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

The heat sink and fan were not installed correctly. The power connector for the fan was not connected to the motherboard.

Lately, your computer has been spontaneously shutting down after only a few minutes of use. What is the likely cause? (Select two.)

Charge battery to 100%

Lately, your laptop shuts down before it reaches the 5% set in your Windows Power Scheme. You suspect that the power meter is incorrectly reporting the battery power level. You want to calibrate the battery to synchronize the power meter to the actual battery charge capacity. However, the laptop system does not include a calibration tool. You decide to perform a manual calibration. Which of the following is the first step you need to take when manually calibrating the battery?

What is SATA?

A computer bus technology used to connect host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disks.

Check the brightness and contrast settings using the monitor's controls.

A customer complains that a recently purchased monitor no longer displays a picture. You verify that the monitor is powered on and that the video cable is securely fastened to the video port. Which of the following actions is the BEST to take next?

Solid-state drive (SSD)

A flash device with a large storage capacity comparable to a hard disk, used as replacements for hard disk drives for storing the operating system, applications, and data files. Some advantages of solid-state drives include: They are faster than hard drives. They have no moving parts. They have lower power consumption than hard drives (good for laptops). They are less susceptible to physical damage (from dropping) and immune from magnetic fields. They are smaller and lighter than hard drives. Disadvantage: cost. They are often more expensive than comparable hard drives. However, their advantages make them a good choice, especially for portable devices.

SD card

A flash memory device is often used in digital cameras.

The static IP address and subnet mask are configured with the wrong network address.

A laptop has a wired connection to a network and is configured with a static IP address. The link light on the NIC is lit, but the laptop cannot communicate with any hosts on the local network. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Hard Disk

A long-term storage device that uses a thick magnetic disk made of several aluminum platters in a protective shell. Key facts are: A hard disk consists of several aluminum platters, each of which requires a read/write head for each side. All read/write heads are attached to a single access arm to prevent them from moving independently. Each platter has circular tracks that cut through all the platters in the drive to form cylinders. The spinning of the platters is referred to as revolutions per minute (RPM). The higher the revolutions per minute, the faster the data can be accessed. Standard hard drives are categorized as follow: 5400 rpm (inexpensive HDD) 7200 rpm (good quality HDD) 10,000 rpm (expensive HDD) 15,000 rpm (fast HDD) Some advantages of hard disks are: They have large amounts of storage (starting at 16 GB up to several TB). The cost per MB is cheap. There is a wide selection. Some disadvantages of hard disks are: Many hard disks are internal devices, though you can get external enclosures. They are prone to failure. They are vulnerable to physical damage (e.g., when dropped).

M.2

A popular solid-state drive often used in portable computing devices.

Micro SD card

A sales person requires that a large number of document, data, presentation, image, and video files be accessible on their personal mobile device when making sales pitches to new customers. A cloud solution is not feasible since cellular and internet connections are not always guaranteed at a customer site. Which of the following accessories would a technician suggest to BEST meet the sales person's requirements?

Optical Disk

A storage device (such as CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs) that records binary information through pits in a reflectively-coated disc. Optical discs use lasers for reading and writing information. Some advantages of optical discs are: They are great for music and video (they play in audio or video devices that aren't computers). They are portable and universal. They are cheap. You can buy discs that are recordable. They have a long shelf life and are relatively sturdy. Blu-ray discs can store a large amount of data (25 GB or more, depending upon the format). Some disadvantages of optical discs are: They are slower than hard disks. They have a small capacity (650 MB for CDs, 4.7 GB for DVDs). There are some compatibility issues between disc formats and readers.

Remove the key and clean underneath it.

A technician is tasked with repairing a laptop keyboard with a sticking key. Which of the following actions should the technician perform FIRST to try and fix the issue?

Educate the user as to how the problem was resolved and verify that they are satisfied with the results.

A user sends a print job to a network printer, and it prints page after page of random characters. He calls the help desk, and a technician discovers that the wrong printer driver had been loaded on the user's workstation. The technician loads the correct driver, verifies that the system works correctly, and documents the resolution. Which of the following actions should the technician perform next?

Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE)

An electronic interface that allows communication between a motherboard's data paths or bus and a computer's hard disks.

Run a memory diagnostic tool to check for any memory errors.

