C09 - Understanding Laptops

Question 1

A client has a laptop with which you are unfamiliar. You are asked to perform a memory
upgrade. How can you obtain the service manual for this laptop computer?
A. By pressing F1 while in Windows
B. By pressing F2 while the system is booting up
C. By reading the paper copy that comes with the laptop
D. By searching the manufacturer’s website

Answer 1

D. Laptop service manuals can be obtained from the manufacturer’s website. It’s
very rare that paper service manuals are shipped with the laptop. Pressing F1 while
in Windows will open Windows Help, and pressing F2 on many laptops during the
system boot will take you into the BIOS.

Question 2

Which of the following is not a benefit of laptop design?
A. Portability
B. Increased performance
C. Desktop replacement
D. Higher-quality construction

Answer 2

B. By and large, compromises always must be made when comparing laptops to desktops.
Although laptops can be used as desktop replacements, their performance is
almost always lower than comparably priced desktops.

Question 3

Which of the following are components of an LCD? (Choose two.)
A. Inverter
B. Screen
C. CRT
D. Backdrop

Answer 3

A, B. The components of an LCD screen are the inverter, screen, and backlight. The
video card is also a key component of the LCD system. A CRT is a different technology
than LCD.

Question 4

Which laptop input device was released with the IBM ThinkPad (now distributed by
Lenovo) series of laptops?
A. Touchpad
B. Mouse
C. Point stick
D. Trackball

Answer 4

C. The Touchpoint point stick was released with the IBM ThinkPad series of laptops.

Question 5

One of the users on your network needs to travel, and she wants to work on the airplane.
Which laptop accessory will allow her to power her laptop from the airplane?
A. AC adapter
B. DC adapter
C. Battery converter
D. Airplane mode

Answer 5

B. A DC adapter converts the DC output from a car or airplane accessory power plug
into the DC voltages required by your laptop.

Question 6

How many pins does a DDR2 MicroDIMM memory module have?
A. 72
B. 144
C. 172
D. 198

Answer 6

C. DDR2 MicroDIMMs can have 172 or 214 pins.

Question 7

___________ is the fastest and most modern interface used as an expansion method for
external peripherals, such as mice, webcams, scanners, and printers It is popular on laptops
and desktops alike.
A. Parallel
B. PS/2
C. USB
D. ATA

Answer 7

C. USB is used most often in laptops as an expansion bus for external peripherals.
Although parallel and PS/2 ports allow for connection of external peripherals, they are
not as flexible or widely used for expansion as USB.

Question 8

You are sitting in a coffee shop and using the public wireless network. You suddenly notice
suspicious activity on your laptop. Which laptop feature should you use?
A. Wi-Fi toggle
B. Cellular toggle
C. Bluetooth toggle
D. Laptop lock

Answer 8

A. Your best bet is to turn off your wireless connection immediately in order to sever
the tie between your laptop and the public network. This is done using the Wi-Fi toggle.

Question 9

There has recently been a string of hardware thefts in your office building. What should
you recommend that your users implement to help avoid this problem?
A. Enable GPS tracking
B. Use a docking station
C. Use a cable lock
D. Use the screensaver lock

Answer 9

C. Sometimes the only way to ensure that equipment doesn’t walk away is to lock it
down physically. Laptops come equipped with holes for cable locks that can be used to
secure them to a desk or other workstation.

Question 10

You have a user who needs to upgrade his laptop. Due to how often he collaborates with
others, he wants to be sure that the viewing angle is as wide as possible. Which technology
should you look for?
A. Fluorescent backlight
B. LED backlight
C. LCD IPS
D. LCD TN

Answer 10

C. The backlight won’t really affect the viewing angle of the laptop. What you should
look for is a laptop that uses LCD IPS technology, which offers a wider viewing angle
than does TN.

Question 11

Which of the following expansion buses uses serial communications and is capable of operating
in USB and PCIe modes?
A. ExpressCard
B. CardBus
C. Mini PCI
D. FireWire

Answer 11

A. The ExpressCard bus brings USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and PCIe to the small-form-factor
computing industry. CardBus is an older technology that supports USB 1.1 and PCI
only. Mini PCI is PCI, not PCIe.

