Chapter 3

PC Repair Technician

A PC repair technician does exactly what the name implies: they repair PCs. This includes both software and hardware issues. A typical day for a PC Repair Technician involves installing, troubleshooting, servicing, and repairing devices such as desktop computers, laptops, tablets, printers, as well as network equipment such as routers, switches, cables and related network hardware. Great customer service is essential in this job because it includes constant interaction with people who encounter computer problems. Being able to handle these situations calmly and professionally is what the job is all about. In addition to confidence in troubleshooting computer systems, an important skill for this job is the ability to train others. Repair technicians often need to instruct users on how use their personal computers and networks. To be qualified for a job like this, many employers ask for at least an industry certification.

Camera lens

A camera component that focuses the light that enters it into a point. Behind the point, the light spreads out again, eventually creating an upside-down image of the light that entered.

Camera shutter

A camera component that sits between the lens and the sensor, allowing light to enter for a short time.

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

A common interface used to connect peripherals, such as mice, keyboards, printers, and digital cameras to a computer.

Infrared

A communication technology that uses light waves to transmit information through the air.

Flash Storage

A compact, portable storage device that uses special memory chips to store data.

Clock timing

A computer has a clock mechanism, often performed by the CPU, which synchronizes how all the components work together over the bus.

Gaming consoles

A computer system specifically built to be operated by a gaming pad instead of a keyboard and mouse. Gaming consoles are also referred to as gaming box or video game console.

Hybrid laptop devices

A computer that caters to the needs of both tablet and laptop users. Hybrid laptops provide a touchscreen and other tablet-style conveniences, but also provide an operating system and keyboard.

Servers

A computer whose purpose is to provide shared disk storage or to perform a special service for a large number of people, such as web processing, email, or database services. As such, this is not something you would typically have in your home or would use for personal use.

High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connector

A connector now available on a wide variety of devices such as computers, monitors, TVs, Blu-Ray players, and more. HDMI is used to transfer high-definition signals. It supports both audio and video data.

Registered Jack 45 (RJ-45) connector

A connector used to connect a computer to a wired network.

Video Graphics Array (VGA) connector

A connector, identified by its blue color and three rows of pins, that is used to connect older monitors to a computer.

Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connector

A connector, typically white with three rows of eight pins, designed to connect digital monitors to a computer.

All-in-one device

A desktop computer that contains every component except the keyboard and mouse in the same case as the monitor.

Network Client

A device that can connect to a network. All of the above devices can be network clients.

Scanner

A device that scans paper documents and converts them into digital files.

Solid State Devices (SSD)

A device with similar capacity to an HDD that uses flash storage instead of magnetic disks to store data. SSDs are much faster and more durable than hard disk drives but usually are more expensive.

Peripheral

A device, usually external to a computer, that is plugged into a computer's communication port or is connected wirelessly. Common peripherals are keyboards, mice, monitors, speakers, and printers.

Touch screen

A display device that allows a user to interact with a computer by touching, tapping, and swiping areas on the screen.

Files

A file is a group of ones and zeroes that are organized together.

Heat Sink

A heat sink is a term for a component that disperses heat from another object. In computers, a heat sink attaches to a chip (like a CPU) and prevents it from overheating by transferring its heat to a fluid medium such as air or liquid.

Keyboard

A keyboard allows you to send alphanumeric information to the system by pressing keys. When you press a key, the corresponding character is sent to the computer hardware.

Photosensitive material

A light sensitive surface used to capture the image focused by the lens.

Water Cooling

A liquid-cooled system places a water-cooled heat exchanger near the heat source. This exchanger then removes the heat and reduces the air temperature. Because of water's higher density, liquid cooling can efficiently absorb heat.

Network Cards

A network interface card (NIC) enables a device to connect to a network. Many modern computers have a built-in NIC, but also have the option to add additional NICs to expand the functionality of the system.

