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101.

What Are Hard-disk Partitions?

Answer»

Partitions are used to Divide a Hard-disk DRIVE into SMALLER SEGMENTS as REQUIRED by the user and for better management of the space in it.

Partitions are used to Divide a Hard-disk drive into smaller segments as required by the user and for better management of the space in it.

102.

A Customer Calls In And Says That Her Copy Of Windows Xp Went Corrupt And The Previous Technician Installed It Again Without Losing Any Data. Now When The Computer Boots Up, It Shows A Menu For A Few Seconds And Then It Boots Normally.she Wants To Get Rid Of This Menu. You Asked Her About The Menu Options And The Customer Tells You That Both The Options In The Menu Read The Same Thing Windows Xp Home. How Will You Fix This Problem So That The Menu Does Not Appear Again?

Answer»

Edit the Boot.ini FILE and set the Timeout as 0 (ZERO) or Edit the Boot.ini file and Remove the Second OPTION and set the Timeout as 0 (Zero)

Edit the Boot.ini file and set the Timeout as 0 (Zero) or Edit the Boot.ini file and Remove the Second Option and set the Timeout as 0 (Zero)

103.

You Performed A Parallel Installation Of Windows Xp (home Edition) To Resolve Certain Problems On A Customer's Computer. After Installation, The Customer Says She Can See The Previous Profile Folders In Documents & Settings But When She Tries To Open Then, She Gets An "access Denied" Error. What Can You Do To Remove The "access Denied" Problem?

Answer»

Boot into SAFE Mode, Right-Click on the OLD PROFILE Folder, Go to Security – Advanced and give Ownership to the new USER.

Boot into Safe Mode, Right-Click on the Old Profile Folder, Go to Security – Advanced and give Ownership to the new user.

104.

A Customer Has Recently Upgraded From Windows 98 To Windows Xp Professional. After The Upgrade, It Takes Longer For Windows, Menus, Sub-menus And Other Use Interface Features To Open. She Wants Them To Open Faster. How Can You Help This Customer?

Answer»

Use System in CONTROL Panel and select the option “ADJUST for BEST Performance” in the Performance OPTIONS DIALOGUE box.

Use System in Control Panel and select the option “Adjust for Best Performance” in the Performance Options dialogue box.

105.

A Customer Reports That His Windows Xp Professional Portable Computer Is Not Able To Connect To Any Network Resource And Is Also Not Able To Authenticate On The Network's Active Directory Domain. The Computer Was Fine Yesterday. No Other Person In The Organization Is Facing This Problem. What Is The First Thing You Would Do To Fix This Problem?

Answer»

Ask the user to Right-Click on the NETWORK CONNECTION icon and SELECTREPAIR” from the Menu.

Ask the user to Right-Click on the Network Connection icon and select “Repair” from the Menu.

106.

Mark Uses Windows Xp Professional And Is Connected To The Internet Directly Through A Dsl Line. He Wants To Know How He Would Enable The Filtering Of Packets And Get Rid Of The Harmful Incoming Data. What Would You Tell Him?

Answer»

ENABLE the FIREWALL

Enable the Firewall

107.

A User Complains That He Is No Longer Able To Hear Any Sound From His Computer - After He Downloaded Some Updates From The Microsoft Website. What Could Be The Possible Reason For This?

Answer»

The WINDOWS AUDIO SERVICE is DISABLED. ENABLE it.

The Windows Audio Service is Disabled. Enable it.

108.

A User Complains That Whenever He Connects Any Usb 2.0 Device To His Computer, He Gets The Error Message "usb Device Not Recognized" What Could Be The Possible Reason For This?

Answer»

The USB PORT COULD be FAULTY.

The USB Port could be faulty.

109.

You Are A Desktop Support Technician. A User Calls And Complains That Till Yesterday He Was Able To View His Cd Drive In His Computer. But Today When He Turned On His Computer, He Is Not Able To View The Cd-rom Drive In "my Computer". What Can Be Done To Fix This Problem?

