COMPTIA A+ Prep

Which of the following is NOT a common voltage produced by the power supply of a computer? A. 6 VDC B. 3.3 VDC C. 12 VDC D. 5 VDC

A. 6 VDC Power supplies in a computer convert high voltage alternating current (115 VAC or 220 VAC) to three lower direct current voltages: 3.3 VDC, 5 VDC, and 12 VDC. The 12 VDC is used by hard drives, CD/DVD drives, cooling fans, and other high-power devices. The 3.3 VDC and 5 VDC are used by digital circuits like the motherboard and the system's expansion cards.

The accounting department has been relocated to a new area of the building, which is more than 70 meters away from the closest IDF. To comply with an SLA that requires that 10Gb speeds be provided, what type of media should be installed? A. CAT 6a B. CAT 5e C. 802.11n D. 802.11ac

A. CAT 6a Cat6a is the only one listed that can meet 10 Gbps. CAT5e and 802.11 ac support speeds up to 1 Gbps. 802.11n supports speeds of up to 600 Mbps.

You work for a bank interested in moving some of its operations to the cloud, but it is worried about security. You recently discovered an organization called CloudBank that was formed by 15 local banks as a way for them to build a secure cloud-based environment that can be accessed by the 15 member banks. Which cloud model BEST describes the cloud created by CloudBank? A. Community Cloud B. Public Cloud C. Hybrid Cloud D. Private Cloud

A. Community Cloud I was wrong about the community cloud and actually learned from this question. Community Cloud is another type of cloud computing in which the cloud setup is shared manually among different organizations that belong to the same community or area. A multi-tenant setup is developed using the cloud among different organizations belonging to a particular community or group with similar computing concerns. For joint business organizations, ventures, research organizations, and tenders, a community cloud is an appropriate solution. Based on the description of 15 member banks coming together to create the CloudBank organization and its cloud computing environment, a community cloud model is most likely described.

What type of connector is used to connect to a serial port or external modem? A. DB-9 B. LC C. F Type D. RJ-45

A. DB-9 DB-9 is a standard type of serial connector used to connect to a serial port or external modem. A DB-9 connector is used to terminate an RS-232 serial cable. An RJ-45 connector is used to terminate a copper twisted-pair Ethernet cable. The F-type connector is used with coaxial cables. A ST, SC, LC, or MTRJ connector is used to terminate a fiber optic cable.

What is the name of a computer system that is designed to perform a specific and dedicated function? A. Embedded system B. UTM system C. Legacy system D. Patch system

A. Embedded system An embedded system is a computer system designed to perform a specific, dedicated function. These systems can be as small and simple as a microcontroller in an intravenous drip-rate meter or as large and complex as an industrial control system managing a water treatment plant. Embedded systems might typically have been designed to operate within a closed network. The network elements are all known to the system vendor, and there is no connectivity to wider computer data networks.

You want to boot from a removable USB device to troubleshoot your Windows 10 laptop. During your rebooting of the machine, which key should you press to enter the boot order menu? A. F12 B. Command + R C. F8 D. F11

A. F12 F12 is the most commonly used key used to enter the BIOS / UEFI boot order menu. The boot order is a menu that allows you to select which device you wish to boot from, such as the hard drive, DVD, or a removable USB device.

What network device uses ACLs to prevent unauthorized access into company systems? A. Firewall B. IDS C. Content filter D. Load balancer

A. Firewall A firewall is a network security device designed to prevent systems or traffic from unauthorized access. An ACL is a list that shows which traffic or devices should be allowed into or denied from accessing the network.

Which of the following types of hard drives would be used in a gaming laptop to increase the system's boot-up performance while providing a large amount of storage at a lower overall cost? A. Hybrid drive B. Optical drive C. SSD D. Magnetic drive

A. Hybrid drive A hybrid hard drive (SSHD) is a storage drive that combines the large storage capacity of an HDD with the faster read/write speed of an SSD. The majority of the drive uses a spinning disk and actuator arm, like a traditional magnetic drive, but it also contains a small SSD (solid-state drive) as part of the combined hybrid drive unit.

Dion Training has just installed a new hub/control system to control the lights, HVAC, and power to the devices in their studio. The new hub/control system relies on Zigbee for wireless communication and networking between the different devices. Which of the following types of networked hosts best describes what was installed? A. Internet of Things B. DHCP server C. Syslog server D. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

A. Internet of Things To achieve 10 Gbps, you should use Cat 6a, Cat 7, Cat 8, or a fiber optic cable. Since fiber optic was the only option listed here, it is the best answer. A Cat 5e can only operate up to 100 meters at 1 Gbps. A Cat 3 cable can only operate at 100 meters at 10 Mbps. A traditional ethernet coaxial cable network can only operate at 10 Mbps, but newer MoCA coaxial ethernet connections can reach speeds of up to 2.5 Gbps.

You are working as part of a PC refresh team installing 150 desktop computers in Dion Training's new offices. When you boot up the 72nd desktop you installed, you smell a foul-smelling chemical odor. You sniff the air again and confirm the smell isn't a burning smell. Upon opening the case, which component should you inspect for damage and expect to replace? A. Motherboard B. Power supply C. GPU D. System fan

A. Motherboard A foul smell is usually indicative of a distended capacitor. Capacitors are small electrical components on the motherboard. Therefore you should inspect the motherboard for replacement. If there was a burning smell, then the power supply should be the first component inspected.

