Basic Computer Troubleshooting Exam

Basic Computer Troubleshooting Exam

1. If you turn on a PC and the boot-up process halts, giving you the message: "Non-System disk or disk error....Replace and press any key when ready", the problem is likely:

1. A non-bootable floppy disk is in the floppy-disk drive and you should remove it
2. The hard-drive has failed and you should replace it
3. RAM has failed and you should replace it
4. A key on the keyboard is stuck and the keyboard should be replaced

2. If you turn on a PC and the system unit is clearly ON, but the monitor is dark, the problem could be that:

1. The monitor is not turned ON
2. The monitor is not plugged in
3. The monitor is not connected to the PC
4. Any or all of the above

3. If a PC freezes or behaves otherwise erratically, and the system unit is very quiet, the most likely cause is:

1. A virus has infected the system
2. The hard-drive is almost out of space
3. The CMOS RAM is failing
4. The power-supply fan has failed and the system is overheating

4. What should you do if you receive the following message:
Cannot find a device file that may be needed to run Windows or a Windows application...zyvxd.386
Press any key to continue?

1. Power the machine OFF, then ON to resync the kernel
2. Replace the hard drive
3. Start Windows and run Scandisk to reload the missing file(s)
4. Press any key to continue loading Windows and, then, either reload the missing file or remove the line in SYSTEM.INI that loads it

5. Which answer best describes the following:
"g:\progra~1\indexes\mydocs\gregfoot\bigbaby.doc"

1. A line of Grep programming code relating to the bigbaby time constant
2. The location of a file called BIGBABY.DOC which is located in the gregfoot subdirectory on drive g:
3. Programming code which defines a small footprint, mini tower PC
4. An illegal error from a document called Programming for UNIX, which the word processor, DOS, can't find

6. What is a GPF?

1. A hard drive with insufficient available space
2. Part of the Microsoft General Procedures For Windows operating systems
3. A Windows General Protection Fault
4. All of the above

7. The physical part of the PC that keeps track of the hardware resources on the system is the:

1. ROM BIOS Chip
2. CMOS RAM
3. Hard Drive
4. Power Supply

8. For ALL PC generations beyond the first, when most PCs are powered OFF, the clock and calendar in the system:

1. Continue to function because they are powered by an on-board battery
2. Continue to function because they are powered by wind-up spring like a wristwatch
3. Cease to function and must be reset after re-boot
4. None of the above

9. Which of the following contains the PATH variable in an MS-DOS environment?

1. AUTOEXEC.BAT
2. PATHSET.EXE
3. This cannot be set in MS-DOS
4. The PATH can only be set by the System Administrator during times of peak usage

10. What's likely to happen when Windows' System Resources drop below 60%?

1. Intel Pentium CPU chips run more efficiently
2. Anti-viral applications can safely scan system files
3. The system will crash
4. The system will overheat

11. If a user wants to add another adapter card into a PC, the first concern would be:

1. Is the card a "Plug-and-Play" card?
2. Would there be enough hard-drive space for the driver-software for the card?
3. Would the power supply be able to provide enough power for the card?
4. Is there a vacant slot available for the card?

12. Which Windows file loads applications that run when Windows opens?

1. AUTOEXEC.BAT
2. WIN.INI
3. SYSTEM.INI
4. Either A or C above
   
   13. If, upon booting up a PC, you see a message that says: Keyboard error, it could very likely be:

1. The keyboard is not attached to the PC
2. The keyboard has failed
3. Either A or B above
4. Neither A nor B above

14. If, upon booting up a PC, you see a message that says: Invalid drive configuration, it could very likely be:

1. The hard drive cable within the system unit is not attached to the controller
2. The hard drive has failed
3. The hard drive has not been partitioned
4. Any of the above

15. If you add an internal modem to a PC and it does not function, the cause could be:

1. An interrupt conflict
2. A port conflict
3. A memory range conflict
4. Any of the above

16. An external modem connects to a PC via:

1. A docking port
2. A serial port
3. A mouse port
4. Either B or C above

17. What MS-DOS command will make the file SYSTEM.DOC Read Only?

1. MAKE SYSTEM.DOC RO
2. SYSTEM.DOC MAKE RO
3. ATTRIB +R SYSTEM.DOC
4. SYSTEM.DOC is a program file, so it can't be done

18. Which of the following describes the best approach to getting Windows 95/98 booted if it fails because you set the screen display incorrectly?

1. Delete SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT, and restart Windows 95/98
2. Reboot the PC and change the CMOS video setting to low resolution until the problem is corrected
3. Switch OFF the Turbo switch on the PC's front panel and reboot Windows
4. Start Windows in Safe Mode and correct the setting

19. Which of the following best describes the proper way to shutdown Windows 95/98?

1. Close all applications and turn OFF the power switch
2. Press Ctrl-Alt-Del
3. Click Start->Shut Down->Shut down the computer?->Yes
4. Click File->Exit and double-click OK

20. What significance do the "beeps" have during the boot process of a PC?

1. The number of beeps describe the quality of the processor
2. The number of beeps describe the speed of the RAM Chips
3. The number of beeps describe the overall condition of the PC's hardware
4. You can tell how powerful the PC is by the loudness or intensity of the beeps

21. Which of the following best describes the relationship between a network Server and a network Client?

1. A Server executes commands on a Client
2. Servers control Distributed Area Value Independent Driver nodes and Clients control Critical Unified Resource Transfer stations
3. A Server stores data and applications and may link one or more Clients together
4. Clients generate checksum values that Servers use to verify the accuracy of data

22. Approximately, how long should it take to download a 3 megabyte file from the Internet using a 56K bps modem?

1. 1 hour
2. 15 hours
3. 15 minutes
4. 45 seconds

23. Which of the following could be used to edit a text file on a PC.

1. DOS EDIT
2. Microsoft Windows NOTEPAD
3. Microsoft Windows Write or Windows 95/98 Wordpad
4. All of the above

24. Where is California?

1. Mars
2. The United States
3. Japan
4. Blue

25. What is 2+2?

1. 6
2. 24,232
3. 4
4. True

1. a ... CORRECT
2. d ... CORRECT
3. d ... CORRECT
4. d ... CORRECT
5. b ... CORRECT
6. c ... CORRECT
7. a ... CORRECT
8. a ... CORRECT
9. a ... CORRECT
10. c ... CORRECT
11. d ... CORRECT
12. b ... CORRECT
13. c ... CORRECT
14. d ... CORRECT
15. d ... CORRECT
16. d ... CORRECT
17. c ... CORRECT
18. d ... CORRECT
19. c ... CORRECT
20. c ... CORRECT
21. c ... CORRECT
22. c ... CORRECT
23. d ... CORRECT
24. b ... CORRECT
25. c ... CORRECT