Term
| 5 job roles that can be catagorized as a pc technician |
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Definition
pc support
pc service
retail sales associate
bench
help-desk |
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Term
| what job role might not require interacting with a customer |
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Definition
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Term
| Five main characteristics to see in a PC support person |
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Definition
Positive and helpfull attitude
Listening without interuption
Proper and Polite language
sensitivity to cultural differences
taking ownership of the problem |
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Term
| How many pins does the P1 connector have that use the ATX version 2.2 standard? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the maximum dimensions for a motherboard that use the Micro ATX form factor? |
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Definition
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Term
| Which form factor is a smaller version of the Micro ATX form factor |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Standards that describe the size. shape, and major features of components that work together. |
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Term
| What form factor uses a riser card on the edge of the mother board? |
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Definition
| NLX, New Low-profile extended. |
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Term
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Definition
| Balanced Technology Extended, designed by intel for flexability. Focuses on reducing heat. Better support for the motherboard than ATX. Uses 24 Pin Connector. Uses ATX power Supply |
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Term
| What type of Case Form Factor is best for keeping a system cool? |
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Definition
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Term
| What type of computer case is most popular for desktop systems? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is normal voltage for a house in the US? |
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Definition
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Term
| In home wiring, hot wires are normally ____ and ground wires in computers are normally _____ |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the difference between a transformer and a rectifier, which is found in a pc power supply? |
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Definition
| transformers change voltage in an ac power supply, rectifiers change ac to dc, and a pc power supply functions as both. |
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Term
| What are the 5 voltages that can be produced by an atx or btx power supply? Which is seldom used? |
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Definition
+3.3V +5V +12V -12V and -5V
-5V is rarely used |
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Term
| What device uses the 12V 6pin Power Connector? |
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Definition
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Term
| What Device Uses the 12V 8 pin connector? |
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Definition
| Motherboard, used to supply extra power to the processor. |
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Term
| What is the purpose of the 4pin Auxilary connector on the Motherboard? |
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Definition
| Extra power to the processor |
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Term
| What is the purpose of the 4pin Molex connector? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do you determine the wattage capacity needed by a power supple? |
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Definition
Consider the total wattage requirements of all components inside case as well as usb and firewire devices that draw power.
1. Deduct 10-15% off the peak rating for room temp to calculate for continuous running.
2. Pay particular attention to video card rating
3. Use a power supply rated about 30% higher than you expect to use.
4. Check website of power supply manufacturers for wattage calculator.
5. NEVER USE A DELL MOTHERBOARD WITH A NON-DELL POWER SUPPPLY. |
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Term
| Which one component in a high end gaming computer is likely to draw the most power. |
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Definition
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Term
| Why is a power supply dangerous even after the power is disconnected? |
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Definition
| Capacators hold a charge even after the power is turned off. |
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Term
| Which tool of a PC support technician is the most important tool to protect against ESD. |
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Definition
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Term
| Which permanently damages a component, damage from ESD or damage from EMI? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What is a simple way to detect EMI? |
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Definition
| Use inexpensive AM radio, turn dial down to lowest frequencys and listen for static. |
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Term
| what device protects against lightning strikes but not sags or brownouts? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What device protects against blackouts? |
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Definition
| UPS, Uninteruptible Power Supple |
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Term
| What two measurements are used to rate the capacity of a UPS? |
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Definition
| VA and Watts, VA is usually about 60% higher than watts. |
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Term
| What unit of measure is used to describe the amount of work a surge suppressor can do before it stops protecting the circuit from an electrical surge? |
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Definition
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Term
| WWhy is it important to have an indicator light on a surge suppressor? |
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Definition
| To let you know if it is burnt out or if it is still working. |
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Term
| What are the two main types of Uninteruptible Power Supplies? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| how does a smart UPS differ from one that is not smart? |
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Definition
| Smart UPS can be controlled by software on the computer. |
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Term
| What is the purpose of a POST diagnostics card? |
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Definition
| To help discover and report errors and conflicts that occur at POST |
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Term
| when taking a computer apart, why is it important not to stack boards on top of each other? |
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Definition
| You could dislodge a chip. |
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Term
