TestOut LabSim A+ Certification Practice Exam

If a computer hangs after asking for the current time and date, what is the most likely problem?

1. The RAM is incompatible.

2. The CMOS battery has failed.

3. The hard drive is corrupted.

4. There is a virus present.

The correct answer is: The CMOS battery has failed.

When a computer hangs after prompting for the current time and date, the most likely issue is related to the CMOS battery. The CMOS battery powers the BIOS firmware in the computer, which retains system settings such as the time and date when the computer is powered off. If the CMOS battery fails or loses its charge, the BIOS cannot keep track of the time and date. This can lead to the system hanging during the boot process as it is unable to retrieve or set the necessary configuration parameters. In contrast, while incompatible RAM may cause system instability, it typically wouldn't manifest specifically at the point of prompting for time and date. A corrupted hard drive might prevent the operating system from loading, but it wouldn't necessarily cause the specific behavior of halting at the time and date prompt. Lastly, the presence of a virus is a possibility in many cases, but it is less likely to directly disrupt the BIOS settings related to time and date. Therefore, the failure of the CMOS battery is the most logical and directly related cause of the described behavior.