Objective 3.4: Configure and Troubleshoot IO Devices

Objective 3.4: Configure and Troubleshoot I/O Devices

As a DST, you will be required to troubleshoot input/output (I/O) devices, such as universal serial bus (USB), mouse devices, modems, and so on. You should be familiar with wireless technology that is very prevalent in businesses of all sizes and know how to troubleshoot connectivity problems due to I/O device driver errors or configuration errors. You should know how to create and view hardware profiles to allow different hardware configurations to occur on the same workstation, in a situation in which users log on to a docked workstation and an undocked workstation when they work outside of the office.

To answer the questions in this objective, you should know how to configure and troubleshoot I/O device drivers. You should also know how use Device Manager to view and troubleshoot I/O devices configured on your user’s workstation and what to do if a device driver is corrupted or erased from the system.

Objective 3.4 Questions

1. You are a DST for a large art supply store. There are seven Windows XP Professional workstations running inventory programs, and you recently installed one of the workstations with a new handheld scanning device to automate data entry. The user of the workstation calls you and says that after the installation, his mouse isn’t working. How could you see if there was a conflict between devices?

   1. You should use the Conflict Manager Wizard.

   2. You should use the Advanced tab of System Properties, and select the Performance tab.

   3. Device Manager indicates when there is a conflict between hardware devices.

   4. You should use the Device Troubleshooter Wizard in the General tab of System Properties.

2. Which tool provides information about the hardware devices that are installed in a workstation and gives the user the ability to update, roll back, or uninstall device drivers?

   1. Device Manager

   2. Disk Management

   3. Disk Defragmenter

   4. Hardware Device Console

3. You are a DST for a large sporting good store and support 20 users who are all running Windows XP Professional on docking workstations. Because the users are on the road half of the time, they need to have their computers configured differently when they are not at the office in the docking station. The manager calls you late this afternoon and asks if it is possible to have the workstations configured in such a way as to disable certain hardware devices when the computer was in a docking station, but enable those same devices when the computer is not docked. What should you tell the manager?

   1. You should tell the manager that the workstations will have to be configured with two removable hard drives. When the employees are at home, they will need to use the hard drive configured with the enabled devices. They will use the other hard drive when they are at the office and need to disable particular devices.

   2. You should tell the manager that it is possible using hardware profiles.

   3. You should tell the manager that the workstations must be configured in multiple boot mode, and that each operating system can be configured with a different hardware profile.

   4. You should tell the manager that it is possible using Profile Manager Wizard.

4. You are a DST for a large home repair supply store. A user who has Windows XP Professional installed on her workstation calls and says a co-worker installed a new mouse on her computer and that it isn’t working. You use Device Manager and notice that there is a yellow question mark next to the mouse, which is listed under the Mice and Other Pointing Devices section. What does the yellow question mark mean?

   1. The yellow question mark means the device is functioning, but the manufacturer is unknown.

   2. Only a yellow exclamation mark is used in Device Manager, not a yellow question mark.

   3. A yellow question mark means the device was not installed, but the driver was installed.

   4. A yellow question mark means the device was installed, but the operating system was unable to find and install a driver.

5. You are a DST for an ISP and support 25 users. One of the employees has installed a new mouse driver for the CEO without checking with the help desk. You get a call from the CEO that his mouse does not work and he wants it fixed immediately. What is the fastest way to fix the problem?

   1. Find the mouse installation software and reinstall the original mouse driver.

   2. You need to reinstall the Windows XP Professional operating system.

   3. You should double-click the mouse driver in the Device Manager utility, click the Drivers tab, and then click the Roll Back Driver button to revert back to the previous mouse driver.

   4. You should use the Delete Hardware Wizard to remove the mouse and then reinstall it.

6. You are a DST for a large book publishing company and support more than 150 Windows XP Professional workstations. Thirty of the users are using docking stations so that they can take their computers out of the office to work remotely. One of the editors had a friend disable the network interface card (NIC) for one of the hardware profiles, but now the user cannot connect to the Internet when he selects either profile. How could you view the hardware profiles configured on the user’s workstation?

   1. Select the Add Hardware Wizard from Control Panel, and then select Hardware Profiles.

   2. Select the Hardware tab of the System Properties dialog box enables, and then click the Hardware Profiles.

   3. Select the Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog box, and click the Settings button.

   4. Select the Hardware Profiles tab on the System Properties dialog box.

7. You are a DST for a large record store. A user says she recently upgraded her Windows 98 computer to Windows XP Home Edition. Now her speakers do not produce any sound when she plays a DVD. What tools can you use to troubleshoot this problem? (Choose two.)

   1. You can use the Add Hardware Wizard, and select the Test Speaker option.

   2. You can use the Add Hardware Wizard, select the hardware device you wish to test, and view the current status of the device.

