CompTIA Core 1 Practice Test C

When a PC is first booted, which of the following tests the processor, RAM, video card, storage drive controllers, drives, and keyboard?

• CMOS chip

• BIOS/UEFI setup

• POST

• BSOD

Answer explanation

Explanation:

The power-on self-test (POST) checks the CPU, memory, video card, and so on when the computer first boots and displays error messages if any errors occur.

Incorrect answers: BIOS/UEFI setup is the program you can access to configure the system. The BIOS is more than just the setup program that you can access, and the POST is a part of the BIOS. The CMOS chip retains settings that the BIOS records during the POST. (Note that the bootstrap loader is within the ROM chip as well. When the computer is turned on, it automatically reads the storage drive boot sector to continue the process of booting the operating system.) A blue screen of death (BSOD) error is a Windows error that means the operating system has failed to boot.

A CAD/CAM workstation running AutoCAD is displaying rotating 3D images very slowly. The customer needs the images to rotate quickly and smoothly. Which of the following should be upgraded on the computer?

(Select the best answer.)

• CPU

• RAM

• Video card

• Storage drive

Answer explanation

Explanation:

The video card should be your first stop on the upgrade express train. When images do not display properly, a subpar video card is typically the issue. A CAD/CAM workstation requires a powerful video card.

Incorrect answers: The CPU also plays a role in this scenario (though not as much as the video card does), especially when rendering images, so that is the second thing you should check. Use third-party benchmarking tools or view WinSAT (in Windows) details to find out what has the lowest score and go from there. The video card is most likely the lowest. See the following note for more information about WinSAT. CAD/CAM workstations often require video cards that can cost $1000 or more. Always read the directions carefully and use proper ESD prevention techniques prior to installing a card – especially one that expensive. RAM is important, but it is not as important to the CAD/CAM workstation as the video card (especially based on the question’s scenario). Generally, as long as the computer has enough RAM to run Windows and the AutoCAD software, it should be okay. The storage drive isn’t much of a factor while the CAD software is running, but for storing and accessing files, an SSD (or M.2) drive is recommended.

NOTE

To run WinSAT on Windows, open PowerShell (as an admin) and run the command winsat prepop. Warning: It’s best to run this with no other applications open, and you need to be ready for the test to take several minutes. You can watch what is being tested in real time, but to see the actual results, you must type Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_WinSAT. This will pull data from an XML file – created during the previous procedure – and display those results. Following is an example of the results after running this test on a Core i5 laptop with an SSD and upgraded RAM:

CPUScore: 8.6

D3DScore: 9.9

DiskScore: 8.2

GraphicsScore: 6.5

MemoryScore: 8.6

Note that the graphics score is the lowest, which is common with laptops, though the disk score could be low as well if the laptop uses a magnetic-based drive.

This example just scratches the surface of the WinSAT command. Be sure to update PowerShell for best results.

You are trying to deploy multiple VMs to several Intel-based desktop computers. Some of the installations are failing because a CPU function is disabled in the BIOS/UEFI. Which of the following should be enabled so that the installations will succeed?

• TPM

• Hyperthreatding

• Intel virtualization

• VNC

Answer explanation

Explanation:

To ensure that the virtual machines (VMs) can be installed to the various desktops, make sure that Intel virtualization is enabled in the BIOS/UEFI. Without it, Hyper-V, VMware Workstation, VirtualBox, and other virtualization platforms will not function.

NOTE

Intel CPU virtualization is named VT-x. AMD CPU virtualization is named AMD-V. However, on newer systems, the BIOS/UEFI might simply say “Virtualization.”

Incorrect answers: A TPM chip, which stands for Trusted Platform Module chip, is a chip on the motherboard that, if enabled, allows for encryption of an entire drive. Hyperthreading is built into most CPUs today; it allows two concurrent threads per CPU core. VNC, which stands for Virtual Network Computing, is a graphical desktop sharing system.

A thin client in a VDI environment receives an operating system by connecting through the network using a number of devices. If you begin at the thin client, which of the following is the first physical networking device in the chain?

• Router

• Switch

• NIC

• VPN

Answer explanation

Explanation:

If you start at the thin client, the first link in the networking chain is the thin client itself – specifically, the thin client’s network interface card (NIC).

Incorrect answers: The next step would be the network switch. If the OS image is stored on another network, then the next link in the chain would be the router (or routers). It is unlikely that an OS image will be transferred over a VPN connection, but you never know. Regardless, that would require VPN software at the thin client, so this wouldn’t be a physical networking device. You might have some sort of physical VPN concentrator device, but that would be outside the thin client and therefore not the first link in the chain.

Emergency! Your boss forgot the password to the BIOS/UEFI on a PC. Which of the following methods helps you to reset the password?

