COMPTIA A+ 220-901 - DOMAIN 1.0 - HARDWARE

1-40. Performance-based question: Put these computer interface standards in order from fastest to slowest. Use all of the available options. A. USB 3.0 B. One stream of 802.11n C. SATA Revision 3.0 D. FireWire Beta mode

Answer: C) SATA Revision 3.0 (6.0 Gbit/s) A) USB 3.0 (5 Gbit/s) D) FireWire Beta mode (800 Mbit/s) B) One stream of 802.11n (150 Mbit/s)

1-150. Which of these socket types would you associate with an Intel CPU? Pick two. A. 2011 B. 775 C. FM2 D. AM3+

Answer: A. 2011 and B. 775 The Socket T (775 pins) and Socket R (2011 pins) are unique to Intel. The Socket FM2 and Socket AM3+ are AMD socket types.

1-146. The Power On Self Test process performs a series of hardware diagnostics before the operating system loads. Which of these problems would NOT be found during POST? A. A missing CPU heat sink B. A faulty video card C. A bad RAM module D. A bad hard drive

Answer: A. A missing CPU heat sink A heat sink's job is to redistribute the heat from a hot CPU into the heat sink, where it's then cooled by the constant airflow through the computer case. If the heat sink is missing or isn't connected well, you won't know there's a problem until the CPU heats up. Bad video cards can be a problem, since no video means you have no visual feedback on the boot process. For bad video cards, the BIOS often beeps to inform you of the bad video. Since nearly everything on your computer uses the RAM, those chips are given a good once-over during the POST process. When a hard drive goes missing, it's an easy thing to identify. If a drive is missing or won't respond, the BIOS will complain.

1-168. What is commonly used to cool a heat sink? A. Air B. Water C. Thermal Paste D. Coolant

Answer: A. Air A heat sink works by dissipating heat from hot components using thermal conduction. The heat is then transferred to the much cooler air that is constantly blown through the computer case.

1-65. Which of these would you expect to find in a BIOS configuration? A. Boot device order B. Windows startup programs C. IP address configuration details D. Windows boot options

Answer: A. Boot device order The BIOS configuration settings would include the date, time, boot device order, and other system configuration values. Windows configuration settings would not be stored in the BIOS configuration.

1-278. Your diagnostic software is reporting that your computer's CPU is overheating. The CPU has a heat sink, but it doesn't appear to be working very well. What should you check to ensure the heat sink is optimally cooling your CPU? Pick three. A. Check that all fans are working properly B. Make sure all vents are clear from obstruction C. Make sure your memory modules are using the correct clock rate D. Ensure the proper amount of thermal paste is on the CPU

Answer: A. Check that all fans are working properly and B. Make sure all vents are clear from obstruction and D. Ensure the proper amount of thermal paste is on the CPU Your computer's cooling system works together to keep temperatures low. If your fans can't pull air through the computer, then the heat sinks can't dissipate the heat into the air.

1-154. You've installed some new memory sticks into your PC, and now you'd like to confirm the amount of installed RAM. Which of these would be the best way to check the amount of installed RAM? A. Check the BIOS settings B. Boot with a Linux LiveCD C. Cross-reference the text on the memory modules D. Check the manufacturer documentation

Answer: A. Check the BIOS settings The BIOS settings can tell you exactly how much memory your computer sees when it starts up, and it's the ultimate check of how much memory you have installed. If your BIOS won't see it, then your operating system certainly won't see it.

1-159. Which of these maintenance tasks is most suited for thermal printers? A. Clean the print head with IPA B. Replace toner cartridge C. Replace print head D. Replace ribbon cartridge

Answer: A. Clean the print head with IPA Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is commonly used to clean thermal print heads, and it's often provided in a thermal printer cleaning pen.

1-230. What is the name that describes the grouping of sectors on a hard drive? A. Cluster B. Bunch C. Track D. Segment

Answer: A. Cluster To optimize the overhead of managing such a huge amount of space, hard drives combine individual sectors together into groups called clusters.

1-141. Which of these interface types commonly use a combination of three RCA video connectors? A. Component video B. Display Port C. SCSI D. SATA E. Composite video

Answer: A. Component video Component video provides separate signals for Luminance and sync, blue, and red, and it commonly uses RCA connectors. The RCA name refers to the Radio Corporation of America, who designed the connectors in the 1940s.

1-235. You have a set of files that totals 7 gigabytes of information. Which optical formats can store these files on a single optical disc? Choose two. A. DVD-ROM B. CD-ROM C. Blu-ray D. Secure Digital

Answer: A. DVD-ROM and C. Blu-ray The DVD-ROM format can store 8.5 gigabytes in dual-layer mode, and Blu-ray can store up to 50 gigabytes in dual-layer mode. CD-ROMs max out around 700 megabytes, and Secure Digital (SD) is a flash memory format.

1-285. Which of these would be categorized as a PC input device? Pick two. A. Digitizer B. Smart card reader C. Laser Printer D. LCD display E. Speaker

Answer: A. Digitizer and B. Smart card reader A digitizer is a common input device using a stylus, and smart card readers commonly provide input for authentication.

1-68. What does the D in SDRAM stand for? A. Dynamic B. Disk C. Density D. Double

Answer: A. Dynamic In Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory, the dynamic part refers to the constant refreshing of the memory that must occur to maintain the charge in the memory capacitors. Without constant refreshing, dynamic memory would quickly "forget about" the contents.

1-261. What kind of memory might be used in a server to detect and correct data corruption? A. ECC B. SO-DIMM C. DDR3 D. Parity

Answer: A. ECC ECC (Error Correcting Code) memory can detect memory data issues and correct the errors on the fly.

1-188. Which of these would be most commonly associated with OLED? A. Electricity creates light from organic compounds B. Refreshes the screen using a cathode C. Contains cells of noble gas and mercury D. Requires a very bright light E. Relatively slow response times

Answer: A. Electricity creates light from organic compounds Organic Light Emitting Diode screens provide light when an organic component is subjected to electricity.

1-267. Which of these would you commonly associate with the Southbridge? A. Ethernet interface B. Memory controller hub C. Front-side bus D. PCI express slots

Answer: A. Ethernet interface The traditional role of the Southbridge has been to manage devices that require relatively low throughput. The Northbridge handles high-speed connectivity from devices such as the PCI Express slots, memory, and CPU, and the Southbridge effectively handles everything else.

1-185. Which of these would be considered a characteristic of TN LCD displays? A. Fast response times B. No tailing when touched C. High power draw D. Good viewing angles E. More expensive to produce than an IPS display

Answer: A. Fast response times TN (Twisted Nematic) LCD displays have a fast response time and low power draw, but they suffer from very poor viewing angles.

1-194. You have purchased a new computer that includes a port marked "IEEE 1394." What is a more common name for this port? A. FireWire B. Thunderbolt C. USB D. eSATA E. Lightning

Answer: A. FireWire The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has created a standard interface for connecting peripheral devices called the IEEE 1394 standard. When Apple added these ports to their computers, they created "FireWire," a more user-friendly name to refer to the IEEE 1394 ports. Although the name might be different, the interfaces and ports are identical.

1-289. Which laser printing process permanently joins toner to paper? A. Fusing B. Transferring C. Exposing D. Developing E. Processing

Answer: A. Fusing The fusing process applies heat and pressure to permanently melt toner particles onto paper.

1-268. All of the pages printed from your laser printer smudge and smear when you touch the page. Which part of the laser printing process is most likely to be the cause of this issue? A. Fusing B. Developing C. Transfering D. Cleaning

Answer: A. Fusing The fusing process heats the toner and permanently bonds the plastic toner powder to the paper. If the toner isn't properly heating the paper, then parts of the page will smear and smudge when you touch the powdery toner.

1-283. Which of these functions would you expect to find embedded in a modern PC processor? Pick two. A. Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) B. BIOS C. Memory controller D. SATA controller

Answer: A. Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and C. Memory controller Modern CPUs have collapsed the traditional computer chipset by embedding the memory controller and the graphics processor directly into the primary CPU.

1-127. Which of these characteristics would be most desirable for a home theater PC? Pick two. A. HDMI output B. Maximum number of CPU cores C. TV tuner D. SSD

Answer: A. HDMI output and C. TV tuner A home theater PC uses a small form-factor case, HDMI output, a TV tuner, and plenty of hard drive space. There's no particular requirement for high CPU utilization or high-speed storage devices in a home theater computer.

1-262. Which of these motherboards would be best suited for low-power use? A. ITX B. ATX C. microATX D. BTX

Answer: A. ITX The ITX line of motherboards was designed for very small form factors and use a minimum amount of power.

1-199. Which of these would be true about RAID 1? A. In the case of a failure, an exact duplicate of your data exists B. RAID 1 is generally much faster than RAID 0 C. In the case of failure, the array is broken and data is unrecoverable D. Data is made redundant through the use of parity blocks

Answer: A. In the case of a failure, an exact duplicate of your data exists RAID 1 may not be the fastest form of RAID, but it's certainly one of the safest. With RAID 1, data is completely duplicated between drives. If a drive were to fail, the remaining drive would continue to provide uninterrupted data reading and writing.

1-202. Which of these would be a disadvantage of inkjet printers? A. Ink fades over time B. Requires on-printer memory C. Output is sensitive to light and heat D. Poor graphic output E. Loud operation

Answer: A. Ink fades over time The ink used in an inkjet printer is very vibrant and colorful when first printed, but the image fades over time. You would not use inkjet printer output to archive information over an extended period of time.

1-37. Which of these items would you most likely find in a thermal printer maintenance kit? A. Isopropyl alcohol B. Printer carriage C. Print head D. Fuser unit

Answer: A. Isopropyl alcohol A thermal printer has very few moving parts and the entire print mechanism is a single heating element. You won't find a printer carriage, print head, or fuser unit in a thermal printer. Isopropyl alcohol is commonly used to keep the thermal printer heating element and feed rollers clean.

1-114. Which of these would be categorized as both an input and an output device? Pick two. A. KVM B. LCD display C. Laser printer D. Touch screen E. Microphone

Answer: A. KVM and D. Touch screen A Keyboard/Video/Mouse switch can send keyboard and mouse input and display video output. A touch screen is an output device that also allows input by touching the display itself.

1-111. Which of these would you most likely find in a computer's BIOS? A. Keyboard diagnostics B. Hard drive partitioning options C. Windows startup process troubleshooting D. Performance Manager long-term graphs

Answer: A. Keyboard diagnostics Many BIOS systems now include a set of hardware diagnostics, including tests for video, storage, and input devices.

1-139. What kind of printer renders the entire page in memory before it begins printing? A. Laser B. Inkjet C. Dot-matrix D. Thermal

Answer: A. Laser A laser printer isn't designed to start and stop during the printing process, so it has to have the entire page ready to print before the paper begins to move through the printer. If a page is particularly complex, it's possible to run out of memory in the printer before anything prints.

1-27. Which of these would be the best example of using a TPM? A. Manage BitLocker encryption keys B. Manage hard drive partitions C. Install a new video driver D. Upgrade the operating system

Answer: A. Manage BitLocker encryption keys The trusted platform module is designed to assist with a PC's encryption and decryption processes.

1-7. Which of these interface types would you expect to find in a laptop computer? A. Mini PCI B. DIMM C. AGP D. PCI-X

Answer: A. Mini PCI The Mini PCI interface was built specifically for smaller form factors such as laptops and tablets.

1-189. What type of connector is commonly used with S-Video? A. Mini-DIN B. 15-pin DB C. RJ-45 D. RCA

Answer: A. Mini-DIN The S-Video connector is most commonly used over a Mini-DIN connector.

1-128. Which of these motherboard types would be the best choice for a small form factor media center PC? A. Mini-ITX B. ATX C. ITX D. ITX

Answer: A. Mini-ITX The Mini-ITX is the smallest motherboard type listed above, and it includes an expansion slot to add additional features.

1-216. Which of these would be considered a characteristic of IPS LCD displays? A. More expensive to produce than a TN display B. Poor color representation C. Low power draw D. Fast response times

Answer: A. More expensive to produce than a TN display IPS (In Plane Switching) LCD displays have an excellent color representation and do not tail when touched, but they are a bit more expensive to produce than TN (Twisted Nematic) displays.

1-42. What is Advanced Technology Extended? A. Motherboard type B. Hard drive interface C. Network protocol D. A wireless encryption standard

Answer: A. Motherboard type The ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) motherboard was standardized by Intel in 1995 and remains one of the most popular motherboard types.

1-196. Which of these are important to consider when converting from DVI-A to VGA? A. No additional converter is required when converting from DVI-A B. Includes both a DisplayPort and PCI Express signal C. Electrically compatible with USB 3.0 D. Requires an additional power source E. An active converter cable is required

Answer: A. No additional converter is required when converting from DVI-A The analog version of DVI is called DVI-A, and it's backward compatible with VGA at the resolution of 640 x 480. Since you're converting from analog to analog, no additional converter is required.

1-271. In a traditional Northbridge/Southbridge motherboard architecture, where would you expect to see the video adapter connected? A. Northbridge B. Southbridge C. FSB D. Memory bus

Answer: A. Northbridge If it's a part of the computer that needs a lot of bandwidth, then you can bet that it's connected to (or near) the Northbridge. Lower bandwidth devices are often found near the Southbridge.

1-137. Where is an inkjet print head normally located? A. On the printer ink cartridges B. In the toner cartridge C. On the printer carriage D. In the duplexing assembly E. Inkjet printers don't use a print head

Answer: A. On the printer ink cartridges Inkjet print heads are notorious for clogging over time, so it's common to have a new print head included on the printer cartridges. When you change the print cartridge, you also effectively get a new print head.

1-291. How many physical CPU chips are required for a quad-core processor? A. One B. Two C. Four D. Eight

Answer: A. One A multi-core processor consists of a single physical processor that includes multiple processor cores on the chip.

1-227. Which of these motherboard bus types is designed for servers and has a throughput of 1,064 MB/s? A. PCI-X B. PCI Express C. PCI D. miniPCI

Answer: A. PCI-X Since servers often require large bandwidths for networking and storage, an extension to the PCI standard was created to fill this need. Today, most servers will use PCI Express for their high-bandwidth applications.

1-119. Which of these send traffic across serial "lanes" on a computer bus? A. PCIe B. PCI C. PCI-X D. Mini PCI

Answer: A. PCIe Unlike other parallel bus communications, PCI Express uses serial connectivity with dedicated "lanes" to transfer traffic across the bus.

1-276. Which of these components would be most commonly associated with a 6-pin power connector? A. PCIe video adapter B. SSD C. CPU fan D. Primary motherboard power

Answer: A. PCIe video adapter Both 6-pin and 8-pin power options are available to provide additional power to PCI Express devices that need to supplement power from the motherboard. It's common to use these power connectors on devices such as PCIe video adapters.

1-145. What kind of processor socket fits into a Socket AM3? A. PGA B. Slot C. DIP D. ZIP

Answer: A. PGA A pin grid array processor generally fits into sockets that have hundreds of small pins on them. AMD's Socket AM3 uses a PGA package and a ZIF (zero insertion force) socket on the motherboard.

1-198. Which of these RAID types splits data evenly across two or more disks, but does not provide any data redundancy? A. RAID 0 B. RAID 1 C. RAID 5 D. RAID 1+0

Answer: A. RAID 0 RAID 0 separates data and splits it across multiple disks. While this provides some speed advantages, any drive failure breaks the entire array and user data would be lost.

1-301. Assuming the same disk array hardware, which of these might be a reason to choose RAID 0 instead of RAID 1? A. RAID 0 provides more available storage space than RAID 1 B. RAID 0 provides more redundancy than RAID 1 C. RAID 0 is more secure than RAID 1 D. RAID 0 includes built-in data security

Answer: A. RAID 0 provides more available storage space than RAID 1 RAID 0 splits files between drives, using all available disk space. RAID 1 duplicates every file, providing high redundancy but only half of the total disk space can be used for storage.

