A+ Certification study material

http://proquestcombo.safaribooksonline.com/book/certification/aplus/9780132682862

Flashcards
http://www.flashcardmachine.com/machine/?read_only=1676807&p=6qi3

isopropyl alcohol to clean display

When it comes to cleaning displays, be careful; liquid can possibly get between the bezel and the screen; when it infiltrates the display assembly, bad things can happen! To avoid this, conservatively spray the cleaner on to a soft, clean, lint-free cloth first; then carefully clean the display with the cloth. Many manufacturers of displays recommend using isopropyl alcohol diluted with water; basically no more than 50 percent of the solution should be alcohol; the rest should be water. Isopropyl alcohol can be found in most supermarkets and drug stores; the higher the purity level the better, for example 90 percent purity is acceptable; it will say this directly on the bottle. Again, use the solution conservatively, apply it to the cloth first, and try not to get any on the plastic bezel, apply to the screen only. It usually isn’t necessary to clean the screen very often; once every 3 to 6 months is fine unless you work in a very dirty environment. Instead of cleaning the screen, you can also try removing the dust (which can affect visibility) with a soft lint-free cloth or a canister of compressed air. This might help as an added step before cleaning the screen to avoid streaking. There are also various spray cleaners available at electronics stores and online; some of them are simply expensive isopropyl alcohol/water solutions! But personally, for over a decade I have simply mixed my own isopropyl/water solution for use on LCDs, CRTs, laptop LCDs, handheld computers, PDAs, and cell phones, and have never had a problem.

video card

SLI and TV Tuner/Capture Cards

Gamers are always looking to push the envelope when it comes to video performance. It’s possible to take video to the next level by incorporating a technology known as Scan Line Interleave (SLI). This is when a computer has two (or more) identical video cards that work together for greater performance and higher resolution. The SLI compatible cards are bridged together to essentially work as one unit. The GTX 260 video card mentioned previously supports SLI, as shown in Figure 12.4. It is important to have a compatible motherboard and ample cooling when attempting this type of configuration. Currently this is done with two or more PCI Express video cards and is most commonly found in gaming rigs.

Home entertainment enthusiasts often have a computer hooked up to their home theater. If this is the case, they probably install a TV tuner card. These cards can accept the signal from a cable or satellite provider and then send it back out to the TV or other devices in the home theater. Most TV tuners also act as capture cards, meaning that they can capture the signal and record TV programs. The purpose of all this is to record shows onto the computer and basically use the computer as a digital video recorder (DVR), among other things. By using Window Media Center, which is built-in to Windows Vista and comes as a separate edition for Windows XP, users can control their TV experience. TV tuner cards are available with PCI Express, PCI, ExpressCard (for laptops), and USB interfaces.

Cloning Acronis

Disk image: Windows can also be installed by cloning the entire disk
image of another installation. This can be done by using programs like
Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost. When cloning a disk image, both
computers need to be identical, or as close to identical as possible. The
hard disk of the target for a cloned installation must be at least as large
as the original system. To avoid Security Identifier (SID) conflicts, use

Reference:  http://www.davidlprowse.com/
http://www.safaribooksonline.com/
http://library.devry.edu/

Operating System install / upgrade tool kit/ checklist

You might also opt to make use of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning
(MAP) toolkit, one of Microsoft’s Solution Accelerators. This kit takes inven-
tory of most currently deployed Microsoft operating systems and server soft-
ware, analyzes the inventory, and gives in-depth reports on the assessment and
analysis of those OSes and software. It is designed to simplify the planning
process for IT infrastructures with multiple platform scenarios. The kit can be
downloaded from the followinglink: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb977556.aspx.

Diagnostics

For computers without an installed operating system, consider using self-
booting diagnostic programs like the following:
.PC Diagnostic tools: http://www.pc-diagnostics.com/.#1-TuffTEST:http://www.tufftest.com/.PC Check:http://www.eurosoft-uk.com/
You might also opt to make use of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning
(MAP) toolkit, one of Microsoft’s Solution Accelerators. This kit takes inven-
tory of most currently deployed Microsoft operating systems and server soft-
ware, analyzes the inventory, and gives in-depth reports on the assessment and

Windows Logo product list

Windows Logo’d Products List:
http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/Default.aspx?m=7.

Belarc diagnostics

at http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html. To run the program sub-
sequently after installation

PC card sizes

41. What is the thickness of a Type II PC Card?
 A. 0.3 inches (7.5mm)
 B. 0.129 inches (3.3mm)
 C. 0.2 inches (5.0mm)
 D. 0.41 inches (10.5mm)

41.C. PC Cards come in the following sizes. (See Table 2.) See the section titled “Installing, Configuring, and Troubleshooting Visible Laptop Components” in Chapter 11, “Laptops,” for more information.

