Midterm Exam

A company is experiencing slow performance on its workstations despite having modern processors. Which situation is most likely the cause?

• The computers have SSDs but only 4GB RAM, causing frequent paging.

• The processors are overheating, but the fans are functioning properly.

• The network connection is poor, but all local applications run fine.

• The hard drives have 1TB of free space, but startup times are slow.

A user reports that their laptop's battery drains quickly, even when not in use. Which situation would best explain this?

• The power adapter is faulty and does not charge properly.

• Several background processes are consuming power, even in sleep mode.

• The user frequently shuts down the laptop instead of putting it to sleep.

• The laptop's cooling system is functioning too efficiently, causing excessive fan noise.

A developer complains about frequent crashes while using a heavy software application. What situation is most likely the cause?

• The system has 32GB of RAM, but the application is incompatible with the OS.

• The GPU drivers are outdated, affecting software that relies on rendering.

• The user runs multiple light applications, but only one crashes frequently.

• The computer runs low on storage, but the software doesn’t require much space.

A company is choosing between upgrading RAM or switching to SSDs to improve performance. Which situation would benefit most from an SSD upgrade?

• Employees often run large datasets that require extensive memory.

• The computers have 16GB RAM but slow HDDs, causing long boot times.

• The computers frequently run out of memory when multitasking.

• The computers already have SSDs but still experience lag.

A user installs a new GPU, but the system fails to boot. Which situation is the most likely cause?

• The system does not have enough RAM to recognize the GPU.

• The CPU is outdated and does not support modern GPUs.

• The power supply cannot handle the GPU's power requirements.

• The user did not install drivers before physically installing the GPU.

A user notices that their newly installed software runs extremely slow despite having a powerful PC. What situation is most likely causing this?

• The software is running in compatibility mode for an older OS.

• The CPU is overheating, triggering thermal throttling.

• The software requires cloud processing, but the internet is slow.

• The application is 32-bit, while the system is 64-bit.

A user installs an application, and their computer starts slowing down and displaying pop-ups. Which situation is most likely?

• The software was a legitimate program but came with hidden malware.

• The application is too resource-intensive for the system.

• The antivirus mistakenly flagged the application and slowed it down.

• The software was downloaded from an official store but is still slow.

A business wants to improve security by replacing passwords with biometric authentication. Which situation is a potential downside?

• Users may forget their passwords and get locked out.

• The cost of passwords is higher than implementing biometrics.

• Biometric authentication is always 100% accurate.

• Biometric data, once compromised, cannot be changed.

A user’s computer randomly restarts without warning. What is the most probable cause?

• The operating system has too many background applications.

• The CPU is overheating due to dust accumulation.

• The monitor is faulty and needs replacement.

• The storage drive is fragmented.

A user reports that their new laptop performs worse than their old desktop. Which situation is most likely?

• The laptop has more RAM, but a weaker CPU.

• The laptop uses an SSD, while the desktop has an HDD.

• The desktop has a lower-resolution screen, making it seem faster.

• The laptop has a smaller battery capacity.