Practice Tests - Chapter 4: Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Flashcards

Question

A technician is troubleshooting a computer that is experiencing continuous reboots. He isn’t sure where to begin diagnosing the problem, so he calls you for advice. Which tool should you tell him to use to try to identify the problem? A. Multimeter B. Power supply tester C. Loopback plug D. POST card

Answer 1

D. POST card A failing motherboard or CPU may cause continuous reboots. A POST card may be helpful in narrowing down the exact component that is faulty.

Answer 2

B. Stop and restart the print spooler. If jobs aren’t printing and there’s no apparent reason why, it could be that the print spooler has stalled. To fix the problem, you need to stop and restart the print spooler. This is done through your operating system.

Answer 3

C. Burn-in With artifacts, no matter what you have on your screen, you can still see the outlines of a different image. That image has been “burned” into the monitor (sometimes simply referred to as burn-in) and isn’t going away. The only solution is to replace the monitor.

Answer 4

D. The battery is failing. As batteries get older, they are not able to hold as much of a charge, and in some cases, they are not able to hold a charge at all. It might be time for a new tablet.

Answer 5

A. Replace the hard drive. A hard drive indicator that is constantly on is generally not a good sign; it could indicate that the hard drive is constantly busy or that the system is frozen, either of which is bad. If the problem persists, it’s likely a problem with the hard drive, and the drive should be replaced.

Answer 6

A. Crimper A crimper is a handy tool for helping you put connectors on the end of a cable. Most crimpers will be a combination tool that strips and snips wires as well as crimps the connector onto the end.

Answer 7

A. Check jumper settings on the hard drives. When you have multiple hard drives on the same controller, one needs to be set to master and the other to slave. Most drives today will do this automatically, but they have jumpers on them to configure this as well.

Answer 8

A. BIOS D. RAM Every computer has a diagnostic program built into its basic input/output system (BIOS) called the power-on self-test (POST). When you turn on the computer, it executes this set of diagnostics. The steps include checking the CPU, checking the RAM, checking for the presence of a video card, and verifying basic hardware functionality. An error in the BIOS or one of the checked components can cause a beep code.

Answer 9

A. Push and hold the power button until the laptop turns off, and reboot. If the laptop is locked up, the only way to reboot it is with a hard boot. Although removing all the power sources would work, it’s not necessary to do so. Simply hold down the power button for about five seconds, and the laptop will power off. If that does not work, then you might need to remove power sources.

Answer 10

C. Is the monitor turned on? Check the easy stuff first. It might seem silly, but be sure that the monitor is plugged in and powered on. Check to see if its power light is on.

Answer 11

B. Turn the phone off and let it cool down. If a mobile device is overheating, turn it off to let it cool down. It could be from overuse, or perhaps it was left in a hot environment or did not have proper ventilation.

Answer 12

A. CMOS battery A fairly common issue with the BIOS is when it fails to retain your computer’s settings, such as time and date and hard drive configuration. The BIOS uses a small battery (much like a watch battery) on the motherboard to help it retain settings when the system power is off. If this battery fails, the BIOS won’t retain its settings. Simply replace the battery to solve the problem.

Answer 13

C. Uninstall and reinstall the app. If the phone is really slow but isn’t completely locked up, isolate the issue. Is it one app or overall performance? It could be that apps are running in the background and need to be closed. Shutting down those apps or powering the device off and then back on is a good step. You can also check to see how much memory is available. If it’s one app giving you problems instead of the entire device, look for updates to the app, or delete and reinstall the app. Finally, if none of these steps works, perform a restore to factory settings. If the problems persist, it’s time for a new device.

Answer 14

B. Broken cleaning blade D. Bad erasure lamps Ghosting is caused by one of two things: a broken cleaning blade or bad erasure lamps. A broken cleaning blade causes old toner to build up on the EP drum and consequently present itself in the next printed image. If the erasure lamps are bad, then the previous electrostatic discharges aren’t completely wiped away. When the EP drum rotates toward the developing roller, some toner sticks to the slightly discharged areas.