Answer»

OPEN the Windows REGISTRY Editor and Delete the Upper and LOWER FILTER Keys.

Open the Windows Registry Editor and Delete the Upper and Lower Filter Keys.

110.

What Does A "?" Sign In Device Manager Signify?

Answer»

The DEVICE is not INSTALLED. ( You can refer to this article for more DETAILS). For more information on Device MANAGER CHECK this article from Microsoft.

The device is not installed. ( You can refer to this article for more details). For more information on Device Manager check this article from Microsoft.

111.

A Customer Complains That He Keeps Getting The Error Message "hal.dll Missing Or Corrupt". Which File Needs To Be Repaired/rebuilt To Rectify The Issue?

Answer»

BOOT.INI

BOOT.INI

112.

If You Turn On A Pc And The Boot Process Halts And You Get The Error Message " C:system32config File Missing Or Corrupt" What Is This Due To?

Answer»

The REGISTRY HIVES are CORRUPTED. They NEED to be REPAIRED.

The Registry Hives are corrupted. They need to be repaired.

113.

If, Upon Booting Up A Pc, You See A Message Which Says "invalid Drive Configuration" What Do You Think Is Causing This?

Answer»

This PROBLEM COULD be DUE to any of the following situations:

  1. The Hard-Disk CABLE within the System Unit is not attached to the Controller
  2. The Hard Disk Drive has failed
  3. The Hard Disk Drive has not been partitioned.

This problem could be due to any of the following situations:

114.

If You Turn On A Pc And The Boot-up Process Halts And You Get The Error Message "non-system Disk Or Disk Error Replace And Press Any Key When Ready" What Do You Think Could Be The Problem?

Answer»

A non-bootable FLOPPY DISK is in the Floppy-disk DRIVE and it should be REMOVED.

A non-bootable Floppy Disk is in the Floppy-disk drive and it should be removed.

115.

If, Upon Booting Up A Computer, You See The Error Message "keyboard Error" What Do You Think Could Be The Problem?

Answer»

It COULD be that

  1. The KEYBOARD is not ATTACHED to the PC or
  2. The keyboard has FAILED

It could be that

116.

You Need To Dual-boot A Computer With Windows Xp And Windows Me. You Need All The Partitions To Be Accessible From Both The Operating Systems. Which File System Would You Use In This Scenario?

Answer»

FAT32

FAT32

117.

Very Frequently, Users In Your Office Put Floppy Disks In The Drives And Forget To Take Them Out. This Results In Boot-up Problems And Results In Support Requests. How Would You Stop This Computer From Looking In The A: Drive For Boot Files First?

Answer»

CHANGE the BOOT ORDER in BIOS.

Change the Boot Order in BIOS.

118.

You Are Configuring Power Management On Your Windows Xp Computer. With Acpi, Power Management Should Be Under The Exclusive Control Of:

Answer»

The OPERATING SYSTEM

The Operating System

119.

Which Power Condition Occurs When The Voltage Level Drops Below 120 Volts And Stays Below For An Extended Period Of Time?

Answer»

Questions about power conditions don’t RANK very high, THOUGH they are IMPORTANT. NETWORK support technicians will be faced with many different scenarios. Be familiar with these types of conditions just in CASE.

Questions about power conditions don’t rank very high, though they are important. Network support technicians will be faced with many different scenarios. Be familiar with these types of conditions just in case.

120.

Depending On The Windows Client Operating System Version, Which Commands Can You Use To Find Out What Is Installed On A System?

Answer»

You MAY run into OPERATING system–specific questions like this one as you are being interviewed by prospective PEERS. You should be familiar with the most common COMMANDS. Don’t worry about memorizing command syntax. That’s what the /? is for.

You may run into operating system–specific questions like this one as you are being interviewed by prospective peers. You should be familiar with the most common commands. Don’t worry about memorizing command syntax. That’s what the /? is for.

