International Academy of Design & Technology

IT IT110

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e (Comprehensive)

CHAPTER 1

REVIEWING THE BASICS

1)Why is all data stored in a computer in binary form?

2. What are the four primary functions of hardware?

3. What are the two main input devices and two main output devices?

4. What three things do electronic hardware devices need in order to function?

5. How many bits are in a byte?

6. What is the purpose of an expansion slot on a motherboard?

7. Which component on the motherboard is used primarily for processing?

8. Name three CPU manufacturers.

9. What technology is most often used today to manufacture microchips?

10. What are two other names for the system bus?

11. What are two other names for the motherboard?

12. What are the two basic types of cables found inside a computer case and what are their basic functions?

13. List three types of ports that are often found coming directly off the motherboard to be used by external devices.
14. What is the purpose of the S/PDIF port?

15. List three kinds of memory modules.

16. What is the difference between volatile and nonvolatile memory?

17. Of the two types of storage in a system, which type is generally faster and holds data and instructions while the data is being processed? Which type of storage is generally slower, but more permanent?

18. What technology standard provides for up to four devices on a system, including the hard drive as one of those devices? What are two common industry names loosely used to describe this standard?

19. What is the size of the data path on most system buses today?

20. What is the measurement of frequency of a system bus and CPU? Which is faster, the system bus or the CPU?

21. Name four types of buses that are likely to be on a motherboard today.

22. A power supply receives 120 volts of        power from a wall outlet and converts it to 3.3, 5, and 12 volts of                              power.

23. ROM BIOS or firmware chips that can be upgraded without replacing the chips are called

                    .

24. CMOS setup allows a technician to change configuration settings on a motherboard stored in                                 .

30. From where does CMOS RAM receive its power?

THINKING CRITICALLY

1. When selecting secondary storage devices for a new desktop PC, which is more important, a CD-ROM drive or a floppy drive? Why?

2. Based on what you have learned in this chapter, when working on a Word document, why is it important to save your work often? Explain your answer using the two terms, primary storage and secondary storage.
3. Most buses are 16, 32, 64, or 128 bits wide. Why do you think these bus widths are multiples of eight?

4. Why would it be difficult to install four hard drives, one CD-ROM drive, and one DVD drive in a single low-end system?
5. In this chapter, a light bulb is used to demonstrate the binary concept used for computer storage and communication. Give another example in everyday life to explain this binary concept.

Get creative.