   3. You can use the Add or Remove Programs utility and uninstall the device drivers for the speakers.

   4. You can use Device Manager to verify whether the device was working properly.

8. You are a DST for a resort that relies heavily on wireless technology. Several of your users are running Windows XP Professional laptops with IEEE 802.11b NICs, and the rest are running Windows XP Home Edition workstations with IEEE 802.11g NICs. The network administrator has upgraded from an IEEE 802.11b access point to an IEEE 802.11g Access Point. The three users with the 802.11b NIC cards are concerned that they will no longer be able to use the wireless network. What will you tell them?

   1. You should tell them that they must upgrade their NICs to 802.11g.

   2. You should tell them that 802.11g is backward compatible with 802.11b.

   3. You should tell them that they need to buy a Wireless Digital Amplifier (WDA).

   4. You should tell them to use a 10/100 megabits per second (Mbps) Ethernet NIC.

9. You are a DST for a nursing home and you support 15 users. The users are all running Windows XP Home Edition. One of the nurses calls you and says that none of his USB-connected devices are working. You suspect that one of the connected devices is drawing too much power and causing the problem. How should you check to see if this is indeed the problem?

   1. You should select Power Options from Control Panel, and click the USB Device tab.

   2. You should use the Power Options utility in Control Panel, select the Advance tab, and click the USB device button.

   3. You should use Device Manager, and select the USB Root Hub from the Universal Serial Bus Controllers node. There, you can select the Power tab and view all attached USB devices.

   4. You can use Device Manager and select the Power Management tab of the USB Root Hub Properties dialog box.

10. You are a DST for a private flight school that has four workstations running Windows XP Professional. One of the instructors installed a new USB joystick to his workstation and calls you to say that the joystick is not functioning. He wants to use the original joystick and needs to have it running within an hour. What is the fastest way to resolve this problem?

    1. Using Device Manager, uninstall the new device, plug in the original USB joystick and have it automatically install the drivers.

    2. Using Device Manager, revert back to the original driver using Roll Back Driver button.

    3. Use the Remove Drivers Wizard to uninstall the new joystick and select the option to install the new one manually.

    4. Restart Windows XP Professional, and press the F8 key when prompted to do so.

Objective 3.4 Answers

1. Correct Answers: C

   1. Incorrect: There is no such wizard. Device Manager indicates when there is a conflict between hardware devices.

   2. Incorrect: The Performance tab is not used to display device conflicts.

   3. Correct: You should use Device Manager.

   4. Incorrect: There is no such wizard. Device Manager indicates when there is a conflict between hardware devices.

2. Correct Answers: A

   1. Correct: Device Manager is the tool to use when you have problems with a device not functioning or if you need to update device drivers, uninstall a device, or troubleshoot conflicts that might exist between two devices.

   2. Incorrect: Disk Management is used to manage your hard disks and removable storage devices, such as CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, and DVD-R drives. With Disk Management, you can create, remove, and format partitions, change drive letters, convert basic disks to dynamic disks, and check the status or health of each partition or volume.

   3. Incorrect: Disk Defragmenter is used to defragment a partition. A fragmented partition is one in which data is not stored in contiguous files. This can slow down disk access speed because data in one file might be spread across multiple areas of the hard disk.

   4. Incorrect: There is no such tool. Device Manager is the tool used to troubleshoot problems that you might be experiencing with a hardware device, or if you need to update device drivers, uninstall a device, or troubleshoot conflicts that might exist between two devices.

3. Correct Answers: B

   1. Incorrect: You should tell the manager that it is possible using hardware profiles. A hardware profile can be configured on a workstation using the Hardware tab of the System Properties dialog box. There, you can create a different profile name and, through Device Manager, configure which devices you want enabled or disabled if that profile is selected by the user when they are prompted at system startup.

   2. Correct: A hardware profile can be configured on a workstation using the Hardware tab of the System Properties dialog box. There, you can select the Hardware Profiles button and create a new hardware profile by copying the default profile and editing it. Through Device Manager, you can configure which devices you want enabled or disabled if that profile is selected by the user when prompted at system startup.

   3. Incorrect: There is no reason to create a dual-bootable operating system because the manager has not indicated one was needed in this scenario. You should tell the manager that it is possible using hardware profiles to have two different hardware configurations. A hardware profile can be configured on a workstation using the Hardware tab of the System Properties dialog box. There, you can select the Hardware Profiles button and create a new hardware profile by copying the default profile and editing it. Through Device Manager, you can configure which devices you want enabled or disabled if that profile is selected by the user when prompted at system startup.

   4. Incorrect: There is no such wizard. You should tell the manager that it is possible using hardware profiles. A hardware profile can be configured on a workstation using the Hardware tab of the System Properties dialog box. There, you can select the Hardware Profiles button and create a new hardware profile. Through Device Manager, you can configure which devices you want enabled or disabled if that profile is selected by the user when they are prompted at system startup.

4. Correct Answers: D

   1. Incorrect: A yellow question mark means the device was installed but the operating system was unable to find and install a driver.

   2. Incorrect: A yellow question mark means the device was installed, but the operating system was unable to find and install a driver. A yellow exclamation point means there is a problem with a device.

