Free Practice Questions for CompTIA 220-1101 Exam

The CMOS battery powers the real-time clock (RTC) on the motherboard, which maintains the date and time when the computer is turned off. If the battery fails, the system will lose date and time settings, reverting to defaults on restart.

Why Not A (OS updates): While OS updates can sometimes cause time issues, they don’t typically affect changes persisting after shutdown.

Why Not C (NTP server): An incorrect NTP server setting would cause the system to synchronize incorrectly, but this issue relates to time resetting during power-off.

Why Not D (RAM): RAM is volatile memory and unrelated to storing persistent time settings.

CompTIA A+ Exam Reference: Core 1 (220-1101), Section 3.4, motherboard troubleshooting​.

If a laptop does not charge when connected to a USB 3.1 docking station despite the AC adapter being plugged in, the most likely reason is that the dock is not designed to provide power passthrough. This means that the dock's primary function is connectivity for peripherals rather than power delivery to the laptop. The other options are possible but less likely if the sole issue is the absence of charging functionality when the dock and its power supply are properly connected.

The technician has identified the symptoms (slow performance and random pop-ups) and must now establish a theory of probable cause, such as malware or spyware infection. This step aligns with the CompTIA troubleshooting methodology.

Why Not A (Establish a knowledge base): This is irrelevant at this stage; knowledge bases are used for reference and documentation.

Why Not C (Establish a new theory and consider escalating): The technician has not yet created or tested a theory, making escalation premature.

Why Not D (Establish a plan of action): Planning an action occurs after determining the cause of the problem.

CompTIA A+ Exam Reference: Core 2 (220-1102), Section 3.1, troubleshooting methodology​​.

To change a domain password from a remote location, the system must communicate with the domain controller. Since the user is working from home, they need to connect to the corporate VPN to establish that secure connection. Without it, the password change cannot be authenticated.

Option A: Restarting will not resolve the lack of connection to the domain controller.

Option C: Resetting the password in AD could help, but doesn’t let the user reset it themselves.

Option D: The user may already be on Wi-Fi; the issue is with connecting to the corporate network, not local.

CompTIA A+ Core 1 Exam Objective Reference:

Objective 1.6: Given a scenario, configure basic mobile device network connectivity and application support.

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The issue described suggests the 12V CPU power connector was likely forgotten during installation. The 12V power rail is essential for the operation of high-end workstation components, including the CPU. Without the 12V connection, the system will fail to POST and may power off shortly after being turned on.

Why 12V?

The 12V connector is critical for providing power to the CPU via the motherboard. Modern CPUs require a dedicated power source from the PSU, usually supplied through the 4-pin or 8-pin EPS12V connector.

If this connection is omitted, the motherboard will not receive adequate power for the CPU to function, resulting in the system failing to POST or shutting down after a brief period.

Incorrect Options:

A. 5V: The 5V rail powers USB devices, some motherboard components, and certain peripherals, but not the CPU directly.

C. 120V and D. 220V: These voltages refer to the power supply’s input from the wall outlet, not the internal connections to components.

CompTIA A+ Exam Objectives References:

220-1101 (Core 1), Section 3.5: Explains power supply requirements and troubleshooting scenarios related to component connections​.

Satellite internet is most commonly used in remote areas where wired infrastructure (e.g., fiber or cable) is unavailable. It relies on satellite communication, making it suitable for isolated locations.

Why Not A (Fiber): Fiber requires physical infrastructure, which is rarely available in remote areas.

Why Not B (Cable): Cable internet relies on coaxial infrastructure, which is often unavailable in remote locations.

Why Not D (DSL): DSL depends on existing telephone lines, which may not reach remote areas.

Why Not E (Cellular): Cellular can work in remote areas, but satellite is often the only option for extremely isolated locations.

CompTIA A+ Exam Reference: Core 1 (220-1101), Section 2.7, internet connection types​.

If performance is not a primary concern and the user requires large, cost-effective storage, a 2TB 5400rpm SATA HDD is ideal. It offers high capacity at a lower price point than SSDs and faster HDDs.

Option A: NVMe drives offer exceptional speed but are significantly more expensive per GB and not necessary when read/write speed is not a concern.

Option B: RAID 1 improves redundancy but cuts usable capacity in half and uses expensive SSDs.

Option D: SAS drives are fast and reliable but are enterprise-grade and expensive — overkill for desktop use.

CompTIA A+ Core 1 Exam Objective Reference:

Objective 1.3: Given a scenario, install and configure storage devices.

VGA (Video Graphics Array) cables transmit analog video signals only and do not carry audio signals. When a user connects a laptop to an audiovisual system using a VGA cable, the lack of audio is due to VGA's inability to transmit sound. Switching to an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cable, which supports both audio and video signals, will most likely resolve the issue by enabling the transmission of sound to the audiovisual system alongside the video.

