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Binary is the format that the computer “understands,” not a programming language or a human language. All
instructions between hardware and software in a computer are reduced to a simple yes or no, a state of on or off.
2. What are the two main input devices and two main output devices?
The two main input devices are the keyboard and the mouse. The two main output devices are the monitor and
the printer.
An expansion slot on a motherboard is used for an expansion card, which enables a device that is not on the
Possible answers: memory bus, host bus, front side bus, external bus
9. What are the two basic types of cables found inside a computer case and what are their basic functions?
A data cable used for passing data between devices and a power cable used to supply power to a device.
10. List three types of ports that are often found coming directly off the motherboard to be used by external
devices.
Possible answers: serial port, parallel port, USB port, network port, FireWire or 1394 port, mouse port, keyboard
port, S/PDIF port, sound port, wireless LAN antenna port
Volatile memory is temporary and needs a constant electrical charge to hold data. Nonvolatile memory is
12. Of the two types of storage in a system, which type is generally faster and holds data and instructions
while the data is being processed? Which type of storage is generally slower, but more permanent?
13. What technology standard provides for up to four devices on a system, including the hard drive as one of
those devices? What are two common industry names loosely used to describe this standard?
ATA (AT attachment), also called EIDE (enhanced integrated drive electronics) or IDE
14. What is the size of the data path on most system buses today? 64 bits
15. What is the measurement of frequency of a system bus and CPU? Which is faster, the system bus or the
CPU?
Frequency is generally measured in Hz, MHz, or GHz. The CPU is faster than the system bus.
16. Name four types of buses that are likely to be on a motherboard today.
Possible answers: PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port), ISA (Industry
17. A power supply receives 120 volts of ___ power from a wall outlet and converts it to 3.3, 5, and 12 volts of
____ power.
AC, DC
18. CMOS setup allows a technician to change configuration settings on a motherboard stored in ______.
CMOS RAM
Some possible answers: CD drive, hard drive, floppy drive, DVD drive, Zip drive
20. A hertz is ________ cycle per second; a megahertz is ________ cycles per second, and a gigahertz is
________ cycles per second.
Video
29. Name the three purposes the motherboard ROM BIOS serves.
The BIOS is used to manage simple devices (system BIOS), to start the computer (startup BIOS), and to change
30. From where does CMOS RAM receive its power? CMOS RAM is powered by a trickle of electricity from a
small battery located on the motherboard or computer case.
THINKING CRITICALLY
1. When selecting secondary storage devices for a new desktop PC, which is more
A CD-ROM drive is more important, because most software today is distributed on CD.
2. Based on what you have learned in this chapter, when working on a Word document, why is it important to
save your work often? Explain your answer using the two terms, primary storage and secondary storage.
It is important because data is temporarily stored in RAM or primary storage, which is volatile. If the power is
lost, all data in primary storage is lost. In order to secure the data, it must be copied from primary storage to
secondary storage, such as a hard drive or floppy disk, which is nonvolatile or permanent storage.
3. Most buses are 16, 32, 64, or 128 bits wide. Why do you think these bus widths are multiples of eight?
Because everything in a computer is stored and processed in binary, and 1 byte equals 8 bits
4. Why would it be difficult to install four hard drives, one CD-ROM drive, and one DVD drive in a single low-
end system?
These types of drives are normally EIDE devices, and most low-end systems can only hold four EIDE devices.
Also, most computer cases do not have enough bays to hold this many drives.
6. If the CMOS battery inside your computer system died, when you first turn on your system, will you expect
the system to boot up normally to the operating system level? What information do you think the system
No, the system will not boot normally because the configuration information would not be available. This
information includes the type of hard drive and floppy drive installed and the boot sequence.
7. Why is it more accurate to describe the CPU and motherboard bus using the term frequency rather than
It is more accurate to describe the CPU and motherboard with the term frequency than speed because the
term speed implies there is a continuous motion or flow of data, whereas frequency suggests a digital or
binary flow of data. Frequency is more accurate because computer technology is built using the binary
on/off system.
It manages hardware; runs applications; provides an interface for users; and stores, retrieves, and manipulates
files.
Mac OS
3. Which operating system often used for server applications is a scaled-down version of Unix? Linux
4. What are three possible interfaces an OS provides to the user? Briefly explain the functions of each.
Command-Driven – The user types in commands to tell the OS what operations to perform. This type of interface
is like that of DOS commands and is often preferred by computer techs who know this DOS-like command.
