notes
How many bits make up a byte? 8
A megabyte is how many bytes? 1000
A gigabyte is how many bytes? 1000000
A terabyte is how many bytes? 1000000000
A petabyte is how many bytes? 1000000000000
What is the smallest "full feature" PC today? Smartphone/ PDA
How should you configure a removable storage device so that it can be safely removed at a moment's notice? Optimize for quick removal
What is write caching? The act of the computer writing data to a small memory bank so that it can be written to the hard drive in a short amount of time without hindering performance
What does the primary corona/ discharge lamp do? Uniformly charges the drum to reset it between printouts.
What is the drum of a laser printer? A photosensitive component that holds an electrostatic charge that can be erased by a laser. It attracts the toner.
What is toner? Fine plastic-like particles that are form the image on a laser printer. It comes in cartridges.
What does the transfer corona/roller do? Attract the toner from the drum to the paper.
What do the fusing rollers do? Heats up and melts the toner unto the surface of the paper.
What is one thing that software companies use to prevent unlicensed use? Product Activation
What does FDDI stand for? Fiber Distributed Data Interface
What is WEP? Wired Equivalent Privacy, the original security algorithm for Wi-Fi.
What is WPA? Wi-Fi Protected Access, a newer security algorithm for Wi-Fi.
What is WPS? Wi-Fi Protected Setup, a one-touch Wi-Fi security protocol
What is an SSID? Service Set Identifier, the name of a Wi-Fi network
What is the most common form of identification and authentication? User ID with a reusable password
What is WSUS? Windows Server Update Services, enables sysadmins to deploy software updates
What was SUS? Software Update Services, enabled XP users to update security patches
Why should you never attempt to repair a monitor yourself? There is an electrical source inside which can hold a lethal charge.
What is L1 memory? The first cache the CPU uses, usually part of the microprocessor
What is L2 memory? The second cache the CPU uses, sometimes as an expansion
What do CPU caches do? Store small amounts of information for the CPU to digest faster than RAM
How many devices can be daisy-chained to a single USB port? 127
What is the "brain" of a computer? Microprocessor
What is firmware? Read-only software that provides basic instructions for the computer
What is one example of firmware on a common PC? BIOS
What is SRAM? Static RAM, a lower-power and faster but more expensive type of memory, used for CPU caches
What is DRAM? Dynamic RAM, the most common form of memory that must be refreshed with capacitors occationally
What is SDRAM? Synchronous Dynamic RAM, uses clock to coordinate storage
What is DDR-SDRAM? Double Data Rate SDRAM, the current (fast) revision of the RAM standard, on 4th edition
What are PCMCIA Cards? Old computer expansion cards using a serial connection
What is a type 1 PCMCIA card? 3.3 mm card, designed for RAM
What is a type 2 PCMCIA card? 5 mm card, supports I/O, used for network and tuner adapters
What is a type 3 PCMCIA card? 10.5 mm card, designed for hard drives
What is a type 4 PCMCIA card? Unofficial 16 mm cards, very rare
What is a major draw back associated with laptops? Heat buildup
What is a major security feature introduced in XP? Digital Certificates, verify identity of creators
What is the most common authentication protocol? Kerberos
What document is required when hazardous materials change hands? MSDS, Material safety data sheet
What is ESD? Electrostatic Discharge
What organ does laser light do the most damage to? Eyes
What makes Intel's Itanium processors significant? First line of processors to be totally 64-bit
Which version of Windows integrated consumer and business features into one OS with different versions? XP
What is FAT32? An older file system, can be read and written to by almost any operating system
What is NTSF? Microsoft's current file system, faster, supports larger drives, and supports encryption, but is incompatible with other operating systems
Why was Windows Advanced Server notable? It was one of the first 64-bit versions of Windows, and therefore could support 8 processors and 8GB of RAM.
What is an ICF? Internet Connection Firewall
What is UTP? Unshielded twisted pair, the most common type of networking cable, includes most phone and Ethernet lines
What is STP? Shielded twisted pair, cable is protected with metallic substance to reduce interference, rare due to expense
What is the largest drawback of wireless networking? Security
Which standard defines wireless networking? 802.11
What number is permanently assigned to a network card that uniquely identifies it? MAC address
What is a network topology? The structure of a computer network
What is a ring network? When devices are connected to two other devices on either side, creating a circle
What is a mesh network? When devices are connected to each other in varying ways
What is a star network? When a central device makes a direct connection to every other device
What is a bus network? When devices are connected though the use of a single line, split to each one
What are the two most common ways to install an operating system? Direct download, disk
What is the term for simulating memory using hard drive space? Virtual memory
What does Bootcfg do? Boot file (boot.ini) configuration and recovery.
What does More do? Displays a text file
What does Type do? Displays a text file
What type of device is a scanner considered? Input
What does it mean for a network to be full-duplex? To be capible of transmitting data in two directions simultaneously
What is FDDI? Fiber Distributed Data Interface
Who is a perosn who intends to access a computer system without permission? Hacker
The memory cache (SRAM) holds data in expectation of a request from what part of the computer? CPU
When upgrading memory, what part of the computer is replaced? RAM
Microsoft bundles what basic graphics program with Windows? Paint
In the United States, WiFi is regulated to which channels? 1-11
What was a computer language developed by Adobe in the 1980s designed for creating vector graphics and text? PostScript
When a computer is having trouble connecting to a printer, what is the first troubleshooting step within software? Check configuration of the parallel port in CMOS
What does CMOS stand for? Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
What is CMOS? A battery-powered memory chip in your computer that stores start-up information. BIOS uses this information when starting your computer.