Answer 15

A. The battery is defective. If the laptop works while it’s plugged in but not while it’s on battery power, the battery itself may be the culprit. As batteries get older, they are not able to hold as much of a charge, and in some cases, they are not able to hold a charge at all.

Answer 16

C. Replace the monitor. With artifacts, no matter what you have on your screen, you can still see the outlines of a different image. That image has been “burned” into the monitor (sometimes simply referred to as burn-in) and isn’t going away. The only solution is to replace the monitor.

Answer 17

D. Disable the touchpad. When users are typing, their palm might rest on the touchpad, causing erratic pointer behavior. This is referred to as a ghost cursor because it seems like the cursor just randomly jumps all over the screen. The touchpad can be turned off through Control Panel.

Answer 18

D. Inspect the inside of the computer for visible signs of damage. If you smell an odd odor or see smoke coming from a computer, shut it down immediately. Open the case and start looking for visible signs of damage. Things to look for include melted plastic components and burn marks on circuit boards. If components appear to be damaged, it’s best to replace them before returning the computer to service.

Answer 19

D. Reseat the sound card. One potential cause of intermittent device failures is chip creep, which happens when components such as expansion cards start to creep out of their socket. This can be caused by heating and cooling. Reseat the card (and screw it into the case!) and see whether that resolves the issue. If not, you may need to replace the sound card.

Answer 20

D. Replace the phone. If overheating is persistent, you have a few options. The first is to test or replace the battery, as that’s the most likely culprit. With mobile phones, though, the battery is not designed to be field replaceable. In this case, she may have to replace the device.

Answer 21

D. The user does not have the security permissions to print. In a networked environment, users need the proper permissions both to install and to print to the printer. Not having permission will result in denied access.

Answer 22

D. Degauss the monitor. Seeing incorrect colors is most likely a monitor issue, and you can always confirm it by switching monitors. On CRTs, you can use a process called degaussing (decreasing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field), which is done through a utility built into the menu on the monitor, to try to fix the problem. If that doesn’t make the problem go away, it’s probably time to replace the monitor.

Answer 23

C. Obstructed paper path Printer jams (aka “the printer crinkled my paper”) happen when something prevents the paper from advancing through the printer evenly. There are generally three causes of printer jams: an obstructed paper path, stripped drive gears, and using the wrong paper.

Answer 24

C. bootrec This error message indicates that the master boot record (MBR) on the hard drive is missing or damaged. The bootrec utility can be run in Windows 10, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 7, or Windows Vista to interact with the Master Boot Record (MBR), boot sector, or Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store. To run the tool, you must boot from the installation disk, choose the Repair Your Computer option, and enter the System Recovery Options. Choose Command Prompt from System Recovery Options and then type BOOTREC.EXE.

Answer 25

A. Faulty network cable. D. The cable is unplugged at the other end. If the network card doesn’t have any lights, it doesn’t have a connection. It could be that the cable is bad or that it’s not plugged in on the other side, or it could also be a problem with the NIC or the connectivity device on the other side. If nobody else in the same area is having the same problem, that points to an issue with this computer or cable.

Answer 26

C. A toner vacuum Most of the time if you have dust or debris in a printer, you can go ahead and use compressed air to blow it away. Don’t do that with toner, though, because it will make a huge mess. If you have a toner spill, use a specialized toner vacuum to pick it up. Also, never use a damp cloth to try to clean up a toner spill. If a cloth is needed, use a dry one.

Answer 27

B. The wall outlet is defective. C. The AC adapter is defective. Many laptop power adapters have a light on them indicating that they’re plugged in. If there’s no light, check to make sure that the outlet is working or switch outlets. Also, most laptops have a power-ready indicator light when plugged into a wall outlet as well. Check to see whether it’s lit. If the outlet is fine, try another power adapter. They do fail on occasion.

