ACS Apple Hardware & Software Troubleshooting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer's MacBook Pro shows a blinking question mark folder at startup. What does this indicate?
- The firmware needs updating
- No bootable volume is found (Correct answer)
- RAM has failed
- The display cable is loose
Correct answer: No bootable volume is found
A blinking question mark folder means macOS cannot locate a valid startup disk or system folder.
Question 2: Which utility should you use to verify and repair disk permissions on macOS Monterey and later?
- Terminal with fsck
- Disk Utility First Aid (Correct answer)
- Migration Assistant
- System Information
Correct answer: Disk Utility First Aid
In modern macOS, Disk Utility's First Aid function repairs disk structure issues, replacing legacy permission repair.
Question 3: A MacBook's battery is draining unusually fast. Which built-in tool provides the most detailed power usage breakdown?
- System Preferences > Battery
- Activity Monitor > Energy tab (Correct answer)
- Terminal > pmset -g
- Console app
Correct answer: Activity Monitor > Energy tab
Activity Monitor's Energy tab shows per-app energy impact and average energy use over time.
Question 4: What is the purpose of the T2 security chip found in Intel-based Macs?
- Manages Bluetooth connectivity
- Provides encrypted storage and secure boot (Correct answer)
- Controls the Touch Bar display
- Handles GPU acceleration
Correct answer: Provides encrypted storage and secure boot
The T2 chip provides encrypted storage, secure boot capabilities, and controls the Touch ID sensor on Intel Macs.
Question 5: A user reports their iPhone charging slowly when connected to a Mac's USB port. What is the most likely cause?
- The iPhone battery is defective
- USB ports provide limited power (500mA) compared to a wall adapter (Correct answer)
- The Lightning cable needs replacement
- iOS needs to be updated
Correct answer: USB ports provide limited power (500mA) compared to a wall adapter
Standard USB ports deliver only 500mA–900mA, which charges significantly slower than a dedicated 12W or 20W wall adapter.
Question 6: Which macOS feature allows you to run iPhone and iPad apps natively on Apple Silicon Macs?
- Rosetta 2
- Universal Control
- iPhone Mirroring via Catalyst only
- iOS apps are supported directly on Apple Silicon (Correct answer)
Correct answer: iOS apps are supported directly on Apple Silicon
Apple Silicon Macs can run iOS and iPadOS apps natively without any translation layer since they share the same ARM architecture.
Question 7: A Mac displays a gray screen with a spinning globe at startup. What is happening?
- The Mac is searching for a Time Machine backup
- The Mac is attempting to boot from the network via NetBoot or Startup Security (Correct answer)
- A firmware update is installing
- The GPU is failing
Correct answer: The Mac is attempting to boot from the network via NetBoot or Startup Security
A spinning globe during startup indicates the Mac is attempting to boot from a network volume such as a NetInstall server.
ACS Apple Hardware & Software Troubleshooting 2
A customer's MacBook Pro shows a blinking question mark folder at startup.
What does this indicate?