Troubleshooting Windows Flashcards
The options included in the Advanced Boot Options menu are:
Safe Mode: Starts system with a minimal set of drivers.
Safe Mode with Networking: Starts system with a minimal set of drivers and enables network support.
Safe Mode with Command Prompt: Starts system with a minimal set of drivers but loads command prompt.
Enable boot logging: creates a ntbtlog.txt file
Enable low-resolution video: Uses a standard VGA driver
Last Known Good Configuration: Starts the system with the last configuration known to work.
Directory Services Restore Mode: This is used to restore a domain controller’s active directory.
Debugging Mode: Enables the use of a debug program to examine system kernel for troubleshooting.
Disable automatic restart on system failure (7 and Vista only): Prevents Windows from automatically restarting, if an error causes Windows to fail.
Disable driver signature enforcement (7 and Vista only): Enables drivers containing improper signatures to be installed.
Start Windows Normally: This boots to regular Windows.
How do you access the Advanced Boot Options Menu?
Press the F8 key immediately after the computer starts.
What are the ways to access WinRE?
Booting to the Windows 7/Vista DVD: Make sure the DVD drive is the first in the boot order of the BIOS, boot to the DVD, and select Repair your Computer.
Booting to a special partition on the hard drive that has WinRE installed: Press F8 to bring up Advanced Boot Options, Repair your Computer.
The different WinRE options are:
Startup Repair: This automatically fixes certain problems that might prevent Windows from starting.
System Restore: Restores the computer’s system files to an earlier point in time.
System Image Recovery (Win7) or Windows Complete PC Restore (Vista): This restores the contents of a hard disk from a backup.
Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool: Scans the computer’s memory for errors.
Command Prompt: Advanced users can use this to perform recovery related operations .
What is the command-line interface used for repairs such as rebuilding the master boot record in XP?
Recovery Console
You can access Recovery Console in two ways:
Boot the computer to the CD-ROM and run Recovery Console.
Boot from a previously installed Recovery Console.
To run the Recovery Console from CD-ROM:
- Boot the system from the CD.
- When prompted press R to start Recovery Console.
- Log into Recovery Console by selecting the installation to log into and providing the Admin password for the operating system.
To install Recovery Console to hard disk:
- While in Windows, insert CD-ROM.
- Open Run prompt, and type d:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons
- Confirm the installation and restart the Computer. Now it will appear on the boot menu.
Windows 7/Vista boot errors:
BOOTMGR is missing: There are two ways to fix this.
- Boot to System Recovery Options and select Startup Repair.
- Boot to System Recovery and select Command Prompt. Type the command bootrec /fixboot
Windows Boot Configuration Data file is missing required info: There are two ways to fix this.
1. Boot to System Recovery Options and select Startup Repair.
2. Boot to System Recovery and select Command Prompt. Type the command bootrec /rebuildbcd
3. Type yes to add to the BCD store.
4. If the Bootrec.exe tool can’t locate any Windows installations. You have to remove the BCD store and recreate it by typing the command:
Bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
ren c: \boot\bcd BCD.old
Bootrec /rebuildbcd
Windows XP boot errors:
NTDETECT failed: This displays if the NTDETECT.COM file is missing or corrupt.
NTLDR is missing: This displays if the NTLDR is missing or corrupt. This can be fixed by typing fixboot or fixmbr in Recovery Console.
Invalid boot.ini: This displays if the boot.ini file is missing or corrupt.
To repair these issues:
Reboot to the Windows CD and access Recovery Console, then recopy the file from Windows CD.
Repair the installation or restore Windows.
Which option starts the system with a minimal set of drivers?
A. Last Known Good Configuration
B. System Restore
C. Safe Mode
D. Debugging Mode
C. Safe Mode
Which tool should be used if a person wanted to do Startup Repair in Windows 7?
A. Recovery Console
B. WinRE
C. System Restore
D. Safe Mode
B. WinRE
What switch should be used to install the Recovery Console to a hard drive?
A. /recovery
B. /winnt32
C. /console
D. /cmdcons
D. /cmdcons
What command repairs the bootmgr.exe file in Windows 7/Vista?
