CompTIA Quizzes for student and business alike.

COMPTIA Essentials Q&A 100 questions reload if not on screen.
 
  1. A technician is adding a company video from a video cassette to the company's website. Which of the
    following devices should be used to complete this task?
    1.   Video capture card
    2.   Video card
    3.   Windows Easy Transfer cable
    4.   Super I/O card
  2. Corrupt Windows XP system files are keeping a PC from booting. Which of the following is the BEST option
    to resolve this issue?
    1.   Automated System Recovery
    2.   Emergency Repair Disk
    3.   Recovery Console
    4.   NT Repair Disk
  3. Which of the following boot devices would a technician use for RIS?
    1.   Tape drive
    2.   Zip drive
    3.   Network
    4.   HDD
  4. Which of the following ports would Windows Firewall need to make an exception for in order to allow FTP
    access?
    1.   21
    2.   80
    3.   443
    4.   3389
  5. 80mm and 120mm are common sizes for which of the following PC components?
    1.   Processors
    2.   Case fans
    3.   Heat sinks
    4.   Video cards
  6. Which of the following is the MOST common way to cool a CPU?
    1.   Water cooling
    2.   Heat sink
    3.   Case fan
    4.   Air conditioning
  7. Which of the following connections must be paired FIRST with the device before use?
    1.   Bluetooth
    2.   Infrared
    3.   Wi-Fi
    4.   Ethernet
  8. A user reports that they walked away from their laptop for 30 minutes and when they came back the screen
    was very dim. The user tried moving the mouse and increasing the brightness setting, but neither worked.
    Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?
    1.   Plug in an external monitor to test the video card.
    2.   Run a check disk scan to verify there is no corruption.
    3.   Check if the laptop is now on battery power.
    4.   Have the LCD screen replaced with a known good screen.
  9. Which of the following connectors is commonly used on a coaxial cable?
    1.   RJ-45
    2.   HDMI
    3.   BNC
    4.   RJ-11
  10. Which of the following BEST describes a situation that would require STP cable?
    1.   Installation in an area with low EMI
    2.   Installation in an area with high EMI
    3.   Installation in an air handling space
    4.   Installation in an area with high humidity
  11. Which of the following will allow the use of BitLocker if the computer does not have a TPM chip?
    1.   External hard drive
    2.   SCSI hard drive
    3.   USB key
    4.   CD-ROM drive
  12. A user notices that the battery light on the laptop is flashing when the laptop is on a docking station. Which
    of the following should the technician perform FIRST?
    1.   Reseat in the docking station
    2.   Reinstall the operating system
    3.   Remove and reseat the battery
    4.   Replace the laptop battery
  13. Which of the following is considered social engineering?
    1.   Taking advantage of faults in the design of software to gain access
    2.   Claiming to be someone else and asking for a reset of a login password
    3.   Designing a computer virus which collects credit card information from files
    4.   Asking a customer for information about a problem with their computer
  14. Which of the following is considered social engineering?
    1.   Forging a login account on a server in order to gain access to a system
    2.   Posting confidential information on a public website
    3.   Entering a facility by posing as a telecommunications contractor
    4.   Sending a computer virus by email
  15. Which of the following is the purpose of thermal compound?
    1.   To facilitate the transfer of heat from the CPU to the heat sink
    2.   To facilitate the adhesion of the CPU to the heat sink
    3.   To facilitate the reduction of heat to the heat sink
    4.   To assist in insulating the CPU from electrical damage
  16. A technician takes notes while a customer explains the potential issue. Which of the following parts of the
    troubleshooting process does this represent?
    1.   Establish a theory
    2.   Document findings
    3.   Identify the problem
    4.   Verify full system functionality
  17. A customer reports that their computer is displaying `operating system not found' while booting. The
    technician confirms that the computer booted fine the previous day and that no devices were added. The
    technician also confirms that no software changes were made to the system from the previous day. Which
    of the following is the problem?
