CompTIA A+ Practice Questions

Q: What happens when you attempt to print to a phantom print device?

When you print to a phantom or virtual print device, the software printer takes the print job and processes it. Then nothing else happens. As long as the printer software is valid, Windows will not report anything unusual or missing.

Q: What type of device should be placed in a DMZ?

When setting up a gaming server, it's important to make it as easy as possible for others to connect. Putting the server in a DMZ does this.

Q: Wireless network hardware that complies with IEEE 802.11g operates in the ______ frequency range

2.4 GHz

Q: 802.11g uses the _______ radio band and transmits at a maximum speed of ______ .

2.4GHz, 54MB/sec

Q: How many pins does a DDR2 DIMM have?

240

Q: A computer with an IP address of 143.75.125.1 most likely has a subnet mask that looks like which of the following?

255.255.255.0, any IP address with a starting number from 128 through 191 is almost always the old Class B which has a subnet range of 255.255.255.0

Q: What is the maximum throughput of a SATA II drive?

3 Gbps

Q: If a device is hot-swappable, why should you use the Safely Remove Hardware Tool?

Safely Remove Hardware: enables any open files on the device to be closed

Q: Both CD and DVD drive speeds are based on multiples of the original CD-ROM drive speed. What is that speed?

150 KBps

Q: Which of the following is a typical Class C address?

192.168.1.100 is a typical private Class C address. 169.254.0.1 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address. 172.16.5.100 is a private Class B address. 10.12.14.5 is a private Class A address.

Q: What's the highest capacity that you can expect from a single-sided dual-layer DVD-R disc?

8.5 GB, a single side, single layer can only hold 4.7 GB

Q: What wireless standard can operate at speeds of up to 150 Mbps?

802.11 n

Q: Which of the following explains why a tablets boot more quickly than most laptops?

A SSD drive loads data much faster than a SATA drive.- Since tablets use SSDs for mass storage instead of platter-based hard drives, they load the OS much more quickly.

Q: Which of the following devices is probably the safest and easiest to hot-swap on a PC? (USB hard drive, USB camera, PS/2 mouse, mini-PCI NIC)

A USB camera. Either USB device might be easily swapped, but you could lose data on a USB hard drive if you didn't close any open files first. A mini-PCI NIC would not be hot-swappable, nor would a PS/2 mouse.

Q: Pamela's laptop will start only if the AC adapter is plugged into the laptop. What component/function is most likely to cause this problem?

A laptop that works only when the AC adapter is plugged in is a sure sign of a bad battery.

Q: Wearable technology devices used to track personal activity use what technology to determine user activity levels?

Accelerometer Accelerometer: a device that detects its own acceleration and is used in mobile phones to determine the phone's orientation. Once the orientation is determined, the phone's software can react accordingly, such as by changing its display from portrait to landscape. Inverter: an electronic device that changes current Gyroscope: a disk that is free to spin on any orientation by itself Digitizer: a device used to convert analog signals into digital signals

Q: Android smartphones are different from other smartphone devices in that:

Andriod uses open source operating system.Open source refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and modification from its original design free of charge. Since open source can be modified, it is not proprietary.

Q: How often should you reapply thermal compound on your CPU?

Applying thermal paste is not a maintenance issue

Q: Anytime you hear either a scraping noise or a high-pitched squeal coming from your system, the first item to consider is:

Bad hard drive. These two sounds indicate a hard drive that will soon crash. Make a backup of critical data. Anything that rotates inside your computer is capable of making these sounds. However, given the gravity of the situation if your hard drive fails, you should assume the hard drive first and take action to save your data.

Q: Where would you first go on a system to configure Wake on LAN (WOL)?

CMOS Setup Wake on LAN (WOL): a networking standard that allows a computer to be turned on by a network message. It is enabled in CMOS

Q: A user who travels a lot wants 24/7 Internet access on her laptop. Which of the following would you recommend for her connection?

