Identify and report the names, purpose and characteristics of system module such as mother board, power supply, CPU, Memory modules, storage devices, display devices, adaptor cards, port and cases in the given machine.
1a) Name: mother board
Purpose: The motherboard accommodates the C.P.U RAM, expansion slots, heat sink/fun assembly, BIOS chip set, and the embedded wires that interconnect the motherboard component.
'http://wiki.answers.com/Q/'
Characteristics: There are several ways in which a motherboard can be characteristics in particular the following.
the form factor
the chipset
'http://en.kioskea.net/contents/pc/carte.mere.php3'
Name: Power supply
Purpose: A PSU (power supply unit) converts the power received from the wall outlet to the power needed to supply power to the motherboard and all other components with in the pc.
'http://wiki.answers.com/Q/'
Characteristics: With these of certain forms of equipment, electrical energy as well as other forms of energy is successfully transferred into an output.
'http://wiki.answers.com/Q/'
Name: CPU
Purpose: CPU in computer science, microscopic circuitry that serves as the main information processor, hard disk CD/DVD and floppy drives.
Characteristics: CPU is the box to which we connect monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer through cables.
CPU, in computer science, microscopic circuitry that serves as the main information processor in a computer.
Name: Memory modules
Purpose: The central processing unit accesses the information stored on the DIMM or SIMM. The faster the CPU can access the information, or if it more readily, the faster your unit run.
Your desktop memory can be bigger, faster and stronger.
'http://ezinearticles.com/?'What- is- the- purpose- of- the- computers-Memory- Modules? &id=1079657
Characteristics: Dual in-line package memory
Voltage
Capacity
Speed
'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory/Memory-module'
Name: Storage devices
Purpose: The main purpose of the storage devices is to maintain records.
These which contain information of a personal or commercially confidential must be stored securely is the main purpose of the storage devices.
Records that have been removed from their usual storage must be secured at their temporary location to an equal or better standard.
'http://www.mediastoragedevices.com/storage'
Characteristics: These core characteristics are volatility, mutability, accessibility and
addressability.
Storage technologies at all levels of the storage hierarchy can be differentiated by evaluation certain core characteristics as well as measuring characteristics specific to a particular implementation.
'http://www.mediastoragedevices.com/storage'
'
Task 1(b)
Identify the names, purposes and performance characteristics of the standardized peripheral ports in the machine such as Serial, Parallel, USB, Firewire, DB, RJ , Din, Mini-DIN, Centronics, Associated cabling and their connectors.(10marks)
Name: Serial
Purpose: The Serial ports transfer information in a line , one bit at a time, much like ants following one another. Because only one bit moves through the interfaces, serial ports are much slower than parallels ports.
References: Pg.290 EXAM RAM2+CompTIA Certified Computer Technicia, James G.Jones Craig Landes.
References: Fundamentals of Hardware and Operation Systems.Pg-217
Characteristics: The characteristics of serial is sending data as parallel words becomes less practical. An alternative method of sending data is to break the parallel words their individual bits and transmit them, one at a time, in a serial bit stream over a single conductor.
References: Fundamentals of Hardware and Operation Systems.Pg-217
Name: Parallel
Purpose: The majority of printers connect to a computer using a 25-pin parallel interface. The parallel port, using the LPT device name, transfers information in a sort of wave front, eight bits across, in which each bit goes in the same direction at the same time.
References: Pg.284 EXAM RAM2+CompTIA Certified Computer Technicia, James G.Jones Craig Landes.
Characteristics: The Characteristics PC parallel port usually consists of 25 pins in a DB-25 connector. The PC- compatible parallel port interface offer 8-bit parallel data words and nine I/O control lines at a 25 pin, female D-shell connector at a rear of the system unit.
References: Fundamentals of Hardware and Operation Systems.Pg-216
Name: USB
Purpose: The USB transfers are conducted over a fire-wire cable. The signal travels over a pair of twisted wires in a 90-ohm cable. The differential signal and twisted-pair wiring provide minimum signal deterioration over distances and high noise immunity.
References: Fundamentals of Hardware and Operation Systems.Pg-223
Characteristics: The USB specification defines two types of plugs: Series A and Series B:
Series - A connectors are used for devices in which the USB cable connection is permanently attached to devices at one end.
Series - B plugs an jacks are designed for devices that require detachable cabling (printers, scanners and modems) Both are four-contact plugs and sockets embedded in plastic connectors.
References: Fundamentals of Hardware and Operation Systems.Pg-223-224
Name: Fire wire
Purpose: A firewire cable is used for many applications involving audio and videos. The purpose of a firewire cable is similar to a USB cable, but firewire has the capability of faster transfer rates, it has become the preferred method when large files are present.