Jason's son has broken the RJ-45 port of his laptop by sticking clay into it, and there are no wireless networks available in his office building. The manufacturer of the laptop said the port cannot be replaced for at least a week. Which of the following would be the MOST appropriate workaround to get the laptop connected to the wired network at Dion Training's office quickly? A. Purchase and use a USB to RJ-45 adapter B. Enable NIC teaming to increase your bandwidth C. Replace the motherboard since it contains an integrated RJ-45 port D. Disable airplane mode and use the integrated 802.11ac adapter

A. Purchase and use a USB to RJ-45 adapter Since the RJ-45 port on the laptop is most likely an integrated port on the motherboard, you will have to wait for the manufacturer to replace the motherboard for you. To get back onto the wired network at the office the quickest, you should purchase an external (USB) wired network adapter. These usually are small devices that will allow you to plug a wired network cable with an RJ-45 connector into the external adapter and connect it to the laptop using a USB port. This works just like the integrated RJ-45 adapter but can be installed in just a few seconds.

Jay is complaining that the speed at which the cursor moves across his laptop's screen when using his trackpad makes it difficult to properly control. Which setting could he use to slow down the cursor in Windows 10? A. Settings > Devices > Touchpad > Speed B. Settings > Devices > Touchpad > Touchpad sensitivity C. Settings > Devices > Mouse > Touchpad sensitivity D. Settings > Devices > Mouse > Speed

A. Settings > Devices > Touchpad > Speed If the speed of the pointer or cursor moving across the screen is difficult to control, a technician can reduce the touchpad's speed in Windows 10 under Settings. To open settings, press the Windows key and the "i" key. Next, open Settings and click/tap on the Devices icon. Then, click/tap on Touchpad in the left-hand column. On the right-hand of the screen, adjust the slider labeled "Change the cursor speed" to a speed that is more comfortable to use. The touchpad sensitivity setting is used to control the amount of pressure needed before the touchpad registers a click as input from the user.

You have just installed a new hard disk drive into your computer, but the motherboard does not recognize it within the BIOS/UEFI. You have verified the drive is properly connected to the motherboard and the power supply with the correct cables, but it still is not recognized. Which of the following actions would BEST solve this problem? A. Update the firmware of the motherboard B. Format the new hard drive as NTFS C. Configure a RAID in the BIOS/UEFI D. Format the new hard drive as FAT-32

A. Update the firmware of the motherboard This type of error (drive not recognized) is usually the result of the motherboard's firmware not supporting a newer hard drive model or the cables not being properly connected. Since we already established that the cables were properly connected, we have to consider the firmware as the issue. To troubleshoot this issue, you should restart the computer and enter the BIOS/UEFI configuration. If the BIOS/UEFI does not recognize the hard drive, then the motherboard's firmware will need to be updated.

Susan, an executive at Dion Training, will be traveling to Italy for a conference next week. She is worried about remaining connected to the internet while overseas and plans to use the WiFi in her hotel room and the local coffee shop with her laptop. Which of the following should she purchase and configure before leaving for Italy to ensure her communications remain secure regardless of where she is connecting from? A. VPN B. Local mobile hotspot C. Local SIM card for her smartphone D. International data roaming plan on her cellphone

A. VPN While WiFi is available almost everywhere these days, it is not safe to use it without first configuring and using a VPN. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) connects the components and resources of two (private) networks over another (public) network. This utilizes an encryption tunnel to protect data being transferred to and from her laptop to the Dion Training servers and other websites. The other options are all focused on connecting her cellphone but would still not be considered safe without a VPN being utilized.

You just installed an SSD into a laptop to increase the storage speed of the device. Which of the following should you configure to increase the lifespan of the newly installed SSD? A.Disable memory caching on the SSD B. Disable regularly scheduled defragmentation of the SSD C. Enable the power-saving mode of the SSD D. Enable the paging file within the operating system

An SSD (Solid-State Drive) is limited in the total number of write functions that can occur over its lifespan. Due to the immediate ability of an SSD to locate data on the drive (since there is no spinning platter that must be moved to reach the right area to retrieve the data like a regular magnetic hard drive), there is no need to defragment an SSD. When you defrag a hard drive, especially an SSD, it will cause tons of small write accesses, reducing the hard drive's lifespan.

You have connected a new Smart TV to your home network and powered it on. When you try to access Netflix, you receive an error. You check the Network Status menu and see an IP address of 169.254.0.24. Which of the following types of IP addresses has your new Smart TV been assigned? A. Private B. APIPA C. Link-local D. Public

B. APIPA Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) is a feature in operating systems (such as Windows) that enables computers to automatically self-configure an IP address and subnet mask when their DHCP server isn't reachable.

Which option would you MOST likely use to configure PXE to set up remote imaging on a computer during a deployment? A. Power management configuration B. BIOS boot option C. Secure boot configuration D. Windows boot menu

B. BIOS boot option To configure a computer to utilize the PXE boot option, you need to configure it under the BIOS boot option. The Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) is an industry-standard client/server interface that allows networked computers that are not yet loaded with an operating system to be configured and booted remotely by an administrator.

You are troubleshooting a customer's PC. You realize there is a problem with the RAM and decided to replace the faulty module. You turn on the PC, and after a few seconds, you hear a single beep. What does hearing a single beep indicate? A. Possible faulty RAM module B. BIOS completed POST C. BIOS detected an error D. CMOS battery needs to be replaced

B. BIOS completed POST During the bootup process, a power-on self-test (POST) is performed. A single beep is commonly used to indicate the successful completion of the POST. Based on the POST results, different series of beeps may be played to indicate the status of the system.

Which of the following technologies is often used indoors by companies to locate a shopper's position in a store and provide them time-sensitive offers or discounts? A. GPS B. Bluetooth C. Wi-Fi D. Cellular

B. Bluetooth

Dion Training has just installed a new web server and created an A record for DionTraining.com. When users try entering www.DionTraining.com, though, they get an error. You tell their network administrator that the problem is because he forgot to add the appropriate DNS record to create an alias for www to the domain's root. Which type of DNS record should be added to fix this issue? A. AAAA B. CNAME C. NS D. PTR

B. CNAME A CNAME record is a canonical name or alias name, which associates one domain name as an alias of another (like beta.diontraining.com and www.diontraining.com could refer to the same website using a CNAME). An MX record is used for outgoing (SMTP) and incoming (POP3/IMAP) traffic. An A record associates your domain name with an IPv4 address. An AAAA record associates your domain name with an IPv6 address.

