Laptop Hardware and Components.

Question 1

What are general guidelines to follow when opening a laptop’s case and troubleshooting the laptop’s components?

Answer 1

1. Shut down the PC
2. Remove any jewelry or loose-hanging clothing before working on a computer. (Tie long hair into a ponytail).
3. Have the manufacture’s documentation and proper hand tools.
4. Always make sure that the workspace is a clean and well-lit area.
5. Always ensure that you have properly grounded yourself before working with computer components. (Use an antistatic device)
6. Unplug the laptop from a power source (includes detaching the battery).
7. Detach any external devices such as an external keyboard, mouse, or monitor.

Question 2

What are the features of a near-field scanner that could help protect your physical security?

Answer 2

A near-field scanner allows you to measure and map the electromagnetic interference that may be leaking from a system or its cables.

Question 3

Which action can invalidate a laptop warranty?
A. Reinstalling the OS
B. Opening the case
C. Flashing the BIOS
D. Performing a remote wipe

Answer 3

B. Opening the case; some laptop manufacturers have a policy that if you open the case of a laptop, the warranty is voided. Be sure to understand your warranty status and implications of cracking the case open before you do it.

Question 4

Which component if damaged can render the hard drive useless?
A. The caddy
B. The rails
C. The signal pins
D. The chassis

Answer 4

C. The signal pins

Question 5

What special screwdriver is typically required to work on a notebook?
A. Phillips head
B. T-8 Torx
C. Hex
D. Metric

Answer 5

B. T-8 Torx; some models of notebook PCs require a special T-8 Torx screwdriver. Most PC toolkits come with a T-8 bit for a screwdriver with interchangeable bits

Question 6

Which is not an advantage of solid-state drives?
A. Cheaper
B. shock resistant
C. Faster
D. No moving parts

Answer 6

A. Cheaper; SSDs are relatively expensive compared to HDDs.

Question 7

Which display is a newer technology that solves the issue of poor quality at angles other than straight on?
A. Passive matrix
B. Active matrix
C. Twisted nematic
D. In-plane switching

Answer 7

D. In-plane switching

Question 8

You need to replace defective DDR4 memory in a laptop. How many pins will the replacement memory module have?
A. 200
B. 204
C. 260
D. 288

Answer 8

D. 288; DDR4 has 288 pins

Question 9

There has recently been a string of hardware thefts in your office building. What should you recommend that your users do 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. Use a cable lock

Question 10

A user is getting a new laptop. Which of the following is not a valid option to get the user’s files and data from the old hard drive to the new hard drive?
A. Manually copy files from the old drive to the cloud, and then to the new drive
B. Manually copy files from the old drive to an external hard drive, and then to the new drive
C. Use a hard drive migration app
D. Use the NFC disk transfer utility

Answer 10

D. Use the NFC disk transfer utility; This option is not a data migration method.

Question 11

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

Answer 11

D. Throttling; Adjusting the clock speed of the CPU. Also called “dynamic frequency scaling,” CPU throttling is commonly used to automatically slow down the computer when possible to use less energy and conserve battery, especially in laptops. CPU throttling can also be adjusted manually to make the system quieter, because the fan can then run slower.

Question 12

Your customer brought you a laptop with an internal battery that will no longer charge. You have told them that replacing the battery will be no problem at all. Which of the following will you need to do first (After ensuring that the device is shutdown)?
A. Remove the back cover.
B. Remove the keyboard.
C. Disconnect the external power.
D. Disconnect the LCD panel.

Answer 12

C. Disconnect the external power

Question 13

A coworker is having a problem with their laptop and has asked you to fix it. When an external keyboard is plugged in, the laptop works just fine, but without it strange characters appear on the screen when typing. Which of the following are likely causes? (Choose two.)
A. The driver is corrupted and needs to be updated/replaced.
B. The ribbon cable is partially disconnected and needs to be reseated.
C. The laptop needs to be replaced.
D. There is debris under the keys.

Answer 13

A,D; The likely causes are the device’s keyboard needs the latest driver or there’s debris under keys.

