ITSC 1321 Test 1 Review (Ch. 11-14)

What is HAL?

(Hardware Abstraction Layer) It is the layer closest to the hardware. HAL cannot be moved from one computer to another.

What messages could appear if the BIOS found a hard drive but cannot read it?

- A disk read error - Drive not recognized - Invalid boot disk - Operating System not found

What can you do when the monitor indicator light is not on or no image displays?

- Check the cables - Try monitor on different computer or another monitor on the original computer.

What are some indications of an overheating problem?

- The system hangs or freezes at odd times or freezes just a few moments after the boot starts. - A Windows BSOD error occurs during the boot. - You cannot hear a fan running or the fan makes a whining sound. - You cannot feel air being pulled into or out of the case.

What are some possible solutions to display problems?

- Use LCD monitor controls - Windows display settings - Check/update video drivers - Adjust brightness from control panel

What are the most important rules from step 1?

-Approach the Problem Systematically. -Establish Your Priorities. -Beware of User Error. -Keep Your Cool and Don't Rush.

What are the most important rules from step 3?

-Divide and Conquer. Isolate the problem. -Write Things Down. Keep good notes. -Don't Assume the Worst. Don't assume the data is lost. Much can be done to recover the data. -Reboot and Star Over. Take a break and get a fresh start.

What are the most important rules from step two?

-Make No Assumptions. Do your own investigation. -Try the Simple Things First, such as a power switch or a loose cable. -Become a Researcher. Search the web, ask questions, read more, make some phone calls, and ask more questions.

What Windows 7 tools can you use to monitor and optimize performance and resources?

-Windows 7 Performance Information and Tools -Resource Monitor -Reliability Monitor -Performance Monitor

What are some important questions to ask when interviewing the user about problems?

1. Can you describe the problem and describe when the problem first started and when it occurs? 2. Was any new hardware or software installed? 3. Is there important data on the drive that has not been backed up?

What are the four troubleshooting rules?

1. Check the obvious and check the simple things first. 2. Trade known good for suspected bad. 3. Trade suspected bad for known good. 4. Divide and conquer.

How can you manually remove software?

1. First try the uninstall routine. 2. Delete program files by looking in the C:\Program Files 3. Delete Registry Entries by opening Registry Editor and locating the key that contains the entries that make up the list of installed software. 4. Remove the program from the All Programs menu and the Desktop. 5. Remove Startup Processes

What are two programs to test a hard drive?

1. HDD Scan 2. SpinRite

What are the 5 keys of the registry?

1. HKEY_CURRENT_USER 2. HKEY_USERS 3. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE 4. HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG 5. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

What are the 6 steps in the troubleshooting process?

1. Interview the User and Back Up Data 2. Establish a theory. Examine the system or ask more questions. Make your best guess. 3. Test your theory 4. Plan the fix and resolve the problem 5. Verify the fix and take preventative action 6. Document what happened.

How do you create a restore point on Windows 7?

1. Open System Protection by clicking the Start button, right clicking Computer (or This PC) then selecting Properties. 2. Click System Protection on the left pane. 3. Click the System Protection tab then click create. 4. In the dialog box type a description, then click create.

What are two ways to launch task manager?

1. Press Ctrl, Alt, and Delete simultaneously, then click Task Manager from the security screen. 2. Press Ctrl, Shift, and Esc simultaneously.

What are the 5 Hives (files) that make up the registry?

1. SAM (Security Accounts Manager) 2. Security 3. Software 4. System 5. Default

How can you back up the registry?

1. Use System Protection to create a restore point. 2. Back up a single registry key just before you edit it. 3. Make an extra copy of the C:\Windows\System32\config folder. 4. For Windows XP, back up the system state.

What are some good resources to use when troubleshooting hardware problems?

1. User Manuals 2. The Web 3. Technical Associates

What are two things to try when having hard drive problems?

1. You can check the BIOS, then get to default settings and make sure auto detect is on, then reboot. 2. Remove and then reattach all the drive cables.

What is uninteruptable power supply?

A device that raises the voltage levels when it drops during brownouts.

What is the second step in Windows 7 and Vista Boot Sequence?

BIOS locates the MBR partition table.

What is BSOD?

Blue Screen of Death- These Windows errors are caused by problems with devices, device drivers, or a corrupted Windows installation. Begin troubleshooting by searching the Microsoft website for the error message and descriptions of the problem.

What does BCD do?

Boot Configuration Data file is organized the same way as a registry hive and contains boot settings that control BootMgr, WinLoad.exe, WinResume.exe (when resuming hibernation), MemTest.exe (when memory is tested), and dual boots.