As a computer technician, you are troubleshooting a client's computer that is experiencing intermittent crashes and sudden reboots. The client reports that these issues started happening after a recent memory upgrade. You have already confirmed that the new memory modules are compatible with the system and are properly installed. What would be the next BEST step to diagnose the issue?

Gather information

As an IT technician for your company, you are in the process of setting up several servers in your network. During the process, one of the servers was misconfigured and is having trouble synchronizing information with the other servers. Which of the following is the BEST next step?

An SSD for the operating system and an HDD for storing multimedia files. (The SSD would ensure that the operating system boots quickly, while it would be relatively inexpensive to include a large capacity HDD for multimedia file storage.)

As the director of procurement for your company's Sales department, you are working with the IT manager and CIO to determine the technical requirements for purchasing new laptops for your sales representatives. The sales representatives often store a significant number of multimedia files (such as videos) on their laptops, which they use for customer education and demonstration purposes. They also want to boot their Windows operating system quickly. What would be the BEST price-performance purchasing decision when it comes to providing storage media for the new laptops for the sales representatives (based on their requests)?

What devices can be connected using SATA?

Devices you can connect using SATA include hard disk drives (HDD), optical drives (CD/DVD/Blu-ray), and solid state drives (SSD).

How is each SATA drive connected?

Each SATA drive has its own channel, with a single drive connected to each cable and port.

Flash Memory

Electronic non-volatile memory that is easy to erase and reprogram. Some of the advantages of flash devices are: The memory is re-programmable. They can retain content without power. They are optimal for use in devices, such as cameras and have a larger capacity than CDs and DVDs.. They are highly portable. They have relatively fast memory access. They are inexpensive Additional advantages of flash devices are: Their storage capacity is comparable to the capacity of modern hard disks. Most new PCs have card readers. They are versatile to use. Common flash memory cards include: CompactFlash cards, SD cards, SSD cards, MiniSD cards, MicroSD cards, Hybrid cards (combines SSD and HDD technology), Memory sticks

Make sure the movie player is pointing to the correct drive letter for the DVD drive

Jared has just installed an additional HDD on his Windows computer for storing multimedia files. He inserts a DVD disc to watch a movie with his usual movie player software, but the movie fails to play. In fact, the player indicates that there is no DVD drive available. What is the BEST first step that Jared should take to resolve the issue?

Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe)

NVMe is designed to work well with the low latency and internal parallelism of solid-state storage devices. By allowing host hardware and software to utilize the level of parallelism possible in modern SSDs, NVMe reduces I/O overhead and improves functionality. NVMe devices come in three forms: The most common are standard-sized PCI Express expansion cards and 2.5-inch form-factor devices that provide a four-lane PCI Express interface through the U.2 connector. There are also storage devices that use SATA Express The M.2 specification, which support NVMe as the logical device interface.

The printer's heads are out of position and need to be aligned.

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

How do you connect removable storage devices through eSATA or USB?

Removable storage devices are typically connected through eSATA or USB. A hard drive enclosure allows you to connect a SATA hard drive to a USB port on a computer.

What are the power specifications for SATA devices?

SATA devices use a special 15-pin power connector that supplies 3.3, 5, and 12 volts.

Make sure that the DNS server is functioning properly.

Several of your employees are experiencing limited connectivity issues when trying to access some websites on the internet from their workstations. However, they can access the local company network without any problems. You have already tried using the ip and ipconfig commands to determine that the websites can be reached and that the IP information on the workstations is configured properly. You know that the connection to your internet service provider is working properly as well. What should you do next?

eSATAp

The Power over eSATA or Power eSATA (eSATAp) standard is meant to replace eSATA. eSATAp combines the functionality of an eSATA and a USB port for a source of power in a single connector. Both SATA data and device power are integrated in a single cable. The eSATAp connector and port are neither an L-shaped or rectangular.

eSATA

The external SATA (eSATA) standards are a subset of other standards specifically for externally connected devices. eSATA devices use a special SATA data cable with a locking clip to prevent the cable from being accidently disconnected. Because power is not supplied through the SATA data cable, eSATA devices require an external power connector or power source. eSATA has a rectangular connector.

SATA1

The original SATA standard. It provided for 1.5 Gbps (1500 MBps) data transfer.