A user wants to print 2 copies of a 3-page report at once. The user would like the pages to come out of the printer in the order of pages 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 instead of pages 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3. What printer setting should the user enable for this print job to achieve this result? A. Orientation B. Collate C. Transparency D. Duplex

B. Collate The collate setting allows the gathering and arranging of individual sheets or other printed components into a pre-determined sequence. Collating creates consistent, logical sets from multiple parts, such as printing a series of pages in a report like pages 1, 2, 3 before printing the second copy. This makes it easier to staple and distribute to people after coming out of the printer.

What type of cable is most commonly used to terminate a serial connection to a modem? A. LC B. DB-9 C. RJ-45 D. RJ-11

B. DB-9 A DB-9 connector is used to terminate an RS-232 serial cable. A ST, SC, LC, or MTRJ connector is used to terminate a fiber optic cable. An RJ-11 connector is used to terminate cables used for phone lines. An RJ-45 connector is used to terminate a copper twisted-pair Ethernet cable.

You are working on a customer's laptop. The image on the display suddenly becomes very dark and hard to see. You attempt to adjust the brightness and contrast of the laptop's display using the special function keys, but this doesn't brighten the display much. You pull out a bright flashlight and can see the image displayed a little better when using it. Which of the following components is MOST likely faulty and needs to be replaced? A. Digitizer B. Inverter C. LCD panel D. GPU

B. Inverter The inverter (also known as inverter board, screen inverter, or LCD inverter) is a part of the laptop's display assembly. The inverter is a small green board attached to the base of the LCD panel. In a laptop computer, the LCD screen relies on a backlight source to uniformly light up the screen, and the inverter acts as the power supply for this lighting source.

Which of the following types of laptop displays would utilize a fluorescent backlight to illuminate the image? A. Plasma B. LCD C. LED D. OLED

B. LCD A LCD (TFT) with fluorescent backlight has been the standard display technology for the last few years. The backlight is a fluorescent bulb that illuminates the image, making it bright and clear. An inverter supplies the correct AC voltage to the backlight from the laptop's DC power circuits.

Dion Training wants to replace any remaining old CRT displays used in the company with a type of screen that produces less voltage and is more energy-efficient. Additionally, the new screen type selected should not contain a backlight. What type of display technology should they select? A. LCD B. OLED C. LED D. Plasma

B. OLED An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display is a type of LED flat panel display device that uses organic compounds that emit light when subjected to an electric current. An OLED display works without a backlight because it emits visible light. Thus, it can display deep black levels and be thinner and lighter than a liquid crystal display (LCD).

You are building a Gaming PC to support a high-end virtual reality headset. The computer needs a high-end processor, lots of RAM, and a dedicated high-end graphics card. This graphics card will be installed in one of your expansion slots on your motherboard. Which of the following motherboard connections will most likely be used to connect the graphics card? A. PCI B. PCIe C. AGP D. USB

B. PCIe PCIe (peripheral component interconnect express) is an interface standard for connecting high-speed components. Every desktop PC motherboard has some PCIe slots you can use to add GPUs (video cards or graphics cards), RAID cards, network adapters, Wi-Fi cards, or SSD (solid-state drive) add-on cards. The types of PCIe slots available in your PC will depend on your motherboard and are designated as PCIe x1, x4, x8, and x16. Graphics cards almost exclusively rely on PCIe x16 expansion slots for their connectivity.

Which of the following cloud services should an organization choose to develop a new iPhone app without having to configure and set up its own development environment? A. DaaS B. PaaS C. SaaS D. IaaS

B. PaaS Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud, with resources that enable you to deliver everything from simple cloud-based apps to sophisticated, cloud-enabled enterprise applications. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a type of cloud computing service that offers essential compute, storage, and networking resources on-demand, on a pay-as-you-go basis. Software as a Service (SaaS) allows users to connect to and use cloud-based apps over the Internet. SaaS provides a complete software solution that you purchase on a pay-as-you-go basis from a cloud service provider. Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a cloud computing offering where a service provider delivers virtual desktops to end-users over the Internet, licensed with a per-user subscription.

You have been asked to install a network cable in the crawl space between the ceiling in your office and the roof. You need to choose the right type of cable to ensure you do not violate the local fire codes. Which of the following cable types should you choose? A. Fiber B. Plenum C. Coaxial D. Shielded

B. Plenum Plenum-rated cable has a special insulation that has low smoke and low flame characteristics. Plenum cable is mandated to be installed in any air handling space.

You are working as a network technician and need to create several Cat 5e network cables to run between different computers and the network jacks on the wall. The connections between the switch, the patch panel, and the wall jacks have already been installed and tested. Which of the following tools would NOT be necessary to complete this task? A. Cable crimper B. Punchdown tool C. Wire stripper D. Cable tester

B. Punchdown tool A punchdown tool is used to connect a network cable (such as Cat 5e) to a patch panel, 110-block, or the inside portion of a wall jack, therefore it is not needed for this task. A wire stripper is used to remove the outer plastic shielding from the Cat 5e cable so that you can reach the inner wiring pairs. The cable tester is used to verify the electrical connections in a twisted pair or coaxial cable. A cable crimper is used to join the internal wires of a twisted pair cable with metallic pins houses inside a plastic connector, such as an RJ-45 connector.

