Basic CompTIA A+ Quiz On Hardware Certification Test

1. When a technician upgrades firmware on a motherboard he has to ______.

Flash the BIOS

Replace the CMOS chip

Replace the BIOS

Reset the CMOS

CMOS is a memory chip that is designed to draw very little current. This memory is used to contain system configuration settings, BIOS passwords and time and date. BIOS is the Basic Input/Output System that could be referred to as the motherboard's firmware. BIOS is contained on a chip that usually is soldered to the motherboard and should not be replaced. Flashing a BIOS is the term used when upgrading the program (or firmware) on the BIOS chip.

Explanation

CMOS is a memory chip that is designed to draw very little current. This memory is used to contain system configuration settings, BIOS passwords and time and date. BIOS is the Basic Input/Output System that could be referred to as the motherboard's firmware. BIOS is contained on a chip that usually is soldered to the motherboard and should not be replaced. Flashing a BIOS is the term used when upgrading the program (or firmware) on the BIOS chip.

2. In which of the following is the output from a power supply rated?

Voltage.

Watts.

Hertz.

Ohms.

Power supplies are rated in Watts. Watt is the SI derived unit of power, equal to 1 Volt * 1 Ampere.

Explanation

Power supplies are rated in Watts. Watt is the SI derived unit of power, equal to 1 Volt * 1 Ampere.

3. When connecting the power cable of an AT power supply to the motherboard, which two wires on the power connectors (P8/P9) should be together?

The green wires.

The white wires.

The black wires.

The brown wires.

When connecting the power cable of an AT power supply to the motherboard, the two wires on the power connectors (P8/P9) that should be together are the black wires. This is because the black wires are the ground wires, and connecting them ensures proper grounding and electrical continuity between the power supply and the motherboard.

Explanation

When connecting the power cable of an AT power supply to the motherboard, the two wires on the power connectors (P8/P9) that should be together are the black wires. This is because the black wires are the ground wires, and connecting them ensures proper grounding and electrical continuity between the power supply and the motherboard.

4. What do you call the part of a CD-ROM drive's head assembly that moves across the disk to read it?

Read/Write Actuator.

The Mechanical Frame

The Head Actuator.

The Disk Spindle.

The head actuator is the device that physically positions the read/write heads over the correct track on the surface of the disk. It is called the same for CD-ROMs, hard drives and floppy disks.

Explanation

The head actuator is the device that physically positions the read/write heads over the correct track on the surface of the disk. It is called the same for CD-ROMs, hard drives and floppy disks.

5. Which of the following components on the motherboard usually house the IDE connectors?

PCI bus.

North Bridge.

ISA bus.

South Bridge.

The South Bridge is generally used for slower devices such as USB ports, IDE drives, and ISA slots.

Explanation

The South Bridge is generally used for slower devices such as USB ports, IDE drives, and ISA slots.

6. What is the clock speed of the AGPx8 expansion slot?

66 MHz

133 MHz

266 MHz

533 MHz

The AGPx8 has a clock speed of 533 MHz and has a transfer rate of about 2.1GB/s.

Explanation

The AGPx8 has a clock speed of 533 MHz and has a transfer rate of about 2.1GB/s.

7. Which of the following is the SCSI ID number generally recommended for the CD-ROM?

ID 0.

ID 5.

ID 2.

ID 3.

Every other device can be set to any number as long as it's not in use. It is a recommended practice in the IT community to set the SCSI ID number for CD-ROM drives to 3.

Explanation

Every other device can be set to any number as long as it's not in use. It is a recommended practice in the IT community to set the SCSI ID number for CD-ROM drives to 3.

8. Which of the following are SCSI types that allow for 16 devices, including the adapter, to be connected on a single shared cable?

Ultra Wide SCSI

Fast SCSI

Ultra SCSI

Fast Wide SCSI

Ultra 2 SCSI

Wide SCSI buses support 16 devices, rather than the 8 devices specified in regular SCSI.

Explanation

Wide SCSI buses support 16 devices, rather than the 8 devices specified in regular SCSI.

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9. The new Certkiller .com trainee technician wants to know which of the following has a transfer rate of 40 Mbps and a maximum cable length of 12 meters. How will you reply?

SCSI-2

Ultra 2 SCSI

Ultra Wide SCSI

Fast SCSI

Ultra SCSI

Explanation: Ultra2 SCSI (8-bit) is capable of 40MB/s transfers, with a maximum cable length of 12 meters (39 feet), also used the same connectors as Fast-10.

Explanation

Explanation: Ultra2 SCSI (8-bit) is capable of 40MB/s transfers, with a maximum cable length of 12 meters (39 feet), also used the same connectors as Fast-10.

10. Which of the following BEST describes the difference between the "baby" AT and ATX motherboards?

The "baby" AT motherboard has a 20-pin power connector while the ATX has a 12-pin power connector.

On the AT motherboards the processor, memory, and expansion slots are all in line with each other. Because the processor and memory were in line with the expansion slots, only one or two full-length cards could be used. Also, the processor was far from the power supply's cooling fan and would therefore tend to overheat unless a heat sink or processor fan was directly attached to it. To overcome the limitations of the "baby" AT design, the ATX motherboard was designed. The ATX has the processor and memory slots at right angles to the expansion cards. This puts the processor and memory in line with the fan output of the power supply, allowing the processor to run cooler. And, because those components are not in line with the expansion cards, you can install full-length expansion cards in an ATX motherboard machine.

Explanation

On the AT motherboards the processor, memory, and expansion slots are all in line with each other. Because the processor and memory were in line with the expansion slots, only one or two full-length cards could be used. Also, the processor was far from the power supply's cooling fan and would therefore tend to overheat unless a heat sink or processor fan was directly attached to it. To overcome the limitations of the "baby" AT design, the ATX motherboard was designed. The ATX has the processor and memory slots at right angles to the expansion cards. This puts the processor and memory in line with the fan output of the power supply, allowing the processor to run cooler. And, because those components are not in line with the expansion cards, you can install full-length expansion cards in an ATX motherboard machine.

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