1-58. Which of these would not be a best practice for removing a paper jam from an inkjet printer? A. Remove all of the ink cartridges before clearing the jam B. Check for any loose scraps of paper still in the paper path C. Use a firm pressure to remove paper from the path D. Remove the paper tray before clearing the jam

Answer: A. Remove all of the ink cartridges before clearing the jam It's not necessary to remove any of the ink cartridges before clearing a paper jam.

1-97. Which of these tasks would you most likely associate with thermal printer maintenance? A. Remove paper debris B. Replace duplexer page rollers C. Replace the print head D. Run a printer calibration E. Reset the page counter

Answer: A. Remove paper debris There are very few moving parts in a thermal printer, and the maintenance tasks usually focus around replacing the thermal paper, cleaning off the heating element, and removing small bits of paper debris that accumulate over time. The thermal printer does not have a traditional print head, toner, or ink.

1-167. One of your clients uses an infrared wireless printer with her laptop. Which of these is a disadvantage of infrared connections? A. Requires a line-of-sight between the devices B. Susceptible to interference from microwave ovens and other RFI C. Does not work with all applications D. Requires a mobile broadband connection

Answer: A. Requires a line-of-sight between the devices The Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standard uses infrared light to transmit data between devices. Unlike 802.11 wireless, the light used by IrDA must use a line-of-sight to maintain connectivity.

1-214. Which of these interface types provide the fastest throughput? A. SATA revision 1.0 B. USB 2.0 C. FireWire 400 D. Fast Ethernet

Answer: A. SATA revision 1.0 Although SATA revision 1.0 is the relatively old first-generation of SATA technology, the 1.5 gigabits per second of throughput exceed the other technologies listed here: SATA revision 1.0 = 1.5 gigabits per second, USB 2.0 = 480 megabits per second, Firewire 400 = 400 megabits per second, and Fast Ethernet = 100 megabits per second (200 megabits per second using full-duplex).

1-118. Which of these is commonly associated with the memory modules in today's modern PCs? A. SDRAM B. ROM C. RDRAM D. SRAM

Answer: A. SDRAM Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM) is the type of memory used on our DDR memory modules. ROM is read-only memory, and it's commonly associated with our startup BIOS software. RDRAM refers to the now-outdated Rambus DRAM, and SRAM is the static RAM commonly used in our processor caches.

1-10. What memory type is often used as L1 cache memory? A. SRAM B. DRAM C. SDRAM D. RDRAM

Answer: A. SRAM Static RAM is commonly used for L1, L2, and L3 cache memory.

1-175. Which of these would be most likely attached to a Molex connector? A. SSD B. USB device C. Motherboard power D. Printer connection

Answer: A. SSD A Molex connector is commonly used to connect peripheral devices on the inside of a computer case.

1-172. Which of these is responsible for pulling the top page from the paper tray in a laser printer? A. Separation pad B. Duplexing assembly C. Toner cartridge D. Fuser assembly E. Imaging drum

Answer: A. Separation pad The separation pad is a small but important part of the paper feed near the paper tray, and it ensures that a single page will be pulled through the printer during the printing process.

1-206. Which motherboard chipset commonly connects to USB ports? A. Southbridge B. PCI Bus C. Front-side Bus D. Northbridge

Answer: A. Southbridge The Southbridge chipset has traditionally connected slower-speed peripherals such as USB ports, SATA interfaces, and Ethernet connections.

1-174. Which of these would commonly connect to a computer with a TRS connection? A. Speakers B. Keyboard C. Mouse D. External hard drive E. Printer

Answer: A. Speakers The Tip/Ring/Sleeve connector is commonly used to connect analog audio devices.

1-116. Which of these characteristics would be most important when designing a video editing workstation? A. Specialized audio and video card B. HDMI output C. Gigabit NIC D. RAID array

Answer: A. Specialized audio and video card A video editing workstation requires high quality audio and powerful video functionality. High-end audio and video subsystems would be an important choice when editing video.

1-212. Which of these best describes Secure Boot? A. Stops malware from infecting an operating system B. Encrypts operating system boot files C. Requires a password before starting the operating system D. Starts the operating system in Safe Mode

Answer: A. Stops malware from infecting an operating system Secure Boot is a UEFI feature that will only boot an operating system that contains the correct digital signature. If malware modifies the boot files, the operating system will not load.

1-186. You'd like to get information about the BIOS of your computer without rebooting your computer. Which of these options would allow you to gather BIOS manufacturer and version information from inside of Windows? A. System Information B. Performance Monitor C. Computer Management D. Event Viewer

Answer: A. System Information The Windows System Information utility, or msinfo32, can provide you with information about your operating system, your BIOS, locale details, timezone, hardware configuration, memory information, and much more.

1-243. Why should a laser printer toner cartridge remain in the bag until it's replaced? A. The OPC drum could be damaged B. The toner will evaporate C. Toner can easily spill out of the cartridge D. Toner has a limited shelf life when exposed to air E. There are many small parts that can be lost

Answer: A. The OPC drum could be damaged The organic photo conductor drum is sensitive to light, and you should avoid exposing the cartridge to any light before installation.

1-169. Why is native resolution important on LCD displays? A. The display looks best at native resolution B. The native resolution has a faster refresh rate C. The contrast ratio is best at native resolution D. Some applications won't work properly at non-native resolutions

Answer: A. The display looks best at native resolution If the LCD display is not at the native resolution, the screen will appear fuzzy or blurry. A native resolution will display information on the screen without any distortion.

1-173. While working on your desktop computer, you notice that the display driver configuration is set for 60 Hz. What does this mean? A. The display will update the contents of the screen 60 times every second B. The display will output a display brightness of 60 hertz C. The display will only work on computers that provide a 60 hertz signal D. The display is using a power source of 60 hertz

Answer: A. The display will update the contents of the screen 60 times every second The display refresh rate is represented in hertz, which is the number of times an event occurs in a single second. The display adapter and the display itself must be able to synchronize the refresh rate to the same value, or the display will not function. Although this display is currently set to 60 hertz, the display may be able to function at many different refresh rates.

1-209. You've recently performed a memory upgrade on your desktop computer, but now the storage drive access light is no longer working. Which of these would be the most likely cause of this issue? A. The drive access LED wires were disconnected from the motherboard B. The memory is incompatible with your storage device C. The memory requires heat sinks to lower the temperature for the storage devices D. All of the storage content is now cached to memory E. The drive access lights are damaged

Answer: A. The drive access LED wires were disconnected from the motherboard There are a number of wires that run from the motherboard to the computer case, and the LED lights for power and drive access are two common connections.

1-79. What would you expect to occur if you did not connect the hard drive status wires to your new motherboard installation? A. The drives would work normally, but you will not see any status lights B. The other motherboard components will work normally, but the hard drives will not operate C. The motherboard will not pass POST D. Only one hard drive will operate properly on this motherboard

Answer: A. The drives would work normally, but you will not see any status lights The hard drive status connection on the motherboard is simply to light the LED when hard drive activity occurs. Although the lights are useful to see, they don't have any operational functionality at all.

1-166. You are installing a new 32-bit PCI expansion card, but you notice that the card will not fit into the PCI slot because of plastic spacers in the motherboard slot. What is the most likely cause of this problem? A. The motherboard does not support the voltages needed for the adapter card to operate B. The adapter card is not designed for your version of Windows C. The card requires an additional adapter to sit properly into the slot D. The adapter card is designed for a different processor than what is currently installed on the motherboard

Answer: A. The motherboard does not support the voltages needed for the adapter card to operate Expansion slots are designed so you can't install them unless they meet the power and bus sizes supported by the motherboard.

1-252. In which of these would you commonly find software-based RAID? A. The operating system B. The hard drive BIOS C. The drivers from the hard drive manufacturer D. The hard drive controller

Answer: A. The operating system Software-based RAID is part of the operating system and does not generally require any specialized hard drive controller or other hardware.

1-100. Which of these are a common characteristic of an LGA socket? A. The pins are on the motherboard B. The CPU connects to the LGA with SECC C. Commonly paired with the Pentium II CPU D. The pins are on the CPU package

Answer: A. The pins are on the motherboard An LGA socket is used on many modern CPUs, and one obvious characteristic is the large number of pins that are on the motherboard instead of the CPU package.

1-221. Your laptop AC adapter states that it is "auto switching." What does this mean? A. The power supply can be used in many different countries B. The power supply can be used on many different laptop models C. The power supply can be used with many different operating systems D. The power supply can be used on both laptops and docking stations

Answer: A. The power supply can be used in many different countries An auto switching power supply can support multiple voltages without flipping a physical "switch." Most laptop auto-switching power supplies can support both 110 volts and 220 volts, which covers the power requirements in most countries. All you need is a power plug adapter, and you can take your laptop anywhere!

1-219. You've recently upgraded your motherboard, but now you find that the reset button on your case isn't working. Which of these would be the most likely cause of this issue? A. The reset switch wires are not connected to the new motherboard B. The new motherboard does not support the reset button option C. The motherboard reset circuits are faulty D. The reset function must be enabled in the BIOS

Answer: A. The reset switch wires are not connected to the new motherboard There are a lot of wires connecting to the motherboard that provide power lights, hard drive access lights, and audio connections. If one of those isn't working after a new motherboard install, then you probably missed a connection.

1-311. Your customer has just upgraded the operating system on their laptop, and they're now complaining that information on the screen is blurry in the new OS. Which of these is the most likely cause of this issue? A. The video driver has not been properly installed B. The new operating system is not designed for laptop displays C. The laptop backlight is faulty D. The Windows Device Manager has disabled the LCD display

Answer: A. The video driver has not been properly installed A new operating system is also probably using new video drivers, and it's very easy for an updated video driver to use a resolution that's not native to the LCD display. A simple resolution change should solve this common issue.

1-238. Which of these would best describe a wireless network using frequencies of 2.4 GHz? A. There are 2.4 billion cycles transmitted in one second B. The maximum throughput of the network is 2.4 gigabits per second C. The network can communicate to 2,400 separate devices D. The maximum length of the wireless antenna is 2.4 inches

Answer: A. There are 2.4 billion cycles transmitted in one second Hertz is defined as the number of cycles that occur in one second. On a 2.4 GHz wireless network, there are 2.4 billion cycles in a single second.

1-330. You need to increase the storage in a new laptop with an external hard drive, but your applications require high-speed access to storage. Which of these external hard drive interfaces provide the fastest throughput? A. Thunderbolt B. USB 2.0 C. FireWire 400 D. eSATA

Answer: A. Thunderbolt Thunderbolt connections can transfer data at speeds of 10 gigabits per second and faster.

1-133. You need to purchase a USB cable to charge your new mobile phone. Which kind of USB port would you commonly see on a desktop computer? A. Type A B. Type B C. Mini B D. Mini DIN

Answer: A. Type A Type A USB ports are common seen as USB connections on desktop and laptop computers.

1-249. Sort these interfaces in order of slowest speed to fastest speed; USB 2.0, USB 3.0, FireWire 800, and Gigabit Ethernet. A. USB 2.0, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 B. FireWire 800, USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 C. USB 2.0, FireWire 800, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet D. FireWire 800, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet

Answer: A. USB 2.0, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 USB 2.0 runs at 480 megabits per second, FireWire 800 is 800 megabits per second, Gigabit Ethernet runs at 1 gigabit per second, and USB 3.0 is 5 gigabits per second.

1-208. Which one of these interfaces is the fastest? Bonus question: Which is the slowest? A. USB 3.0 B. Gigabit Ethernet C. FireWire 800 D. SATA revision 2.0 E. IEEE 802.11n

Answer: A. USB 3.0 The fastest interface: A) USB 3.0 The slowest interface: E) IEEE 802.11n USB 3.0 - 5 gigabits per second Gigabit Ethernet - 1 gigabit per second FireWire 800 - 800 megabits per second SATA revision 2.0 - 3 gigabits per second IEEE 802.11n - 150 megabits per stream, 600 megabits with the four stream maximum

1-323. What would you use to view an XPS file? A. Use a reader from Microsoft B. At the command line, copy the file to your printer C. View the file with Adobe's proprietary reader D. Open the file with your current print driver E. Open the file with any text editor

Answer: A. Use a reader from Microsoft Microsoft's XPS (XML Paper Specification) is similar to Adobe's PDF, but you'll need to install a reader from Microsoft to view the file.

1-153. Which of these characteristics are most associated with a plasma display? A. Very fast response times B. Uses LED backlights instead of florescent C. The plasma display must be air cooled after use D. Uses a vacuum tube and an electron gun

Answer: A. Very fast response times Plasma displays react very quickly, making them a good choice for sports video and other fast-moving images.

1-43. Which of these best describes a thermal printer? A. Very quiet operation B. Used to archive documents C. Replacement toner is installed using a self-contained cartridge D. Color printing requires additional printer memory

Answer: A. Very quiet operation A thermal printer works using heat, which means that the actual printing process is very, very quiet.

1-160. Which of these file types would be considered an output format from a virtual printer? A. XPS B. DOC C. VPS D. TXT E. DDR

Answer: A. XPS Microsoft's XML Paper Specification (XPS) is the virtual printer output format commonly found in Microsoft Windows and other operating systems.

1-113. You've just acquired a new video card for your corporate workstation, but the video drivers for the adapter will not install. Which of these would be the most likely cause of this issue? A. You don't have proper permissions B. The video drivers require a BIOS upgrade C. The video drivers are not properly signed D. The Device Manager is faulty

Answer: A. You don't have proper permissions Most corporate-owned computers are tightly controlled, and installing any type of driver is due to cause a problem with permissions. To have the drivers install properly, you'll need to ask someone to help who has proper rights and permissions.

1-300. Which of these speeds matches the bandwidth seen on a gigabit Ethernet link? A. 100 MB/s B. 1000 Mb/s C. 1000 MB/s D. 100 Mb/s

Answer: B. 1000 Mb/s This is a two part question, because there's both a (relatively easy) conversion to complete, and then you have to know your abbreviations. For the first part of the question, you'll need to know that a gigabit Ethernet connection runs at 1 gigabit per second, which is also 1000 megabits per second. For the second part of the question, it's important to understand the importance of a lowercase "b" and an uppercase "B." When abbreviating speeds, a lowercase "b" represents bits, and an uppercase "B" represents bytes. Therefore, Mb/s is an abbreviation for megabits per second, and MB/s is an abbreviation for megabytes per second. With all of these details, the answer should be relatively clear; 1 gigabit Ethernet transports data at an equivalent speed of 1000 Mb/s.

1-6. What type of voltages would you commonly expect to find on motherboard's power supply connector? A. 120V AC B. 12V DC, 5V DC, 3.3V DC C. 12V AC, 5V AC, 3.3V AC D. 120V DC

Answer: B. 12V DC, 5V DC, 3.3V DC A computer's power supply provides the motherboard with a number of different DC voltages, usually including 3.3 volts DC, 5 volts DC, and 12 volts DC.

1-152. What is the maximum practical length of a USB 3.0 connection? A. 1 meter B. 3 meter C. 14 meters D. 97 meters

Answer: B. 3 meter The USB 3.0 standard has increased throughput to 5 Gbps and has a maximum practical throughput of 3 meters.

1-229. Which of these is the maximum theoretical throughput of 802.11g? A. 800 Mbit/s B. 54 Mbit/s C. 480 Mbit/s D. 100 Mbit/s

Answer: B. 54 Mbit/s The wireless 802.11g standard provides a maximum throughput of 54 Mbit/s.

1-266. What throughput speed would you expect from SATA revision 3.0? A. 10 gigabits per second B. 6 gigabits per second C. 1 gigabits per second D. 3 gigabits per second E. 1.5 gigabits per second

Answer: B. 6 gigabits per second SATA revision 1.0 operates at 1.5 gigabits per second, revision 2.0 operates at 3.0 gigabits per second, and SATA revision 3.0 operates at 6 Gb/s.

1-248. Which of these would best describe an LCD display? A. Organic compound emits light when receiving an electric current B. A backlight is required to view the display output C. Must cool down before powering off D. Uses an electron gun on a phosphorescent screen E. Contains noble gas and mercury

Answer: B. A backlight is required to view the display output An LCD display requires some type of backlight to shine through the LCD panel. Older displays used florescent lights, but most LCD displays today use LED backlights instead.

