The correct answer is B. Replacing the fans .

According to CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1201 objectives under Hardware and Troubleshooting:

A computer that gradually slows down and then shuts down without warning is often experiencing overheating .

Overheating can occur when cooling fans fail or dust accumulates, preventing proper airflow. Replacing or cleaning fans restores cooling and prevents thermal shutdowns.

Why the other options are incorrect:

A. Upgrading the memory: Would improve system performance if there is insufficient RAM but does not prevent thermal shutdowns caused by overheating.

C. Adding drive space: Helps with storage capacity but does not affect CPU/GPU heat or thermal shutdown.

D. Swapping the power supply: Would address power delivery issues, but the scenario describes gradual slowdown before shutdown, which is characteristic of thermal issues rather than immediate power failure.

Bluetooth audio issues are typically related to distance and signal strength, not internet connectivity or Wi-Fi access points. Bluetooth devices—especially headsets—generally have a limited effective range of around 10 meters (33 feet) for Class 2 Bluetooth, which is common in consumer laptops and headsets. When the user leaves the room and walks into adjacent offices, they are likely moving beyond the optimal Bluetooth range or passing through walls that weaken the signal.

CompTIA A+ highlights that Bluetooth uses low-power radio frequencies easily disrupted by physical obstructions, distance, and interference. Since the laptop remains stationary and the user moves, the headset becomes progressively further from the laptop, causing intermittent audio dropouts, stuttering, or loss of connection.

The number of APs (A) is irrelevant because the headset is not using Wi-Fi. Mesh mode (C) applies only to wireless AP-to-AP communication. The internet connection (D) is high-quality fiber and conference calls work fine when stationary, so the issue is not bandwidth or WAN throughput.

Thus, the most likely cause is that the user is moving in and out of Bluetooth range.

If a laptop has a USB flash drive connected during startup, the system firmware BIOS or UEFI may attempt to boot from that USB device depending on the configured boot order or boot priority. This can cause intermittent startup behavior because the laptop might sometimes detect the flash drive as a bootable device and try to load from it instead of the internal drive, leading to delays, boot errors, or unexpected screens. The correct fix is to adjust boot options in BIOS/UEFI: set the internal SSD/HDD as the first boot device, reduce the priority of USB boot devices, or disable booting from external media when appropriate for the environment. This addresses the root cause directly and prevents the presence of a flash drive from affecting normal startup.

BitLocker and TPM features relate to drive encryption and secure key storage and are not the primary reason the system is changing its boot behavior. “USB Enable” would control whether USB ports function, but disabling USB entirely is not a targeted first step and could break keyboards/mice or legitimate USB use. Therefore, the correct configuration item is Boot options.

A hybrid cloud combines private infrastructure (on-premises, self-operated data centers) with public cloud services, providing flexibility and scalability.

From CompTIA A+ 220-1101 Official Study Guide, Objective 3.7 – Cloud concepts:

“A hybrid cloud model integrates private and public cloud infrastructure to allow applications and data to be shared between them.”

Verified Source:

CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) Official Study Guide, Chapter 3: Cloud Computing

CompTIA Exam Objectives 220-1101, Domain 3.7

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RAID 6 is the RAID level that provides double parity, allowing the system to tolerate the failure of two disks simultaneously without data loss. According to CompTIA Core 1 (220-1201) storage and RAID objectives, RAID 6 improves fault tolerance by storing two independent parity blocks across all disks in the array.

RAID 0 provides no parity or redundancy and focuses only on performance through striping. RAID 1 uses mirroring, duplicating data across two drives but does not use parity. RAID 5 uses single parity, allowing recovery from only one failed drive.

For environments such as a local bank, where data integrity and availability are critical, RAID 6 is commonly preferred due to its higher fault tolerance compared to RAID 5. Although RAID 6 has slightly lower write performance due to the additional parity calculation, the increased resilience makes it suitable for mission-critical systems.

CompTIA highlights RAID 6 as a common enterprise solution when both redundancy and reliability are priorities.

If the system reports“Bootable device not found”, and the BIOS is configured correctly, the next step is torun diagnostics on the hard driveto check for physical or logical failure. It could be a sign of afailing drive or corrupt boot sector.

Option A:Reformatting the drive would erase data not a diagnostic step.

Option C:RAM does not affect whether a drive is bootable.

Option D:Replacing the drive should only be doneafter diagnostics confirm failure.

CompTIA A+ Core 1 Exam Objective Reference:

Objective 3.5: Given a scenario, troubleshoot problems related to storage devices.

A Lightning cable provides the best connectivity performance when you want strong, stable connectivity while keeping required accessories to a minimum. In a mobile troubleshooting and connectivity context, this refers to USB tethering from an iPhone to another device (such as a laptop). Wired tethering typically offers higher throughput, lower latency, and better stability than wireless tethering methods because it avoids Wi-Fi interference, signal loss, and radio congestion. It also reduces configuration variables—once the cable is connected and tethering is enabled, the connection is generally consistent and less prone to dropouts than wireless options.

A hotspot can provide good performance, but it relies on Wi-Fi and is more susceptible to interference and distance, and it also increases battery drain. Bluetooth tethering works with minimal setup but is usually the slowest option and is best suited for low-bandwidth needs. NFC is used for short-range pairing or tap-to-connect actions and does not provide an internet data connection by itself. Therefore, the best option for performance with limited accessories is using a Lightning cable.

When a laptop powers on but the screen is blank, the quickest way to isolate the problem is to connect to an external monitor. This helps determine if the issue is with the laptop display or with the graphics subsystem.

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

“A blank screen on a laptop with power indicators lit should be tested with an external display first to rule out a faulty screen or ribbon cable.”

Verified Source:

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

CompTIA Exam Objectives 220-1101, Domain 4.1

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SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) is a high-performance drive interface commonly found in enterprise environments and servers due to its reliability and speed. While SATA is more common in consumer systems, SAS is specifically designed for mission-critical applications, offering features like full-duplex operation and compatibility with SATA drives.