What is the fifth step in Windows 7 and Vista Boot Sequence?

Bootmgr loads the rest of Windows.

How do you run a check disk from inside of Windows?

Click on Start menu, type chkdsk in search bar and press enter.

Where does data live in Windows 7?

Computer > C:\ > users (Ex. C:\users\username)

What does the Hal.dll do?

Dynamic link library handles low-level hardware details.

How can you run Windows Memory Diagnostics without a CD or DVD?

Enter BIOS and check memory status.

What function key is used to activate the Advanced Boot Options Menu?

F8

What is a Hard Boot?

Involves turning on the power with the on/off switch. (The switch usually on the rear of the computer)

What is a Soft Boot?

Involves using the operating system to reboot. (Power button on the front)

How do you activate the Advance Boot menu?

It can be accessed by pressing F8 as Windows is loading.

What is the Advanced Boot Options Menu?

It has several options on this menu to help you throubleshoot boot problems. It is accessed by pressing the F8 key when Windows first starts to load. In XP, the menu is called the Boot Options Menu.

What is Event Viewer?

It is a computer management console snap-in that allows you to view any events, such as hardware or network failure, which are logged by Windows. You can check the Event Viewer logs for error messages to help you investigate all kinds of hardware, security, and system problems. It is accessed from the Computer Management console, or in Administrative tools.

What is a SATA to USB device?

It is a device that allows you to connect to an internal hard drive externally through a USB connection.

What is a process?

It is a program that is running under the authority of the shell, together with the system resources assigned to it.

What is a thread?

It is a single task, such as the task of printing a file that the process requests from the kernel.

What is the Windows Kernel?

It is responsible for the interaction with the hardware. It has more power to communicate with hardware devices than the shell has.

What is the use for Computer Management?

It is used to access several snap-ins to manage and troubleshoot a system. Accessed from the Control Panel, you can also enter compmgmt.msc at the command prompt.

What is Backup and Restore?

It is used to back up and restore user data, the system image, and to make a rescue disk. It is accessed from the Start Menu. In XP the program name is ntbackup.exe.

What is Task Manager?

It is used to list and stop currently running processes. It's useful when you need to stop a locked-up application. It is accessed by right-clicking the taskbar and select Start Task Manager.

What is Device Driver Roll Back?

It is used to replace a new driver with the one that worked before the current driver was installed. It is accessed from Device Manager.

What is System Restore?

It is used to restore the system to a previously working condition called a Restore Point; It restores the registry, some system files and some applications files. Restore points are automatically created when Windows System Protection is turned on. It is accessed from Start Menu, when loading Safe Mode, or from the System Recovery Options menu after booting the computer into Windows RE.

What is Run As?

It is used to run a program using different permissions from those assigned to the currently logged on user. It is accessed through command prompt by entering Runas with parameters.

What is the Action Center?

It is used to solve problems when installing a device or application, to solve problems with software or hardware, and to get a history of past and current problems. You can access it from the system Window or Action Center flag in task bar.

What is Device Manager?

It is used to solve problems with hardware devices to update device drivers and to disable and uninstall a device. It is accessed from the System Window or XP system properties window.

What is Memory Diagnostics?

It is used to test memory. It is accessed by entering mdsched.exe in a command prompt window or find it on the System Recovery Options menu after booting the computer into the Windows Recover Environment (Windows RE).

What is System File Checker?

It is used to verify the version of all system files when Windows loads. It's useful when you suspect system files are corrupted, but you can still access the Windows desktop. It is accessed through command prompt by entering the sfc.exe command with parameters.

What is Disk Management?

It is used to view and modify partitions on hard drives and to format the drives as well. It is accessed from the Computer Management console, or enter diskmgmt.msc at a command prompt.

What is Safe Mode?

It is used when Windows does not start or starts with errors. Safe Mode loads the Windows desktop with a minimum configuration. In this minimized environment, you can solve a problem with a device driver, display setting, or corrupted or malicious application. It is accessed by pressing F8 at startup and selecting the option from the Advanced Boot Options menu.

What is Last known good configuration?

It is used when Windows won't start normally and you want to revert the system to before a Windows setting, driver, or application that is causing problems was changed. Accessed by pressing F8 at the startup and selecting it from the Advanced Boot Options menu.

What does x86 mean?

It refers to 32 bit CPUs/processors and 32 bit Operating Systems.

What does the term IA64 refer to?

It refers to 64 bit processors by Intel such as Xeon on Itanium which are used in High-End Work Stations.