    1.   The network cable is unplugged.
    2.   A diskette was placed in the disk drive.
    3.   The keyboard is unplugged.
    4.   The system has been infected with spyware.
  18. The portion of a disk or drive that contains the MBR is known as the:
    1.   boot sector.
    2.   primary partition.
    3.   extended partition.
    4.   boot partition.
  19. A customer's system is infected with a virus. The technician removes the virus and updates the antivirus
    definitions. Which of the following steps of the troubleshooting process has the technician performed?
    1.   Document findings, actions, and outcomes.
    2.   Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem.
    3.   Verify full system functionality and implement preventative measures.
    4.   Test the theory to determine the cause of the problem.
  20. Which of the following describes a Quad Core processor?
    1.   A CPU with four direct channels to the FSB.
    2.   Four CPU cores operating off one CPU package.
    3.   A PC with four unique processors.
    4.   A CPU with four cache memory locations.
  21. Which of the following is the form factor of a VGA connector?
    1.   15-pin D shell
    2.   BNC connector
    3.   25-pin D shell
    4.   Yellow RCA connector
  22. Which of the following is the purpose of a monitor's degauss feature?
    1.   Automatically adjusts the display settings for optimal performance
    2.   Increases the monitor brightness to reduce glare
    3.   Removes stray magnetic fields
    4.   Resets the monitor to factory default settings
  23. A user reports their laptop has just been powered on and there is no display, but the power indicator is still
    on. The technician suspects that the laptop display is bad. Which of the following troubleshooting steps
    should be performed to confirm the display is bad?
    1.   Press and hold the Fn-toggle key several times.
    2.   Change the brightness of the display to see if anything appears on the laptop.
    3.   Plug an external monitor into the video output port, and then Fn-toggle key several times.
    4.   Press the power button until the unit shuts down, then press and hold the Fn-toggle key as power is
      reapplied.
  24. A new video card requires a 600 watt power supply. The power supply should have how many pins on the
    main cable?
    1.   12
    2.   20
    3.   24
    4.   25
  25. A 400GB IDE hard disk drive with a Molex connector uses how many volts?
    1.   3.3
    2.   5
    3.   12
    4.   14
  26. The highest quality video will generally be obtained using which of the following connector types?
    1.   VGS
    2.   RGB
    3.   DVI
    4.   HDMI
  27. In which of the following is a 2032 CMOS battery MOST often found?
    1.   Desktops
    2.   Portable printers
    3.   Bluetooth Mice
    4.   Notebooks
  28. Which of the following printer types has the LOWEST cost per page?
    1.   Inkjet
    2.   Thermal
    3.   Laser
    4.   Impact
  29. A customer reports that their laptop is unable to print a document from a word processing application. A
    technician confirms that the printer settings are correct. Which of the following is the NEXT step?
    1.   Print a test page from Printer Properties
    2.   Restart the print spooler service
    3.   Re-load the printer drivers
    4.   Direct the user to another printer
  30. A client's spreadsheet is not printing all the columns. Which of the following can be done to fix this?
    1.   Use the Print Landscape option under the File menu
    2.   Push the landscape button on the printer
    3.   Change the document orientation in printing preferences
    4.   Adjust the document's formatting in the device's Control Panel
  31. Which of the following should be used when cleaning up printer toner?
    1.   Wet cloth and a paper cloth
    2.   Dry cloth and a paper bag
    3.   Dry cloth and compressed air
    4.   Wet cloth and a plastic bag
  32. Which of the following should be used when cleaning toner inside a laser printer?
    1.   Lint free gloves
    2.   Static wrist bands
    3.   Rubber gloves
    4.   Protective eyewear
  33. Which of the following is the MOST secure method to use when setting up a wireless network?
    1.   WPA
    2.   WEP
    3.   Hidden SSID
    4.   WPA2
  34. Which of the following describes the purpose of encryption?
    1.   Prevents unauthorized users from deleting data stored on computers.
    2.   Prevents unauthorized users from viewing or reading data.
    3.   Prevents unauthorized users from posing as the original source sending data.
    4.   Prevents unauthorized users from posing as the intended recipient of data.
  35. Which of the following are encryption technologies? (Select TWO).
    1.   ATA
    2.   DES
    3.   AES
    4.   DOS
    5.   FAT
  36. Which of the following should be performed during a hard drive replacement to BEST maintain data
    privacy?