1-286. Which of these would be the best description of the SATA standard? A. The drive number is based on the location of the drive on the cable B. All data is transmitted over a serial connection C. Up to 63 SATA devices can be connected over a single link D. The signal at the end of the SATA connection must be terminated

Answer: B. All data is transmitted over a serial connection The Serial ATA standard transfers data serially. Unlike parallel connections that transmit many bits simultaneously over separate wires, a serial connection transmits data one bit at a time.

1-319. Which of these things is not important to consider when performing a BIOS upgrade? A. Have a backup of the current BIOS configuration settings. B. Be sure you have your original operating system installation media. C. Have a backup of the current BIOS version binary or installation file. D. Only perform the BIOS upgrade when working with a reliable power source.

Answer: B. Be sure you have your original operating system installation media. Although it's always a good thing to know where your operating system CDs might be, they aren't going to be important for the BIOS upgrade process. The BIOS upgrade only modifies the boot code of your personal computer hardware, not the contents of your storage drives.

1-240. What kind of wireless network is designed to replace slow-speed wires over short distances? A. 802.11n B. Bluetooth C. Mobile Broadband D. 802.11a

Answer: B. Bluetooth Bluetooth networks are often called "personal area networks," due to their relatively short maximum distances and their tendency to replace the wires used on items such as mobile phone headsets, keyboards, and mice.

1-225. Which of these technologies would be the best choice for finding Apple devices on the network? A. TCP sequence numbers B. Bonjour protocol C. Ping command D. Patch panel E. SSID broadcasts

Answer: B. Bonjour protocol Apple's Bonjour protocol is used to discover Apple devices on the LAN

1-328. Which of these would commonly be powered by a 4-pin ATX +12V connector? A. Video adapter B. CPU C. SSD D. Case fan E. DVD-ROM drive

Answer: B. CPU The 4-pin ATX power connector is commonly used to provide additional power to a CPU.

1-183. Which of these would be recommended options before performing a BIOS upgrade? Pick two. A. Upgrade your applications to the latest versions B. Check the BIOS release notes for any OS prerequisites C. Connect to a reliable power source D. Defragment your hard drive

Answer: B. Check the BIOS release notes for any OS prerequisites and C. Connect to a reliable power source You want to be sure there won't be any problems during the BIOS upgrade process, so it's useful to check any details in the release notes and connect to a reliable power source or UPS.

1-197. Which of these would be true of a DIMM? A. Commonly used in mobile devices B. Commonly used module type for DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 memory C. Every DIMM slot must be filled D. Cannot be used with ECC memory E. Includes electrical contacts on one side of the memory package

Answer: B. Commonly used module type for DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 memory Dual Inline Memory Modules are commonly associated with DDR memory.

1-298. Which of these would be the most likely to have a BNC connector? A. SCSI hard drive B. Component video C. Gigabit Ethernet network D. HDMI video

Answer: B. Component video Component video consists of RGBHV cables for red, green, blue, horizontal sync, and vertical sync signals. In many cases, component video will use BNC connectors to ensure a good connection to video devices.

1-124. You've just installed a new PCIe network adapter into your file server. However, when you start Windows the adapter does not appear in the Device Manager. Which of these would be the best troubleshooting task to do next? A. Confirm that the BIOS supports PCIe-based network adapters B. Confirm that the adapter is well seated in the PCIe slot C. Check the wattage of your power supply D. Install an updated adapter driver

Answer: B. Confirm that the adapter is well seated in the PCIe slot The easiest checks should always be done first, and not fully seating an adapter card is an easy thing to check.

1-287. You have some memory marked PC2-6400. What DDR speed would match this memory? A. DDR2-6400 B. DDR2-800 C. DDR2-400 D. DDR2-3200

Answer: B. DDR2-800 To convert between the PC2 module name and the DDR2 speed values, you would divide the PC2 module name value by 8.

1-312. What is the DDR speed of a PC3-6400 memory module? A. DDR-6400 B. DDR3-800 C. DDR3-1600 D. DDR3-2133

Answer: B. DDR3-800 The difference between DDR speeds and transfer rates is a factor of 8. To calculate the DDR speed from the module name, simply divide the module speed by 8. 6,400 divided by 8 is 800, and you always precede the DDR speed with the DDR type. This means that the PC3-6400 module is also referenced as DDR3-800.

1-306. Which of these systems would be most likely to have an 8-pin EPS12V standard power connection? A. Print server B. Database server C. Internet browsing workstation D. Email kiosk

Answer: B. Database server The 8-pin EPS12V power connection was designed for symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) systems and multicore systems. These motherboards had additional processing cycles and needed more power for the higher-end CPUs. These were similar to the 4-pin ATX12V standard, and some EPS12V motherboards simply used two four-pin connectors to maintain the backwards-compatibility.

1-277. Which of these are commonly sent over HDMI? A. Analog audio and video B. Digital audio and video C. YPbPr D. RGBHV E. Intensity and color

Answer: B. Digital audio and video HDMI carries digital video and digital audio signals.

1-224. What kind of data would commonly be transmitted through an HDMI connection? A. Streaming stock ticker information B. Digital video signals C. Audio podcasts D. Ethernet network control packets

Answer: B. Digital video signals High-Definition Multimedia Interface is a standard interface used for digital video and audio signals.

1-121. In which of these situations would you be most likely to modify the configuration of your BIOS? A. Modify the default video resolution B. Disable the USB ports C. Add a new disk partition D. Prevent the installation of new applications

Answer: B. Disable the USB ports Enabling or disabling hardware is a common function of the BIOS, along with modifying startup passwords, viewing hardware information, and much more.

1-272. One of your customers is asking you to replace their printer ribbon. Which type of printer would this most likely be? A. Laser B. Dot-matrix C. Inkjet D. LED E. Thermal

Answer: B. Dot-matrix A dot-matrix is an impact printer that pushes small pins through an ink ribbon to transfer an image to the paper.

1-245. What is the advantage of a motherboard having a ZIF socket? A. Provides the ability of upgrading a computer's BIOS through downloadable software updates B. Enables the installation and removal of CPU chips without requiring tools or excessive pressure C. Allows the installation of option cards through standardized bus interfaces D. Provides for easy installation and upgrade of standard memory modules

Answer: B. Enables the installation and removal of CPU chips without requiring tools or excessive pressure ZIF is an abbreviation for Zero Insertion Force, and it references a specific type of CPU socket where the CPU chip can be inserted and removed without any pushing or pulling. Since the motherboard is relatively thin and the pressure of inserting chips with hundreds of pins might cause a cracking of the circuit leads, the ZIF socket was a welcome change to the traditional CPU slots or dual inline chips.

1-122. Which laser printing step uses a laser to charge sections of the imaging drum? A. Developing B. Exposing C. Fusing D. Processing

Answer: B. Exposing The exposing step "writes" the image onto the photosensitive drum.

1-281. Which of these would be an advantage to using an SSD? A. Increased dB B. Faster access time C. Higher video refresh rates D. Higher resolution

Answer: B. Faster access time A solid-state drive's primary advantage is speed. Since the storage media has no moving parts, data can be read and written at speeds well above those of traditional hard drives.

1-156. Paper is not moving properly through your inkjet printer. Which of these would be the most likely cause of this issue? A. Carriage and belt B. Feed roller C. Duplexing assembly D. Print head

Answer: B. Feed roller The rubber feed rollers provide a surface that uses friction to move paper from the paper tray through the printer.

1-13. Your new motherboard comes with four SATA ports. What is the maximum number of SATA devices that it can support? A. Two at any time, using any of the four interfaces B. Four devices C. Eight devices D. The maximum number of devices will be dependent on the SATA speeds of the devices

Answer: B. Four devices SATA connections can only support a single device per interface.

1-315. What is the connection between the memory controller and the CPU called? A. Southbridge B. Front-side bus C. GPU D. LPC

Answer: B. Front-side bus The front-side bus (FSB) is one of the fastest paths inside of the computer. All of the communication between the RAM and CPU passes through the FSB. In the latest generation of chipsets, this path has been integrated directly into the CPU to maximize the throughput.

1-242. What partition type is required for a UEFI BIOS to boot from partitions larger than 2.2 TB? A. MFT B. GUID C. MBR D. Primary E. SSD

Answer: B. GUID One significant advantage of UEFI BIOS is the ability to boot from a partition larger than 2.2 terabytes when using a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) partition type.

1-274. Which of these statements about Hyper-Threading Technology (HTT) are true? Pick two. A. You need at least two CPUs to take advantage of HTT B. HTT makes a single CPU appear as two separate processors to the operating system C. An operating system must be specifically designed to use HTT D. HTT doesn't provide any practical increase in performance

Answer: B. HTT makes a single CPU appear as two separate processors to the operating system and C. An operating system must be specifically designed to use HTT Hyper-Threading Technology was created to improve the performance of a single CPU by 15 to 30 percent. Although HTT is a CPU feature, the operating system must be written to take advantage of the technology.

1-147. You're installing a new server with a RAID array, and you need to decide how to best implement your RAID solution. What is an advantage of using hardware-based RAID over a software-based solution? A. Hardware-based RAID is less expensive B. Hardware-based RAID has better performance C. Hardware-based RAID is optimized for the operating system D. Hardware-based RAID has better integration with the operating system

Answer: B. Hardware-based RAID has better performance Hardware-based RAID provides its own hardware for processing and takes much of the processing away from the operating system. Although it's faster, hardware-based RAID requires the additional cost of specialized drive controllers. Hardware-based RAID is also invisible to the operating system, so there's no optimization or integration with the OS running on the hard drives.

1-161. Which of these technologies is the most common choice to cool individual motherboard chips? A. Case fans B. Heat sinks C. BIOS settings D. Liquid cooling systems

Answer: B. Heat sinks A heat sink can efficiently dissipate heat directly from a hot component directly into a metal alloy. After the chip heat has been dissipated, the computer's cooling fans pass cooler air over the heat sink to maintain a relatively low temperature.

1-182. Which of these would be an advantage of inkjet printer technology? A. Clog-resistant ink B. High-resolution output C. Fade-resistant output D. Inexpensive ink replacement

Answer: B. High-resolution output Inkjet printers provide high-resolution output, but the ink is expensive, tends to clog the print heads, and the ink tends to fade quickly over time.

1-205. Which of these applications would be most suited for a Nano-ITX motherboard? A. High-end gaming B. Home automation control C. Media center server D. Database server

Answer: B. Home automation control The Nano-ITX is a low-power motherboard that is best suited for utility functions that do not require a high-end graphics card, a fast processor, or any other application that would require a large number of computing resources.

1-279. Which of these printer types is also known as a dot-matrix printer? A. Inkjet B. Impact C. Laser D. Virtual E. Thermal

Answer: B. Impact A dot-matrix printer uses small pins to press through a cloth ribbon and display the output on a piece of paper.

1-98. Which of these sockets has pins and is paired with a CPU that does not have any pins? A. ZIF B. LGA C. PGA D. SECC E. DIP

Answer: B. LGA The Land Grid Array socket has pins on the motherboard and flat contacts on the CPU package.

1-210. Which of these is a common characteristic of an impact printer? A. Cannot print to carbon copies B. Low per-page printing cost C. High-resolution output D. Very quiet operation

Answer: B. Low per-page printing cost Impact printers and dot-matrix printers can easily print to multiple-copy paper, but the output is not very high resolution and the printer itself is relatively loud when compared to other printer types. However, the cost perpage to print on a dot-matrix printer is relatively low.

1-217. What is the most common use of the battery on a computer motherboard? A. Provides additional power for the PCI Express slots B. Maintains the date and time when power is not available C. Provides additional power when the system is under heavy use D. Boots the system when main power is not available E. Switches between CPU clock rates

Answer: B. Maintains the date and time when power is not available The small battery on the motherboard is often used to maintain the date and time when main power is not connected. On older computer systems, the BIOS configuration may also be maintained with this battery.

1-120. Which of these memory form-factors would be the best choice for the smallest mobile devices? A. SO-DIMM B. Micro-DIMM C. DIMM D. Macro-DIMM E. iDIMM

Answer: B. Micro-DIMM Micro-DIMM modules are some of the smallest memory module form-factors. The small form-factor of Micro- DIMM is specifically designed for small mobile devices.

1-258. Which of these motherboard types is best suited for small form-factor and low-power functions? A. microATX B. Mini-ITX C. ATX D. NLX

Answer: B. Mini-ITX The ITX motherboard series consists of small form-factor motherboards, with the Mini-ITX a relatively small 170mm by 170mm in size. Since these motherboards don't require much power, they're well suited for specialized applications and configurations.

1-108. You are designing a computer that will fit into a small area inside of a vehicle. Which of these motherboard types would be the best choice for this system? A. ATX-Portable B. Mini-ITX C. microATX D. Mobile ATX

Answer: B. Mini-ITX The Mini-ITX motherboard is a small form-factor that is a good fit for confined spaces. The ATX-Portable and Mobile-ATX form factors don't actually exist. The microATX form factor does exist, but it's a bit too large to be the best choice.

1-207. Which of these interface types would you not commonly find connected to an external storage device? Pick two. A. USB B. PCI C. Firewire D. eSATA E. TRS

Answer: B. PCI and E. TRS Many external storage devices will connect using USB, FireWire, or eSATA. The PCI interface is commonly found on internal storage devices, and the TRS connector is commonly used to connect analog audio devices.

1-239. The PCI Express bus architecture sounds similar to the PCI bus architecture. What is the primary architectural difference between PCI and PCI Express? A. PCI provides for higher throughput than PCI Express B. PCI is a parallel bus architecture and PCI Express is a serial bus architecture C. PCI has more communication lanes than PCI Express D. PCI is a newer specification than PCI Express

Answer: B. PCI is a parallel bus architecture and PCI Express is a serial bus architecture Although it seems that a serial connection would provide slower throughput, PCI Express is actually the faster of the two architectures.

1-123. Which of these would best describe socket FM1? Pick two. A. Supports Intel CPUs B. PGA-ZIF package C. LGA CPU package D. Supports AMD CPUs E. 775 pins

Answer: B. PGA-ZIF package and D. Supports AMD CPUs The FM1 socket is a PGA-ZIF socket that supports AMD A-series processors.

1-165. You're planning to update your BIOS to a new version, and you'd like to make sure you don't lose any of your current BIOS settings. What's the best way to guarantee a good backup of your BIOS information? A. Use the built-in BIOS backup utilities B. Print each BIOS configuration screen, copy the parameters down manually with pen and paper, or take pictures of each screen C. Third-party applications can image the entire drive, including the BIOS settings D. The BIOS is hardware based, and doesn't require a backup

Answer: B. Print each BIOS configuration screen, copy the parameters down manually with pen and paper, or take pictures of each screen The BIOS is software that starts when your computer is powered on. If the BIOS configuration is incorrect, your hardware may not work properly or perform effectively. There's often no built-in BIOS backup utility, and third-party software isn't designed to backup a BIOS. In many cases, the fastest solution is to simply write down the important BIOS settings on a piece of paper or take pictures with a mobile phone.

1-310. Which of these options would be the most accurate description of inkjet printing? A. Low cost per page B. Quiet C. High-speed printing D. Good for multiple copies

Answer: B. Quiet An inkjet printer is great for work areas because of its relatively low noise compared to other printing methods. Because the process of putting the ink onto the paper is nearly silent, the only sounds that usually come from an inkjet printers are those of the mechanics of the print head moving back and forth across the paper. Inkjet printer ink is notoriously expensive, making inkjet printers relatively expensive when compared to other common printer types such as laser printers. An inkjet printer can produce sharp copies, but the process of spraying a sheet of paper with ink can be time consuming. Large print jobs are usually best left to high-speed laser printers. Impact printers such as dot-matrix printers can handle multiple copies in one pass, but inkjet printers don't have a way to enjoy the same efficiencies. If you want more than one copy on an inkjet printer, you'll need to print the page twice.

1-158. Which of these RAID types provide redundancy when a drive fails? Pick two. A. RAID 0 B. RAID 1 C. RAID 5 D. RAID 11

Answer: B. RAID 1 and C. RAID 5 RAID 1 (mirroring) and RAID 5 (striping with parity) both provide redundancy if you lose a hard drive. RAID 0 (striping) provides high performance, but there's no redundancy if a drive crashes.