Question 12

A user on your network wants to be able to draw images on his screen and have the laptop
capture them. What type of device does he need?
A. Inverter
B. Capturer
C. Digitizer
D. Touchpad

Answer 12

C. The user needs a digitizer, which takes input from the device, such as drawn
images, and converts them into electronic images on the computer.

Question 13

Which of the following technologies allows for data transfers of up to 20Gbps?
A. USB 3.0
B. USB 3.1
C. DisplayPort
D. Thunderbolt

Answer 13

D. Thunderbolt 2 provides for speeds up to 20Gbps. USB 3.1 only supports speeds up
to 10Gbps.

Question 14

You have a user who needs to keep desktop devices such as keyboard, monitor, and mouse
permanently connected so that they can be used by an attached laptop. What type of device
do you recommend that they use?
A. Docking station
B. Keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) switch
C. Print server
D. USB hub

Answer 14

D. Thunderbolt 2 provides for speeds up to 20Gbps. USB 3.1 only supports speeds up
to 10Gbps.

Question 15

The process by which the processor slows down to conserve power is officially called \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.
A. Underclocking
B. Cooling
C. Disengaging
D. Throttling

Answer 15

D. The processor can reduce how fast it’s working, which is called throttling, to help
conserve battery life.

Question 16

You need to replace a failed AC adapter for a client’s laptop. When replacing the adapter,
which of the following purchases is acceptable to obtain the same or better results?
A. An AC adapter with a higher voltage rating than the original
B. An AC adapter with a higher wattage rating than the original
C. A DC adapter with the same voltage rating as the original
D. An AC adapter with a lower voltage and wattage rating than the original

Answer 16

B. Think of wattage as a “bucket” of power that the attached device can draw on.
A bigger bucket simply holds more power but does not force the power on the device.
Less wattage is not advised, however. Voltage can be thought of as the pressure behind
the power to the device. Anything but the proper voltage is dangerous for the device.
When you replace a laptop’s AC adapter, you should match the voltage ratings of the
original adapter. This also means that you should use an adapter with a fixed voltage
if that matches the characteristics of the original; otherwise, obtain one that automatically
switches voltages at the levels needed.

Question 17

What should you do for a Li-ion battery that appears to charge fully but does not last as
long as the battery’s meter indicates that it will last?
A. Replace the battery.
B. Exercise the battery.
C. Calibrate the battery.
D. Short the terminals to discharge the battery.

Answer 17

C. Battery calibration for Li-ion batteries allows the powered device to drain the battery’s
power before recharging. Battery exercising is the initial charging and discharging
of nickel-based batteries so that they will function as expected. You should never
short a battery’s terminals, and replacement is a last resort, used when any battery has
reached the end of its life.

Question 18

How do laptop hard drives differ from desktop hard drives?
A. Laptop hard drives use completely different standards from those used by desktop hard
drives for communication with the host.
B. Laptop hard drives are solid state; desktop hard drives have spinning platters.
C. Laptop hard drives require a separate power connection; desktop hard drives are powered
through the drive interface.
D. The most common form factor of a laptop hard drive is about an inch smaller than that
of a desktop hard drive.

Answer 18

D. Laptop hard drives commonly have a 21/2″ form factor. The most common form
factor for desktop hard drives is 31/2″. Laptop hard drives use the same drive technologies
as their desktop counterparts, such as serial and parallel ATA. As with desktop hard
drives, laptop hard drives are available in both solid-state and conventional varieties.
Unlike desktop hard drives, laptop hard drives do not have separate power connectors.

Question 19

One of your network users has an older laptop with no Bluetooth support. He recently
received a Bluetooth headset that he needs to use with his laptop. What is the least expensive
way to make the headset compatible with his laptop?
A. Buy a Wi-Fi–compatible headset.
B. Buy a USB Bluetooth adapter.
C. Buy a Mini PCIe Bluetooth adapter.
D. Replace the laptop.

Answer 19

B. A USB Bluetooth adapter should do the trick. Replacing the laptop is a much more
expensive proposition.

Question 20

Which of the following memory types has the smallest form factor?
A. RIMM
B. DIMM
C. MicroDIMM
D. SODIMM

Answer 20

C. SODIMM and MicroDIMM are the common laptop small-form-factor memory
standards. Of the two, MicroDIMM is smaller.