Cellular WAN Cellular WAN: have the ability to provide 24/7 Internet access virtually anywhere that has cell reception

Q: If a technician has just replaced a laptop's motherboard due to video issues, what should he do first if the speakers stop working?

Check the speakers' connection to the motherboard

Q: Janice calls the tech support line and reports that she can't hear any music from her computer. She says she was able to listen fine last week. Which of the following should you check? (Select two.)

Check to see if speakers are muted, check the sound card driver is installed correctly

Q: Which type of flash memory card is the oldest?

CompactFlash CompactFlash: the oldest type of flash memory card Memory Stick: Sony's proprietary memory format Secure Digital (SD card): most common type of flash memory cards used today SmartMedia: came out as a competitor to CompactFlash, but no longer used in newer devices

Q: A customer needs to create a copy of a database on media, however the file is 89GB. Which of the following format specifications can support the file size?

Conventional Blu-ray technology has a capacity of 50GB. BDXL supports 100 GB and 128 GB disks through triple and quadruple layer disks.

Q: A technician is installing and configuring a SOHO wireless network for a client. The client only wants five authorized computers to connect to the network within a defined IP range. Which of the following should the technician configure on the router? (Select two.)

DHCP, MAC Filtering ARP (address resolution protocol): resolves network layer addresses (for example, IP addresses) to link layer addresses (MAC addresses).

Q: What component on a mobile device operates the touch screen?

Digitizer. A digitizer's function is to transfer the touch functions from your finger to the LCD, so the LCD can respond to your action. It works like a keyboard, giving your device input on what you would like to occur.

Q: What should you check first after a user reports a BSOD, even though her computer seems to be running fine after a reboot?

Device Manager. A driver error can cause a BSOD. Updating drivers is easy with this tool. BSOD: stands for "Blue Screen of Death" Performance Monitor: gives an overall sense how well a computer is running Disk Management: a tool for portioning and formatting drives S.M.A.R.T: a tool inside hard drives and with the right tools we can query the drive and check its health

Q: A power supply +12 VDC output has dropped to +11.5 VDC. What should you do?

Do nothing, as the slight drop is acceptable. Most PCUs will still operate acceptably down to +/-11 VDC

Q: What device enables a laptop with a single video output port to support multiple monitors?

Docking Station, enables you to add additional ports and features that a laptop would otherwise not have.

Q: Which of the following symptoms is indicative of a misconfigured BOOT.INI file?

Error at boot: "Windows could not start." BOOT.INI's main job is to point to a valid copy of Windows, usually stored in a folder called \WINNT or \WINDOWS. If BOOT.INI doesn't point out a valid copy, this is the error you'll get. Error at boot: "NTLDR is missing." Your Master Boot Record points to NTLDR. If there's a problem with the MBR, if it's corrupt or if the boot order is incorrect, then you'd get this error. Error at boot: "No boot device present". This happens when the BIOS is pointing to a drive that has no bootable partitions.Windows boots into Safe Mode only. While many issues may cause this to happen, if you're able to boot into Safe Mode, you have a bootable copy of Windows and your BOOT.INI is fine.

Q: A company has a printer that currently has network access. They would like the group of users to be able to access the printer. Which of the following connection types is the BEST to achieve the access?

Ethernet networking can easily provide device sharing and it is currently configured with their network.

Q: Intermittent lockups and reboots are most likely caused by ___________.

Failing power supplies

Q: Which of the following mobile phone features redirects the screen orientation as the user turns their phone?

Gyroscope - A gyroscope keeps track of a phone's orientation in space. Geotracking: is a treasure-hunting game using a phone's GPS. Locator application: is an app that uses the GPS to find a lost or stolen phone.

Q: When choosing a home theater computer, what are the BEST features to include? (Select TWO).

Home theaters focus on the audio and visual in your television, movies, games and music. HDMI gives the best audio and video output. Digital audio is also important. Home theaters do not push the processor's ability to the point of requiring extensive cooling so liquid cooling is not needed.