121.

You Are The Network Administrator. A User Calls You Complaining That The Performance Of The Intranet Web Server Is Sluggish. When You Try To Ping The Server, It Takes Several Seconds For The Server To Respond. You Suspect The Problem Is Related To A Router That Is Seriously Overloaded. Which Workstation Utility Could You Use To Find Out Which Router Is Causing This Problem?

Answer»

The answer here is the TRACER out utility, which will tell you which router is having the performance problem and how long it would take to travel between each host. You should be knowledgeable on the application of the most common IP commands for the various operating systems you support. Other questions along this line that you MAY run into INCLUDE:

  • Which ipconfig switch will display the most complete listing of IP CONFIGURATION information for that station?
  • Which Windows TCP/IP utility could you use to FIND out whether a server is responding on TCP port 21?

The answer here is the tracer out utility, which will tell you which router is having the performance problem and how long it would take to travel between each host. You should be knowledgeable on the application of the most common IP commands for the various operating systems you support. Other questions along this line that you may run into include:

122.

Which Tcp/ip Utility Is Most Often Used To Test Whether An Ip Host Is Up And Functional?

Answer»

TCP/IP is at the core of just about every network today. You must be familiar with the most often used commands for managing this network environment. This includes Ping, ipconfig, FTP, and tracert. You should also be ready to apply these commands and utilities to VARIOUS situations, as the next question demonstrates. Some sample additional questions include:

  • Which UTILITY can you use to find the MAC and TCP/IP address of your WINDOWS NT or 2000 workstation?
  • Which program can you use to upload and download files to a UNIX SERVER?
  • Which utility can you use to verify a packet’s path?

TCP/IP is at the core of just about every network today. You must be familiar with the most often used commands for managing this network environment. This includes Ping, ipconfig, FTP, and tracert. You should also be ready to apply these commands and utilities to various situations, as the next question demonstrates. Some sample additional questions include:

123.

You Are Installing A Windows Xp-based Tcp/ip Network. You Accidentally Set Workstation B To The Same Ip Address As Workstation A. Which Workstation(s) Will Receive An Error Message?

Answer»

This type of question assesses your TCP/IP configuration knowledge. It’s a common PROBLEM, but a little tricky BASED on the configuration mentioned above. The correct answer here is that through broadcasts, both workstations will detect if there is a DUPLICATE IP address on the network and will DISPLAY ERROR messages to that effect.

This type of question assesses your TCP/IP configuration knowledge. It’s a common problem, but a little tricky based on the configuration mentioned above. The correct answer here is that through broadcasts, both workstations will detect if there is a duplicate IP address on the network and will display error messages to that effect.

124.

A User From The Marketing Department Calls Complaining That She Can't Log In Or See Any Servers On The Network. Her Computer Operates Fine Otherwise. No Other Users From The Marketing Department Are Reporting Any Problems. What Is The First Thing You Could Check?

Answer»

You should also EXPECT to be assessed on your KNOWLEDGE of the PHYSICAL layer of the OSI model.

You should also expect to be assessed on your knowledge of the physical layer of the OSI model.

125.

You Are Connecting A Cubicle Farm To Your Network. You Install Nics In All The Workstations And Run Cables To A Workgroup Hub. You Then Connect The Mdi Port On The Workgroup Hub To The Main Hub With A Standard Patch Cable. Upon Powering Up The Cubicle Farm Computers, None Of Them Can See The Servers On The Network. What Could You Replace To Solve This Problem?

Answer»

Networking devices LIKE HUBS, switches, and routers will ALSO be part of the technical interview. It is EXPECTED that you can speak fluently on both SOFTWARE and hardware issues.

Networking devices like hubs, switches, and routers will also be part of the technical interview. It is expected that you can speak fluently on both software and hardware issues.

126.

