BIOS & UEFI
What does BIOS stand for?
Basic Input/Output System.
Fixed disk (HDD/SSD) and optical drive or USB drive and Network/PXE.
The wall outlet / power cable connection.
What do the initials S.M.A.R.T. refer to in relation to hard drives?
Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology.
Name two common causes of overheating inside a PC.
Dust-clogged fans/heatsink, failed fans, poor airflow, high ambient temperature, or thermal paste issues.
Name one key purpose of UEFI compared to legacy BIOS.
UEFI supports larger drives, faster boot, GUI, secure boot, and modern features (any one is acceptable).
To boot from installation media, recovery tools, or to change which device the OS loads from.
Describe the power flow chain you should verify when diagnosing power issues.
Outlet → Power cable → Power supply → Motherboard → Components (verify each link).
Give two symptoms that indicate a drive may be failing.
Unusual noises (clicking/grinding), frequent read/write errors, drive not recognized, slow performance, audible alarms.
What simple component failure can cause the system clock/date to reset on restart?
Identify two types of passwords you can set in BIOS/UEFI to restrict access.
Supervisor/Admin/BIOS password and user/system password (also possible: HDD password).
Give two examples of USB permissions or controls that can be configured in firmware.
Enable/disable USB controllers, disable specific ports, or block USB mass storage devices.
Name one tool or method to test whether a power supply is working correctly.
Use a power supply tester or a multimeter; alternatively swap with a known-good PSU.
What are bad sectors and how do they affect drive performance?
Bad sectors are disk areas that cannot reliably hold data; they cause read/write failures, slow I/O, and may lead to data corruption.
List three possible reasons for a blank monitor when the PC is powered on
Loose/incorrect cable connections, faulty GPU, incorrect input selected on monitor, failed backlight or projector bulb.
Explain what Secure Boot does in one sentence.
Secure Boot verifies the digital signatures of boot loaders and OS components to prevent unsigned/unauthorized code from loading.
Explain why an M.2/NVMe drive might not appear in the OS even though it is installed (name two causes).
Drive not recognized due to wrong BIOS/UEFI mode (e.g., SATA/NVMe disabled), incorrect driver/firmware, or physical connection issue / M.2 screw missing; also incompatible slot or power.
List three possible causes of no POST (Power-On Self-Test) other than a dead power supply.
Faulty CPU, defective RAM, corrupted firmware, loose cables, or motherboard failure. (Any two)
Explain the difference between MBR and GPT partitioning in one sentence.
MBR uses a single master boot record and supports up to four primary partitions with size limits; GPT supports larger disks, many partitions, and stores multiple partition copies for redundancy.
Describe two hardware checks you would perform if a display shows artifacting or flickering.
Reseat or replace video cable and connectors, swap to a known-good monitor, reseat GPU, update/reinstall video drivers, check temperatures and power to GPU.
TPM securely stores cryptographic keys, certificates, and hashed passwords; used for secure boot, disk encryption keys, and hardware-based security.
Describe how you would use BIOS/UEFI settings to troubleshoot a system that won't boot from USB (step-by-step in two to three steps).
Ensure USB is enabled in firmware, set USB device ahead of internal drive in boot order, disable secure boot if necessary or enable legacy/CSM temporarily (explain steps and test).
A computer powers on for a few seconds then shuts off. Provide three potential hardware causes and a quick diagnostic action for each.
Possible causes: overheating (check fans/heat sink), short or shorted component (inspect for damage, remove non-essential cards), faulty PSU (test with PSU tester or swap). Diagnostic actions: monitor temps in BIOS/UEFI, remove/disconnect peripherals, try known-good PSU.
Describe a step-by-step plan to recover from a corrupted boot sector (include at least two distinct actions).
Steps: boot to recovery media, run command-line repair tools (e.g., bootrec /fixmbr, bootrec /fixboot, or equivalent), check for malware, restore from backup or repair using OS install media; if hardware failure suspected, image the drive before repair.
A laptop screen is dim and fuzzy but the system works otherwise. Provide three troubleshooting steps to isolate whether the problem is software, cable/connector, or display hardware.
Steps: check and update GPU drivers (software), test with external monitor or alternate cable (cable/connector), connect to known-good external display or replace screen assembly (hardware). Also check brightness/OS display settings and GPU power