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STARBRIDGETOWN-GR10-IT > Term 1 | Useless :( > Flashcards

Term 1 | Useless :( Flashcards

1
Q

What is a motherboard and its 3 functions?

A

The motherboard is a large circuit board with many different slots and connectors.

  • Allows circuits to connect to it
  • Ensures components communicate with one other
  • Distributes power to the components connected to it
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2
Q

What is a ZIF socket

A

Zero insertion force, is a socket on the mother board where the CPU is attached

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3
Q

What are external connectors?

A

These connectors are build into the board to connect external devices such as: USB ports, AUX, HDMI, Thunderbolt, VGA…etc

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4
Q

What is a machine cycle?

A

A machine cycle is a cycle of the work that the CPU does.

1) Fetching instructions from RAM
2) Decoding the instructions
3) Executing the Instructions
4) Transferring i back to the memory

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5
Q

What is the software on a ROM Chip called?

A

Firmware

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6
Q

What is a BIOS Chip?

A

it is a chip that is located on the ROM. It contains:

1) Checks all the important hardware
2) Provides a menu to configure the PC at lowest level
3) Locates and loads OS
4) Controls hardware at lowest levels

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7
Q

What is the purpose of the small battery on the motherboard?

A

It keeps the Date and Time Running. It also makse sure the BIOS has power.

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8
Q

Give a brief description of RAM

A

(Random Access Memory) is a component on the motherboard which is essential for the operation of the computer. All the instructions have to loaded on the RAM before it could be executed.

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9
Q

Give 4 Properties of RAM

A

1) Electronic= No moving parts
2) Fast= Because it is electronic,RAM is way faster then storage
3) Volatile= It loses its content if the power supply is cut
4) EXPENSIVE= RAM is more expensive then Storage per GB

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10
Q

True or fasle?

GPU’s can have their own RAM and CPU

A

True

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11
Q

What is a system clock?

A

A small quartz crystal that pulses at a regular F measured in GHz; used to coordinate the activities on the Motherboard

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12
Q

What is the difference between a bus and a point to point connection?

A

A Bus is a set of wires connecting different components.
PNP is a connection between two components.
PNP is much faster because there are no interruptions

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13
Q

What is IRQ

A

Interrupt ReQuest line. When a component needs attentions it pulls on the string. The CPU will stop what it’s doing and deal with device

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14
Q

What is PnP and explain how it functions?

A

Plug and Play is the name given to the technology that automates the configuration process of a device before it could be used.

When you connect a device it identifies itself to the OS and the size of data it needs. The OS allocates the device an IRQ and an area of memory that it can be used without causing any confliction

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15
Q

What is a cache?

A

A cache is a hardware or software component that stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster.

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16
Q

What are the characteristics of a Storage?

A

1) Nonvolatile When something is saved to the Storage devices it cannot be gone until purposefully deleted
2) Relatively slow- Compared to RAM and CPU, Storage devices are really SLOW!!
3) Very cheap) Compared to RAM, the cost of a single GB is way less then a cost of a single GB of a RAM

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17
Q

What are the common sizes of External Hard drives?

A

2.5 and 3.5 inches

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18
Q

Give an Adv and Dis of an SSD

A

Adv- It is faster, better and way less sensitive then a Harddrive
Dis- ir is very expensive

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19
Q

What is POST?

A

Power On Self Test- startup test performed by the BIOS to ensure that all essential hardware is working

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20
Q

What is a fireware?

A

A type of port which is faster then USB to transfer data. Usually used in Video transfer.

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21
Q

What do mean by the term modular design?

A

The term modular design refers to the fact that the computer is made up of many parts or ‘modules’ that can be added together.

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22
Q

With which hardware device would you associate a SATA connector?

A

Storage devices

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23
Q

Expansion slots are seldom used these days. Name the two ways that are currently used to connect most devices to a computer.

A

USB or wireless.

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24
Q

What do the numbers on PCI-Express expansion cards and slots refer to?

A

They refer to their relative speed ratings or bandwidth capacity. As usual, higher numbers imply better performance and higher cost.

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25
Q

What is the main difference between RAM and ROM?

A

ROM holds whatever is stored in it even when the power is switched off, whereas RAM does not.

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26
Q

What do we mean when we say we ‘flash’ a ROM chip?

A

The firmware stored on the EEPROM is erased electronically, which leads to a loss of its contents. A new ‘image’ of the contents is then written back to the EEPROM.

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27
Q

Give two benefits which a separate video card provides, besides producing better quality images (output) that are displayed on your monitor.

A

Without a separate processor on the video card, the CPU has to do the job of the video card as well as carrying out the instructions of the program you are running.
Without a dedicated video card, graphics software (such as video editing, photo editing, CAD, 3D and games) can be very slow and unresponsive.

