Lesson 3: Trobleshooting PC Hardware Flashcards
A user started a brand-new Windows computer and received a “boot device not found” error. When the technician inspects it, what will they suspect the problem is?
A.POST
B.BSOD
C.GPT
D.Pinwheel
C. GPT
The technician will suspect the problem is with the GPT as this is a modern boot scheme where the boot information is not on a single sector but still identifies partitions and OS boot loaders.
Other options
A. POST, a power-on self-test, is a diagnostic program implemented in the system firmware that checks the hardware to ensure the components required to boot are present and functioning correctly. This is a diagnostic method, not a potential cause for boot errors.
B. A Windows system will display a blue screen of death (BSOD) to indicate that there is a system memory fault, a hardware device/driver fault, or corruption of operating system files.
D. A macOS system that suffers catastrophic process failure shows a spinning pinwheel (of death), also called a spinning wait cursor.
A technician must determine why a computer is overheating. Which of the following may be the cause? (Select all that apply.)
A.Blanking plates are covering slots.
B.A fan is not working.
C.The area is too warm.
D.There is an invalid cable specification.
B. A fan is not working and C. The area is too warm
B. A computer can overheat because a fan is not working. Proper cooling is vital to the lifespan and performance of the processor.
C. A computer can overheat because an area is too warm. The technician should check whether the PC is near a hot radiator or in direct sunlight.
Other options
A. A technician should always use blanking plates to cover up slots in the back or front of the PC. Holes can create gaps, allowing dust and debris to make their way to computing components.
D. An invalid cable specification can cause display issues. If the display is on and the technician can rule out a problem with the input source, they should check the cable.
A technician is troubleshooting a computer that will not turn on. The technician has verified that the wall socket and devices leading to the computer are working correctly. What could remain as an issue? (Select all that apply).
A.On-premises distribution circuit
B.Motherboard
C.Power supply unit
D.Power grid
B. Motherboard and C. Power Supply Unit
B. Since the technician verified power was working in the wall socket and verified all other power components between the wall socket and the computer, the motherboard is most likely an issue.
C. Since the technician verified power was working in the wall socket and verified all other power components between the wall socket and the computer, a faulty power supply unit is most likely an issue.
Other options
A. An On-premises distribution circuit would stop power from reaching the wall socket. Since the technician verified power was working in the wall socket, this could not be the issue.
D. The power grid would not be the issue as the technician verified that power was being delivered from the wall socket to the computer.
A network technician wants all PCs on the network to go to a server to get their boot settings. What boot option in system settings will the technician configure on the PCs?
A.Fixed disk
B.Optical drive
C.USB
D.Network/PXE
D. Network/PXE
The technician will configure the network/preboot execution environment (PXE) setting which uses the network adapter to obtain boot settings from a specially configured server.
Other options
A. The fixed disk (HDD or SSD) setting will allow the technician to select the hard drive sequence if there are multiple fixed drives installed on the PC.
B. If a technician is performing a repair install from optical media, they might need to make the optical drive (CD/DVD/Blu-ray) device the highest priority.
C. The technician would use the universal serial bus (USB) setting for OS installs and repair utility boot disks that are too large to fit on optical media.
A technician is troubleshooting a video display that is fuzzy. What has caused this?
A.Insecure connector
B.Burn-in
C.Resolution mismatch
D.Incorrect color display
C. Resolution Mismatch
If the output resolution does not match the display device’s native resolution, the image will appear fuzzy. This typically happens if the video card’s driver is faulty or incorrectly configured.
Other options
A. If a technician does not securely insert the video cable and connectors at both ends, this could cause a flickering or flashing image.
B. Burn-in is when the same static image displays on-screen for an extended period and the monitor’s picture elements are damaged. This causes a ghost image to “burn” permanently onto the display.
D. If a computer produces digital art, it is very important that the technician calibrate the display to scanning devices and print output to avoid an incorrect color display.
A technician is upgrading the system firmware on a PC. Which of the following is the technician upgrading? (Select all that apply.)