Q: What does the "chassis intrusion detection" BIOS option do?

It logs that the chassis (case) has been opened.

Q: Windows printers may have extra driver versions installed if you desire—what good is this feature?

Installing multiple drivers supports systems on your network using other versions of Windows such.

Q: Which program is the best choice to use to clear the SSL cache?

Internet Explorer

Q: What component is in charge of powering an LCD screen?

Inverter, provides power to an LCD screen. PCMCIA cards: used as expansion slots on laptops

Q: Today's portable computers invariably use which of the following battery technologies?

Lithium ION (Li-Ion) is the dominant technology. Nickel Cadmium (Ni-CD) and Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) are earlier technologies no longer used in portable computers. Alkaline batteries cannot be used with any electronics that need constant voltage.

Q: A user is connected to his personal mobile hotspot device at a library for internet access. He notices the display shows two connections, instead of just one. Which of the following actions will prevent only unauthorized access to the device immediately? (Select TWO).

It is best to block the device from your access list, but you can also prevent the connection by changing the SSID. Changing the SSID will also cause the intruder's system to lose the connection, but you will need to be certain the intruder does not connect to the new SSID.

Q: If a port on a network switch does not have anything plugged into it, what should the link lights on the port look like?

Link lights either on a NIC or in a switch should never be lit when not connected. If the lights were lit in any way without anything plugged in, that would indicate a defective port.

Q: Kenneth has an 802.11n network. He only wants his three computers in the house to be able to access this network. Which of the following technologies would best enable him to do this?

MAC filtering MAC Filtering: creates alloy or deny lists based on MAC addresses for a network WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access): a form of encryption for Wi-Fi DMZ (Demilitarized Zone): used to expose certain systems to the Internet

Q: Maria returns from a wonderful vacation, but finds her portable computer can log into the LAN at the office, but not to external sites. Betsy the tech tries a few options, such as accessing a Web site by name and by IP address. The former fails, but the latter hits the site. What command should Betsy run to resolve this problem?

Maria's DNS resolver cache has a problem; running ipconfig /flushdns will most likely fix the issue. ipconfig /setclassid6: will modify the IPv6 DHCP class ID, but won't flush the DNS.

Q: Martha's inkjet printer's output has the bottom of every letter missing in text and strange horizontal lines evenly spaced in her images. What part of the inkjet should she check for problems?

Missing lines of horizontal print always points to a problem with the printhead. The paper is being printed on, so it's not the take-up rollers.

Q: Peter's computer at the bakery keeps overheating. What should he do until he can install a better cooling system?

Move the computer to a cooler room. Opening the case would ruin the airflow of the system

Q: Which of the following resources is most important for accessing remote virtual environments on a client machine?

Network speed is critical for accessing anything remotely. The faster the network, the faster the access.

Q: Dave has a newly installed locally connected printer. When he tries to print a test page, he gets no error, but the printer fails to print. Which of the following would he want to check first?

Print Spooler Service

Q: A user wants to configure a smartphone to save all attachments from an Outlook.com email to a cloud-based service. Which of the following would be the BEST to use to accomplish this?

OneDrive is a file hosting service that allows you to sync files and later access them from your devices or from a web browser. OneDrive is the file hosting service defaulted for Microsoft devices. iCloud would only work for Apple

Q: A PCIe video power connector has how many pins? (Choose two.)

PCIe power connectors can come in 6-pin and 8-pin varieties depending on what is needed. Both deliver an additional 12 volts for advanced video cards. The 6-pin connector officially supplies 75 watts of extra power for video cards, while the 8-pin connector supplies up to 150 watts. While installing an 8-pin PCIe power connector, be careful not confuse it with the 8-pin EPS connector for your motherboard. You might just see some sparks fly! 20-24 pin power connectors are for ATX power

Q: What is likely to be reset during standard printer maintenance?

Paper and tray settings

Q: Which of the following symptoms is most indicative of a bad sensor on a laser printer?

