🛠️🔌 CompTIA A+ CORE 1 | SERIES 220-1201: Standard Troubleshooting

Welcome to the focused track for Hardware and Network Troubleshooting. In this pack, you will practice diagnosing and resolving issues with motherboards, RAM, CPUs, power, storage/RAID, displays and projectors, mobile devices, networks, and printers, building the real-world skills needed for the A+ troubleshooting domain.

Which component protects a computer from power spikes/overvoltages?

A surge protector safeguards the system by absorbing or diverting excess voltage from power surges, preventing damage to internal components like the PSU or motherboard. Essential for areas with unstable power.

Troubleshooting network connectivity with Ping on bottom OSI layers represents which technique?

Divide and conquer—starts at OSI network layer (Layer 3) with Ping to test lower layers (physical/data link). Success? Move up. Fail? Move down. Efficiently narrows scope vs. full top-down/bottom-up in 1st line support.

Toggling airplane mode on/off helps resolve what mobile device problem?

Connectivity issues—resets wireless radios (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular) by fully disabling then re-enabling them, clearing temporary glitches in network stack.

In a troubleshooting plan, where do you include procedures for "just in case something goes wrong"?

Establishing contingency and rollback strategies—defines backup plans like system restore points or alternative fixes if the primary action fails. Key safety net to minimize downtime/risk.

What is an Organized, searchable collection of troubleshooting info for future use called?

Knowledgebase—central repository of documented solutions, symptoms, and fixes. Organized by keywords for quick searches, enabling faster resolutions on recurring issues.

Reviewing past network monitoring data for lunch-hour congestion checks which problem uses identification step?

Understand system behavior before and after the issue—examines historical data to establish normal vs. abnormal patterns, confirming if congestion is new or longstanding.

Which core aspect of system functionality verification identifies remaining concerns?

User acceptance testing (UAT)—final step where end-users validate the fix works as expected and flag any lingering issues post-resolution. Ensures complete satisfaction before closure.

While Swapping a client's display to test video issues represents which cause-establishing category?

Using elimination techniques—replaces suspect hardware (display) with known good to isolate if it's the faulty component. Rules it in/out efficiently.

During troubleshooting, which BIOS tool tests all boot components and shows errors as screen codes or beep patterns?

POST (Power-On Self-Test)—runs at startup to check CPU, memory, and key hardware for boot readiness. Signals errors via beep codes or display if issues found.

A Video projector shutting down after a few minutes during presentation, restarts briefly, then shuts down again—what's a likely cause?

Dust buildup in the projector or blocked fan output—causes overheating, triggering automatic thermal shutdown for protection. Common in dusty conference rooms after warmup.

RAID array drives in “rebuild” mode causing slower read/write times—what does this indicate, and what happens next?

The system will return to normal operation when the rebuild finishes—RAID is reconstructing data on a replacement drive after failure using redundancy (e.g., parity in RAID 5). Performance dips during process but recovers post-completion.

Which Windows utility gathers disk performance data over several hours for long-term monitoring?

Data Collector Sets—schedules Performance Monitor counters (like LogicalDisk) to log data over time, creating reports for trends.

Which situations most likely require professional data recovery services beyond basic IT fixes?

Physically damaged storage device and multiple drive failures in a RAID array—need cleanroom tools, hardware repair, RAID reconstruction expertise. 

External hard drive not recognized on multiple computers, but USB port works with other devices—what's the most likely cause?

Power supply—large external HDDs often need external power or draw more from USB than the port provides, causing non-detection. 

Intermittent RAID controller connectivity issues with verified secure physical connections—what's the next troubleshooting step?

Update the firmware and drivers—fixes common compatibility/intermittency bugs before escalating to hardware replacement or array rebuilds. Standard step after physical checks.

Which statements about RAID arrays and data protection are correct?

RAID needs regular data backups; RAID 5 survives 1 disk failure; RAID 1 always uses exactly 2 disks. RAID is redundancy, not complete protection—backups essential.

What situation most likely causes a "sync storm" in file synchronization systems?

Too many changes to a file—triggers endless sync loops where multiple devices rapidly update the same file, overwhelming the sync process.

Which cause of storage device failure applies mainly to hard disk drives (HDDs), and not SSDs?

Mechanical wear and tear—HDDs have moving parts like spinning platters, read/write heads, and motors that degrade over time. SSDs lack these, so no mechanical failure.