    1.   Format the new hard drive twice prior to installation.
    2.   Completely erase the old drive prior to disposal.
    3.   Install antivirus software on the computer before removing the old hard drive.
    4.   Only use FAT32 file systems when formatting the new drives.
  37. Which of the following is the BEST example of social engineering?
    1.   Posting confidential company information on a public social networking website.
    2.   Searching through trash cans and dumpsters to find users' passwords and confidential information.
    3.   Calling random phone numbers and asking customers to purchase a product.
    4.   Posing as a member of an IT department and asking a user for their login account information.
  38. The process of a virus or worm copying itself, then propagating to multiple systems is known as:
    1.   repudiation
    2.   replication
    3.   duplication
    4.   redundancy
  39. Which of the following is the BEST way to ensure that a hard drive is secure for disposal?
    1.   FDISK the drive multiple times.
    2.   Magnetically erase the drive.
    3.   Format the drive.
    4.   Convert the drive to NTFS.
  40. Which of the following characteristics and port numbers are associated with POP3?
    1.   Sends outbound email, Port 25
    2.   Receives inbound email, Port 25
    3.   Receives inbound email, Port 110
    4.   Sends outbound email, Port 110
  41. Which of the following is characterized by the creation of a secure tunnel into a known server location?
    1.   HTTPS
    2.   FTP
    3.   SSL
    4.   VPN
  42. Which of the following is an advantage of HDMI over DVI?
    1.   Transmits high definition content
    2.   More resistant to EMI
    3.   Allows for greater cable length
    4.   Transmits audio and video
  43. Which of the following options is the BEST way to fix a CRT monitor that has suffered from magnetic interference?
    1.   Replace the power cord.
    2.   Turn it off, wait several minutes, and restart.
    3.   Plug it into a different outlet.
    4.   Perform a degauss.
  44. Please refer to the attached graphic. In which of the following locations should the keyboard and mouse be installed in the pictured setup?
    1.   Location A
    2.   Location B
    3.   Location C
    4.   Location E
  45. Which of the following is the default location for 32-bit applications when installed on Windows 7 64-bit?
    1.   C:\Program Files (x86)\
    2.   C:\Windows\system32\
    3.   C:\Program Files (32)\
    4.   C:\Program Files\
  46. Which of the following are features of Windows 7 that are not in Windows Vista?
    1.   Application Dock
    2.   UAC
    3.   Aero
    4.   SideBar
  47. Which of the following features is in Windows Vista but not Windows XP?
    1.   User account control
    2.   64-bit processor support
    3.   File and folder encryption
    4.   Dual monitor support
  48. Which of the following is an advantage of NTFS over FAT32?
    1.   Dual OS functionality
    2.   File encryption support
    3.   Drive size exceeding 128GB
    4.   Support for Windows XP
  49. Which of the following occurs during POST?
    1.   OS loads
    2.   Safe Mode starts
    3.   RAM check
    4.   MBR check
  50. Assuming the Windows XP installation disc is in the CD drive, Recovery Console can be run in which of the following ways?
    1.   Windows Restore application
    2.   %cd%:\i386\spuninst.exe
    3.   Booted from installation disc
    4.   Windows Support website
  51. Which of the following cable types supports a transmission speed no greater than 100 Mbps per the IEEE
    specification?
    1.   CAT3
    2.   CAT4
    3.   CAT5
    4.   CAT6
  52. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate question to ask a customer first when attempting to troubleshoot an input device over the phone?
    1.   "Are you sure that the device is plugged in?"
    2.   "Have you verified all PS/2 plugs are secure?"
    3.   "Can you describe the steps you have taken?"
