Interview Q For DS
Interview Q For DS
Interview Q For DS
troubleshooting), ect.
General Questions
Q. What desktop operating systems are you familiar with?
A. I am familiar with windows operating system(win98, vista, xp, win 7) and I also have knowledge about unix
operating system (solaris operating system)
Q. Have you used imaging software before? How do you find these tools useful?
A. Automation tools are an important part of your job as a desktop support technician. Elaborate on the tools that
youve used. Hiring managers want to assess your in-depth knowledge and experience with using these tools. This
means talking about how you use their various feature sets. (If you have an opinion, you probably know the product
pretty well.)
Q. What are the pitfalls of using imaging software?
A. This question is meant to assess how well you know these products. For example, discussing the importance of
testing the image demonstrates that you use these tools on a regular basis.
Q. Have you used any software distribution tools? If so, which ones and how were they used?
A. I used deltashot,I used rediance, IBI|S ,,field engineer dispatch application, parts shipment tools, in blackberry I
used black berry desktop software, BIS tools(RIM)
Q. What do you like most about desktop support?
A. Hiring managers are looking for what motivates you. Hopefully your answer will match the characteristics of the
job: being busy, working with different people, and the challenges of learning new operating systems and
configurations.
Q. What do you like least about desktop support?
A. The hiring manager is testing whether you will fit in with the existing team. An appropriate answer here would be
not being able to resolve a problem in a timely manner for reasons outside your control, such as hardware failure.
Stick to things outside of your control for the best response.
Q. When solving a desktop problem, do you prefer to work with the end-user, your peers, or on your own?
A. This is another question to determine your fit within the organization. Hiring managers understand that to be
successful as a support technician you will have to work in a team environment. This means working with other
employees, vendors, and end-users on a constant basis.
Q. Can you describe a situation where you have had to deal with a difficult person? How did you handle it?
Would you do anything differently?
A. Desktop support can be very demanding some days. End-users only see their own priority needs and often are not
interested in other demands on your time. This question explores how you deal with a difficult end-user by
understanding their problem, assessing priorities, and communicating a timeframe for resolution. Often good
communication can help both sides come to an agreement. Make sure you have an example with a successful
outcome.
Q. How would you say you are able to handle stress?
A. Hiring managers are looking to see what coping techniques you can draw on to deal with stress. Sometimes from
the answer, they can also determine whether you are prone to stress. When responding, some techniques for
handling stress that you may want to talk about include continually evaluating whats on your plate and prioritizing,
communicating with your manager on what your priorities are, and making sure that you take a break to reenergize,
particularly at lunch time.
Q. What do you see yourself doing two or three years from now?
A. Hiring managers want you to stick around. They realize that you will not be in this position forever, and they
want to make sure theres a desire to move up within the organization as well as the right fit. They ask this question
to see whether theres a growth path for you possible within the organization. As a desktop technician, natural
growth paths are team leads, quality assurance, engineering positions, and entry-level development. Be honest about
where you want to be in two to three years, and ask the interviewer whether they see your career path as a
possibility.
Q. How do you learn new technologies?
A. Learning is an inherent part of the job. Hiring managers are looking for someone who enjoys learning technology
on their own and who has the foresight to look for training opportunities. Besides the traditional books and manuals,
dont forget to include user groups, eLearning subscriptions, and IT professional sites such as CramSession.
Q. How do you prioritize tasks and manage your time?
A. What hiring managers want to know is whether you have time-management skills. Everyone manages their time
differently, but think about how you handle e-mail, when you check voice mail, how you respond to pages, when
you research and document, and how you pick up new trouble tickets.
Q. Imagine the following situation: you receive three simultaneous calls from three vicepresidents who need
assistance immediately. How do you manage these conflicting priorities?
A. Obviously this is a trick question. What the hiring manager is trying to assess is how you set expectations with
each of the individuals, knowing very well that you wont be able to assist all of them at the same time. They are
also looking for how you will prioritize each of these incidents, including seeking assistance from peers and
supervisors in order to meet user expectations. Dont allow the tyranny of the urgent to divert you from
managementestablished support priorities.
Q. How would you handle a user who continually misdiagnoses their PC issues?
A. By asking this question, the hiring manager is assessing your customer service skills. In this situation, you may
want to discuss that the key is to not offend the user and turn them off to your support services. In handling this
situation, you would pay particular attention to ways you can build trust with the user and lead them to the right
resolution to their problem.