1-103. Which of these components would normally NOT connect directly to a southbridge? A. USB ports B. RAM C. Floppy drive D. Mouse

Answer: B. RAM In any personal computer, the connection between RAM and the CPU runs at very high speeds through the northbridge. In many memory-intensive applications, the speed of the communication between RAM and the CPU is often the determining factor. The faster the memory bus and front-side bus, the faster the computer.

1-201. Which of these characteristics would be the most important when designing a virtualization workstation? Pick two. A. High-end graphics adapter B. RAM C. CPU cores D. HDMI output

Answer: B. RAM and C. CPU cores Virtualization of multiple operating systems requires plenty of memory and CPU power, but not necessarily any advanced video capabilities or HDMI output.

1-284. Which port type is most commonly associated with an Ethernet connection? A. RJ-11 B. RJ-45 C. DB-9 D. FireWire

Answer: B. RJ-45 Registered Jack number 45 is most commonly associated with copper Ethernet connections using unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable.

1-203. You are installing an internal modem into a desktop computer system, and you need to connect the telephone cable to the modem. What kind of cable connector is used for telephone and modem connections? A. IEEE 1394 B. RJ11 C. RJ45 D. USB

Answer: B. RJ11 Registered Jack number 11 was created as a standard connector for telephone connections.

1-107. What is the last step you should perform when installing a laser printer maintenance kit? A. Wait until the fuser unit cools down and replace it B. Reset the page counter C. Examine the feed rollers D. Replace the power cord

Answer: B. Reset the page counter The page counter is used to help schedule the proper duration for the next printer maintenance, so the counter should be reset after the current maintenance is complete.

1-288. Which of these components would you commonly find associated with the Southbridge? A. SDRAM B. SATA interfaces C. PCI Express video adapter D. Main CPU

Answer: B. SATA interfaces The Southbridge handles the relatively slower devices, such as keyboards, mice, storage drive interfaces, USB ports, and network interfaces.

1-282. Which one of these is an input device? Pick two. A. LCD monitor B. Scanner C. Laser printer D. Speaker E. Keyboard

Answer: B. Scanner and E. Keyboard When working with computers, it's important to recognize what devices can get information in and send information out. Some common input devices are keyboards and mice, but it's also useful to be familiar with others. As an input device, scanners are designed to take printed materials and create digital representations of them. Digitizers use a stylus to put information into our computers.

1-193. What is the most common use for the switch on a computer power supply? A. Controls the speed of the CPU B. Sets the voltage used by the power supply C. Sets the cooling fan speed D. Boots from different operating system partitions

Answer: B. Sets the voltage used by the power supply A power supply voltage switch allows you to manually configure the power supply to work on 115V or 230V. If the computer is moved between countries with different power requirements, the computer power supply can be configured to work in either situation.

1-213. Which of these would be an advantage of using SATA-connected storage? A. Connect up to 16 devices to a single SATA port B. Smaller cables promote better airflow for cooling C. Support for storage drives over 1 TB D. High-speed network connectivity

Answer: B. Smaller cables promote better airflow for cooling The SATA standard is one of the newest standards, providing up to 6 gigabits per second of throughput for SATA revision 3.0. One of the more practical advantages of SATA is the smaller data cables that effectively replaced the larger PATA ribbon cables, which made the cooling airflow through computer cases much more efficient.

1-331. What kind of computer connector is most commonly used for analog audio connections? A. USB B. TRS C. Serial D. FireWire

Answer: B. TRS The 3.5 millimeter tip/ring/sleeve plugs are commonly seen on headphones and other analog audio interfaces.

1-115. Which of these would be the best choice for connecting an analog microphone to a computer? A. FireWire B. TRS C. RJ-45 D. USB

Answer: B. TRS The analog tip/ring/sleeve connector is commonly seen as a 3.5mm (1/8") plug to connect an analog microphone, headphones, or external speakers to a computer system.

1-109. Which of these best describes CPU registers? A. Individual cores inside of a single CPU package B. Temporary storage in the CPU C. The high speed data bus between CPU and RAM D. Additional motherboard power for CPUs E. The process of increasing CPU speed beyond its rated values

Answer: B. Temporary storage in the CPU CPU registers are used to temporarily store information during CPU processing.

1-247. Which of these is common to thin clients? A. The efficiency of the device is measured by the dimensions of the external case B. The client does not require a large number of computing resources C. An HDMI video connection is required D. The client runs many operating systems simultaneously on the local computer

Answer: B. The client does not require a large number of computing resources A thin client usually has the basics for computing; a keyboard, mouse, and display. The hard work is done by a different device located somewhere else on the network.

1-138. You've just installed a new SATA disk, but you find that you are only getting half of the expected throughput. What is a likely cause of this issue? A. The disk has a hardware fault B. The drive is jumpered to the 150 MB/sec speed option C. The SATA disk is connected to a PATA controller D. The Windows disk driver needs to be updated

Answer: B. The drive is jumpered to the 150 MB/sec speed option Many SATA disks contain a jumper that enables the original (and slower) 150 MB/sec throughputs for compatibility with older hardware. If you're not seeing the throughput you'd expect, check the jumpers on the drive.

1-112. You have been using your desktop computer for about a year, but you've found that the system will sometimes power off unexpectedly and abruptly if you are watching streaming videos. The shutdown always occurs when the computer is very busy; it does not shut down if the system is idle. Which of these would be the most likely cause of this issue? A. The operating system is out of date B. The fan is faulty C. The video driver needs to be upgraded D. The hard drive has reached capacity

Answer: B. The fan is faulty A computer's cooling system is an important part of your PC's overall health. If the computer can't cool itself, it will overheat and components will begin to fail. Many computers will force a shutdown to avoid causing any permanent damage to the CPU.

1-264. How does an inkjet printer distribute the ink to the printed page? A. The ink is pressed on the page from a rotating drum B. The ink is moved around the page from a belt-driven printer carriage C. The ink is transferred from a set of pins on a print head D. A heated print head pulls the ink onto the page

Answer: B. The ink is moved around the page from a belt-driven printer carriage An inkjet printer stores the printer ink and print heads in printer cartridges and moves the ink cartridges back and forth over the page on a carriage.

1-320. One of your customers needs to print high-resolution images from their laser printer, but they need a memory upgrade to successfully print their images. Why is memory so important in a laser printer? A. High-resolution images print faster when more memory is available in the laser printer. B. The laser printer must build the entire high-resolution image in memory before it can print. C. The memory of the laser printer is only used to store fonts, not images. D. The memory in a laser printer should match the amount of memory available on the computers used to create the output.

Answer: B. The laser printer must build the entire high-resolution image in memory before it can print. Once a laser printer begins to print a page, it can't stop in the middle and restart. Therefore, it's important to build the entire page into memory before it starts the printing process. Pages of high-resolution images will use much more memory than pages of text. If you try to print to a laser printer that doesn't have enough memory, an error message will be displayed on the printer and the output will usually only show a portion of the entire page.

1-256. The power supply of your computer lists these specifications on the label: Input: 100-120V ~ / 4.0A 220- 240V ~ / 2.0A What does this information mean? A. The power supply can support both 100-120V DC and 220-240V DC power sources. B. The power supply can support both 100-120V AC and 220-240V AC power sources. C. The power supply uses 4 amps of power when using a 220-240V AC power source. D. The power supply uses 2 amps of power when using a 110-120V DC power source.

Answer: B. The power supply can support both 100-120V AC and 220-240V AC power sources. Many computer power supplies are switched-mode power supplies that can support multiple voltage inputs. On these specifications, both 100 through 120 volt and 220 through 240 volt power sources are supported. Some power supplies can automatically switch between these input voltages and others have a physical switch on the outside of the power supply. You would normally switch the power input value based on your country's power specifications. The squiggly tilde (~) designates an alternating current (AC). If the specifications showed a solid line above a dashed line, it would be referencing direct current (DC). The amperage used by the power supply will differ when using different voltages, so the input amperage is listed as different values at 100-120 volts versus 220-240 volts.

1-52. On a laser printer, what happens just prior to the fusing process? A. The laser writes the image to the photosensitive drum B. The toner is transferred from the photosensitive drum to the paper C. The toner is transferred from the toner cartridge to the photosensitive drum D. The remaining toner is cleaned from the photosensitive drum

Answer: B. The toner is transferred from the photosensitive drum to the paper Once the toner is transferred to the paper, the next step is to permanently fuse the toner to the paper using heat and pressure.

1-190. On which kind of printer would you use IPA to clean the heating element? A. Laser printer B. Thermal printer C. Inkjet Printer D. Dot-matrix printer

Answer: B. Thermal printer A thermal printer uses heat to print on special paper, and you clean the heating element with isopropyl alcohol.

1-251. You are installing a PCI card into a desktop computer, and you notice that there are small spacers insideof the PCI slot. What function do these spacers provide? A. They keep the PCI adapters at equal distances from each other B. They ensure proper voltage to the adapter card C. They accommodate proper cooling of the motherboard D. They limit the throughput from the PCI bus

Answer: B. They ensure proper voltage to the adapter card The keyways on the adapter cards match the voltage keys that are built into the PCI slots on the motherboard. This simple physical feature ensures that the adapters will be powered properly once they are installed.

1-192. Which of these would be the best way to convert between VGA and HDMI? A. Use a cable with the different connectors on both ends B. Use an active converter cable C. Daisy-chain the VGA signal through an LCD display D. Convert to from VGA to DVI and then to HDMI E. It's not possible to convert between VGA and HDMI

Answer: B. Use an active converter cable VGA signals are always analog, and HDMI signals are always digital. Because of these differences, you must convert the video signal between these two formats. One easy way to do this conversion is with an active adapter cable that provides the conversion between the analog and digital video signals.

1-254. During a laser printer toner cartridge replacement, some of the black toner particles fell on the outside of the printer and on the desktop around the printer. What's the best way to clean the spilled toner? A. Use hot water and cloth towels. B. Use cold water and paper towels. C. Use fingernail polish remover. The solvents in the polish remover will dissolve the toner particles. D. Toner particles are notoriously permanent. There's no practical method to remove the toner particles from whatever they have touched.

Answer: B. Use cold water and paper towels. The toner from a laser printer is a very fine dust that has an unfortunate tendency to drift onto the outside of printers and work areas. Because the toner is designed to melt when heated, the best cleaning methods use cold water. Because toner is also quite messy, it's easiest to use disposable paper towels.

1-292. Which of these would be true of a SO-DIMM? A. Must be installed in groups of two B. Usually found in a mobile device C. Often included on video adapter cards D. Must be removed to clear the BIOS E. May require an upgrade if the operating system is changed

Answer: B. Usually found in a mobile device A SO-DIMM package is a smaller version of the DIMM, and it's common to find them in laptops and other mobile devices.

1-8. What 15-pin connector is commonly used to transmit video? A. RCA B. VGA C. DVI D. HDMI

Answer: B. VGA A VGA connector is a three-row 15-pin connector that is commonly used for computer video.

1-83. Which of these technologies can only transmit analog video data? A. HDMI B. VGA C. DVI D. FireWire

Answer: B. VGA VGA is an analog-only video technology. Although other technologies like DVI can also transmit analog video signals, DVI can also transmit digital signals as well.

1-244. Which of these removable memory types would you be most likely to use with a mobile phone? A. SO-DIMM B. microSD C. USB flash D. Secure Digital E. DIMM

Answer: B. microSD microSD memory is a small form factor that fits well with today's mobile devices.

1-218. How many pins would you expect to find on an ATX12V v2.2 motherboard connector? A. 16 pins B. 20 pins C. 24 pins D. 36 pins

Answer: C. 24 pins Version 2.0 of the ATX12V standard extended the main power connector to 24 pins, and a version 2.2 power connector is a minor update that adds new requirements without changing the connector.

1-260. Which of these power connectors would be used to provide the main power to a motherboard? A. Berg connector B. PCIe 8-pin connectors C. 24-pin connector D. Molex connector E. P4 connector

Answer: C. 24-pin connector Motherboards require many different power voltages, so you'll find a 20-pin or 24-pin connector is required to power most of the motherboard components. Additional power may be required for the CPU or video adapters.

1-179. What throughput speed can you expect to see with SATA revision 2.0? A. 1.5 gigabits per second B. 2.0 gigabits per second C. 3.0 gigabits per second D. 6.0 gigabits per second

Answer: C. 3.0 gigabits per second SATA revision 2 doubled the throughput from SATA revision 1, from 1.5 gigabits per second to 3.0 gigabits per second.

1-34. Which of these speeds would commonly be associated with USB 3.0? A. 480 megabits per second B. 4 gigabits per second C. 5 gigabits per second D. 5 megabits per second

Answer: C. 5 gigabits per second USB 3.0 provides 5 gigabits per second of throughput over a maximum cable length of 3 meters.

1-162. What size data path would you expect to find on a dual inline memory module? A. 16 bits B. 32 bits C. 64 bits D. 128 bits

Answer: C. 64 bits The standard size data path for a DIMM is 64 bits.

1-309. Which of these would be most associated with a digitizer? A. Multiple video outputs B. A laser scanner C. A stylus D. Biometric access E. Optical input

Answer: C. A stylus A digitizing tablet or graphics tablet is flat input device that uses a stylus for hand-drawing words or images.

1-255. Of these motherboard types, which one has the largest footprint? A. Mobile-ITX B. Mini-ITX C. ATX D. microATX

Answer: C. ATX The ATX motherboard has one of the larger motherboard form factors, with dimensions around 305mm x 244 mm x 10mm.

1-295. You're building a gaming PC, and you want to provide for future options and expansion. Which of these motherboard types would be the best choice? A. microATX B. ITX C. ATX D. Macro-ATX E. BTX

Answer: C. ATX The ATX motherboard type is the largest and most flexible of modern motherboard types.

1-297. Which of these would be the best advantage of multiple power rails over single rails? A. Increases the throughput of the primary CPU B. The overall system temperature is cooler C. Adds additional power protection D. Supports higher wattage power supplies

Answer: C. Adds additional power protection With a single power rail, it's easy to create an overload and damage your power supply or your motherboard. With multiple rails, overloading a smaller capacity rail shuts down the power supply instead of burning up your hardware.

1-84. Which of these methods would be the best way to prevent someone from "shoulder surfing" when you're working on your laptop? A. Dim the brightness to the lowest level B. Adjust the display font feature to the smallest value C. Attach a filter to the front of your display screen D. Use an external display instead of the built-in LCD screen

Answer: C. Attach a filter to the front of your display screen A display filter can make the screen look perfectly normal to you, but the screen looks completely black to anyone who's not sitting directly in front of the screen.

1-164. Today's optical technologies provide impressive storage capacities for personal computer users. Which optical technology provides up to fifty gigabytes of storage capacity on a single disc? A. CD B. DVD C. Blu-ray D. microSD

Answer: C. Blu-ray Single-layer Blu-ray can support up to 25 gigabytes of capacity, and dual-layer Blu-ray maxes out at 50 gigabytes of storage per disc.

1-200. You're reading through the specifications for an LCD monitor, and you see a reference to "candela." What is usually referenced with this metric? A. Contrast B. Color saturation C. Brightness D. Response time

Answer: C. Brightness The brightness of an LCD monitor is measured in the candela per square meter. The higher the candela, the better. This is the modern definition of "candlepower," and the units are sometimes called "nits."

1-59. What part of the laser printing process removes all toner from the photosensitive drum? A. Transferring B. Fusing C. Cleaning D. Corona charging

Answer: C. Cleaning The cleaning process is considered either the last or the first step of the laser printing process. Before a new page can be printed, all of the excess toner must be cleaned from the photosensitive drum.

1-48. What does the C in CMOS represent? A. Capacitive B. Cluster C. Complimentary D. Calculate

Answer: C. Complimentary CMOS is an abbreviation for complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor.

