COMPTIA A+ Chapter 5: Firmware

Which component handles the interconnection between most devices and the CPU?

Platform Controller Hub (PCH)

The \_______________ extends the data bus to every device on the PC.

chipset

Every time you press a key on your keyboard, a scanning chip sends a coded pattern of ones and zeros called the \_______________ to the keyboard controller.

scan code

The keyboard controller has its own \_______________.

codebook

Every PC ships with a program built into the system ROM called the \_______________ that enables you to access and modify CMOS data.

system setup utility

When you press a key on the keyboard, what does the scanning chip in the keyboard send to the keyboard controller?

Scan code

Which component is a read-only device?

ROM

Which chip contains the system BIOS and can hold data permanently, even without electricity?

Flash ROM

The \_______________ acts as a secure cryptoprocessor, a hardware platform for the acceleration of cryptographic functions and the secure storage of associated information.

Trusted Platform Mobile (TPM)

What are programs stored on ROM chips called?

Firmware

Which chip acts as a clock to keep the current date and the time?

CMOS

Which chip stores information that describes specific device parameters?

CMOS

What did Intel create to go beyond the limits of the traditional 16-bit BIOS?

UEFI

Which features/restrictions does UEFI support?

It allows booting to drives larger than 2.2 TB.

One of the most common uses of TPMs is \_______________

hard disk encryption

The \_______________ program checks out the system every time the computer boots.

POST

A(n) \_______________ locks or unlocks access to the system setup utility.

administrator password

From where can the boot sequence be specified?

Boot tab in UEFI setup

Many CMOS setup menus allow changes to the CPU and RAM, which supports \_______________.

overclocking

What advanced BIOS feature offers support for multiple software-based machines?

Virtualization support

What is the term for firmware-based security features that can track the PC's location if it is stolen?

LoJack

Where does a video card store its BIOS?

Option ROM

Where are device drivers stored?

hard drive

What does an option ROM contain?

BIOS for a specific device

What tool is used to change or remove device drivers manually in Windows?

Device Manager

Where does Windows store all of a system's information, including that of device drivers?

Registry

What is POST?

Power On Self Test

The computer is beeping constantly after you have booted it. What is the likely cause of the problem?

RAM

What happens when a POST error occurs before a video is available?

POST will alert the user with beeps

Where is POST located?

system ROM

Most modern systems have only two beep codes to indicate something is wrong. What are they?

One long beep followed by two or three short beeps and a continuous set of short beeps

What tech tool snaps into expansion slots and provides LED readout of the device POST is currently testing?

POST card

After a computer is turned on and power supply circuitry tests are completed, which electrical component "wakes up" first?

CPU

Several lines at the end of POST are used to find the operating system. What is this code called?

Bootstrap loader

What BIOS feature allows a PC to boot without any local storage by retrieving an OS from a server over a network?

Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)

How can you easily clear CMOS settings and change them back to factory defaults?

Change the positions of the CMOS clear wires.

While replacing the coin battery on the motherboard, how are CMOS settings retained?

Leave the PC plugged into an AC outlet.

Updating the BIOS is also known as \_______________.

firmware updates

The process of inserting a removable disk of some sort (usually a USB thumb drive) containing an updated BIOS file is called \_______________.

Flashing the BIOS

Early motherboards were covered in \_______________ chips.

controller

With the help of the chipset, the CPU uses the \_______________ to communicate with all other parts of the PC.

data bus or external data bus

The \_______________ extends the address bus to all the other parts of the PC.

chipset

The CPU uses the \_______________ to communicate with devices.

address bus

In current computers the \_______________ handles the functions of the keyboard controller.

chipset

The keyboard controller stores the scan code in its own \_______________.

register

Every time a key is pressed on the keyboard, the \_______________ chip in the keyboard notices which key has been pressed.

scanning

ROM chips are \_______________, meaning that the information stored on ROM is not erased even when the computer is turned off.

nonvolatile

A flash ROM chip on the motherboard is called \_______________.

system ROM

Programs stored on ROM chips are called \_______________.

firmware

\_______________ handles all boot-loading duties; no more jumping from boot sector to boot sector.

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)

A separate memory chip called the \_______________ chip stores all the various BIOS settings.

complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)

CMOS handles the system's \_______________ so you don't have to keep setting the time on every boot.

real time clock (RTC)

UEFI stands for \_______________ and is the BIOS used in modern PCs.

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface

The \_______________ tab of the graphical UEFI shows information on CPU temperature.

Monitor

The \_______________ tab of the graphical UEFI system setup utility allows you to set the boot sequence.

Boot

A(n) \_______________ password specified in BIOS security settings locks or unlocks access to the system setup utility.

administrator

A(n) \_______________ password specified in BIOS security settings locks or unlocks the computer booting to an operating system.

user

Many PCs have CMOS setup menus that display information about the \_______________ and \_______________, and include controls for overclocking them.

CPU, RAM

The \_______________ tab of the graphical UEFI system setup utility can be used to change the clock multiplier, clock speeds, and voltages.

Ai Tweaker

The \_______________ is a UEFI protocol that secures the boot process by requiring properly signed software

Secure boot

Some PC manufacturers include \_______________ security features in their firmware— this way, if your PC is stolen, you can track its location, install a key logger, or even remotely shut down your computer.

LoJack

The \_______________ acts as a secure cryptoprocessor that can usually be turned on or off or else enabled or disabled in the CMOS setup program.

Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

Many motherboards support the \_______________ feature provided by the computer case, or chassis.

chassis intrusion detection/notification

All devices need a BIOS. If it is not built into the system BIOS, devices bring their own BIOS with \_______________ or \_______________.

option ROM, device drivers

Rather than being stored on option ROM, every video card contains its own \_______________.

BIOS

Windows uses a special database called the \_______________ that stores a list of the device drivers on the system.

Registry

When the computer is turned on or reset, it initiates a special program stored on the ROM chip, called the \_______________.

Power on self test (POST)

When you first power on the PC, the power supply circuitry tests for proper voltage and then sends a signal down a special wire called the \_______________ wire to awaken the CPU.

power good

CompTIA refers to beep codes as \_______________.

POST code beeps

The POST gives a rather strange continuous noise that does not stop. This indicates a problem with \_______________.

RAM

POST cards snap into the \_______________ slots in a system.

expansion

Upon power-up, the CPU determines whether the power supply is working correctly by monitoring a(n) \_______________ wire.

power good

A bootable disk is also called a(n) \_______________ disk.

system

The bootstrap loader is a few dozen lines of \_______________ code tacked to the end of the POST program.

BIOS

When the CPU is awakened, it immediately sends a built-in memory address via its address bus. This address is the first line of the \_______________ program.

POST

The \_______________ enables you to boot a PC without any local storage by retrieving an OS from a server over a network.

Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)

A failed BIOS/UEFI update— where something goes wrong during the process—turns a computing device into a(n) \_______________, useless for anything but a paperweight.

brick

The phrase "\_______________ the BIOS" refers to a firmware update.

flashing

What does the term chipset refer to?

Early motherboards were covered in controller chips. Over time, chip manufacturers began to combine multiple controllers into specifically designed chipsets.

How does the chipset extends the data bus to devices on the PC?

The chipset extends the data bus to every device on the PC. The CPU uses the data bus to move data to and from all of the devices of the PC. Data constantly flows on the external data bus among the CPU, chipset, RAM, and other devices on the PC.

Why does the address bus go to all the devices in the computer?

The address bus goes to all the devices in the computer to allow the CPU to send commands, through the chipset, to every device in the PC.

Why are ROM chips considered nonvolatile?

ROM chips are considered nonvolatile because the information stored in ROM is not lost, even when the computer is turned off.

Two characteristics of ROM chips

First, ROM chips are **nonvolatile**, meaning that the information stored on ROM is not erased when the computer is turned off. Second, traditional ROM chips are **read-only**, meaning that once you store a program on one, you cannot change it.

What are the functions of the system ROM?

The system ROM chip contains code that enables your CPU to talk to the basic hardware of your PC. The system ROM holds BIOS for the keyboard controller and also stores programs for communicating with hard drives, optical drives, display devices, USB ports, and other basic devices on your motherboard.

What enables the CPU to communicate with hardware components in the system?

When loaded into memory, programming called basic input/output services (BIOS) enables the CPU to communicate with hardware components in the system.

What information is held by the system ROM?

The system ROM holds BIOS for the keyboard controller. It also stores programs for communicating with hard drives, optical drives, display devices, USB ports, and other basic devices on your motherboard.

Define basic input/output services (BIOS).

BIOS is a collection of hundreds of programs dedicated to enabling the CPU to communicate with devices are called services (or device drivers).

What is firmware?

Firmware is a collection of programs stored on ROM chips.

What two types of hardware are supported by every system BIOS?

First, the system BIOS supports all of the hardware that never changes, such as the keyboard. The system ROM chip stores the BIOS devices that never change.

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Second, the system BIOS supports all of the hardware that might change from time to time. The system ROM chip stores the BIOS for these devices, but the system needs another place to store information about the specific details of a piece of hardware.

What is the function of a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip?

In addition to storing all the various BIOS settings, the CMOS also handles the system's real-time clock (RTC) so you don't have to keep setting the time on every boot.

What is the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)?

The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is the BIOS used in modern systems.

What are three advantages of UEFI over the 16-bit BIOS?

· UEFI supports file systems that enable booting to drives larger than 2.2 TB

· UEFI supports 32-bit or 64-bit booting

· UEFI handles all boot-loading duties

What is the function of the CMOS Setup program?

The function of the CMOS Setup program is to enable a user to access and update the data on the CMOS chip.

In a graphical system setup utility, where would you get information about devices, and configure, hard drives, optical drives and other built-in components?

The Advanced tab provides information about devices and allows you to configure built-in components.

What information is accessible from the Monitor tab?

The Monitor tab shows monitoring information for CPU and motherboard temperatures, fan speeds, and voltages. You can modify the behavior of the chassis fans here too.

Briefly describe hardware-assisted virtualization.

A virtual machine is a powerful type of program that enables you to run a second (or third or fourth), software-based machine inside your physical PC. It recreates (or virtualizes) the motherboard, hard drives, RAM, network adapters, and more, and is just as powerful as a real PC.

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To run these virtual machines, however, you need a very powerful PC. CPU manufacturers have added hardware-assisted virtualization. This technology helps the virtual machines use your hardware more efficiently and is controlled by the BIOS. This feature is disabled by default in BIOS.

What is the Trusted Platform Module (TPM)?

The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a hardware platform for the acceleration of cryptographic functions and the secure storage of associated information.

After restarting your system, you notice that none of your CMOS settings changes are implemented. What is most likely the problem?

You exited CMOS setup without saving changes.

What is the Registry in a Windows system?

The Registry is a Windows system database file that stores the all configuration settings, including device driver information.

How does a computer convey POST information to a user?

Beep codes and text messages are used to convey POST information to the user.