Desktop

A popular type of computer system that can be equipped with peripheral devices such as a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers.

Inkjet printer

A printer that sprays small dots of ink from an ink reservoir onto a sheet of paper.

Laser printer

A printer that uses electrical charges and heat to fuse tiny plastic particles (called toner) to the paper.

Bluetooth

A short-range wireless communication technology used to connect peripherals such as wireless headphones, speakers, keyboards, mice, smart watches, printers, and game controllers to a computer, including smartphones.

Notebook/Laptop

A small computer that combines a display and keyboard and is designed to be easily carried.

Optical Drive

A storage device that uses light instead of magnetism to store information. This include CD-ROM, DVD, and Blu-ray devices.

Defragmentation

A utility in which all fragmented files on a drive are found and reconsolidated into the same physical location on the disk.

Video Cards

A video card, also called a display or graphics card, is used to enhance the quality of images shown on a display. Rendering images requires a lot of processing power.

Compression

A way of making data consume less storage space. For example, if an uncompressed file has fifty zeros in a row, a compression algorithm could encode the data as fifty zeros instead of recording each individual zero.

PCI with AGP

AGP is similar to PCI, but designed specifically for graphics support. Motherboards that provide AGP support have a single AGP slot. AGP is commonly used for video cards in modern computer systems, but has been replaced by PCIe.

AMD

AMD has had many brands throughout the years, such as Am2900, AMx86, Athlon, Sepron, Phenom and more. These brands, however, have been mostly phased out.

Active-Liquid Heat Sink

Active-liquid heat sink (ALHS) designs have become popular because they do not use external liquid pumps that are typically found in liquid cooling systems. An ALHS system is composed of a liquid heat sink, internal liquid pump, a fan, and a radiator that all actively pump cooled liquid in and out with no help from an outside pumping system.

Air Cooling

Air cooling is currently the most common method of cooling. By integrating fans in series (placed on top of one another) or in parallel configurations (side by side), they are able to efficiently move hot air out of the system.

External Hard Disk Drives

An HDD that can be connected as a peripheral to a computer.

Audio Cards

An audio card (sound card) converts electrical signals to audio signals. This is done using a digital signal processor (DSP) chip.

Thunderbolt

An interface primarily used on Apple computers that connects a monitor to a computer and can also provide DC power.

FireWire

An interface used to connect peripherals such as digital cameras and external hard drives to a computer. It is no longer commonly used.

Speakers

Another type of output is audio. Modern computing devices can send audio output to a set of speakers that can be integrated into the device itself or plugged into an external connector.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a short-range wireless communication technology used by many devices. It uses radio waves that operate between 2.4 and 2.485 GHz. Most Bluetooth devices have a range of about 30 feet.

Digital Camera

Digital cameras and webcams can be connected to input digital images and video into the system.

DisplayPort/Mini DisplayPort

DisplayPort connectors have 20 pins and come in two sizes: the standard DisplayPort and a smaller Mini DisplayPort. These interfaces are used to send high-quality, digital video and audio signals.

Power

Each component requires electricity, the bus provides this power.

Electrical Engineer

Electrical engineers require extensive education and advanced technical knowledge. They oversee the design and development of computer devices and other systems that use electricity and electronics. Electrical engineers design tiny microchips as well as large and complex computer systems. Their duties include researching, designing, creating, and maintain these systems. As an electrical engineer, you would become proficient in using computer aided design or CAD software. You would also need to be comfortable collaborating with other engineers to create sophisticated computer devices and systems. Educational requirements for this type of job include a minimum of a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or Mathematics, and frequently a master's degree in one of these fields.

External hard disk drives

External hard disk drives are frequently connected to computing devices to add additional storage capacity. For desktops and notebooks, the connection is usually a USB or a Thunderbolt connection. Mobile devices use a memory card that inserts into a memory card slot.