1-132. You have just purchased some DDR3 memory that has a module name of PC3-12800. What DDR3 speed would be compatible with this memory? A. DDR3-800 B. DDR3-1333 C. DDR3-1600 D. DDR3-12800

Answer: C. DDR3-1600 To calculate the DDR speed from the module name, you divide by 8. A PC3-12800 module would be converted to DDR3 speed with 12,800 divided by 8, or 1,600.

1-26. Which of these optical storage formats can support a maximum of 4.7 gigabytes on a single layer of media? A. CD-ROM B. CD-RW C. DVD-ROM D. Blu-ray

Answer: C. DVD-ROM A single layer DVD can storage a maximum of 4.7 gigabytes of data, and a dual-layer DVD can double that to8.5 GB of data.

1-233. You need to restrict access to the USB ports on your company computers so that the interfaces are completely unusable. Which of these configuration options would be the best choice? A. Disable the USB interfaces in Windows Device Manager and disable Administrator access B. Monitor the Windows Event Log for any USB access C. Disable the USB interfaces in the BIOS D. Remove all USB drivers from the \Windows\System32 directory

Answer: C. Disable the USB interfaces in the BIOS If you disable the USB interfaces at the BIOS level, then you'll prevent USB access from any operating system on the computer.

1-50. You received a support ticket to configure a mirrored display. Which of these would be the most likely configuration for this request? A. Duplicate information across both halves of a display B. Monitor all computer screens in the organization from one display C. Display information on multiple monitors D. Show information from two computers running the same software onto two monitors

Answer: C. Display information on multiple monitors When using multiple monitors, information can be duplicated, or mirrored, on both displays. The displays can also be configured to extend the total desktop across both displays.

1-25. Which of these would be a best-practice for thermal printer output? A. Don't use paper clips on thermal printer output B. Don't keep the output in large stacks C. Don't put the output near a heat source D. Don't store the output in a cardboard or paper folder

Answer: C. Don't put the output near a heat source Thermal printers operate by heating a portion of a special chemical paper to show the output. If the paper is left in a hot area, the rest of the printout will turn that color and obscure the original output.

1-296. Which printer type is good for multiple copies, but is relatively noisy when it operates? A. Laser B. Inkjet C. Dot-matrix D. Thermal

Answer: C. Dot-matrix The dot-matrix printer has been around for a long time, and it's one of the best choices for multiple copies because it physically hits the paper with a matrix of small pins. Because of this constant banging of pins onto paper, the dot-matrix printer also is louder than most printer types.

1-142. Your inkjet printer is not properly printing on both sides of the page. Which of these components would be the most likely cause of the problem? A. Printer carriage B. Print feed roller C. Duplexing assembly D. Print head

Answer: C. Duplexing assembly A printer's duplexing assembly provides the function of printing on both sides of a page. If there's a problem with dual-side printouts, the issue is probably associated with the duplexer.

1-335. Why should you reset the page counter after installing a laser printer maintenance kit? A. The printer will not operate until the counter is reset B. Each page decreases the counter, and when it hits zero it stops printing C. Each page increases the counter to document the usage over time D. The page counter must be reset after ever power cycle E. The new hardware won't be recognized until the page counter is reset

Answer: C. Each page increases the counter to document the usage over time It's always a good idea to perform preventive maintenance, so the page counter provides you with a way to determine how much a laser printer has been used over time.

1-140. Which of these is a TPM usually associated with? Choose the best answer. A. Hard drives B. Memory C. Encryption D. Video

Answer: C. Encryption A Trusted Platform Module is a chip that is usually located on a motherboard, and it's used for cryptographic functions that enable encryption and other security features.

1-81. You need to create a 500 GB hard drive image and transport the image to another computer. Which of these would be the best choice for storing this image? A. Dual-layer Blu-ray disc B. Tape drive C. External hard drive D. Floppy disk drive E. SD flash memory card

Answer: C. External hard drive An external hard drive provides the storage space and portability to successfully move a large drive image from one computer to another.

1-191. Which of these would be most likely to connect to an IEEE 1394 interface? A. DDR3 memory B. Laser printer C. External storage device D. Ethernet network

Answer: C. External storage device IEEE 1394 is the standard for FireWire, and it's commonly used as a high-speed external connection to a desktop or laptop computer.

1-333. Which of these external storage device connector types runs at 800 megabits per second in full-duplex? A. eSATA B. USB 3.0 C. FireWire D. Gigabit Ethernet

Answer: C. FireWire FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b) runs at full-duplex at 800 megabits per second.

1-110. Which computer interface provides high-speed data transfer at speeds of 400 megabits per second and 800 megabits per second? A. USB 2.0 B. DVI C. FireWire D. HDMI

Answer: C. FireWire The FireWire or or IEEE 1394 standard provides speeds up to 400 megabits per second at half-duplex with FireWire 400 and 800 megabits per second of throughput at full-duplex with FireWire 800.

1-234. You've been asked to upgrade the memory in a computer on the 4th floor. What's the best way to determine what kind of memory you need? A. Open the computer and examine the existing memory and available slots B. Ask the end-user what kind of memory they prefer C. Get the make and model of the computer or motherboard, and reference the manufacturer documentation D. Most memory is interchangeable. Use the corporate standard for memory modules

Answer: C. Get the make and model of the computer or motherboard, and reference the manufacturer documentation Your computer is especially sensitive to the type of installed memory. Incorrect memory can cause a problem during the startup process, or it can appear to work normally before suffering through random crashes. Always double check with the manufacturer's documentation before installing the RAM.

1-151. Which of these would you install to maximize the efficiency of a CPU cooling fan? A. Drive-select jumper B. CPU socket C. Heat sink D. SATA data cable

Answer: C. Heat sink A heat sink can be used to dissipate heat in a distributed set of metal fins, allowing a CPU fan to operate with much more efficiency.

1-126. Which of these cooling methods dissipate heat from a processor using thermal conduction? A. Case fan B. Remove all expansion slot covers C. Heat sink D. Run the computer without a case cover

Answer: C. Heat sink A heat sink is a copper or aluminum allow that is fastened to a processor. The top of the heat sink is a series of fins that transfer the heat from the processor to the relatively cool air that is pulled through the computer.

1-332. What printer type uses tiny drops of pigment to create high-resolution color output? A. Laser B. Thermal C. Inkjet D. Impact E. Chain

Answer: C. Inkjet An inkjet printer uses heat or an electric charge to apply small drops of ink to the output.

1-305. In which of these would you most commonly find static RAM? A. Main memory of your PC B. Embedded in your video adapter C. Inside your CPU cache D. In mobile storage devices

Answer: C. Inside your CPU cache Static RAM is very fast memory, and it's very common to find it in CPU caches.

1-304. Which of these is a unique characteristic of multi-channel memory? A. Uses an additional parity bit to identify errors B. Memory modules are synchronized to the bus speed C. Installed in pairs or trios for maximum throughput D. Unused slots must be filled with memory terminators

Answer: C. Installed in pairs or trios for maximum throughput Multi-channel memory requires that a pair or trio of memory modules installed simultaneously to maximize the throughput. If fewer modules are used, the memory bus will only have a fraction of the available bandwidth available.

1-102. You need to upgrade the memory in one of your computers to support some new video editing software. When shopping at the computer store down the street, you find memory that fits the same make but the newer model of your computer. Which of these would be the best next step? A. Purchase the new memory and replace all modules in your computer B. Purchase the new memory and add it to the existing memory modules C. Keep looking for memory that is a better fit for your specific computer model D. Upgrade your motherboard to use the new memory modules

Answer: C. Keep looking for memory that is a better fit for your specific computer model Memory modules are very specific to the motherboard type, and it's important that any memory modules match perfectly with the motherboard specifications.

1-317. Which of these would be the best way to delete the data on a stolen laptop? A. SecureBoot B. BitLocker C. LoJack for Laptops D. EFS E. UEFI

Answer: C. LoJack for Laptops LoJack for Laptops includes a theft mode feature that can force a startup password, remotely lock the laptop, or delete files from the storage drive.

1-275. You need to store thirty days of backups that total 2 TB in size each day. Which of these would be the best storage media to use for these backups? A. Blu-ray discs B. Hard drives C. Magnetic tapes D. Flash memory E. Solid-state drives

Answer: C. Magnetic tapes Magnetic tapes are a very inexpensive way to store large amounts of data over an extended period of time. The access times to save and retrieve information from magnetic tape is much longer than other storage types, but the cost of storing the data is significantly less than other storage types.

1-104. In which of these cases would you use a KVM? A. Printing large-format pictures B. Connecting a video camera to a desktop computer C. Managing a large group of database servers D. Deploying touch-screen computers to multiple locations

Answer: C. Managing a large group of database servers A KVM (keyboard-video-mouse) switch is useful when you have many separate computers nearby and you'd like to control them all from a single keyboard, mouse, and display.

1-176. One of your new laptop computers has a small interface that appears to support a modular connector with eight contacts. What type of connection is typically supported with this connector? A. Printer B. Video C. Network D. Modem

Answer: C. Network An RJ-45 port in a computer is used for wired Ethernet network connections. This connection is an 8P8C connection, which stands for 8 position 8 contact. This connection looks very similar to a modem connection, but a modem's RJ-11 connector has a smaller 6P4C connector.

1-318. Which of these display technologies does not require a backlight and only uses power when displaying colors other than black? A. LCD B. CRT C. OLED D. Plasma

Answer: C. OLED Organic Light Emitting Diode technology that only uses power when lighting individual pixels. Since the individual pixel glows, a backlight isn't required and the color black does not require any power.

1-187. Which of these interface types would not commonly be accessible on the outside of a laptop computer? A. Thunderbolt B. FireWire C. PCI Express D. ExpressCard

Answer: C. PCI Express Although ExpressCard uses a PCI Express x1 lane as communication, the ExpressCard interface is specifically designed to have a small form-factor (as small as 34mm wide) instead of the larger desktop-based expansion bus interfaces.

1-324. Which bus architecture is most often seen in today's high-speed video adapters? A. PCI B. ISA C. PCI Express D. ISA Express

Answer: C. PCI Express The PCI Express specification provides the high bandwidth capacities required by modern video cards.

1-259. Which bus type uses full-duplex lanes to provide communication between devices? A. PCI-X B. mini PCI C. PCIe D. AGP

Answer: C. PCIe PCI Express (PCIe) is a serial bus, unlike the parallel bus of PCI or PCI-X. With the serial connectivity, a device can communicate at top speed instead of being limited by the slowest device on the bus.

1-322. You want to upgrade the video on your new computer to the fastest possible speed available. What type of adapter card interface would you expect to find on this new video adapter? A. PCI B. ISA C. PCIe D. Firewire

Answer: C. PCIe PCI Express (PCIe) is the fastest interface type available on today's modern personal computers. Because of the speed of the bus and the smaller relative size over previous interface types, PCI Express is expected to maintain its popularity for the near future.

1-303. Which of these virtual printer types would be considered an Adobe proprietary format? A. XPS B. JPG C. PDF D. LPT E. GIF

Answer: C. PDF Adobe's proprietary PDF (Portable Document Format) is a common cross-platform document format.

1-134. Which of these is an important consideration when replacing paper on an impact printer? A. You cannot use multi-part forms B. Laser printer paper cannot be used in an impact printer C. Pre-printed forms must be carefully aligned D. The printer must be calibrated before adding more paper E. Pre-printed forms align automatically

Answer: C. Pre-printed forms must be carefully aligned An impact printer uses either friction feed (for single sheets) or tractor feed for paper that uses holes on each side to pull the paper through the printer. Multi-part paper can be used, and pre-printed forms must be carefully aligned so that everything will print in the correct position on the paper.

1-308. Which of these would be the best way to start your BIOS configuration? A. Start your computer with the Windows installation media, and choose Diagnostics B. Control Panel / Administrative Tools / BIOS Config C. Press the system setup key during the boot process D. Use MSCONFIG to view your BIOS settings

Answer: C. Press the system setup key during the boot process Every computer shows a startup splash screen that prompts to press a key to start the BIOS configuration program. This key is usually F2, Delete, or another key combination.

1-280. If you're copying a file from the command line to a printer interface, which of these best describes the method used to create the file? A. Print to PDF B. Print to XPS C. Print to file D. Print to image

Answer: C. Print to file A file created with "Print to File" is specific to a printer model. To print the file, you'll need to manually copy it to a printer interface that's compatible with the original printer type.

1-2. If you had four identical drives, which of these RAID types would provide both redundancy and the most available storage space for your data? A. RAID 0 B. RAID 1 C. RAID 5 D. RAID 1 + 0

Answer: C. RAID 5 RAID 0 does not provide redundancy, and RAID 1 and 1+0 are mirroring data and therefore are effectively limiting available storage space by 50%. RAID 5 also provides redundancy, but it only uses the space of a single drive for the redundant parity data. With four drives, this means that RAID 5 would provide data storage that was equal to three of the four disks, or 75% of the total disk space.

1-313. What kind of memory adds additional buffering to help provide a more stable computing environment? A. Parity B. ECC C. Registered D. Mult-channel

Answer: C. Registered Registered memory includes an additional register between the? RAM module and the memory controller.

1-232. The output from your dot-matrix printer is looking very faded. Which of these would be the best way to correct this problem? A. Replace the toner cartridge B. Replace the print head C. Replace the ribbon cartridge D. Replace the ink cartridge

Answer: C. Replace the ribbon cartridge Impact printers use tiny pins to press against a piece of paper, including a ribbon in the middle that transfers the ink to the page. As the ribbon gets used, the output becomes faded. Replacing the modular ribbon cartridge will provide a new source of ink for the output.

1-228. Which memory form-factor includes 200 pin and 204 pin versions? A. DIMM B. SIMM C. SO-DIMM D. RIMM

Answer: C. SO-DIMM A SO-DIMM has a small form factor that's perfect for portable devices. You can find DDR and DDR2 SODIMM packages that have 200 pins, and DDR3 SO-DIMM packages that have 204 pins.

1-220. You need to upgrade the memory in your laptop computer. Which of these memory options would be the most appropriate choice? A. SIMM B. SSD C. SO-DIMM D. Flash

Answer: C. SO-DIMM The Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module is a DIMM that is designed for the smaller real-estate of a laptop motherboard.

1-155. What kind of memory is commonly used in processor caches? A. DRAM B. EEPROM C. SRAM D. SDRAM

Answer: C. SRAM Static RAM (SRAM) is very fast memory, but very expensive memory. It's often used in L1, L2 and L3 processor caches.

1-117. Which of these connectors is commonly used to configure infrastructure devices? A. PS/2 B. FireWire C. Serial D. Parallel

Answer: C. Serial A serial connection is commonly seen as a DE-9 or DE-25 connector, although modern implementations may use an RJ-45 connector or USB port. Because of the ubiquity of serial connectivity, it's common to see serial ports used as a standard for the configuration of infrastructure devices.

1-246. Which of these socket types would you associate with an AMD CPU? Pick two. A. Socket 2011 B. Socket 775 C. Socket AM3 D. Socket FM2

Answer: C. Socket AM3 and D. Socket FM2 Some of the AMD sockets include the AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, and FM2+.

1-184. You want to use a new boot CD-ROM to run some diagnostics on a computer, but the system is configured to boot from the hard drive instead of the CD-ROM drive. What will allow you to manage the order of the boot drives? A. Device Manager B. Event Viewer C. The BIOS D. MSCONFIG

Answer: C. The BIOS The computer's Basic Input/Output System is responsible for managing the hardware configuration of the system, including the order of the computer's boot devices.

1-136. You need to install two SATA drives into a new computer system. What determines which drive has boot priority? A. The jumpers on the drive B. The location of the drive on the cable C. The BIOS setting D. The cable select option

Answer: C. The BIOS setting With SATA drives, a single drive is connected to a single port on the motherboard. There are no cable settings or jumpers required to set priorities. You can change the boot priority of the drives from the configuration options in your PC's BIOS.

1-131. Which of these statements about PCI Express is not true? A. PCI Express uses unidirectional serial "lanes" to communicate. B. PCI Express version 1.x can range in speed from 250 megabytes per second to 8 gigabytes per second. C. The PCI Express bus is 64-bits wide. D. PCI Express standard is used in laptops as the ExpressCard interface.

