Chapter 12 Quiz Hardware and Network Troubleshooting

You are troubleshooting a server and discover that one of the hard drives in the RAID 0 array has failed. Which statement is true? A. You need to replace the failed drive, but the data is okay because the drive is configured as a mirror. B. You need to replace the failed drive, but the data is okay because the drive is configured as a disk stripe with parity. C. You need to replace the failed drive, and the data on the array is lost. D. You do not need to replace the failed drive; the system will function normally.

You need to replace the failed drive, and the data on the array is lost. Explanation: A RAID 0 array is also known as disk striping. RAID 0 actually decreases your fault tolerance versus one hard drive because there are more points of failure. You need to replace the drive, and hopefully you had it backed up so that you can restore the data.

The display on a laptop computer is continuously flickering. Which of the following are most likely to cause this problem? (Choose two.) A. A failing display B. Interference from a nearby fan C. A failing backlight D. A failing inverter E. Incorrect video driver

A failing backlight, A failing inverter Explanation: Perpetually dim or flickering screens are most likely caused by a failing backlight or inverter, which supplies power to the backlight. LCD devices are not subject to interference from fans. An incorrect video driver will not cause a flickering image.

You have an inkjet printer. Recently, papers are being printed with excessive amounts of ink, and the ink is smearing. What is the most likely cause of the problem? A. A faulty ink cartridge B. A corrupted print driver C. A faulty fuser D. Too much humidity in the air

A faulty ink cartridge Explanation: If an ink cartridge is faulty or develops a hole, it can release excessive amounts of ink, which leads to smearing. A corrupt print driver would result in printing garbage. Inkjet printers do not have a fuser. Excessive humidity may cause smearing, but it wouldn't cause the disbursement of too much ink.

You turn on a laptop computer and the hard drive is not recognized. Where should you go to troubleshoot the issue? A. S.M.A.R.T. diagnostics B. BIOS/UEFI C. Windows Device Manager D. Boot sector manager

BIOS/UEFI Explanation: If the hard drive is not recognized, the BIOS/UEFI is the place to check. Most systems do not come with built-in S.M.A.R.T. diagnostics software, even if the hard drive is capable of gathering S.M.A.R.T. data. And if there were one, it would give you potential errors on a working drive. Windows Device Manager is inaccessible without the drive being recognized. There is no boot sector manager, although this issue could be related to the boot sector.

A network cable for a crucial server has failed. There are no premade Ethernet cables available, but there is bulk cable and connectors. Which tool do you need to use to make a new cable? A. Crimper B. Punch-down tool C. Cable tester D. Loopback plug

Crimper Explanation: A crimper is used to make network cables. Punch-down tools are used to connect the wires of a cable to a wiring rack, such as a 110-block. Cable testers are for verifying that a cable works properly (and may be handy after you complete the cable). A loopback plug is for testing the ability of a network adapter to send and receive.

A laptop user with an 802.11ac wireless network card just switched desk locations. In the new location, they say that their wireless drops connectivity intermittently and seems to have slow transfer speeds. Which of the following is most likely to resolve these issues? A. Replace the network card. B. Run ipconfig to ensure that they are receiving the right IP address from the DHCP server. C. Install a new WAP closer to their new desk. D. Use a network monitor to ensure that there are no IP address conflicts.

Install a new WAP closer to their new desk. Explanation: Distance matters in wireless networks. Being too far away from an access point will result in a weaker signal, which can cause intermittent signal drops and poor performance. Moving closer to the wireless access point (WAP) or wireless router can help, as can installing additional WAPs or wireless routers. The IP address from the DHCP server won't matter, and since they reported no error message, there is not likely to be an IP address conflict. Unless there are other issues, replacing the NIC seems to be overkill.

A user tells you that his Android phone case is bulging, and the device has been hot to the touch lately. You suspect a swollen battery. Which of the following is a good next step? A. Replace the device. B. Leave the device on to drain the battery, and then recharge the device. C. Turn the device off, let it cool to room temperature, and then recharge the device. D. Use the battery calibration utility. E. Freeze the system.

Replace the device. Explanation: With a swollen battery, the best solution is to replace the device. If you are experienced with mobile device batteries, you may be able to replace the battery, but be careful! You should not charge a swollen battery or freeze the system. A battery calibration utility will do no good.

Users are complaining that their print jobs are not printing. You open the print queue and see 50 jobs lined up. The printer is connected properly and online. What should you do? A. Open Printer Troubleshooting and have it diagnose the problem. B. Stop and restart the print spooler. C. Delete and reinstall the printer. D. Delete and reinstall Windows.

Stop and restart the print spooler. Explanation: If print jobs are seemingly getting "stuck" in the printer queue, you should stop and restart the print spooler service. There is no Printer Troubleshooting utility. Deleting and reinstalling the printer and/or Windows is not necessary.

You turn a computer on and it doesn't boot up properly. You hear a rhythmic ticking sound coming from inside the case. What is most likely the problem? A. The motherboard B. The power supply fan C. The HDD D. The video card

The HDD Explanation: The only components that make noise are the ones that have moving parts, such as fans and conventional hard disk drives. In most cases, a rhythmic ticking sound will be something that's generated by a conventional hard disk drive (HDD).

Your laser printer keeps printing vertical black lines on its output pages. What is the most likely cause of the problem? A. There is a groove or scratch in the EP drum. B. The EP drum-cleaning blade is broken. C. The printer is low on toner. D. The transfer corona wire is not working properly.

