B.2.5 CompTIA A+ 220-1101 (Core 1) Domain 5: Hardware and Network Troubleshooting

Joe, a frequent visitor to a branch office, attempts to connect his tablet to the office wireless network, but is unable to connect to the internet, even though he has verified that the SSID and password are correct. Joe attempts to connect to a coworker's hotspot, but is still unable to connect to the internet. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

> Airplane Mode has been set on his tablet. Explanation: When a mobile device has no wireless connectivity, the most frequent reason is that Airplane Mode has been set on the device. The tablet could not connect to the internet from either the office wireless access point or from a coworker's hotspot. This indicates a problem with the tablet, not a problem with the branch office network. The tablet would not be able to connect to the branch office wireless network if MAC filtering was enabled and the tablet was not on the approved list. If the tablet was on the approved list, MAC filtering would not affect internet connectivity. While full device encryption may affect a tablet's performance, it does not affect internet connectivity.

You have just received a frantic call from a customer. She informs you that after turning her computer on, she received the following error: The SMART hard disk check has detected an imminent failure. Which of the following is the best FIRST step to take?

> Back up all important data and files. Explanation: Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (SMART) is a monitoring system that detects drive errors. If SMART detects enough errors that a complete hard disk failure is imminent, a warning is displayed when the system boots. SMART is designed to warn you of disk failures before they actually happen. If you see a SMART error, you should immediately back up the data on the disk and then, to be safe, replace the drive. Running a hard drive test to verify the hard disk's condition is a good second step to verify that the SMART error is accurate. You could run chkdsk after backing up all important data and files, but it would probably not resolve the SMART warning. A defragmentation tool will not help you troubleshoot or fix disk errors. Its main purpose is to consolidate files to create disk space and improve computer disk reads.

Which of the following is the FIRST thing you should do if your laptop battery appears swollen or feels hot?

> Shut off the laptop and unplug it. Explanation: Most new laptops use a Lithium-Ion battery, which have a few known issues, such as overheating and swelling. If your battery appears swollen or feels hot, shut off the machine and unplug it immediately. Do not attempt to remove the battery until you perform these tasks first. While making sure that the laptop vents are not blocked or purchasing a special laptop cooling base can help reduce the heat generated by your laptop, these are not the steps you should take when working with a swollen or hot battery.

The stapler cartridge in your printer is jammed. After removing the cartridge, what is the NEXT step to resolve the issue?

> Carefully remove any staples lodged in the opening. Explanation: After removing the stapler cartridge from its slot, carefully remove any staples lodged in the opening. You should not try to pry or bend any staples lodged in the opening. Before replacing a stapler cartridge or reinserting the stapler cartridge, you should try carefully removing any staples lodged in the opening.

Which pin on the power supply connector connects to the power good wire on the motherboard in order to indicate an appropriate action for the motherboard if the power disappears, quickly reappears, or does not appear at all?

> Pin 8 Explanation: Pin 8 on the power supply connector connects to the power good wire on the motherboard. If power disappears from this wire, the motherboard shuts down. If power quickly reappears on this wire, the system may attempt to come back on by itself, resulting in continual reboots. If power does not reappear on this wire, the system sh

Your laptop's LCD screen is beginning to flicker and dim. You have checked the brightness setting to make sure that it is configured correctly. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of your screen issue?

> The LCD screen inverter is failing. Explanation: The most likely cause of your dimness and flickering is a failing LCD screen inverter. The inverter is a small electronic component that is used to power the LCD backlight. If the inverter fails or is failing, the backlight may flicker or go off, similar to a fluorescent bulb. If the LCD screen is failing, the system is configured to use an external display port, or the video ribbon cable is disconnected, you will most likely see a blank screen instead of flickering.

Aubrey, an employee in the marketing department, has told you that when she prints to her laser printer, faint ghost-like images are being printed on her new page. As an IT administrator, you check with other employees who use the same printer and find that they are not experiencing the same problem. Which of the following would be the BEST fix for this issue?

> Use pre-printed paper that has been printed with laser-compatible print toner. Explanation: Aubrey is most likely printing on pre-printed paper, whereas the images are not using laser printer-compatible ink. This causes the heat and pressure to transfer the pre-printed image to the drum during the fusing process and then replicate the images on the printed pages. Since the ghosting is only occurring for Aubrey, it is unlikely that the imaging drum or toner is the issue. Shaking the toner cartridge to evenly distribute the toner may help resolve faint printing or lines not printing, but it would not resolve ghosting issues.

