"During which step of the CompTIA A+ Troubleshooting Model do you step through a problem to test a theory of most probable cause?", "Establish a theory.<br /> [Attempting to re-create the issue is a common practice when establishing a theory about the cause of the problem. It is usually helpful to watch the user create the circumstance that led to the problem so that you can see first-hand the result. At that point, you can try to re-create the issue to see if you can determine the cause.]" "Which of the following is NOT a reason to document findings, actions, and outcomes?", "To eliminate factors that could cause the problem to reoccur.<br /> [In step 5 of the CompTIA A+ troubleshooting model, a technician implements preventative measures in order to eliminate factors that could cause the problem to reappear.]" "It is often difficult to extract useful information from a user when starting to troubleshoot a computer problem. For this reason, which of the following is an example of a good question to ask when beginning the troubleshooting process?", "“What is the problem?”<br /> [Asking the user an open-ended question, such as “What is the problem?” encourages the user to give you all of the information they are able to.]" "The motherboard itself can be a source of computer failures. Which of the following symptoms would lead you to conclude that there is something wrong with the motherboard?", "Unresolved intermittent device failures<br /> [Erratic behavior or intermittent device failures that cannot be explained through troubleshooting other hardware and software components are often caused by a faulty motherboard. The motherboard is often overlooked as a source of such failures and therefore goes without proper diagnosis for extended periods of time.]" "In Windows, where are boot messages written?", "ntbtlog.txt<br /> [Boot messages are written to the %SystemRoot%\ntbtlog.txt file. In Windows 7, you can use the Startup Configuration utility (msconfig) to show boot messages. In Windows 10, this setting does not work and you need to enable verbose boot messages via the registry.]" "You are examining the motherboard of a computer that was issuing POST errors and failing to boot. You observe physical damage and signs of overheating. Which of the following actions do you take to determine the cause of the issue?", "Examine the environment around the computer and the maintenance history.<br /> [It is worth investigating any environmental problems or maintenance procedures that could be the "root cause" of the error. When troubleshooting suspected problems, look for simple solutions first.]" "When you power on a computer, you hear two beeps during power-on self-test (POST) and the computer never completely boots into the operating system. What is the likely cause?", "A failed or failing hardware component.<br /> [POST beeps warn you of some problem with hardware. Listen carefully to the number of beeps that you receive and look up the codes for the BIOS manufacturer. Beep codes are specific to each BIOS manufacturer. Beep codes may also be detailed in the instruction booklet that came with your motherboard, if you have purchased that separately.]" "Windows fails to recognize a second hard drive that you have recently installed for a user. Which of the following could be causing the problem?", "System firmware settings<br /> [You need to verify that the drive is enabled in the BIOS or UEFI, and that the correct device settings for the hard drive are listed. You should also verify that the drive is installed correctly.]" "You just installed a new hard drive for a user. After rebooting the machine, the drive is not recognized by the host’s operating system. How do you resolve this?", "Check that the drive’s host adapter is enabled.<br /> [If the drive is not detected, check either that the onboard controller is enabled (through system setup) or that the host adapter has been recognized. For an SSD, you should also check that the port is using the appropriate mode (AHCI or NVMe).]" "What error message do you receive when Windows cannot read the Master Boot Record (MBR)?", "OS not found<br /> [Damage to the MBR or GPT (GUID Partition Table) results in boot errors such as "OS not found" or "Invalid drive specification."]" "Which of the following is a reason to defragment a hard drive?", "Improve performance<br /> [Disk performance can be improved by ensuring that file fragmentation is minimized. Disk defragmentation is a process whereby the contents of a disk are moved around to optimize disk access times.]" "How does Video Graphics Array (VGA) mode assist in troubleshooting video problems?", "Allows you to view the GUI with minimal colors<br /> [VGA Mode allows you to view your graphical interface with a minimal set of colors in order to troubleshoot video problems, such as incorrect drivers or an errant video mode setting. Windows is fully functional in this mode.]" "A user reports being unable to read an encrypted email on a mobile device. Which of the following is likely missing?", "The digital certificate<br /> [If the certificate is missing or not recognized, the device will be unable to decrypt the email.]" "Why is it important to check the warranty status on a laptop before servicing it?", "Servicing the laptop could void the warranty.