| When assembling a system, what orderdo you put compnents into the case? |
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Definition
| Power supply, drives, motherboard, and then cards. |
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Term
| What are the five main categories of form factors used for motherboards? |
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Definition
| ATX, MicroATX, FlexATX, BTX, and NLX, from most to least popular. |
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Term
| How many pins does the intel socket B have? What is another name for this socket? |
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Definition
| 1336 pins, called LGA1336 |
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Term
| How many pins does the AMD socket AM2 have? |
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Definition
| 940 Pins, works with DD2 memory. |
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Term
| Which is the better performing intel chipset, the X58 or the P45? |
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Definition
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Term
| Which part of the chipset connects directly to the processor, the north bridge or the south bridge? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the names of the two technologies used to install multiple video cards in the same system? |
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Definition
| Crossfire and SLI(system link interface) |
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Term
| What are the two different voltages that a PCI slot can provide? |
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Definition
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Term
| How does the throughput of the PCI express Version 1.1 compare to PCIe Version 1? How does the PCIe Version 2 compare to Version 1? |
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Definition
| Versions 1 and 1.1 are the same, but Version 2 is double. |
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Term
| What is the maximum wattage that a PCIe version 2.0 expansion card can draw? |
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Definition
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Term
| What new type of Power Connector on the motherboard was introduced with PCIe Version 2.0? How much power does this connector provide? |
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Definition
| 8pin power supply connector, supplies 150 watts. |
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Term
| If you are installing an expansion card into a case that does not have enough clearance above the motherboard for the card, what device can you use to solve the problem? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| what is the purpose of an AGP slot? |
|
Definition
| used for video cards, is a dying technology. |
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Term
| Which is faster, PCIe x16 or latest AGP bus? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What is the purpose of a CNR slot? |
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Definition
| CNR(communication and Networking Riser) slots are used to accommodate small, inexpensive expansion cards called riser cards, such as modem riser, audio riser, or network riser. |
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Term
| What is the likely color of the PS/2 mouseport on the rear of the computer? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What is One Reason to Flash BIOS? |
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Definition
| Motherboard because unstable, some functions are lost, or you want to incorporate some new feature or component |
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Term
| What is the easiest way to obtain the latest software to upgrade the BIOS? |
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Definition
| Download from the motherboard manufacturers website |
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Term
| What can you do if the Power-On password and the Supervisor password to a system has been forgotten? |
|
Definition
| Reset using jumpers by moving from slots 1 and 2 to 2 and 3 |
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Term
| Where is the boot priority order for devices kept? |
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Definition
| BIOS setup program under BOOT |
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Term
| What is the difference between a hard boot and a soft boot? |
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Definition
| A hard boot takes more time. In a softboot, the initial steps of a hard boot dont happen. A hardboot initializes processors and clears memory. Use power button in back to hardboot, use button in front for softboot. |
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Term
| How is CMOS RAM powered when the system is unplugged? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| Describe how you can access the BIOS startup program. |
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Definition
| Pressing f2 or DEL when told soon boot, see motherboard documentation to be sure. |
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Term
| If a USB on the motherboard is failing, what is one task you can do that might fix the problem? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| Who are the two major manufacturers of processors? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What are the four system bus frequencies used by current intel processors? |
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Definition
| 1600, 1333, 1066, and 800 MHZ |
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Term
| What three sockets are currently used for intel processors in motherboards for desktop systems? |
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Definition
| LGA1336, LGA771, LGA775 and 478 sockets |
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|
Term
| What is the name of the memory cache that is on the same die as the Processor? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What is the name of the memory cache that is closest to the processor but is not housed on the die? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What is the name of the Intel technology that allows a processor to handle multiple threads at the same time? |
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Definition
| HYPERTHREADING, for AMD it is HyperTransport. |
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Term
| How many threads can a Quad-Core processor handle at once? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What is the name of the memory cache that is shared by cores in a multicore processor? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| Which is faster, SRAM or DRAM? Why? |
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Definition
| SRAM. DRAM needs refreshed often and loses data rapidly. SRAM can hold data for as long as power is available. |
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Term
| Which is the first computing technology used by a processor to support repetitive looping whereby a processor recieves an instruction and then applies it to a stream of data that follows? |
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Definition
| MMX (MultiMedia Extensions) |
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Term
Which computing technology better supports data mining applications?
