1101 5.0: Hardware and Network Troubleshooting

POCKET PREP

After printing out a report on the company's laser printer, a user notices that there are faint images of previously printed pages (ghost images) showing up. Which part of the printer should be replaced FIRST to address this issue?

Toner Cartridge

• Ghosting can be caused by a broken cleaning blade or malfunctioning erasure lamps. A broken cleaning blade can be addressed by replacing the toner cartridge, which is a cheaper option than replacing erasure lamps and, therefore, should be tried first.

• A problem related to the EP drum is vertical black lines. A problem related to the transfer corona could be blank pages.

On a HP LaserJet printer, Error message 51 means what?

Laser scanning assembly issue

• Error code 51 indicates that there is an error with the laser scanning assembly. This has to do with the laser element that copies the data to the drum. Test the laser and replace, if necessary, because the printer will not function with this error present.

• A scanner motor issue is Error code 52. A communication issue between formatter and DC controller is Error code 55. Fuser servicing required is Error code 50.

A user notices that the output from an impact printer has lines that go from dark to light as they move across the page. What solution can address this problem?

Replace the ribbon-advance gear

• Lines that go from dark to light across the page are caused by the ribbon-advance gear slipping. The ribbon-advance gear should be replaced to address this.

• Securing the print head cable should be tried if a small blank line goes through lines of print. Adjusting the printer head to be closer to the ribbon should be tried if characters are constantly faded. Replacing the PCB should be tried if the printer is printing garbled characters.

What is the maximum resolution for the original VGA standard?

640x480

• With its analog communications, VGA only supported a resolution of 640x480 at 16-bit colors and a smaller 320x200 with 256-bit colors. 

• There was an upgraded version called Super VGA (SVGA) that supported a resolution up to 800x600 with 16-bit colors, 1024x768 at 256-bit. SVGA, however, has become synonymous with other resolutions after VGA, so there can be many "versions" of SVGA.

What is the likely cause of a wired connection that experiences intermittent connectivity?

Excessive traffic on the network

• Intermittent connectivity can be caused by too much traffic on the network, leaving little to no available bandwidth. The only way to fix the problem is to limit bandwidth use or upgrade the network with more cables and switches to provide bigger pipelines.

• Poor signal transmission and reception would be a problem on a wireless network. A broken cable could result in no connection at all.

An administrator is testing the power supply of a laser printer. They use a multimeter to measure pins 1, 5, and 9 of the power interface. One of the voltages is not reading the right output. What should they do FIRST in this situation?

Remove optional hardware in the printer

• If some of the voltages are not reading correctly, try removing optional hardware and test again. If there is still a problem, you may need to replace the power supply.

• You should replace the fuse in the power supply if none of the voltages read properly. If the readings are bad after removing optional hardware, then you may have to change the power supply. Cleaning the power supply will not affect the voltages.

A user's hard drive is suffering from slow performance and read/write failures. How can they analyze the data from their drive's S.M.A.R.T. feature?

Third-party

• Windows OS does not come with its own graphical utility to parse the S.M.A.R.T. data. Instead, third-party applications like GSmartControl and HD Tune must be used.

A user prints a page on a laser printer, but all pages printed are completely black. Which part of the printer is causing this problem?

Charging unit

• This can happen when the charging unit (either the charging corona wire or charging corona roller) in the toner cartridge does not charge the EP drum. As the drum rotates, all the toner is transferred to it, which makes the page black. Replacing the toner cartridge can fix this.

• A problem with the transfer corona assembly could result in blank pages, not all black. A problem with the fuser can result in image smudging. A problem with an erasure lamp could result in ghosting.

A user notices that whenever they print out a page using their inkjet printer, the ink goes from dark to light and then prints nothing. They have printed multiple pages, and each time, the result is the same, with the ink dark at first, then fading. 

What could they do to likely resolve this issue?

Replace the pump

• There is a small suction pump that primes the ink cartridge before each print cycle. When the pump malfunctions, the ink will dry out, and this problem will occur.

• Changing the ink cartridge is useful if the whole output is faded, but since the page starts with dark ink, it is likely not out of ink. Aligning the print heads is used when installing a new cartridge to make sure images are aligned. Printing a test page is done after installing a new ink cartridge or to test whether a client can print.