Answer: C. The PCI Express bus is 64-bits wide. The PCI Express standard is based on point-to-point serial connections rather than the parallel bus technology that we've seen with previous bus standards. The links between PCI Express devices are called "lanes."

1-327. You've found that the temperature of your CPU is running very hot, even though your computer is showing very low CPU utilization. Which of these options would be the most likely cause of this issue? A. The CPU is faulty B. The video card is producing excessive heat C. The computer cooling fans are blocked or faulty D. The memory modules are faulty

Answer: C. The computer cooling fans are blocked or faulty One of the most common problems with cooling a computer is related to the airflow through the computer. If your CPU is overheating, cleaning the computer's air vents will usually resolve the issue as long as the CPU fans and internal computer case fans are working properly.

1-336. What is a display's contrast ratio? A. The number of times a screen is redrawn B. The resolution that exactly matches the number of pixels on an LCD C. The difference between black and white D. The brightness of a display E. Pixel width x pixel height

Answer: C. The difference between black and white The contrast ratio is the measurement between completely black and completely white on a display. A wider range is a better measurement of the overall color capabilities of a display.

1-106. You've been asked to upgrade the BIOS on a customer's computer. What is a BIOS? A. The system memory, or RAM, of the computer system B. The video adapter's hardware drivers C. The firmware that the computer hardware uses to start the operating system D. The hard drive storage of the computer

Answer: C. The firmware that the computer hardware uses to start the operating system The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is the fundamental software built into the motherboard that manages the hardware interactions with the rest of the world. It doesn't matter what operating system is running on the computer; the system needs a way to get the operating system running when you turn on your computer.

1-144. You're planning a memory upgrade on one of your laptop computers, and you notice that the manufacturer recommends that memory modules are installed in pairs. Why would this recommendation be part of the memory specifications? A. The memory modules are redundant. If one fails, the other module will continue to operate. B. The memory modules are dual-sided, but the laptop motherboard can only access one side of the memory to save battery power. C. The laptop motherboard doubles the available memory throughput when two memory modules are used. D. The laptop motherboard was engineered before large-capacity memory was widely available.

Answer: C. The laptop motherboard doubles the available memory throughput when two memory modules are used. Motherboards that support a dual-channel architecture can effectively double the throughput of their memory bandwidth by installing memory modules in pairs. Different motherboards use these multiple channels differently, so you should check your documentation to determine the appropriate type and speed of memory to use.

1-195. Which of these is most associated with the print head of an inkjet printer? A. The pins in the print head can become worn over time B. The print head must be replaced at the same time as the ribbon C. The print head must be periodically cleaned D. The print head uses heat to change the color of the paper

Answer: C. The print head must be periodically cleaned The ink used in an inkjet printer tends to clog very easily, so most printers will automatically clean the print heads every day.

1-253. In which of these cases would you be most likely to use a thermal printer? A. Multiple copies are required B. The document will be archived C. The printer will be used in a library D. Documents are printed in full color E. A relatively heavy stock paper is required

Answer: C. The printer will be used in a library Thermal printers are very quiet, and are often used in places where the noise level is a factor.

1-334. What happens during the developing step of the laser printing process? A. The drum is charged with a negative electrostatic charge B. The toner is moved from the imaging drum to the paper C. Toner is added to the charged areas of the imaging drum D. The laser writes the image to the drum

Answer: C. Toner is added to the charged areas of the imaging drum The developing step moves toner from the storage area onto the areas of the imaging drum that were charged in the exposing step.

1-204. Which of these ports is typically NOT used for video output? A. VGA B. HDMI C. USB D. DVI

Answer: C. USB Many LCD monitors include VGA, HDMI, and DVI interfaces.

1-241. Which of these would you most commonly use to connect a microphone to a computer? A. FireWire B. eSATA C. USB D. MIDI E. XLR

Answer: C. USB USB is one of the most common interfaces for a digital microphone connection.

1-329. Which serial interface is rated at a maximum speed of 480 megabits per second? A. 9-pin RS-232 B. USB 1.1 C. USB 2.0 D. USB 3.0

Answer: C. USB 2.0 USB 2.0 is one of the most common USB formats, and it is rated at up to 480 megabits per second, with backwards compatibility to USB 1.1 (12 megabits per second) and USB 1.0 (1.5 megabits per second). The newest USB standard is USB 3.0, and it can run at speeds up to 5 gigabits per second.

1-125. What 15-pin connector is commonly used to transmit analog video? A. HDMI B. Display Port C. VGA D. RJ-45 E. RCA

Answer: C. VGA The analog VGA connector is a DE-15 interface that is colored blue if you follow the PC System Design Guide specifications. It's one of the longest-lived and most common interfaces that you'll find.

1-29. What of these features are enabled when AMD-V is available? A. VLAN support B. Hyperthreading C. Virtualization D. Visual feedback of audio output

Answer: C. Virtualization AMD processors provide virtualization support through a feature called AMD-V. Intel processors use VT, or Intel Virtualization Technology.

1-211. What kind of CPU socket is commonly paired with a PGA processor package? A. LGA B. SFP C. ZIF D. SECC E. DIP

Answer: C. ZIF The Zero Insertion Force socket is commonly paired with a processor that uses the PGA package. The PGA processor has pins that are gently placed on a ZIF (the zero insertion force). A bar is used to lock the processor in place without using any undue pressure on the motherboard.

1-96. What does the "e" in eSATA stand for? A. electronic B. environmental C. external D. efficient

Answer: C. external The eSATA standard provides high-speed throughput in an external storage connection.

1-101. Which of these most closely matches the maximum distance of an eSATA connection? A. 7 meters B. 100 meters C. 12 meters D. 2 meters

Answer: D. 2 meters The maximum length of an eSATA connection is about 2 meters. Internal SATA connections have a maximum distance of 1 meter.

1-222. What is the maximum number of pins that can be found in a DVI port? A. 9 B. 15 C. 20 D. 28

Answer: D. 28 The DVI (Digital Visual Interface) port has many different layouts, but the maximum number of pin connectors that could be found in a single DVI port is 28 pins.

1-257. You have recently upgraded to Bluetooth 2.0. What type of data throughput would you expect to see with your new Bluetooth connection? A. 256 kilobits per second B. 512 kilobits per second C. 1 megabit per second D. 3 megabits per second

Answer: D. 3 megabits per second The Bluetooth 2.0 specification increased speeds to 3 megabits per second, three times faster than the 1 megabit per second throughputs of Bluetooth 1.0.

1-178. Which of these would most commonly be used to provide additional power to a video adapter? A. Berg connector B. One or more Molex connectors C. 20-pin or 24-pin motherboard connector D. 6-pin power connector E. Power inverter

Answer: D. 6-pin power connector PCI Express adapters can get additional power through the use of 6-pin or 8-pin power connectors.

1-105. Which of these would be most likely to use an RJ11 connector? A. Ethernet switch B. Digital audio interface C. VoIP telephone D. ADSL modem E. Laser Printer

Answer: D. ADSL modem The RJ11 connector is commonly used with devices such as analog telephones and DSL modems.

1-302. A Basic Input Output System (BIOS) can provide a number of personal computer enhancements. Which of these would not be an advantage of installing an updated BIOS version? A. The addition of new features B. Support for new hardware C. Fix for serious functional flaws D. Addition of new operating system utilities

Answer: D. Addition of new operating system utilities A BIOS upgrade can do a lot of things, but it can't make additions to your operating system. The only way to add new features to the operating system is to install them from inside the OS, not from the BIOS. A BIOS upgrade can include new features like new boot password functionality or additional troubleshooting utilities. As technology changes, BIOS upgrades can add and improve the capabilities of your hardware such as maximum supported memory or support for new interface types. BIOS upgrades can fix issues associated with the interactions to the computer's hardware.

1-325. Which of these should your printer support to allow printing from iOS devices? A. Apple Print B. SMB sharing C. 802.11 ad-hoc mode D. AirPrint E. AppleTalk

Answer: D. AirPrint An AirPrint-compatible printer can support direct printing from iOS devices over a local wireless network.

1-143. Which of these would be the best reason for calibrating an inkjet printer? A. Increase the overall printing rate B. Process multiple print jobs faster C. Increase the data transfer rate between the printer and the computer D. Align the inkjet nozzles to the paper E. Increase the overall life of the print head

Answer: D. Align the inkjet nozzles to the paper The calibration of an inkjet printer aligns the nozzles for crisp and clear output.

1-250. Which of these methods would be the best way to view the voltages on motherboard power rails? A. Memory diagnostics B. Control Panel / System C. Windows Event Viewer D. BIOS hardware monitor

Answer: D. BIOS hardware monitor Many motherboards now include sensors for temperature, fan speeds, and voltages of the power rails. If your BIOS includes a section for hardware monitoring, you can check the performance of the hardware without booting your operating system!

1-163. Put these in order, from the smallest capacity to the highest. A. Dual-Layer DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, Single-Layer Blu-ray disc, 8 GB USB memory stick B. 8 GB USB memory stick, Dual-Layer DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, Single-Layer Blu-ray disc C. CD-ROM, Dual-Layer DVD-ROM, 8 GB USB memory stick, Single-Layer Blu-ray disc D. CD-ROM, 8 GB USB memory stick, Dual-Layer DVD-ROM, Single-Layer Blu-ray disc

Answer: D. CD-ROM, 8 GB USB memory stick, Dual-Layer DVD-ROM, Single-Layer Blu-ray disc A CD-ROM capacity is generally about 700 megabytes, a Dual-Layer DVD-ROM can hold 8.5 GB, and a Single-Layer Blu-ray disc supports 25 GB of storage space.

1-33. Which of these steps would be the best choice prior to physically installing a new adapter card into a computer? A. Upgrade the anti-virus software B. Add the computer to the Active Directory domain C. Defragment the primary storage drive D. Check the documentation to determine the order of installing the drivers and the physical adapter card

Answer: D. Check the documentation to determine the order of installing the drivers and the physical adapter card Some adapter cards require that a driver be installed prior to the physical installation of the card. Be sure to check the instructions with your adapter card to determine the option you should take prior to placing the adapter card inside of the computer.

1-226. You'd like to configure a computer so that it won't start the operating system unless the correct password is provided. What's the best way to accomplish this? A. Configure a Windows Administrator password B. Configure a supervisor password in the BIOS C. Define drive encryption options in Windows D. Configure a user password in the BIOS

Answer: D. Configure a user password in the BIOS The user password option in the BIOS is designed to stop the boot process and prompt the user for a password. The computer will only continue with the boot process if the correct password is provided.

1-31. What type of memory module package would you commonly find on a desktop computer that uses DDR3 memory? A. RDRAM B. SO-DIMM C. SIMM D. DIMM E. MicroDIMM

Answer: D. DIMM DDR3 SDRAM memory uses a DIMM module as a standard package on desktop computers.

1-180. Which of these would be the most compatible with Thunderbolt? A. SATA B. FireWire C. Lightning D. DVI E. USB

Answer: D. DVI Thunderbolt carries both DisplayPort video and PCI Express data, and uses the same interface as Mini DisplayPort. Because of these compatibilities, it's easy to convert between digital video on a DVI interface and a Thunderbolt interface.

1-130. How does RAID 1 provide redundancy? A. Parity information is distributed across multiple drives B. Multiple drives contain distributed parity and duplicated data C. Information is periodically transferred to an offline storage device D. Data is duplicated across multiple drives E. RAID 1 does not provide any data redundancy

Answer: D. Data is duplicated across multiple drives RAID 1, or data mirroring, duplicates all data so that a "mirror" of the information is always available across multiple physical drives.

1-135. You've run into a problem with a computer, and during the troubleshooting process you upgraded the BIOS version of the PC. What kind of memory allows you to update the BIOS code of the computer? A. PROM B. SROM C. DVD-ROM D. EEPROM

Answer: D. EEPROM Electrically Erasable Read-Only Memory can be erased and written to many times, yet still maintain the state of the memory whithout any power source. For computer BIOS code, this is a perfect combination of constant state and upgradability.

1-270. What port is also known as IEEE 1394? A. Parallel B. USB C. HDMI D. FireWire

Answer: D. FireWire The IEEE 1394 standard is also called FireWire, i.LINK, and Lynx by some manufacturers.

1-236. Which of these items would you commonly find in a laser printer maintenance kit? A. Toner cartridge B. Printer head C. Toner vacuum D. Fuser unit

Answer: D. Fuser unit A laser printer maintenance kit usually contains parts that wear out, such as feed rollers or fuser units. Consumables such as ink and toner aren't usually included in a maintenance kit.

1-314. Which of these printer types is the best choice for printing multiple copies simultaneously? A. Laser B. Inkjet C. Thermal D. Impact E. Virtual

Answer: D. Impact A dot matrix impact printer uses small pins that print to multiple printed copies simultaneously.

1-148. In which of these would you often find a graphics processing unit on modern computer systems? A. Integrated into the Southbridge B. Integrated into the BIOS C. Connected via USB D. Integrated into the primary CPU

Answer: D. Integrated into the primary CPU Newer processors include a graphics processing unit as part of the main processor itself.

1-223. Which of these would be considered an output device? A. Digitizer B. Camcorder C. Microphone D. LCD Display E. Touch pad F. Scanner

Answer: D. LCD Display LCD displays are some of the most popular PC output devices.

1-92. Which of these values is associated the brightness of a display? A. Resolution B. Refresh Rate C. Hertz D. Lumens

Answer: D. Lumens The number of lumens is the standard associated with the brightness of a display. Three-thousand lumens would work in a dim room, and six-thousand lumens would work well in a sunlit room.

1-64. Which of these would also be described as the memory controller hub? A. Southbridge B. Front-side bus C. GPU D. Northbridge E. CPU cache

Answer: D. Northbridge The northbridge connects the CPU to memory, and it's often described as the memory controller hub.

1-77. What CPU technology is designed to speed processing time by temporarily storing data, instructions, and/or results? A. Hyperthreading B. Multiple cores C. 64-bit processing D. On-chip cache

Answer: D. On-chip cache The CPU caches allow for increased performance because of their speed and because they are generally located directly on the CPU chip.

1-86. Your company has a multifunction device that uses a Centronics connector. What interface does this device connect to on your computer? A. Serial B. USB C. VGA D. Parallel E. RJ45

Answer: D. Parallel A Centronics connector connects to a DB-25 parallel interface on a computer.

1-35. What type of memory can identify an error but not correct the issue? A. ECC B. RAID C. Multi-channel D. Parity E. Double-sided

Answer: D. Parity Parity memory can identify most memory errors, but there is no mechanism for parity memory to correct an error. ECC (Error Correcting Code) memory can both identify and correct memory errors.

1-171. You are building a computer system that has 2 hard drives, 2 optical drives, an enhanced audio system, a television tuner, and an upgraded video card. Which of the following components are the most important to consider when building this new system? A. Video interface type B. Memory type C. Motherboard style D. Power supply size

Answer: D. Power supply size With all of these different components, the size of the power supply is going to be a critical consideration.

1-263. The output from your dot-matrix printer appears to show missing or incomplete characters. Which of these would be the most likely cause of this issue? A. Print ribbon is worn B. Impact printer paper is required C. The computer is sending incomplete data to the printer D. Print head is faulty

Answer: D. Print head is faulty The print head of a dot-matrix printer is made of many small pins, and a bad print head may cause some of these pins to stop working.

1-321. Which of these memory types can't be changed or erased? A. SDROM B. RDRAM C. SRAM D. ROM E. SDRAM

Answer: D. ROM Read-only memory (ROM) is memory that can't be modified or changed. It's common to see ROM chips used as firmware for storage devices or game cartridges for gaming systems.

1-293. You're configuring Windows 7 to build a RAID array from a series of drives. Which of these would be NOT be a characteristic of software-based RAID arrays? A. Software-based RAID is a feature of the operating system B. Software-based RAID doesn't require any special hardware C. Software-based RAID supports mirroring and striping D. Software-based RAID is configured outside of the operating system

Answer: D. Software-based RAID is configured outside of the operating system Many operating systems support RAID configurations as part of the operating system. Although the performance isn't usually as good as hardware-based RAID arrays, the low cost and convenience of building RAID arrays without any special hardware can be a significant advantage.