You are configuring a new server for a client. The client has purchased five 1 TB hard drives and would like the server's storage system to provide redundancy and double fault tolerance. Which of the following configurations would BEST meet the client's requirements? A. RAID 5 B. RAID 10 C. RAID 0 D. RAID 1

B. RAID 10 RAID 10 provides for redundancy and double fault tolerance. RAID 10, also known as RAID 1+0, is a RAID configuration that combines disk mirroring and disk striping to protect data. It requires a minimum of four disks and stripes data across mirrored pairs. As long as one disk in each mirrored pair is functional, data can be retrieved.

What type of wiring standard is used with POTS? A. ST B. RJ-11 C. RJ-45 D. F type

B. RJ-11 POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) is an older standard used for telephone systems. An RJ-11 wiring standard is used to terminate both ends of a standard phone line. This is also used for DSL lines and VoIP ATA (Analog Telephony Adapter) devices. An RJ-45 connector is used to terminate a copper twisted-pair Ethernet cable. The F-type connector is used with coaxial cables. A ST, SC, LC, or MTRJ connector is used to terminate a fiber optic cable.

3You are working as part of the server team for an online retail store. Due to the upcoming holidays, your boss is worried that the current servers may not be able to handle the increased demand during a big sale. Which of the following cloud computing concepts can quickly allow services to scale upward during busy periods and scale down during slower periods based on the changing user demand? A. On-demand B. Rapid elasticity C. Resource pooling D. Metered services

B. Rapid elasticity Rapid elasticity is used to describe scalable provisioning or the capability to provide scalable cloud computing services. Rapid elasticity is very critical to meet the fluctuating demands of cloud users. The downside of rapid elasticity implementations is that they can cause significant loading of the system due to the high resource number of allocation and deallocation requests.

A client is attempting to power on their computer, but it keeps booting to the incorrect hard drive. Which of the following actions should you perform to attempt to fix this problem? A. Reconfigure the boot order within Windows B. Reconfigure the boot order within the BIOS/UEFI C. Press F8 repeatedly during the boot process to enter the boot menu D. Unplug any external hard disks

B. Reconfigure the boot order within the BIOS/UEFI If the system still fails to boot up from the correct drive, then go into the BIOS/UEFI setup program and check the existing boot order settings. If they are in the wrong order, reconfigure them to ensure the usual boot device is listed first in the list and then restart the computer. There is no need to unplug the external hard disks since you can simply change the boot order in the BIOS

You are troubleshooting a workstation for a customer. The workstation will not boot. When it is powered on, an error message of "OS not found" is displayed on the screen. What is the MOST likely solution to fix this error? A. Perform a chkdsk B. Repair the MBR C. Repartition the hard disk D. Replace the HDD with an SSD

B. Repair the MBR The "OS not found" error at boot time is an indication that the MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (Globally Unique ID Partition Table) is corrupted or faulty. If this occurs, you should reboot into the Windows recovery mode and use the 'bootrec /fixmbr' command to fix the MBR.

A customer is complaining that their printer has begun to fade. While questioning the customer, you found out that they bought the laser printer about 11 months ago, have never performed any maintenance, and have only added more paper to it when it runs out. When checking the page counter, you identified that they had printed over 3,000 pages. Which of the following is MOST likely the cause of the fading? A. Verify the charge of the corona wire B. Replace the toner cartridge C. Adjust paper print tray height D. Replace the drum

B. Replace the toner cartridge In general, fading occurs when the ink or toner is running low. Based on the customer's questioning, it appears they have not done any maintenance, including replacing the toner cartridge. It would be best if you first replaced the toner and then attempt to print a test page.

A technician is building a new computer for Dion Training. The technician installs the motherboard, processor, memory, hard drives, and case fans, then they attempt to connect the cables to the appropriate connections. When the technician powers on the system, the fans spin, the motherboard's LEDs light up, and the computer completes its POST. Unfortunately, the monitor displays a "bootable device not found" error. Which of the following did the technician likely forget to connect to the motherboard? A. Motherboard 24-pin power cable B. SATA 15-pin power cable C. CPU 8-pin power cable D. Case fan 4-pin power cable

B. SATA 15-pin power cable Based on the scenario, it is most likely that the technician forgot to connect the SATA 15-pin power cable causing the hard drive to remain off. The computer will still pass the POST, but it will be unable to load an operating system since there is no boot device found.

You are troubleshooting a memory issue on a customer's laptop and have determined that the memory module needs to be replaced. You walk into the storage room to select a memory module to use as a replacement. Which of the following choices would be the MOST LIKELY choice for you to select for use on the laptop? A. Single Channel B. SODIMM C. DDR4 D. ECC

B. SODIMM A small outline dual inline memory module (SODIMM) can be purchased in various types and sizes to fit any laptop, router, or other small form factor computing device. For the exam, if you are ever asked about installing memory in a small form factor device or a laptop, the answer will usually be SODIMM.

Which application would NOT allow you to sync your data between your Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices? A. Google Drive B. Shadow Copy C. DropBox D. OneDrive

B. Shadow Copy Shadow Copy will not sync your data between Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices because it only works on Windows devices. OneDrive, Google Drive, and DropBox allow you to configure their synchronization applications on all four of these operating systems to keep them synced with the latest version in the cloud service. These applications are all a form of SaaS (software as a service).

A customer is complaining that they cannot connect to the local network share drive. You run the command 'ipconfig /all' from their workstation, and it returns an IP of 169.254.34.12. Which of the following is the problem with this workstation? A. The workstation couldn't reach the proxy server B. The workstation couldn't reach the DHCP server C. The workstation couldn't reach the gateway D. The workstation couldn't reach the DNS server

B. The workstation couldn't reach the DHCP server Since the customer's IP address is 169.254.34.12, it is an APIPA address. Since the workstation has an APIPA address, it means the DHCP server was unreachable. Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) is a feature of Windows-based operating systems that enables a computer to automatically assign itself an IP address when there is no Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server available to perform that function. APIPA serves as a DHCP server failover mechanism and makes it easier to configure and support small local area networks (LANs).