What does x86-64 (aka EM64T) mean?

It refers to hybrid processors that can process 32 bits and 64 bits. Also it can refer to 64 bit OS.

What is the Memory Diagnostic Tool's purpose?

It tests memory for errors and is functional even before Windows is loaded. It can be used on computers without Windows 7 or Vista.

What is the third step in Windows 7 and Vista Boot Sequence?

Load boot program (449 bytes from MBR).

What does NToskrnl.exe do?

Loads Windows Kernel

What does the WinLogin.exe do?

Logon process

What is the fourth step in Windows 7 and Vista Boot Sequence?

MBR loads Bootmgr

What does the MBR do?

Master Boot Record- contains the partition table and the master boot program used to locate and start the Bootmgr program.

How can you see what 3rd party services are running on a computer?

Open Task Manager and click on Services Tab.

How can you see how much RAM your computer is actually using?

Open Task Manager and click on the "Processes" tab.

How do you kill a program using task manager?

Open Task Manager, then select the program to kill under the "Applications" tab, and then click End Task.

How can you see what programs are starting on the computer at boot?

Opening Start menu and opening Systems Configuration.

What is the first step in Windows 7 and Vista Boot Sequence?

Power On Self Test (POST)

What are the post beep codes?

Power On Self Test occurs when you turn on the PC. During this time a set of beeps occur which can help you discern any problems with the PC. Ex. Rapid beeps if RAM memory is installed incorrectly.

What usually happens when a blue screen of death occurs?

Processes running in Kernel mode encounter a problem and Windows must stop the system.

What is a good way to destroy data on someone's hard drive?

Put hard drive through a hard drive shredder.

How do you compress a folder in Windows?

Right click on folder, then select Send To and finally click on compressed (zipped) folder.

What is Safe Mode used for?

Safe Mode is a troubleshooting option for Windows that starts your computer in a limited state. Only the basic files and drivers necessary to run Windows are started. Safe Mode boots the OS with minimum configuration.

What CLI tool could be used to stop a program that is hung up?

Taskkill

What is the purpose of the System File Checker?

The SFC protects files and keeps a cache of current system files in case a file is damaged. It could help Windows solve corrupted system file problems.

What is the startup tab of MSconfig?

The startup tab contains a list of programs that launch at startup.

What is Last Known Good Configuration?

These are settings that are saved in the registry each time the user successfully logs on to the system. Using LKGC can undo your installation and solve your problems caused by a bad hardware or software installation.

Can the symptoms of a computer virus look like a hardware problem?

They can be similar such as slowing the computer down and lagging.

What is Safe Mode with networking?

This is a good option to use when you are solving a problem with booting and need to access the network to solve the problem.

How do you edit the registry?

To edit the registry, open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe), and locate and select the key in the left pane of the Registry Editor, which will display the values stored in this key in the right pane.

How do you launch MSconfig?

To launch MSconfig, click Start, enter MSconfig.exe in the search box and press Enter.

What are bad capacitors?

When the capacitors fail it is because of incorrectly formulated electrolytes. They can cause errors, bad data, or corrupted applications.

What does WinLoad do?

Windows Boot Loader loads and starts essential Windows processes.

What does BootMgr do?

Windows Boot Manager manages the initial startup of the OS.

What is the sixth step in Windows 7 and Vista Boot Sequence?

Winload.exe loads the Windows OS.

How do you run Memory Diagnostics from the Windows 7 install DVD?

You can do it by pressing the space bar while booting when the Windows Boot Manager screen appears, select the Windows Memory Diagnostic and hit enter.

How can you completely wipe a hard drive without destroying it?

You can use a zero-fill utility downloaded from the hard drive manufacturer.

What can you try to fix overheating?

You can use compressed air, a blower, or anti-static vacuum to remove dust from the power supply, the vents over the entire computer, and the processor cooler fan. You can also check the BIOS.

How do you do a startup repair?

You must boot from a Windows 7 DVD then select "Repair Your Computer" then hit next. At the System Recovery Options box, select your user account, enter the password then hit ok. Finally, click Startup Repair and it will examine the system for errors.

What is the name of the file that runs computer management? (What could you type in the window run box to run computer management?)

compmgmt.msc

How do you see the programs loaded at Startup?

msconfig

What is the seventh step in Windows 7 and Vista Boot Sequence?

ntoskrnl.exe NT OS Kernel.

What is the eighth and final step in Windows 7 and Vista Boot Sequence?

smss.exe Session Manager Subsystem.