Paper jam error but no jammed paper

Q: What is the correct boot sequence for a PC?

Power good, CPU, POST, boot loader, OS

Q: Which of the following supports IP telephony devices without requiring external power?

Power over Ethernet (or PoE) enables networking devices to get their power through an Ethernet cable rather than a power cord.

Q: You want to equip yourself with FRUs for a laptop. What would you take with you? (Choose two.)

RAM and Hard Drive. They are easy to replace and considered FRUs FRUs (field replaceable units): used to replace defective parts in the computer. Identified by a 7-digit number on the part itself

Q: Which of the following components must be installed while a laptop is completely powered off?

SO-DIMM chip. PCMCIA cards, Express cards, and USB hubs can all be installed while the laptop is running.

Q: You upgrade your network to 1000 Mbps from 100 Mbps. You install a new 1000-Mbps network adapter into your Windows system. You check the device manager and see no errors or warning. You configure the TCP/IP settings to be as they were for the previous network adapter. Upon restarting the computer, you cannot access the network. You ping your IP address locally and receive the error message, "Request timed out." You then ping 127.0.0.1 and receive the same error message. What do you do?

Replace the NIC. You tried to ping 127.0.0.1, which is the loopback address, as well as your local IP address and received the same error messages both times. This would indicate a faulty NIC in your workstation. Typically driver problems result in an error message during installation, so it's not the drivers. Also, you checked the device manager and everything was OK.

Q: Lois is working on a user's Bluetooth headset. She's tried a number of fixes, none of which worked. What should she do?

Research the problem on the Internet

Q: A user has not received any new e-mails on his smartphone in the last two days. The user is able to access the Internet without any problems. Which of the following should the user do first?

Restart the smartphone

Q: A small workgroup inherits a second-hand printer without networking capabilities. Which of the following is the BEST method of sharing this resource among the workgroup?

Setting the printer on a currently networked system, and sharing the device is the best solution.

Q: Janelle walks up to a computer and starts it up. After POST, she gets an "inaccessible boot drive" error. Which of the following would be the most obvious issue to initially consider?

Someone left a flash drive in the computer. Other answers were plausible but the question asked what to check first

Q: In general, how should a person install a stick of RAM on a desktop?

Straight down into the slot

Q: Margarita has seen plenty of System setup screens over the years, but when she presses DEL at boot on her new laptop, she sees two password options: "Setup" and "System." What are the more common terms for "Setup" and "System," respectively?

Supervisor and User

Q: Your primary hard drive starts to make a clicking noise. There are some very important files on the drive. How do you make sure the data can be saved?

Take it to a professional data recovery company CHKDSK: command that only scans for erros Disk Defragmenter: rearranges the files on a disk so that all data is adjoined

Q: Ellen's laptop has a built-in 802.11n-capable wireless NIC. The wireless NIC worked perfectly yesterday when she loaned it to her nerdy friend Tom. Today, she cannot access the Internet via her wireless NIC. The NIC is not visible in Network Connections nor is it visible in Device Manager. What should she assume first?

The NIC is disabled in CMOS. Disabled devices are still visible in device manager

Q: You have just installed a new toner cartridge in your laser printer. You print a test page to check that everything is working correctly and you get nothing but a blank sheet of paper as your result. What is the FIRST thing you should check?

The cartridge shipping tab is the long strip that you remove from the cartridge right before you install it. If you don't remove it, no toner for you!

Q: Bill returns from vacation, plugs in his laptop to charge, and preps for dinner. The dog bumps the table with the laptop and the laptop hits the floor. Bill checks for any obvious damage, such as a cracked screen, but sees nothing. He leaves the laptop on the charger over night and goes to work the next day. His laptop won't come up at all, even when it's plugged in. What's most likely the problem?

The fall damaged the DC jack, rendering both the charging process and the plugged in failure. If the fall damaged the battery, this would have resulted in a very spectacular fire.