<br /> [Servicing a laptop that is still under warranty could void the warranty and incur unnecessary cost. Only open a laptop to access internal components if it is no longer under warranty or if you are an authorized technician for the laptop brand.]" "You have a headset that usually automatically connects to your computer via Bluetooth. You notice that the device is no longer connected. What do you suspect is the problem?", "The headset is powered off.<br /> [Wireless devices need power. If a wireless device that has been working stops, it probably needs a new battery. Try cycling the power on the device or reconnecting it and check for updated drivers for the wireless controller and the devices.]" "After issuing a new laptop to a user, the user calls to report that the keyboard is not working correctly. While typing, several letters are showing up as numbers. What do you do first?", "Check the Num Lock status indicator.<br /> [Users may become confused when Num Lock is activated and the keys go to numeric input. Most laptops have an indicator light so you can easily check whether Num Lock is on or off. This is most common on laptops without a numeric keypad, where a group of letter keys serves as the keypad.]" "A technician is troubleshooting a new mobile device that is suddenly experiencing a very short battery life. Which of the following is likely the cause?", "An app is putting excessive strain on the battery life.<br /> [If the battery is not old or faulty, you could suspect that an app is putting excessive strain on the battery. On most mobile devices, you can view which apps are putting the most strain on battery life.]" "A user has a desktop inkjet printer that is printing vertical lines on each printed page. What is likely the cause of the lines?", "A dirty print head or blocked ink nozzle<br /> [On an inkjet printer, lines running through printouts indicate a dirty print head or blocked ink nozzle, which can usually be fixed by running a cleaning cycle.]" "Which of the following print defects is a sign that the photosensitive drum has not been cleaned properly?", "Ghost images<br /> [Ghost images are a sign that the photosensitive drum has not been cleaned properly. If the image is not completely cleared from the drum, it will repeat as a "ghost" or "shadow" image farther down the page.]" "Which of the following is likely the cause of color printing in the wrong print color?", "Toner cartridges have been installed in the wrong locations.<br /> [If prints come out in the wrong color, ensure that the toner cartridges have been installed in the correct location. Also ensure that there is sufficient toner in each cartridge.]" "The error log on a print server shows that a user tried to print a very large file, causing a “Low Memory” error. Which of the following is the best step to take first?", "Delete the print job.<br /> [Delete the large file from the print queue. If necessary, the user can print at a lower resolution, or not print the entire file at once.]" "Which of the following is NOT an action you should take to solve a backed up print queue?", "Update the printer driver.<br /> [If a printer driver is not up to date, you may experience symptoms such as garbled output or an inability to print. You may need administrator rights to update or install drivers.]" "On a laser printer, which of the following could be caused by application or driver problems or packing seal left on the toner cartridge", "Blank pages<br /> [Blank pages usually indicate an application or driver problem. Alternatively, it could indicate that a toner cartridge has been installed without removing its packing seals.]" "A department needs to send a file to a remote server, but the file transfer is failing. Which of the following commands would you use to troubleshoot connectivity issues to the remote server?", "tracert<br /> [The tracert command-line utility is used to trace the route a packet of information takes to get to its target. If the host cannot be located, the command will eventually timeout but it will return every router that was attempted and help you determine the cause of the problem.]" "Which of the following can help diagnose latency issues on a network?", "Ping test<br /> [The ping utility is a command-line diagnostic tool used to test whether a host can communicate with another host on the same network or on a remote network. A ping test provides millisecond measures of Round Trip Time (RTT) that can be used to diagnose latency problems on a link.]" "A user tells you that they cannot connect to some network resource while others are readily accessible and no one else has the same problem. What do you check in order to investigate this problem?", "Check the user's Active Directory and shared resource permissions.<br /> [Since this problem is likely a permissions problem, check Active Directory permissions for the user and check any share-specific permissions for the resources in question.]" "Which of the following Windows commands would you use to tell whether email ports are open on a server?", "netstat<br /> [The netstat command-line tool can be used to investigate open ports and connections on the local host. In a troubleshooting context, you can use this tool to verify whether file sharing or email ports are open on a server and whether other clients are connecting to them]"
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