Hardware & Operating Systems
15 free questions with worked answers, and 129 more in the full bank.
Free questions
A company requires all corporate laptops to have their hard drives encrypted to protect data in case of theft. Which Windows feature provides full volume encryption?
3 marks · Medium
Which edition of Windows 10/11 is the minimum requirement to join an Active Directory domain?
1 mark · Easy
A technician suspects a device driver is causing system instability. Which tool allows them to view hardware conflicts, update drivers, or roll back to a previous driver version?
4 marks · Hard
You run `sfc /scannow` and it reports `Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them`. What is the NEXT best step?
3 marks · Medium
A macOS user wants to restore a deleted file from two days ago. Which built-in utility should they use?
3 marks · Medium
A Linux admin needs to assign read, write, and execute permissions to the owner of a script, but only read and execute to the group and others. Which command achieves this?
4 marks · Hard
A user is trying to install an unverified application. A prompt appears asking for administrator credentials to allow the installation. What Windows security feature is triggering this prompt?
1 mark · Easy
A system administrator wrote a script to automate the creation of Active Directory users and saved it with a .ps1 extension. Which language was used?
3 marks · Medium
A user experiences a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) with the stop code "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL". What is the MOST common cause of this error?
4 marks · Hard
A technician has just finished replacing a faulty power supply in a user's PC and verified that it boots successfully into Windows. What is the FINAL step of the CompTIA troubleshooting methodology?
3 marks · Medium
A user wants to upgrade their Windows 10 Home PC to a version that supports Microsoft Hyper-V and remote desktop hosting. Which edition should they purchase?
1 mark · Easy
An administrator needs to enforce password complexity rules across all computers in a domain. Which Windows tool should they use?
3 marks · Medium
A technician is trying to format a stubborn USB drive that fails formatting in File Explorer. Which command-line tool allows for low-level partition management?
4 marks · Hard
A user wants to view the error logs for an application that keeps crashing. Which Windows utility provides detailed logs of system and application events?
1 mark · Easy
Which macOS utility is the equivalent of Windows File Explorer, used for browsing files and applications?
3 marks · Medium
More Hardware & Operating Systems questions (page 1 of 3)
Answers and explanations are in the full bank.
- A macOS user wants to natively install a dual-boot configuration with Windows 10. Which built-in utility facilitates this? · 4 marks
- A Linux user needs to view the currently running processes and their resource usage in real-time. Which command should they use? · 3 marks
- A Linux administrator wants to check the amount of free disk space on all mounted file systems. Which command achieves this? · 1 mark
- A user accidentally installed malware that acts as a fake antivirus program. What is the BEST first step to remove it without allowing it to load? · 4 marks
- A company wants to block incoming connections from specific IP addresses. Which Windows feature should be configured? · 3 marks
- An administrator writes a script that uses loops and variables but requires an interpreter like python.exe to run. What file extension is typically used? · 3 marks
- Which of the following scripting languages is a simple command-line interpreter native to Windows, using the .bat extension? · 1 mark
- A Windows 10 PC is stuck in a reboot loop and fails to load the OS. The technician boots from a Windows installation USB. Which option should they select FIRST to attempt a fix? · 4 marks
- A user complains that an older application is blurry and does not display correctly on their high-resolution 4K monitor. What Windows compatibility setting might fix this? · 3 marks
- Before making a major change to a production server, what must a technician submit for approval? · 3 marks
- A technician is setting up a new server rack. What is the primary purpose of using cable management techniques like zip ties and raceways? · 1 mark
- A technician needs to manually edit the Windows registry to remove a stubborn malware entry. What command launches the registry editor? · 4 marks
- A Mac user wants to quickly search their computer for a document, launch an app, and perform a quick calculation. What feature provides this? · 1 mark
- Which command is used in Linux to start, stop, or restart background services? · 3 marks
- A user wants to encrypt a single highly sensitive folder on their Windows 10 Pro machine without encrypting the entire drive. What feature should they use? · 4 marks
- A network admin needs to set up a small file sharing network for 5 computers in an office without a dedicated server. What type of network is this? · 3 marks
- A technician needs to change which applications launch automatically when Windows starts. Where is this configured in Windows 10/11? · 1 mark
