Most Asked Technical Support Interview Questions
Following is a list of most frequently asked technical support interview questions and their best possible answers.
1) What do you think about the role of a technical support engineer?
The job role of a technical support engineer is to maintain and monitor the computers and the networks of an organization or provide online support for the organization’s clients.
A technical support engineer is responsible for doing the following tasks:
- Install and configure the OS, hardware, software, and other online applications.
- Maintain and monitor computers and networks.
- Log in to customer’s and employee’s queries.
- Analyze and discover underlying issues.
- Find and resolve the issues related to both hardware and software.
- Testing new technologies and evaluate them.
- Perform safety checks, etc.
2) Why are you interested in Technical Support?
The interviewer asks this question to check your passion for the job. Your answer must be sincere and honest, and you have a great understanding of this job profile and its purpose.
A Sample Answer: Sir, I have always been fascinated by technology, and I enjoy working with people. It’s my hobby to solve the customers’ issues, and I enjoy troubleshooting other’s issues.
3) What are some of the latest computer processors?
Following is a list of some latest computer processors:
- Intel Core i9
- Intel Core i7
- Intel Core i5
- Intel Core i3
- AMD Ryzen 9
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper
- AMD Ryzen 7 etc.
4) What is Windows Recovery Environment? How can you access it?
Windows Recovery Environment or Windows RE is a recovery environment. It is used to repair common causes of unbootable operating systems. Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) is based on Windows Pre-installation Environment (Windows PE). You can easily customize it with additional drivers, languages, Windows PE Optional Components, and other troubleshooting and diagnostic tools. By default, Windows RE is preloaded into the Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2012 R2 installations.
We can easily access the Windows RE features through the Boot Options menu by using any of the following steps:
- Select Start, Power, and then press and hold the Shift key and click the Restart
- Select Start, Settings, Update and Security, Recovery. Now, go under the “Advanced startup” and click Restart now
- Open the command prompt and run the Shutdown /r /o command to achieve this.
5) What does the sign question mark ‘?’ indicates in the device manager?
When the sign question mark “?” appears in the device manager, it indicates that it is not properly installed. We can see this problem mainly in brand new plug-in cards.
6) What is your way to troubleshoot an issue?
The interviewer asks this question to check your approach towards identifying a problem and finding its solution. It also shows your attitude towards problem-solving. Remember that the first thing in troubleshooting is to get all the facts first.
While answering this question, you must focus on the following things:
- Your aim should be to satisfy the customer’s needs as quickly as possible.
- Your focus should be to minimize the downtime of your client. So, if you find multiple issues, there will be multiple fixes that might be unrelated. It would help if you always remembered that time management very critical in technical support.
You can answer this question in the following way:
A Sample Answer: Sir, the first thing I do is listen to my client carefully to identify the problem. Then, I go through all the necessary steps for rectifying that problem. Now, I create a detailed and accurate troubleshooting plan that must be extensive and adaptable for the client.
7) How would you deal with a customer who complains about a brand new printer and system for not getting a good print copy?
If you have any technical support experience, you may have faced this type of problem. You can cope up with the client in the following way:
A Sample Answer: Sir, I will first ask the customer whether he has properly connected his system with the printer. Then, I would ask him to check the Device Driver. In most cases, if you install an incorrect Device Driver, the print copy would not be clear. If this not solves the client’s issue, I would diagnose some other cases or transfer this case further to my seniors.
8) How do you keep yourself updated with the current technology?
The interviewer asks this question to check your interest in the latest trends and technologies. You can answer this question in the following way:
Sir, I follow some technology tabloids regularly and also keep me connected with social networking sites. On these platforms, I can see the technological advancement news easily. I also keep surfing the latest technology on the internet.
9) What do you understand by Ping?
Ping is used to checking the connectivity with the IP address. It is a computer network administration software utility that is used to test the reach of a host on an Internet Protocol network. It is available for virtually all operating systems with networking capability, including most embedded network administration software.
10) What is an IP Address? What is its usage?