Hard Disk Drive

Connection:  IDE v. SATA
Tranfer rate:  IDE        33, 66, 100, 133 MB/s
                     SATA  1.5, 3.0, 6.0 Gb/s
                                  150 MB/s  300 MB/s  600 MB/s

Comptia A+ Practical Application

30. The IP address 192.168.1.1 should have what default subnet mask?
 A. 255.255.0.0
 B. 255.255.255.0
 C. 255.0.0.0
 D. 255.255.255.255

30.B. 192.168.1.1 is a private Class C address and therefore should have the subnet mask 255.255.255.0, the standard default subnet mask for Class C. (See the following table) See the section titled “Networking Fundamentals” in Chapter 14, “Networking,” for more information.

Data Connections

SATA - 7 pins - 1 device per connector
IDE - 40 pins - Up to two devices per connector
SCSI - 50 or 68 pins - Up to 7 or 15 devices per connector

Practical Application Test

5.  Which of the following is the default directory for User Profiles in Windows 7
a.  c:\profiles
b.  c:\user profiles
c.  c:\users\profiles
d:  file://users/

Ans. c

10.  A technician has just cleaned a system of severe virus & malware infections.  Which of the following could prevent the system from becoming infected again?
a.  Change the attributes of all registry keys to "read only."
b.  Relocate the temp directory
c.  Delete the system restore points
d.  Disable automatic updates

Ans.  a
Should be c.  The virus may be residing there in restore point.
confirmed with teacher

13.  A technician replaces an older SCSI drive with a much larger SCSI drive.  The systems SCSI adapter is up-to-date.  Which of the following is the BEST action for the tech to take?
a.  Check that the SCSI adapter is getting power
b.  Format the SCSI drive with NTFS on another system before the installation
c.  Check for a firmware update from the manufacturer of SCSI adapter.
d.  Change the jumper settings on the SCSI adapter.

Ans.  d
better answer:  c., not a.

15.  A tech wants to replace an 250 GB HD with a 640 GB HD in a laptop.  Which of the following hard drive interfaces will the laptop most likely use.
a.  SATA
b.  PATA
c.  IDE
d.  SCSI

Ans. a
Reference:  http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Scorpio-Drive-WD5000BEVT/dp/B001JSSDGU

16.  A tech installs a new network printer and configures a group of 6 users with access.  The next morning, the tech receives a report that none of the users can access the new printer.  Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the problem.
a.  The user's computers were set with a static IP
b.  The user's computers were set for DHCP
c.  The printer was set for DHCP
d.  The printer was set with a static IP

Answer:  c
confirmed with teacher

17.  A tech is troubleshooting intermittent network issues & suspects a faulty cable.  Which of the following tools would be the BEST to determine the cause.
a.  cable tester
b.  Network sniffer
c.  Loopback plug
d.  multimeter

Ans.  c.

21.  A tech is setting up an email account on a smart phone.  To ensure the messages read in the phone will be marked as read when viewed on the computer, which of the following should the tech configure.
a.  pop
b.  pop3
c.  SNMP
d.  IMAP
Ans. b

22.  A laptop display is not working.  The tech connects the laptop to an external monitor and it displays fine.  The tech opens the laptop and checks the physical connector from the display to the motherboard and it appears connected and undamaged.  Which of the following is the MOST likely problem?
a.  The LCD inverter is faulty
b.  The video adapter is faulty
c.  The LCD converter is faulty
d.  The LCD lamp needs to be replaced

Ans.  a

23.  Which of the following locations allows the user and display and print a password in Windows 7 sharing files. 
a.  Windows Defender
b.  Manage Network Connections
c.  Network and Sharing Center
d.  HomeGroup & Sharing Options

My answer was c.
Correct answer:  d
Right click on network at systray
You will see HomeGroup & Sharing Options
24.  A customer requires a shock resistant mass storage device in their PC.  Which of the following devices should the tech install.
A.  HD
b.  solid state
c.  Floppy
d.  Tape

My Ans.  a.
correct answer:  b.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netbook

26.  Which of the following mail protocol settings would MOST likely be used when a client needs the ability to synchronize folders
a.  SMTP
b.  FTP
c.  IMAP
d.  POP3

Ans.  c.
confirmed with teacher

36.  Which of the following represents an administrative share?
a.  IPC$
b.  E
c.  Session_admin
d.  $admin

My answer was c.
Should be:  a.

35.  Where would a  tech go to turn off UAC in Windows Vista?
a.  Ctrl Panel
b.  Computer Management
c.  Active Dir Users & Computers
d.  Run> command prompt> Net of the UAC
Ans. a. 
Reference:  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709691(WS.10).aspx#BKMK_S3

Which of the following Operating System has the sidebar enabled by default on the desktop?
a.  Microsoft Windows 7
b.  Windows 2000
c. Microsoft Windows Vista
d. XP

Ans. c. 
confirmed with teacher

41.  Which of the following would the tech install if the motherboard supports a MHZ bus speed of 400 MHZ and the user wanted the memory to be at the max bus within the manufacturer's specifications.
a. PC1000
b. PC2100
c.  PC2700
d.  PC3200

My answer was d.
|confirmed with teacher