Hardware & Connectivity
Where do you terminate SCSI?
A: At both ends.
What would cause your IP address to change each time you log onto the network?
A: A DHCP server has been installed.
What are the jumpers on a network card used to set?
A: I/O address.
Which bus supports both 8-bit and 16-bit cards?
A: ISA.
Which bus has a 16-bit path?
A: ISA.
Which is both a 16-bit and 32-bit bus?
A: EISA.
Which system board has a 64-bit bus?
A: PCI.
Which bus uses DMA channels?
A: Sound Card.
What is the I/O address for the hard disk controller?
A: 1F0h.
What is the I/O address for COM2?
A: 2F8h.
What is the I/O address for COM4?
A: 2E8h.
Which connector cannot be used for SCSI cabling?
A: 15-pin Centronics.
Firmware, CMOS, and System Configuration
What is the embedded software on a motherboard called?
A: Firmware.
What does CMOS stand for?
A: Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor.
What does the BIOS stand for?
A: Basic Input/Output System.
What controls serial port communication?
A: UART 16550.
What does LBA do on older PCs?
A: Allows access to drives over 504 MB.
How do you disable bus mastering?
A: In CMOS or via the card’s BIOS.
Troubleshooting & Diagnostics
What should you do before opening your computer case?
A: Unplug all cables.
When you boot your computer and see a "Fixed Disk Error," what is the cause?
A: Incorrect CMOS settings.
How do you differentiate between a hardware and software issue?
A: Boot from a clean boot diskette.
If your hard drive light blinks constantly during use, what is needed?
A: Add more RAM.
What does it mean if you don’t hear any beeps on boot?
A: Bad or disconnected speaker.
Network, Storage & Communication
What is another name for twisted-pair cable?
A: 10BaseT.
What protocol is used to transfer files over the internet?
A: FTP.
In Peer-to-Peer networks, what is true?
A: Each PC can access any other PC’s data.
What is the thinnest PCMCIA card?
A: Type I.
Which PCMCIA card supports hard drives?
A: Type III.
Electrical Safety and Maintenance
What should you use to prevent ESD when working on a computer?
A: Anti-static mat and grounding wrist strap.
What is a Field Replaceable Unit (FRU)?
A: A part replaceable without special equipment.
What device prevents power interruptions?
A: Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS).
What component must not be exposed to sunlight in a laser printer?
A: Photosensitive Drum.
What stage of laser printing transfers the image to paper?
A: Transfer Stage.
Miscellaneous Knowledge
What is SCSI?
A: Small Computer Systems Interface.
What is ATAPI?
A: Mass storage hard drive protocol.
Which processor chip introduced multitasking?
A: 386.
Which processor chip is fault-tolerant?
A: Pentium.
What does the acronym RTS stand for?
A: Request To Send.
What is the resolution of a standard VGA display?
A: 640x480 pixels.
Internet & Communication
What is the cheapest way to access the Internet?
A: Dial-up access.
What does Full Duplex mean?
A: Simultaneous transmit and receive.
Do PCI cards need IRQs?
A: No, PCI cards use "Interrupt Levels" (A, B, C, D) instead of IRQs.
What are the 3 types of modem transmission protocols?
A: Xmodem, Ymodem, Zmodem.
What does the term MODEM stand for?
A: Modulator Demodulator.
What type of connection ports do most modems have?
A: RJ-11.
External modems are usually connected to which type of ports?
A: Serial ports.
Which peripheral port provides the fastest throughput to a laser printer?
A: Parallel port.
A bi-directional parallel cable is also known by what specification?
A: IEEE 1284.
Monitors & Display
If a monitor only displays blue or green, what is the problem?
A: The red electron gun is broken.
If your monitor shows a single line, what is the likely issue?
A: Bad yoke coil.
What does dot pitch refer to?
A: The distance between two adjacent phosphors of the same color on a CRT screen.
Which monitor type provides the highest performance?
A: VGA.
What would you do if your monitor is making a high-pitched noise?
A: Check for a bad video controller.
What is the resolution of a standard VGA display?
A: 640x480 pixels.
Printers
What type of product should you use to clean the rubber rollers on a printer?
A: Denatured alcohol.
If a laser printer keeps grabbing more than one sheet of paper, what is the likely cause?
A: The paper has picked up too much moisture.
What is the most common cause of chopped-off characters on a dot matrix printer?
A: Misaligned printhead.
What would you do if the first few sheets from a laser printer come out smudged after replacing the toner?
A: Run a few blank sheets through until smudging stops.
What type of charge do toner particles have?
A: Negative.
What component in a laser printer must not be exposed to sunlight?
A: Photosensitive drum.
What stage in laser printing transfers the image to the paper?
A: Transfer stage.
What is the primary cause of light and dark print on a dot matrix printer?
A: Erratic ribbon advancement.
Power & Safety
What device can protect against power surges?
A: Surge suppressor.
What device can prevent power interruptions?
A: Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS).
What is the purpose of a thermal fuse?
A: To prevent overheating in the power supply.
Should you plug a laser printer into a UPS?
A: No.
What type of fire extinguisher should be used for electrical or computer fires?
A: Class C.
What is the best way to protect your computer during an electrical storm?
A: Disconnect all external cables and power cords.
When should you use line conditioners?
A: When you have severe power problems.
What does EMI stand for?
A: Electromagnetic Interference.
What causes more damage, EMI or ESD?
A: ESD.
Memory & Storage
What are the 3 basic components of hard drive geometry?
A: Cylinders, heads, sectors/track.
What is the minimum storage unit in an IDE hard drive called?
A: Sector.
How much memory can a 386 or above computer address?
A: 4 GB.
What is the storage capacity of a standard 3.5" floppy disk?
A: 1.44 MB.
What does HIMEM.SYS do?
A: It allows access to extended memory (XMS).
What is the memory region between 640 KB and 1 MB called?
A: Upper or reserved memory.