These components may include:
A new-user welcome letter that is customized to the specific user with all their relevant information
including telephone extension, how to access voice mail, and how to log in. It might also include a FAQ on
getting help.
A Getting to Know Your Helpdesk document that provides an orientation to helpdesk service, such as
how to contact the helpdesk, its hours of operation, what is and what is not supported by the helpdesk, and
answers to common new-user questions.
Question: Can you provide the documentation required by the position of system
analyst?
Answer: Describe the various documentation you keep as part of your daily
responsibilities. Analysts document problems as well as the solutions required or
implemented. They make records of inventory and maintain system documentation.
Question: What is your technical expertise in this field?
Answer: Be specific here about what you actually have training and experience in. But
generally speaking, system analysts are usually experts in computer systems, hardware
platforms, and programming techniques.
Have you ever been responsible for maintaining a network setting? What was the base
size, and expectations?
Describe you experience in: firewalls, spy ware detection and virus ware implementation.
How do you manage and organize several departments? How do you monitor these
departments?
What may be some issues you may perceive could cause possible calls by end users/
customers?
What steps do you take when taking a delicate call like the caller is concerned with
their warranty or asking for a return or refund?
Are you familiar with service manuals/schematics and how do you use them?
What if a warranty period pasts and a customer decide to turn down your support?
Do you believe a customer could cause damage to a product and expect the company to
fix or replace it? How would you handle this situation?
Technical Questions
Q1. If a customer calls saying his computer won't boot, how will you troubleshoot it?
Q2. If someone finds that their Internet connectivity is down, how would you fix the problem
Q3. How would you handle a technical issue that you're unfamiliar with?
What was the last thing done to the system prior to the failure?
Are there any error messages? If so, what are the specific error messages?
Has any new software been added to the system, including downloads from the Internet?
Has anything changed with the system (for example, has it been moved) since the issue presented itself?
Are there any environmental factors that could be causing the issue?
Q. What are the main differences between the following operating systems?
A. Unfortunately, most companies have not been able to standardize the operating systems used by users. Its always
critical that you know more than just the current version because there will always be a user who has a problem with
an older version. By asking this question, the hiring manager is actually testing your knowledge of different
operating systems that you may need to support. The following provides a concise summary of some of the major
differences.
Windows 2000 and XP
Overall, XP is a minor update with Windows 2000 designed to get Windows 2000 technology into the hands of
consumers. The major changes include the following:
Enhanced policies
Credential Manager
Personal firewall
Q. What are typical virus sources and how do you prevent virus attacks?
A. This is virus protection 101 just to ensure that you understand the basics of protecting against viruses. Possible
virus sources include e-mail attachments, Internet downloads, and infected floppy disks. To prevent virus infections:
Perform regular updates to the virus software definition files and scan engines. Verify updates have
succeeded.
Educate users on virus attacks, their consequences, and how to prevent them.
Do regular backups.
Develop reporting mechanisms to inform server administrators of observed desktop infections and how
these could impact the server environment (such as deletions or corruption of files on public shares, hidden
payload files that might have been uploaded to servers, and so on).
Q. What are some of the guidelines you would recommend for implementing security at the user level?
A. Security is a major part of the desktop technicians day-to-day responsibilities. As the closest point of contact to
the end-users, technicians need to be savvy on the different methods for enforcing security. Some of the top
techniques are included below.
Anti-virus software:
Ensure that all users install and regularly use anti-virus software on their PCs.
Instruct users to immediately notify the helpdesk when they suspect theyve contracted a virus.
Password security:
Instruct users to make sure their password cannot be easily guessed by using a combination of
alphanumeric characters, including special characters (~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) + = [ ] { } / ? < > , ; : \ | ` .).
Instruct users to change their password if they think there is even a slight chance someone knows it.
Regularly change passwords on Administrator accounts on PCs (NT, Windows 2000 and XP)
Desktop security:
Instruct users to enable screen savers that automatically lock their PC when there is no activity on it for
more than five minutes.
Networking:
starts with which protocol it should use for browsing, it means like FTP.
MIME : MIME stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. Used by IBM. Just
to understand one Example: Microsoft uses Outlook. we can say IBM will use MIME.
HTTP: Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. It is used for web browsing.
FTP : FTP is a Protocol stands for File Transfer Protocol. Based on this protocol,web
pages will get displayed to us. Data transmission takes place using this protocol.
Telnet: Telnet is used to control servers remotely. This enables you to control the
server and communicate with other servers on the network.
