Hardware Course Outline

This course is the first of two courses designed to prepare students for the Mastering the craft of the PC Troubleshooting requires the student to learn many details about a number of hardware components.
Lesson 1: Computer Safety and Work Habits Overview Safety and the Computer Discharging the Monitors Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Disposal of Computer Parts and Components Review Questions

Lesson 2: Computer Cases Overview Computer cases Features of Computer cases System Cover Removal and Replacement

Lesson 3: The Motherboard Overview System board defined System board evolution Motherboard removal and Replacement Troubleshooting the motherboard Review Questions

Lesson 4: The CPU Overview What is a CPU? Physical CPU Types Processor Levels CPU Sockets and slots Review Questions

Lesson 5: Memory Overview Random Access Memory Defined Physical Memory Packaging Types of Memory Read-only Memory Managing memory

Common Memory Problems Breaking Down the Memory Review Questions

Lesson 6: Power Supplies and UPS Overview Power supplies Power Problems The Power-Good Signal and ATX Power Supplies Power Management Batteries Troubleshooting the Power Supply Review Questions

Lesson 7: The Floppy Drive & Flash Derives Overview The Floppy Disk The Floppy Disk Drive Components The Drive Configuration Devices Using disk access Boot disks The IDE Interface The Floppy Disk Floppy Drive connectors Formatting and Booting from the Floppy Drive Troubleshooting the Floppy Drive Review Questions

Lesson 8: The Hard Drive Overview Hard Disks Hard Disk Interfaces Evaluating Hard Disk Performance RAID The Data Encoding Schemes Read/Write Head Designs Other Hard Drive Features Troubleshooting the Hard Drive Specifications, Formatting and Partitioning and Compression Disk Formatting And Partitioning Review Questions

Lesson 9: The CD-ROM Drive

Overview The CD-ROM Background CD-ROM Disc and Drive Formats The CD-ROM Drive CD-ROM Drive Specifications Other CD-ROM Factors The CD and the Future The CD-ROM Interface Review Questions

Lesson 10: The Video Card Overview The Video Controller The Graphics Card or Graphics Controller Video Graphics Adapter A Graphics Card Processor How A Graphics Accelerator Works Graphics Card Memory Choices The Graphics Bus Limitations on Graphics Card Output Resolution versus Colour Multimedia Features Review Questions

Lesson 11: The Sound Card Overview The Sound Card History Sound Card Concepts and Terminology Sound Card Optional Extras Review Questions

Lesson 12: The Monitor Overview The Monitor Types of Displays Health and Safety Concerns Monitor Connections Troubleshooting the Video System Review Questions

Lesson 13: BIOS Overview Basic Input/Output System Screen Error messages and solutions

Advanced BIOS Features Interrupt Request (IRQ) Lines I/O Settings DMA Channels Review Questions

Lesson 14: Printers and Scanners Overview Printer Technology Installing Printers Printer Field Replaceable Units Common Problems with Dot Matrix Printers Common Problems with Inkjet Printers Common Problems with Laser Printers Printer Maintenance Techniques Scanners Review Questions