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CHAPTER 1
REVIEWING THE BASICS
1. Why is all data stored in a computer in binary form?
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.
3. How many bits are in a byte? Eight
4. What is the purpose of an expansion slot on a motherboard?
An expansion slot on a motherboard is used for an expansion card, which enables a device that is not on the
motherboard to communicate with the CPU.
5. Which component on the motherboard is used primarily for processing?
The CPU (central processing unit), also called the processor
6. Name two CPU manufacturers.
Possible answers: Intel and AMD
7. What are two other names for the system bus?
Possible answers: memory bus, host bus, front side bus, external bus
8. What are two other names for the motherboard?
Main board, system board
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
11. What is the difference between volatile and nonvolatile memory?
Volatile memory is temporary and needs a constant electrical charge to hold data. Nonvolatile memory is
permanent and holds memory even when electricity is turned off.
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?
Primary storage, secondary storage
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
Standard Architecture), system bus, PCI Express
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
19. Name three examples of secondary storage devices.
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.
One, one million, and one billion
27. An AGP slot is normally used for a(n) _______ expansion card.
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
settings on the motherboard (CMOS setup).
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
important, a CD-ROM drive or a floppy drive? Why?
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 would
not have available for a successful boot?
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
speed? Explain your answer.
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.
Chapter 2 – Introducing Operating Systems
REVIEWING THE BASICS
1. List four major functions of an OS.
It manages hardware; runs applications; provides an interface for users; and stores, retrieves, and manipulates
files.
2. Which operating system is only used on Apple Macintosh computers?
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.
9. Which file system is used by floppy disks?
FAT
10. What are two file systems used by hard drives?
FAT and NTFS
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?
Windows 95 or Windows 98 (DOS, Windows Me, and Windows NT/2000/XP do not.)
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
for interfacing with the hardware.
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
components includes the Windows memory manager? Shell, kernel
33. In Windows XP Device Manager, how do you uninstall a device?
Right-click on the device and select Uninstall from the shortcut menu.
1. What is one advantage of using an Apple computer instead of a PC?Answer: It has better hardware-to-software compatibility and, in many cases, more reliability.
1. For what type of user do you think Apple applications are intended?Answer: It is for users working with multimedia applications, such as graphics.
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.
3. For what type of user is the iMac intended?
Answer: It is intended for the home or private user.1. What is the least amount of money you will pay for Linux?
Answer: It can be downloaded and installed free.
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?
Answer: The cost is lower and it uses fewer resources.
THINKING CRITICALLY
1. Is a mouse more likely to be controlled by a device driver or by system BIOS?
By a device driver
2.Name one device that is likely to be controlled by system BIOS.
Possible answers: floppy disk drive, hard drive, keyboard, video
3. What Windows tool can you use to know how much RAM is installed on your system?
Possible answers: System Properties, System Information
5. Why is 16-bit Windows software considered to be legacy software?
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
programs written to be able to access 32 or 64 bits of data at a time.
Chapter 4 Form Factors, Power Supplies and Working Inside a Computer
REVIEWING THE BASICS
1. Volts are a measure of what characteristic of electricity?
The potential difference in a circuit
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
ratio of current to voltage. A computer power supply functions as both.
3. What are the five voltages produced by an ATX or BTX power supply?
+5, -5, +12, -12, and +3.3
4. What is the purpose of the 4-pin auxiliary connector on a motherboard?
To provide extra voltage for a processor
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
uncontrolled flow of electricity from continuing indefinitely.
The symbol for ground is a vertical line with three horizontal lines underneath it, as shown in Figure 4-5.
6. What is the basic electronic building block of an integrated circuit?
The transistor
7. Why is a power supply dangerous even after the power is disconnected?
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
when power is disconnected.
8. What is a simple way to detect EMI?
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
EMI they emit.
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.
Memory errors appear intermittently.
Data is written incorrectly to the hard drive.
The keyboard stops working at odd times.
The motherboard fails or is damaged.
The power supply overheats and becomes hot to the touch.
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 stops
protecting the circuit from an electrical surge? Joule
15. If you are asked to identify the form factor of a motherboard, what are two criteria you can use to help you
identify the board?
Look for how the expansion slots are oriented in reference to the CPU and look for the type of power connector
the board is using.
16. What are three motherboard form factors that can be used with a compact case?
NLX, LPX, or mini-LPX
17. What is one thing you can regularly do to prevent a computer system from overheating?
Remove the dust from the inside of the case.
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?
Replace the surge protector.
Replace the power supply.
Turn the PC back on, go into CMOS setup, and check the temperature reading.
Install an additional fan.
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.
Always wear an antistatic bracelet clipped to the side of the case.
Always sit a computer on an antistatic mat when working on it.
Chapter 5 All About Motherboards
REVIEWING THE BASICS
1. What are three main categories of form factors used for motherboards?
AT, ATX, BTX
2. On the Enhanced ATX motherboard that supports PCI Express, how many pins does the P1 power
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
5. Name 10 components that are contained on a motherboard.
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?
1066 MHz, 800 MHz, 533 MHz, and 400 MHz
9. Name the three most popular manufacturers of system BIOS programs.
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?
Go to the Web site of the BIOS or motherboard manufacturer.
12. What are the four categories of cargo that are carried over a bus?
Electrical power, control signals, memory addresses, and data
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
1. What are the four main parts of the boot process?
BIOS checks hardware through POST.
The ROM BIOS program searches for and loads an OS.
The OS configures the system and completes its own loading.
The user executes application software.
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.