Shortcut or alias
IP address : Internet Protocol Address are divided into 5 classes
Class A: 1-126 , 127 is loop back
Class B: 128-191
Class C: 192-223
Class D: 224-239- Multi casting
Class E: 240-254- used by Research and Development
DNS : Stands for- Domain Name System. It is the translator if IP address to a
meaningful word.
Windows NT Domain : A Windows domain is a collection of security principals that
share a central directory database.
Windows NT Share:
Postscript : Post Script is a programming language optimized for printing graphics
and text
Database (field, record, table): Database is A collection of information organized in such a way that a
computer program can quickly select desired pieces of data.
0-255, number to identify dhcp protocol- reserve ip address call static ip address
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device (e.g.,
computer, printer) participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for
communication
ADSL is a type of high-speed Internet access service. It uses telephone lines to transmit data
# What port does SMTP use?
For Send Mail Transfer protocol default port number as is 25.
What port does HTTP use?port 80
13) when internet is not working , then what will be first step that you will perform to
troubleshoot it
ipconfig [/all] or [/renew ] or [/release ] or [/flushdns]
14 ) Bits in IP adress - 32 (4 ip adress*8 bits)
15) default sheets in Ms- excel - 3
Sub net interview qustrionion
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface, an industry standard interface that allow
personal computers to communicate with peripheral hardware such as disk
drives, tape drives, CD-ROM drives, printers, and scanners faster and more
flexibly than previous interfaces.
SCSI ID
A computer term for a unique number assigned to each device connected to a SCSI bus. It
uniquely identifies the device on the SCSI channel. Each controller in an array has its
own SCSI ID.
BASIC Hardware::
Q:How do you cut and paste using keyboard shortcuts?
Ctrl+c and ctrl+v
1) what is next to Microsoft office symbol - ans customize quick access toolbar
2) Layouts in Ms word - Print layout , web layout , fullscreen, outline, draft
3) pc is loses times , who will responsible for this ? - ans cmos
4) a blue screen appears on screen , what will be ur first step - Ans Select LKGC (Last known
good configuration)
5) if Paper Jam in printer , then what will be the first step ? Remove the papers manually from
printer
6) SMPS fullform - ans switch mode power supply
7) CMOS fullform - ans Complementary metaloxidesemiconductor (CMOS)
8) If power shutdowns , which is be responsible for providing the continuous power to computer
- ans UPS
what to do when printer is not working and it doesnt give any error message - options :- drivers
are corrupted , Printer is not installed , Request Stucked in Queues , drivers are not installed.
( Not sure abt the ans )
9) can we customize the buttons in Ms -word no
10) A Question Related to UNC , how we can access the workstation :- UNC / Server name or
Hostname / server name ( something like that , not sure about its ans )
Typing in the the UNC address into Start>Run.
There are many other Internet protocols, such as the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and the
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
Protocol - Formal description of messages to be exchanged and rules to be followed for two or more
systems to exchange information.
interface meaning they wait for a clock signal before it can respond to clock signals.
SD RAM:
SDRAM stands for synchronous dynamic random access memory. SDRAM is Single Data Rate
meaning that SDRAM can accept one command and transfer one word of data per clock cycle.
Typical speeds of SDRAM are 100 and 133 MHz.
DDR SDRAM:
DDR SDRAM stands for double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory. DDR RAM
transfers data twice per clock cycle, hence the name double data rate. DDR clock speeds range
between 200 MHz (DDR-200) and 400 MHz (DDR-400). DDR-200 transfers 1600 MB/s, while DDR400 transfers 3200 MB/s.
DDR2 SDRAM:
DDR2 SDRAM stands for double data rate 2 synchronous dynamic random access memory.DDR2 is
twice as fast as DDR which means twice as much data is carried to the module for each clock cycle.
Also due to the design improvements DDR2 consumes less power as compared to the DDR
memory. DDR2 speeds range between 400 MHz (DDR2-400) and 800 MHz (DDR2-800). DDR2-400
transfers 3200 MB/s. DDR2-800 transfers 6400 MB/s.
DDR3 SDRAM:
So by now after reading the above it is quite obvious what DDR3 SDRAM stands for, double data
rate 3 synchronous dynamic random access memory. In theory DDR3 is supposed to act twice as
fast as DDR2 memories. Thus DDR3 speeds range between 800 MHz (DDR3-800) and 1600 MHz
(DDR3-1600). DDR3-800 transfers 6400 MB/s; DDR3-1600 transfers 12800 MB/s.