SATA2

The second generation of SATA devices support up to 3 Gbps (3000 MBps). SATA2 includes the following enhancements: Hot pluggable support, allowing drives to be added and removed while the system is running. Improved connectors to reduce electrostatic discharge (ESD), improved usability, and extended life when used with external devices. Native Command Queuing (NCQ) for increased performance. Port multiplier support, allowing multiple devices to be connected to a single SATA port.

SATA3

The third generation of SATA devices supports up to 6 Gbps (6000 MBps). This standard mainly addresses solid state drives with SATA (hard disk drives are not capable of sending data at this rate). SATA 3.5 is the latest revision. The standard includes new connectors for solid state devices and thin optical drives. Device transmit emphasis for Gen 3 PHY brings SATA in line with other features of I/O measurement solutions. Xbox One S features SATA III connections.

Back off on the overclocking settings until the system runs in a stable manner.

To improve system performance, you have configured a motherboard to run with a higher multiplier than what the CPU is specified to use. Since doing this, the system has become unstable and crashes frequently. Which of the following should you do to restore system stability?

Signal drop or weak signal

Travis, a long-haul truck driver, reports that when driving on remote highways, his smartphone battery drains faster than normal, and his phone calls often cut out. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for the fast battery drain?

What should you consider when installing a newer SATA2 drive into a system that supports only SATA1?

When installing a newer SATA2 drive into a system that supports only SATA1, you might need to configure the drive to operate in SATA1 mode by setting a jumper or install a SATA2 controller card if the drive is not compatible.

Non-violative Memory chip

Which method does an SD card use to store data?

Port flapping- (occurs when a port on the network switch continuously turns off and on three or more times per second for at least 10 seconds.)

Which of the following is a common cause for high latency issues on a network?

Port flapping

Which of the following issues causes variations in the latency of VoIP packets?

BSoD

While running a graphics editing program on your Windows workstation, a screen suddenly pops up with an error message warning. You note the error message, but the only way to continue working is to reboot your system. What is this type of error screen called?

Magnetic fields

You are a system administrator for a financial institution. Most of your employees work at home and have various work environments. One of your account managers is complaining that customer data is disappearing from her account management application. She insists that she saves data regularly and has not had a problem until recently. Her workstation has both a solid-state drive (SSD) and a traditional hard drive. She runs the application from the SSD drive, but stores the customer data on the hard drive. She has recently moved her desk to a room in her house that is used for entertainment. The room has a sound system with several installed speakers for surround sound. Which of the following types of interference might be causing the issue with disappearing customer data?

An SSD opens files faster than an HDD. An SSD uses flash technology to store data.

You are in the process of purchasing several new Windows-based computers to replace broken or outdated computers. You have heard that solid-state drives (SSDs) can significantly increase systems' overall performance. Which of the following BEST describe the features of solid-state drives (SSDs) compared to hard disk drives (HDDs)? (Select two.)

The LCD cutoff switch is stuck in the Off position.

You are troubleshooting a malfunctioning laptop computer system. The customer has indicated that the screen is always dark and difficult to read, even while the system is plugged into a wall outlet. You checked the system and determine that the backlight isn't working. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

How can you increase the number of SATA ports on a motherboard?

You can install an adapter card in an available bus slot to increase the number of SATA ports.

What is the recommended connection for the boot drive in SATA?

You connect the boot drive to the lowest SATA channel number of the installed devices. The boot sequence will normally follow the channel order unless a boot priority is specified in the BIOS/UEFI.

Make sure the power connectors on the SSD drive are plugged in all the way.

You have just installed an SSD drive in your older Windows workstation. However, after you start Windows, you do not see the SSD drive listed in Windows Explorer. What should you do FIRST?

M.2

You have just purchased an Ultrabook with an SSD expansion card that provides SATA 3.0, PCI Express 3.0, and USB 3.0 ports. Which type of expansion slot standard is your Ultrabook using?

Set the resolution of the video board to the native resolution of the monitor (whatever it might be).-(While it is possible to set a resolution other than the native resolution, the images on the display will be distorted or pixilated.)

You have purchased an LED monitor and connected it to the HDMI port on your computer using an HDMI cable. You configure the screen resolution to 1280 x 1024 with 32-bit color. The geometry of the images displayed on the screen appear to be distorted. What should you do to correct the problem?