Chapter 1

Question 1

What are the traits of a Tech?

Answer 1

Honesty/ Integrity,
Dependability/ Responsibility, and
Sensitivity.
HIDRS

Question 2

What is the Ethic of Reciprocity? aka as the Golden Rule?

Answer 2

Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In a tech’s life, this can translate as “Treat people’s things as you would have other people treat yours.” Don’t use or touch anything—keyboard, printer, laptop, monitor, mouse, phone, pen, paper, or cube toy—without first asking permission. Follow this rule at all times, even when the customer isn’t looking.

Question 3

What is Work of Authorization?

Answer 3

aka Authorization of Work, this form documents the company name, billing information, date, scope of work, and that sort of thing. Even if you do your repairs, these forms can save you from angst and litigation.

Question 4

What does EMP stand for?

Answer 4

Electromagnetic Pulse

Question 5

What is Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)?

Answer 5

When electricity improperly jumps from one place to another in ways that cause damage

Question 6

What does ESD stand for?

Answer 6

Electrostatic Discharge

Question 7

What is Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)?

Answer 7

ESD means the passage of a static electrical charge from one item to another. ESD is a type of EMP. Have you ever rubbed a balloon against your shirt, making the balloon stick to you? That’s a classic example of static electricity. All computing devices are well protected against ESD on the outside. Unless you take a screwdriver or pry tool and open up a PC or other computing device, you don’t need to concern yourself with ESD.

Question 8

True or False? ESD only occurs when two objects that store different amounts (the hip electrical term to use is potential) of static electricity come in contact.

Answer 8

True

Question 9

True or False? The secret to avoiding ESD is to keep you and the parts of the computer you touch at the same electrical potential, otherwise known as grounding yourself to the computing device.

Answer 9

True

Question 10

What is an Antistatic Wrist Strap?

Answer 10

This simple device consists of a wire that connects on one end to an alligator clip and on the other end to a small metal plate that secures your wrist with an elastic strap. You snap the alligator clip onto any handy metal part of the computer and place the wrist strap on either wrist.

Question 11

True or False? Static electricity, and therefore the risk of ESD, is much more prevalent in wet, dry environments.

Answer 11

False. Static electricity, and therefore the risk of ESD, is much more prevalent in dry, cool environments.

Question 12

What is an Antistatic mat? aka ESD mat?

Answer 12

One of the big issues when working with a computer occurs if you find yourself pulling out parts from the computer and setting them aside. The moment you take a piece out of the computer, it no longer has contact with the systems and may pick up static from other sources. Techs use antistatic mats to eliminate this risk. An antistatic mat—or ESD mat—acts as a point of common potential; it’s typical to purchase a combination antistatic wrist strap and mat that all connect to keep you, the computer, and any loose components at the same electrical potential.

Question 13

True or False? The metal plate on the antistatic wrist strap touches the skin of your wrist. Don’t put it on over the sleeve of a long-sleeved shirt.

Answer 13

True

Question 14

What do you call a device that stops or resists the flow of electricity to prevent a static charge from racing through the device?

Answer 14

Resistors

Question 15

True or False? Do not put PC components in an anti-static bag, instead on the bag.

Answer 15

False

Question 16

What is a specially designed bag that sheds whatever static electricity you have when you touch it, thus preventing any damage to components stored within?

Answer 16

Antistatic bag

Question 17

True or False? If you do not have an antistatic wrist strap, take a moment to touch the power supply every once in a while as you work to keep yourself at the same electrical potential as the computer.

Answer 17

True

Question 18

What do you call the term when you touch the power supply every once in a while as you work to keep yourself at the same electrical potential as the computer?

Answer 18

Self-grounding

Question 19

What are the tools for proper PC component handling and storage?

Answer 19

ESD straps, ESD mats, antistatic bags, and self-grounding.

Question 20

True or False? Always disconnect power before repairing a personal computing device.

Answer 20

True

Question 21

What does EMI stand for?

Answer 21

Electromagnetic Interference

Question 22

What is Electromagnetic Interference?

Answer 22

A magnetic field interfering with electronics is electromagnetic interference (EMI).

Question 23

True or False? You can prevent EMI by putting magnets on computer equipment. Certain components are particularly susceptible to EMI, especially storage devices like hard drives.

Answer 23

False. You can prevent EMI by keeping magnets away from computer equipment. Certain components are particularly susceptible to EMI, especially storage devices like hard drives.

Question 24

What does RFI stand for?

Answer 24

Radio Frequency Interference

Question 25

What is Radio Frequency Interference?

Answer 25

Strange noises on your speakers or cell phone.

Question 26

Which of the following does not emit radio waves?
A. Cell phones
B. Wireless network cards
C. Cordless phones
D. Potato
E. Baby monitors
D. Microwave ovens

Answer 26

D. Potato

Question 27

What are the two types of metal bags that offer shielding against EMI and RFI as well as ESD?

