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:
- A non-bootable floppy disk is in the floppy-disk drive and you should remove it
- The hard-drive has failed and you should replace it
- RAM has failed and you should replace it
- 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:
- The monitor is not turned ON
- The monitor is not plugged in
- The monitor is not connected to the PC
- 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:
- A virus has infected the system
- The hard-drive is almost out of space
- The CMOS RAM is failing
- 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?
Cannot find a device file that may be needed to run Windows or a Windows application...zyvxd.386
Press any key to continue?
- Power the machine OFF, then ON to resync the kernel
- Replace the hard drive
- Start Windows and run Scandisk to reload the missing file(s)
- 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"
"g:\progra~1\indexes\mydocs\gregfoot\bigbaby.doc"
- A line of Grep programming code relating to the bigbaby time constant
- The location of a file called BIGBABY.DOC which is located in the gregfoot subdirectory on drive g:
- Programming code which defines a small footprint, mini tower PC
- An illegal error from a document called Programming for UNIX, which the word processor, DOS, can't find
6. What is a GPF?
- A hard drive with insufficient available space
- Part of the Microsoft General Procedures For Windows operating systems
- A Windows General Protection Fault
- All of the above
7. The physical part of the PC that keeps track of the hardware resources on the system is the:
- ROM BIOS Chip
- CMOS RAM
- Hard Drive
- Power Supply
8. For ALL PC generations beyond the first, when most PCs are powered OFF, the clock and calendar in the system:
- Continue to function because they are powered by an on-board battery
- Continue to function because they are powered by wind-up spring like a wristwatch
- Cease to function and must be reset after re-boot
- None of the above
9. Which of the following contains the PATH variable in an MS-DOS environment?
- AUTOEXEC.BAT
- PATHSET.EXE
- This cannot be set in MS-DOS
- 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%?
- Intel Pentium CPU chips run more efficiently
- Anti-viral applications can safely scan system files
- The system will crash
- The system will overheat
11. If a user wants to add another adapter card into a PC, the first concern would be:
- Is the card a "Plug-and-Play" card?
- Would there be enough hard-drive space for the driver-software for the card?
- Would the power supply be able to provide enough power for the card?
- Is there a vacant slot available for the card?
12. Which Windows file loads applications that run when Windows opens?
- AUTOEXEC.BAT
- WIN.INI
- SYSTEM.INI
- 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:
- The keyboard is not attached to the PC
- The keyboard has failed
- Either A or B above
- 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:
- The hard drive cable within the system unit is not attached to the controller
- The hard drive has failed
- The hard drive has not been partitioned
- Any of the above
15. If you add an internal modem to a PC and it does not function, the cause could be:
- An interrupt conflict
- A port conflict
- A memory range conflict
- Any of the above
16. An external modem connects to a PC via:
- A docking port
- A serial port
- A mouse port
- Either B or C above
17. What MS-DOS command will make the file SYSTEM.DOC Read Only?
- MAKE SYSTEM.DOC RO
- SYSTEM.DOC MAKE RO
- ATTRIB +R SYSTEM.DOC
- 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?
- Delete SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT, and restart Windows 95/98
- Reboot the PC and change the CMOS video setting to low resolution until the problem is corrected
- Switch OFF the Turbo switch on the PC's front panel and reboot Windows
- Start Windows in Safe Mode and correct the setting
19. Which of the following best describes the proper way to shutdown Windows 95/98?
- Close all applications and turn OFF the power switch
- Press Ctrl-Alt-Del
- Click Start->Shut Down->Shut down the computer?->Yes
- Click File->Exit and double-click OK
20. What significance do the "beeps" have during the boot process of a PC?
- The number of beeps describe the quality of the processor
- The number of beeps describe the speed of the RAM Chips
- The number of beeps describe the overall condition of the PC's hardware
- 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?
- A Server executes commands on a Client
- Servers control Distributed Area Value Independent Driver nodes and Clients control Critical Unified Resource Transfer stations
- A Server stores data and applications and may link one or more Clients together
- 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 hour
- 15 hours
- 15 minutes
- 45 seconds
23. Which of the following could be used to edit a text file on a PC.
- DOS EDIT
- Microsoft Windows NOTEPAD
- Microsoft Windows Write or Windows 95/98 Wordpad
- All of the above
24. Where is California?
- Mars
- The United States
- Japan
- Blue
25. What is 2+2?
- 6
- 24,232
- 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
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