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CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1201 - Domain 5 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting

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Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a SOHO router. Users report intermittent internet drops. The technician logs into the router and notices the WAN IP is showing as 192.168.100.x (a private IP). What is the MOST likely issue?

Answer choices

  • A. The router needs a firmware update

  • B. The router is receiving a private IP from the ISP — this indicates the ISP is using CGNAT (Carrier-Grade NAT), or the WAN connection type may be misconfigured (Correct)

  • C. The router's firewall is blocking internet traffic

  • D. The DNS servers are misconfigured

Explanation

A WAN IP in the 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, or 100.64.x.x range on a SOHO router usually indicates CGNAT (the ISP is NATting multiple customers), a misconfigured WAN type (should be DHCP, PPPoE, or static per ISP requirements), or the modem being in bridge vs. router mode.

Question 2

A technician replaces a printer's toner cartridge and now the prints have smearing and toner rubbing off easily. What component is MOST likely also failing?

Answer choices

  • A. The drum unit

  • B. The fuser assembly (Correct)

  • C. The print head

  • D. The paper feed rollers

Explanation

The fuser assembly uses heat and pressure to permanently bond toner to paper. If toner smears or rubs off, the fuser is not heating to the correct temperature or has degraded. New toner in a failed fuser still won't adhere properly.

Question 3

A printer is producing pages where all content is shifted 2 inches to the right and cut off at the edge. The issue occurs on all print jobs from multiple computers. What should the technician adjust?

Answer choices

  • A. Update the print driver on all computers

  • B. Check and adjust the paper size and margin settings in the printer's configuration (Correct)

  • C. Replace the printer's toner cartridge

  • D. Clean the print heads

Explanation

A consistent shift affecting all users and all computers indicates a printer-side configuration issue rather than a driver issue. The printer's page setup — paper size, margins, and media alignment settings — should be verified and corrected in the printer's control panel or web interface.

Question 4

A user reports their wireless mouse and keyboard are intermittently dropping connectivity. Replacing the batteries didn't help. Another wireless device placed near the workstation works fine. What is the MOST likely cause?

Answer choices

  • A. RF interference from another 2.4 GHz device (microwave, Wi-Fi router, other wireless accessories) (Correct)

  • B. The USB ports on the workstation are failing

  • C. The mouse and keyboard need a firmware update

  • D. The workstation's operating system needs updating

Explanation

2.4 GHz wireless accessories are susceptible to interference from microwave ovens, Wi-Fi routers on overlapping channels, and other 2.4 GHz devices. Moving the receiver USB dongle closer to the devices, using USB extension cables to reposition it, or switching Wi-Fi to 5 GHz can help.

Question 5

A technician notices a laptop display has a purple/pink tint on the left side that fades toward the right side of the screen. What is the MOST likely cause?

Answer choices

  • A. Incorrect color temperature setting

  • B. Physical damage to the LCD panel layers, or a failing LCD panel (Correct)

  • C. Outdated GPU driver

  • D. Incorrect color profile in Windows

Explanation

A graduated color distortion (tint on part of the screen) that cannot be fixed by software calibration indicates physical damage to the LCD's liquid crystal layer, IPS glow, or screen damage from pressure/impact. An incorrect Windows color profile would affect the whole screen uniformly.