A User Calls You, Complaining That He Can't Access The Corporate Intranet Web Server. You Try The Same Address, And You Receive A Host Not Found Error. Several Minutes Later, Another User Reports The Same Problem. You Can Still Send E-mail And Transfer Files To Another Server. What Is The Most Likely Cause Of The Problem?

Answer»

The interviewer will assess your skills as they relate to all aspects of networking, not just servers. This means you should be prepared to answer questions on web servers as well as LOCAL NETWORKS. In this case, because other people are EXPERIENCING the problem, the problem is most likely either network- or server-related. And because you can transfer files to and from another server, it can’t be the network. THUS, the problem is related to the web server.

The interviewer will assess your skills as they relate to all aspects of networking, not just servers. This means you should be prepared to answer questions on web servers as well as local networks. In this case, because other people are experiencing the problem, the problem is most likely either network- or server-related. And because you can transfer files to and from another server, it can’t be the network. Thus, the problem is related to the web server.

127.

Which Windows Nt Utility Do You Use To Manage The Major Windows Nt Log Files?

Answer»

Typically, the interviewer or SOMEONE more technical than the IT manager will ask you detailed OPERATING system–specific questions to assess your knowledge of the various products. Alternately, you MAY be asked to take an ASSESSMENT EXAM like Brainbench.

Typically, the interviewer or someone more technical than the IT manager will ask you detailed operating system–specific questions to assess your knowledge of the various products. Alternately, you may be asked to take an assessment exam like Brainbench.

128.

Which Hardware Troubleshooting Tool(s) Could You Use To Find Out Where A Cable Is Routed?

Answer»

Here’s another question regarding TROUBLESHOOTING tools. In this case you MIGHT want to use a tone generator and tone locator to find out where cables are routed. These tools are alternately known as fox and hound devices. These are more advanced tools that represent a HIGHER skill level. Whenever POSSIBLE, provide an example of a sticky situation where you’ve had to RELY on tools such as these for troubleshooting.

Here’s another question regarding troubleshooting tools. In this case you might want to use a tone generator and tone locator to find out where cables are routed. These tools are alternately known as fox and hound devices. These are more advanced tools that represent a higher skill level. Whenever possible, provide an example of a sticky situation where you’ve had to rely on tools such as these for troubleshooting.

129.

Which Software Troubleshooting Tool Could You Use To Determine Which Protocol Is Configured With The Wrong Address?

Answer»

Questions like these assess your knowledge of troubleshooting tools that can help you resolve problems faster. In this CASE, a typical tool USED to DETERMINE incorrectly CONFIGURED addresses is a protocol ANALYZER. It can be used to examine the details of packets as they travel across the wire. This is a sophisticated tool that requires a deeper understanding of network protocols. Any interviewer will be impressed if you’ve used such a tool in troubleshooting.

Questions like these assess your knowledge of troubleshooting tools that can help you resolve problems faster. In this case, a typical tool used to determine incorrectly configured addresses is a protocol analyzer. It can be used to examine the details of packets as they travel across the wire. This is a sophisticated tool that requires a deeper understanding of network protocols. Any interviewer will be impressed if you’ve used such a tool in troubleshooting.

130.

Several Users Can't Log In To The Server. What Would You Do To Narrow The Problem Down To The Workstations, Network, Or Server?

Answer»

The situation gets a little more interesting. Again, keep it SIMPLE, such as checking the server console for user connections to SEE if other users are able to log into the server. If they can, the PROBLEM is most likely RELATED to those users’ workstations. If they can’t, the problem is either the server or network connection.

The situation gets a little more interesting. Again, keep it simple, such as checking the server console for user connections to see if other users are able to log into the server. If they can, the problem is most likely related to those users’ workstations. If they can’t, the problem is either the server or network connection.

131.

A User Cannot Access The Local Intranet. What Would You Try First In Helping To Determine How To Narrow The Problem Down To The Intranet?

