Troubleshooting Practice Questions: Hardware Troubleshooting

1. A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that fails to power on. When the power button is pressed, there are no lights, no fans spinning, and no beeps. The power cable is securely connected to both the computer and a known-good wall outlet. What should the technician check FIRST?
(a) Replace the motherboard
(b) Test the power supply with a multimeter or PSU tester
(c) Reseat the RAM modules
(d) Replace the CPU

2. A user reports their laptop screen is very dim and difficult to read, though they can barely see the desktop image is still present. The user mentions this happened suddenly after returning from lunch. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?
(a) The LCD panel has failed completely
(b) The graphics card drivers are corrupted
(c) The backlight or inverter has failed
(d) The display resolution is set incorrectly

3. Which of the following symptoms would MOST likely indicate a failing hard disk drive?
(a) Continuous clicking or grinding noises during operation
(b) System running slower than usual after startup
(c) Occasional blue screen errors with different codes
(d) Monitor displaying artifacts during gaming

4. A desktop computer randomly shuts down after 15-20 minutes of use, particularly when running resource-intensive applications. The computer restarts normally after cooling down for a few minutes. The technician notices the CPU fan is running but the heatsink feels unusually hot. What should the technician do FIRST?
(a) Replace the CPU immediately
(b) Clean the heatsink and reapply thermal paste
(c) Upgrade the power supply unit
(d) Add more case fans for better airflow

5. A technician is diagnosing a computer that displays a "No Boot Device Found" error message during startup. The BIOS/UEFI setup shows the hard drive is not detected. What is the BEST next troubleshooting step?
(a) Format the hard drive and reinstall the operating system
(b) Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version
(c) Check and reseat the SATA data and power cables
(d) Run CHKDSK from a recovery environment

6. A user complains that their wireless mouse works intermittently, sometimes freezing for several seconds before responding again. The mouse uses a USB wireless receiver and is approximately 3 feet from the computer. What should a technician recommend FIRST?
(a) Replace the USB wireless receiver with a new one
(b) Replace the batteries in the wireless mouse
(c) Reinstall the mouse drivers from the manufacturer's website
(d) Switch to a wired mouse instead

7. During POST, a computer emits three long beeps followed by two short beeps and fails to display anything on the monitor. The technician consults the motherboard manual which indicates this beep code relates to video/graphics issues. What should the technician do NEXT?
(a) Replace the monitor with a known-good display
(b) Reseat or replace the graphics card
(c) Clear the CMOS by removing the battery
(d) Replace the RAM modules

8. A customer brings in a laptop reporting that it works fine when plugged into AC power but shuts down immediately when unplugged. The laptop is 18 months old and has been used daily. What is the MOST likely cause?
(a) The AC adapter is failing and needs replacement
(b) The battery has reached end of life and no longer holds a charge
(c) The motherboard charging circuit is defective
(d) The power management settings are configured incorrectly

9. A technician is troubleshooting a desktop where the system powers on, all fans spin normally, but there is no video output and no POST beep. The technician has verified the monitor works on another computer. After reseating the RAM, the issue persists. What should be the NEXT step?
(a) Replace the power supply unit
(b) Test with a single RAM module in different slots
(c) Replace the motherboard immediately
(d) Reinstall the operating system

10. A user reports their external USB hard drive is not recognized when connected to their Windows 10 laptop. The drive's LED light illuminates, indicating it receives power. The drive works properly on other computers. What should the technician check FIRST in Device Manager?
(a) Display adapters for driver conflicts
(b) Disk drives for the device with a yellow exclamation mark
(c) Network adapters for connectivity issues
(d) Sound, video and game controllers for USB conflicts

11. A technician responds to a ticket where a computer displays vertical colored lines across the entire monitor screen. The lines persist through BIOS and operating system. Connecting a different monitor to the same computer shows the same vertical lines. What component is MOST likely failing?
(a) The monitor's LCD panel
(b) The video cable connecting monitor to computer
(c) The graphics card or integrated GPU
(d) The motherboard's RAM slots

12. A desktop computer powers on but displays the message "Boot Device Not Found - Please Install an Operating System." The technician enters BIOS and notices the boot order lists the network adapter first, followed by the hard drive. The hard drive is detected in BIOS. What should the technician do to resolve this issue?
(a) Replace the hard drive with a new solid-state drive
(b) Change the boot order to prioritize the hard drive over the network adapter
(c) Disable the network adapter in BIOS completely
(d) Perform a complete Windows reinstallation

13. A user reports their smartphone charges very slowly and sometimes stops charging altogether. The technician notices the charging cable must be held at a specific angle to maintain charging. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?
(a) The smartphone's battery has swollen and needs replacement
(b) The charging port has accumulated debris or is physically damaged
(c) The power adapter is not providing sufficient wattage
(d) The smartphone's operating system needs updating

14. What does continuous beeping during POST typically indicate?
(a) RAM failure or improperly seated memory modules
(b) Successful completion of Power-On Self-Test
(c) Hard drive initialization in progress
(d) CPU fan speed warning alert

15. A technician is called to investigate a workstation that randomly freezes during operation, requiring hard resets. Event Viewer shows multiple kernel errors related to "WHEA-Logger" and temperature monitoring. The computer is in a dusty environment and hasn't been cleaned in over a year. What is the BEST course of action?
(a) Replace the motherboard due to chipset failure
(b) Clean all components with compressed air and verify fan operation
(c) Perform a clean installation of Windows
(d) Upgrade the RAM to higher capacity modules

16. A server displays a message "SMART Failure Predicted on Hard Drive 0" during startup and prompts to press F1 to continue. The server boots successfully into the operating system after pressing F1. What should the technician do IMMEDIATELY?
(a) Ignore the warning since the system boots normally
(b) Run disk defragmentation to optimize drive performance
(c) Disable SMART monitoring in BIOS to prevent the warning
(d) Back up all data and prepare to replace the hard drive

17. A technician installs a new graphics card in a gaming PC. After installation, the computer powers on, fans spin, but there is no display output. The technician confirms the monitor works by testing with a laptop. What is the MOST likely cause?
(a) The technician forgot to connect the PCIe power cables to the graphics card
(b) The monitor refresh rate is set too high
(c) The graphics card drivers need to be updated
(d) The HDMI cable is damaged

18. A user's computer displays a "Fan Failure" warning during POST and prompts to press F1 to continue. Upon inspection, the technician notices the CPU fan spins slowly and makes grinding noises. The system is three years old and used in a climate-controlled office. What should the technician do?
(a) Apply lubricant to the fan bearings and continue monitoring
(b) Replace the CPU fan to prevent overheating damage
(c) Disable the fan failure warning in BIOS settings
(d) Increase the fan speed curve in BIOS configuration

19. A technician troubleshoots a laptop where certain keys on the built-in keyboard produce incorrect characters or no response at all. An external USB keyboard works perfectly on the same laptop. The laptop has not been exposed to liquid spills recently. What is the BEST solution?
(a) Update the keyboard driver through Device Manager
(b) Replace the internal keyboard assembly
(c) Adjust the keyboard language settings in Control Panel
(d) Perform a system restore to a previous configuration

20. A desktop computer experiences random blue screen errors with varying error codes including "MEMORY_MANAGEMENT" and "KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR." The technician runs the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool which reports hardware problems. What should the technician do NEXT?
(a) Reinstall Windows to resolve software corruption
(b) Test each RAM module individually and replace defective modules
(c) Update all device drivers through Device Manager
(d) Run CHKDSK to repair file system errors