File systems

File systems use a special file called a directory file to keep track of the information in storage

Flash storage

Flash storage uses special memory chips to store data. Flash storage drives are non-volatile. This means you can remove power from a flash storage device and its contents will remain intact.

Drivers

For some peripheral devices, you may need to load drivers before connecting the device for the first time. Drivers contain software instructions that the computer needs in order to communicate with the device.

Network

If a computer has access to a local network, either wired or wireless, you might install and configure peripherals to be accessed over the network. For example, you might install an Internet Protocol or IP-based printer and then configure it using a web page in a browser. Another example would be a Wi-Fi access point.

Immersion Cooling

Immersion cooling (IC) is an advanced system of cooling in which the coolant is in direct contact with the CPU. This type of cooling offers a high heat transfer that quickly reduces the temperature of the CPU's surface.

File extensions

In Windows, a filename has two parts, the name of the file and the file extension. The two parts are separated by a period. For example: Image extensions include .jpg, .gif, and .png. Audio file types include .mp3, .wav, and .wma. Video file types include .mp4, .avi, and .wmv.

Digital Projectors

In today's world there is often a need to project images from a computer to a larger output, such as a wall or screen. These are often used a team meeting or for training purposes. The devices used to do this are called digital projectors or video projectors.

Infrared

Infrared (IR) communication technology uses light waves to transmit information through the air.

Inkjet

Inkjet printers spray small dots of ink from an ink reservoir onto a sheet of paper. Inkjet printers can produce high-quality output and are relatively inexpensive to purchase. However, they have several disadvantages.

CPU

Just like the brain controls the body, the CPU controls the other parts of the computer by getting information from them and then telling them what to do.

Laser

Laser printers use electrical charges and heat to fuse tiny plastic particles (called toner) to the paper.

Lime Green

Line-out. Used for front speakers and headphones. Used with 5.1 surround sound systems.

Memory location

Memory is a major component in a computer system, as it temporarily stores the data while its needed for processing. The bus keeps track of the address or location where the data is stored in the memory.

Micro USB

Micro USB connectors are the smallest type of USB connector. They are commonly used for connections to mobile devices, such as tablets and phones. Cables with a Micro USB connector generally use a Type A connector on the other end of the cable to connect to the computer.

Gray

Middle surround speakers for 7.1 systems.

Gold

Midi/game port (a joystick).

Mini USB

Mini USB connectors are a smaller type of USB connector. They are commonly used for digital cameras and sometimes external hard drives. Cables with a Mini USB connector usually use a Type A connector on the other end of the cable to connect to the computer.

RJ-45

Most computers provide a Registered Jack 45 (RJ-45) connector that allows you to connect the system to a network.

Audio

Most computers provide audio connectors. The pink connector is the microphone jack. It is used to connect a microphone to the system. The blue connector is the line-in connector. You can use it to connect an external audio source to the computer. The green connector is the line-out connector. It is used to connect speakers to the system.

Optical drive

Most desktop and notebook systems include an optical drive. Optical drives use light instead of magnetism to store information. They use microscopic light and dark spots on the bottom surface of the disc.

x86 Processors

Most large computers, such as desktops, laptops, and servers, use x86 processors. x86 refers to the processor's instruction set which is the list of commands that a processor can execute.

ARM Processors

Most tablets and smartphones use Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) processors. ARM processors use a reduced instruction set.

GPU

Often computers require additional processing power for creating images and graphics. This is supplied by a graphics processing unit (GPU).

Cooling

One of the problems of high-speed computing is that it can produce a lot of heat. A typical desktop CPU can get hot enough to boil water. This much heat can damage delicate components if it isn't appropriately dealt with.

PCI Express

PCI Express, or PCIe is a next generation I/O bus architecture. Rather than a shared bus, each PCIe slot links to a switch which prioritizes and routes data through a point-to-point dedicated connection and provides a serial full-duplex method of transmission.

