CompTIA A+ Practice Test (220-1201)

The technician should first check the thermal paste because it facilitates heat transfer from the CPU to the heatsink. If the thermal paste is old, improperly applied, or missing, the CPU may overheat, leading to sudden shutdowns after prolonged use. The question states the internal components are free of dust and debris, so cleaning does not making sense as a next step. Checking the ambient room temperature is important for overall heat management, but the first point of heat transfer that should be checked is between the CPU and heatsink. BIOS firmware updates could resolve overheating only if the issue is related to improper fan control; this step is typically considered after verifying the physical heat transfer mechanisms.

The office should upgrade their wireless network to access points supporting WiFi 5 (802.11ac) or WiFi 6 (802.11ax) standards. These technologies provide higher data rates and operate on the 5GHz band which, in comparison to the 2.4GHz band, offers reduced interference and the ability to handle higher bandwidth-intensive tasks. WiFi 5 and WiFi 6 devices typically support multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), which increases data throughput and connection quality. Furthermore, WiFi 6 supports Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) enhancing efficiency and capacity of the network.

A hybrid cloud model is most suitable for the scenario described as it combines the flexibility and scalability of public clouds with the control and security of a private cloud. The company can scale up using public cloud resources during peak times without moving sensitive data out of their private infrastructure, adhering to compliance regulations.

You should ask questions to assist the customer in determining their network equipment. The most likely cause of the poor performance is that their network equipment (routers, switches, etc) or devices (wireless or wired NIC) do not support the faster speeds. The only way to solve this issue is to get more information from the customer.

The 5 GHz band provides far more non-overlapping 20 MHz channels (approximately 24-25) and is not shared by common household devices such as microwave ovens, Bluetooth peripherals, cordless phones, and baby monitors that crowd the 2.4 GHz ISM band. This wider, less-congested spectrum greatly reduces co-channel and adjacent-channel interference, so users on 5 GHz networks typically see cleaner signals.

The correct answer is the identification of overlapping (adjacent) channels that nearby networks are using. Overlapping channels cause adjacent-channel interference, which corrupts frames and degrades throughput. A WiFi analyzer graphically shows which channels each SSID occupies and how wide they are, enabling the technician to select a non-overlapping channel (such as 1, 6, or 11 in the 2.4 GHz band) or adjust channel width to reduce interference. Monitoring only signal-strength fluctuations relates more to coverage, listing SSIDs does not reveal interference sources, and hunting unauthorized access points is primarily a security task-not the immediate cause of performance-impacting radio interference.

The grinding noise, particularly during boot-up, typically indicates a mechanical problem with a component that has moving parts. In a desktop PC, a failing hard drive or a malfunctioning fan is often the culprit. Because the noise is described as 'loud' and occurs during boot, when hard drives are engaged to load the operating system, a hard drive that is beginning to fail is the most probable cause, as mechanical hard drives contain spinning disks which can produce loud grinding noises when they malfunction. Other options listed, such as a failing solid-state drive or incorrect driver installation, would not typically result in a grinding noise because these components do not contain moving parts capable of producing such a sound.

The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) or UEFI firmware contains a setup utility that displays hardware information such as the CPU, RAM, and detected storage devices. This is accessible before an operating system loads. The Power-On Self-Test (POST) is a diagnostic process that runs at startup to check hardware, but it is not the user interface for viewing detailed specifications. The Master Boot Record (MBR) is a special sector on a storage drive that helps initiate the OS boot process, and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a hardware chip used for security and encryption.

The correct answer is that a USB-C connector can carry power, data, and video signals. This triple-functionality is a hallmark of the USB-C standard, often enabled through protocols like Power Delivery (PD) for charging and Alternate Modes (such as DisplayPort Alt Mode) for video. This versatility distinguishes it from older USB types that were primarily limited to data and lower power.