Only gamers may notice the difference between DDR2 and DDR3 speeds, while for everyone else,
even DDR will be sufficient. But if you are buying a new PC spending a little extra for the increased
speed is always appreciated.
But in the end it all depends on your requirements and your budget. DDR3 will cost a lot more than
DDR2, also for DDR3 speeds you will also need a motherboard that can support it, so if you are
planning on upgrading your RAM to DDR3 you should be certain that your motherboard can support
it. If your requirements do not involve heavy gaming or video editing and video processing then you
have no need for the powerful DDR3 memory.
These interview questions test the knowledge of x86 Intel architecture and 8086 microprocessor
specifically.
1.
3.
Why 8085 processor is called an 8 bit processor? - Because 8085 processor has 8
bit ALU (Arithmetic Logic Review). Similarly 8086 processor has 16 bit ALU.
4.
What is 1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th generation processor? - The processor made of PMOS
/ NMOS / HMOS / HCMOS technology is called 1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th generation processor, and it
is made up of 4 / 8 / 16 / 32 bits.
5.
Define HCMOS? - High-density n- type Complimentary Metal Oxide Silicon field effect
transistor.
6.
What does microprocessor speed depend on? - The processing speed depends on
DATA BUS WIDTH.
7.
8.
Why does microprocessor contain ROM chips? - Microprocessor contain ROM chip
because it contain instructions to execute data.
9.
What is the difference between primary & secondary storage device? - In primary
storage device the storage capacity is limited. It has a volatile memory. In secondary storage
device the storage capacity is larger. It is a nonvolatile memory. Primary devices are: RAM /
ROM. Secondary devices are: Floppy disc / Hard disk.
10.
11.
What is cache memory? - Cache memory is a small high-speed memory. It is used for
temporary storage of data & information between the main memory and the CPU (center
processing unit). The cache memory is only in RAM.
12.
13.
Differentiate between RAM and ROM? - RAM: Read / Write memory, High Speed,
Volatile Memory. ROM: Read only memory, Low Speed, Non Voliate Memory..
14.
What is NV-RAM? - Nonvolatile Read Write Memory, also called Flash memory. It is also
know as shadow RAM.
HP interview question
"What is a Domain Controller?"
On Microsoft Servers, a domain controller (DC) is a server that responds to
security authentication requests (logging in, checking permissions, etc.) within the
Windows Server domain.[1] A domain is a concept introduced in Windows NT
whereby a user may be granted access to a number of computer resources with the
use of a single username and password combination.
A network server which holds a directory database that manages user access to a
network, which includes logging on, authentication, and access to the network
resources
8. In the lower right pane, to the right of the disk on which you want to
allocate space, right-click the unlabeled black bar.
9. Create a partition.
o
Click Next.
In XP, in the Partition Size in MB: spin box, type the size you
want for the partition you are creating.
In Vista/7, in the Simple Volume Size in MB: spin box, type the
size you want for the partition you are creating.
Click Next.
3
Select the appropriate radio button for the option you want for
assigning a drive letter to the partition.
4
Click Next.
5
Select the appropriate radio button for the option to format or to
not format your partition. For detailed instructions about formatting a
partition, refer to Formatting a New Partition or Logical Drive on Your
Hard Drive in Windows XP/Vista/7
(http://answers.vt.edu/kb/entry/2479/)
6
Click Next.
Click Finish.
How to go to BIOS?
Dell - XPS, Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude. OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro
Press F2 when the Dell logo appears. Press every few seconds until the message Entering
Setup appears.
Older Dell desktops and laptops may instead use Ctrl+Alt+Enter or Del to enter BIOS.
Older Dell laptops may use Fn+Esc or Fn+F1.
Press the F1, F10, or F11 key after restarting the computer.
HP Tablet PCs may use F10 or F12.
Other HP computers may allow access to BIOS using the F2 or Esc keys.
ENTER. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide
confirmation.
Locate and click the key or subkey that you want to back up.
Click the File menu, and then click Export.
In the Save in box, select the location where you want to save the backup copy, and then type a name for the
backup file in the File name box.
Click Save.
2. Win98 Does not Having Remote Access facility While in XP there is.
3. win98 Does not need faster processing speed while XP Need 500mhz processing Speed.
4. Win98 Does not provide System Restore while XP Provide.
5. Win98 does not having Hibernate facility While XP having Hibernate Facility.
6. Win98 And WinXp layout And visual Styles are Different.
7. WinXp improve Device Support.
8. WinXP having CD Burning Facility,fast user Switching.
9. Ability to support multithreading to utilize hyperthreading feature.
Vista : The predecessor of Windows 7, the second most hated OS after Windows Me.