Answer 28

A. Ink cartridges installed in the wrong spot B. Leaking ink cartridges Sometimes, when you print a color document, the colors might not be the same colors that you expected based on what you saw on the screen. A few different issues could cause this problem. First, ink could be bleeding from adjacent areas of the picture, causing the color to be off. A leaking cartridge can cause this, as can using the wrong type of paper for your printer. Second, the ink cartridges could be installed in the wrong spot. Third, it could be a dirty print head. Try running the self-cleaning routine.

Answer 29

A. Low RF signal The most common reason that users on wireless networks experience intermittent connectivity issues is distance. The farther away from the WAP the user gets, the weaker the signal becomes. When the signal weakens, the transfer rates drop dramatically.

Answer 30

A. Place the screws in a multicompartment pill box and label where they go. C. Label where the cables plug into the motherboard. When repairing laptops, you should always document and label screw and cable locations, organize parts, refer to manufacturer instructions, and use appropriate hand tools. In some cases, but not all, you might need to remove the hard drive to remove the motherboard. To remove the motherboard, use appropriate tools recommended by the manufacturer, as each system can be different.

Answer 31

B. Replace the monitor. In an LCD monitor, dimness or flickering is most commonly caused by the backlight starting to fail. In those cases, replace the backlight or the monitor.

Answer 32

A. Check your connections and stop and restart the print spooler. If your printer isn’t spitting out print jobs, it may be a good idea to print a test page and see whether that works. The test page information is stored in the printer’s memory, so there’s no formatting or translating of jobs required. It’s simply a test to make sure that your printer hears your computer. If nothing happens, double-check your connections and stop and restart the print spooler. If garbage prints, there is likely a problem with the printer or the print driver.

Answer 33

C. Connect an external keyboard using the USB port. If a laptop keyboard is not responding, you can always plug in an external keyboard and use that. It might not be an ideal long-term solution, but it will generally get a user back up and running.

Answer 34

B. RAM Memory problems can cause applications to fail and produce error messages such as general protection faults (GPFs). Memory issues can also cause a fatal error in your operating system, producing the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in Windows or the rotating pinwheel in macOS.

Answer 35

C. Motors or fans in use Distorted images can be a problem with CRT monitors if they are near a motor or other device that produces a magnetic field. Sometimes, the image will be wavy, and at other times it might look like it is getting stretched to one side of the screen. If your office is a cubicle farm, desk fans can be a major culprit.

Answer 36

A. CPU B. RAM The most likely components are the processor or the memory. Try reseating the chips or testing them. If the problems persist, you may need to replace those components. It could also be the motherboard.

Answer 37

C. Punchdown tool If you’re working on a larger network installation, you might use a punchdown tool. It’s not a testing tool but one that allows you to connect (that is, punch down) the exposed ends of a wire into wiring harnesses, such as a 110 block (used many times in connectivity closets to help simplify the tangled mess of cables).

Answer 38

C. Use a file recovery service or software package to try to recover the data. If your hard drive fails completely and you need to get critical data off it, there are third-party companies that provide file recovery software and services. These services are generally very expensive. (And you should have been backing up the drive in the first place!)

Answer 39

C. His wireless card is disabled. If your wireless networking isn’t working, check to make sure that the LEDs on your network card are functioning. If there are no lights, it could indicate a problem with the card itself or, on some cards, that there is no connection or signal. Considering he received a signal in that location previously, it’s most likely something to do with the card. First, make sure the wireless card is enabled through the OS.

Answer 40

B. Incorrect video resolution Oversized images and icons are related to screen resolution; it usually means that your resolution is set too low for the monitor or projector you are using. Increase the resolution, and the issue should disappear.

Answer 41

D. netdom netdom is a tool first included with Windows Server 2008 that provides Active Directory management capabilities, specifically domain and trust management. It allows an administrator to rename computers in a domain, join client computers to the domain, manage computer accounts, and manage trust relationships between domains.