'http:// www.ehow.com/about-5091205-firewire-cable-used.html'
Characteristics: Firewire is a fast peripheral interconnect standard capable of transfer speeds up to 400 Mbs. It works well for multimedia peripherals such as DV cameras and other high-speed devices like the lastest hard disk drives. CD/DVD burners and printers.
'http:// www.encyclo.co.uk/define/firewire'
Name: Data Bus
Purpose: A collection of wires in which data is transmitted from one computer to another external drive. In personal computers, the data bus refers to internal bus. This is a bus that connects the internal computer components to the CPU and main memory. A bus is a common wire connecting various points in a circuit.
'http://www.harddiskhome.com/hard-disk-data-bus.html'
Characteristics of data bus
A data stream is transferred through a parallel data bus while the read or write strobe is adjusted. The resultant data is compared to the original data to detect errors with each data line of the parallel bus. The results are displayed on a grid whereby the characteristics of each line of the data bus may be visually understood. The characteristic image of the performance of the data bus may be used for debugging the bus, as well as for other uses wherein the performance is very highly characterized.
'http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7028233.html'
Purpose of Register Jack
The Register Jack was used to refer to computer networking connectors, RJ45 was originally a Telephone-only standard. Telephone installers who wired telephone RJ45 jacks were familiar with the pin assignment which was part of the RJ45 standard. However, near-identical physical connectors for computer networking became ubiquitous, and informally inherited the name RJ45 due to the overwhelming similarity. While telephone RJ45 uses a "keyed" variety of the 8P body, meaning it may have an extra tab that a computer RJ45 connector is unable to mate with, the visual difference from an Ethernet 8P is subtle.
'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RJ45'
Characteristics of Register Jack
Registered Jack-45, an eight-wire connector used commonly to connect computers onto a local-area networks (LAN) , especially Ethernets.
'http://www.webo pedia.com/TERM /R/RJ_45.html'
Task 2
Task 2
Task 2
List the 3 most popular types of mother Boards, their components and their architectures. (6 marks)
3 most popular types of mother boards
AT mother boards
ATX mother boards
XT mother boards
Components of mother board are Slots, Bridges, Ports, Sockets, CMOS Battery and CPU.
Fig 2a.1
Architecture of mother boards
AT mother board : It is the older type of mother board and it key features are a two-piece power supply connector, ribbon cables that connect the I/O ports to the board and Moreover, the extension slots are parallel to the wide edge of the board
ATX mother board: It usage is like a form factor and I/O ports built directly into the side of the motherboard and CPU position such that the power supply fan help to cool it by allowing to turn on the PC. It uses a PS2 style connector for the keyboard. And the expansion slots are parallel to the narrow edge of the board.
XT mother board : In XT mother board, it has 8 slots on the mother board, that was wired directly than other slots and this design incorporates expansion slots that are place on mother board to accommodate to reduce in case size.
REFERENCE:
Pg. 105, A+ Fast Pass written by David Groth
'http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM-personal-computer-XT'
Identify the purpose of CMOS memory in your PC and list out what it contains. Describe how and when it is necessary to change the CMOS parameters(6marks)
Purpose of CMOS
The Standard CMOS setup screens from various BIOS manufactures all provide the same basic information. They can be used to set the system clock/calendar, established disk drive parameters and video display type,and specify which types of errors will halt the system during the POST.
Reference: Pg 574 Fundamentals of Hardware Operating Systems
CMOS Parameters
Standard CMOS setup Integrated peripherals
BIOS features setup Supervisor password
Chipset features setup User password
Power management setup IDE HDD auto detection
PNP/PCI configuration HDD low level format
Load BIOS defaults Save& Exit setup
Load setup defaults Exit without saving
Reference:Page-573 Fundamentals of hardware and operation systems
You are required to use two different types of Printers and list the following information derived from each printers:
What are the printer technologies, interfaces and options for upgrades available for your printers(4marks)
Dot matrix printers technologies
Dot -matrix technologies
A dot matrix printer or impact matrix printer normally refers to a type of computer printer with a print-head(containing 9-24 fine wires called pins arranged in one, two or three columns) that runs back and forth on the page and prints by impact, striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, much like a typewriter. Unlike a typewriter, letters are drawn out of a dot matrix.
'http://www.wordig.com/definition/Dot-matrix-printer'
Laser printer Technologies
Laser printer technology involves a laser beam projects an image of the page to be printed onto an electrically charged rotating drum coated with selenium or, more common in modern printers, organic photoconductors. Photoconductivity removes charge from the areas exposed to light. Dry ink (toner) particles are then electrostatically picked up by the drum's charged areas. The drum then prints the image onto paper by direct contact and heat, which fuses the ink to the paper.