Good :
- A lot of drivers available
- More secure when compared with older versions of XP
Bad :
- Uses a lot of computer resources
- Too many disappointed users
XP SP 3 : It requires less system resources, it`s easier to use and if you know how to ``secure``
this operating system then you don`t need Vista.
Good :
- It`s not using a lot of RAM or CPU memory
- Pretty stable and very easy to use
- There is a version called Windows XP 64 bit launched in 2005 which supports more than 4 GB.
Bad :
- Microsoft said that XP SP 3 is the latest version that fixes security issues and there will be no
other security updates
- You won`t find new drivers that will work with this OS in future.
Hide all
To use your password reset disk to reset your password
You will not be able to follow these steps if you have locked your computer.
1.
2.
If you have typed the wrong password, you'll receive a message that says your user name or password is
incorrect. When this message appears, click OK.
Click Reset password, and then follow the instructions.
Warning
If you use an administrator account to reset the password, you will permanently lose access to any e-mail
messages or encrypted files that are on that account.
Note
These steps cannot be completed on Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Home Basic, and Windows
Vista Home Premium.
1.
2.
Log on to the administrator account that you will use to reset the forgotten password.
Open Local Users and Groups by clicking the Start button , typing lusrmgr.msc into the Search box,
and then pressing ENTER. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the
password or provide confirmation.
3.
4.
Right-click the account that you need to reset the password for, and then click Set Password.
5.
Windows Server 2008 R2 includes several tools that let you manage Active Directory
from the command line. Heres a look at the key tools and what they do.
Adprep Prepares a Windows forest or domain for installation of Windows domain
controllers (DCs). To prepare a forest or a domain, use adprep /forestprep and
adprep /domainprep, respectively. (Note that for Windows Server 2003 SP1 or later, a
domains Group Policy isnt automatically updated. To prepare Group Policy for the
domain, you must use the command adprep /domainprep /gpprep. This modifies the
access control entries (ACEs) for all Group Policy object (GPO) folders in the SYSVOL
directory to grant read access to all enterprise domain controllers. This level of access is
required to support RSoP for site-based policy. Because this security change causes the
NT File Replication Service (NTFRS) to resend all GPOs to all domain controllers, you
should use adprep /domainprep /gpprep only after careful planning.)
Dsadd Adds computers, contacts, groups, organizational units, and users to Active
Directory. Type dsadd objectname /? at a command prompt to display help
information about using the command, such as dsadd computer /?.
Dsget Displays properties of computers, contacts, groups, organizational units, users,
sites, subnets, and servers registered in Active Directory. Type dsget objectname /? at
a command prompt to display help information about using the command, such as
dsget subnet /?.
Dsmod Modifies properties of computers, contacts, groups, organizational units, users,
and servers that exist in Active Directory. Type dsmod objectname /? at a command
prompt to display help information about using the command, such as dsmod
server /?.
Dsmove Moves a single object to a new location within a single domain or renames the
object without moving it. Type dsmove /? at a command prompt to display help
information about using the command.
Dsquery Uses search criteria to find computers, contacts, groups, organizational units,
users, sites, subnets, and servers in Active Directory. Type dsquery /? at a command
prompt to display help information about using the command.
Dsrm Removes objects from Active Directory. Type dsrm /? at a command prompt to
display help information about using the command.
Ntdsutil Allows the user to view site, domain, and server information; manage
operations masters; and perform database maintenance of Active Directory. Type
ntdsutil /? at a command prompt to display help information about using the
command.
Example
4. On the Your Name page of the wizard, type your name as you want it to appear
to everyone who gets e-mail from you, and then click Next.
Most people use their full name, but you can use any nameeven a nickname
that people will recognize.
5. On the Internet Explorer Address page, type your e-mail address, and then
click Next.
6. On the E-mail Server Names page, fill in the first block of information that you
gathered from your ISP in step 1, and then click Next.
Note: If you chose HTTP as your incoming e-mail serveras for a Hotmail or
MSN accountthis wizard page changes slightly so you can identify your HTTP
mail service provider.
7. On the Internet Mail Logon page, type your account name and password.
Note: If you're concerned about break-ins to your e-mail, click to clear the check
in the Remember Password box. You'll then be prompted for the password
each time you send or retrieve mail.