CompTIA A+ Practice Test (220-1201)

Any computer can overheat, but laptops are compact and can easily overheat when the processor is stressed for long periods of time. Typically when a computer becomes too hot it will simply shut off without warning to prevent any physical damage to the computer.

Constantly increasing read/write times-especially when the storage LED shows repeated access-are classic signs that the hard drive is struggling to retrieve data. Mechanical drives will repeatedly retry reads when sectors are wearing out, and S.M.A.R.T. logs often show rising re-allocation or error counts just before a failure. While factors such as file-system fragmentation or an outdated storage-controller driver can contribute to slow performance, an impending hard-drive failure is the most common and urgent root cause that should be addressed first by backing up data and replacing the drive.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the standard protocol used for sending emails across the Internet. It operates on port 25 (or port 587 for secure submission) and is used by mail servers to send and relay outgoing mail to other mail servers. SMTP is essential for email communication, enabling users to send messages to recipients on different email servers, handling everything from the routing to the delivery of emails.

A grinding noise coming from a HDD is a sure indication that the drive is failing and needs to be tended to. At the first sign of this, data should be backed up and the drive replaced.

Liquid cooling is the most effective solution for dissipating heat from PC components, generally resulting in lower operating temperatures than air cooling. While typically more expensive and complex to install, it is the preferred choice for high-performance and overclocked systems. Fans and heat sinks are the primary components of an air cooling system, and thermal paste is a thermal interface material required to ensure proper heat transfer to either a liquid or air cooler.

Mini-LED panels still use an LCD layer, but the backlight is composed of thousands of very small LEDs divided into many local-dimming zones. Because each zone can be brightened or dimmed independently, the screen can display very bright highlights next to deep blacks, dramatically increasing the effective contrast ratio required for convincing HDR content. Standard LED backlights use far fewer and larger LEDs, so their dimming zones are coarse and cause lower contrast. Mini-LEDs are not self-emissive like OLED, do not change the LCD layer itself, and do not inherently affect motion blur or refresh-rate requirements.

Jitter is the statistical variation in the delay between successive packets reaching their destination. When bandwidth is insufficient or the network is congested, some VoIP packets are delayed while others arrive on time, producing high jitter and choppy audio. Latency, throughput, and signal attenuation measure different characteristics of a connection.

Adjusting synchronization settings to perform large data transfers only on Wi-Fi allows for the employee to continue receiving important emails and multimedia content while conserving mobile data usage. This approach helps in managing the data cap effectively by leveraging Wi-Fi networks that are typically free from data limitations, ensuring critical communication remains uninterrupted without incurring additional data charges.

Port 22 is the default TCP port for Secure Shell (SSH). If this port is blocked, an SSH client cannot establish an encrypted console session with the remote Linux server.

• Port 23 is assigned to Telnet, an insecure, clear-text remote-login protocol that should not be used for sensitive systems.
• Port 80 handles HTTP web traffic and is unrelated to remote console access.
• Port 3389 is used by Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) for graphical remote-desktop sessions, not command-line console access to Linux.

Therefore, ensuring that TCP port 22 is open resolves the problem.

Enabling printer sharing allows a printer connected to one computer or server within a network to be accessed by other computers on the network. This means that multiple users can print to the same printer without needing a direct connection or having individual printers for each workstation.

Restarting the cable modem is often the best first step in troubleshooting as it can resolve a range of issues, including ones related to connection establishment with the Internet Service Provider (ISP). Replacing the modem or router would be more costly and time-consuming without first attempting simpler troubleshooting steps. Checking the network card would not be related to a modem's inability to connect to the ISP. Cable testing is useful for ensuring physical connectivity but the scenario has verified physical connection.

Surveying the physical environment for new equipment that could cause interference is crucial, as industrial machinery can emit electromagnetic interference that disrupts wireless communication. This aligns with the observation that the connection issues correspond with the operational hours of the new equipment. Checking cables and connectors would typically address issues relating to wired networks but may not directly solve wireless interference issues. Changing WiFi channels might help if interference was due to overlapping channels with neighboring WiFi networks, however, this possibility doesn't neatly coincide with the observed timeframe for connectivity issues. Lastly, modifying the DHCP lease time would not address external interference at all, but it could possibly resolve other network issues not related to interference.

A patch panel is a board with a number of electrical sockets, in networking you will often see ethernet patch panels with RJ-45 sockets. A punch down tool helps insert ethernet wiring into the back of the RJ-45 sockets. You can do this by hand, but it is difficult to get good connections leading to packet drops. Using a punch down tool makes this process faster and ensures solid connections between your cabling and patch panel.

802.11ac, also known as Wi-Fi 5, operates exclusively in the 5GHz frequency band. It supports higher data rates compared to previous standards, specifically due to wider channel bandwidths (80 MHz and 160 MHz), more spatial streams, and more efficient data encoding. While it offers improved performance and less interference compared to the 2.4GHz band, it does not include the 60GHz frequency; that band is used by the 802.11ad standard. 802.11ac also supports Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology, which is an enhancement over the MIMO in previous standards.

A 750 Watt power supply unit would provide ample power for the new graphics card, the existing system, and any additional LED lighting and cooling accessories. This offers headroom beyond the minimum recommendation of 650 Watts from the graphics card manufacturer, which is beneficial for future upgrades and ensures consistent power delivery even under load. A 500 Watt PSU would not meet the recommended minimum and may cause instability, while an 850 Watt supply may provide more power than needed, increasing cost without offering tangible benefits for the current configuration. A 1000 Watt PSU would significantly exceed the requirements and would be more suited for a system with multiple high-end graphics cards or more demanding components.

When a CCFL LCD display shows an image that is visible but dim, and brightness controls do not work, the most likely cause is a failing inverter. The inverter is responsible for converting the laptop's DC power to AC power to light up the CCFL backlight. Without a functioning inverter, the screen would be dim because the backlight isn't receiving the proper voltage. Other answers, such as the battery, power supply, and HDMI port, do not directly affect the brightness of the screen's display.

Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud service model utilized to provide developers with a platform for application development. The service provider provides things such as the server space and development tools.

Thunderbolt 3 uses the Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C connector. The older versions of the standard, Thunderbolt 1 and 2, used the Mini DisplayPort (MDP) connector.

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an open-standard protocol used to query directory based databases such as Active Directory. LDAP uses TCP 389 by default.

A standard VGA connector is a 15-pin, three-row DE-15 (often called HD-15) D-sub connector. It has a trapezoidal metal shell, is usually colored blue, is secured with thumbscrews, and carries only analog video signals-no audio. DVI, HDMI, USB-C, and Mini-DisplayPort connectors differ in pin count, shape, and their ability to carry digital video and/or audio.