There is a groove or scratch in the EP drum. Explanation: The most likely cause is a groove or a scratch in the EP drum. Toner is collecting in that groove or scratch, and then it is being deposited onto the page. A broken drum-cleaning blade would result in unreadable images (too much toner). Low toner would cause faded images, and a bad transfer corona wire would cause blank images.

If the video on your laptop is not working, what should you do to troubleshoot it? (Choose two.) A. Toggle the video function key. B. Try using an external monitor. C. Remove the display unit and reattach it. D. Power the system off and back on.

Toggle the video function key, Try using an external monitor. Explanation: Two helpful things to try are toggling the video output function key (usually something like Fn+F8) and plugging an external monitor into the laptop. Removing the display is possible but not necessary yet. Powering the system off and back on isn't likely to correct the problem.

When you print documents on your laser printer, you see residue from previous images on the output. Which two things are the most likely causes of this problem? (Choose two.) A. A faulty transfer corona wire B. An overheating printer C. A bad erasure lamp D. A broken cleaning blade

A bad erasure lamp, A broken cleaning blade Explanation: Seeing images from previous print jobs is a phenomenon called ghosting (or ghost images). It's most likely due to a bad erasure lamp or a broken cleaning blade. If the transfer corona wire were faulty, there would likely be blank pages. An overheating printer will not necessarily leave residue behind.

A user brings in an iPhone and the touchscreen is not responding. What should you try first to get the device functioning again? A. Hold the power button and the sleep/wake button for 10 seconds to reset the device. B. Restore the device to factory settings. C. Replace the battery in the device. D. Hold the power button for 10 seconds to force the device to power off.

Hold the power button for 10 seconds to force the device to power off. Explanation: The first step should be to try to reboot the device. In most cases with a frozen smartphone, holding the power button down for about 10 seconds will force it to power off. If that doesn't work, then you can move to trying to reset the phone by holding down the power button and the sleep/wake button for 10 seconds. There is no need to restore the device to factory settings (yet) or replace the battery.

You believe that a network card is beginning to fail. Which of the following tools should you use to see if the network card is capable of sending and receiving data from an RJ-45 port? A. Toner probe B. Loopback plug C. Multimeter D. Cable tester

Loopback plug Explanation: A loopback plug is used to test the ability of a network adapter to send and receive. The plug gets plugged into the NIC, and then a loopback test is performed using troubleshooting software. A toner probe is used to trace a cable. Multimeters test for electrical issues. Cable testers are for verifying that a cable works properly.

A printer is printing unusually large margins on documents that are sent to it. You suspect that the paper size is set incorrectly. Where should you go to change this? A. Print spooler B. Paper selection switch on the printer C. Printing preferences D. Print queue

Printing preferences Explanation: Printing preferences sets configuration options such as color versus black and white, paper size, and page orientation. The print spooler is where print jobs are held for printing. The print queue is the list of print jobs waiting to be printed. There is no paper selection switch on printers (at least not that we've seen).

The display on your laptop appears warped and fuzzy. You plug in an external monitor, and the image on it is fine. What is the most likely cause of the problem? A. The video card B. The LCD display C. The motherboard D. The video driver

The LCD display Explanation: It has to be a problem with the LCD display. If it were the video card, the display would appear warped and fuzzy on the external monitor as well. While many motherboards contain video circuitry, this answer is not specific enough. If the video driver were corrupted, you would have the same problem on all displays.

You support an old impact printer at work. When the printer prints, there is always a blank horizontal line in the middle of each line of output. What is the most likely cause of the problem? A. The print ribbon is old and needs to be replaced. B. The print ribbon is not advancing properly. C. The print head needs to be replaced. D. The wrong print driver is installed.

The print head needs to be replaced. Explanation: If there is a consistent blank space, it likely means that a pin is not firing properly and that the print head needs to be replaced. If the print ribbon is old, you would have consistently faded printing. If the ribbon is not advancing properly, you would get light and dark printing. If the wrong driver was installed, you would get garbage.

You are having problems with the video card in one of your computers. Where could you check for troubleshooting information? A. Another computer with the same video card B. The video card manufacturer's website C. The manual that came with the card D. The server log

The video card manufacturer's website Explanation: The manufacturer's website is the first place you should go for information on your products, including troubleshooting information. Many years ago, manufacturers would provide paper manuals with their products, but that's almost unheard of today, unless you download a PDF version from the website. Server logs can show error codes, but they won't tell you how to fix anything.

Troubleshooting a network connectivity issue takes you into the wiring closet, where you realize that none of the cables are properly labeled. Several are disconnected. Which tool should you use to determine where the cables run to? A. Loopback plug B. Punch-down tool C. Cable tester D. Toner probe

Toner probe Explanation: A toner probe is used to trace a cable from one location to another. A loopback plug is for testing the ability of a network adapter to send and receive. Punch-down tools are used to connect the wires of a cable to a wiring rack, such as a 110-block. Cable testers are for verifying that a cable works properly.

While troubleshooting a client computer, you decide to obtain a new IP address from the DHCP server. After releasing the existing address, which command do you use to get new IP information from the DHCP server? A. ipconfig /refresh B. ipconfig /renew C. ifconfig /release D. ifconfig /start

ipconfig /renew Explanation: The ipconfig command is perhaps the most-used utility in troubleshooting and network configuration. The ipconfig /renew command sends a query to the DHCP server asking it to resend and renew all DHCP information. For a more detailed look at the ipconfig command, type ipconfig /? at the command prompt. The ifconfig command is used with Linux and macOS clients. There are no /refresh or /start switches for these commands.