Dion Training recently hired a new graphic designer. You have been asked to install a new, high-end PCIe x16 graphics card into one of the standard corporate workstations so the new designer can get to work. After installing the card, you attempt to power on the computer. The computer makes some odd noises when you press the power button, but the monitor displays the words, 'no source.' What is MOST likely the issue? A. The graphics card installed in the workstation was defective B. The workstation's power supply isn't powerful enough to support the card C. The processor in the workstation isn't powerful enough to support the card D. The workstation is overheating due to the graphics card

B. The workstation's power supply isn't powerful enough to support the card High-end graphics cards generally require additional power to operate. Most corporate workstations come with minimal power supplies (usually 250-300 watts) that cannot provide the additional power required to operate a high-end graphics card. In this case, the power supply should be upgraded to at least a 500-750 watt power supply to support the new graphics card.

A customer called the service desk and complained that they could not reach the internet on their computer. You ask the customer to open their command prompt, type in ipconfig, and read you the IP address. The customer reads the IP as 169.254.12.45. What is the root cause of the customer's issue based on what you know so far? A. Their workstation cannot reach the default gateway B. Their workstation cannot reach the DHCP server C. Their workstation cannot reach the web server D. Their workstation cannot reach the DNS server

B. Their workstation cannot reach the DHCP server Since the customer's IP address is 169.254.12.45, it is an APIPA address. Since the workstation has an APIPA address, it means the DHCP server was unreachable.

You just replaced a failed motherboard in a corporate workstation and returned it to service. About an hour later, the customer complained that the workstation is randomly shutting down and rebooting itself. You suspect the memory module may be corrupt, and you perform a memory test, but the memory passes all of your tests. Which of the following should you attempt NEXT in troubleshooting this problem? A. Replace the RAM with ECC modules B. Verify the case fans are clean and properly connected C. Reset the BIOS D. Remove and reseat the RAM

B. Verify the case fans are clean and properly connected If a workstation overheats, it will shut down or reboot itself to protect the processor. This can occur if the case fans are clogged with dust or become unplugged. By checking and reconnecting the case fans, the technician can rule out an overheating issue causing this problem. Since the memory was already tested successfully, it does not need to be removed and reseated, or replaced with ECC modules. The BIOS is not the issue since the computer booted up into Windows successfully before rebooting.

What does VDI stand for? A. Virtual Desktop Instances B. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure C. Virtual Desktop Integration D. Virtualized Data Infrastructure

B. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) centralizes instances for desktops that run on a single server utilizing the resources and performance from a single server. A thin client or an end-user then accesses the virtual desktops through a web browser. It is important to have sufficient resources on the central server to reduce lag time and provide an adequate user experience.

Which of the following type of hard disk drives would provide the best performance in a gaming workstation? A. 10,000 rpm B. 7200 rpm C. 15,000 rpm D. 5400 rpm

C. 15,000 rpm Hard drive performance is limited based on the number of revolutions per minute (RPM) the disk can spin. If a disk can spin faster, it can retrieve or store data on the disk quicker. For a high-performance gaming computer, a 15,000 rpm hard disk drive or an SSD should be used. For low-end office desktops, using a 5,400 rpm hard disk drive to save money is acceptable.

Which of the following wireless standards should you implement if the existing wireless network only allows for three non-overlapping channels, and you need additional non-overlapping channels to prevent interference with neighboring businesses in your office building? A. 802.11g B. 802.11b C. 802.11ac D. 802.1q

C. 802.11ac

Your company received a large bill for file storage from your online cloud provider this month. Upon investigation, you noticed that one of your employees has uploaded over 1 TB of data to the service. What type of plan is your company utilizing? A. A flat-fee plan B. A non-metered plan C. A metered plan D. An on-demand plan

C. A metered plan This scenario describes a measured or metered service plan. For every file or amount of data uploaded, there is an associated fee. It is important to understand what plan your organization is using and match your company's use case to avoid an end of the month billing surprise. Metered services are pre-paid, a-la-carte, pay-per-use, or committed offerings. A metered service like a database may charge its users based on the actual usage of the service resources on an hourly or monthly basis.

Your company has two office buildings which are connected via a copper network cable that is buried underground. There is some construction being performed near the buildings. Now, the second building discovers they have suffered a network outage that doesn't appear to be temporary. What is the MOST likely cause of the outage? A. Cross-talk on the cable B. Electromagnetic interference on the cable C. An open circuit has been created D. Signal attenuation on the cable

C. An open circuit has been created Since the issue started after construction began, it is most likely that the construction crew broke the cable during digging operations. This can cause an open circuit or short circuit, depending on how the cable was cut or broken by the construction workers.

A technician receives a report that a VoIP phone is experiencing a "no network connectivity" error. The technician notices the Cat6a patch cable running from the back of the phone is routed behind the user's rolling chair. The cable appears to have been rolled over numerous times by the user, and it looks flattened from the abuse. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the connectivity issues being experienced on the VoIP phone? A. Excessive collisions B. Transmit and receive reversed C. Cross-talk D. Improperly crimped cable

C. Cross-talk Crosstalk is defined as an effect caused by the unintentional and undesired transmission (leakage) of a signal from one cable to another. Due to the abuse of the cable being run over repeatedly by the user's chair, the cable's shielding could have been damaged and the cable may no longer be made up of the same consistency. This can lead to crosstalk amongst the cable pairs, or even opens/shorts of the wires in those cable pairs.

A technician is troubleshooting an issue with a workstation. The workstation can ping 8.8.8.8 successfully, but it is unable to access Facebook.com. Which internal network server is MOST likely causing these issues? A. FTP server B. SMTP server C. DNS server D. DHCP server

C. DNS server A DNS server is used to perform name lookups and convert them to valid IP addresses. If a workstation can ping an IP, that indicates the network connection is working. If the workstation cannot access a website using its domain name (like diontraining.com or facebook.com), it indicates a problem might exist with the DNS server. A domain name system (DNS) server is a server that hosts the database of domain names and the IP addresses mapped to those names.

