220-1102 Question 680
Single answerDate and time of changeA user reports that after changing the date and time on a Windows 11 laptop to test a line-of-business application's scheduling feature, they can no longer browse secure websites and Microsoft 365 sign-in fails with certificate-related errors. The technician verifies that the network connection is working. Which action should the technician take FIRST to resolve the issue?
- A
Reset the system date, time, and time zone to the correct values and synchronize the clock with an internet time source
- B
Clear the browser cache and cookies, then restart the browser
- C
Disable certificate revocation checking in Internet Options
- D
Run ipconfig /flushdns from an elevated command prompt
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This question tests practical troubleshooting of date and time changes in Windows. A system clock that is significantly wrong can break authentication and encrypted web access because SSL/TLS certificates are valid only within specific date ranges. If the client time falls outside that range, the browser or application may report that the certificate is not yet valid or has expired. In a real support scenario, correcting the date, time, and time zone should be one of the first checks when secure websites, domain sign-in, or Microsoft 365 access suddenly fail after a user manually changes the clock. Microsoft and browser vendors document that certificate validation depends on accurate local time, and standard best practice is to use automatic time synchronization rather than bypass security checks.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Incorrect system date, time, or time zone commonly causes TLS/SSL certificate validation failures because certificates are checked against validity periods. Microsoft 365 authentication and secure websites rely on accurate system time. The first step is to restore the correct date, time, and time zone and sync with a reliable time source.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Clearing cache and cookies may help with some web sign-in issues, but it does not fix certificate validation failures caused by an incorrect system clock. A technician might choose this because it is a common browser troubleshooting step, but it does not address the root cause in this scenario.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disabling certificate revocation checking is not an appropriate first step and weakens security. It also does not correct certificate validity problems caused by the local computer having the wrong date or time. This option reflects a risky workaround rather than proper troubleshooting.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Flushing DNS can help if a hostname resolves incorrectly, but DNS is not the likely cause when multiple secure sites and cloud authentication fail with certificate-related errors after the user changed the system clock. This distractor targets the misconception that all web issues are name-resolution problems.