(SSE1, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4) |
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Definition
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|
Term
| Which intel processor family is better performing, the Pentium or the Core? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| Which AMD processsor (turion or phenom) is designed for laptops? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What are the two major components of a processor cooler assembly? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| How many pins does the CPU fan header on a moatherboard have? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| If the power connector from the CPU fan has only three pins, it can still connect to the 4pin header, but what functionality is lost? |
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Definition
| a 4 pin supports Pulse Width Modulation that controlls the fan speed to reduce over all noise, a three pin has the same speed all the time. |
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Term
| What is the major disadvatage of using a Peltier Heat Sink? |
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Definition
| The disadvantage is that the drastic temperature difference from the top to the bottom of the peltier can cause condensation when the computer is turned off. |
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Term
| Name three tools that can be used to rid the inside of the case from dust. |
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Definition
| antistatic vacuum, can of compressed air, and a small portable blower. |
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|
Term
| Why is it important to insert a processor straight down into a socket? |
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Definition
| Sideways force might cause pins to bend or break. |
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|
Term
| What are the two common sizes for hard drives? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| Why is a solid state drive reffered to as a solid state? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| If a magnetic drive has four platters, how many heads does it have? |
|
Definition
| 8 heads, one above and below each platter. |
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|
Term
| What is the name of the Vista technology that supports a hybrid drive? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| When the OS addresses the sectors on a hard drive as one long list of sequential sectors, what is this technology called? |
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Definition
| LBA(logical Block Addressing) |
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Term
| What are the main two components of the Master Boot Record on the hard drive? |
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Definition
| The master boot program, which loads the OS boot program, and the Partition Table, which contains the description, location, and size of each partition on the drive. |
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Term
| What is the smallest unit of space on a hard drive that can be used to store a file? |
|
Definition
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|
Term
|
Definition
| A file system is the overall structure an os uses to name, store, and organize files on a drive. |
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Term
| What two files can windows use to format a hard drive? Which system supports the most storage capacity? |
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Definition
| FAT32(File Allocation Table)and NTFS (New Technology File System). NTFS is designed to provide greater security and to support more storage capacity than the FAT32. |
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Term
| Which ATA standard for hard drives first introduced SMART? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| Which ATA standard is the latest standard that made improvements to PATA? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| a CD drive that uses a PATA connection must follow what standard? |
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Definition
| ATAPI(Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface) |
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Term
| How Many Pins does a PATA cable have? What is the maximum recommended length of a PATA cable? |
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Definition
| 40 Pins, 80 wires, 40 for data, 40 for reducing crosstalk. Maximum recommended length is 18" |
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Term
| What transfer mode can transmit data from a device to memory without involving the cpu? |
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Definition
| DMA(Direct Memory Access) does not involve the CPU, PIO(Programmed Input/Output) does. |
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|
Term
| What term describes the technology that allows you to exchange a hard drive without powering down the system? |
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Definition
| Hot-Swapping, aka Hot-Plugging |
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Term
| Which RAID level mirrors one hard drive with a second hard drive so the data is written to both drives? |
|
Definition
| RAID (Redundant array of independant disks) level 1. Disk Duplexing is a variable that uses two hard drive controllers. |
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Term
| Which RAID level stripes data across multiple drives to improve performance and also provides fault tolerance. |
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Definition
| Raid level 5 also called raid volumes, |
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|
Term
| How many pins does a floppy drive cable have? |
|
Definition
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|
Term
| Which file system does a floppy disk use? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| How many pins are on a DDR3 DIMM? A DDR2 DIMM? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| how many pins are on a DDR DIMM? A SDRAM DIMM? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| How many notches does a DDR3 DIMM have? |
|
Definition
| 1 offset notch farther from center than a DDR2. |
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|
Term
| What was the first type of DIMM that ran synchronized with the system clock? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| what major improvement did DDR make over SDRAM? |
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Definition
| Twice as fast. Instead of measuring for each beat of the system clock, it measures for each upbeat and downbeat. |
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|
Term
| When a DiMM has chips on both sides of the module, do the pins on one side of the module work independantly or dependantly to pins on the other side of the module? |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What prevents a DDR DIMM from being installed in a DDR2 DIMM slot on a motherboard? |
|
Definition
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|
Term
| Which module, a DDR3 or DDR2 DIMM uses lower voltage? |
|
Definition
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|
Term
| A DIMM that contains memory chips in two memory banks on the module is said to be ____ |
|
Definition
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|
Term
| Which DIMM gives better performance, single ranked or dual ranked? |
|
Definition
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|
Term
| What type of DIMM supports triple channeling? |
|
Definition
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|
Term
| If twwo bits of a byte are in error when the byte is read from ECC memory, can ECC detect the error? Can ECC fix it? |
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Definition
| It can detect it but not fix it. |
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Term
| What are the four primary functions of hardware? |
|
Definition
| Input, output, processing, and storage. |
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Term
| What are the two main input and two main output devices? |
|
Definition
| mouse keyboard monitor printer |
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|
Term
| What three things do electronic hardware devices need in order to function. |
|
Definition
| A way to talk with the cput, software, and electricity. |
|
|
Term
| How many bits are in a byte? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Which component on the motherboard is used primarily for processing? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Order ports according to speed, fastest to slowest. |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What type of output does an S/PDIF provide |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Why is an SSD hard drive more reliable under rugged conditions than an IDE? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What are two other names for system bus? |
|
Definition
| Front side bus, memory bus, host bus |
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|
Term
| How is the best way to determine if a cable is data or power. |
|
Definition
| Data cables are flat, but trace to source. |
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|
Term
| What is the most common type of memory module? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the difference between volatile and non-volatile memory? |
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Definition
| Volatile memory will be erased when the computer shuts down, non volatile wont. |
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|
Term
| What is a measurement of frequency of a system bus and CPU? Which is faster? |
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Definition
| Measured in megahertz for system, CPU is typically measured in GigaHertz and is faster. |
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Term
| ROM BIOS or firmware chips that can be upgraded without replacing the chips are called? |
|
Definition
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|
Term
| How many sizes of PCIe slots are currently manufactured for PC's? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| From where does CMOS RAM recieve its power when the computer is not turned on? |
|
Definition
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