A user notices that a laser printer is having paper jams after the paper reaches the transfer corona assembly. What piece of equipment could MOST LIKELY be malfunctioning that is causing a problem at this point?

Static-charge eliminator strip

• The static-charge eliminator strip takes the transfer corona charge away from the paper. Without the strip, the charge may stay on the paper, causing it to stick to the EP cartridge.

• A problem with the high-voltage power supply would result in the printer not powering on. A problem with the toner cartridge could result in blank pages. A problem with the EP drum could result in repetitive marks and defects in prints.

How many types of transfer corona assemblies are there?

Two

• There are two types of transfer coronas: ones that have a wire and ones that have a roller. The transfer corona wire/roller uses a high voltage to charge the paper and attract the toner from the EP drum. Older transfer coronas used a thin wire to create a positive charge on the paper, but this was phased out because it created a significant amount of ozone. Newer types use a transfer roller instead, which creates much less toxic gas and is faster.

A user is experiencing intermittent connection errors, and an error pops up on their screen that there is an IP address conflict. What can an administrator do to try and solve the problem? 

Packet sniff the local traffic for a PC with a static IP

• Commonly, an IP address conflict occurs because a static IP is set somewhere in the network, and the DHCP server is still assigning that IP out. If there is an IP address conflict caused by a static IP, then the administrator must find the offending host. One way to do this is to use a packet sniffer to find out the MAC address of the other computer using the IP address.

A user notices that a laser printer is printing out vertical lines on all pages. What can MOST LIKELY fix the issue?

Clean the corona wires

• Toner that is caught on the corona wire can cause this. It can be cleaned with a small brush that is usually located near the transfer corona wire.

• Replacing the toner can be done if there are blank pages. The fuser can be a problem if there is image smudging. The EP drum can be a problem if there are blank pages being printed.

A user inserts a DVD into their DVD optical drive, but the disc is unreadable. They have used the disk many times before without an issue. What is the MOST LIKELY cause of this error?

Unclean disk

• Optical drives are vulnerable to dirt and lint. Cleaning them with appropriate cleaning solutions and lint-free towels should be your first step and will most likely fix the issue.

A customer brings a computer into the shop and states that it won't boot up into Windows but appears to turn on. You take the computer and plug it in, then press the power button. The power light turns on; however, the HDD indicator light does not blink. To troubleshoot, you turn the computer off and then remove the RAM chips. With no RAM in the system, you press the power button, and the power light comes on. The computer still doesn't boot or start. 

Which of the following is most LIKELY the issue?

Motherboard failure

• When a computer doesn't start up or boot but displays a power light, there is likely an issue with either the hard drive, RAM, or the motherboard. With no RAM inserted, a functional motherboard would beep to alert of an error. In this case, the missing RAM is not causing any beeps, which indicates that the motherboard is likely failing.

After prints were coming out faded, a user added a brand new toner cartridge to a laser printer. Now, the pages are coming out completely blank. What is MOST LIKELY causing the problem?

Sealing tape

• Given the situation, the user most likely forgot to remove the sealing tape from the toner cartridge. The toner cartridge has sealing tape to keep the toner inside during shipping.

Robert is working onsite at a client location where they are encountering network issues on a workstation. They have just reconfigured the local DHCP server and network switches but need to test the functionality. What would be the FIRST command used to obtain a new IP address?

ipconfig /release

• The command "ipconfig" is specifically for Windows clients and can provide the various pieces of network interface configurations as well as be used to release and renew the IP address for the workstation. The first command to run would be ipconfig /release and, then, after that operation is complete, you would run ipconfig /renew.

• The /renew flag is done after the /release flag to get a new IP address. The /flushdns flag clears the DNS resolver cache. The /all flag shows all the configuration information.

What can a mobile device user check to see how resistant their device is to both solid foreign substances and moisture?

IP rating

• The ingres protection (IP) rating shows how a device is resistant to particles like dust and moisture. The first digit in the rating is its resistance to solids, while the second digit represents its resistance to moisture.

An impact printer prints garbled characters. What could be the cause of this?

Bad printer control board

• A bad printer control board can lead to a printer printing garbled characters. The printer control board should be replaced in this situation.

