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CompTIA A+ Core 1 - All Domains

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Question 1

A user wants to replace an aging iPhone with a new device while minimizing migration time and data loss.

Which preparation step is MOST effective?

Answer choices

  • A. Remove all installed applications

  • B. Synchronize with iCloud (Correct)

  • C. Export settings to removable media

  • D. Disable encryption permanently

Explanation

Cloud backups allow apps, settings, and user data to be restored quickly to replacement devices.

Question 2

A VM has a snapshot chain six levels deep; performance degraded.

What is the BEST remediation?

Answer choices

  • A. Add more snapshots for speed

  • B. Consolidate/delete snapshots after backup during a maintenance window (Correct)

  • C. Lower host CPU GHz in firmware below base clock illegally

  • D. Disable the virtual NIC

Explanation

Deep snapshot chains hurt performance; consolidate when safe. More snapshots worsen it. Disabling NICs and illegal underclock are wrong.

Question 3

A laptop user wants biometric login support without requiring external authentication hardware.

Which built-in feature BEST satisfies this requirement?

Answer choices

  • A. Smart battery monitoring

  • B. Fingerprint authentication (Correct)

  • C. RAID mirroring

  • D. Wireless NFC sharing

Explanation

Integrated fingerprint readers provide convenient biometric authentication for secure sign-in.

Question 4

Internal users resolve external names but external users cannot reach the published web server.

Which record is missing publicly?

Answer choices

  • A. Loopback PTR on workstations

  • B. Private MX only

  • C. APIPA on the server

  • D. Public A or AAAA for the web host plus NAT/port forward if needed (Correct)

Explanation

External access needs public DNS and routing/NAT. Private MX, workstation PTR, and APIPA do not publish internet services.

Question 5

You are a technician on the help desk for Meridian Financial Group. A ticket has been escalated to you by the user 'rkovacs' on workstation FIN-WS-019. The user recently approved a memory upgrade — two new 16GB DDR4-3600 sticks to replace the original 2×8GB DDR4-3200 kit. The upgrade was performed by a junior technician over the weekend. Since Monday morning, rkovacs reports that performance during Excel model rendering and PDF batch exports is noticeably worse than before the upgrade — the machine feels 'slower than it did with the old RAM.' Additionally, the machine has crashed twice this week with no warning, forcing a cold reboot. The junior technician's notes state: 'Installed 2×16GB G.SKILL Trident Z 3600MHz sticks. XMP enabled in BIOS. System POSTs and boots normally.' Your job is to investigate the workstation remotely via this console, determine the root cause(s) of the degraded performance and system instability, and identify the correct remediation steps. The filesystem contains diagnostic exports, application logs, BIOS configuration notes, and system reports left by the junior technician. Not everything you find will be relevant — use your judgment.

Explanation

FIN-WS-019 is suffering from two distinct but related post-upgrade configuration errors. First, the junior technician installed both DDR4-3600 modules in Slot 1 and Slot 3 — both of which are on Channel A of the ASUS PRIME B550M-A. This means the memory controller never established dual-channel operation. The CPU-Z report confirms 'DC Mode: Single-Channel' and both SPD entries show DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2. Channel B (Slots 2 and 4) is empty. On this workstation, which uses an integrated GPU sharing system memory, single-channel mode cuts available memory bandwidth from approximately 51.2 GB/s (dual-channel DDR4-3200) to approximately 28.4 GB/s — a 44% reduction. This alone explains the measurable performance regression on Excel pivot refreshes and PDF exports. Second, the technician enabled XMP Profile 1 in BIOS, running the modules at DDR4-3600 (1799.6 MHz). The PRIME B550M-A's maximum supported JEDEC bus speed is DDR4-3200. The G.SKILL kit's XMP 2.0 profile is certified for Intel platforms and not guaranteed on AMD. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G's integrated memory controller cannot reliably sustain the 1.35V voltage regulation required for DDR4-3600 XMP on this board without manual voltage tuning. The memory_stability.log documents the result: sustained voltage spikes above the 1.35V target, tRAS timing alignment faults on the XMP profile, and ultimately a STOP 0x0000001A MEMORY_MANAGEMENT kernel crash. The fix requires both issues to be corrected: move one module to Slot 2 (Channel B) to establish dual-channel, and disable XMP Profile 1 in BIOS, setting memory to DDR4-3200 (or enabling XMP Profile 2 if it targets 3200 MHz). The technician should then verify dual-channel mode and correct DRAM frequency in CPU-Z before returning the machine.