CompTIA Updated 220-1201 Exam Questions and Answers by essa

A shutdown during POST combined with a burning smell strongly indicates an overheating condition occurring almost immediately after power-on. In a newly built workstation, the most common cause of rapid CPU overheating is improper heatsink installation, especially failing to apply thermal paste (thermal compound) between the CPU and the heatsink. Thermal paste fills microscopic imperfections between the two metal surfaces so heat can transfer efficiently into the heatsink. Without it, the CPU can spike to unsafe temperatures within seconds. Modern systems detect this and trigger protective thermal shutdown during POST to prevent permanent CPU or motherboard damage. The burning smell can occur when components near the CPU socket heat excessively or when protective coatings/dust residues warm quickly due to poor heat dissipation.

The wrong type of RAM (B) would more likely cause no-boot/beep codes rather than a burning smell. Not properly grounding (A) relates to ESD damage risk, but that typically causes intermittent or dead hardware symptoms, not immediate thermal shutdown. A disconnected case exhaust fan (C) can contribute to higher case temperatures, but it’s less likely to cause an immediate POST shutdown compared to missing thermal paste on the CPU cooler.

C. Installing redundant PSUs (Power Supply Units):

Redundant PSUs provide fault tolerance by ensuring that if one power supply fails, another will take over seamlessly.

This is a cost-effective way to increase uptime while waiting for the UPSs to arrive.

Incorrect Options:

A. Purchasing backup generators: Generators are costly and are typically used for long-term outages, not as an immediate or cost-effective solution.

B. Increasing input voltage: This is not a practical solution to hardware failures or power issues.

D. Activating a hot site: A hot site is an expensive, fully operational backup facility that would not be a cost-effective solution for this scenario.

Key Takeaway: Installing redundant PSUs is a cost-effective way to balance uptime requirements in case of power or hardware failure.

When a technician encounters a burning smell, it is a critical safety issue. The first response must be to immediately power down and disconnect the device from all power sources to prevent electric shock, fire, or further hardware damage.

From the CompTIA A+ 220-1101 Official Study Guide, Objective 4.1 – Troubleshoot common hardware problems:

" Signs of electrical issues such as burning smells, smoke, or sparks require an immediate shutdown of the system and disconnection from any power source. "

After ensuring safety, the technician should inspect the hardware for visible signs of damage:

From the same Objective (4.1):

" Inspect for foreign objects, liquid damage, or burnt components. These can cause short circuits or thermal events that may damage the motherboard or other internal components. "

These steps are standard practice in the industry to ensure safe and accurate diagnosis of faulty devices. Trying a different adapter (Option F) may make the problem worse, and contacting vendors (Option D) comes after initial safety and inspection.

Verified Source:

CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) Official Study Guide, Chapter 4: Troubleshooting Hardware Problems

CompTIA Exam Objectives 220-1101, Domain 4.0 – Hardware and Network Troubleshooting

CompTIA A+ explains that Wi-Fi issues at the edges of a building are typically caused by weak signal coverage, not client configuration. The recommended solution is to add additional wireless access points (APs) or mesh extenders to expand coverage and eliminate dead zones.

Enabling 5GHz would worsen the problem because 5GHz has shorter range and penetrates walls less effectively than 2.4GHz. Flushing DNS affects name resolution, not wireless signal strength. Upgrading the NIC to Wi-Fi 6 improves maximum throughput but still depends on sufficient signal, which the user does not have.

Additional APs ensure strong signal-to-noise ratio, consistent throughput, and stable roaming all solutions emphasized in the A+ wireless troubleshooting section. Therefore, option D is the correct and CompTIA-aligned fix.