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28
Q

Briefly explain how disk caching on a hard drive works

A

RAM is faster than a hard drive or other storage mediums. That’s why every hard drive has a certain amount of RAM cache built into it and it’s also why all operating systems set aside a part of the RAM to cache data that has recently been read from disk.

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29
Q

Why should you never move a computer (or portable hard drive) while it is on?

A

You shouldn’t move a computer whilst it is on because the heads are so close to the platters that any kind of shock or bump can cause the heads to collide with the surface of the platter. This will damage the disk and cause you to lose data.

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30
Q

Give three reasons why optical drives are not of as much importance as they were in the past.

A

A lot of software is now sold as direct downloads on the Internet.
Flash drives and portable hard drives are faster, easier to use and have a larger capacity than optical storage.
Writing data to an optical drive is tedious, slow and often unreliable.

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31
Q

Give one advantage and one disadvantage of a 3.5” portable hard drive when compared to a 2.5” portable hard drive.

A

3.5” portable drives have a much larger capacity than 2.5” drives, but need their own power source to work (which means that you need to carry around a separate power brick for the drive). 2.5” drives get power from the computer over the USB, Firewire or Thunderbolt cable.

32
Q

What is an OS?

A

an Operating System is a system software which controls all the activities that take place in a computer

33
Q

What are the functions of OS?

A
  • Provides interface
  • Manages processes and tasks
  • Manages memory’
  • Manages input and Output
  • Manages the disks
34
Q

What is a process management?

A

Is the task of making sure that each process gets enough CPU time. Program and thread are both a CPU

35
Q

A 1)_____ is a set of instructions meant to accomplish a single task. A 2)______ is a part of a large program which runs independently but simultaneously

A

1) Program

2) Thread

36
Q

What is multitasking?

A

Is when a PC seems to be running multiple programs at a time.

37
Q

What is Multi threading?

A

Is the Ability of an OS to allow programs to split themselves into multiple threads

38
Q

What is Multi Processing?

A

Multi process takes place when the OS divides the processes between multiple CPUs or multiple CPU Cores?

39
Q

Explain what is VM? Virtual memory

A

Virtual memory is an area of storage or disk that the OS keeps it for the programs which are open but not are in use.

40
Q

If your computer changes between VM and RAM alot, your pc will be incredibly_____.

A

Slow

41
Q

How do you prevent performance issues to VM?

A

Close unnecessary programs
Buy more RAM
Make sure you have 64-bit OS

42
Q

Why is it less important for a program to be compatible with a processor than to be compatible with an operating system?

A

Operating systems have standardised access to hardware, so the program can hand over some tasks to the operating system as long as the software is compatible with the operating system. All the programs need to do is call the appropriate API or ‘routine’ of the operating system to perform the task.

43
Q

When programs or apps are developed, you will often see separate versions – one for say Android and another one for iOS, etc. Why does the same program or app need to have different versions like this?

A

Each operating system is written with different features and has different ways of interfacing with it, so a different ‘version’ has to be written for each operating system platform.

44
Q

Explain what a low-level programming language is and give two situations in which a programmer might use such a language.

A

Low-level programs work directly with the CPU. Programs written in this way tend to be small, highly efficient and very fast. This type of programming is mainly used for producing high speed, efficient code needed when writing system (OS) software or when writing ‘embedded’ code that will control a dedicated device and that will produce a program that is small and fast.

45
Q

How does a compiler differ from an interpreter in terms of how it works?

A

A compiler takes an entire program and translates it into machine language. A compiler examines the entire program and generates a list of any problems (‘errors’) that it encounters which might prevent it from successfully generating a set of machine code instructions. If the compilation is successful, the compiler will then create an executable file, also known as a standalone program.
An interpreter runs one line of a program at a time. This means that only the current line is converted into machine language as it is executed. Possible errors are not detected before the program is run and if the line contains an error, the program will crash.

46
Q

Give two examples of interpreted languages.

A

Python, Java, Scratch etc.

47
Q

Explain the difference between a host and a guest operating system in the context of virtualisation.

A

The host operating system is the original operating system installed on the computer. The guest operating systems are those than run as virtual operating systems on the computer.

48
Q

What is an API?

A

Application Programming Interference - an interface between the operating system and the programming language/ end user

49
Q

What are the consequences of a business losing data without proper backups being made?

A

The loss of data will cost the business money, cost it the trust of its clients and can even scale to complete shut down of the business.