An IP address is a unique numerical address identifier of every device connected to a computer network. An IP address looks like this: 216.27.61.141. It gives a unique identity to a network.
11) How can you detect a computer’s IP address?
We can easily detect a computer’s IP Address by following the steps given below:
- Go to Start > Run > Type in CMD in the Run Dialogue Box and click OK.
- Type in IPCONFIG in the Command Prompt screen that pops up, and then click the “Enter” button.
12) Which are the essential things in identifying the problems and solving them in tech support?
Manuals, Knowledge, team members, and experience are some crucial things that would be helpful to troubleshoot the problem and solving them.
13) What is a Data Cable? Why is it used?
A Data Cable is a thin plastic band-like cable used to connect the Data-Devices such as Hard-disk drives (HDD), Floppy Disk Drives, CD/DVD-ROM drives with the motherboard. Data Cables are mainly used for data transfer.
14) What is a Microprocessor? What is its use?
A microprocessor is a program-controlled device used to retrieve the data instructions from memory and decodes them. After solving the instructions, it executes them for further process.
15) What is the disadvantage of microprocessors?
The most significant disadvantage of a microprocessor is the limitation on the size of the data. It also does not support floating-point operations.
16) Why 8085 microprocessor is called an 8-bit processor?
8085 microprocessor is called an 8-bit processor because it has an 8 bit ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit).
17) What do lights indicate on a Modem / LAN Card?
Generally, there are 04 lights on a Modem / LAN Card that indicates the following thing:
- Power Light: The power light is used to show if the device (Modem) is getting Power Supply or not.
- Link Light: The link light is used to indicate if the device is getting broadband/internet signals properly from the ISP.
- Data Light: The data light is used to indicate whether the internet is working or not.
- Connectivity Light: The connectivity light indicates that the Modem is connected to a PC or not.
18) What is an average call period while dealing with the customers?
Generally, the expected period of an average call would be around 2-3 minutes. Sometimes, it would be less or more depending on the complexity of the problem.
19) What are the different hardware components of a desktop computer or laptop?
The interviewer asks this question to test your basic knowledge of computers. Main hardware components for desktop and laptop computers are the motherboard, processor, RAM, monitor, mouse, soundcard, keyboard, graphics, hard disk drive, power supply, floppy disk drive, etc.
20) What do you understand by stack? Can we use ROM as a stack?
Stack is a part of RAM used to save the content of the program counter and general-purpose registers. We cannot use ROM as a stack because it is not possible to write on ROM.
21) What do you understand by Hard-Disk Partitions?
Hard-Disk Partition is a type of partition used to divide a Hard-disk drive into smaller segments as required by the user. It is done for better management of the space in it.
22) What is the use of Latch?
Latch is a temporary storage device controlled by a timing signal. It can only store 0 or 1. It is a D-type flip-flop storage device.
23) What do you understand by DHCP?
DHCP is an acronym that stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. It is a network protocol that is used to enable the server to assign an IP address to a computer automatically.
24) What do you understand by the OSI model?
OSI is an acronym that stands for Open System Interconnection. The OSI model is a conceptual model or a standard description, or a reference model that characterizes a telecommunication or computing system’s communication functions. It specifies how a message should be conveyed between any two points within a telecommunication network. The OSI model comprises several layers, and each layer provides services to its above layer. This model was developed by ISO ‘International Organization of Standardization’ in the year 1984.
25) What are the seven different layers of the OSI model? Explain its architecture in detail.
The OSI model’s architecture consists of the seven layers that work collaboratively to transmit the data from one person to another across the globe.
Following is the list of all seven layers of the OSI model:
- Physical Layer: The physical layer is the lowest layer of the OSI reference model. It is responsible for the actual physical connection between the devices. This layer contains information in the form of bits and transmits individual bits from one node to the next. After receiving the data, this layer gets a signal received, converts it into 0s and 1s, and sends them to the Data Link layer.
- Data Link Layer: The data link layer is used to transmit messages form node to node. This layer ensures that the data transfer is error-free from one node to another over the physical layer. The Data Link Layer is divided into two sub-layers: Logical Link Control (LLC) and Media Access Control (MAC).