Question 14

Your boss has asked you to maximize the RAM in their laptop computer. You check the specifications and discover that the maximum system RAM is 32 GB of DDR4 RAM. The laptop currently has 16 GB onboard RAM and one empty slot. Which of the following RAM modules will you purchase?
A. One 16 GB SODIMM
B. One 32 GB SODIMM
C. One 16 GB DIMM
D. One 32 GB DIMM

Answer 14

A. One 16 GB SODIMM;

Question 15

You need to replace a failed SATA hard drive on a 10-year-old laptop. The user has asked that the new drive be as fast as possible, regardless of disk space or cost. What type of drive should you install?
A. SSD with a SATA interface
B. Magnetic
C. Hybrid
D. NVMe

Answer 15

A. SSD with a SATA interface

Question 16

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 16

C. Calibrate the battery;

Question 17

You are giving a seminar to new technicians on replacing laptop hard drives. A student asks how laptop hard drives differ from desktop hard drives. What do you tell them?
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, whereas desktop hard drives have spinning platters.
C. Laptop hard drives require a separate power connection, whereas desktop hard drives
are powered through the drive interface.
D. The most common form factor for laptop hard drives is smaller than that of a desktop hard drive.

Answer 17

D. The most common form factor for laptop hard drives is smaller than that of a desktop hard drive.

Question 18

You will encounter performance-based questions on the A+ exams. The questions on the exam require you to perform a specific task, and you will be graded on whether or not you were able to complete the task.

Performance-based question: The hard drive on a Dell Inspiron 13 7000 computer failed. You have an extra hard drive of the exact same type. What would you do to replace it?

Question 19

A technician has a failed Lenovo laptop and suspects the motherboard is bad. They have sev- eral other laptops available from which they can harvest parts. Which of the following statements is most likely true regarding the replacement motherboard that is selected?
A. The motherboard is not replaceable.
B. Any laptop motherboard will work.
C. A motherboard from any other Lenovo laptop will work.
D. Only a motherboard from that same model of Lenovo laptop will work.

Answer 19

D. Only a motherboard from that same model of Lenovo laptop will work.

Question 20

A technician needs to replace a failed laptop hard drive. Which of the following form factors could it use?
A. 1.3”
B. 2.0”
C. 2.5”
D. 3.5”

Answer 20

C. 2.5”; 1.8” and 2.5” are form factors used for laptops.

Question 21

Oculus, Samsung, and HTC are manufacturers of what specific type of wearable technology devices?
A. Smart glasses
B. Smart headsets
C. Smart watches
D. VR/AR headsets

Answer 21

D. VR/AR headsets

Question 22

You are responsible for replacement parts within your company’s IT department. Because of the critical nature of your business, you need to have replacement parts on hand in the event of a hardware failure. Your company uses four different types of laptops, two HP and two Dell. How many different types of motherboards do you most likely need to stock?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four

Answer 22

D. Four

Question 23

The Wi-Fi connection between your laptop and network has failed. Upon examining Device Manager you notice that the network card is not listed. You’ve reseated the card and it still isn’t found in Device Manager, so you’ve decided to replace it. Which of the following card types will you likely need to purchase?
A. PCIe
B. PCI
C. M.2
D. PCMCIA

Answer 23

C. M.2;

Question 24

A technician needs to replace a hard drive that failed in their new laptop. What type of drive will they likely need? (Choose two.)
A. M.2
B. mSATA
C. 2.5”
D. 3.5”

Answer 24

A, C

Question 25

Which keyboard key works like a Shift key to activate the second function of a dual-purpose key?

Answer 25

The function key; which is usually label fn.

Question 26

How does a lower clock speed on a portable computer, as compared to a desktop, affect the front-side bus?

Answer 26

The lower clock speeds in a portable computer means that there are lower multipliers. This allows the front-side bus to increase to a higher level before the overclocker runs into a clock-speed barrier.

Question 27

When a portable computer is in Standby mode, which component maintains power to documents and applications?

Answer 27

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Question 28

Which laptop hard drive interface does not support hot swapping?

Answer 28

Parallel Advance Technology Attachment (PATA)

Question 29

What does the acronym SODIMM denote?

Answer 29

small outline dual-inline memory module

Question 30

Other than size, what differentiates portable computers from desktop computers?

Answer 30

Portable computers have lower voltages, lower clock speeds, produce less heat, uses less power.

Question 31

What is the most common battery type used in laptops today?

Answer 31

Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries

Question 32

How does a lower clock speed on a portable computer, as compared to a desktop, affect the front-side bus?

Answer 32

The lower clock speed in a portable computer means that there is lower multiplier. This enables the front-side bus to be increased to a higher level before the overclocker runs into a clock speed barrier.

Question 33

What is ACPI?

Answer 33

ACPI stands for Advance Configuration and Power Interface. It is a technology that configures computers to optimize power consumption.

Question 34

Which power connector is used by PATA drive in portable computers?

Answer 34

The four pin Molex connector

Question 35

What is the term used to describe when you can remove and replace a computer component without the system rebooting?

Answer 35

hot swapping