   3. Incorrect: A yellow question mark means the device was installed, but the operating system was unable to find and install a driver.

   4. Correct: A yellow question mark means the device was installed, but the operating system was unable to find and install a driver. A yellow exclamation point means there is a problem with a device, and a red X means the device has been disabled.

5. Correct Answers: C

   1. Incorrect: This will work, but it is faster to double-click the mouse driver in the Device Manager utility, click the Drivers tab, and then click the Roll Back Driver button to revert back to the previous mouse driver.

   2. Incorrect: Reinstalling the operating system might or might not correct the mouse driver problem. If a new mouse was installed after the operating system was installed, reinstalling the operating system will not solve the problem. In this scenario, we are only concerned with replacing the mouse driver, not the operating system. Simply double-click the mouse driver in the Device Manager utility, click the Drivers tab, and then click the Roll Back Driver button to revert back to the previous mouse driver.

   3. Correct: The roll back feature available in Windows XP Professional can save you a lot of time and effort. Double-click the mouse driver in the Device Manager utility, click the Drivers tab, and then click the Roll Back Driver button to revert back to the previous mouse driver.

   4. Incorrect: There is no such wizard. To revert back to the original mouse driver, simply double-click the mouse driver in the Device Manager utility, click the Drivers tab, and then click the Roll Back Driver button to revert back to the previous mouse driver.

6. Correct Answers: B

   1. Incorrect: Select the Hardware tab in System Properties dialog box, and then click the Hardware Profiles button.

   2. Correct: A hardware profile can be configured on a workstation using the Hardware tab of the System Properties dialog box. There, you can select the Hardware Profiles button and create a new hardware profile or see which hardware profiles have been created. Through Device Manager, you can configure which devices you want enabled or disabled if that profile is selected by the user when he is prompted at system startup.

   3. Incorrect: The Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog box enables you to configure user profiles, startup and recovery parameters, visual effects, processor scheduling, memory usage, and virtual memory. A hardware profile can be configured on a workstation using the Hardware tab of the System Properties dialog box. There, you can select the Hardware Profiles button and create a new hardware profile. Through Device Manager, you can configure which devices you want enabled or disabled if that profile is selected by the user when he is prompted at system startup.

   4. Incorrect: There is no such tab on the System Properties dialog box. To view or create a hardware profile select the Hardware tab on the System Properties dialog box. There, you can select the Hardware Profiles button and create a new hardware profile.

7. Correct Answers: B, D

   1. Incorrect: There is no such option. To troubleshoot hardware devices, you should use Device Manager.

   2. Correct: The Add Hardware Wizard can also be used to troubleshoot devices already installed on your computer.

   3. Incorrect: The Add or Remove Programs is used to remove software programs, not hardware devices. Device Manager and Add Hardware Wizard should be used to troubleshoot hardware device problems.

   4. Correct: Device Manager can be used to troubleshoot hardware devices as well as update, roll back, and uninstall hardware device drivers.

8. Correct Answers: B

   1. Incorrect: 802.11g Access Points are backward compatible with 802.11b.

   2. Correct: 802.11g Access Points are backward compatible with 802.11b.

   3. Incorrect: There is no such thing needed. 802.11g Access Points are backward compatible with 802.11b.

   4. Incorrect: A 10/100 Mbps Ethernet NIC will not work on a wireless network. Because 802.11g Access Points are backward compatible with 802.11b, there is no need to do anything.

9. Correct Answers: C

   1. Incorrect: There is no such tab in Power Options. To troubleshoot USB devices, you should use Device Manager. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers’ node and then double-click the USB Root Hub. From the USB Root Hub Properties dialog box, click the Power tab and note the attached devices and power-required hardware devices.

   2. Incorrect: The Power Options utility does not contain any references to USB devices. To troubleshoot USB devices, you should use Device Manager. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers’ node and then double-click the USB Root Hub. From the USB Root Hub Properties dialog box, click the Power tab and note the attached devices and power-required hardware devices.

   3. Correct: To troubleshoot USB devices, you should use Device Manager. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers’ node and then double-click USB Root Hub. From the USB Root Hub Properties dialog box, click the Power tab and note the attached devices and power-required hardware devices.

   4. Incorrect: To troubleshoot USB devices, you should use Device Manager. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers’ node and then double-click the USB Root Hub. From the USB Root Hub Properties dialog box, click the Power tab and note the attached devices and power-required hardware devices. The Power Management tab displays two options: Allow The Computer To Turn Off This Device To Save Power, and Allow This Device To Bring The Computer Out Of Standby.

10. Correct Answers: A

    1. Correct: USB devices usually take little or no configuration.

    2. Incorrect: In this scenario, we want to revert back to the original hardware, not just change the driver.

    3. Incorrect: There is no such wizard. You should use Device Manager to uninstall the new device, plug in the original USB joystick, and have it automatically install the drivers.

    4. Incorrect: To uninstall the new joystick, you should use the Device Manager to uninstall the new device, plug in the original USB joystick, and have it automatically install the drivers.