Answer 27

These are the silvery bags you’ll see hard drives packed in, for example, and the black-and-silver woven bags you’ll sometimes see.

Question 28

True or False. When thinking about safety, maintain compliance with government regulations. You may be required to wear certain protective gear or take extra precautions while in the workplace.

Answer 28

True

Question 29

What type of fire extinguisher to use for electrical equipments?

Answer 29

Class C fire extinguishers

Question 30

What is the first troubleshooting methodology?

Answer 30

Identify the problem
*Question the user and identify user changes to the computer and perform backups before making changes
* Inquire regarding environmental or infrastructure changes
* Review system and application logs

Question 31

What is the second troubleshooting methodology?

Answer 31

Establish a theory of probable cause (Question the Obvious)
*If necessary, conduct external or internal research based on symptoms

Question 32

What is the third troubleshooting methodology?

Answer 32

Test the theory to determine cause
*Once the theory is confirmed, determine the next steps to resolve problem
*If theory is not confirmed re-establish new theory or escalate

Question 33

What is the fourth troubleshooting methodology?

Answer 33

Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution.

Question 34

What is the fifth troubleshooting methodology?

Answer 34

Verify full system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures.

Question 35

What is the last/6th troubleshooting methodology?

Answer 35

Document findings, actions, and outcomes.

Question 36

Which troubleshooting methodology is the scenario below?

Ben asked the user “here!): “Has anything recently changed on the computer that might have made this problem appear?” What you’re really saying is: “Have you messed with the computer? Did you install some evil program? Did you shove a USB drive in so hard that you broke the connection?”

Answer 36

Identify the Problem / First one

Question 37

True or False: In most troubleshooting situations, it is NOT important to back up critical files before making changes to a system.

Answer 37

False.
The CompTIA A+ certification exams assume that all techs should back up systems every time before working on them, even though that’s not how it works in the real world.

Question 38

Which troubleshooting methodology is the scenario below?

Ben is taking a moment to look for clues “What do you see? Is a connector mangled or a plastic part damaged? Even if that connector or part works fine, the physical abuse could provide extra information. If the user can’t connect to a network, check the cable. Was something rolled over?”

Answer 38

Establish a theory of probable cause (Question the Obvious)

Question 39

True or False. You need to check in with management to make certain you have permission to make necessary changes to the PC.

Answer 39

True

Question 40

True or False. If you don’t have the skills—or the permissions—to fix the issue, DO NOT escalate the problem. Fix it until you break it.

Answer 40

False. If you don’t have the skills—or the permissions—to fix the issue, you need to ESCALATE THE PROBLEM.

Question 41

What is Escalation?

Answer 41

Escalation is the process your company (or sometimes just you) goes through when you—the person assigned to repair a problem—are not able to get the job done.

It’s okay to escalate a problem because no one can fix every problem. All companies should have some form of escalation policy. It might mean calling your boss.

It might mean filling out and sending some in-house form to another department. Escalation is sometimes a more casual process.

Question 42

Which troubleshooting methodology requires a few steps before you can implement the solution? For example, you might need additional resources such as known good replacement parts. A backup of user data should be part of the plan of action.

Answer 42

Establish a Plan of Action. The 4th step

Question 43

Which troubleshooting is the scenario below?

Even though you think the problem is fixed, you need to verify with the customer/user that it’s fixed. Second, try to do something to prevent the problem from happening again in the future, if possible.

Answer 43

Verify and Prevent / The 5th step

Question 44

Which troubleshooting is the scenario below?

What was the problem? What did you do to fix it? What worked? What didn’t? The best guide to use for documentation is: “What would I have liked to have known about this problem before I walked up to it?”

Answer 44

Document findings, actions, and outcomes. / The 6th/last one

Question 45

True or False: Documenting problems helps you track the troubleshooting history of a computing device over time, enabling you to make longer-term determinations about retiring it or changing out more parts. If

Answer 45

True

Question 46

At the very least, what tool should be in every technician’s toolkit?
A. Pliers
B. Hammer
C. Straight-slot screwdriver
D. Phillips-head screwdriver

Answer 46

D. Phillips-head screwdriver

Question 47

You are at a customer’s workstation to install several software and hardware updates, a process that will take a while and require several reboots of the computer. What should you do about the password to the user’s account?
A.Require the customer to sit with you throughout the process so she can type in her password each time. B.Ask the user to write down her password for you to use.
C.Ask the user to change her password temporarily for you to use.
D. Call your supervisor.

Answer 47

C.
In this circumstance, asking for a temporary password is the right answer. Make sure the user changes her password back before you leave the site.

Question 48

Once you have ascertained the computer’s problem and backed up the critical data, what should you do?
A. Establish a theory of probable cause.
B. Start fixing the machine.
C.Question users more to find out how they caused the problem.
D. Document.

Answer 48

A.
You should establish a theory of probable cause once you have ascertained the problem and backed up data.