A. bootrec /fixboot
B. bootrec /fixmbr
C. bootrec /rebuildbcd
D. boot\bcd
A. bootrec /fixboot
Which tool should be used to fix the NTLDR if it is missing or corrupt?
A. Safe Mode
B. bootrec /fixmbr
C. Recovery Console
D. WinRE
C. Recovery Console
One of your customers went ahead and updated the software for a wireless adapter on a PC. After rebooting the user logs in and the computer displays a blue screen. What should you do?
A. Install the device on a known good computer.
B. Reboot the computer and use the Last Known Good Configuration.
C. Purchase a new wireless adapter.
D. Roll back the device drivers in Safe Mode.
D. Roll back the device drivers in Safe Mode.
What does the exclamation point, down arrow, and red X indicate in the Device Manager?
The exclamation point means a device is malfunctioning.
The down arrow means a device is disabled in Windows 7/Vista.
A red X means a device is disabled in XP.
How do you access the Event Viewer?
Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools
System Tools node in Computer Management
Typing eventvwr.msc in the Run prompt
What are the three main log files in the Event Viewer?
System: Contains info, warnings, and errors about hardware, device drivers, system files, etc.
Application: Contains events about programs built into Windows
Security: Holds info that was gathered for auditing and security purposes.
An event can be viewed by double clicking it. Events are broken into four categories:
Information: Indicated by an “i” in a circle. Basic info about a service starting or an application that ran successfully.
Warning: Indicated by an exclamation point within a yellow triangle. Example, an installation did not complete or a service timed out.
Error: Indicated by an exclamation point in a red circle. An “X” in XP. Something failed or has been corrupted.
Audit Success: Indicated by a gold colored key. They track what a user attempts to accomplish within the operating system.
What is a program in Vista that enables you to check for solutions to hardware and software problems?
Problem Reports and Solutions
It can be accessed in the Classic view of the Control Panel.
What program in Windows 7 is similar to Problem Reports and Solutions?
The Action Center
It can be accessed by clicking the icon in the Notification area or
Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Action Center
What program in XP is similar to the Action Center?
Dr. Watson: can be accessed by opening Run prompt and typing drwtsn32
What tool in Windows 7 can you use to track the performance of a PC?
Performance Monitor and Resource Monitor
Windows Vista uses the Reliability and Performance Monitor.
Windows XP uses Performance.
Where is Resource Monitor located?
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools
What are the functions of the Resource Monitor?
Tracks usage of CPU, disks, network, and memory.
How do you access the Windows Memory Diagnostics?
Administrative tools. By booting to the System Recovery Options and booting to the Advanced Boot Options menu.
Or you can open run prompt and type mdsched
The different tabs of msconfig are:
General: Configure the system for diagnostic or selective startup.
Boot: Modify OS bootup settings
Services: List of services. You can enable or disable them here.
Startup: Lists the various applications that start when the computer boots up.
Tools: Lists the common utilities you might use in Windows
What is a stop error?
A stop error or BSOD (Blue screen of death) halts the operating system and displays a blue screen with text.
When a stop error occurs:
Window will write debugging info to the hard drive for analysis with memory dump debugging programs. This is written to the RAM. The kernel memory dump is saved to %systemroot\MEMORY.DMP
What are the methods to restore Windows?
Windows 7: Boot to DVD, click repair option, select Restore Your Computer Using a System Image
Windows 7/Vista: Boot to DVD, click repair option, select System Image Recovery (Win7) or Windows Complete PC Restore (Vista)
Windows XP: Boot to XP Professional CD, press F2, insert the Automated System Recovery (ASR) disk
All Windows: Use third party tools such as Norton Ghost or Acronis.
What could a yellow exclamation point in the Device Manager indicate?
A. Disabled device
B. Event Viewer error
C. Incorrect driver
D. Device is not installed
C. Incorrect driver
Which log file in the Event Viewer contains info concerning auditing?
A. System
B. Application
C. Internet Explorer
D. Security
D. Security
A Stop error could manifest itself as what?