Intel

Pentium 4 - Is Intel's brand for an entire series of single-core CPUs for desktops, laptops and entry-level servers. Pentium 4 CPUs were used from 2000 through 2008. Core - Intel's original 32-bit mobile dual-core x86 CPUs derived from the Intel P6 microarchitecture.Celeron - Intel's brand for a number of low-end IA32 and x86-64 CPUs. Intel used the Celeron for many low-cost personal computers. Atom - Intel's IA-32 and x86-64 ultra-low-voltage microprocessors were designed to reduce electric consumption and power dissipation in comparison with other processors of the Intel Core series. The Atom CPU was used for devices, such as netbooks, nettops, smartphones, and tablets. Xeon - Intel's CPU was introduced in 1998 and is used primarily for non-consumer workstation, servers, and embedded system markets.

Power Supply

Power supplies take AC power from the wall outlet and convert it into DC power.

Black

Rear sound speaker for 5.1 and 7.1 systems - output.

Compression

Reencoding a file to consume less storage space.

Scanner

Scanners can be connected to a computer to allow you to scan paper documents into digital files.

Mobile Device

Small computing devices such as tablets and smart phones that are much more portable than desktops and laptops.

FireWire

Some computers provide a FireWire connector. FireWire is an IEEE 1394 interface standard for a serial bus for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer.

Solid state devices (SSD)

Some desktop and laptop systems replace the traditional internal hard disk drive with a special type of flash storage called an SSD. SSDs are much faster and more durable than hard disk drives.

Light Blue

Stereo line-in.

Orange

Subwoofer and center-out. Used with 5.1 surround sound systems.

Synthesized DNA Strands

Synthetically produced artificial DNA that is capable of storing vast amounts of information and may be a solution to long-term massive storage.

DVI Video

The Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connector is designed to connect digital monitors to a computer, typically flat-panel. It is typically white with three rows of eight pins.

HDMI

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connector uses digital signals and is now available on a wide variety of devices such as computers, monitors, TVs, Blu-Ray players, etc.

Power Supply Unit

The PSU is mounted just inside the back of the computer's case. It can be found by following the power cable to the back of the computer. At the back of the power supply, you will see a fan that sends air out of the case. PSUs are rated by wattage to show how much power they can provide to the computer.

PCI

The Peripheral Component Interconnect, or PCI, is an older technology but can still be found in many computers. The PCI bus is usually 32-bits wide, although 64-bit versions were used as well. Running at 33 MHz, it can transfer data at 133 MB/s (or 266 MB/s for 64-bit versions).

Thunderbolt

The Thunderbolt (TB) interface is compatible with DisplayPort and is primarily used on Apple computers. Thunderbolt ports can also provide DC power. They are mainly used for external displays, but they can also be used to connect other peripheral devices.

USB Type C

The USB Type C specification was introduced in 2014. It is simpler than the previous types. Both ends of a Type C connector are the same and the cord allows bi-directional power flow, so a host device can charge a peripheral and a peripheral device can charge a host.

VGA Video

The Video Graphics Array (VGA) connector is designed for analog signals and has 15 pins. It is used to connect older or legacy monitors to a computer. You can identify this connector by its blue color and three rows of pins. VGA is not efficient at supporting high resolutions.

File sharing

The ability of users to allow other users to perform specified tasks (such as read or write) to files. File sharing can usually be accomplished more efficiently using the cloud.

Permissions

The actions (read, write, move, delete, etc.) users can perform on a file. File systems use an Access Control List (ACL) to specify which users can perform which tasks for each file and folder in the system.

Naming rules

The character set that a files system allows for filenames. For example, NTFS reserved for special purposes the characters \ / : * ? < > |. It doesn't allow these characters in file names.

Data

The data is the information that is transferred between the components in the computer.

Mouse

The hardware within the mouse can keep track of its physical location on a hard surface. Using this information, it can determine how far you have moved the mouse and in what direction.

