Objective 3.2: Configure and Troubleshoot Display Devices

As a DST, you might have to assist users who call and say they cannot see anything on their display adapters. User might accidentally install a new display device driver that prevents them from viewing the screen, making it difficult to disable or uninstall drivers. You should be able to view the display device that is installed on a workstation as well as the device drivers that are configured for the computer and know how to start a workstation in safe mode using a generic video driver.

To answer the questions in this objective, you should know how to configure desktop display settings for a user, such as changing the screen resolution, selecting a background and screen saver, and changing the appearance of how text characters or menus are displayed on the screen. You should be able to troubleshoot display device setting errors if an incorrect driver is installed or a driver is overwritten.

Objective 3.2 Questions

1. You are a DST for a large computer retail store and support 20 users who are running Windows XP Professional. A user calls you and says that he upgraded his display video driver but now he cannot see anything on the screen. You visit the office and try to roll back to the previous video driver, but you cannot see anything you type at the keyboard because the video output is not being displayed. What should you do?

   1. Start the computer in safe mode and then disable the video driver.

   2. Change the monitor.

   3. You should download the original driver from the vendor.

   4. You should use the restore the system from backup tapes.

2. You are a DST for a bicycle repair shop that has three Windows XP Professional workstations. The owner of the shop wants you to change the resolution of the monitor to a higher resolution. He is not happy with the way pictures of bicycles he downloads from the Internet are displayed on his monitor. One of the sites he goes to says that the pictures are best displayed at 1024 768. You are seated in front of the owner’s workstation. How should you change the resolution of his display?

   1. From Control Panel, select Appearance and Themes, change the desktop background, and then drag the slider to the 1024 768 screen resolution.

   2. Depending on the monitor the owner has, screen resolution changes are made from the monitor control buttons, normally located on the front of the monitor.

   3. Tell the user they need to purchase a new monitor.

   4. From Control Panel select Appearance and Themes, click Display, and then click the Settings tab in the Display Properties dialog box. You can then drag the slider to the 1024 768 screen resolution or the one desired.

3. You are a DST for a small cigar manufacturing company that supports 15 users running Windows XP Professional. One of the users mistakenly changed the display resolution to a value that her monitor could not handle. She tried rebooting the workstation, but the monitor did not display the startup or welcome screen. You are sitting in front of her workstation and need to reconfigure the monitor back to its original state. What should you do?

   1. Start the computer in Safe mode and uninstall the display driver.

   2. Start the computer in VGA mode, and select the correct screen resolution.

   3. Use Device Manager to uninstall the monitor.

   4. Use the Add Hardware Wizard to remove the monitor.

Objective 3.2 Answers

1. Correct Answers: A

   1. Correct: By starting the computer in Safe mode, you can use a generic video driver and then use Device Manager to disable the device or roll back to the original video driver.

   2. Incorrect: The problem is not with the monitor, but with the video driver. You should start the computer in Safe mode using a generic video driver, and then you can use Device Manager to disable the device or roll back to the original video driver.

   3. Incorrect: You do not need to download the original driver because you can roll back to the driver using Device Manager. The problem is being able to see the output from the display monitor. You must first restart the workstation in safe mode so that you can use a generic video driver that will allow you to view the screen’s output. Then you can use Device Manager to roll back to the original display driver.

   4. Incorrect: Restoring the workstation from backup tapes might solve the device driver problem, but it would be difficult to do when you cannot see what you are typing or selecting with your mouse pointer. Also, even if you could perform a restore, it might replace updated information with older information taken when the backup was initiated. Instead, you should restart the workstation in Safe mode so you can use a generic video driver that will allow you to view the screen’s output. Then you can use Device Manager to roll back to the original display driver.

2. Correct Answers: D

   1. Incorrect: From Control Panel select Appearance and Themes, click Display, click the Settings tab in the Display Properties dialog box, and then drag the slider to the 1024 768 screen resolution.

   2. Incorrect: Screen resolution changes are made by opening Control Panel, selecting Appearance and Themes, clicking Display, and then clicking the Settings tab in the Display Properties dialog box. You can then drag the slider to the 1024 768 screen resolution or the one desired.

   3. Incorrect: Screen resolution changes are made by entering Control Panel, selecting Appearance and Themes, clicking Display, and then clicking the Settings tab in the Display Properties dialog box. You can then drag the slider to the 1024 768 screen resolution or the one desired. You can also view the Display Properties dialog box by right-clicking any blank area on the desktop and selecting Properties from the drop-down menu.

   4. Correct: Screen resolution changes are made by entering the Control Panel, selecting Display, clicking the Settings tab in the Display Properties dialog box, and then dragging the slider to the desired screen resolution. You can also view the Display Properties dialog box by right-clicking any clear area on the desktop and selecting Properties from the drop-down menu.

3. Correct Answers: B

   1. Incorrect: There is not a problem with the device driver because the user has not removed or installed a new driver. In this example, the user has incorrectly configured the monitor, so you should restart the computer in VGA mode by pressing the F8 function key before the Windows logo appears, but after startup messages are displayed from BIOS.

   2. Correct: In VGA mode, you will be able to make any changes back to the original screen resolution. Restart the computer in VGA mode by pressing the F8 function key before the Windows logo appears, but after startup messages are displayed from BIOS.

   3. Incorrect: Because the monitor is not functioning, it would be difficult to do anything before you could view what was displayed after typing commands or moving the mouse. After starting the computer in VGA mode, you could now make changes to correct the errors that were made when changing the screen resolution. There is no need to uninstall the monitor or drivers because the problem is with user configuration errors, not hardware device errors.

   4. Incorrect: There is no need to uninstall the monitor or drivers because the problem is with user configuration errors, not hardware device errors. You should start the workstation in VGA mode and then make changes to correct the errors that were made when changing the screen resolution.