Computer Hardware and Operating Systems Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key hardware, operating system, cabling, power, memory, and peripheral concepts from Chapters 1 through 8.

The type of cable connector used by an analog display monitor.

DB-15

The type of cable connector used by a hard drive.

SATA/PATA

The type of cable connector used by a telephone modem to connect to a telephone line.

RJ-11

A connector that supports a maximum limit of $63$ connected devices.

IEEE-1394 Connector

A connector that supports a maximum limit of $127$ connected devices.

USB Connector

Acronym for Complementary metal oxide semiconductor; stores system configuration information such as the type of hard drive installed.

CMOS

The accepted tool worn by a technician to properly manage electrostatic discharge (ESD) before touching PC components.

Antistatic Wrist Strap

The class of fire extinguisher used specifically on electrical fires.

Class C Fire Extinguisher

The maximum RAM supported by a Windows 10 Pro 64-bit installation, which is $512\,GB$.

Windows 10 Pro 64-bit RAM Limit

An operating feature that allows two programs to appear to be running simultaneously.

Multitasking

The command entered at the command prompt to grant user access to the system registry.

regedit

A Microsoft security feature used to encrypt an entire hard disk drive.

BitLocker

An operating system subsystem that allows DOS programs to run on newer 64-bit operating systems.

NTDVM

The smallest motherboard form factor among standard AT, Mini-ATX, Flex-ATX, and Mini-ITX options.

Mini-ITX

A slot design exclusively used for video cards.

AGP

A utility in Windows used to access and modify IRQ settings.

Device Manager

The executable file that produces the System Information window to display system resource assignments.

msinfo32.exe

Components that control the speed of data flow across different bus architectures on a motherboard.

Motherboard Chipsets

A form of temporary memory storage incorporated into the CPU that transfers data faster than external cache.

L1 Cache

A temporary memory storage unit located directly within the CPU.

CPU Register

Acronym standing for Graphics Processor Unit.

GPU

A hardware component that converts $120\text{ VAC}$ power into $\pm 3.3$, $5$, and $12\text{ VDC}$ levels used by the motherboard and components.

PC Power Supply

The electrical unit used to express electrical pressure.

Volt

Uninterruptible Power Supply; ensures a steady and clean supply of electrical energy during power outages.

UPS

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface; a system controlled by the operating system to conserve electrical energy.

ACPI

A system boot error message that specifically refers to a failure in RAM.

Parity Check Failure

The command entered to evoke a memory diagnostic routine in Windows 7.

mdsched

Dynamic RAM; a type of memory that must constantly be refreshed to retain stored data.

DRAM

The standard unit of measurement for a memory chip's speed.

Nanoseconds

A signal generated when a key is struck on the keyboard, determining which symbol is displayed on the monitor.

Keyboard Scan Code

The physical design study and implementation of user comfort and safety applied to hardware like keyboards.

Ergonomics

The frequency typically associated with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices.

2.4 GHz

The distance between two color dots on a display, measured in millimeters.

Dot Pitch

A component that converts low-voltage DC power into high-voltage AC power for a laptop display.

Laptop Inverter

A software or hardware compression and decompression technique used for digital media.

Codec

The smallest picture element on a monitor display.

Pixel

A display condition caused by keeping one static image displayed on the screen for an extended period of time.

Burn-in

Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp; refers to an LCD display that uses fluorescent lamps for backlighting.

CCFL