Chapter 4 Questions

As a help-desk technician, list four good detective questions to ask if a user calls to say, "My computer won't boot."

1. What error messages, unusual displays, or failures did you see? 2. When did the problem start? 3. Does the system have a history of similar problems? 4. What was the situation when the problem occured?

How much power is consumed by a load drawing 5 A with 120 V across it?

600 W

You suspect that a power supply is faulty, but you use a power supply tester to measure its voltage output and find it to be acceptable. Why is it still possible that the power supply may be faulty?

A power supply test will only tell you if it is bad.

What should you immediately do if you turn on a computer and smell smoke or a burning odor?

A. Unplug the computer.

How do you determine the wattage capacity needed by a power supply?

Add wattage requirements of all components and add 30%.

You own a small computer repair company and a customer comes to you with a laptop that will not boot. After investigating, you discover the hard drive has crashed. What should you do first?

B. Ask the customer's advice about the size of the drive to install, but select a drive that's the same speed as the original drive.

You have repaired a broken LCD panel in a laptop computer. However, when you disassembled the laptop, you bent the hinge on the lid so that it now does not latch solidly. When the customer receives the laptop, he notices the bent hinge and begins shouting at you. What do you do first? Second?

B. Listen carefully to the customer and don't get defensive. C. Apologize and offer to replace the bent hinge.

When you boot up a computer and hear a single beep, but the screen is blank, what can you assume is the source of the problem?

B. The monitor or monitor cable.

Your boss assigns you a trouble ticket that says a computer is randomly shutting off after about 15 minutes of use. You have a theory that the computer is overheating. What utility program can you use to read system temperatures?

BIOS/UEFI

What is a reasonable wattage capacity for a power supply to be used with a system that contains a DVD drive, three hard drives, and a high-end video card?

C. 700 W

Someone asks you for help with a computer that hangs at odd times. You turn it on and work for about 15 minutes, and then the computer freezes and powers down. What do you do first?

C. Wait about 30 minutes for the system to cool down and try again.

You suspect a component in a computer is fried. You remove any unnecessary hardware devices one by one to narrow down where the problem exists. Which step in the troubleshooting process is this?

Examine the system.

If the power connector from the CPU fan has only three pins, it can still connect to the 4-pin header, but what functionality is lost?

Fan will always operate at the same speed.

Your friend Suzy calls to ask for help with her computer. She says when she first turns on the computer, she doesn't hear a spinning drive or fan or see indicator lights, and the monitor is blank. Is the problem hardware- or software related?

Hardware related

You upgrade a faulty PCIe video card to a recently released higher-performing card. Now the user complains that Windows 10 hangs a lot and gives errors. Which is the most likely source of the problem? Which is the least likely source?

Most likey: A. A component of the computer is overheating. Least likely: D. Memory is faulty.

Which two components in a system might make a loud whining noise when there is a problem? Why?

Power supply or failing hard drive. Might be a short or the power supply is going bad or is underrated for the system.

What are two reasons to tie cables up and out of the way inside a computer case?

To keep proper airflow and prevent cabled from getting in the way of turning fans.

You've decided to build a new gaming computer and are researching which power supply to buy. Which component in a high-end gaming computer is likely to draw the most power? What factor in a power supply do you need to consider to make sure this component has strong enough wattage?

Video card. The +12V rail.