory stick installed in bank two was smaller than the memory stick in bank one.

Back 163

A. The new memory was installed in the second bank and runs at a lower speed than bank one.

Front 164

A user reports that they cannot access the Internet, but can access computers on the local
network. Which of the following commands is BEST to use to isolate the problem?
A. net
B. ipconfig
C. tracert
D. ping

Back 164

B. ipconfig

Front 165

When powering on a computer, a screen appears alerting that the date and time is not set. Which
of the following is MOST likely the result?
A. Bad CMOS battery
B. Bad laptop battery
C. Bad power supply
D. Bad power cord

Back 165

A. Bad CMOS battery

Front 166

A technician is installing CAT5e plenum cable to add another computer station on the other side of
the building for a small office. Which of the following would the technician FIRST have to
consider?
A. Distance of the cable being run
B. Color of the cable being run
C. Transmission speed of the cable being run
D. Which switch port the cable will plug into

Back 166

A. Distance of the cable being run

Front 167

Which of the following is the correct switch to display command line utility help options?
A. ?/
B. ??
C. /?
D. ?

Back 167

C. /?

Front 168

A technician has installed Windows Vista Ultimate and is setting up the Media Center. When the
technician goes to watch TV, Media Center displays an error of no TV tuner installed. The TV
tuner is installed with the correct drivers. Which of the following is the solution to the problem?
A. TV tuner codec was not installed.
B. Not enough RAM to support the TV tuner.
C. Motherboard is faulty.
D. Video card drivers are not installed.

Back 168

A. TV tuner codec was not installed.

Front 169

A technician is tasked with replacing the wireless network card in a laptop. After performing the
replacement tasks, the laptop cannot pick up any wireless signals. Which of the following is the
MOST likely cause of the problem?
A. The software drivers were not installed.
B. The antenna leads were not reconnected.
C. The new network card was not seated properly.
D. There are no wireless signals available.

Back 169

B. The antenna leads were not reconnected.

Front 170

A customer explains they cannot use headphones through the audio ports on the front side of the
computer. Upon a visual inspection, the cable leading from the front audio panel to the
motherboard is
properly connected and the device manager does not show any issues. Which of the following
would need to be done to enable to front panel audio ports?
A. Update the sound card drivers for the front panel to function.
B. Insert the motherboard support CD and install the drivers for the front panel audio ports.
C. Download the latest firmware, update and apply it, then reboot the computer for the change to
take effect.
D. Change the BIOS settings or the jumpers.

Back 170

D. Change the BIOS settings or the jumpers.

Front 171

A technician replaced a floppy drive and now the front indicator light is consistently illuminated.
Which of the following is the cause for this?
A. It is a feature of new floppy drives.
B. The data cable was put on backwards.
C. A disk is being read by the floppy drive.
D. The new floppy drive is defective.

Back 171

B. The data cable was put on backwards.

Front 172

A user reports the system runs fine for a few minutes and then freezes or locks up. Which of the
following is the BEST cause of this issue?
A. Memory is bad or not seated.
B. Fans are failing.
C. Power supply needs to be replaced.
D. CD-ROM is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Back 172

B. Fans are failing.

Front 173

A technician is replacing an internal hard drive in a laptop. Which of the following hard drive types
is the technician MOST likely using?
A. 3.5" SATA HDD
B. 2.5" SATA HDD
C. 3.5" USB HDD
D. 2.5'' USB HDD

Back 173

B. 2.5" SATA HDD

Front 174

A technician has ordered a replacement motherboard. The existing motherboard processor did not
fit in the replacement motherboard. Which of the following did the technician fail to confirm when
ordering the replacement motherboard?
A. Jumper settings
B. Expansion slots
C. Socket type
D. I/O ports

Back 174

C. Socket type

Front 175

A client would like to increase their wireless coverage throughout the building. Which of the
following is the BEST device to install?
A. Wireless AP
B. Wired bridge
C. Wireless card
D. Wired router

Back 175

A. Wireless AP

Front 176

A technician receives a computer that has a virus. Which of the following should the technician
perform
FIRST?
A. Identify the malware.
B. Research the malware types.
C. Run the System Recovery Utility.
D. Rollback to the System Restore Point.

