A+

USB ports

(Universal Serial Bus) is a versatile port. It can function as a serial, parallel, mouse, keyboard, or joystick port. It is fast enough, 12Mbps, to support video transfer, and is capable of supporting up to 127 daisy-chained peripheral devices.

The type of drive that Scott can attach to a computer depends on which type of drive is supported by the motherboard and input output cards. Which of these technologies could he use to attach a hard drive to a motherboard? (Choose all that apply) a. IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) b. SATA (Serial ATA) c. SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) d. SAS (Serial Attached SCSI)

All of the above

The basic input-output system, which serves as software stored on the ROM chip of the motherboard, is called?

BIOS

Which of the following programs allows the POST to occur? - CMOS - BIOS - EPROM - RAM

BIOS

BIOS

Basic Input/Output System, it used for running low level and internal communication routines.

Video card color depth is measured using _________, and resolution is measured using _______.

Bits, Pixels

The A+ examination requires you to understand bus architectures. As you work you will be installing a number of network cards, sound cards, and video cards. Which of the following is a downfall of Peripheral Component Interconnect? a. It can only support three devices at a time b. It has a fixed width of 64 bits c. It has a fixed width of 32 bits d. It can only support one device at a time

C. 32 bits. Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) has a fixed width of 32 bits and can only handle five devices at a time. PCI-X is 64 bits and provides more bandwidth.

Within the motherboard chip set there are two chips which comprise the largest part of the motherboard; these are the North and South bridges. The North Bridge is responsible for communication with which of the following? a. CPU to IDE b. CPU to PCI c. CPU to memory d. CPU to USB

C. CPU and Memory

The hardware configuration settings saved between reboots of the computer are stored in what location?

Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS)

SATA cable connections have seven pin cables which connect the motherboard to storage devices. Currently SATA is at revision 3.3 and is a hot-swappable technology. What does the term hot-swappable mean?

Drives can be removed and added while the system is running

True or False: SATA is a technology that allows you to connect hard drives to the system. It has a direct connection to the motherboard which does NOT support hot swapping technology.

False

The programming code contained in the hardware chip which acts as a link between hardware and software is the _______.

Firmware

Motherboard ____________ describe the dimensions of the motherboard and the layout of the motherboard components. This is important because motherboards are not interchangeable.

Form Factors

What device holds "working Data" and application codes?

Memory

Ports

Places on the outside of the computer that connect to the motherboard and allows hardware to work

Which type of device port would be used to attach a modem to your computer?

Serial

Which of the following contains the computer circuitry? - Power Supply - CPU -Storage Devices - System Board

System Board

firmware

System software that controls hardware devices.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Temporary memory a computer uses to store information while it is processing. (Volatile)

North Bridge

That portion of the chipset hub that connects faster I/O buses (for example, AGP buses) to the system bus. Compare to South Bridge. (CPU, Memory, AGP, PCLe)

South Bridge

That portion of the chipset hub that connects slower I/O buses (for example, a PCI bus) to the system bus. Compare to North Bridge. (USB, PCI, IDE)

Most common type of motherboard

The ATX (Advanced type Extended)

True or False: The component which allows the display, keyboard controller, mouse, or a port to communicate with the computer through the motherboard is the adapter card.

True

UEFI

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. A method used to boot some systems and intended to replace Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware.

chipsets

a number of integrated circuits designed to preform one or more related functions

Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) is a computer bus used for attaching hardware devices in a computer. How many megahertz do PCI adapters run at? a. 33 MHZ b. 94 MHZ c. 98 MHZ d. 64 MHZ

a. 33 MHZ

Serial and parallel ports are used to communicate with the motherboard. Which type of port would be identified as serial? a. LPT1 b. A female port c. The printer port d. A communications port

a. A communications port

Technicians need to know the operations and configurations of the motherboard and components. When installing processor chips, how is a chip installed in a "zero insertion force" (ZIF) socket? a. Pull up on the insertion lever b. Utilize needle nose pliers and twist counter clockwise c. Insert the chip through the USB port d. Chips installed in a ZIF socket must be replaced by the manufacturer

a. Pull up on the insertion lever

Serial ports send data in series through the COM ports. Which serial communication standard is most widely used? a. RS-485 b. RS-232 c. MIL-188 d. Current Loop

b. RS-232

Michael is a new IT professional in your shop. He is troubleshooting a laptop and finds he needs to enter the date and time every time the system boots up. He asked you what you think the problem may be. How do you reply? a. Tell him to check the power supply b. Tell him to ensure the RAM is seated properly c. Tell him to replace the CMOS battery d. Tell him to remove and replace the North Bridge chip

c. Tell him to replace the CMOS battery

CMOS

complementary metal-oxide semiconductor Stores user controls related to BIOS or formware (configuration settings)

serial ports

connect motems

parallel ports

connects printers etc

The most common output devices

printer, monitor