1-181. What type of power supply can operate in different countries that have different voltages? A. High-voltage B. Primary C. Notched D. Switching

Answer: D. Switching A switching power supply can be used for both 110 volts and 220 volts, making it easy to go between different power standards without changing the power supply or modifying the power source.

1-149. You've just installed a new motherboard. The computer appears to be working properly, but none of the status lights on the outside of the computer appear to be working. Which of these is the most likely cause of the problem? A. The lights are faulty B. The motherboard is faulty C. The new motherboard is incompatible with the case lights D. The case lights are not connected to the motherboard

Answer: D. The case lights are not connected to the motherboard Although a disconnected set of wires is the most likely cause, it's even more likely because of the other options. All of the lights failing at once isn't very likely, and it's just as unlikely that all of those connections on the motherboard are also faulty. Since the case lights are almost universally compatible with motherboards, there's only one likely choice left.

1-215. You've just installed a new motherboard, but you notice that the speaker isn't providing the normal beeping noise when you start the computer. What is the most likely cause of this issue? A. The speaker is not compatible with the motherboard B. The speaker driver is not properly installed C. The speaker is not large enough for the motherboard D. The speaker connector on the motherboard is improperly installed

Answer: D. The speaker connector on the motherboard is improperly installed The motherboard includes a number of wire connections for the speaker, the power switch, status lights, and other case features. During the installation, it's common to miss a connector or to connect a wire to the incorrect port. Make sure you double-check your wire connections!

1-273. Which printer type prints very quietly and produces output that is very sensitive to heat? A. Laser B. Inkjet C. Dot-matrix D. Thermal

Answer: D. Thermal A thermal printer causes special paper to turn color when heated. This allows for a very quiet printing process, but it also means that the thermal printer paper is very sensitive to heat.

1-265. What is commonly used to create a thermal connection between a component and a heat sink? A. Pressure B. Cooling fan C. Liquid coolant D. Thermal paste

Answer: D. Thermal paste Thermal compound or thermal paste is a substance designed to create a thermal connection between a hot component and the heat sink that sits on the component. Without the thermal paste, the hot component would not be able to transfer as much heat to the heat sink, thereby limiting the cooling process.

1-231. Which HDMI connector type is designed for smaller devices? A. RCA B. DB-15 C. DVI D. Type C

Answer: D. Type C The traditional size of HDMI interface is a Type A, and the smaller, more compact HDMI interface is a Type C. You will commonly see Type C interfaces on cameras and mobile devices.

1-316. What does Intel VT provide? A. Vector Tunneling B. Video Throughput C. Virus Threat Protection D. Virtualization Technology

Answer: D. Virtualization Technology Intel's Virtual Technology (VT) and AMD-V (AMD Virtualization) are CPU technologies that add OS virtualization support to the CPU hardware.

1-326. Which of these standards provide a method of storing data outside of a computer case? A. PCIe B. SATA C. PCI D. eSATA

Answer: D. eSATA External SATA is a common standard that provides SATA connectivity to external devices. Many of the newest laptops and desktops include eSATA interfaces on the outside of the case, and an increasing number of external storage devices include eSATA connectivity as an option.

1-157. Which of the following interfaces can support removable storage devices? A. Serial B. Parallel C. PATA D. eSATA

Answer: D. eSATA External Serial ATA ports are becoming more common on the exterior of modern personal computers. Although the communication format is similar to SATA, the eSATA standard ports use different connectors and cables than internal SATA connections. Serial ports are legacy connectors that were originally designed to support low-speed communication devices such as teleprinters and modem technology. Parallel connections are standard peripheral connectors, and the port is often called a printer port. Most modern printers connect to personal computers through a USB connection. Parallel ATA ports are common on many motherboards, but the standard was designed to only support internal drive connections.

1-294. Which of these contrast ratios would provide the highest quality display? A. 1:1 B. 2:1 C. 100:1 D. 1,000:1 E. 5,000:1

Answer: E. 5,000:1 The contrast ratio is the ratio between the luminance of the brightest white and darkest black. The higher the ratio, the better quality picture.

1-177. What part of the laser printing process prepares the drum with an electrostatic charge? A. Processing B. Transferring C. Fusing D. Cleaning E. Charging

Answer: E. Charging The charging process covers the photosensitive drum with an electrostatic charge in preparation for the exposing process.

1-129. Which of these would be considered a disadvantage of inkjet printing? A. Relatively loud when printing B. Requires special paper C. Print heads are difficult to replace D. Requires on-printer memory E. Clogs easily

Answer: E. Clogs easily Inkjet printer ink has a tendency to clog, and most inkjet printers will perform a daily cleaning to keep the print heads clear. An inkjet printer is relatively quiet, uses typical copy/printer paper, doesn't require memory on the printer to build the page image, and the print heads are replaced easily with the ink cartridges.

1-307. Which of these would best describe a USB flash memory stick? A. PROM B. ROM C. SDRAM D. RAM E. EEPROM

Answer: E. EEPROM Flash memory can be described as electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM).

1-170. How do you enable virtualization support on an Intel CPU? A. Install a 32-bit operating system B. Turn on Hyper-Threading Technology (HTT) C. Allocate a larger amount of space to the virtualization partition D. Increase the amount of system memory E. Enable VT in the firmware

Answer: E. Enable VT in the firmware Intel's VT (Virtualization Technology) enables virtualization features in the CPU. This capabilities is generally enabled and disabled in the BIOS of the computer.

1-299. What occurs during a laser printer's fusing process? A. The photosensitive drum inside of the laser printer is given an electrostatic charge, effectively creating a clean slate for the laser to expose an image. B. A laser "writes" the image to the photosensitive drum, reversing the electrostatic charge on the drum and creating an image to which the toner will "stick." C. Toner particles are exposed to the photosensitive drum and are electrostatically attracted to the areas charged by the laser. D. The toner on to the photosensitive drum is transferred to the paper. E. Heat and pressure melts the toner particles so they will bond with the paper.

Answer: E. Heat and pressure melts the toner particles so they will bond with the paper. The fusing process combines heat and pressure to melt and "fuse" the toner onto the paper. Without this part of the process, the toner particles would smear and fall from the paper.

1-269. What memory configuration increases throughput when more than one memory module is installed? A. CPU RAM B. Northbridge memory C. Hyper-threading D. Overclocking E. Multi-channel memory

Answer: E. Multi-channel memory Multi-channel memory provides the best throughput when multiple modules are installed rather than a single memory module. Your motherboard documentation should tell you if multi-channel memory is an option on your computer.

1-290. Which of these most commonly use a mini-DIN connector? A. HDMI B. IEEE 1394 C. USB Micro-B D. eSATA E. PS/2 keyboard

Answer: E. PS/2 keyboard PS/2 keyboard and mouse devices use 6-pin mini-DIN connectors.

1-237. Performance-based question: Put these computer interface standards in order from slowest speed to fastest. Use all of the available options. A. USB 2.0 B. SATA revision 2.0 C. 802.11g D. Bluetooth version 2.0 + EDR

Answer: The answer: D) Bluetooth version 2.0 + EDR (3 Mbit/sec), C) 802.11g (54 Mbit/sec), A) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec), B) SATA revision 2.0 (3.0 Gbit/sec)

1-73. Which of these throughput speeds would you expect to see on a single direction of a PCI Express v2.x lane? A. 500 MB/s B. 20 MB/s C. 500 GB/s D. 133 MB/s

Answer: A. 500 MB/s PCIe version 2.x supports 500 megabytes per second of throughput on a single lane.

1-41. Which of these would you use to convert between USB A and USB B? A. A single cable with different connectors on each end B. A cable with both connectors and a signal converter C. Convert USB A to Ethernet before converting to USB B D. Pass all USB signals through a USB hub E. A conversion is not possible

Answer: A. A single cable with different connectors on each end USB A and USB B signals are electrically compatible, so you only need a cable with different connectors on each end.

1-19. You've just replaced the SATA hard drive in your desktop PC with an SSD. Which of these changes should you expect? Pick two. A. Access to your data on the SSD should be faster than the hard drive B. The SSD should require more defragmentation than the hard drive C. The SSD should make as much noise as your hard drive when accessing data D. The SSD should have very similar motherboard connections as the existing hard drive interface

Answer: A. Access to your data on the SSD should be faster than the hard drive and D. The SSD should have very similar motherboard connections as the existing hard drive interface Solid-state drives are memory-based, so there are no moving parts to slow down the computer or to make additional noise. Most SSDs are SATA connected and do not require any defragmentation. Since writes are limited, most operating systems are smart enough to avoid using unnecessary writes to an SSD.

1-91. Which of these would be best matched with a liquid cooling system? A. CAD workstation B. Web server C. Print server D. Email gateway

Answer: A. CAD workstation An application that uses high levels of CPU and video processing would need as much cooling as possible. A computer aided design (CAD) workstation requires intense CPU and video processing.

1-16. What type of memory is used to improve the performance of CPU instruction processing? A. Cache B. Static C. Hybrid D. SDRAM

Answer: A. Cache A processor's L1, L2, and L3 cache can dramatically increase the number of instructions passing through the CPU.

1-85. Which of these laser printer components allow the printing of information on both sides of a page? A. Duplexing assembly B. Fuser assembly C. Transfer belt D. Separation pad E. Pickup rollers

Answer: A. Duplexing assembly The duplexing assembly of a laser printer flips the page so that information can be printed on both sides during a single printing process.

1-15. Which of these memory types are designed to detect errors? Pick two. A. ECC B. SDRAM C. DDR D. Parity memory

Answer: A. ECC and D. Parity memory Parity memory includes an additional parity bit that helps to identify errors, but it's not designed to correct the error. Error Correcting Code (ECC) Memory can detect and correct memory errors on the fly.

1-1. Which of these connection types would you most commonly associate with NAS? A. Ethernet B. eSATA C. USB D. FireWire E. Serial

Answer: A. Ethernet NAS (Network Address Storage) is accessible across the network, so one of the most common NAS connections is over Ethernet.

1-54. What type of socket package is an AMD Socket AM3? A. PGA B. LGA C. SECC D. DIP

Answer: A. PGA The AMD Socket AM3 uses a PGA package. All of the AMD sockets in the 220-901 exam objectives are PGAZIF packages. Conversely, all of the Intel processors listed in the exam objectives are LGA sockets.

1-95. You need to install a high-end video capture adapter into a desktop computer. What kind of adapter card interface would be most appropriate for this purpose? A. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express B. Industry Standard Architecture C. Accelerated Graphics Port D. Peripheral Component Interconnect

Answer: A. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express The PCI Express bus is the fastest and most flexible adapter type for systems that have high-bandwidth needs. On an x16 PCI Express 3.0 bus, the total bandwidth is about 16 gigabytes per second!

1-18. Which of these characteristics would be most important for a CAD/CAM workstation? Pick two. A. Powerful processor B. High-end video C. Enhanced audio D. HDMI interfaces E. TV tuner

Answer: A. Powerful processor and B. High-end video A graphical workstation needs a high-end video adapter and plenty of CPU processing. A graphics workstation doesn't require enhanced audio or a TV tuner, and the type of video interface is not a critical consideration.

1-61. You've received a message in your error log that a drive in your RAID 1 array is faulty. What's the best way to rebuild this RAID 1 array? A. RAID 1 arrays are redundant, so you simply need to replace the bad drive B. RAID 1 arrays are not redundant, so you'll need to replace the drive and restore from a backup C. RAID 1 arrays are redundant, but will still require restoration from backup after the drive is replaced D. RAID 1 arrays cannot be rebuilt

Answer: A. RAID 1 arrays are redundant, so you simply need to replace the bad drive RAID 1 is a mirrored array, where data is completely duplicated across physical hard drives. If you lose a hard drive, the array is redundant and will continue to operate; usually without any loss of performance. I've personally identified bad hard drives in RAID 1 arrays that failed months prior, without anyone realizing there was a problem. Rebuilding the drive array is relatively easy. If the drive array supports hot swapping, you don't even need to power down your computer during the drive replacement. The RAID array will recognize that a new drive has been added to the array and will duplicate the existing data to construct a new RAID 1 mirror.

1-82. Which part of the PC architecture commonly manages the control of keyboards, USB interfaces, and hard drive controllers? A. Southbridge B. Super I/O Controller C. PCI Express D. Northbridge

Answer: A. Southbridge Since the Northbridge handles all of the high-speed bus connections, most of the lower-speed components are managed by the Southbridge.

1-57. Which of these security technologies would be the best choice to store and manage a computer's cryptographic keys? A. TPM B. Biometrics C. BIOS passwords D. WPA2

Answer: A. TPM The Trusted Platform Module is specialized hardware on a PC motherboard that securely stores and manages cryptographic keys. The TPM can be especially useful when using advanced security features such as full-disk encryption

1-90. Which of these would commonly be tested during POST? Pick two. A. Video adapter B. Hard drive read access times C. Keyboard connection D. USB power output levels

Answer: A. Video adapter and C. Keyboard connection The power on self-test (POST) process provides a basic hardware diagnostic that confirms that the minimum necessary hardware is available before starting the computer. If RAM is missing, the video adapter isn't working, or the keyboard isn't connected, you'll get an error message and the computer will stop the boot process before loading the operating system. Detailed diagnostics, such as hard drive access times and USB power levels aren't part of the POST process; you'll need some additional diagnostics software to check for that detailed information.

1-23. One of your associates has told you that he's added a supervisor password to the BIOS of every computer in the organization. What does the addition of this BIOS password mean? A. You can't make changes to the BIOS configuration without the password B. You can't boot the computer without the password C. You can't add new device drivers without the password D. You can't shut down the computer without the password

Answer: A. You can't make changes to the BIOS configuration without the password The supervisor password restricts access to the BIOS, preventing any hardware additions or configuration changes. The addition of a user password would prevent the system from booting unless you had the correct password.

1-38. Which of these are true regarding the conversion of DVI to HDMI? A. DVI and HDMI are not electrically compatible B. A signal conversion is required from DVI analog to HDMI digital C. There is a loss of video quality when converting between DVI and HDMI D. An LCD cannot display a signal that has been converted from DVI to HDMI

Answer: B. A signal conversion is required from DVI analog to HDMI digital DVI and HDMI are electrically compatible, so it only takes a simple cable or adapter to move between the two video types. If you're planning to convert from analog to digital on any standard, you'll need to perform a signal conversion.

1-32. Which of these laser printing steps ensures that you will not see a "ghosted" image appear down the page of your output? A. Exposing B. Cleaning C. Developing D. Charging

Answer: B. Cleaning The cleaning process removes any excess toner from the photosensitive drum and prepares it for another cycle through the printing process.

1-80. Which of these multifunction device configuration settings will print multiple copies in their proper order? A. Duplex B. Collate C. Ad hoc network D. Orientation E. Quality

Answer: B. Collate Collating the printer output can make it much easier to manage multiple copies of large documents.

1-69. You are replacing some DDR3 memory in a desktop computer. What memory type would you expect to use? A. SIMM B. DIMM C. RIMM D. SO-DIMM

Answer: B. DIMM Desktop memory on most modern systems uses DIMM format memory, although you might find some older systems that might use RIMM modules. It's nearly impossible to find SIMM in active use, and SO-DIMM is almost exclusive to laptop computers.

1-89. Which of these commonly use a tractor feed? A. USB flash drive B. Dot-matrix printer C. DVD-ROM drive D. Inkjet printer E. Floppy drive

Answer: B. Dot-matrix printer Dot matrix printers often use tractor fed paper. These tractor feeds use holes on the side of the paper to pull the paper through the printer.

1-28. Which of these processor packages has flat contacts on the processor and pins on the motherboard? A. PGA B. LGA C. SECC D. DIP

Answer: B. LGA The LGA (Land Grid Array) processor package has all of the pins on the motherboard, and the processor contacts are flat. The LGA is commonly seen on modern Intel i3, i5, and i7 processors.