Back 176

A. Identify the malware.

Front 177

A technician is setting up an email account on a smart phone. To ensure that messages read on
the phone will be marked as read when viewed on the computer, which of the following should the technician configure?
A. POP
B. POP3
C. SNMP
D. IMAP

Back 177

D. IMAP

Front 178

A computer that has dynamic IP addressing is not receiving an IP address. Which of the following
is MOST likely the problem?
A. SNMP
B. DHCP
C. DNS
D. NAT

Back 178

B. DHCP

Front 179

A client is having trouble connecting to the Internet. The client is using a static IP address and is
able to connect to other devices on the network via IP address only. Which of the following is
MOST likely the problem?
A. IMAP
B. DHCP
C. DNS
D. NAT

Back 179

C. DNS

Front 180

Before installing a second hard drive in a PC, which of the following should a technician consider?
A. Power supply wattage
B. Advanced BIOS settings
C. Parallel ports
D. Socket types

Back 180

A. Power supply wattage

Front 181

A computer briefly turns on, and then turns off. The computer does not stay on long enough for a
user to get into the BIOS. Which of the following tools should a technician use FIRST to help
determine the problem?
A. Cable tester
B. Power supply tester
C. Loopback plug
D. Boot disk

Back 181

B. Power supply tester

Front 182

The Device Manager in Windows XP shows that an incompatible device driver is installed. Which
of the following BEST describes the icon that is displaying next to that device?
A. Yellow question mark next to device
B. Black checkmark next to device
C. Yellow exclamation point next to device
D. Red X next to the device

Back 182

C. Yellow exclamation point next to device

Front 183

A technician finished installing antivirus software. Which of the following should the technician
perform NEXT?
A. Run a full scan on the local disk.
B. Remove infected files.
C. Update antivirus signatures.
D. Quarantine infected files.

Back 183

C. Update antivirus signatures.

Front 184

A user's hard drive has failed due to harsh conditions of their workplace. Which of the following
hard drive types should a technician recommend?
A. SATA drive
B. Solid state drive
C. Hot swappable drive
D. PATA drive

Back 184

B. Solid state drive

Front 185

A technician has received a computer that has onboard video. The VGA connector on the
motherboard is broken. Which of the following should the technician try FIRST?
A. Install a video card
B. Backup hard drive files
C. Replace the motherboard
D. Replace the VGA connector

Back 185

A. Install a video card

Front 186

Which of the following files is permanently excluded from being defragmented?
A. Temp files
B. Program files
C. Paging files
D. My Documents

Back 186

C. Paging files

Front 187

Which of the following needs to be done before a hard drive can be formatted?
A. Labeled
B. Rebooted
C. Initialized
D. Defragmented

Back 187

C. Initialized

Front 188

Which of the following commands would be used to initialize a service without rebooting?
A. nslookup
B. ipconfig /renew
C. msconfig
D. net start

Back 188

D. net start

Front 189

Which of the following networks has gigabit speeds?
A. 10BaseT
B. 100BaseT
C. 1000BaseT
D. 10Base5

Back 189

C. 1000BaseT

Front 190

A customer wants to eventually upgrade the home network from 100Mbps to 1Gbps, with a
hardware upgrade. Which of the following cable types should the technician install to allow the
customer to upgrade speeds at a later date?
A. Category 1
B. Category 3
C. Category 5
D. Category 5e

Back 190

D. Category 5e

Front 191

Which of the following will disguise internal private IP addresses and ports by assigning external
public IP addresses and ports to all packets leaving the network?
A. MAC
B. NAT
C. IPv6
D. NIC

Back 191

B. NAT

Front 192

A technician just finished correctly installing a new power supply into a workstation and cannot get
the unit
to power on. Which of the following would be the FIRST step for the technician to take?
A. Verify that the PC is connected to the new power supply and a UPS.
B. Verify the computer's BIOS is configured properly to recognize the new PSU.
C. Verify the correct ATX power cable was used to connect the PSU to the wall socket.
D. Verify the PSU's voltage selector switch is set properly.