- A developer needs to see a list of all files in a directory, including hidden files, along with their permissions and ownership. Which Linux command does this? · 3 marks
- An organization wants to securely dispose of hard drives containing sensitive patient data. Which method guarantees the data is unrecoverable by physical destruction? · 4 marks
- Which scripting language is predominantly used in Linux environments and typically saved with a .sh extension? · 3 marks
- A user complains their PC is incredibly slow. The hard drive indicator light is constantly solid. Task Manager shows Disk usage at 100%. What is the best long-term fix? · 1 mark
- A Help Desk technician receives a call from a frustrated user. The user is yelling and complaining about the IT department. What is the technician's BEST response? · 3 marks
- Which Windows feature allows you to restore the operating system to an earlier point in time without affecting personal files? · 4 marks
- A macOS user wants to adjust their network settings, display resolution, and security settings. Which app should they open? · 3 marks
- An administrator needs to terminate an unresponsive application in Linux. They find the process ID (PID) is 1234. What command forces the process to stop? · 4 marks
- A user receives an email claiming their bank account is locked and includes a link to log in. The link goes to a fake website designed to steal their credentials. What type of attack is this? · 1 mark
- A technician is troubleshooting a boot issue and wants to perform a "Clean Boot" by disabling all non-Microsoft services. Which tool facilitates this? · 3 marks
- A Windows user reports that an essential service fails to start automatically when the computer boots, displaying "Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start." What should the technician do? · 4 marks
- A company requires all user requests, incidents, and maintenance tasks to be logged and tracked. What type of software is used for this purpose? · 3 marks
- A Mac user force-quits an application, but it remains frozen on the screen. The user opens a utility to monitor CPU and memory usage to kill the process manually. Which utility are they using? · 4 marks
- A technician is configuring a SOHO router and wants to ensure that a specific gaming console always receives the same IP address. What feature should they configure? · 3 marks
- A user accidentally deleted a critical project file and emptied the Recycle Bin. What is the QUICKEST way to potentially recover it? · 1 mark
- Which type of script would MOST likely contain the syntax `$var = Get-Process`? · 4 marks
- When documenting a complex server migration, what is the purpose of creating a network topology diagram? · 3 marks
- A technician is setting up a Windows 10 PC for a public kiosk. They want to ensure the PC logs in automatically and only runs a single web browser application, preventing users from accessing the desktop. What feature should they use? · 4 marks
- A supervisor tests your knowledge of CPU cache. Which answer is best? · 3 marks
- A supervisor tests your knowledge of SATA interface. Which answer is best? · 3 marks
- A supervisor tests your knowledge of operating-system kernel. Which answer is best? · 4 marks
- A supervisor tests your knowledge of least-privilege administration. Which answer is best? · 4 marks
- A certification question asks about processor core. Which answer is correct? · 1 mark
- A certification question asks about NVMe protocol. Which answer is correct? · 1 mark
- A certification question asks about sudo. Which answer is correct? · 4 marks
- A certification question asks about operating-system patching. Which answer is correct? · 4 marks
- A certification question asks about kernel panic or stop error. Which answer is correct? · 4 marks
- Which option best describes RAID 5? · 3 marks
- Which option best describes systemd? · 4 marks
- Which option best describes antimalware real-time protection? · 4 marks
- Which option best describes full system disk? · 4 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about a desktop power-supply unit should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about the motherboard should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about CPU thermal compound should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about dual-channel memory operation should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about ECC memory should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about an NVMe drive should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about a SATA drive should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about SMART drive monitoring should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about a hardware RAID 1 array should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about motherboard UEFI firmware should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about a platform Trusted Platform Module (TPM) should guide the technician? · 3 marks
- During routine technical work, which statement about firmware Secure Boot validation should guide the technician? · 3 marks