A+ Warm-Up Flashcards
A motherboard failed on a desktop PC with an Intel Core i7-8700K processor. When looking for a replacement motherboard, which CPU socket does it need to have?
A) LGA 1366
B) LGA 1150
C) LGA 1151
D) LGA 2066
C. LGA 1151
The Core i7-8700K is a Coffee Lake-series processor, which uses the LGA 1151 socket. LGA 1150 sockets are for older i7s, and the LGA 1366 socket is for even older ones than that. The LGA 2066 socket is for processors with a capital X at the end of their model number.
You install a new NIC for a user, and he asks what it does. Which of the following best characterizes the functions of this device?
A. Multimedia
B. Communications
C. Input/Output
D. Storage
B. Communications
A network interface card (NIC) is used as a communications device. It enables the computer to talk to other computers on a network. It does not provide multimedia, input/output (such as a USB port does), or storage capabilities.
You are installing peripherals on a new computer. Which of the following devices provides both input and output?
A. Webcam
B. Projector
C. Touch screen
D. KVM switch
C. Touch screen
A touch screen provides video output, and users can touch the screen to provide input as well. A webcam is for video input, and a projector is for video output. A KVM switch lets users connect one keyboard, video, and mouse set to multiple computers and switch between them.
Your network uses thin clients. A new technician is amazed that the computers have no hard drives and asks, “If the operating system is not resident on the client, where is it found?”
A. On a DVD inserted at bootup
B. On a USB flash drive
C. On the server for session-by-session client use
D. Embedded in a flash module on the motherboard
C. On the server for session-by-session client use
Clients request services of servers. Thin clients can request software services from their servers, whether in the form of running the software and passing the results to the client or passing the code of the software to the client to be executed by its processor and kept only in RAM.
What happens during the developing stage of laser printing?
A. An electrostatic charge is applied to the drum to attract toner particles.
B. Heat is applied to the paper to melt the toner.
C. The laser creates an image of the page on the drum.
D. An electrostatic charge is applied to the paper to attract toner particles.
A. An electrostatic charge is applied to the drum to attract toner particles.
After a laser has created an image of the page, the developing roller uses a magnet and electrostatic charges to attract toner to itself and then transfers the toner to the areas on the drum that have been exposed to the laser. The toner is melted during the fusing stage. The laser creates an image of the page on the drum in the exposing stage. An electrostatic charge is applied to the paper to attract toner in the transferring stage, which happens immediately after the developing stage.
You have just found out that a new BIOS upgrade exists for your computer, and you obtain a copy to install it. Which of the following is most helpful when flashing the BIOS on a desktop computer system?
A. DVD-ROM
B. Uninterruptable power supply
C. Internet connection
D. Windows administrator password
B. Uninterruptable power supply
None of the options are required, but a UPS is by far the most helpful among the answers in that loss of power during this procedure can range from annoying to devastating.
You are installing a new hard drive and want to know if the operating system will be able to support it. What is the largest NTFS volume size supported, assuming a 64 KB cluster size as maximum?
A. 1 TB
B. 2 TB
C. 128 TB
D. 256 TB
D. 256 TB
A fixed number of clusters is supported by each operating system, leading to a corresponding maximum volume size. If the maximum NTFS cluster size of 64 KB is used, NTFS can support a single-volume size of 64 KB less than 256 TB. When a cluster size of one sector, or 512 bytes (1/2 KB), is used, the maximum volume size reduces to 2 TB. Because of this math, 1 TB and 128 TB are incorrect answers.
What kind of peripheral is used to read credit cards to initiate financial transactions? (Choose all that apply.)
A. Barcode reader
B. Signature pad
C. Magnetic reader
D. Chip reader
C. Magnetic reader
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D. Chip reader
Magnetic readers and chip readers can read credit and debit card information to initiate a financial transaction. Barcode readers read barcodes on packages. Signature pads allow for the digital input of someone’s signature.