    4.   "Have you tried turning it off and on again?"
  53. A user cannot print a document to a locally connected laser jet printer connected to a Windows 7 desktop.
    The technician opens the print queue and locates the print job. The technician is unable to delete the print job. Which of the following should the technician do?
    1.   Restart the print spooler.
    2.   Restart the printer.
    3.   Reinstall the printer drivers.
    4.   Reseat the printer cables.
  54. Which of the following adapter types would provide the BEST performance for high end graphics?
    1.   PCI
    2.   AGP
    3.   EISA
    4.   IEEE 1394
  55. Which of the following commands can be used to verify the gateway IP address on a local computer?
    1.   net use
    2.   telnet
    3.   ping
    4.   ipconfig
  56. Which of the following commands can be used to establish a connection to a remote computer?
    1.   telnet
    2.   ipconfig
    3.   ping
    4.   tracert
  57. Which of the following protocols uses port 143 by default?
    1.   POP
    2.   HTTPS
    3.   TELNET
    4.   IMAP
  58. Which of the following protocols uses port 443 by default?
    1.   HTTPS
    2.   IMAP
    3.   TELNET
    4.   POP
  59. Which of the following devices can be used to setup a WAN?
    1.   Hub
    2.   Repeater
    3.   Router
    4.   Switch
  60. Which of the following IP addresses is in a class A range?
    1.   15.26.2.1
    2.   156.10.2.5
    3.   192.168.0.1
    4.   202.45.16.8
  61. Which of the following IP addresses is in a class B range?
    1.   10.0.3.50
    2.   123.25.10.1
    3.   172.16.1.54
    4.   192.168.0.7
  62. Which of the following uses pair authentication to provide a wireless connection between two devices?
    1.   802.11n
    2.   Bluetooth
    3.   Infrared
    4.   Cellular
  63. Which of the following is an example of EMI?
    1.   Degraded LAN performance due to too many Bluetooth devices being used in close proximity.
    2.   Degraded LAN performance due to CAT5 cable being wound too tightly.
    3.   Degraded LAN performance due to a cellular phone being used in close proximity.
    4.   Degraded LAN performance due to CAT5 and AC power cables in close proximity.
  64. After the BIOS message disappears, which of the following would a technician press to boot a PC into Safe Mode?
    1.   Press F1
    2.   Press F2
    3.   Press F5
    4.   Press F8
  65. A user is trying to use their laptop with a video projector and cannot get the projector to display the computer screen. Which of the following should the technician try FIRST?
    1.   Check the power cable to the projector.
    2.   Put a new bulb in the projector.
    3.   Replace the video cable to the projector.
    4.   Toggle the function key for the display in the laptop keyboard.
  66. Which of the following should a technician do to protect exposed hardware from ESD?
    1.   Touch a piece of metal to discharge any static electricity.
    2.   Touch one of the computer expansion cards to discharge any static electricity.
    3.   Touch the motherboard to discharge any static electricity.
    4.   Touch the floor to discharge any static electricity.
  67. Which of the following is the BEST way to provide power to a laser printer?
    1.   Directly to a UPS
    2.   Directly to a computer via USB cable
    3.   Directly to a power strip
    4.   Directly to a grounded wall outlet
  68. A first level help desk support technician receives a call from a customer and works with the customer to resolve the call for several minutes unsuccessfully. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?
    1.   Continue working with the customer until the problem is resolved.
    2.   Explain to the customer that they will receive a call back when someone more qualified is available.
    3.   Explain to the customer that the problem cannot be resolved and end the call.
    4.   Escalate the call to another technician.
  69. A technician wants to prevent anyone from logging into a computer that is running in a common area unless
    they are authorized. The technician has locked the case. Which of the following should actions should the
    technician take NEXT to prevent access?
    1.   Create user accounts for only the authorized users.
    2.   Add a BIOS password.
    3.   Disconnect the keyboard and the mouse.
    4.   Add a privacy screen to the monitor.
  70. A user's laptop has a PATA controller. The user wishes to add a SATA hard drive for storage. Which of the
    following would be the BEST method to solve this issue?