Menu-Driven – The OS allows the user to choose from a list of options in order to perform any given operation.
Icon-Driven – Also known as GUI, the OS allows a user to choose from icons or pictures on the screen in order
to perform any given operation. Most operating systems today offer both a menu-driven as well as an icon-driven
interface.
FAT
11. Real mode operates using a(n) ___-bit data path, and protected mode uses a(n) ____-bit data path.
16, 32
12. Which Microsoft operating system(s) support 16-bit device drivers or 32-bit device drivers?
17. How do you access the Display Properties window? What are two settings you can change from this
window?
Right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu or use the Display applet in
Control Panel to access Display Properties. From this window, you can change the background, screen saver,
color scheme, icon settings, color range, screen resolution, screen refresh rate, and drivers.
18. What Windows 2000/XP and Windows 9x utility allows you to update the device driver for a device?
Device Manager
20. Every operating system has two main internal components. The ________ relates to the user and to
applications and provides a command, menu, or icon interface, whereas, the ________ is responsible
Shell, kernel
22. Applets in the Control Panel are stored as program files with what file extension?
.cpl
24. What command can you enter in the Run dialog box to launch the Windows 2000/XP System Information
utility? Msinfo32.exe
28. A floppy drive is divided into tracks, which are divided into sectors. How large is each sector?
512 bytes
29. What is the name of the file used by Windows 2000/XP to hold data and instructions in virtual memory?
Pagefile.sys
30. Which of the two OS core components includes the Windows desktop? Which of the two OS core
Right-click on the device and select Uninstall from the shortcut menu.
2. Why do you think it’s easier for Apple to provide compatibility between hardware and the operating
system than it is for Microsoft or Linux?
Answer: Apple maintains tighter control over hardware production and often provides both hardware
and software.
2. Why might a company not want to use Linux on its desktop computers?
Answer: Fewer applications are available, it is not yet regarded as having enough industry support,
and it is difficult to install.
3. What is one advantage of using Linux rather than a Windows operating system on a desktop?
THINKING CRITICALLY
By a device driver
3. What Windows tool can you use to know how much RAM is installed on your system?
16-bit Windows software is considered to be legacy software because it is software written for Windows 3.x and
data is accessed at 16 bits at a time; whereas computers running Windows 95 or later OSs use 32-bit or 64-bit
2. What is the difference between a transformer and a rectifier? Which are found in a PC power supply?
A rectifier is a device that converts alternating current to direct current. A transformer is a device that changes the
3. What are the five voltages produced by an ATX or BTX power supply?
5. Describe the purpose of the ground line in a house circuit. What is the electrical symbol for ground?
The electricity on the hot line is seeking the path of least resistance, which is usually through some device that
controls its current flow as it moves to the neutral line that goes back to the power source. Sometimes there is an
easier path than through any controlling device, and the electricity follows that path, causing a short. This sudden
increase in the flow of electricity can harm a person or a piece of equipment. The ground line keeps the
The symbol for ground is a vertical line with three horizontal lines underneath it, as shown in Figure 4-5.
The transistor
Capacitors inside a PC power supply create the even flow of current needed by the PC. Capacitors maintain their
charge long after current is no longer present, which is why the inside of a power supply can be dangerous even
On an inexpensive AM radio, turn the tuning dial away from a station into a low-frequency range. With the radio
on, you can hear the static produced by EMI. Try putting the radio next to several electronic devices to detect the
9. Which form factor uses a riser card on the edge of the motherboard? NLX, LPX
10. List four types of computer case form factors. What is the most popular type of form factor for PCs today?
Possible answers: AT, ATX, BTX, LPX, and NLX. The most popular is ATX.
11. List three advantages an ATX system has over a Baby AT system.
It makes it easier to add and remove components, provides greater support for I/O devices, and lowers costs.
12. List four computer symptoms that indicate a faulty power supply.
• The PC sometimes halts during booting. After several tries, it boots successfully.
• Error codes or beep codes occur during booting, but the errors come and go.
• The computer stops or hangs for no reason. Sometimes it might even reboot itself.
13. How can you easily tell if a computer is designed to comply with Green Standards?
See whether it displays the green Energy Star logo onscreen when the PC is booting.