A.System settings
B.BIOS
C.Secure boot
D.UEFI
B. BIOS and D. UEFI
B. The technician is upgrading the basic input/output system (BIOS) which is the system firmware for a PC that only supports 32-bit operation and limited functionality.
D. The technician is upgrading the unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) which provides support for 64-bit CPU operation at boot and many other functions.
Other options
A. Technicians configure system settings via the system firmware setup program. A keystroke accesses the system setup program during the power-on (boot) process.
C. Secure boot is a UEFI feature designed to protect a computer from malware. Under secure boot, the computer firmware has cryptographic keys that can identify trusted code.
A desktop technician just fixed an issue where a computer would not connect to a network and verified the computer is communicating with the network again. What should the technician do now that will help with future troubleshooting efforts?
A.Document findings.
B.Test the theory.
C.Establish a plan of action.
D.Refer to vendor instructions.
A. Document findings
The technician should document the findings which is very useful for future troubleshooting. Technicians can see if the same solution applies to future problems fitting into the same category.
Other options
B. After the technician has established a theory about an issue, they will test the theory to see if it corrects and resolves the issue.
C. After a technician has determined the best solution to an issue, they must devise a plan of action to put the solution in place and assess the resources, time, and cost required.
D. If a technician is completing troubleshooting steps under instruction from the vendor’s support service, they must make sure they properly understand the steps they are taking.
Every time a user attempts to save a file, the computer shows an error that reads, “Cannot read from the source disk.” What kind of issue does this indicate?
A.POST issue
B.Drive issue
C.Power issue
D.RAID failure
B. Drive Issue
A “cannot read from the source disk” error indicates an issue with a fixed disk drive that is failing. Bad sectors typically cause this on a hard disk drive.
Other options
A. Power-on self-test (POST) is a diagnostic program implemented in the system firmware that checks the hardware to ensure the components required to boot the PC are present and functioning correctly.
C. A power issue might arise due to a fault in the power supply unit (PSU), incoming electricity supply, power cables/connectors, or fuses.
D. In a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), if one of the underlying devices fails, the volume will show up as “degraded,” but the data on the volume will still be accessible.
A technician is troubleshooting a projector that keeps randomly shutting down. What is the most likely cause?
A.Burned-out bulb
B.Overheating
C.Loose cable between the monitor and display
D.Incorrect data source
B. Overheating
Overheating typically causes intermittent projector shutdown. Check that the projector’s fan is working, that the vents are free from dust and obstructions and that the ambient temperature is not too high.
Other options
A. A completely failed bulb is known as a burned-out bulb. A technician might hear the bulb “pop” and observe scorch marks on the inside or a broken filament.
C. If the projector is on, but there is no image displayed, the technician should check the cable and connectors between the video card and monitor.
D. The technician may also need to adjust the image or select the appropriate data source or input channel if no image is displayed.
A technician retrieved a computer from storage, powered it on, and shortly began to notice a burning smell. What does this indicate?
A.Disk failure
B.Cabling issues
C.Overheating
D.Inaccurate date/time
C. Overheating
Unusual odors, such as a burning smell or smoke, will almost always indicate something (probably the power supply) is overheating.
Other options
A. A hard disk drive (HDD) is most likely to fail due to mechanical problems either in the first few months of operation or after a few years.
B. The technician not securely connecting the cables at both ends, the cable has become stretched or crimped, or an incorrect cable specification may all cause cabling issues.
D. If the network does not correctly synchronize the date and time, security systems will not work and utilities such as backup programs and schedulers will be unreliable.
A technician is implementing a feature that will compare hashes of key system state data during the boot process to ensure that nobody has tampered with the system firmware, boot loader, and OS kernel. What feature is this?
A.HSM
B.TPM
C.Encryption
D.Boot password
B. TPM
The technician is implementing the trusted platform module (TPM) which, during the boot process, compares hashes of key system state data to ensure they have not been tampered with.
Other options
A. A hardware security module (HSM) is a secure USB key or thumb drive used to store cryptographic material where a user must authenticate before they can access the keys stored on the module.