A video editor at your company wants a second monitor, claiming that having only one monitor limits her ability to work. Why do A/V editing workstations benefit from more than one monitor?
A. Their software often has enough controls across their width that one monitor seems cramped.
B. While one graphics adapter works on one rendering project, the other can simply display a normal desktop.
C. Once the editing is complete, the second monitor is used to present the results to others on the team.
D. Additional monitors are used for remote collaboration among other editors.
A. Their software often has enough controls across their width that one monitor seems cramped.
Editors of this type of media have numerous controls and timelines to track. These constructs often lie along the bottom of the application and run horizontally. Subsequent monitors allow the editor to spread out her work without shrinking the view excessively.
Which printer part gets the toner from the photosensitive drum onto the paper?
A. Laser-scanning assembly
B. Fusing assembly
C. Corona assembly
D. Drum
C. Corona assembly
The transfer corona assembly gets the toner from the photosensitive drum onto the paper. For some printers, this is a transfer corona wire; for other printers, it is a transfer corona roller.
A technician asks you how to get a computer’s processor to run faster than it currently does. What is he trying to achieve?
A. Hyperthreading
B. Overclocking
C. Virtualization
D. Multicore support
B. Overclocking
Overclocking is when someone sets the speed of the processor to run faster than it was rated for. While overclocking can make a computer faster, it can also cause the processor to overheat, and it voids the warranty. Hyperthreading allows for a processor core to handle multiple processes simultaneously. Virtualization is when you create multiple virtual machines on a computer. Multicore means that the processor has more than one core—it’s not a configurable option.
Your goal is to build the fastest computer possible. Which of the following hard drive technologies should you choose for the fastest read performance?
A. M.2 PCIe
B. M.2 SATA
C. NVMe PCIe
D. NVMe SATA
C. NVMe PCIe
M.2 and NVMe are both relatively new SSD options, and both are incredibly fast. NVMe is slightly faster, though. SATA is limited to 600 MBps transfer speeds, whereas PCIe is not. An NVMe PCIe card can sustain data read rates of about 3,500 MBps.
Which of the following is not an example of a connector for a standard peripheral input device?
A. 1/8” jack
B. Molex
C. D-sub
D. USB
B. Molex
Peripherals most often use USB today, but they can also use D-sub connectors (rarely), and audio devices such as microphones and speakers use 1/8” jacks. Molex connectors are power connectors for PATA hard drives and optical drives.
Which of the following descriptions most closely matches that of a thin client?
A. A high-resolution monitor, keyboard, and mouse
B. A computer with a low-profile case
C. A laptop
D. A dumb terminal with a NIC
D. A dumb terminal with a NIC
Although not all thin clients are devoid of local processing capability, some are. High-resolution graphics are not a requirement, but thin clients do require a system unit with a NIC.
Most printers that use the electrophotographic process contain how many standard assemblies?
A. Five
B. Six
C. Four
D. Nine
D. Nine
There are nine standard assemblies in an electrophotographic process printer. Early laser printers using the electrographic process contained the nine standard assemblies. Newer laser printers do not require an ozone filter and contain only eight standard assemblies.
You need to replace memory in a desktop PC and to go purchase RAM. When you are at the store, you need to find the appropriate type of memory. What memory chips would you find on a stick of PC3-16000?
A. DDR-2000
B. DDR3-2000
C. DDR3-1600
D. PC3-2000
B. DDR3-2000
Remember the 8:1 rule. Modules greater than but not including SDR SDRAM are named with a number eight times larger than the number used to name the chips on the module. The initials PC are used to describe the module; the initials DDR are used for the chips; and a single-digit number after PC and DDR is used to represent the level of DDR. The lack of a single-digit number represents DDR as long as the number that is present is greater than 133 (such as PC1600). Otherwise, you’re dealing with SDR (such as PC133). This means that PC3-16000 modules are DDR3 modules and are populated with chips named DDR3 and a number that is one-eighth of the module’s numeric code: 2000.