Q: A tech gets a distress call from a user complaining about hearing a scraping sound in his computer. What could be the problem?

The hard drive is failing. Hard drives tend to make various sounds when dying, such as scraping noises, high-pitched squeals, and clacking sounds.

Q: A user describes a loud clicking noise coming from their system, and are unable to boot their computer to the operating system. The technician determines the loud clicking noise to be from the hard drive. What is MOST likely creating the noise?

The motion of the read/write head armature parallel to the platter (not the head, the head doesn't touch he platter the arm does)

Q: A Windows system is unable to connect to the network. A ping loopback test verifies that the network card is working. What is your next step in troubleshooting the problem?

The next step is to check for connectivity. Look at the link light on the NIC to see that it is on, indicating a good connection to the hub or switch.

Q: In laser printer technology, what occurs during the writing stage of the image formation?

The print image is written to the drum

Q: A technician needs to configure her neighbor's iPad. The neighbor wants to access his work e-mail. The technician requires some information from her neighbor's work IT department. Which of the following information does the technician need?

The technician needs to know the neighbor's work e-mail server and work domain name.

Q: What protocol does the largest network in the world use?

The world's largest network, the Internet, uses TCP/IP. AppleTalk is a proprietary set of protocols developed by Apple for networking computers.This protocol is no longer used. TCP/IP is most popularly implemented via HTTP, but they are not the same. IPX/SPX are protocols for Novell's NetWare network operating system. This protocol is no longer used.

Q: Thermal printers have a major disadvantage compared to other printer technologies: thermal printing __________ .

Thermal paper is sensitive to heat, making it unsuitable for archival printing.

Q: You just upgraded the RAM on your older PC at home. When you boot up the computer, it doesn't recognize the new memory even though it was on the Qualified Vendor's List (QVL) on the manufacturer's website. What are you going to need to do to solve this problem?

Time for a BIOS flash! The website said it is compatible, but if technology has changed, your BIOS version on your motherboard may be dated. The site will often also show the BIOS version required for the hardware.

Q: An older network needs to labeled to show where each network connection terminates in a patch panel. Which of the following tools would be BEST for the technician to identify the connections?

Tone generator and probe, apparently this questions is asking about the cable not the connection

Q: What aspect of a regular vacuum cleaner makes it unsafe to use inside a laser printer?

Too much static. Regular vacuum cleaners generate a tremendous amount of static electricity.

Q: A technician, trying to upgrade the RAM in a laptop, opens the bottom of the case to discover that there is only one RAM slot when there are supposed to be two. Where might the other slot be?

Under the keyboard

Q: John's laptop won't recharge and he suspects the AC adapter is the problem. Which tool should he use to test it?

Use a multimeter to test the AC adapter's output voltage. An induction toner enables you to locate specific network cables, often inside a wiring closet. A power supply tester enables you to test a power supply when it's not plugged into a computer—a handy device, but not for testing an AC adapter.

Q: A virtual machine running locally would be best utilized in which of the following situation?

Virtual machines can be used to test OS or software patches before rolling them out company-wide. That way, if the patches introduce any problems, there's no harm done.

Q: When troubleshooting a VoIP telephone connection, the line connected to the telephone is MOST likely which of the following cable types?

VoIP phones use an IP ethernet network, such as the internet, to provide telephone service; so, it uses a network connection. CAT6 is the most common cable used in VoIP.

Q: Mike's newly configured computer (using manual IP settings) can't access a Web site by its fully-qualified domain name (FQDN), but he can access it by the Web site's IP address. Everyone else on the network can access the site by the FQDN. Which of the following is the MOST likely problem?

Your DNS settings are incorrect. Given that most systems use DHCP, it's rare to have a problem like this, but if you typed in invalid manual DNS settings into your NIC's Properties, this can happen. If you were to turn off the DNS Client service on your computer, you would get this problem. However, there is a much smaller chance that this service would be disabled than that someone had entered an invalid DNS service IP address.