Back 192

D. Verify the PSU's voltage selector switch is set properly.

Front 193

Which of the following operating systems contains a Program Files and a Program Files (x86)
folder?
A. Windows 2000 Professional 32-bit
B. Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit
C. Windows Vista Home Premium
D. Windows XP Home

Back 193

B. Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit

Front 194

Which of the following Internet connections is LEAST likely to be used as a gateway for an
802.11n wireless router?
A. Fiber
B. DSL
C. Cable
D. Dial-up

Back 194

D. Dial-up

Front 195

A technician notices during an onsite call that a client's five laptops are connecting to the same
wireless network. When the technician attempts to scan for the same network with the technician's
work laptop, it cannot find the signal. The WiFi card and the WiFi router are both on the 802.11n
standard. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason that this signal cannot be seen?
A. The router is not capable of allowing more than five devices onto the network at once.
B. The router has been set to disable SSID broadcasting.
C. The router has been set to enable MAC filtering.
D. The client has not configured the wireless card to allow for WPA-protected signals.

Back 195

B. The router has been set to disable SSID broadcasting.

Front 196

The owner of a small business wants all employees to utilize the UAC tool to reduce the spread of
malware on the company network. The majority of the machines have Windows Vista Business
installed, with a few machines are still using Windows XP Professional. Can this request be
accomplished given the circumstances?
A. Yes, because UAC can be installed on Windows XP as a free add-on.
B. No, because all machines in a corporate network have to be on the same version of Windows
for UAC
to function.
C. Yes, because Vista Business and XP Pro both support UAC functionality out of the box.
D. No, because UAC is only available in Windows Vista and not Windows XP.

Back 196

D. No, because UAC is only available in Windows Vista and not Windows XP.

Front 197

A user at a small company reports that every time they try to print on their local laser printer, the
circuit breaker for half the room is tripped. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the
problem?
A. The laser printer is connected through a power strip that is shared with too many machines.
B. The laser printer needs to have its fuser replaced and is causing random voltage overloads on
the
printer.
C. The printer needs to have its rollers replaced, which are being overworked.
D. The laser printer is connected to print from too many systems in the office, causing data
overload.

Back 197

A. The laser printer is connected through a power strip that is shared with too many machines.

Front 198

A co-worker hands a technician a CAT5 cable which they claim to be a crossover cable. After
attempting to use the cable between a router and switch, it fails to function properly. It was factory
molded and looks to be in excellent condition. A CAT5 cable tester tells the technician that its
internal pins are wired for "1-1", "2-2", continuously, in pattern. Which of the following is true about
the cable?
A. The cable is a loopback cable.
B. The cable is a straight patch cable.
C. The cable is a CAT3 cable.
D. The cable is a CAT5e cable.

Back 198

B. The cable is a straight patch cable.

Front 199

The System Performance Index in Windows Vista is a number formulated from:
A. the lowest base score from each of the five performance categories.
B. an average of the highest and lowest base scores from each of the five performance
categories.
C. the average base score from each of the five performance categories.
D. the median base score from each of the five performance categories.

Back 199

A. the lowest base score from each of the five performance categories.

Front 200

Which of the following is MOST likely causing a client's computer to have an IP address of
169.254.0.10?
A. The office is using a public IP scheme.
B. The client is set to a static IP address.
C. The DHCP server is out of addresses.
D. The firewall on the PC is down.

Back 200

C. The DHCP server is out of addresses.