CompTIA A+ Vocab

Question 1

Firmware used to perform hardware initialization during the booting process.

Answer 1

BIOS - Basic Input/Output System

Question 2

Diagnostic sequence that a computer’s BIOS runs to determine if the hardware components are working properly.

Answer 2

POST - Power-On-Self-Test

Question 3

The primary component of a computer that performs most of the processing inside a computer.

Answer 3

CPU - Central Processing Unit

Question 4

A specialized processor designed to accelerate graphics rendering.

Answer 4

GPU - Graphics Processing Unit

Question 5

Converts AC power from the wall outlet into DC power used by the computer components.

Answer 5

PSU - Power Supply Unit

Question 6

Volatile memory used by the CPU to store data that is being used or processed.

Answer 6

RAM - Random Access Memory

Question 7

A type of RAM that is synchronized with the system clock.

Answer 7

SDRAM - Synchronous Dynamic RAM

Question 8

A type of memory that can detect and correct internal data corruption.

Answer 8

ECC - Error-Correcting Code

Question 9

A type of SDRAM that can transfer data twice per clock cycle.

Answer 9

DDR - Double Data Rate

Question 10

Traditional storage device that uses spinning disks to read/write data

Answer 10

HDD - Hard Disk Drive

Question 11

Storage device that uses flash memory to store data, providing faster read/write speeds compared to HDDs

Answer 11

SSD - Solid State Drive

Question 12

A data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical disk drive components into one or more logical units for data redundancy and performance improvement.

Answer 12

RAID - Redundant Array of Independent Disks

Question 13

A standard type of connection for many types of devices including keyboards, mice, printers, and external storage devices.

Answer 13

USB - Universal Serial Bus

Question 14

A hardware component that connects a computer to a network.

Answer 14

NIC - Network Interface Card

Question 15

Network management protocol used to automatically assign IP addresses to devices on a network.

Answer 15

DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Question 16

Protocol for sending data across a packet-switched network.

Answer 16

IP - Internet Protocol

Question 17

The system that translates domain names (like www.example.com) into IP addresses.

Answer 17

DNS - Domain Name System, Port 53

Question 18

Protocol used for transmitting web pages over the Internet.

Answer 18

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol, Port 80

Question 19

Secure version of HTTP, uses SSL/TLS to encrypt data between the web server and browser.

Answer 19

HTTPS - Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTP over SSL), Port 443

Question 20

Protocol used for SENDING mail between mail servers.

Answer 20

SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, Port 25

Question 21

Protocol used by email clients to RETRIEVE email from a server.

Answer 21

POP3 - Post Office Protocol, Port 110

Question 22

Protocol used by email clients to retrieve and manage email on a server.

Answer 22

IMAP - Internet Message Access Protocol, Port 143

Question 23

Protocol used for transferring files between computers on a network.

Answer 23

FTP - File Transfer Protocol, Port 21

Question 24

Protocol used for secure remote login and other secure network services over an insecure network.

Answer 24

SSH - Secure Shell, Port 22 (SCP)

Question 25

Technology that creates a safe and encrypted connection over a less secure network, such as the internet.

Answer 25

VPN - Virtual Private Network

Question 26

A network that connects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, or office building

Answer 26

LAN - Local Area Network

Question 27

A network that covers a broad area (e.g., any network whose communications links cross metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries).

Answer 27

WAN - Wide Area Network

Question 28

A unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment.

Answer 28

MAC - Media Access Control

Question 29

A common type of connector used for Ethernet networking.

Answer 29

RJ-45 - Registered Jack 45

Question 30

a sequence of characters that uniquely names a Wi-Fi network.

Answer 30

SSID - Service Set IDentifier

Question 31

An interface used to connect ATA hard drives to a computer's motherboard.

Answer 31

SATA - Serial Advanced Technology Attachment

Question 32

An older standard interface for connecting storage devices like hard drives and optical drives to a computer's motherboard

Answer 32

IDE - Integrated Drive Electronics

Question 33

An older interface standard for connecting storage devices, similar to IDE

Answer 33

PATA - Parallel ATA

Question 34

A motherboard and power supply configuration specification developed by Intel.

Answer 34

ATX - Advanced Technology Extended

Question 35

A family of motherboard form factors, including mini-ITX, which is smaller than ATX.