Answer»

Don’t make this question harder than it really is. Sometimes the interviewer will try to TRIP you up to test your COMMON SENSE. Go for the OBVIOUS, rather than complicating the situation. In this case, simply trying to access the intranet from another workstation would help isolate the problem to the machine.

Don’t make this question harder than it really is. Sometimes the interviewer will try to trip you up to test your common sense. Go for the obvious, rather than complicating the situation. In this case, simply trying to access the intranet from another workstation would help isolate the problem to the machine.

132.

What Tools Do You Have Available To You For Troubleshooting?

Answer»

At this point, the INTERVIEWER is testing your resourcefulness. This is a pretty generic question, so make sure that your answer is consistent with the overall theme of the INTERVIEW. The tools available may include server log files, network analyzers, ERROR MESSAGES, README files, telephone support, or vendor technical support web sites or CD-ROMs. Don’t forget to mention vendor-specific resources that you may use, like TECHNET Online, or any other subscriptions that you may have in your bag of tricks. The final resource is of course your colleagues who may have run into this situation in the past.

At this point, the interviewer is testing your resourcefulness. This is a pretty generic question, so make sure that your answer is consistent with the overall theme of the interview. The tools available may include server log files, network analyzers, error messages, README files, telephone support, or vendor technical support web sites or CD-ROMs. Don’t forget to mention vendor-specific resources that you may use, like TechNet Online, or any other subscriptions that you may have in your bag of tricks. The final resource is of course your colleagues who may have run into this situation in the past.

133.

What Are The First Things You Check When A User Is Experiencing Problems Accessing The Network?

Answer»

This QUESTION assesses your BASIC network troubleshooting skills. You can’t MISS this one! You should be able to answer it in your SLEEP. You can liven up the interview by PROVIDING a funny story about user errors that you’ve encountered.

This question assesses your basic network troubleshooting skills. You can’t miss this one! You should be able to answer it in your sleep. You can liven up the interview by providing a funny story about user errors that you’ve encountered.

134.

A User Has Left The Company And You Need To Create A New User With The Same Rights And Permissions. Please Describe Some Of The Ways To Create The New User?

Answer»

This question tests your ability to GET the job done in the most efficient WAY possible. For EXAMPLE, you can create new accounts from scratch and assign the original rights to the accounts or you can simply rename the old account for the new user, which SAVES you a lot of TIME and effort.

This question tests your ability to get the job done in the most efficient way possible. For example, you can create new accounts from scratch and assign the original rights to the accounts or you can simply rename the old account for the new user, which saves you a lot of time and effort.

135.

A User's Roaming Profile Is Not Accessible. Describe How You Would Solve This Problem?

Answer»

This QUESTION tests your troubleshooting skills. In this situation you may want to talk about which tests you would perform in order to RESOLVE the ISSUE. These may include:

  • Ensuring that the path to the PROFILE directory is correct on the user’s ACCOUNT properties.
  • Ensuring that the server where the profile resides is accessible.
  • Ensuring that the user has Full Control permissions to the Profile directory.

This question tests your troubleshooting skills. In this situation you may want to talk about which tests you would perform in order to resolve the issue. These may include:

136.

A User Complains That When She Prints A Document In Any Application, The Printer Prints Garbage. What Is The Most Likely Cause Of The Problem?

Answer»

This QUESTION starts the behavioral interviewing questions based on real-life situations that assess your problem-solving skills and your technical skills. They will range from the general (like this question) to very SPECIFIC technical questions that determine your knowledge level and skill set. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the ANSWERS. The interviewer is mostly INTERESTED in how you would resolve the situation and what resources you would use to do so.

This question starts the behavioral interviewing questions based on real-life situations that assess your problem-solving skills and your technical skills. They will range from the general (like this question) to very specific technical questions that determine your knowledge level and skill set. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers. The interviewer is mostly interested in how you would resolve the situation and what resources you would use to do so.

137.

Users Can Send E-mail Locally, But Cannot Send E-mail To External Recipients. How Would You Troubleshoot This Situation?