Answer 42

A. Hold the power button and the sleep/wake button simultaneously for 10 seconds, and the phone will reset. If an iPhone is entirely frozen, all you really can do is to power it off and then back on. You might need to hold the power button down for several seconds to force the device to power off. If the power button does not work, you can reset an iPhone by pressing and holding the power button and the sleep/wake button simultaneously for about 10 seconds. The Apple logo will appear, and the phone should reset.

Answer 43

A. Fusing assembly The fusing assembly heats up the toner, and the toner melts into the paper. If the fuser isn’t heating properly, images can smudge.

Answer 44

B. Low RF signal. The most likely cause of this intermittent Wi-Fi issue is a low RF signal. If you get too far from a WAP, the signal will be too weak, and the Wi-Fi will disconnect.

Answer 45

C. The printer driver The correct printer driver needs to be installed for the printer and operating system. For example, if you have an HP LaserJet III and a Windows 7 computer, then you need to install an HP LaserJet III driver made for Windows 7. If this is not done, you will get garbage out of the printer.

Answer 46

B. Default gateway down You can immediately rule out client-side hardware issues because the user can connect to some resources. You just need to figure out why he can’t connect to others. This is most likely caused by one of two things: a configuration issue or a connectivity device (such as a router) problem. Since it’s affecting multiple people, it’s probably something to do with the router.

Answer 47

B. Backlight C. Screen If a laptop does not display any video, it could be the screen or the video card. To test it, plug in an external monitor (that you know works), and use the function keys on the laptop to switch to external video output. If that doesn’t work, it’s likely that the video card is defective. If the external monitor works, you know it’s a problem with the display on the laptop. The backlight (or inverter) could be dead or it could be the screen.

Answer 48

B. Reset the phone to factory specifications. If the phone is really slow but isn’t completely locked up, isolate the issue. Is it one app or overall performance? It could be that apps are running in the background and need to be closed. Shutting down those apps or powering the device off and then back on is a good step. You can also check to see how much memory is available. If it’s one app giving you problems instead of the entire device, look for updates to the app or delete and reinstall the app. Finally, if none of these steps works, perform a restore to factory settings. If the problems persist, it’s time for a new device.

Answer 49

A. Replace the failed disk and rebuild the array. If you’re using RAID 5 (disk striping with parity), a single drive failure usually means that your data will be fine, provided you replace the failed drive. If you lose multiple drives at the same time, you will need to restore from backup.

Answer 50

C. Replace the toner cartridge. All-black pages happen when the charging unit (the charging corona wire or charging corona roller) in the toner cartridge malfunctions and fails to place a charge on the EP drum. Because the drum is grounded, it has no charge. Anything with a charge (like toner) will stick to it. As the drum rotates, all of the toner is transferred to the page, and a black page is formed. Replace the toner cartridge.

Answer 51

B. The RAID controller If the system had been operating normally but now tells you RAID not found, it’s likely something is wrong with the RAID controller. Double-check to ensure that the RAID controller BIOS is configured properly and everything is connected as it should be.

Answer 52

C. Increase video memory. Certain unacceptable video-quality issues (such as jerky refresh speeds or lags) can be remedied by adding memory to a video card. Doing so generally results in an increase in both quality and performance. If you can’t add memory to the video card, you can upgrade to a new one.

Answer 53

D. ipconfig /all On a Windows workstation, the ipconfig command will show the TCP/IP configuration information. To see information beyond the address, subnet mask, and default gateway, use ipconfig /all.

Answer 54

A. netstat The netstat command is used to check out the inbound and outbound TCP/IP connections on your machine. It can also be used to view packet statistics, such as how many packets have been sent and received and the number of errors.

Answer 55

A. Replace the phone. This issue sounds like a swollen battery. If you have a swollen battery, turn the device off immediately and make sure that it’s not plugged into a charger. It may be possible to remove the battery, but swollen batteries are more prone to explosions than normal ones because the casing is already compromised. The best course of action is to purchase a new device.

