220-1102 Question 571
Single answerProxyA help desk technician is troubleshooting a Windows 11 laptop used in a corporate office. The user can access internal file shares and print to network printers, but web browsers cannot open any external websites. Other users on the same network can browse the internet normally. The technician opens Internet Options and sees that a manual proxy server is configured with an old IP address from a decommissioned server. What should the technician do FIRST to restore the user's web access while following standard troubleshooting practices?
- A
Disable the proxy setting or update it to the current corporate proxy server information
- B
Run ipconfig /flushdns to clear cached DNS records on the laptop
- C
Replace the user's default gateway with a public DNS server address
- D
Disable the Windows Defender Firewall for all network profiles
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This scenario tests practical understanding of proxy settings in a business environment. A proxy server sits between the client and external web resources, and an incorrect manual proxy configuration can prevent internet browsing even when the PC still has normal local network access. In Windows, proxy settings may be configured through Internet Options, the Settings app, or centrally through Group Policy. A technician should first correct the invalid proxy entry because it is the most direct and least invasive fix based on the evidence already gathered. This aligns with standard troubleshooting methodology: identify the problem, establish a theory, test the likely cause, and implement the appropriate fix. Microsoft documentation on Windows proxy settings and enterprise management supports verifying whether a proxy is manually configured, automatically detected, or set by policy before making broader network changes.
- A. Correct.
Correct. If a browser is configured to use a manual proxy that no longer exists, web requests may fail even when local network connectivity is working. Since the scenario already identifies an outdated proxy IP, the best first step is to remove the invalid proxy setting or enter the correct current proxy information. This directly addresses the likely root cause with minimal disruption.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Flushing DNS can help when a system has stale name-resolution entries, but the issue here is more specific: the browser is sending traffic to an invalid proxy server. DNS is not the primary problem described in the scenario, especially since the technician has already found a clearly incorrect proxy configuration.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A default gateway forwards traffic to other networks, while a DNS server resolves names to IP addresses. These are different settings, so replacing the default gateway with a public DNS address is technically incorrect and would further break connectivity. This distractor targets confusion between gateway and DNS functions.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disabling the local firewall is not an appropriate first troubleshooting step here. The user can already reach internal resources, and the scenario points to a browser proxy misconfiguration. Turning off security controls without evidence is not a best practice and would not address the identified stale proxy address.