Size limitations

The maximum file size a file system can support. This is a problem only for old file systems. For example FAT32 had a maximum file size of 4 gigabytes.

File System

The methods and structures that an operating system uses to organize files on a storage device like a hard drive. File systems often use directory structures to keep track of files.

Hard disk drive

The most common type of long-term storage is the hard disk drive (HDD). Hard disks use thick, magnetic disks encased in a protective housing to store data. Because a hard disk drive is usually installed inside of a computer, it can be difficult to move between systems.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

The most common type of long-term storage that uses thick magnetic disks encased in a protective housing to store data.

Monitor

The most common type of output device is the monitor. Information is usually displayed on a monitor screen as it's being processed by the computer.

Motherboard

The motherboard is like the spine in your body. It connects all the other parts to each other and sends electrical signals between them.

Encryption

The process of converting information so it cannot be understood without decrypting it using a key, especially to prevent unauthorized access.

Encryption

The process of converting information so that it cannot be understood without a key to convert it back (de-encrypt it). Encryption is used to prevent unauthorized access.

Partitioning

The process of dividing a single physical disk into multiple logical drives called volumes.

Journaling

The process of noting in a change log every time a file changes. Journaling helps prevent data loss in the case of a power outage or other system malfunction.

Journaling

The process of tracking changes to a file so that a file can be repaired or restored in case of file corruption or data loss.

File

The smallest container within a computer's storage system that is used to store information such as data, settings, and commands used in a computer program. A file is the smallest container that can be copied, deleted, or moved within a file system.

Drive

The top-level folder, or directory, of a file system.

File Permissions

The use of user and file attributes that control which users can read, write, move, or delete each file.

File Format

The way a file is organized. File formats are indicated by an extension such as .jpg, .gif, .png., .mp3, .wav, .wma, .mp4, .avi, and .wmv.

Specific file systems

There are several different file systems a computer can use. They generally do the same thing as far as the user is concerned but work differently behind the scenes.

Microphone

To record audio, a microphone can be connected to a desktop system using a USB connector, an audio jack, or a wireless connection.

NIC

Today, most computers need to connect to the internet. That's the job of the network interface card (NIC). Some motherboards have a NIC built in, while others need one to be added on.

Touch Screen

Touch screens are commonly used by mobile devices. A touch screen uses a special material overlaid on the top of the device's regular screen that can detect when you have touched it and where.

Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording

Type of drive that allows bits of data to become smaller and more tightly packed together while still retaining data. It uses a tiny laser to briefly heat the recording surface of the hard drive to write the data making it more receptive to the effects of magnetism, which allow writing on much smaller areas than were possible before.

3D Flash Memory

Type of memory that implements tiers of solid-state flash memory stacked on top of each other allowing for much greater storage capacity at a lower cost than 2D flash memory.

USB Type B

USB Type B connectors have a square shape with a bevel on one edge to keep them from being plugged in the wrong way.

USB

USB devices are hot-swappable. This means you can plug and unplug USB peripherals while the system is running. The system will automatically detect the addition or removal of a device and make the necessary configuration changes.

Self-powered USB devices

USB ports can provide power over the connection. USB devices can receive up to 500 milliamps of power from a USB 2.0 port and up to 900 milliamps of power from a USB 3.0 port. If a device can operate on this much power, it's considered a bus-powered device. This means the USB port provides 100 percent of its power.

USB Type A

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type A connectors are rectangular in shape. One end is typically plugged directly into the computer. The other is plugged into a peripheral device.

Fragmentation

When parts of a single file, program, or application are stored in different areas of a physical disk.

File formats

While it's possible for a file's data to be completely arbitrary, most files are organized in a specific way, called a file format.

Printer

You use a printer to create a hard copy of the information processed by the computer. Data is sent through a wire or over radio waves to a printer. The printer receives the data, formats it, and transfers it onto a piece of paper

Pink

microphone

RAM

the computer stores this information in random-access memory (RAM).