• A worn-out printer ribbon would result in faded characters being printed. A loose print head cable would result in small blank lines going through the print occasionally. A printer head pin that is stuck would result in dark lines going through the print.

A user has an LCD monitor that keeps shutting down. What should they do FIRST to address this issue?

Clean the air vents

• Monitors have power supplies that can be susceptible to heat. Make sure that you clean the air vents so that there is proper ventilation.

• Replacing the power supply on a monitor can be dangerous. LCD monitors do not need drivers. A backlight issue would not shut down the monitor, just make it dark.

An impact printer prints consistently faded and light characters. What solution can remedy this problem?

Replace the printer ribbon

• If the output is consistently faded or the characters are light, then you can either adjust the printer head to be closer to the ribbon or else you will have to replace the ribbon with a new one from the vendor.

• Replacing the ribbon-advance gear should be done if the print lines get lighter when moving across the page. Replacing the print head should be done if there is a small, blank line going through the lines of print. Replacing the ribbon cartridge should happen if the printer makes  noises, but does not print.

A user reports that they cannot connect to a remote FTP server. You go to their workstation and see that you can ping the remote site by its domain name but still cannot connect to it through your FTP client. What could be causing the problem?

Blocked port

• If you can ping a remote FTP server by its domain name but not connect to its FTP service, then the problem may be that the port for FTP is blocked. This could be happening due to a firewall between the client and server.

A user's computer is booting fine but cannot find the OS. What could likely be causing this issue?

MBR

• A problem with the Master Boot Record (MBR) could lead to this issue. The MBR can be fixed by booting into the Windows Recovery Environment from a USB or optical disk.

You are tasked with troubleshooting a laptop. The laptop used to have enough battery power for four hours, but now it only runs for 30 minutes. The user reports that they do not usually fully discharge the battery before recharging. What type of battery does this laptop probably contain?

Nickel Cadmium

• Nickel-cadmium (NiCd) suffers from battery rechargeability when it is recharged before being fully drained. This can be fixed by periodically performing a full discharge followed by a full recharge. 

A customer reports that his laptop cannot see any wireless networks and is unable to connect to the internet. The customer states that he used to be able to connect to wireless networks but then it suddenly stopped. What should you examine first?

External wireless switch

• Many laptops have external switches that can completely disable wireless communication. In some instances, they can be accidentally triggered without the user's awareness. This will disable the wireless card and any Bluetooth capabilities and make it appear as though no wireless devices are installed.

You arrive onsite to resolve an issue for a client. His computer is receiving random Blue Screens of Death (BSOD) on his Windows machines, but he can't pinpoint the cause. Which of the following would be the BEST first course of action?

Run a memory test to rule out RAM issues

• Memory issues in the random access memory (RAM) modules can present themselves randomly and inconsistently. Memory issues also can appear to be caused by other issues only to discover that the memory was at fault for all the issues. It is important to verify that the RAM is functioning properly and then proceed to test other components such as the hard drive or paging file.

• A voltage issue would likely have additional random errors. A BSOD is not related to monitor issues or how firmly the power cables are inserted. 

Which of the following gases is emitted from older laser printers and can limit their lifespan?

Ozone

• Laser printers actually create a small amount of ozone from the high voltage used to bond the toner to the paper. Older laser printers created a lot more ozone due to their use of corona wires; modern printers use corona rollers. The amount of ozone created is not harmful to humans, but it can harm printer components. 

After setting up a laser printer as a printer server, users were able to connect to the printer to print. A few days later, however, they could not find the printer. How might the printer have been configured that could have led to that problem?

DHCP

• The printer may have been set up to receive its IP address via a DHCP server. That may cause it to change IP addresses periodically, which could result in other computers not seeing it.

A user prints their report out on an inkjet printer, but the lines of text are unevenly spaced. What should be replaced in the printer to fix this issue?

Stepper motor

• The stepper motor and the attached belt are responsible for movement of the print head. If the motor malfunctions, it can result in uneven lines or characters that are scrunched together.

An administrator has some important data that needs every transaction backed up in real-time. They are not concerned with increasing speed and want a simple, inexpensive solution. Which disk solution would be BEST for this situation?