Whenever you reboot your domain controller, you notice it takes a very long time to boot up. As the server is booting, you hear noises that sound like a steady series of clicks coming from the hard drive. Which of the following is the BEST action to help speed up the boot time of the server? A. Terminate processes in the Task Manager B. Remove unnecessary applications from startup C. Defragment the hard drive D. Perform a Disk Cleanup

C. Defragment the hard drive Defragging is a simple process when file fragments are put together to speed up file access. File fragments are put together, and quality defragmentation utilities also assemble the free space into a single block to prevent future fragmentation. By defragmenting the hard drive, the server doesn't have to spend as much time accessing the information, and it can boot up faster.

Which of the following types of display connectors uses a thunderbolt cable and was designed as a competitor to HDMI? A. DVI B. eSATA C. DisplayPort D. VGA

C. DisplayPort DisplayPort uses a thunderbolt cable to connect a monitor to the computer. DisplayPort supports both copper and fiber-optic cabling. DisplayPort was created as a royalty-free standard to compete with HDMI. The digital video interface (DVI) was designed to replace the VGA port used by CRT monitors

You are troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation for a customer. You have identified the problem and performed a quick backup of the system. What is the NEXT step in the troubleshooting methodology? A. Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution B. Test the theory to determine the cause C. Establish a theory of probable cause D. Document findings, actions, and outcomes

C. Establish a theory of probable cause (1) Identify the problem. (2) Establish a theory of probable cause (question the obvious). (3) Test the theory to determine the cause. (4) Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and then implement the solution. (5) Verify full system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventative measures. (6) Document findings, actions, and outcomes.

You are setting up a cable television in a customer's home. Which connector type should be used to connect the TV tuner to the wall jack when using a coaxial cable? A. RJ-45 B. DB-9 C. F type D. ST

C. F type The F type connector is used with coaxial cables. Both RG-6 and RG-59 are cable types used for coaxial cable connections.

A network technician needs to connect two switches. The technician needs a link between them that is capable of handling 10 Gbps of throughput. Which of the following media would BEST meet this requirement? A. Coax cable B. Cat 5e cable C. Fiber optic cable D. Cat 3 cable

C. Fiber optic cable To achieve 10 Gbps, you should use Cat 6a, Cat 7, Cat 8, or a fiber optic cable. Since fiber optic was the only option listed here, it is the best answer. A Cat 5e can only operate up to 100 meters at 1 Gbps. A Cat 3 cable can only operate at 100 meters at 10 Mbps. A traditional ethernet coaxial cable network can only operate at 10 Mbps, but newer MoCA coaxial ethernet connections can reach speeds of up to 2.5 Gbps.

You have been asked to connect three 802.11a devices to an 802.11g access point configured with WEP. The devices are within 20 feet of the access point, but they still cannot associate with the access point. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the devices not associating with the WAP? A. Interference B. Signal loss C. Frequency mismatch D. Mismatched encryption

C. Frequency mismatch 802.11a operates in the 5 GHz band, while 802.11g operates in the 2.4 GHz band. Therefore, 802.11a devices will be unable to communicate with 802.11b or 802.11g access points.

Your friend just noticed their smartphone's battery is running low. Unfortunately, your friend isn't very knowledgeable about computers and smartphones, so they don't know what type of charging cable they need. They know their phone is running iOS 15. What kind of cable does your friend need to charge their phone? A. Mini USB B. Micro USB C. Lightning D. USB-C

C. Lightning Lightning cables are used by Apple's iPhone, which are the only smartphones that run the iOS software. Since your friend is using iOS, he uses an iPhone (smartphone) or an older iPad (tablet).

Dion Training has asked you to verify that a server rack has been properly installed and grounded. Which tool should you utilize to verify that the server rack is properly grounded? A. Voltmeter B. Loopback plug C. Multimeter D. Toner probe

C. Multimeter A multimeter can measure the voltage, amperage, and resistance of a circuit. If you use the lowest ohms (resistance) setting, you can touch the multimeter's black lead to a grounded metal surface and touch the red lead to each circuit wire. If you get a meter reading of zero ohms (low resistance), this indicates that the circuit is properly grounded. If you get a meter reading of infinity, O.L., Open Loop, or a needle that pegs high on the meter, this indicates an open circuit with no path to ground.

You just configured your iPhone to connect to your car's stereo over Bluetooth to play your favorite podcasts while driving to work. What type of network did you create between your iPhone and your car? A. SAN B. WAN C. PAN D. LAN

C. PAN A personal area network (PAN) is a close-range network that is usually based on Bluetooth or NFC for communications between personal devices, such as smartphones, laptops, printers, and other peripheral devices.

Which cloud computing concept is BEST described as focusing on replacing the hardware and software required when creating and testing new applications and programs from a customer's environment with cloud-based resources? A. SaaS B. IaaS C. PaaS D. SECaaS

C. PaaS Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing service that enables consumers to rent fully configured systems that are set up for specific purposes. Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides the end-user with a development environment without all the hassle of configuring and installing it themselves.

What is the name of the printer concept that is used a page description language that produces higher quality outputs at the expense of speed? A. Line Printer Daemon B. Internet Printing Protocol C. PostScript D. Printer control language

C. PostScript Both the printer control language (PCL) and PostScript (PS) are page description languages, but PS produces higher quality outputs. The printer control language (PCL) is a page description language used to tell printers how to properly layout and print the contents of a document on a page.

William would like to use full-disk encryption on his laptop. He is worried about slow performance, though, so he has requested that the laptop have an onboard hardware-based cryptographic processor. Based on this requirement, what should William ensure the laptop contains? A. FDE B. PAM C. TPM D. AES

C. TPM This question is asking if you know what each acronym means. Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a hardware-based cryptographic processing component that is a part of the motherboard.