14. What unit of measure is used to describe the amount of work a surge suppressor can do before it
Look for how the expansion slots are oriented in reference to the CPU and look for the type of power connector
16. What are three motherboard form factors that can be used with a compact case?
17. What is one thing you can regularly do to prevent a computer system from overheating?
18. Which type of case form factor is best designed to keep a system cool? BTX
THINKING CRITICALLY
1. How much power is consumed by a load drawing 5 A with 120 V across it? 600 watts
2. You suspect that a power supply is faulty, but you use a multimeter to measure its voltage output and find
it to be acceptable. Why is it still possible that the power supply may be faulty?
IT is because problems with power supplies are intermittent (they can come and go).
3. Someone asks you for help with a computer that hangs at odd times. You turn it on and work for about
15 minutes, and then the computer freezes and powers down. What do you do first?
• Turn the PC back on, go into CMOS setup, and check the temperature reading.
• Turn the PC back on, go into CMOS setup, and check the temperature reading.
4. When working on a computer, which of the following best protects against ESD? Why?
• Always touch the computer case before touching a circuit board inside the case.
1. What are three main categories of form factors used for motherboards?
connector have?
24
3. What are the names of the two power connectors used on the AT motherboard form factors?
P8 and P9
4. What is the name of the one power connector on the ATX motherboard form factor?
P1
Processor, chip set, system clock, ROM BIOS, CMOS configuration chip, CMOS battery, RAM, RAM cache,
system bus with expansion slots, jumpers and DIP switches, ports that are directly on the board, power supply
connections
6. What are two data bus widths used by the conventional PCI bus?
32 bits, 64 bits
7. When people speak of bus size, to what are they specifically referring?
The width of the data path on the bus, which can be 8, 16, 32, 64, or more bits.
8. What are the four speeds of the most popular motherboards currently available on the market that support
Intel processors?
AMI BIOS, Award BIOS, Compaq, Dell, IBM, Micro Firmware (BIOS upgrades), Phoenix BIOS
10. Which is faster, a PCI Express x16 bus or the latest AGP bus?
PCI Express x16 is about 4 times faster than the latest AGP bus
11. What is the easiest way to obtain the latest software to upgrade BIOS?
12. What are the four categories of cargo that are carried over a bus?
13. What bus is expected to replace AGP to support the video card in a system?
PCI Express
14. What is the name of the BIOS program that edits the values in CMOS RAM?
CMOS setup
2 How does startup BIOS communicate errors during POST if video is not yet available?
Beep codes
5. Name the program that is needed to locate the beginning of the OS on a drive.
9. When booting your computer and you see a blank screen, but hear a single beep, what can you assume
11. When booting your computer and you see a blank screen, but hear a single beep, what
Keep a log of when the problems appear and exactly what error messages occur.
• 15. What preventive maintenance measures need to be done inside the case at least once a year?
• Use compressed air to blow the dust out of the case, or use a vacuum to clean vents, power supply, and fan.
17. What two tools can be used to remove dust from inside a computer case?
21. What are three types of ribbon cables you might find inside a PC?
40-conductor IDE cable, 80-conductor IDE cable, 34-pin floppy drive cable
22. Why is it important to not rock an expansion card from side to side as you remove it from its slot?
23. What type of expansion card can have a retention mechanism at the bottom of the card to help stabilize it
24. Name three tools that you can use to protect a system against ESD as you work on it.
25. If you suspect that a USB port is faulty, what tool can you use to test the port?
Loop-back plug
THINKING CRITICALLY
1. Why does a motherboard sometimes support more than one system bus speed?
It is because not all devices to which the buses are connected transmit data at the same speed. The speeds of
3. When you turn off a computer at night, it loses the date, and you must reenter it each morning. What is
4. Why do you think the trend is to store configuration information on a motherboard in CMOS setup rather
• Because changing setup using jumpers or switches requires opening the computer case, and CMOS setup is
easier to change
• Because there are many more settings on today’s newer motherboards that would require too many jumpers
and switches
5. When troubleshooting a motherboard, you discover the modem port no longer works. What is the best
b. Disable the modem port and install a modem card in an expansion slot.
All the above solutions might be possible. The least expensive and simplest solution is b. Disable the modem port
6. A computer freezes at odd times. At first you suspect the power supply or overheating, but you have
eliminated overheating and replaced the power supply without solving the problem. What do you do next?
c. Reinstall Windows.