RAID 1

• RAID 1 is disk mirroring. This only requires two disks, so it is inexpensive. However, it does not offer performance gains.

• RAID 0 does disk striping, which increases speed but does not offer redundancy. RAID 5 offers both speed and redundancy. RAID 10 offers speed and redundancy and needs a minimum of four drives.

If a laser printer is printing all-black pages, what is MOST likely the problem?

Toner cartridge malfunction

• When a toner cartridge does not transfer the electrical charge correctly, excessive ink (or even lack of ink) transfer can occur. Most likely, the toner cartridge needs to be replaced.

• Toner spilled in the printer or a crack in the EP drum will cause repetitive small marks or defects. A broken cleaning blade will cause ghosting.

Josie was called onsite to a client's workstation because of an inkjet printer problem. The client states that he was printing an important document and the printer stopped working. In a rush, he pulled the paper from the printer and left the office for a presentation. Now when he tries to print, the printer squeals and is less precise when printing. 

What is MOST LIKELY the problem?

Stepper motor failure

• Printers use stepper motors to move the print head back and forth as well as to advance the paper. The carriage motor is responsible for the back-and-forth motion, while the main motor advances the paper. These motors get damaged when they are forced in any direction while the power is on.

If your laser printer prints recurring random ink marks on the paper, this is likely caused by what?

Excessive toner inside the assembly

• The likely cause for recurring random ink on the paper is excessive toner inside the cartridge assembly. This could be caused by a crack or some other kind of toner spill that allows toner to fall out of the cartridge and cause many problems.

• A partially unplugged printer might have power problems. A damaged corona assembly can result in all-black pages. Printer driver issues may result in printing pages of garbled letters.

Jose is working with a laser printer that is printing all black pages. The customer states that no matter what they print the whole page comes out all black. What should Jose investigate first?

Test the toner cartridge by replacing it with a known good one

• An all-black page from a laser print happens when the charging unit in the toner cartridge malfunctions and fails to place a charge on the EP drum. Since there is no charge, all the toner sticks to the drum and is transferred to the paper. A replacement toner cartridge is the solution.

What is the most common range of power supply ratings for personal computers?

350- to 500-watts

• The rating of a power supply describes its capacity to supply power to a system. An average system without a high-end graphics card can use a power supply rating between 350 to 500 watts.

• A 20- to 100-watt power supply is enough power for a laptop. An air conditioner can use between 1000 to 4000 watts. A 650- to 850-watt power supply is used for a gaming PC.

A customer is reporting that he is unable to print any documents. Anything sent to the printer does not register or begin to print. What should be the first step in troubleshooting this issue?

Investigate the print spooler

• The print spooler is a server that formats print jobs in a language that the printer can understand. It's virtually a holding area for print jobs to be prepared for the printer and translated to the proper language. If the print jobs don't print, for no apparent reason, it is likely the print spooler. Stopping and starting the print spooler service can often resolve the issue.

A user's computer will only boot into VGA mode. Which solution should be attempted FIRST to fix this issue?

Reinstall the driver

• Try reinstalling the driver while in VGA mode. If that does not work, you may need to replace the video card.

A user runs S.M.A.R.T diagnostics on their hard drive. They discover that there have been a high number of bad sectors that have been found and remapped during read/write processes. Which S.M.A.R.T. metric attribute would they have read to learn this?

Reallocated sector count

• The reallocated sector count shows how many bad sectors have been discovered and remapped during read and write processes. If any of these are found, it could indicate a problem with the drive.

• Reported uncorrectable errors appear when there are many errors that cannot be fixed using hardware error correction. The current pending sector count shows when there are unstable sectors waiting to be mapped. Uncorrectable sector count shows the number of bad sectors when reading or writing from a sector. 

A user has to set up their corporate email on their mobile device. Their mail service requires a secure connection and when users check their mail, they are allowed to keep copies of it on the server without downloading it. Which port number will they use to check their mail?

993

• In order to use encryption with email, it should use SSL or TSL on top of the mail protocol. IMAP with SSL/TLS is on port 993.

• Port 143 is for IMAP without using encryption. Port 110 is for using POP without encryption. Port 995 is for using POP with SSL/TLS.

