Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
Free CompTIA A+ (Core 1) practice — 6 questions on Hardware and Network Troubleshooting, with explanations. No sign-up. Full 12-question mixed test →
A technician manages a RAID 5 array using four 2TB drives in a small business file server. One drive fails and is replaced with a new drive of the same capacity. While the array rebuilds, a second drive in the array begins reporting unrecoverable read errors. Which outcome is MOST likely?
RAID 5 uses single distributed parity and can only survive one drive failure. A second failure during rebuild (common with URE - unrecoverable read errors on large drives) causes the array to fail with data loss.
A desktop PC powers on (fans spin, LEDs light) but shows no video output and no POST beep codes. The motherboard's onboard debug LED display shows a CPU-related error code. The technician forms a theory that the CPU is not seated correctly. Following the CompTIA troubleshooting methodology, what should the technician do NEXT?
After establishing a theory of probable cause, the next methodology step is to test the theory to determine the cause — in this case, reseating the CPU and re-testing.
A laser printer produces a vertical white streak that repeats at the same horizontal position on every printed page, regardless of the document content. What is the MOST likely cause?
A consistent, repeating vertical white line at the same position on every page is the classic symptom of a physically damaged or scratched imaging drum, which fails to properly transfer toner at that specific point on every rotation.
Users in one section of a warehouse report intermittent Wi-Fi disconnections only near the break room, where several 2.4GHz cordless phones and a microwave oven are in daily use. Users elsewhere connected to the same access point report no issues. Which action should the technician take FIRST to test the theory of probable cause?
2.4GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens are well-known sources of interference on the 2.4GHz band. Switching affected clients to 5GHz directly tests the theory that 2.4GHz interference is the cause, with minimal cost and no hardware changes.
A user reports a mechanical hard drive is making a repetitive clicking noise, and the drive occasionally disappears from the operating system. SMART status reports 'Warning' with an increasing reallocated sector count. What is the appropriate plan of action?
Clicking noise combined with a rising reallocated sector count and SMART warnings indicates imminent mechanical drive failure. The correct plan of action prioritizes data preservation first, then drive replacement, rather than attempting further repair.
A conference room projector displays a dim, yellowish image even after the lens and filter were recently cleaned. The projector's internal usage log shows 4,800 lamp-hours logged against a rated 5,000-hour lamp lifespan. What is the MOST likely cause?
Projector lamps naturally dim and shift toward a yellow tint as they approach end-of-life. At 4,800 of 5,000 rated hours, the lamp is well within the expected failure window, and the symptoms (dimness, color shift) directly match this cause.
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