A sandbox is an isolated virtual environment used to test or run applications securely without risk to the host or network. It prevents the VM from communicating with external systems, making it ideal for testing malware or suspicious software.

Option A (VDI): Virtual Desktop Infrastructure allows network communication; it does not restrict it.

Option B (Private cloud): Refers to a cloud deployment model, not a communication barrier.

Option D (Type 1 hypervisor): Runs VMs directly on hardware and does not inherently block communication.

CompTIA A+ Core 1 Exam Objective Reference:

Objective 4.1: Compare and contrast cloud computing concepts.

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Since the on-premises email server has been decommissioned and users are experiencing issues with scan-to-email functionality, the best solution would be to configure an email relay. An email relay server can accept emails from devices like printers and forward them to the correct destination (such as a cloud-based email service). This avoids the need to bring back the old server or set up a new one.

A. Configure an email relay on an existing server: This allows the scanner to send emails through another server, ensuring the functionality is restored.

Why the other options are incorrect:

B. Configure a secure, cloud-based email relay: While a cloud-based solution could work, configuring an email relay on an existing server is a more immediate and likely solution.

C. Bring the old email server back into production: This is unnecessary and would defeat the purpose of decommissioning it.

D. Configure a new email server from scratch: Setting up a new email server would be time-consuming and not necessary in this situation.

This is part of the Networking and Troubleshooting domain in the CompTIA A+ Core 1 exam​.

The digitizer is responsible for detecting touch input, so if the phone is not responding to touch, it is likely the digitizer is malfunctioning.

A VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) segments a physical network into separate logical networks, enhancing security by isolating traffic.

Why Not A (Minimizes collision domains): VLANs manage broadcast domains, not collision domains.

Why Not B (Provides private access to cloud resources): VLANs operate within a local network, not cloud-specific.

Why Not C (Increases network address space): VLANs do not affect address space.

CompTIA A+ Exam Reference: Core 1 (220-1101), Section 2.6, VLAN concepts​.

D. POST Code Beeps:

During the Power-On Self-Test (POST), the BIOS performs checks on system hardware, including RAM. If the RAM is faulty, POST may produce a series of beep codes indicating memory issues.

These beep codes are often the first sign of RAM-related problems, especially if the BSOD occurs randomly.

Incorrect Options:

A. Wrong BIOS configurations: Incorrect BIOS settings may cause boot errors, but they are less likely to cause random BSODs.

B. Continuous reboots: Continuous reboots could result from multiple hardware or software issues but do not specifically point to RAM.

C. Distended capacitors: Faulty capacitors typically affect the motherboard, not the RAM.

Key Takeaway: POST beep codes are a common diagnostic tool for identifying RAM-related issues.

Configuring the monitor as an "extended" display will allow the laptop and monitor to show different content. By default, laptops mirror displays, so this setting change enables dual display functionality. This is covered under CompTIA Core 1 exam objectives for managing display configurations and settings​.

USB devices rely on 5V output from the power supply, so the amperage rating at 5V is critical to ensure enough power is available for multiple USB devices. A modular connector count affects cable management, while a 20+4 power connector is standard for motherboard connections. Energy efficiency impacts overall power usage but is not specific to the needs of USB devices. This matches CompTIA A+ Core 1 objectives regarding power supply selection based on device requirements.

The symptoms — slow response and failed app launches — indicate that the device's memory or processing resources are overutilized. Closing unnecessary apps can free up RAM and CPU resources, improving performance.

Option A: Overheating may cause sluggishness, but that’s not indicated here.

Option C: Factory reset is a last resort, not the next logical step.

Option D: Battery health would affect uptime, not system speed.

CompTIA A+ Core 1 Exam Objective Reference:

Objective 1.6: Given a scenario, configure basic mobile device network connectivity and application support.

Cross-platform virtualization allows different operating systems, such as Linux and Windows, to run on the same hardware or software platform. This enables users to access applications and data from different operating systems without switching devices or rebooting.

Client-side virtualization is used to run an application or process on a separate virtual machine, isolated from the main operating system. To allow other users on the LAN to access the application, the software developer should configure a bridge networking connection between the virtual machine and the LAN. This will allow the virtual machine to communicate with other computers on the network. Application virtualization, virtual desktop, and site-to-site VPN are not necessary steps for allowing other users to access the application.

Virtual memory is a software-based memory management system that allows a computer to use hard disk storage space as RAM. This can be used to increase the total RAM in a system without upgrading the hardware. To set up virtual memory, the user should go to the System Properties window and select the Advanced tab. In the Performance section, click on the Settings button, which will open the Performance Options window. Then, click on the Advanced tab and click on the Change button in the Virtual memory section. Finally, select the option to Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, and then click OK to save the changes.