A user has a laptop that has a network card that uses both wireless and wired connections. The user takes the laptop home and uses the wireless connection. When they go back to work, they try to connect to the wired network but cannot get an IP address. What will MOST LIKELY fix this issue?

Disable the wireless connection

• The laptop may be trying to connect to the user's wireless network at home. Some network cards will not connect to a wired network if wireless is enabled.

• Enabling the wired connection will not automatically disable the wireless connection.

A user has moved to a new area which is known for its high humidity. What sort of problem could this MOST LIKELY lead to with their inkjet printer?

Paper jams

• High humidity can cause paper to stick together, which will lead to more paper jams. A dehumidifier is one solution to using an inkjet printer in high humidity.

What type of attachment should a scanner have so that it can scan multiple pages in one job?

ADF

• An automatic document feeder (ADF) will feed pages into a scanner. This is more efficient than using a flatbed scanner for each page. 

• A flatbed scanner has a lid that opens where each page to be scanned is manually placed. A PDF is a file type that is usually created after a scan. Server message block (SMB) is the protocol used to transport a scan from a device to a network folder.

EP toner cartridges contain a toner that consists of black carbon and what kind of resin?

Polyester

• EP toner cartridges contain a toner that consists of black carbon and polyester resin. These types of toner cartridges are common in laser printers.

An administrator wants to determine if a user's network card is working properly. What device can they use with the network card to see if it can send and receive data properly?

Loopback plug

• A loopback plug is inserted into the network card to see if it can send and receive data. It is used with a loopback test in troubleshooting software. 

When you need to refresh, reset, or restore the Windows 8 operating system, what pre-boot mode can you use that provides troubleshooting tools such as the Command Prompt and System Restore?

Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE)

• When Windows gets too corrupted or error-prone to boot, it can be very beneficial to use the installation disc and boot with the Windows Recovery Environment. Windows RE provides tools to allow you to refresh, reset, or restore the computer to try to resolve any issues. 

A customer brings a laptop to your office and states that they are not receiving any video on the screen. What two tests should you do to test the device?

A. Toggle the video function key

B. Attempt to use an external monitor

C. Charge the battery

D. Replace the cables to the laptop display unit

A, B

• Laptops are designed with functionality that can disable the main monitor, such as when they are plugged into a projector or another display. This can be toggled via one of the various function key combinations. If this doesn't work, connecting to an external monitor will determine whether the laptop can actually display a picture or whether there are worse problems such as graphics card or motherboard failures.

A user's LCD screen is starting to flicker. What should the user do to fix this issue?

Replacing the backlight

• If the screen is flickering, then the backlight is failing and it will need to be replaced. 

During the process of transferring the toner from the drum to the paper, how much voltage is used?

+600 Volts

• During the EP process, the transfer corona roller applies a positive charge to the paper to attract the negatively charged toner from the drum. The transfer corona roller applies 600 volts of positive, direct current charge to the paper.

An administrator notices that one of their drives in a RAID 0 device has failed. What can be said of the device that failed?

It is a single point of failure.

• In RAID 0, each drive is used to stripe data to make reading from the volume as fast as possible. If one drive fails, the data is lost if not backed up elsewhere.

• A RAID 0 is not hot-swappable because there is only one copy of the data. Using only striping does not keep a replica of the data. The data cannot be replicated in a RAID 0 setup.

Which of the following is TRUE of modern inkjet printers?

They have replaceable individual cartridges.

• When an ink cartridge runs out of one color, the individual cartridge can be replaced. This saves money when you need to replace just one ink cartridge in the printer while the others still have ink. 

• A dot matrix printer uses an ink ribbon. Laser printers use a fusing roller and cleaning blade.

An administrator has a RAID 5 array and notices that a disk has failed. What can be said about the failed disk?

It will not cause a loss of data.

• With a RAID 5 device, the failure of one drive will not cause a loss of data. The drive can simply be replaced.

• A single point of failure occurs in RAID 0, which does disk striping for speed. All the data in the RAID on each disk is accomplished in RAID 1, which is mirroring. The RAID will not be lost when a single disk fails in RAID 1, 5, and 10.