50
Q

Explain the general classes of data threats

A 
Data threats come in the forms of:
Unauthorized access to data
Malware 
Human issues
Natural disasters
Hardware and Software problems
51
Q

Define malware

A

Malware(Malicious software) is a type of software that installs itself without the user’s knowledge and often harms the computer in some way

52
Q

Explain the threat of data that a spyware can pose

A

A spyware is often harmless and simply redirects you to different websites. However, more harmful types of spyware can capture your passwords and user names by tracking your mouse movements, keyboard input or even screenshots of your passwords to report them to 3rd parties,

53
Q

If a file is sent as an attachment to an email, what are the possible threats that can be contained?

A

An executable file (ending on exe) could contain a virus. Other times it may be a Trojan, This form of malware remotely controls your PC and can open backdoors for other types of malware

54
Q

Define a rootkit

A

A rootkit is a collection of programmes that specialise in getting administrator access to your computer. Once accomplished, they can use the PC to do all sorts of illegal activities that can harm or threaten yours or other users’ data.

55
Q

What does social engineering entail?

A

Any attempt to manipulate someone into giving away their personal information

56
Q

Explain the terms phishing and spoofing

A

Phishing refers to fishing for information. It oftne comes in the form of email that either promise reward or warn of threats. They are used to get information that can be used to impersonate or steal from the unexpected user.
Spoofing refers to techniques used to make electronic communication between people that seems to come from someone else.

57
Q

How is disk imaging different from normal backups?

A

Disk imaging makes a complete copy of your data on your hard drive, including all software.

58
Q

Why are copies on a external portable drive not adequate?

A

You need to keep track of the data backed up

You run the risk of overwriting the data if you aren’t careful enough.

59
Q

What are the 3 advantages of specialised backup programmes?

A

They allow for:
Scheduling of back ups
A choice between full and partial backups
Compressing of data to reduce space needed.

60
Q

Give 3 advantages of using online backup servers

A

They:
Provide free(limited) space online, although more can be purchased if necessary
Synchronise your data across many devices
Allow access to data as long as their is an internet connection

61
Q

Explain the difference between a full and an incremental backup

A

A full back up backs up all data on the drive. AN incremental back up only backs up the new or changed data on the drive

62
Q

Explain how data can be protected over a network, besides the general password and username protection

A

Network admins can set certain permissions and rights to users on the network to prevent access to data or what they can do with the data once accessed.

63
Q

Why is it better to keep backups off site?

A

In case of theft, only one copy can be stolen. In case of natural disaster, the backups wont be affected

64
Q

How can back up data be reduced?

A

Only the data needs to be backed up. Programmes can be reinstalled if necessary.
Housekeeping will get rid of any extra copies of data
Archiving larger, rarely used files can reduce space.

65
Q

What is a strong password and how do we ensure our passwords are strong?

A

A strong password is a password not easily guessed. It can be made strong by using a password that isn’t easily identfyable, such as a phone number, using an alphanumeric-symbol mixture and by using a laonger string of characters.

66
Q

Explain encryption and decryption

A

Encryption is the process of scrambling text to make it less easy to read or interpret. Decryption is the opposite, the process of unscrambling the data. This is only possible if you have the key to decrypting the data.

67
Q

Why are anti malware packages better than separate anti malware programmes?

A

It is often less expensive, more manageable and there is less chance for interference between the programmes.

68
Q

Why are OS updates important, besides the general increase in features to the PC?

A

Certain malware attack weaknesses in the OS. Updates will include fixes to the weaknesses exploited by these malware programmes.

69
Q

Explain the firewall and its necessity

A

Software, hardware, or both in a mixture that acts as a barrier between your PC and the internet. It checks which of your programse are accessing the internet and vice versa,

70
Q

How can you reduce the chances of being a phishing victim?

A

Pay attention to the URL. Does it look legit and does it start in https//?
Use browsers and email software that have anti phishing features
Be careful of clicking on links in emails.

71
Q

Explain how a UPS helps prevent data loss

A

A UPS(uninterruptible power supply) puts a battery between the power source and the device. When the power cuts, the UPS switches the device to the battery. This helps prevent damage from spikes and surges.

72
Q

Explain RAID technology and how it can help prevent data loss

A

RAID(redundant array of inexpensive/independent disks) uses a few disks to act as one, Two to three disks are used. It has many levels but its simplest is simple data mirroring

73
Q

Explain data validation vs data verification

A

Data Validation is something a computer can do. It means checking that the data is acceptable and correct in the sense that it fits the data type required. Data verification, checking that the data is true, is something a computer cannot do.

74
Q

Explain 2 ways in which user input can be reduced in a programme

A

Making sure of data validity and sending copies of the data to the user to be checked and verified.

75
Q

Give 4 types of checks important to validate the data inputted by a user

A

Data Type, Format, Range and Presence checks

76
Q

What are mandatory fields of a programme?

A

Mandatory fields are parts of a programme that are required to be filled in. They are often marked with an asterisk.

STARBRIDGETOWN-GR10-IT (6 decks)

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