Answer 56

B. Reinstall the app. Sometimes you will tap on an app and nothing happens. Most likely, this means that something has corrupted the app, but it could possibly be a memory issue. Try powering the device off and back on again and then try the app once more. If that doesn’t resolve the problem, simply uninstall and reinstall the app.

Answer 57

A. Try the monitor on another computer or another monitor on this computer. Try another monitor or try this monitor on another computer. That will narrow it down pretty quickly. Remember, if it’s not the monitor, it’s probably the video card.

Answer 58

C. Backlight Dim or flickering displays on mobile devices are usually caused by a faulty backlight in the display panel. A failing inverter can cause these problems too.

Answer 59

B. Dead pixels Dead pixels are spots on the screen that never “fire,” or light up. You can check for these by setting the background to white and seeing whether any spots don’t light up.

Answer 60

B. Re-center the laptop’s point stick. Pointer drift is where the mouse cursor will slowly drift in one direction even though you are not trying to make it move. This issue is generally related to the point stick not centering properly after it’s been used. If you have pointer drift, try using the point stick and moving it back and forth a few times to get it to re-center itself. You can also try rebooting. If the problem persists, either disable or replace the point stick.

Answer 61

D. Tone generator and probe If you need to trace a wire in a wall from one location to another, a tone generator and probe (or toner probe) is the tool for you. It consists of two pieces: a tone generator and a probe. Because it’s so good at tracking, you will sometimes hear this referred to as a “fox and hound.”

Answer 62

B. Use appropriate hand tools. D. Document and label cable and screw locations. When upgrading or repairing laptops, you should always document and label screw and cable locations, organize parts, refer to manufacturer instructions, and use appropriate hand tools. In some cases, but not all, you might need to remove the keyboard to upgrade the memory. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Answer 63

C. Cable tester Cable testers are indispensable tools for any network technician. Usually you would use a cable tester before you install a cable to make sure it works. Of course, you can test them after they’ve been run as well.

Answer 64

A. Double-check the printer’s IP configuration information. For network-enabled laser printers, no connectivity can be a sign of improperly configured IP settings such as the IP address. While each printer is somewhat different, you can manually configure most laser printers’ IP settings through the LCD control panel.

Answer 65

D. Add another switch to the network. On a wired network, if you run into slow speeds or intermittent connectivity, it’s likely a load issue. There’s too much traffic for the network to handle, and the network is bogging down. Solutions include adding a switch, replacing your hubs with switches, and even creating virtual LANs (VLANs) with switches. If you want to upgrade the cabling or connectivity infrastructure to combat a speed issue, you should do all of it and not just cables or a router.

Answer 66

B. Enable Location Services under Settings -\> Privacy. The iPhone and iPad use the term Location Services to refer to GPS. Android devices will call it Location, Location Services, or Location Reporting. On an iPhone, you enable Location Services under Settings -\> Privacy. In Android, location access settings are configured under Settings -\> Location.

Answer 67

D. Remove the toner cartridge, remove the sealing tape, and then reinstall the cartridge. One problem that happens with toner cartridges is when someone installs a new toner cartridge and forgets to remove the sealing tape that is present to keep the toner in the cartridge during shipping. The solution to this problem is fortunately quite easy: Remove the toner cartridge from the printer, remove the sealing tape, and reinstall the cartridge.

Answer 68

B. Bad RAM D. Improperly seated chips Unexpected shutdowns are difficult to troubleshoot, as are all intermittent issues. The first thing to check is to ensure that all socketed chips are seated properly; in fact, reseating them is a good option. If that does not resolve the issue, test the RAM or replace it if possible.

Answer 69

B. Loopback plug A loopback plug is for testing the ability of a network adapter to send and receive. The plug gets plugged into the NIC, and then a loopback test is performed using troubleshooting software. You can then tell whether the card is working properly.