A user reports that they cannot connect to any external network addresses. Upon inspection, it is found that their IP address starts with fe80::. What could MOST LIKELY be causing the issue?

DHCP server

• If the user's IPv6 address is fe80::, then it is a link local address and will only work on the local network. This can be fixed by making sure that the DHCP server is functioning correctly.

A user is experiencing multiple paper jams with an inkjet printer. What two things could be contributing to this?

Worn pickup roller or the wrong type of paper

• If the pickup roller is worn down, it won't have enough friction to push the paper through the printer correctly. Likewise, if the paper is too smooth, it won't create enough friction to move properly.

A laptop is having an issue in which only the top keys of the keyboard are not behaving normally. What type of problem is the laptop likely to be experiencing?

Fn key stuck

• The Fn key (also known as the Function key) is a special key on laptops that gives special functionality to the top row of keys. If the Fn Key is stuck, the top keys will not perform their normal function. Try to unstick the key by using compressed air or a damp cotton swab.

A user notices a spot on their screen that never lights up. What should they do to address this issue?

Replace the screen

• Pixels that never light up are called dead pixels. The only way to fix this problem is to replace the monitor. 

Erica arrives onsite to a client reporting that his wired workstation is not connecting to the office network. The client says he's rebooted the computer, and the issue is still present. What should be the first thing Erica examines?

The Ethernet cable and port

• Often, the problems can be the result of a more simple solution that should be ruled out first, such as an issue with the Ethernet cable or port on the back of the workstation. It's possible the cable came slightly unplugged or is defective, which would be revealed by the link lights on the Ethernet port not being lit up at all.

When a user loses connectivity to the network, what is the FIRST item to check?

Loose cable

• When a user suddenly loses connectivity, it usually means a loose cable, especially if they are in an area that's well-traversed in the office. Check the cable that connects to the network card; it should have blinking link lights to indicate that it's connected.

A laptop user is complaining that the mouse is moving around mysteriously while they type on the keyboard. What is MOST LIKELY to be the reason for this?

Touchpad

• A user's palm might be inadvertently touching the touchpad as they type. This is called ghost cursor and can be fixed by turning off the touchpad or changing its sensitivity. 

A user at your company reports that they cannot connect to the network. You check their workstation and find that while a network cable is plugged into their network card, there are no lights lit up on the card. What could be a reason for not having connectivity?

Unplugged patch cable

• If the lights are not turned on, then it is a problem at the physical layer. Check that all patch cables are plugged in and not damaged.

You have just installed a new workstation at a client site. You boot up the system and find that the screen is displaying odd colors and artifacts. What should be your first step to troubleshoot?

Check that the video cable is firmly inserted

• When a monitor is displaying a distorted image, the first item to check is the video cable and whether it is promptly inserted. At times, an improperly connected video cable can severely distort the image on the monitor, but can be fixed simply by inserting the cable fully.

What should you do with an inkjet printer to ensure that the image on the screen is printed exactly the same on paper?

Calibrate the printer

• Each printer driver installation lets you calibrate your printer to your PC monitor. This ensures that the image on the screen has the same colors and brightness as the image printed on paper.

A user was previously connected to a wireless network at their company's office. They recently moved desks to a corner of the building. Now, the wireless network's SID is not appearing on their device. 

What is MOST likely the cause of this?

Out of Range

• If the user has recently moved their desk to a new position, then the most likely issue is that they are too far away from the wireless network. A stronger signal or a device to extend the network would be needed.

A user is replacing their old printer with a new, updated version of the same type. After connecting the new printer, the new printer driver cannot be installed. What should they do to address this?

Remove the old printer driver

• Make sure that you remove the old printer driver. After removing the old driver, reboot your system and then install the new drivers.

For GPS to work, at least one of which two services must be connected on a smartphone device?

Cellular or Wi-Fi

• Either cellular or Wi-Fi should be enabled and connected for GPS services to work. If GPS is still not working, try restarting the system.

When troubleshooting a laptop Wi-Fi adapter, what is the FIRST step in identifying network connectivity issues?

Check the WiFi LED indicator

• The WiFi LED will indicate whether the adapter is on or off. If it is off, check if there is an external switch or button to enable the wireless. This can often be the issue as it can get turned off accidentally.