Which of the following is the surest way to prevent the loss of important information on your mobile device if it is lost, stolen, destroyed, or there is a natural disaster?

> Configure your device to remotely back up important data to the cloud. Explanation: The surest way to prevent the loss of important information on your mobile device is to configure your device to remotely back up important data to the cloud. Backing up data to your personal computer is not a bad idea, but if there is a natural disaster, your data is safer in the cloud than on a single machine that could be damaged in the same disaster that affects your mobile device. Not putting important information on your mobile device is a practical impossibility, as is only using apps that store data (like messages in Gmail) on the app provider's servers.

When you turn on your workstation, you immediately hear a grinding noise coming from inside the computer case. Which of the following are the MOST likely causes of this noise?

> Dust buildup that needs to be cleaned. > An uneven case surface that causes fan blade and motor noise. Explanation: When you hear a buzzing or grinding noise, the most likely cause is your PC's fan. There are many things that can cause your fan to make a grinding noise, including dust buildup that needs to be cleaned and an uneven case surface. A failing video card may result in a noise from the video card fan, but it will not be a grinding noise. A POST test error message can result in a series of beeps or a text message on the screen, but this error does not cause an audible grinding noise. A connector that is not seated properly can cause an electrical arch, resulting in smoke or a burning smell. However, the connector will not produce a grinding noise.

You are attempting to boot a new system. The boot fails, and the system sounds a beep code. Which of the following describes the MOST likely cause of this error?

> Either no memory is installed or the memory was not detected. Explanation: If the system boot fails and sounds a beep code, the most likely cause is that either no memory is installed or the memory was not detected. If a card or memory module is not seated properly or the system includes unsupported memory, the system will boot, but the display will remain blank. If POST fails to recognize all of the memory, the system will boot, but the memory count will be incorrect.

You are troubleshooting a malfunctioning LCD display on a notebook computer system. After confirming that the notebook is receiving AC power, you plug in an external monitor. The external monitor does not display the output from the notebook after you press the fn key to toggle the display. Which of the following is MOST likely causing this issue?

> Failed video adapter Explanation: Because the output does not display on the internal or external monitor after the fn key is pressed, the most likely problem is related to the video adapter. If the external monitor shows the correct output, it is most likely a failed backlight or inverter. When the computer runs for only a short time after the battery has been charged, or if the battery does not hold a charge, it is most likely a failed battery.

You are planning on taking your laptop with you on a business trip. You currently have an ExpressCard card installed in the laptop. Which of the following are precautions you should take when transporting your laptop? (Select two.)

> Place the laptop in a properly padded case. > Remove the ExpressCard from the laptop slot. Explanation: The following are precautions you should take when transporting your laptop: Protect your laptop in properly padded case. When installed, both PCMCIA and ExpressCard cards extend past the outer edge of the laptop. You should remove the cards from the slots before putting them in a case to prevent them from catching on objects and breaking. Placing extra padding around the exposed part of an ExpressCard does not guarantee that the card will be protected from breaking. You need to remove it from the slot. Ice packs eventually melt, and if the ice pack ruptures, the liquid inside can damage your laptop. While configuring laptop Power Options can contribute to cooling or reducing power consumption, these options have no impact when a laptop is turned off and being shipped.

You have an Inkjet printer attached to the laptop computer in your home office. With a document ready to print, you select the Print option from your word processor. Unfortunately, shortly after the job has started, the printer stops printing. You turn the printer off. Which of the following actions should you perform to fix the printer?

> Remove the jammed paper following its regular path. Explanation: When paper gets jammed, you should first power the printer off and then locate where the paper is. Gently pull the paper in the same direction it would have traveled had it not become jammed. This is critical because most printer components are designed to follow a certain path when in operation. When they get stuck, it is better for them to complete whatever cycle they were on. Going against the pathway of the paper may cause these components to backtrack as well, which is not recommended. The other reason for following the paper path is that going against the normal pathway may result in tearing the paper. If a stuck sheet tears, it is that much harder for you to deal with the problem, as you may need to open certain modules to access the torn paper bits. Attempting to start a new print job will most likely fail, as the printer will have already stopped working due to the initial paper jam. Restarting the printer will not clear the jam. In most cases, you must remove the paper manually.

You work for a company based in Phoenix, Arizona, which is a very hot and dry area. Several people in the research department have reported that even though their files are printing to the laser printer correctly, a much lighter copy of the same text also prints within 2 to 3 cm of the original text. Which of the following would MOST likely fix this type of ghosting image?