Answer»

The interviewer will run you through a series of questions like this one to see how you would use your troubleshooting skills in a COMMON, real-life situation. He not only gets to see how your mind works, but also begins to GET an insight into your technical capabilities. In your ANSWER, be methodical in your approach, identifying the most likely possibility and testing it. Be sure to let the interviewer know that if your first ATTEMPT doesn’t WORK, you know how to move on to the next possibility.

The interviewer will run you through a series of questions like this one to see how you would use your troubleshooting skills in a common, real-life situation. He not only gets to see how your mind works, but also begins to get an insight into your technical capabilities. In your answer, be methodical in your approach, identifying the most likely possibility and testing it. Be sure to let the interviewer know that if your first attempt doesn’t work, you know how to move on to the next possibility.

138.

How Would You Prioritize Support Issues?

Answer»

It is unlikely that as a network administrator or technician you will RECEIVE problem calls one at a TIME. TYPICALLY, when you receive one call, you already have three people waiting for service. For this reason, you must learn to prioritize. Your ANSWER to this question will provide the interviewer with insight into how effectively you prioritize. It’s not a trick question, though sometimes it can feel that way. You probably have a process that you use instinctually. Talk about it. It probably includes many of the following components:

  • Total network failure (affects everyone)
  • Partial network failure (affects small GROUPS of users)
  • Small network failure (affects a small, single group of users)
  • Total workstation failure (single user can’t work at all)
  • Partial workstation failure (single user can’t do most tasks)
  • Minor issue (single user has problems that crop up now and again)

It is unlikely that as a network administrator or technician you will receive problem calls one at a time. Typically, when you receive one call, you already have three people waiting for service. For this reason, you must learn to prioritize. Your answer to this question will provide the interviewer with insight into how effectively you prioritize. It’s not a trick question, though sometimes it can feel that way. You probably have a process that you use instinctually. Talk about it. It probably includes many of the following components:

139.

What Steps Do You Take When Troubleshooting A Networking Issue?

Answer»

As a support technician, your job is to solve problems. This question provides the interviewer with insight into your troubleshooting skills. Of course, the most important part of troubleshooting any PROBLEM is to DIVIDE the tasks of problem resolution into a SYSTEMATIC process of elimination, like this:

  1. Define the problem.
  2. Gather detailed information.
  3. CONSIDER probable cause for the failure.
  4. Devise a plan to solve the problem.
  5. Implement the plan. 6. Observe the results of the implementation.
  6. Repeat the process if the plan does not resolve the problem.
  7. Document the changes made to solve the problem.

Be prepared before the interview, so you can provide an EXAMPLE of these skills in action.

As a support technician, your job is to solve problems. This question provides the interviewer with insight into your troubleshooting skills. Of course, the most important part of troubleshooting any problem is to divide the tasks of problem resolution into a systematic process of elimination, like this:

Be prepared before the interview, so you can provide an example of these skills in action.

140.

Please Describe The Importance You Place On Customer Service Versus Technical Skills?

Answer»

Most INTERVIEWERS like to start with big picture questions and then work their way into more technical areas. IT is a service organization and CUSTOMER service is at its core. In particular, customer service skills are just as IMPORTANT as technical skills, particularly in panic situations when systems are down or the user has just deleted their board PRESENTATION that’s due in 30 minutes. We’ve all had these situations. You should be prepared to talk about a specific situation where you’ve excelled and received accolades from an end-user. If they put it in WRITING, mention that as well.

Most interviewers like to start with big picture questions and then work their way into more technical areas. IT is a service organization and customer service is at its core. In particular, customer service skills are just as important as technical skills, particularly in panic situations when systems are down or the user has just deleted their board presentation that’s due in 30 minutes. We’ve all had these situations. You should be prepared to talk about a specific situation where you’ve excelled and received accolades from an end-user. If they put it in writing, mention that as well.