On most BIOS implementations, a repeating series of short beeps signifies that POST detected a critical hardware fault-commonly with RAM, the motherboard's power delivery, or another essential component. It is not an indication of a successful POST; a single short beep (IBM/Award) or a single long beep (AMI) generally signals that no errors were found. Technicians should reference the motherboard or BIOS documentation for exact meanings and begin hardware diagnostics, often starting with reseating or replacing memory modules.

When dealing with any problem, especially one involving unexpected behavior such as random restarts, it is important to gather information from the user; this helps narrow down potential causes. Understanding if any changes have been made by the user prior to the occurrence of the issue can be crucial, and often, these changes are the root of the problem. Performing backups before making any changes is also a good practice, but it is typically not the first step unless there is an immediate risk of data loss. Hence, asking about recent changes is a more direct initial approach.

Before installing the new motherboard into the laptop, the technician needs to disconnect the battery to prevent any potential short-circuits or electrical damage. This is a safety protocol that must be followed to protect both the technician and the device components during installation. Testing the thermal sensors would not be the immediate concern, as these are part of validation after the motherboard installation. Reassembling the device would be one of the final steps after successfully installing the new motherboard.

NetBIOS over TCP/IP uses three well-known ports. Port 137 (UDP/TCP) provides the NetBIOS name service, port 138 (UDP) handles datagram traffic, and port 139 (TCP) carries the NetBIOS session service that SMB relies on for older Windows file sharing. Because the issue involves establishing a session to access shared folders, opening TCP port 139 resolves the problem. Allowing port 137 or 138 would not re-enable session traffic, and port 445 is used for direct SMB without NetBIOS, which the legacy environment does not yet support.

The Intel Core i7-12700 (12th-generation Alder Lake) is designed for the LGA1700 socket. Selecting a motherboard with the same socket allows the technician to reinstall the existing processor. LGA1200 is for 10th/11th-gen Intel CPUs, while AM4 and TR4 are AMD sockets and would not fit an Intel processor.

The M.2 specification (formerly NGFF) defines a very small printed-circuit-board form factor-typically 22 mm wide and 30 to 110 mm long-allowing SSDs to be mounted directly on a motherboard without cables. This space-saving design makes M.2 drives the standard choice for thin laptops and tablets. By contrast, 2.5-inch SATA drives and U.2 drives are bulkier, while PCIe add-in cards are intended for desktops.

Random speckles are usually caused by loose toner escaping from a faulty cartridge or by damage to the photosensitive drum that allows toner to attach where it should not. Inspecting the toner cartridge (and its integrated drum, if present) for leaks, scratches, or other defects is therefore the first and most effective step. Cleaning cycles, fuser inspections, and driver updates can help other print-quality problems but are not the primary cause of toner speckles.

Using an on-premises VDI allows for greater control over data security and compliance with regulatory standards. This setup can provide the organization with the ability to safeguard sensitive information better as it is stored and managed internally, instead of relying on third-party cloud services where data control is less direct.

For a system to operate using dual-channel memory, the RAM modules must be of equal size and speed and installed in the paired slots designated by the motherboard. Typically, the paired slots are color-coded on the motherboard, which is integral in assisting with the proper placement of the RAM sticks. Hence, placing two identical RAM modules in the appropriate slots will activate dual-channel mode leading to better performance.

The presence of long, repeated beep codes during startup is indicative of a hardware issue related to the motherboard POST process. Of the given answers, the POST beeps are likely from RAM that is not properly seated. It could also be another hardware component like the CPU or a video card having issues. POST codes indicate unrecoverable hardware issues within internal components of a computer during boot up.

On older devices the BIOS configuration data is retained by using a small battery, called the CMOS battery, as a power source when the power supply is not on. The data is saved in the nonvolatile BIOS memory (also called CMOS RAM) and will be lost if the CMOS battery dies or is removed. If the data is lost the BIOS will revert to default settings.

Newer devices often use small solid state storage to store BIOS configuration data, which is retained even without any power.