Answer 70

B. net Depending on the version of Windows you are using, net can be one of the most powerful commands at your disposal. While all Windows versions include a net command, its capabilities differ based on whether it is used on a server or workstation and the version of the operating system. Commonly, net share is used to create shared folders, and net use is used to connect to shared folders over the network.

Answer 71

D. BIOS The system BIOS contains the boot sequence for a system. Most systems probably boot to the first hard drive, but they can also be configured to boot from a secondary hard drive, the optical drive, or the network. If a computer can’t find the right boot device, it could be that it’s attempting to boot from the wrong device. This setting is configured in the BIOS.

Answer 72

B. Run chkdsk. It’s possible that the hard drive has some bad sectors, so run chkdsk to scan the drive and attempt to repair them. If that doesn’t work, formatting is the second option, and replacing the drive is the third.

Answer 73

C. IFCONFIG The IFCONFIG command is used in Linux, UNIX, and macOS to check a computer’s IP configuration information. IPCONFIG is used in Windows.

Answer 74

B. +5v A laser printer’s DC power supply provides three different DC voltages to printer components. Using the multimeter, you should find the following voltages: pin 1 +5v, pin 5 –5v, pin 9 +24v.

Answer 75

D. The system has locked up and needs to be rebooted. Most keyboards will have status lights for the Caps Lock and Num Lock keys. If you believe a system is locked up, try pressing the Caps Lock or Num Lock key on the keyboard to see whether the lights change. If they don’t, that’s a sign that the system is unresponsive. Reboot the computer.

Answer 76

B. diskpart The diskpart utility shows the partitions and lets you manage them on the computer’s hard drives. Because of the enormous power it holds, membership in the Administrators local group (or equivalent) is required to run diskpart.

Answer 77

A. SSD Nearly every hard drive is built with Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) software installed on it, which monitors hard drive reliability and theoretically can warn you in the event of an imminent failure.

Answer 78

B. PSU If you try to power on the system but get no lights or fan, first check the obvious things. Is it plugged in? Does the cord work? If those all check out, then it’s probably the power supply.

Answer 79

B. Remove old files or applications. If a hard drive is too full and has less than 10 percent free space, it can slow down dramatically. The first solution to try is to remove files and free up space. If that doesn’t work, you may need to format and reinstall, or potentially replace, the hard drive.

Answer 80

A. ping -t The ping command is one of the most useful commands in the TCP/IP protocol. It sends a series of packets to another system, which in turn sends back a response. This utility can be extremely useful for troubleshooting problems with remote hosts. The ping -t command sets a persistent ping, which does not stop until you cancel it.

Answer 81

A. Use a slightly dampened cotton swab to clean under the keys. If the key physically sticks, you can try blowing out underneath the key with compressed air or use a cotton swab slightly dampened with water (or rubbing alcohol) to clean underneath the key. Make sure to clean the entire surface underneath the sticking key. If none of this resolves the issue, you might need to replace the keyboard.

Answer 82

C. HDD Failure to open files means that the computer can’t properly read those files. In most cases, this indicates an issue with the hard drive.

Answer 83

B. Insert a USB wireless network card. Laptops have USB ports, and they can come in handy in situations like this. Plug in an external USB NIC, and the user should be able to get on the network.

Answer 84

A. If the tablet is configured to receive voice calls There’s probably a simple explanation for this one, and the device is in silent or vibrate mode. Most mobile devices will have a switch on the side that sets them to silent or vibrate mode, and that will mute the device from making a noise when it receives a call or a message. If that doesn’t resolve the problem, it might also be a good idea to check his volume settings.

Answer 85

B. Replace the backlight. In an LCD monitor, dimness or flickering is most commonly caused by the backlight starting to fail. In those cases, replace the backlight or the monitor.