Of the following voltage pairings, which one accurately represents the input and output, respectively, of power supplies and AC adapters?
A. AC in, AC out
B. DC in, DC out
C. AC in, DC out
D. DC in, AC out
C. AC in, DC out
Power supplies and AC adapters use standard wall outlets for an input of AC voltage, which they convert to the DC voltages required by the components to which they supply power.
What type of pointing device features a ball and buttons on the top and a flat, steady surface on the bottom?
A. Mouse
B. Touch pad
C. Trackball
D. Track pad
C. Trackball
A trackball is a sort of stationary upside-down mouse that has the ball for movement detection on the top of the device along with the keys. The ball is actuated by the thumb or fingers, not by moving the device along a flat surface or mouse pad. Trackballs are ideal where desk space is limited. Touch pads feature a touch-sensing surface with no ball for movement, while track pad is a more rare term meaning the same.
Marcus, a network technician, has been asked to build a virtualization workstation for his manager. Which of the following are not common requirements that Marcus should consider for this custom configuration? (Choose all that apply.)
A. Surround sound
B. Maximum RAM
C. Large, fast hard drives
D. Multiple CPU cores
A. Surround sound
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C. Large, fast hard drives
Virtualization workstations need to maximize the amount of RAM as well as CPU cores. Each virtualized instance of an operating system will be assigned its own memory and processor resources, and those resources are essentially reserved and off-limits to other virtual operating systems. Therefore, maximize both of them. Audio isn’t required on a virtualization workstation, so surround sound is not needed. Large fast hard drives will be nice but are not a primary requirement.
Which printer contains a wheel that looks like a flower with raised letters and symbols on each “petal”?
A. Inkjet printer
B. Daisy-wheel printer
C. Dot-matrix printer
D. Laser printer
B. Daisy-wheel printer
The daisy-wheel printer gets its name because it contains a wheel with raised letters and symbols on each “petal.”
You are assembling a new computer and are looking at new cooling systems. Which of the following cooling systems requires the use of a pump?
A. Liquid
B. Thermal paste
C. Heat sink
D. Heat sink plus fan
A. Liquid
Liquid cooling systems require a reservoir of liquid and a pump to circulate the liquid. It’s possible that the system could malfunction, causing a mess inside the computer. Thermal paste is used to adhere a heat sink to a processor. Heat sinks and fans do not use pumps.
Which of the following best describes the concept of hot-swappable devices?
A. Power does not need to be turned off before the device is inserted or removed.
B. The device can be removed with power applied after it is properly stopped in the operating system.
C. Care must be taken when swapping the device because it can be hot to the touch.
D. The device can be swapped while still hot, immediately after powering down the system.
A. Power does not need to be turned off before the device is inserted or removed.
Hot-swappable devices can be removed while the power to the system is still on. Warm-swappable devices need to be stopped in the operating system before being removed. The term has nothing to do with the heat level of the device.
Why might you use a KVM switch?
A. You have multiple Ethernet devices that need to communicate with one another.
B. You need to be able to switch the voltage supplied to a particular device.
C. You have a printer that is not attached to the network but you want multiple computers to be able to print to it.
D. You have more than one server and don’t want to buy certain external peripherals separately for each.
D. You have more than one server and don’t want to buy certain external peripherals separately for each.
KVM switches are ideal when you have multiple computers situated near one another and do not want to commit the extra desk space to each computer having its own keyboard, mouse, and monitor. KVMs are not designed for Ethernet devices or printers, and do not switch voltage.
Peter is configuring a NAS. Which of the following should be his least-important priority to include in his NAS?
A. File sharing
B. Maximum RAM
C. Gigabit NIC
D. Media streaming
E. RAID array
B. Maximum RAM
A NAS should support file sharing and media streaming, and have a Gigabit NIC card and a RAID array. Additional RAM in a NAS offers no advantage for the performance of the NAS past a certain point. The tasks the NAS is asked to perform do not require high performance.