    1.   Use an external USB enclosure.
    2.   Change the BIOS settings to support SATA drives.
    3.   Exchange the drive for a PATA hard drive.
    4.   Replace the motherboard with one that supports SATA drives.
  71. A technician needs to upgrade several Windows XP Professional 64-bit computers to Windows 7
    Professional 64-bit. The technician wants to retain the user settings. Which of the following tasks should the technician perform?
    1.   Upgrade the 64-bit Windows XP Professional to 64-bit Windows VISTA Professional, and then upgrade
      the 64-bit Windows VISTA Professional to 64-bit Windows 7 Professional.
    2.   Do a clean install of 32-bit Windows VISTA Professional, and then an upgrade to 64-bit Windows 7
      Professional.
    3.   Do a clean installation of 64-bit Windows 7 Professional
    4.   Upgrade from 64-bit Windows XP Professional to 64-bit Windows 7.
  72. A technician has a customer with a Windows 7 Home Basic machine who wants to play movies through the
    Media Center program. Which of the following should the technician do to allow this to happen?
    1.   Upgrade the Media Player program to the Media Center program.
    2.   Enable the Media Center program.
    3.   Upgrade the system to Windows 7 Business.
    4.   Upgrade the system to Windows 7 Home Premium Edition.
  73. The most effective use of clusters on a hard drive is in which of the following file systems?
    1.   FAT12
    2.   FAT16
    3.   FAT32
    4.   NTFS
  74. A Windows directory is also referred to as a:
    1.   folder
    2.   cluster
    3.   volume
    4.   partition
  75. The smallest unit of data that a Windows operating system can access is called a:
    1.   folder
    2.   file
    3.   volume
    4.   partition
  76. A technician has determined that there is constant interference from other wireless devices over the
    wireless network. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to resolve the problem?
    1.   Change the admin password on the wireless router.
    2.   Change the encryption type on the wireless router.
    3.   Change the channel being used by the wireless router.
    4.   Change the SSID on the wireless router.
  77. A user wants to try a live version of another operating system that is on a DVD. In order to use this, the user must do which of the following?
    1.   Authorize the boot DVD in Windows.
    2.   Install a live version to the hard drive first.
    3.   Edit the boot.ini in Windows to allow the DVD to boot.
    4.   Ensure the DVD-ROM is placed first in the boot priority.
  78. The user reports to the help desk that a UPS trips the internal circuit breaker each time the laser printer is powered on. The technician should do which of the following?
    1.   Advise the user that the laser printer needs to be replaced.
    2.   Move the printer's power cable to a surge only socket.
    3.   Move the printer's power cable to a surge only socket.
    4.   Order a UPS with a slightly lower wattage.
  79. Which of the following printer types requires the use of special paper to print?
    1.   Thermal
    2.   Inkjet
    3.   Laser
    4.   Dot Matrix
  80. A remote user is disconnected from the network for long periods of time and does not have a local printer.
    The laptop is configured to queue up the print jobs when the computer is connected to the network. Once
    plugged into the network, the user cannot print and the print jobs seem to be stuck in the queue. Which of the following needs to be done so the user can print?