1-63. What kind of CPU package fits into a Socket FM1? A. Dual in-line package B. Pin grid array C. Single edge cartridge D. Single in-line package

Answer: B. Pin grid array A PGA (pin grid array) package consists of many pins that fit into a many-holed ZIF (zero insertion force) socket. Socket FM1 is an AMD CPU with a PGA package.

1-12. Which of these would be the best example of an output device? Pick two. A. Barcode reader B. Printer C. Motion sensor D. Speaker E. Smart card reader F. Webcam

Answer: B. Printer and D. Speaker Output devices are printers, speakers, display devices, and any other component that gets data out of a computer.

1-46. You have two drives that you would like to configure into the most redundant configuration possible, where all information is duplicated across physical drives. Which of these RAID types should you configure? A. RAID 0 B. RAID 1 C. RAID 5 D. RAID 1+0

Answer: B. RAID 1 RAID 1 duplicates information across all available storage devices, and it can work with a minimum of two drives.

1-75. You need to design a drive array that will continue to operate if any drive fails. Which RAID types fit this requirement? Pick two. A. RAID 0 B. RAID 1 C. RAID 5 D. RAID 1+1

Answer: B. RAID 1 and C. RAID 5 RAID 0, or striping, provides high performance but a single drive failure breaks the array. RAID 1 and RAID 5 both continue to operate, even if a single drive fails.

1-71. Which of these RAID types create an exact duplicate of data across physical drives? Pick two. A. RAID 0 B. RAID 1 C. RAID 2 D. RAID 5 E. RAID 1+0

Answer: B. RAID 1 and E. RAID 1+0 RAID 1, or mirroring, is an exact duplicate of all data across multiple physical drives. RAID 1+0 combines mirroring and striping to create a RAID 0 striped set of data that is duplicated across multiple RAID 1 mirrored drives.

1-44. Which of these would be the best fit for ECC memory? A. The computer is used for Internet browsing and office suite software B. The computer is a database server that provides services for hundreds of simultaneous users C. The computer is a standalone kiosk used for electronic job applications D. The computer is used in a lab for testing in-house applications prior to formal release

Answer: B. The computer is a database server that provides services for hundreds of simultaneous users Error-Correcting Code (ECC) memory is often seen in high-end motherboards that provide important services or software functions. Unlike normal parity memory, ECC memory can find and fix errors. ECC memory generally costs more, so you usually see motherboards designed for ECC memory when there's a specific need.

1-3. You have just purchased a new dual-core PC, but when you look at the Windows Task Manager's Performance tab, you see usage statistics for four CPUs. What would be the most likely cause of this difference? A. Dual-core CPUs appear as four separate CPUs in Windows B. The dual-core CPUs are using HTT C. The new computer uses dual-channel memory D. Windows Task Manager is improperly configured

Answer: B. The dual-core CPUs are using HTT Hyper-Threading Technology is designed to allow a single CPU to schedule two processes at the same time, allowing the system to share the workload between both threads. If you view an HTT-enabled CPU in Task Manager, it will appear as if the computer has two or more CPUs for every physical CPU.

1-88. Which part of a hard drive is responsible for moving the arm back and forth? A. Spindle B. Platter C. Actuator D. Head

Answer: C. Actuator The actuator contains very strong magnets that can accurately move the hard drive arm to the correct location on the platters.

1-21. Which of these security technology restricts users from making any changes to their hardware configuration? A. Wireless encryption B. Anti-spyware software C. BIOS security D. Biometrics

Answer: C. BIOS security Adding passwords to the BIOS configuration can restrict users from adding or changing any of their system hardware settings.

1-76. Which of these connectors would you most likely find a high-resolution digital video signal? A. VGA B. SCSI C. DVI D. MDMI

Answer: C. DVI A DVI connector can be used to send analog or digital signals to a monitor or display device.

1-14. Which of these features would not be commonly found in a BIOS? A. Hardware diagnostics B. USB port disabling C. Disk partitioning options D. Date and time settings

Answer: C. Disk partitioning options The BIOS does not provide any partitioning functionality. Although a BIOS will recognize a physical storage device, the logical setup of that storage device is the responsibility of the operating system.

1-66. You're installing a memory upgrade into a computer, and you notice that the motherboard documentation states that ECC memory is required. Why would a computer use ECC memory? A. ECC memory is much faster than other memory types B. You can install more ECC memory on a motherboard than other memory types C. ECC memory can automatically identify and fix data errors D. ECC memory is less expensive than other memory types

Answer: C. ECC memory can automatically identify and fix data errors Error Correcting Code memory can identify errors and correct them on the fly. You'll often see ECC memory required on motherboards that are used for centralized servers.

1-74. Which of these would be most likely to connect to a computer through a PS/2 connector? A. Musical interface B. External hard drive C. Mouse or keyboard D. Wired printer

Answer: C. Mouse or keyboard The PS/2 connector is a 6-pin mini-DIN connection designed for a keyboard or mouse, originally found on the IBM PS/2 personal computer. These days you'll connect your mouse or keyboard with the USB interface.

1-9. Which of these best describes NFC? A. Requires line-of-site communication B. Commonly connects devices in an automobile C. Operates at a range of 10 cm or less D. Commonly used with wireless headsets E. Uses light as a transport mechanism

Answer: C. Operates at a range of 10 cm or less NFC (Near Field Communication) is commonly used with payment systems, and it operates best at a very close range of 10 centimeters or less.

1-56. Which of these best describes the use of the NX bit? A. Improves CPU throughput B. Adds additional network verification checks C. Prevents code from running in protected memory locations D. Allows multiple applications to run simultaneously

Answer: C. Prevents code from running in protected memory locations The NX bit (No-eXecute bit) is used to prevent malicious code from executing in protected memory locations. Intel calls this the XD bit (eXecute Disable), and AMC refers to this bit as Enhanced Virus Protection.

1-87. Which of these would you expect to occur as a network connection distance increases? A. Network throughput increases B. Light in a fiber optic strand becomes more focused C. Signal strength degrades D. Signal frequencies increase

Answer: C. Signal strength degrades The farther you get from the source of a signal, the weaker the signal becomes.

1-99. Which of these best describes the replacement of an inkjet cartridge? A. An individual cartridge can be time-consuming to replace B. The cartridges are not recyclable C. Some inkjet cartridge colors can be individually replaced D. The print counter should be reset after a cartridge is replaced

Answer: C. Some inkjet cartridge colors can be individually replaced Although some inkjet printers will combine the cyan, magenta, and yellow cartridge, it's also common to find those colors as individual cartridges. It usually takes just a few seconds to replace an inkjet cartridge, and the plastic cartridges are often recyclable.

1-94. Which of these are specific to thermal printer maintenance? A. The entire colored ink cartridge must be replaced when empty B. The print head must be completely replaced when worn C. Specially coated printer paper is used D. Ribbons can be used until the output becomes difficult to read

Answer: C. Specially coated printer paper is used Thermal printers do not use normal printer paper, and instead use a specially coated paper that turns dark when heat is applied.

1-93. Your organization maintains some large databases that require frequent backups. These databases are currently approaching 10 terabytes of data, and they're constantly growing in size. The database backups usually occur every week, but sometimes a backup is required more frequently. For legal and compliance reasons, the backups must be stored for at least six months. Which of these media would be the best fit for your backup requirements? A. Network attached storage (NAS) arrays B. DVD-ROM C. Tape D. Solid state disk

Answer: C. Tape A tape backup is the best fit for this requirement because of the large amount of storage required and the length of time that all of this media must be archived. NAS would require a massive amount of storage, and you'd need to invest in a lot of disk drives to keep the archives for six months. DVD-ROMs and solid-state disks aren't large enough to reasonably store this much information in a single backup.

1-62. Each time you turn on your computer, you get a message that the BIOS configuration has been set to the defaults and must be reconfigured. Which of these would be the most likely reason for this message? A. The BIOS has just been upgraded B. The BIOS configuration must be periodically updated C. The BIOS battery is no longer charged D. An upgrade is now available for the BIOS

Answer: C. The BIOS battery is no longer charged The battery that maintains the BIOS configuration will eventually lose its charge, which means that the BIOS configuration will only be maintained while the computer maintains a power source.

1-39. When looking over the specifications of a new computer, the front-side bus (FSB) speed is prominently displayed. Why is the front-side bus important? A. The FSB describes the overall speed of the computer. B. The FSB describes the speed of the bus between the hard drives and the CPU. C. The FSB describes the speed of the bus between the northbridge and the CPU. D. The FSB speed is a marketing statistic that has very little practical meaning.

Answer: C. The FSB describes the speed of the bus between the northbridge and the CPU. During the normal operation of a PC, the communications path between the CPU and the memory controller (the northbridge) is heavily utilized. The front-side bus is the communications path that handles all of this traffic, so it stands to reason that the speed of this communications link is a significant factor in the overall speed of a computer. Most PC technical specifications will include the speed of the FSB to assist with speed comparisons between systems.

1-70. A computer power supply is sized by the capacity of watts. What does a watt represent? A. The frequency of the alternating current B. The electrical potential of the direct current C. The amount of energy transferred by the power supply D. The physical size of the power supply

Answer: C. The amount of energy transferred by the power supply A watt is a measurement of work done by the device, and the "capacity" of a power supply is measured by the number of watts that can be supported.

1-22. You have recently upgraded the CPU in one of your servers, including a heat sink and a CPU fan. Unfortunately, the temperature of the CPU is getting very hot during normal operation. Which of these is most likely the cause of this overheating? A. The CPU configuration in the BIOS is misconfigured B. The CPU is not the correct type for your motherboard C. The amount of thermal paste is insufficient D. The processor is faulty

Answer: C. The amount of thermal paste is insufficient The thermal paste creates a thermal connection between a component and a heat sink. Without enough thermal compound, the heat from the component will not properly conduct to the heat sink, and the component will be much hotter than necessary.

1-53. One of the computers on the manufacturing floor is having problems with the barcode reader that inventories all new products. Which of these interfaces would most commonly be used with this reader? A. SCSI B. 25-pin serial C. USB D. MIDI

Answer: C. USB Although barcode readers are relatively specialized, they almost always use a very common PC interface. In many cases, you'll find a barcode reader using one of the older mini-DIN (PS/2) or the more-common USB connection.

1-51. What is the most common interface used to connect external flash memory devices? A. Serial B. eSATA C. USB D. FireWire

Answer: C. USB The Universal Serial Bus is becoming more universal all the time. If you have a flash memory device, then it almost certainly has a USB interface.

1-17. Which of these best describes digital modulation? A. Listening to an FM radio station B. Playing audio from computer speakers C. Using a modem for Internet connectivity D. Ringing a bell

Answer: C. Using a modem for Internet connectivity Digital modulation is the communication of digital signals over an analog carrier. Converting a digital signal from an analog connection using a modem is a common form of digital modulation.

1-60. Which motherboard form factor was designed to fit into legacy cases, and takes up less space with fewer expansion slots? A. ATX B. NLX C. microATX D. BTX

Answer: C. microATX The microATX motherboard has become a popular form factor, due in part to its compatibility with existing ATX-sized computer cases.

1-24. One of your customers is looking for a MIDI-to-USB interface for her new laptop computer. What is she probably connecting to her PC? A. A digital video camera B. An analog audio input C. An external monitor D. An electronic piano keyboard

Answer: D. An electronic piano keyboard The Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a standard digital connection used primarily for musical instruments.

1-5. What software is responsible for starting your computer when power is applied? A. MBR B. NTLDR C. OS Kernel D. BIOS

Answer: D. BIOS Your computer's Basic Input/Output System is firmware that tells your computer how to launch your operating system.

1-20. What is the purpose of a CPU cache? A. It increases the clock rate of the CPU B. Improves the overall clock speed of the FSB C. Adds an extra CPU core at each cache layer D. Holds data, instructions, or results for fast retrieval

Answer: D. Holds data, instructions, or results for fast retrieval A CPU cache can make your system appear to run much faster because the efficiency of the data path is improved by holding information in fast cache memory.

1-47. Which of these would be considered an advantage of a UEFI BIOS? A. Adds new video resolution options B. Stores BIOS configuration information on flash memory C. Can boot from both hard drives and solid state drives D. Includes a pre-boot environment

Answer: D. Includes a pre-boot environment A UEFI BIOS comes with an advanced pre-boot environment that enables extensive troubleshooting without the requirement of an underlying operating system.

1-45. What component on a motherboard provides configuration options by connecting two pins to create an electrical circuit? A. Bypass B. Serial C. Flag D. Jumper E. Ribbon

Answer: D. Jumper A jumper is an electrical conductor that can be placed on two jumper pins to complete an electrical circuit, and therefore change a configuration option. It is common to see jumpers on motherboards, adapter cards, and other computing devices.

1-4. What is one of the fundamental characteristics of parity memory? A. Parity memory identifies and corrects errors on the fly B. Parity memory will retry memory transactions until zero errors are identified C. Parity memory can be used on any computer D. Parity memory uses an additional bit to identify errors

Answer: D. Parity memory uses an additional bit to identify errors A computer that supports parity memory will take advantage of an additional bit that can be used to identify errors. Unlike ECC memory, parity memory can identify errors but not correct them.

1-49. Which part of the laser printing process requires extensive use of printer memory? A. Fusing B. Exposing C. Transferring D. Processing

Answer: D. Processing The processing phase of the laser printing process "builds" the entire page in memory before the printing process begins. A laser printer must print an entire page without stopping, so the rendering of the page must occur before the printer begins.

1-72. You would like to configure a RAID array that included both striping and mirroring. Which of these RAID types would accomplish this requirement? A. RAID 0 B. RAID 1 C. RAID 5 D. RAID 1+0

Answer: D. RAID 1+0 RAID 1+0 is sometimes called a "stripe of mirrors," due to it's use of mirrored pairs that are striped together. This RAID format combines the speed of RAID 0 with the redundancy of RAID 1.

1-30. Which of these acronyms is a hard drive interface? A. PCI B. VGA C. BIOS D. SATA

Answer: D. SATA The Serial ATA interface is the only one listed that could be part of a hard drive interface. PCI refers to the Peripheral Component Interconnect bus, VGA is the Video Graphics Array interface, and BIOS is the Basic Input/Output System.

1-36. Which of these sockets would be most associated with an Intel Sandy Bridge i7 processor? A. Socket T B. Socket AM3 C. Socket F D. Socket H2 E. Socket 940

Answer: D. Socket H2 Intel's Socket H2 was released in 2011 and provided a socket for the Intel Sandy Bridge i3, i5, and i7 processors.

1-11. How does a thermal printer display information on a printed page? A. The printer uses heat and pressure to "fuse" the image to the paper B. A heated print head pulls a small bubble of ink from an ink cartridge C. A small set of pins are heated and pressed onto the page D. Special paper is heated until it changes color E. A set of colored ink rolls are heated until the colors transfer to the paper

Answer: D. Special paper is heated until it changes color Thermal printers don't use any ink or toner because of the special paper used during the printing process. A heating element in the print head applies a small amount of heat, and the paper changes color wherever it's heated.

1-67. Which of these would be the best reason for performing a laser printer calibration? A. There are vertical lines down the page of the output B. The printer is taking too long to print C. The paper is consistently jamming inside of the printer D. The printer output appears too dark E. The printer is not printing any pages

Answer: D. The printer output appears too dark The laser printer calibration process can adjust the output to print with a different density of toner. This is especially useful when a new toner cartridge is installed that uses a different brand of toner.

1-55. What does the exposing step of the laser printing process do? A. Removes excess toner from the imaging drum B. Moves the toner from the drum to the paper C. Adds toner to the charged areas of the imaging drum D. Write the image on the imaging drum with a laser

Answer: D. Write the image on the imaging drum with a laser The laser writes the image on the surface of the photosensitive drum. Toner will be added during the developing process that will stick to these exposed areas.

1-78. Which of these characteristics would be important when designing a thin client workstation? A. Multiple CPUs B. Specialized GPU C. HDMI video input D. Maximum RAM installed E. None of the above

Answer: E. None of the above A thin client user is executing applications on a separate server, so there's no requirement for high-end graphics, CPU, or memory. A thin client with a basic keyboard, mouse, and video display can perform all of the same functions as a traditional thick client.