- Network Layer: The network layer is responsible for transmitting data from one host to the other located in different networks. It is also used for packet routing.
- Transport Layer: The transport layer is used to make communication between the application layer and network layer. The data in the transport layer is called Segments. It ensures the End to End Delivery of the complete message and provides an acknowledgment of the successful data transmission, and re-transmits the data if an error is found.
- Session Layer: The Session layer is used for connection establishment, maintenance of sessions, and authentication. It is also responsible for ensuring security.
- Presentation Layer: The Presentation layer is responsible for extracting the data from the application layer and manipulating it as per the required format to transmit over the network. The main functions of the presentation layer are translation, encryption/ decryption, and compression. It is also called the translation layer.
- Application Layer: The Application layer is the topmost layer of the OSI Reference Model. The network applications implement it. These applications produce the data, which has to be transferred over the network. This layer also acts as a window for the application services to access the web and display the received information to the user. That’s why this layer is called the desktop layer.
26) What do you understand by TCP/IP? What does it do?
TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol or Internet protocol. It is a suite of communication protocols used to interconnect network devices on the internet. We can say that it is used to connect hosts on the internet by transferring data over the network. It can also be used as a communications protocol in a private computer network, an intranet, or an extranet.
27) How would you resolve this issue if audio is not working or there is no sound from your computer?
We should follow the steps given below to resolve the “audio is not working or there is no sound from your computer” issue:
- Check for cable connections
- Check for power to the speakers
- Check for volume control
- Check for device drivers
28) What are the usages of RJ45 and RJ11 connectors?
The RJ45 connectors are used for LAN/internet connections, while RJ11 connectors are used for Table cable connections.
29) What do you understand by Cache memory? What is the advantage of a processor having more cache memory?
Cache memory is a high-speed memory type that acts as a buffer between RAM and the CPU. The cache memory holds the requested data and instructions to make it immediately available to the CPU when required. It is also used to reduce the average time to access data from the Main memory. When the cache memory increases, the speed of the system will also increase. So, if a processor has more cache memory, it will be faster.
30) What is the full form of SATA? What is its usage?
The full form of SATA is Serial Advanced Technology Attachment. It is a high-speed computer bus interface used for transferring data between a computer’s central circuit board and storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical drives. SATA was designed to replace the long-standing PATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment) interface.
31) What do you understand by Jumper, and why is it required?
In electronics (particularly in computers), a jumper is a short length of conductor used to close, open or bypass part of an electronic circuit. It is generally used to close the electric circuit and change the board’s parameters. It is also used to set up or configure printed circuit boards, such as computers’ motherboards.
32) What is the difference between SDK and an API?
Following is the list of key differences between SDK and an API:
| SDK | API |
|---|---|
| SDK stands for Software Development Kit. | API stands for Application Programming Interface. |
| SDK is a software development kit that offers tools, code samples, libraries, processes, guides or relevant documents for creating software applications on specific platforms. | The API is an interface used to allow the software to interact with each other. |
| An SDK is a complete workshop that can allow us to create beyond the scope of API. | An API can translate and transfer two different instruction sets for mutual understanding. |
| An SDK is almost the origin point of nearly every program that we use. | The API comes in many sizes and shapes. Sometimes, it is required even to copy paste. |
| Sometimes, SDK contains API. | API is used for different functions in the World Wide Web. The Web API facilitates interaction between disparate systems, especially for specific cases. |
33) What are the different types of DRAM, and what is its usage?
DRAM is a specific type of RAM. DRAM stands for Dynamic Random-Access Memory. It is a type of semiconductor memory that is typically used for the data or program code needed by a computer processor to function. DRAM is a common type of random access memory (RAM) used in personal computers, workstations, and servers. The different types of DRAM are SRAM, VRAM, SGRAM, DDR-SDRAM, etc.
34) Suppose you have to access a file on a shared drive, but for some reason, you are unable to. How would you handle this situation?