Answer 86

C. Reset the video resolution to a lower setting and reboot. When your system refuses to boot into anything other than VGA mode, it indicates one of two problems. Either the video card is set to a resolution that it can’t handle or the video card driver isn’t loading properly. When in VGA mode, reset the video resolution to something you know the card can handle and reboot. If that doesn’t solve it, reinstall the driver. If it still doesn’t work, replace the video card.

Answer 87

D. LVPS The screen assembly on a laser printer needs several components to work properly, including the formatter board, engine controller board, and cables connecting the display to each. If any of those components have failed, you could end up with a blank display. It could also be a failed low-voltage power supply (LVPS). If there is no output from the engine self-test, then you have a problem with the power supply.

Answer 88

A. Distorted image Distorted images can be a problem with CRT monitors if they are near a motor or other device that produces a magnetic field. Sometimes, the image will be wavy, and at other times it might look like it is getting stretched to one side of the screen. If your office is a cubicle farm, desk fans can be a major culprit.

Answer 89

D. Enable S/MIME. You could have your colleague resend the email unencrypted, but if it has highly confidential information it, that’s probably not a good idea. If you can’t decrypt email, it is most likely because S/MIME settings are not properly enabled on your email account, which means installing a certificate (and by extension, your private security key) on your mobile device.

Answer 90

A. RAM Memory problems can cause applications to fail and produce error messages such as general protection faults (GPFs). Memory issues can also cause a fatal error in your operating system, producing the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in Windows or the rotating pinwheel in macOS.

Answer 91

D. Incorrect video resolution Older, square CRT monitors had a 4:3 aspect ratio, and newer widescreen HD displays are either 16:9 or 16:10. If you set your resolution such that it doesn’t match the monitor’s geometry, you may get distorted geometry problems. When this happens, the screen will look stretched or squeezed, depending on how you set it. Just choose a different resolution and the problem should go away.

Answer 92

D. Stepper motor Stepper motor problems on inkjet and dot-matrix printers will look similar to each other. If the main motor is damaged, lines of print will be unevenly spaced, and if the print head motor goes bad, characters will be scrunched together.

Answer 93

B. It will display incorrect colors. A monitor can display incorrect colors if the pins on the connector are damaged or if the connector isn’t plugged all the way in.

Answer 94

C. nbtstat nbtstat is a command that shows NetBIOS over TCP/IP information. While not used as often as other command-line network troubleshooting tools, it can be useful when trying to diagnose a problem with NetBIOS name resolution.

Answer 95

C. Replace the ink cartridge. Faded prints generally mean the printer is out of ink. Replace the ink cartridge, and the problem should disappear.

Answer 96

D. Apply a maintenance kit. Performing periodic preventative maintenance on your laser printers can help eliminate many potential problems before they happen. Preventative maintenance includes cleaning the printer and using manufacturer-recommended maintenance kits.

Answer 97

C. net share docs /delete The net share command is used to share folders on a network as well as stop sharing folders. (And net use will allow users to connect to them.) The proper syntax to share a folder is net share =:. To stop sharing, use net share /delete.

Answer 98

C. Print a test page. If your printer isn’t spitting out print jobs, it may be a good idea to print a test page and see whether that works. The test page information is stored in the printer’s memory, so there’s no formatting or translating of jobs required. It’s simply a test to make sure that your printer hears your computer.

Answer 99

A. No network connection Some wireless cards will have their connection and activity lights alternatively blink if there is no network connection. If the card had failed, there likely would be no lights on it at all.

Answer 100

B. Perform a battery calibration. C. Drain the battery completely and then charge it fully. Small devices sometimes suffer from an extremely short battery life. If it’s a laptop, you can try to perform a battery calibration. For all mobile devices, you can try to drain the battery completely and then charge it fully before turning the device back on. If these options don’t work, then it’s likely that the battery needs to be replaced.

Answer 101

B. nslookup nslookup is a command that enables you to verify entries on a DNS server.

Answer 102

C. The RAID controller’s BIOS Nearly all PCIe RAID controllers will have their own BIOS for setup, configuration, and troubleshooting. Some will have utilities available for use within an operating system as well.