The MBR (master boot record)
9. When booting your computer and you see a blank screen, but hear a single beep, what can you assume
worked with no errors? POST
11. When booting your computer and you see a blank screen, but hear a single beep, what
component should you check first? The monitor or monitor cable
14. What is the best way to document intermittent problems?
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?
Make sure air vents are clear.
Use compressed air to blow the dust out of the case, or use a vacuum to clean vents, power supply, and fan.
Ensure that chips and expansion cards are firmly seated.
17. What two tools can be used to remove dust from inside a computer case?
Compressed air or anti-static vacuum cleaner
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?
You can widen the slot and weaken the connection.
23. What type of expansion card can have a retention mechanism at the bottom of the card to help stabilize it
in the slot? A video card
24. Name three tools that you can use to protect a system against ESD as you work on it.
Ground bracelet, ground mat, antistatic gloves
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?
So that it can support different processors running at different speeds
2. Why don’t all buses on a motherboard operate at the same speed?
It is because not all devices to which the buses are connected transmit data at the same speed. The speeds of
different hardware components are evolving at different rates.
3. When you turn off a computer at night, it loses the date, and you must reenter it each morning. What is
the problem and how do you solve it?
The CMOS battery is dead and needs replacing.
4. Why do you think the trend is to store configuration information on a motherboard in CMOS setup rather
than by using jumpers or switches?
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
and least expensive solution to this problem?
a. Replace the motherboard
b. Disable the modem port and install a modem card in an expansion slot.
c. Use an external modem that connects to the serial or USB port.
d. Return the motherboard to the factory for repair.
All the above solutions might be possible. The least expensive and simplest solution is b. Disable the modem port
and install a modem card in an expansion slot.
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?
a. Replace the processor.
b. Replace the motherboard.
c. Reinstall Windows.
d.Replace the memory modules.
e.Flash BIOS
Try the simple things first: Flash BIOS
Chapter 6 Supporting Processors
REVIEWING THE BASICS
1. If a motherboard has a slot for connecting a processor what vendor is it designed to support?
Intel Pentium II or Pentium III
2. When is it appropriate to use a Celeron in a computer system?
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
4. Who is the major competitor of Intel in the processor market?
AMD
5. Why did the competitors of the Intel Pentium II choose to stay with Socket 7 rather than use slot 1 for their
competing processors?
Because Intel patented slot 1
6. What components inside a computer case keep a processor cool?
Fans, heat sinks, coolers
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
external operations and another for internal operations.
8. What are the four speeds of the most popular motherboards currently available on the market that support
Intel processors?
1066 MHz, 800 MHz, 533 MHz, and 400 MHz
9. Name three manufacturers of motherboard chip sets.
Intel, SiS, ALi Inc., Standard Microsystems Corp., United Microelectronics Corp., VIA Technologies Inc. combined
with AMD Inc.
10. Beginning with the Intel i800 chip sets, what are the two main chips of the chip set called?
North Bridge and South Bridge
11. What is the word size of the Pentium family of processors?
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 units
does the Pentium D have?
4
14. Why is a land socket preferred to a pin socket?
Because the pins in a pin socket can be bent during installation
15. Which group of Intel processors uses a 32-bit word size and a 64-bit word size?
Xeon
16. Name an AMD processor that uses dual-core processing.
Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core processor or the Opteron
THINKING CRITICALLY
1. When overclocking a system, what two problems are most likely to occur?
a. “Low memory” errorsb. An unstable system that causes intermittent errorsc. Loss of hard drive space used by the overclocking virtual memory filed. Overheating
(b) An unstable system that causes intermittent errors, and (d) Overheating2. 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
older 32-bit access.
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?
a. Reinstall Windows 98.
b. Upgrade Windows 98 to Windows XP.
c. Check CMOS setup to verify that hyper-threading is disabled.
d. Check CMOS setup to verify that hyper-threading is enabled.
The first thing you do is (c) Check CMOS setup to verify that hyper-threading is disabled. It’s important to check
the simple things first.
Lab Related Questions:
1. Starting with the easiest procedures, list five things to check if your PC does not boot.
Make sure everything is plugged in and all cable connections are solid.
Boot into Safe Mode and eliminate customized configuration in the OS.
Boot from the recovery CD.
Eliminate any unnecessary hardware devices.
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. What advantages does ATX have over Micro ATX?Answer: Answers can include more expansion slots and better heat dissipation.
2. Where is the CPU located on the BTX motherboard? Why?Answer: It is located near the air intake at the front of the case, for better cooling.
3. Is it possible to determine the form factor without opening the case? Answer: Yes, the form factor can usually be determined by the shape of the case.
1.What is the electrical voltage from the house outlet to the power supply? Answer: It is usually 115V AC.
1. What is the typical efficiency rating for a power supply?Answer: 60% to 70%
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
4. Why shouldn’t you use a screwdriver to remove a heat sink? Answer: If it slips, it might damage the motherboard.
5. What is the voltage of an electrostatic discharge (ESD) that you can feel? Answer: In the neighborhood of 3,000 volts
6. What is the voltage range in which ESD can affect components? Answer: 10 to 1,000 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?
Answer: Install updated chipset drivers
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.
2. What happens automatically after you exit CMOS setup? Answer: The system reboots
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
4. How can you determine whether a motherboard is an ATX or a BTX board?Answer: You can determine it by looking at how memory slots and expansion slots are in line with the air flow in the BTX system but can oppose air flow in an ATX system
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
6. What is the purpose of spacers on the bottom of Motherboard?Answer: The purpose of spacers is to prevent the board from shorting out on the case and to provide space for air circulation.