    1.   Reboot the printer
    2.   Set the printer to work online
    3.   Reset the print queue
    4.   Reset the network service account
  81. Which operating systems use the c:\WINNT\ directory?
    1.   Windows 7
    2.   Windows Vista Home
    3.   Windows Vista Ultimate
    4.   Windows 2000
  82. Which of the following ports is the default port for HTTPS?
    1.   80
    2.   125
    3.   443
    4.   8080
  83. Which of the following memory types has a clock speed of 400MHz?
    1.   PC1600
    2.   PC2700
    3.   PC3200
    4.   PC5200
  84. Which of the following provides the LOWEST level of wireless security protection?
    1.   Use WPA
    2.   Disable SSID broadcast
    3.   Use RADIUS
    4.   Enable WEP on the access point
  85. Which of the following utilities can be scheduled to run on boot to verify file system integrity?
    1.   DEFRAG
    2.   CHKDSK
    3.   MSCONFIG
    4.   TSKMGR
  86. Which of the following commands will take a FAT32 file system and make it an NTFS file system?
    1.   COMPACT
    2.   CONVERT
    3.   CHKNTFS
    4.   COPY
  87. During a laptop start up, a technician is able to see the Windows splash screen as the OS loads. Shortly
    after reboot, the technician experiences a black screen. The technician can plug in an external monitor and
    the display works correctly. Which of the following is a MOST likely cause of the display issue?
    1.   The video card on the laptop is faulty
    2.   There are unneeded peripherals that should be removed
    3.   The function key needs to be pressed to toggle monitors
    4.   The motherboard on the laptop is faulty
  88. A user reports that their computer seems to be running slow and frequently reboots on its own. Which of
    the following is the FIRST thing the technician should check to address this issue?
    1.   Check for newly installed software on the system
    2.   Check to determine if the graphics card is faulty
    3.   Reinstall antivirus software and run a scan
    4.   Check for newly added peripherals to the system
  89. Which of the following items is listed in the control panel of a Windows 7 PC?
    1.   Disk Defragmenter
    2.   Device Manager
    3.   System Log files
    4.   Task Manager
  90. A technician wants to setup a network printer on a print server to default to duplex printing for all users.Which of the following will allow default duplex printing?
    1.   Configure the settings from the user's printer properties.
    2.   Configure settings through the printer's web interface.
    3.   Configure the printer from the user's page setup menu.
    4.   Configure the settings through the computer's control panel.
  91. A technician finds the inside of a desktop computer completely covered in almost 1 inch (2.54 centimeters)
    of dust. Which of the following would be the BEST solution to clean out the inside of the case?
    1.   Wet rag
    2.   Compressed air
    3.   Lint free cloth
    4.   Dry rag
  92. A help desk technician receives a phone call from a user reporting a computer problem. During the phone
    call, the user starts a conversation with the technician asking detailed information about personnel in upper
    management. The technician then asks the user's name again, after which the user promptly hangs up. Which of the following attacks did the technician experience?
    1.   Phishing attack
    2.   Eavesdropping attack
    3.   Social engineering attack
    4.   Spyware attack
  93. Utilizing a WSUS or testing new updates on a non-critical PC is an example of which of the following?
    1.   Virtualization
    2.   Patch management
    3.   A host-based firewall
    4.   Application baselining
  94. Which of the following printers would be the BEST choice for printing on multi-part forms?
    1.   Impact printer
    2.   Thermal printer
    3.   Inkjet printer
    4.   Laser printer
  95. Please be aware that if you do not accept these terms you will not be allowed to take this CompTIA exam
    and you will forfeit the fee paid.
    1.   RETURN TO EXAM
    2.   EXIT EXAM
  96. A technician is setting up a small office home office (SOHO) wireless router and needs to provide Internet
    access to five PCs on the network. Which of the following options should the technician enable on the router?
    1.   NAT
    2.   WPS
    3.   MAC filtering
    4.   Port forwarding
  97. After a technician installs a video card, which of the following should the technician configure NEXT?
    1.   Resolution
    2.   Bit rate
    3.   Clock speed
    4.   Screen saver
  98. Which of the following is the MAXIMUM transfer speed of USB 2.0?
    1.   100 Mbps
    2.   400 Mbps
    3.   420 Mbps
    4.   480 Mbps
  99. A customer is looking to purchase a PC to be used to share music, movies, and pictures. Which of the following should a technician recommend?
    1.   Virtual workstation
    2.   A high performance desktop
    3.   Thin client
    4.   Media center PC
  100. Which of the following cable types has the MAXIMUM transfer rate of 1 Gbps?
    1.   CAT3
    2.   CAT5
    3.   CAT5e
    4.   CAT6