Which of the following statements about the 5.0 GHz wireless frequency used by Wi-Fi is correct? A. The 5.0 GHz frequency has a longer wavelength that allows the signal to travel further than 2.4 GHz using the same power levels B. The 5.0 GHz frequency is more effective at penetrating solid surfaces than 2.4 GHz C. The 5.0 GHz frequency supports higher data rates than 2.4 GHz D. The 5.0 GHz frequency has fewer channels available than 2.4 GHz

C. The 5.0 GHz frequency supports higher data rates than 2.4 GHz The 5.0 GHz frequency supports higher data rates than the 2.4 GHz frequency due to lower levels of congestion and interference. The 5.0 GHz frequency has more individual channels giving it less congestion and interference than the 2.4 GHz frequency. The 2.4 GHz frequency has a longer wavelength than the 5.0 GHz frequency. The longer wavelength gives it the ability to cover a longer range using the same power output levels.

Jonni's laptop works perfectly when sitting at his desk. Whenever Jonni moves his laptop from his desk to the conference room, though, the laptop unexpectedly powers off. A technician examines the laptop and does not smell any unusual odors coming from it. Which of the following is MOST likely causing the laptop to lose power when moved? A. The laptop has inadequate airflow and is overheating B. The laptop's CMOS battery has failed C. The laptop's battery connection is loose D. The laptop's motherboard has a swollen capacitor

C. The laptop's battery connection is loose If the laptop loses power when moved, this is most likely a loose battery connection. Since the laptop operates without any issues when on the user's desk, it indicates that the connection comes loose during movement.

Jason's cellphone company advertises that they offer unlimited data. The internet at Jason's studio was not working today, so he turned on his mobile hotspot to upload the videos recorded today. Initially, the data transfer was occurring without any issues and Jason observed that his data was uploading at 25 Mbps. After 20-30 minutes, though, the speed of the connection dropped to only 0.125 Mbps. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause for this drop in speed during the upload process? A. The smartphone's 802.11 radio is broken B. The smartphone is undergoing a DDoS attack C. The smartphone reached the data cap for the month D. The smartphone's battery has been depleted

C. The smartphone reached the data cap for the month A data cap or bandwidth cap is a service-provider imposed limitation on the amount of data transferred by a user's account or device over the cellular network. Many smartphone plans that advertise unlimited data still have a transfer limit. Once the limit is reached, these plans will either prevent all data transfer from occurring or slow down the speeds of data transfer.

Which of the following technologies combines the functionality of a firewall, malware scanner, and other security appliances into one device? A. IPS B. IDS C. UTM D. Syslog

C. UTM A Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliance enforces a variety of security-related measures, combining the work of a firewall, malware scanner, and intrusion detection/prevention. A UTM centralizes the threat management service, providing simpler configuration and reporting than isolated applications spread across several servers or devices.

You are troubleshooting an issue on a client's computer and need to make some computer changes to test your theory of probable cause. What should you do BEFORE you make any changes to the computer to test your theory? A. Create a system restore point in the operating system B. Order a spare power supply in case you need to replace it C. Verify that a recent backup of all of the client's important files has been created D. Provide the customer with an invoice for the work

C. Verify that a recent backup of all of the client's important files has been created You should always ensure that a recent backup of all of the client's important and critical files has been created before making any changes to the computer. After all, it is easy to replace hardware if you break the computer, but the client's personal files may be irreplaceable. For example, if you accidentally delete or remove the customer's pictures of their baby, you can't just take new baby pictures to replace them!

Which of the following types of memory relies on temporary storage space on the hard drive that is used when there is insufficient physical memory available to perform a given task? A. VRAM B. ECC C. Virtual memory D. SODIMM

C. Virtual memory Virtual memory is an area on the hard disk allocated to contain pages of memory. When the operating system doesn't have sufficient physical memory (RAM) to perform a task, pages of memory are swapped to the paging file. This frees physical RAM to enable the task to be completed. When the paged RAM is needed again, it is re-read into memory

Which of the following types of servers should you configure to accept requests through HTTP or HTTPS and provide resources back to the requester? A. DHCP server B. Print server C. Web server D. File server

C. Web server A web server is a server that accepts requests through HTTP or HTTPS for a webpage and delivers the webpage and other requested resources to the user.

Which port is used to connect to a POP3 server? A. 25 B. 443 C. 143 D. 110

D. 110 The post office protocol (POP3) is a TCP/IP application protocol providing a means for a client to access email messages stored in a mailbox on a remote server over port 110. The server usually deletes messages once the client has downloaded them.

Which of the following ports should you unblock at the firewall if your workstation cannot access diontraining.com but can access the website by its IP address? A. 443 B. 67 C. 80 D. 53

D. 53 The Domain Name System (DNS) servers provide resolution of host and domain names to their IP addresses and are essential for locating resources on the Internet. DNS operates over TCP/UDP port 53, and if that is blocked, the client will be unable to convert the domain name (diontraining.com) to its IP address. The hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) is a protocol used to provide web content to browsers using port 80. The hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) is a secure protocol used to provide web content to browsers using SSL/TLS encryption over port 443. The dynamic host control protocol (DHCP) is a protocol used to allocate IP addresses to a host when it joins a network. DHCP utilizes UDP ports 67 and 68.

