CompTIA Ch 5: 41 - 60

54. You are disassembling a defective laptop to replace the motherboard. Which of the following steps are recommended? (Choose two.) A. Place the screws in a multicompartment pill box and label where they go. B. Remove the hard drive before removing the motherboard. C. Label where the cables plug into the motherboard. D. Use needle-nose pliers to remove the motherboard from the spacers.

A, C. When repairing laptops, you should always document and label screw and cable locations, organize parts, refer to manufacturer instructions, and use appropriate hand tools. In some cases, but not all, you might need to remove the hard drive to remove the motherboard. To remove the motherboard, use appropriate tools recommended by the manufacturer as each system can be different.

58. You are troubleshooting a Mac running MacOS. Intermittently, the computer will completely lock up and display a rotating pinwheel instead of the mouse cursor. Which component is most likely causing this problem? A. CPU B. RAM C. Motherboard D. Hard drive

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

59. A user reports that his CRT monitor will randomly produce a wavy image during the day. When you go to his desk to troubleshoot, it appears to be working normally. Later that afternoon, he reports it happening again. When you go back to his desk, what should you look for? A. Cell phones in use B. If the video connector is properly plugged in C. Motors or fans in use D. If the screen resolution is properly set

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

57. A user reports that none of the keys on her laptop keyboard seem to work. She has rebooted the computer and the problem has not gone away. She needs to finish an important paper before lunch. What should you do next? A. Replace the keyboard. B. Check to ensure that the internal keyboard is still connected properly. C. Connect an external keyboard using the USB port. D. Clean under the keys of the keyboard with compressed air.

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

50. While replacing a toner cartridge in a laser printer, a technician spilled toner on and around the printer. What should he use to clean up the spill? A. A damp cloth B. Compressed air C. A toner vacuum D. Denatured alcohol

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

47. The ink-jet printer in your office jams a lot and produces many crinkled papers. What is the most likely cause of this? A. Incorrect paper tension settings B. Dirty print heads C. Obstructed paper path D. Paper that is too dry

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

48. A user reports that her Windows 7 computer will not boot. When booting, it gives the error message, "Operating System not found." Which utility can you use to attempt to fix this issue? A. format B. chkdsk C. bootrec D. diskpart

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

46. You are using a CRT monitor at a kiosk. The colors on the monitor recently started looking wrong. What should you do to try to resolve the issue? A. Replace the monitor. B. Replace the video card. C. Disconnect the monitor and plug it back in. D. Degauss the monitor.

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

41. A user claims that on his laptop, the mouse cursor will occasionally jump to different areas of the screen when he is typing. It is causing problems with his work because he ends up typing in different fields than he needs to. What can you suggest to help this issue? A. Disable the point stick. B. Replace the keyboard. C. Replace the motherboard. D. Disable the touch pad.

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

52. You are troubleshooting an ink-jet printer. Users report that the printer is printing in the wrong colors. The problem just started happening recently. What could be causing it? (Choose two.) A. Ink cartridges installed in the wrong spot B. Leaking ink cartridges C. Malfunctioning fusing assembly D. Malfunctioning stepper motor

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

60. At random times, your computer will completely lock up, requiring a hard reboot. Which two components are most likely to cause this type of problem? (Choose two.) A. CPU B. RAM C. PSU D. GPU

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

49. A technician is troubleshooting a computer configured for wired network connection that can't connect to the network. Given the unavailable resources including the Internet, he verified that the cable is plugged in, but there are no lights lit on the network card. The computer could connect yesterday, and no other users report an issue. Which of the following are most likely to be causing this problem? (Choose two.) A. Faulty network cable B. Faulty network card driver C. Incorrect TCP/IP configuration D. The cable is unplugged at the other end.

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

56. You are having problems printing to a networked printer from your Windows 8.1 workstation. Several jobs were sent, but none printed. You just tried to print a test page and nothing came out. What should you do? A. Check your connections and stop and restart the print spooler. B. Turn the printer off and back on. C. Use the printer's display to clear out the oldest job, take it offline, and put it back online. D. Press the Reset button on the printer.

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

53. You have installed an 802.11ac wireless access point for a company. To cut costs, the company wanted only one central access point in the building, which is about 150 feet long. Users at both ends of the building report intermittent wireless connectivity drops and slow access. What is most likely the cause of the problem? A. Low RF signal B. Oversaturated WAP C. SSID not found D. IP address conflicts

A. The most common reason that users on wireless networks experience intermittent connectivity issues is distance. The farther away from the WAP the user gets, the weaker the signal becomes. When the signal weakens, the transfer rates drop dramatically. Ways to fix a low RF signal range from using a more powerful transmitter, using a larger antenna, focusing the signal toward where it is needed, or moving the users closer.

55. A user reports that his LCD monitor is flickering constantly. What is the easiest course of action to resolve this problem? A. Replace the video card. B. Replace the monitor. C. Remove external interference such as fans or motors. D. Degauss the monitor.

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

51. The AC adapter for your laptop has a green LED indicator on it. When you plug the adapter into a wall outlet, the light does not illuminate. What could be the reason for this? (Choose two.) A. The laptop is off. B. The wall outlet is defective. C. The AC adapter is defective. D. The voltage selector for the AC adapter is set incorrectly.

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

44. A user reports that her iPhone 5 is always overheating and constantly locks up. What should you advise her to do? A. Replace the battery. B. Open the Power app and set the phone to operate on the low voltage setting. C. Turn off the phone and let it cool down. D. Replace the phone.

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

42. A user complains of a burning smell coming from her desktop computer. You instruct her to immediately shut the system down. What should be your next step? A. Replace the power supply. B. Replace the motherboard. C. Test the power supply with a multimeter. D. Inspect the inside of the computer for visible signs of damage.

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

45. You have just used administrative privileges to install a printer on a user's workstation. When the user tries to print to the printer, she gets an error message saying access denied. What is the cause of this problem? A. The printer is offline. B. The printer is out of memory. C. The print spooler needs to be restarted. D. The user does not have the security permissions to print.

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

43. The desktop computer in your office's lobby plays a welcome video for guests. Recently, the audio started intermittently failing. You replaced the speakers, and it still happens. What is the next step you should take in troubleshooting the issue? A. Replace the motherboard. B. Reseat the speakers. C. Replace the sound card. D. Reseat the sound card.

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