Answer 103

D. PSU The power supply is the only component listed with moving parts and therefore is the most likely component to cause a whining sound. It’s more than likely a fan. Either it needs to be cleaned (desperately) or replaced. Power supplies that are failing can also sound louder and quieter intermittently because a fan will run at alternating speeds.

Answer 104

A. The system BIOS detected an error in the POST routine. Every computer has a diagnostic program built into its basic input/output system (BIOS) called the power-on self-test (POST). When you turn on the computer, it executes this set of diagnostics. If the computer doesn’t perform the POST as it should, one way to determine the source of a problem is to listen for a beep code. This is a series of beeps from the computer’s speaker. A successful POST generally produces a single beep. If there’s more than one beep, the number, duration, and pattern of the beeps can sometimes tell you what component is causing the problem. Check the documentation to determine the specific issue.

Answer 105

A. Replace the motherboard. Many motherboards have capacitors on them, which store electricity. They are short cylindrical tubes. Sometimes, when capacitors fail, they will bulge, and brownish-red electrolyte residue may seep out of the vents in the top. These are called distended capacitors. If a capacitor fails, the best option is to replace the motherboard.

Answer 106

B. SSID broadcasting is disabled on the wireless access point. The most likely cause is that the router is configured to not broadcast SSIDs. 802.11g and 802.11n are compatible, and she is within range if your computer is connected.

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D. Use a packet sniffer to determine the computer with the duplicate address, and change that computer to obtain an IP address automatically. The most common cause of an IP address conflict is if someone configures a computer with a static IP address that’s part of the DHCP server’s range. The DHCP server, not knowing that the address has been statically assigned somewhere, doles out the address, and now there’s a conflict. Rebooting the computer won’t help, and neither will releasing the address and getting a new lease from the DHCP server—it’s just going to hand out the same address again because it doesn’t know that there’s a problem. As the administrator, you need to track down the offending user. A common way to do this is to use a packet sniffer to look at network traffic and determine the computer name or MAC address associated with the IP address in question.

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D. EP drum A groove or scratch in the EP drum can cause the problem of vertical black lines running down all or part of the page. Because a scratch is lower than the surface, it doesn’t receive as much (if any) of a charge as the other areas. The result is that toner sticks to it as though it were discharged. The groove may go around the circumference of the drum, so the line may go all the way down the page.

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A. Backlight Dim or flickering displays on mobile devices are usually caused by a faulty backlight in the display panel. A failing inverter can cause these problems too.

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A. Power supply tester D. Multimeter If you’re curious as to the state of your power supply, you can buy hardware-based power supply testers or multimeters to test it.

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C. Video card If the laptop won’t output a screen image to an external monitor or projector, it means one of two things (assuming you know that the monitor or projector works): either the external VGA port is shot or the function keys aren’t working. In either case, you likely need to replace the motherboard if you want the display to appear on an external device.

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B. Bluetooth is disabled. Most wireless headsets use a Bluetooth connection. The first thing to check is that the Bluetooth is enabled, which also means double-checking that Airplane mode is not turned on. In this case, Bluetooth is off.

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B. Unable to reach a DHCP server The address shown is one assigned by the Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) service. It auto-configures your network card with an IP address if your computer is set to receive an IP address from the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server and that server doesn’t respond. You can always tell an APIPA address because it will be in the format of 169.254.x.x.

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C. Motherboard D. CPU A failing motherboard or CPU may cause continuous reboots.

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D. Faulty switch If the problem affects multiple users, chances are that it’s an issue with the central connectivity device. Suspect an issue with the hub or switch that the computers are plugged into.

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C. tracert tracert (trace route) is a Windows-based command-line utility that enables you to verify the route to a remote host. Execute the command tracert hostname, where hostname is the computer name or IP address of the computer whose route you want to trace. Tracert returns the different IP addresses the packet was routed through to reach the final destination.