C. Encryption products make data secure by scrambling it in such a way that only a user with the correct decryption key can subsequently read it.
D. A boot password requires the user to authenticate before the operating system is loaded. There are usually at least two passwords, though some systems may allow for more.
A hardware technician is following CompTIA’s A+ troubleshooting model for diagnosing a monitor with a squiggly screen. The technician suspects the monitor screen is squiggly because it is located directly under a fluorescent light. What is the next step the technician should take?
A.Identify the problem.
B.Test the theory.
C.Establish a plan of action.
D.Verify full system functionality.
B. Test the theory
The technician has established a theory of probable cause so the next step in CompTIA’s A+ troubleshooting methodology is to test the theory to determine the cause.
Other options
A. The first step in CompTIA’s A+ troubleshooting methodology is to identify the problem by gathering information from the user and inquiring about environmental or infrastructure changes.
C. The second step of CompTIA’s A+ troubleshooting methodology is to establish a theory of probable cause and, if necessary, conduct external or internal research based on symptoms.
D. To verify full-system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures is the fifth step of CompTIA’s A+ troubleshooting methodology.
A technician is troubleshooting a failed redundant array of independent disks (RAID) configuration and is unable to access the RAID configuration utility. What does this indicate?
A.Disk failure
B.Boot process failure
C.Controller failure
D.Multiple disk failure
C. Controller failure
If the technician cannot access the RAID configuration utility, this indicates that the controller itself is likely to have failed. However, the data on the volume should be recoverable.
Other options
A. Most desktop-level RAID solutions can tolerate the loss of only one disk, so the technician should replace it as soon as possible.
B. If the RAID failure affects the boot process, the technician can use the RAID configuration utility to verify its status.
D. If a volume is not available, either multiple disks (more than the tolerated number of disks) have failed, or the controller has failed.
A technician is troubleshooting an issue with a computer. Although the computer is on the network, the server will not authenticate a user. What kind of problem does this indicate?
A.Disk failure
B.Inaccurate date/time
C.Cabling issues
D.Overheating
B. Inaccurate date/time
If the computer does not correctly synchronize the date and time with other computers on the network, security systems such as authentication will not work.
Other options
A. A hard disk drive (HDD) is most likely to fail due to mechanical problems either in the first few months of operation or after a few years.
C. The technician not securely connecting the cables at both ends, the cable has become stretched or crimped, or an incorrect cable specification may all cause cabling issues.
D. Unusual odors, such as a burning smell or smoke, will almost always indicate something (probably the power supply) is overheating.
A technician started a HP PC and, when the vendor’s logo came up, pressed the F10 key. What is the technician doing?
A.Restarting the PC
B.Accessing the system setup program
C.Setting a boot password
D.Enabling secure boot
B. Accessing the system setup program
The technician is accessing the system setup program via a keystroke during the power-on (boot) process when the PC vendor’s logo displays.
Other options
A. A technician can restart a computer to access the unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) boot options by shift-clicking the restart button from the Windows logon screen.
C. A boot password requires the user to authenticate before the operating system loads. However, everyone who uses the PC must know the password, which weakens the security considerably.
D. Secure boot is a UEFI feature designed to protect a computer from malware. Under secure boot, the computer firmware has cryptographic keys that can identify trusted code.
A desktop technician was troubleshooting a computer that would not connect to the network and suspected that the network interface card (NIC) was not working. However, when the technician tested the NIC, it was working. What will the technician do next?
A.Establish a new theory.
B.Implement a plan of action.
C.Test the theory.
D.Implement preventive measures.
A. Establish a new theory
The technician would establish a new theory as the tests they made or research they conducted proved that their original theory was incorrect.
Other options
B. Once the technician had a reliable theory of probable cause, then they would need to implement a plan of action by repairing or replacing the equipment or implementing a workaround.
C. The technician cannot test the theory until after they have established a new theory about why the computer cannot connect to the network.
D. The technician would implement preventive measures after they corrected the issue. This means eliminating any factors that could cause the problem to reoccur.