1. If a motherboard has a slot for connecting a processor what vendor is it designed to support?
The Celeron is appropriate for use in low-end PCs for word processing or Internet access to reduce total cost.
3. Which is more powerful, the current Celeron or the current Xeon processor?
Xeon
AMD
5. Why did the competitors of the Intel Pentium II choose to stay with Socket 7 rather than use slot 1 for
7. Name a processor that requires dual voltage. How are the two voltages used?
Pentium MMX, Cyrix M2, and AMD K6 processors all use dual voltage. These processors use one voltage for
8. What are the four speeds of the most popular motherboards currently available on the market that
Intel, SiS, ALi Inc., Standard Microsystems Corp., United Microelectronics Corp., VIA Technologies Inc. combined
10. Beginning with the Intel i800 chip sets, what are the two main chips of the chip set called?
32
12. What is the data path size of the Front Side Bus of the Pentium family of processors?
64
13. If a Pentium 4 Extreme Edition uses two ALU units inside the processor housing, how many ALU
15. Which group of Intel processors uses a 32-bit word size and a 64-bit word size?
Xeon
THINKING CRITICALLY
1. When overclocking a system, what two problems are most likely to occur?
(b) An unstable system that causes intermittent errors, and (d) Overheating
2. What must software developers do to take advantage of a 64-bit processor such as the Itanium?
The software does not need to be rewritten, but it does need to be recompiled by the software compiler (such as
the COBOL or Visual Basic compiler) so that the software relates to the OS using 64-bit access rather than the
3. You upgrade a Windows 98 system by upgrading a Pentium 4 processor to a Pentium4 Extreme Edition
with HT. Now users complain to you that Windows hangs a lot and gives errors. What do you do first?
The first thing you do is (c) Check CMOS setup to verify that hyper-threading is disabled. It’s important to check
• Make sure everything is plugged in and all cable connections are solid.
• Boot into Safe Mode and eliminate customized configuration in the OS.
• Disconnect the network card, CD-ROM drive, mouse, and maybe even the hard drive.
2. If a PC boots first to the hard drive before checking the floppy disk for an OS, how do you change this boot
sequence so that it first looks on the floppy disk for an OS? Make the change in CMOS setup.
1. Why would a PC repair technician need to know the power consumption of a peripheral component?
Answer: The technician would need to know when the peripheral gets its power from the power supply and you
are attempting to determine whether the power supply is adequate for the system
5. What is the voltage of an electrostatic discharge (ESD) that you can feel?
Answer: In the neighborhood of 3,000 volts
7. Why is it important to double-check the bottom of the heat sink before attaching it to the CPU socket?
Answer: The thermal pad might be covered with a protective film
1. Why do you place the system under a load to test for errors?
Answer: An unstable machine usually shows problems when a load is placed on the system.
2. If the performance of your CPU is much lower than that of the reference comparables, how can you
improve your CPU’s performance?
1. List five factors mentioned in lab that you should consider when selecting a cooler.
Answer: Several factors are mentioned, including fitting in your system, adequate cooling, acceptable
noise levels, ease of installation, weight, guarantee, and cost.
1. What types of options are shown on the CMOS setup main screen?
Answer: It depends on the system, but usually standard settings, such as IDE HDD autodetect and
data and time settings, are on the main screen. Also, look for links to other screens, such as
Advanced, Chipset, or Power options.
3. When troubleshooting a computer, when might you have to enter CMOS setup? List at least three
reasons.
Possible answers:
• To enable/disable components, such as serial ports, parallel ports, infrared ports
• To verify that the system recognizes a new hard drive correctly
• To change power management features, such as doze time
• To inform the system of a new device, such as a floppy disk drive, that CMOS recognizes
• To set or reset a power-on password
• To change the system date and time
5. What are some considerations a motherboard manufacturer has to contend with when designing a
motherboard? (For example, consider room for large CPUs and cooling fans, where the power supply is located in
relationship to the power connector, new technologies, and so forth.)
Answer: Answers might include the following:
• Locations of ports and connections off the back or front of a tower or desktop case
• Holes in the board that align with holes in different types of computer cases
• Accommodate different memory module technologies and amounts of RAM
• Accommodate more than one type of CPU and CPU manufacturer
• Room for additional components, such as modem riser cards
• Stenciled or printed information on the board to identify manufacturer, model, components, and
connections on the board