• Removing the RAM from the motherboard

• Removing the CMOS from the motherboard

• Removing the RAM jumper the motherboard

• Removing the main power connection from the motherboard

Answer explanation

Explanation:

Remove the CMOS battery from the motherboard. Normally, this trick resets any variable settings in the BIOS/UEFI, such as the password and time/date. On some older systems you need to move a BIOS configuration jumper to another position in addition to removing the battery. You can perform essentially the same thing on some laptops by powering down the system, removing the battery, and pressing and holding the power button for 30 seconds.

Incorrect answers: Removing the RAM doesn’t do anything. When the computer is turned off, the contents of RAM are emptied. Today’s motherboards usually don’t have RAM jumpers. Removing the main power connection from the motherboard will have no effect if the computer was already turned off and unplugged. By the way, RAM and power connections should not be removed unless the power has been shut off and the AC cable has been unplugged.

Tracy cannot connect to the network and asks you to help. Which of the following steps should be performed first?

• Replace the NIC

• Reconfigure TCP/IP

• Check for a link light on the NIC

• Install the latest NIC drivers

Answer explanation

Explanation:

Start with the physical! Of the listed answers, check for a link light on the NIC first. This light tells you whether there is physical connectivity. Note that, before this, you should check the network icon within the operating system to see if there are any errors.

Incorrect answers: If necessary, you can, in this order, test the patch cable, reconfigure TCP/IP, install drivers (from the manufacturer’s website), and, finally, replace the NIC.

You are working on a device that shows the following information:

Management Interface

IPv4 Interface

IP Address:   10.50.0.1

Network Mask:   255.255.0.0

Management VLAN:  1

What kind of device are you most likely working on?

• Sandbox

• Managed switch

• NID

• Spam gateway

Answer explanation

Explanation:

In this scenario, you are most likely working on a managed switch. A managed switch allows an administrator to log in and view/modify the configuration of the switch, including items such as the IP address. The management interface is common in Cisco switches. This scenario was based on the Cisco SG200 smart switch.

Incorrect answers: A sandbox isn’t really a device. It’s an isolated area where a program can be run and tested without interfering with other programs or the host’s operating system. NID stands for network interface device; a common example of a NID is the termination point for a household’s cable Internet connection. A spam gateway is often software based; it is used to identify and quarantine spam emails before they are delivered to users on the network.

A company laptop has a cracked display, and it is under warranty. Which of the following steps should be taken before shipping the laptop to the manufacturer for repair?

• You should remove the display panel

• You should clean the laptop thoroughly

• You should remove the storage drive

• You should remove the WLAN card

Answer explanation

Explanation:

Remove the storage drive before releasing a computer to a third party. There could very well be confidential company data on the drive. Store the drive in a locking cabinet. Don’t worry; the manufacturer of the laptop has plenty of drives it can use to test the laptop! Another option would be to image the drive, store the copied image in a secure location, and then sanitize the drive before shipping out the system.

Incorrect answers: You don’t need to remove the display panel or WLAN card because they do not contain confidential information. Also, if the laptop is under warranty, you should not remove the display yourself; instead, send it to the manufacturer for repair and set up a temporary laptop for the user in question. Finally, you could clean it if you want, but do you really have time for that?

Which of the following steps should be taken to connect a Bluetooth headset to a smartphone?

(Select the two best answers.)

• Pair the device to the phone

• Install Bluetooth drivers

• Enter a passcode

Answer explanation

Explanation:

To connect a Bluetooth headset to a smartphone, you must pair the device to the phone; then, if necessary, you enter a passcode into the phone to use the device. Here is the CompTIA Bluetooth pairing process:

Enable Bluetooth.

Enable pairing.

Find a device for pairing.

Enter the appropriate PIN code.

Test connectivity.

Incorrect answers: Drivers are usually not necessary; most mobile devices have Bluetooth installed and usually recognize devices automatically. If this phone does not recognize devices automatically, you might have to update Bluetooth on the device or update the device’s OS. Disabling Wi-Fi is not necessary; however, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have been known to have conflicts, and sometimes one must be disabled to use the other.

One of your coworkers just installed a newer, more powerful video card in a customer’s computer. The computer powers down before it completes the boot process. Before the installation, the computer worked normally. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this problem?

• The video card is not compatible with the CPU

• The monitor cannot display the higher resolution of the new video card

• The computer’s RAM needs to be upgraded

• The power supply is not providing enough wattage for the new video card

Answer explanation

Explanation:

Today’s video cards can be very powerful and might require a more powerful power supply than is in the computer currently. For example, many computers come with 450 W or 600 W PSUs. A user may decide to upgrade the video card but not bother to engineer the power that will be required. I have seen this happen several times.

Incorrect answers: Video cards need to be compatible with the motherboard – and not necessarily with the CPU. If the monitor could not display the higher resolution, the operating system would still boot, but you would probably see garbled information on the screen. Because a video card comes with its own RAM, the computer’s RAM usually does not need to be upgraded.