> Replace the imaging drum, as it is probably at end of life. Explanation: Ghost images within 2 to 3 cm of the original image are an indication that the ghosting is caused by the imaging drum. When a drum unit comes to the end of its useable life cycle, it may not discharge properly, leaving behind faint traces of the previous print job. An imaging drum can also become defective and discharge incorrectly between print runs, causing ghosting to occur. In either case, the best solution it to replace the imaging drum. Using heavier-weight paper will not fix ghosting images. If the drum is bad, the ghosting will still be present regardless of the paper weight. Heavier-weight paper can actually cause ghosting to occur if the ghosting issue is the result of a faulty fuser unit. If the printing were done in a high-humidity environment, it is possible that the toner could clump together inside the cartridge. When this happens, the toner powder is not distributed evenly when printing, which can lead to ghost images on the page. However, Arizona is a very dry environment, so this probably isn't the issue. Vacuuming the fuser assembly would not solve a ghosting issue.

When playing videos games or watching movies on your workstation, the screen sometimes freezes and displays strange colors. You suspect that your video card is causing the issues. What is the BEST solution to resolve your display issues?

> Replace the video card. Explanation: The best remedy is to replace the video card because it will fail completely at some point. While updating the video card driver may resolve the display issues for now, it is more likely that your video card is failing. The best solution is to simply replace the video card. If the video card has been working properly until now, it is highly unlikely that you have a loose video card connector. If you are not hearing any noise from the fan while it is spinning, it is highly unlikely that the fan is the cause of the display issues.

You have purchased an LED monitor and connected it to the HDMI port on your computer using an HDMI cable. You configure the screen resolution to 1280 x 768 with 32-bit color. The images displayed on the screen appear to be overly large. What should you do to correct the problem?

> Set the display resolution to the native resolution of the monitor. Explanation: LED and LCD monitors have a native display resolution. You should set the resolution of the video board to the native resolution of the monitor (whatever it might be). In this scenario, the display resolution has been set to a resolution that is much smaller than the native resolution, causing the images on the display to appear over-sized. Changing connection types will not correct an incorrectly set display resolution, nor will increasing the hardware acceleration or installing an updated driver.

Oliver, a user in your company, is using an Inkjet printer. After using this printer for several months, he notices that streaks are beginning to appear on his printed pages. Oliver has asked you to fix this issue. Which of the following is MOST likely causing Oliver's printer to malfunction?

> The printer's heads are out of position and need to be aligned. Explanation: Streaks on an Inkjet printer's pages are commonly caused by printheads that are out of alignment. You can generally fix this problem using your printer's alignment function to straighten them. An image drum, fusing unit, and mirror are all components of a laser printer and could not be an issue with Oliver's Inkjet printer.

You are an IT technician for your company. One of your employees calls and tells you that every time they turn their computer on, they hear three beeps. Which of the following BEST describes the information you should relay to this employee about the beeping?

> Three repeated beeps may mean different things. They need to reference the motherboard documentation. Explanation: Every time a PC boots, it runs a Power-On Self Test, or POST. POST checks to make sure that all of the basic hardware in your system is present and functioning at boot time, such as the system memory, keyboard, CPU, chipset, and so on. If the PC finds a problem during POST, it registers an error. How this error is reported depends on the motherboard manufacturer. Since each motherboard may have a different meaning for three beeps, you should check the motherboard documentation before proceeding further. Each of the other options may be the issue, but without checking the documentation, you cannot be sure.

An employee calls the help desk, stating that the touchpad on their laptop does not work. Which of the following actions would BEST help you diagnose the problem?

> Toggle the touchpad function key. Explanation: Many laptops have a function key that enables and disables the touchpad. Toggling the key would test whether the touchpad is enabled. While an external mouse moves the cursor, it has no effect on the touchpad. Attaching an external keyboard has no effect on the touchpad. Disabling the touchscreen has no effect on the touchpad.

For the past several days, print jobs from your Inkjet printer have been missing colors and leaving gaps. Which of the following will MOST likely resolve the problem?

> Use an automatic printhead cleaning feature. Explanation: Use an Inkjet's automatic cleaning feature if letters have missing lines and there are gaps. With Inkjet printers, the nozzles sometimes become clogged, preventing ink from reaching the paper. On dot matrix printers, you should check the gap between the printhead and paper to prevent printer images from becoming faint. Color profiles are typically created by the manufacturer, and they correct problems when the printed colors don't match what you see on the screen. Add memory to a printer if the end of a printed page is missing.