An employee is complaining that their workstation is not booting into Windows when they reboot their machine. You noticed that during the reboot, the system is loading into a PXE-based OS. What should you do next? A. Boot into recovery mode to fix the boot order B. Reboot PC to determine if it will boot from the HDD C. Press F12 to boot into boot mode and select the correct device D. Boot to BIOS and select the HDD from the boot order

D. Boot to BIOS and select the HDD from the boot order PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) is a network boot execution process allowing you to retrieve an image from a PXE server. It is often used for reimaging computers in corporate deployments. To boot from the hard drive instead, the BIOS's boot order should be changed from PXE to HDD. Rebooting the workstation will just reload the PXE-based OS again. Since the system is booting to the PXE environment, it is bypassing the internal hard drive's OS making recovery mode an invalid choice.

Which of the following BEST describes how a DHCP reservation works? A. By letting the network switches assign IP addresses from a reserved pool B. By assigning options to the computers on the network by priority C. By leasing a set of reserved IP addresses according to their category D. By matching a MAC address to an IP address within the DHCP scope

D. By matching a MAC address to an IP address within the DHCP scope When the client requests an IP address by sending a message on the network to the DHCP server, the DHCP server will assign an IP from its DHCP scope to the client and reserve it based on its MAC address. DHCP reservations allow the DHCP server to pre-set an IP address to a specific client based on its MAC address. This ensures that the client will always get the same IP address from the DHCP server when it connects to the network. DHCP reservations are usually used with servers or printers on your internal network and are rarely used with end-user or client devices.

An Android user recently cracked their screen and had it replaced. If they are in a dark room, the phone works fine. If the user enters a room with normal lights on, then the phone's display is dim and hard to read. What is MOST likely the problem? A. Low battery B. Defective display C. Auto-brightness is enabled D. Faulty ambient light sensor

D. Faulty ambient light sensor The ambient light sensor appears to be broken or malfunctioning. The ambient light sensor may be too sensitive as it is taking in more light than usual. This can occur if the sensor is faulty or if the screen was replaced incorrectly, and the technician forgot to install the black gasket around the ambient light sensor.

Which of the following cloud computing resources are MOST important when determining a cloud file-storage synchronization application's performance? A. RAM utilization B. Disk speed C. CPU utilization D. I/O bandwidth

D. I/O bandwidth I/O bandwidth is the measurement of the amount of input and output operations that can be performed within a given time. The higher the I/O bandwidth, the faster and more efficient a cloud file-storage synchronization application will become. Applications that rely on large amounts of reading and writing of data require a high amount of I/O bandwidth.

You are currently conducting passive reconnaissance in preparation for an upcoming penetration test against Dion Training. You are reviewing the DNS records for the company and are trying to identify which of their servers accept email messages for their domain name. Which of the following DNS records should you analyze? A. NS B. TXT C. SRV D. MX

D. MX Mail Exchange (MX) records are used to provide the mail server that accepts email messages for a particular domain. Nameserver (NS) records are used to list the authoritative DNS server for a particular domain.

Which of the following protocols operates over port 139 by default? A. SMB B. IMAP C. HTTPS D. NetBIOS

D. NetBIOS The network basic input/output system (NetBIOS)/NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) is a session management protocol used to provide name registration and resolution services on legacy Microsoft networks and those using WINS. NetBIOS/NetBT operates on TCP/UDP ports 137 and 139.

You are attempting to install a full-sized PCIe network interface card into a 1U server, but it is too tall to fit into the machine. Which of the following do you need to install first to install the full-sized PCIe network interface card into the server? A. AGP card B. PCIe x16 card C. SCSI card D. Riser card

D. Riser card A riser card is a right-angle expansion card used to extend a slot for a card in a computer to make room to plug it in. They are most commonly used in low-profile, 1U and 2U rackmount chassis or embedded systems. Riser cards plug into their respective bus and rotate the peripheral cards plugged into the riser card so that they are parallel with the motherboard.

Dion Training wants to create a DNS record to enter DKIM or SPF information into the domain name system to help prevent from spam coming from their domain. Which type of DNS record should be created? A. PTR B. SRV C. SOA D. TXT

D. TXT The DNS text (TXT) record lets a domain administrator enter text into the Domain Name Systems. The TXT record was originally intended as a place for human-readable notes. However, now it is also possible to put some machine-readable data into TXT records. TXT records are a key component of several different email authentication methods that help an email server determine if a message is from a trusted source.

A customer's Android smartphone is only 6 months old but is becoming excessively slow. When questioned, the customer states it was acting fine until they recently installed a new stock market tracking app. What action should you take to troubleshoot the slow performance on this phone? A. Replace the phone with a newer model B. Factory reset the smartphone and reinstall all the apps C. Perform a hard reboot of the smartphone D. Uninstall the app, reboot the phone, and reinstall the app

D. Uninstall the app, reboot the phone, and reinstall the app The best option in this scenario is to uninstall and reinstall the stock market app. When apps are updated automatically, they can sometimes become faulty or corrupted and slow down performance on the device. With Android phones, much like iPhones, apps can run in the background and may begin to take up excess resources. If the app is removed, the phone is rebooted, and the app is reinstalled, and the issue persists, then the app should be removed, and an alternate app selected to replace it.

While working as a technician, you are trying to help a customer whose PC cannot boot up. When the computer is turned on, an error stating "bootable device not found" appears on the screen. What should you attempt first? A. Press F12 to check the boot order and select the proper HDD to boot from B. Check Disk Management to see if the system drive is recognized C. Boot into Recovery Mode and run the Bootrec /fixmbr command to fix the MBR that's preventing the PC from booting D. Verify that either the Molex or SATA cable is connected to the HDD

D. Verify that either the Molex or SATA cable is connected to the HDD The very first step we want to check is to check the physical connections. This falls under step two of the troubleshooting methodology (question the obvious)

Which of the following technologies uses 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequencies to determine your location indoors based on the signal strength received or the angle of arrival of that signal to the mobile device? A. Bluetooth B. GPS C. Cellular D. Wi-Fi

D. Wi-Fi Wi-Fi positioning systems use the signal strength or angle of arrival of a signal to determine the device's location within 1-4 meters.