Answer 35

ITX - Information Technology Extended

Question 36

A technology used for constructing integrated circuits, including the BIOS memory chip.

Answer 36

CMOS - Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor

Question 37

A standard for analog video transmission.

Answer 37

VGA - Video Graphics Array

Question 38

A standard for transmitting audio and video data in a digital format.

Answer 38

HDMI - High-Definition Multimedia Interface

Question 39

A video display interface used to connect a video source to a display device.

Answer 39

DVI - Digital Visual Interface

Question 40

A hardware bus used for adding internal components to a desktop computer.

Answer 40

PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect

Question 41

An interface standard for connecting high-speed components.

Answer 41

PCIe - Peripheral Component Interconnect Express

Question 42

A high-speed point-to-point channel for attaching a graphics card to a computer's motherboard.

Answer 42

AGP - Accelerated Graphics Port

Question 43

A signal sent to the CPU to gain its attention.

Answer 43

IRQ - Interrupt Request

Question 44

A 24-pin USB connector system allowing for higher power delivery and faster data transfer.

Answer 44

USB-C - Universal Serial Bus Type-C

Question 45

A type of display technology that uses organic compounds to produce light.

Answer 45

OLED - Organic Light-Emitting Diode, Better color and perfect black

Question 46

A type of display technology that uses liquid crystals to produce images.

Answer 46

LCD - Liquid Crystal Display

Question 47

A display technology that uses quantum dots to enhance color accuracy and brightness.

Answer 47

QLED - Quantum Dot LED, Much brighter and more affordable.

Question 48

A set of communication protocols that enable two electronic devices to establish communication by bringing them within 4 cm of each other.

Answer 48

NFC - Near Field Communication

Question 49

A feature in Windows that allows a computer to automatically assign itself an IP address if a DHCP server is not available.

Answer 49

APIPA - Automatic Private IP Addressing

Question 50

An unsafe network security standard that allows users to connect more easily to a wireless network by bypassing the need for any type of password.

Answer 50

WPS - Wi-Fi Protected Setup

Question 51

The overall performance of a telephone or computer network, particularly the performance seen by the users of the network.

Answer 51

QoS - Quality of Service

Question 52

An authentication process that allows a user to access multiple applications with one set of login credentials.

Answer 52

SSO - Single Sign-On

Question 53

A stop error screen displayed on a Windows computer following a fatal system error.

Answer 53

BSoD - Blue Screen of Death

Question 54

A file system used on hard drives and other storage devices. Older system used in DOS and early versions of windows. Supports partitions up to 2 GB, 16 bit addresses for clusters.

Answer 54

FAT16 (File Allocation Table 16)

Question 55

An extension of the older version that allows larger drives and files. Supports partitions up to 2 TB large, maximum file size of 4 GB. Commonly used on USB and memory cards.

Answer 55

FAT32 (File Allocation Table 16)

Question 56

Designed to bridge the gap between FAT32 and NTFS. Supports larger file sizes than FAT32 (no 4 GB limit). Commonly used on flash drives and external hard drives.

Answer 56

exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)

Question 57

Also known as Mac OS Extended. Default file system for Mac OS X and macOS before the introduction of APFS. Supports large file and partition sizes. Includes features like file compression and journaling.

Answer 57

HFS+ (Hierarchical File System Plus)

Question 58

Default file system for Windows NT and later versions of Windows. Supports large partition and file sizes. Includes features like file encryption, disk quotas, and file compression. Provides better security and reliability compared to FAT file systems.

Answer 58

NTFS (New Technology File System)

Question 59

Default file system for macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) and later. Optimized for solid-state drives (SSDs) and flash storage. Supports features like cloning, snapshots, and encryption.

Answer 59

APFS (Apple File System)

Question 60

Commonly used in Linux. Supports journaling to improve reliability and recovery after crashes. Backward compatible with ext2.

Answer 60

ext3 (Third Extended File System)

Question 61

An extension of ext3 with improvements in performance, reliability, and features. Supports larger files and volumes. Commonly used in modern Linux distributions.

Answer 61

ext4 (Fourth Extended File System)

Question 62

Introduced by Microsoft in Windows Server 2012. Designed for high availability and resilience to data corruption. Supports large volume sizes and improved data integrity.

Answer 62

ReFS (Resilient File System)