C12 - Hardware and Network Troubleshooting

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

A, B. Two helpful things to try are toggling the video output function key (usually Fn+F8)
and plugging an external monitor into the laptop. Removing the display is possible but not
recommended. Powering the system off and back on isn’t likely to correct the problem.

Question 2

While inspecting a motherboard, you notice a discolored area. What usually causes this?
A. Spilled liquid
B. Improper manufacture
C. Power surge
D. Underclocking

Answer 2

C. Discolored areas on the board are often caused by overheating. This can be the
result of power surges.

Question 3

You need to connect a client computer to a shared network drive from the command
prompt. Which command should you use?
A. NET USE
B. NETSTAT
C. NSLOOKUP
D. IPCONFIG

Answer 3

A. The NET USE command allows you to connect to shared resources such as shared
drives and printers on the network.

Question 4

Every computer has a diagnostic program built into its BIOS called the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.
A. CMOS
B. BIOS
C. POST
D. DNS

Answer 4

C. Every computer has a diagnostic program built into its BIOS called the power-on
self-test (POST). The BIOS is the software stored on the CMOS chip. DNS is Domain
Name Service, which in networking resolves hostnames to IP addresses.

Question 5

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

Answer 5

B. The IPCONFIG command is perhaps the most used utility in troubleshooting and network
configuration. The IPCONFIG /RENEW command will send 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.

Question 6

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.

Answer 6

B. 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 that will
diagnose printer problems. Deleting and reinstalling is not necessary.

Question 7

What two devices are commonly used to cool components within a PC? (Choose two.)
A. Fans
B. Compressed air
C. Freon
D. Heat sinks

Answer 7

A, D. Heat sinks and fans are commonly used to cool components within a PC. Compressed
air can be used to blow out small particles or dust. Freon is a coolant used in
some air conditioners, but it is not typically used for personal computers.

Question 8

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

Answer 8

B. 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.

Question 9

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

Answer 9

A. 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.

Question 10

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

Answer 10

B. 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.

Question 11

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 corrupt print driver
C. A faulty fuser
D. Too much humidity in the air

Answer 11

A. If an ink cartridge is faulty or develops a hole, it can release excessive amounts of
ink, which will lead 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.

Question 12

You are working with a system that is assigned IP configuration information from a central
server. You wish to view the IP information on the system. Which of the following commands
would you use from the command prompt?
A. IPCONFIG /REFRESH
B. IPCONFIG /ALL
C. IPCONFIG /RENEW
D. WINIPCFG /ALL

Answer 12

B. The ipconfig utility can be used with Windows to see the networking configuration
values at the command line. It is one of the most commonly used command-line utilities
that can be used in troubleshooting and network configurations. To view IP configuration
information, use the IPCONFIG /All command.

Question 13

When you print documents on your laser printer, you see residue from previous images on
the output. What 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

Answer 13

C, D. Seeing images from previous print jobs is a phenomenon called ghosting. It’s
most likely due to a bad erasure lamp or a broken cleaning blade.

Question 14

You turn a computer on, but nothing shows up on the monitor. Instead of one beep, you
hear one long beep followed by three short beeps. What is the problem?
A. The video card is dead.
B. The motherboard is dead.
C. The BIOS is not functioning.
D. Not enough information; you need to look up the beep code to determine the problem.

Answer 14

D. It may well be that the video card is dead. Different BIOS manufacturers use different
beep codes, though, so you’ll want to look it up to be sure. If the motherboard was
dead or the BIOS weren’t functioning, you wouldn’t get to the POST routine, so you
wouldn’t get a beep code.

Question 15

Which of the following Windows command-line utilities is used to verify the route a data
packet takes to a remote host?
A. Trace
B. Tracert
C. TraceRoute
D. Tracepacket

Answer 15

B. Tracert is a Windows command-line utility that enables you to verify the route to
a remote host. It is often used in the troubleshooting process to verify the path a data
packet takes toward its final destination.

Question 16

You turn a computer on and it doesn’t boot up properly. From inside the case, you hear a
rhythmic ticking sound. What is most likely the problem?
A. The motherboard
B. The power supply fan
C. The hard drive
D. The video card

Answer 16

C. The only components that typically make noise are the ones that have moving
parts, such as fans and hard drives. In most cases, a rhythmic ticking sound will be
something that’s generated by the hard drive.

Question 17

You support an old dot-matrix 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.

Answer 17

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

Question 18

A user calls saying that his laptop won’t power on. He charged it all night, so he knows that
the battery is fine. What should you have him do first?
A. Plug the laptop in using an AC adapter and try to power it on.
B. Replace the battery with a spare and try to power it on.
C. Toggle the battery power switch on the front of the laptop, and then try to power it on.
D. Send the laptop in for service.

Answer 18

A. If a laptop won’t power up on battery, always try to use AC power. You never know
when a battery could have failed. If the user had a spare and didn’t have an AC power
cord, trying a spare might work, but trying AC power is the best bet. There is no battery
power switch on laptops

Question 19

You suspect a faulty network card on a client machine. Which tool can you use to test your
hypothesis?
A. Wireless locator
B. Cable tester
C. Toner probe
D. Loopback plug

Answer 19

D. Loopback plugs are used to test the sending and receiving ability of network cards.
Wireless locators find wireless network signals. Cable testers validate cables, and toner
probes are used to trace a cable from one end to the other.

Question 20

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 it is configured as a
mirror.
B. You need to replace the failed drive, but the data is okay because it 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.

Answer 20

C. 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.