The interviewer asks this question to see your approach to solve this problem. See a sample answer:
A Sample Answer: Sir, I will first check if the system that is sharing the drive is turned on or not. If it is, I will check the other files that I have permission to access to see if the issue is with all the files. I will also check if I have the correct permissions to access that particular file. If everything is okay and yet I am not able to access that file, then I will make sure that the programs are working fine to copy that file on our local drive.
I will also ensure that the file is not currently being used by someone else.
35) What might be the problems when you don’t see the display?
There may be the following problems when you don’t see the display:
- Power related issues
- Heat sink related issues
- CPU fan-related issues
- Improper Jumper settings
36) What is a heat sink, and what is its usage in the system?
A heat sink is a component used to lower the temperature of a device. It is used on the microprocessor, and if it is not functioning well, then the computer may shut down automatically.
37) What do you understand by overclocking? What are the advantages of overclocking?
Overclocking is a process where the computer component is forced to run at a higher clock rate.
Following are the main advantages of overclocking:
- It increases the CPU’s performance.
- It saves the cost.
- It makes PC games and applications run faster.
38) What do you understand by chipset? How is it different from processor and Motherboard?
Chipset is one of the processing devices in a computer. It is a set of integrated circuits designed to control how information travels between the processor and other components. This is a set of microchips to work as a unit to perform one or more related functions. Chipset is a built-in feature of Motherboard. Let’s see how it is different from processor and Motherboard:
Processor: A processor is the central integrated circuit block used to do functions according to a computer program’s instruction. It is based on the logical, arithmetical, and input/output of the system.
Motherboard: The Motherboard contains all other components such as CPU, Memory, and socket for external connectors and drives.
39) What is the packaging of a Microprocessor? What are the different ways of packaging available?
Packaging is the process of connecting a microprocessor with the Motherboard of a computer. Following are the different types of microprocessor packaging available:
- PGA
- SPGA
- SECC
- LGA
40) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Imaging Software?
followings are the advantages and disadvantages of using Imaging Software:
Advantages of using Imaging Software
- We can create precisely duplicate content from one hard disk to another by using Imaging Software.
- It can be used to simultaneously deliver complex drive images to one or many systems over the network.
- If the utility knows individual partitions of file systems, you can use it to resize them for many file systems.
Disadvantages of using Imaging software
- It has limited intimate knowledge of file systems, resulting in the copying of source hard disk into image block by block. That’s why it takes a long time.
- It is slow and takes a lot of time to complete the work for large disks.
- It provides a bit of recovery from errors or its detection during the image generation and deployment.
- It is costly. The best imaging software is commercial and expensive.
41) What do you understand by Ghost Imaging? Why is it used?
Ghost imaging is a backup process driven by software to copy the complex disk contents to another server in a compressed file or a set of files referred to as an image. When required, it can also change a ghost image back to its original form. It is often used during the reinstallation of an operating system. Ghost imaging is also known as cloning.
Ghost imaging is used for the following purposes:
- It is used to allow a system to be cloned onto others or quickly restore a system.
- It is often used for setting up blocks of Tablets, Notebooks, or Servers quickly. It is also used to enable the transfer from one PC or disk to another.
42) What do you know about Disk Partition? How many partitions can a hard drive have?
A disk partition divides the hard drive into specific small spaces for storage. It is used to organize the data efficiently and effectively. The computer users should store applications and OS data on one partition and the user data on another. It is necessary because if you find any issue with Windows, you can easily format the partition with OS entirely and then reinstalled without any effect on the data partition.
We can make up to four primary partitions of the hard disk, such as three primary partitions and one extended partition. In the extended partition, we can create a more extensive amount of logical partition.
43) What do you understand by BOOT.INI? What are the different sections in it?
The BOOT.INI is a Microsoft initialization file that contains the boot options for Microsoft Windows NT, 2000, and XP. It is always located at the primary hard drive’s root directory, i.e., the C drive.
There are two sections in BOOT.INI:
- The boot loader section with option settings applies to all boot entries for the system that includes default, timeout, etc.
- The section with operating systems: It contains boot entries, one or more, for each bootable program or OS that is installed on the computer.