A. BSOD
B. An Event Viewer error
C. A Dr. Watson error
D. Internet Explorer error
A. BSOD
Which tools can be used to restore a computer? (Select all that apply.)
A. Windows Complete PC Restore
B. ASR
C. System Image Recovery
D. Dr. Watson
A, B, and C
What can you not perform in Msconfig?
A. Enable services
B. Disable applications
C. Stop services
D. Enable applications
C. Stop services
You try to install a program on a Windows 7 laptop but the installation fails. What should you do next?
A. Run the installer as an administrator.
B. Reinstall Windows 7.
C. Contact the manufacturer of the program.
D. Restore from an earlier restore point.
A. Run the installer as an administrator.
Which tool should you first use when troubleshooting software installation issues and application failures in Windows 7?
A. Task Manager
B. System Information
C. System Restore
D. Reliability Monitor
D. Reliability Monitor
Which of the following might cause a blue screen?
A. Faulty DVD-ROM
B. CPU without a fan
C. Bad drivers
D. Program compatibility issue
C. Bad drivers
What command checks a disk, fixes basic issues and displays a status report?
chkdsk
It can also fix some errors by using the /f switch.
What command checks protected system files, and replaces incorrect files with the correct ones?
SFC (System File Checker)
What command enables you to convert a volume that was previously formatted as FAT32 over to NTFS?
Convert
Example:
convert d: /FS:NTFS
Which command is used to format magnetic media such as hard drives and solid state media such as USB tonFAT, FAT32, and NTFS?
Format
Example:
format f: /FS:NTFS
What command is the counterpart of Windows’ Disk Management program?
diskpart
This is the successor to the old FDISK program
What are the commands for defrag?
defrag -a: this analyzes a disk
defrag -f: volume needs to be defragmented but has less than 15% free space
What command is meant to copy large amounts of data from one location to another?
XCopy
Example:
xcopy d:*.* /E/F e:\
What command is the successor to xcopy and can copy directories that contain lots of data and can even mirror complete directory trees?
Robocopy
Example:
robocopy c:\office c:\games
What command shows all processes running?
Tasklist
Each process is assigned a Process Identification number or PID.
Which command can you use to shut down processes?
Taskkill
Example:
taskkill /excel.exe
taskkill /PID 4548
What command is used to turn off the computer, restart it, or send it to hibernate mode?
Shutdown
Shutdown /s for short delay
Shutdown /p for immediate
What command can be used to create and modify text files with Windows?
Edit
Example:
edit boot.ini
What command copies files from one location to another?
Copy
Example:
copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\
What command would you use to expand compressed files?
Expand
Example:
expand D:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe
What command replaces the bootmgr file and writes a new boot sector to the system partition?
bootrec /fixboot
What command rewrites the master boot record to the system partition?
bootrec /fixmbr
What command repairs the BCD store?
bootrec /rebuildbcd
What command scans all disks for installations compatible with Windows 7/Vista?
bootrec /ScanOs
What command in XP do you use to repair the MBR?
fixmbr
What command in XP do you use to write new Windows boot sector to the system partition?
fixboot
Which command can fix lost files?
A. Chkdsk
B. Diskpart
C. Chkdsk /R
D. FIXMBR
C. Chkdsk /R
Which Recovery Console command can decompress a file as it copies it to the hard drive?
A. Extract
B. Expand
C. Paste
D. XCopy
B. Expand
Which command can copy multiple files and entire directory trees?
A. Copy
B. Cut
C. Paste
D. XCopy
D. XCopy
Which command can write a new boot sector and replace the bootmgr file in Windows 7/Vista?
A. bootrec /fixboot
B. bootrec /fixmbr
C. bootrec /rebuildbcd
D. bootrec /ScanOs
A. bootrec /fixboot
Which command will determine if protected system files have been overwritten and replace those files with the original version
A. CHKDSK
B. MSCONFIG
C. SFC
D. XCOPY
C. SFC
An application is frozen and cannot be closed. However, the rest of the operating system works fine. Which tool can be used to close this application?
A. Tasklist
B. Taskkill
C. Shutdown
D. Convert
B. Taskkill