How do you check the battery of a laptop if it does not power the computer nor hold a charge? Open the battery and check each cell individually
How should you manually check the health of a laptop battery? Connect the AC cord and fully charge the battery
What is the normal operating temperature range of most laptops? 35-40 degrees C (95-104 F)
What RAM technology fetches 4 bits per clock cycle and uses 1.8 volts? DDR2 SDRAM
In what stage of laser printing is the laser used? Writing
Where can you quickly cancel print jobs? Printer Spooler
What status value in the job completion box in a window indicates that the running program experienced no error? Completed
What is SCSI? Small Computer System Interface, the major standard of serial ports
How does SCSI keep multiple devices on a single chain straight? It assigns a unique device ID
What does it mean for a cable to be plenum? It is certified for use in air ducts as it will not produce a toxic gas when burned
What is the most important activity that users must do when handling sensitive data? Log off of their workstations when they leave
What permission level allows for the viewing a a file or folder? Allow- Read
What permission level allows for the adding of a folder or editing a file? Allow- Write
What permission level allows for the viewing a file and the ability to execute a file? Allow- Read and Execute
What permission level allows for the reading, writing, and deletion of a file or folder? Allow- Modify
What permission level gives the user total power over files and folders? Allow- Full Control
What is first proper response to the electrocution of a person? Turning off the main switch
What type of devices do electrical engineers deploy to fix spikes, surges, and drops of voltage? UPS, Uninterrupted Power Supplies
What should the first step toward disassembling a computer be? The power cord and batteries should be disconnected
Which network type can use WEP? 802.11b (Wi-Fi)
Where in the registry hive is control set data stored? HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM
What is the registry in Windows? A system-defined database in which applications and system components store and retrieve configuration data.
What is control set data? Data of system configuration information such as device drivers and services.
What is the most likely consequence of a sudden power outage? Lost data
What is POST? Power On Self Test, A hardware check preformed during BIOS
What is a boot sector? A section of a hard drive dedicated to software to be loaded when the the computer is turned on, like BIOS
What is the MBR? Master Boot Record, a special type of boot sector data that sorts and verifies drive partitions
What does a POST error of 1xx mean? Problem with motherboard
What does a POST error of 2xx mean? Problem with memory
What does a POST error of 3xx mean? Problem with keyboard
What does a POST error of 4xx mean? Problem with video adapter
What does a POST error of 6xx mean? Problem with floppy drive
What does a POST error of 9xx mean? Problem with printer
What is the maximum transfer rate of USB 1.1? 12 mbps
What is the maximum transfer rate of USB 2.0? 480 mbps
What is the maximum transfer rate of USB 3.0? 5 gbps
Why must SCSI ports be terminated? Signals are reflected across cable and without termination interference will cause signal loss
What is the goal of a UPS? To provide power long enough to safely shut down a computer
What is the maximum length of a USB cable? 5 meters
What does VGA stand for? Video Graphics Array, standard of 600x480
What is the common 1024x768 monitor resolution? XGA
What is the super high 4:3 monitor resolution, defined by 1600x1200? UXGA
What is the best way to fix the problem of having a bidirectional printer and driver but unidirectional cable? Install a bidirectional cable
When you install new software, what does Windows do? Create a restore point
What key would you press in Emergency Repair Disk to restore the registry? F (fast repair)
What's the best way to protect hard drive data? Backup regularly
What Windows utility can speed up hard drive performance of your machine? DEFRAG
What Windows utility displays a status report on NTFS hard drives? CHKDSK
What Windows utility displays a status report on FAT32 hard drives? SCANDISK
What is MSD? Microsoft Diagnostics, a Windows utility in the 90s that gave system information
What should you do about an illegal operation error message? Restart the program
Why might a shortcut not work when clicked? The program file is corrupt or deleted
How can you fix missing lines, details, and other graphics? Reduce hardware graphics acceleration
What is a snapshot of a system state that is used for a system restore? Restore point
What is one thing that Windows Network Diagnostics allows you to do? Reset a computer's network adapter
What does MSCDEX stand for? Microsoft MS-DOS CD-ROM Extensions
What is DriveSpace? A disk compression utility for Windows
What does SMARTDRV attempt to do? Speed up HHD access by using a part of RAM to cache data
What makes a search engine different from a directory? Search engine crawl the web with spiders to create listings, while directories do not
What does ISDN stand for? Integrated Services Digital Network
What does ISDN define? Standards for two-way data transmission over the phone network
What is the process that verifies that your login and password are correct? Authentication
How many keys are required for public key encryption? Two
What would be a possible reason for a computer to run for a while and then display an "out of memory" error? Virus
What is the first question to ask a user when a computer will not boot after downloading a file from the Internet? Did you scan the file for viruses before opening it?
Is installing network monitoring software a computer crime? No.
Is the intrusion of a computer or phone network a computer crime? Yes.
Is pirating software a computer crime? Yes.
What is the term for a computer crime where one person pretends to be someone else? Identity theft
When sitting a workstation, what angle should a user's forearm be to their body? 90
What does Windows command assoc do? Displays list of programs associated with file types
What does Windows command Cipher do? Overwrites hard drive data for permanent deletion