'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laser-printer'
Interface
Most printers are connected through the USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 interface, whereas some printers also have the older parallel (LPT/IEEE-1284) interface. However, some very old dot-matrix and laser printers use the RS-232 serial (COM) interface. HIgh-end laser printers can be attached directly to an Ethernet network, but most networked through a print server or a client PC with file-and printer-sharing software installed.
Reference: Absolute Beginner's Guide to A+ Certification By Mark Edward Soper
'http://books.google.com.my/books?id=KHCRkX5d-gAC&pg=PA333&lpg=PA333&dq=how+is+the+interface+of+dot+matrix+printer%3F&source=bl&ots=VebWG5Oipo&sig=YgLfrnKJAjlGq3NNuVy4zMW5C98&hl=en&ei=xCSzTNuCCcijcay7iJ8P&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCUQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=how%20is%20the%20interface%20of%20dot%20matrix%20printer%3F&f=false'
What are the 2 common printer problems which you can expect from our printer, list out remedies for the problems using appropriate references?(4 marks)
Dot matrix problems
Printer Issues
Blotchy, dark ink smears are probably one of the most common issues that dot matrix printer users encounter. Oftentimes, the cause for ink smears on printouts is that the head gap lever is placed in an improper position. If the lever is moved toward the "plus" position, the smearing problem should cease happening.
Same Line Printing
Another very common dot matrix printer issue involves repeatedly printing on the same exact line. One very common cause for this repetitive printing is the computer being unable to transmit "LF" commands. To fix this issue, users simply have to set the "AUTO LF" setting to "ON" instead of "OFF."
' http://www.ehow.com/about_4798601_dot-matrix-printer-troubleshooting.html#ixzz123oC91Dv'
Laser Printer Problems
The most common problem is the paper jam. If there is a paper jam, determine the area where the jam is occurring and examine the area. Most jams occur due to a paper path blockage or a worn roller.Many times, the paper itself is the cause of the jam. Poorly installed paper, or paper that has been stored improperly and allowed to curl prior to installing it in the paper tray, can lead to paper jams.A worn pick-up roller will not grab the paper correctly and will result in the paper being partially removed from the tray. If the paper makes it inside the printer and stops, look for paper debris or other material that may be blocking the paper's path. Also, examine any associated rollers for wear. Internal jams are typically caused by a blockage.
Task 3
Task 3
Task 3
For the task and subsequent tasks you need to set up a small Windows XP network using at least 3 computers. Produce a report with appropriate screen capture evidencing your practical work and covering the following information:
Identify the types of network cables their characteristics and connectors which you will use for the network.(5marks)
Types of network cables are: Fiber optic cable and Coaxial cable.
Characteristics of fiber optic cable
Fiber optic cables consist of multiple strands of optic fibers, hairlike strands of pure glass designed to transmit light. they are able to transmit waves of light up to 60 miles. Electrical signals, such as television, voice or data signals, are converted to high-quality optical signals using an optical transmitter and sent at the speed of light, producing a fast, high-quality method of data transmission.
Read more: Characteristics of Fiber Optic Cable | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5479778_characteristics-fiber-optic-cable.html#ixzz12BqQmUUR
'http://www.ehow.com/about_5479778_characteristics-fiber-optic-cable.html'
Connector of fiber optics cable
Fiber optic cable connectors are hardware installed on fiber cable ends to provide cable attachment to a transmitter, receiver or other cable. In order for information to be transmitted efficiently, the fiber cores must be properly aligned.
'http://www.timbercon.com/fiber-optic-cable-connectors/'
Characteristics of Coaxial cables
Coaxial cable, or coax, is an electrical cable with an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis.Coaxial cable is a widely used type of wire used for carrying a wide range of transmissions from source to device. Examples include use in cable and satellite TV applications, cable Internet, computer networks, and radio lines.
'http://www.ehow.com/about_5538713_characteristics-coaxial-cables.html'
Read more: Characteristics of Coaxial Cables | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5538713_characteristics-coaxial-cables.html#ixzz12C4BgXeL
'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable'
Connector of coaxial cable
Coaxial connectors are designed to maintain a coaxial form across the connection and have the same well-defined impedance as the attached cable. Connectors are often plated with high-conductivity metals such as silver or gold. Due to the skin effect, the RF signal is only carried by the plating and does not penetrate to the connector body. Although silver oxidizes quickly, the silver oxide that is produced is still conductive.
Coaxial cable connector are RJ-45,
'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable#Connectors'
Research and list five different technologies available for Internet connectivity for your network and list their strengths and weakness. (10marks)
Five different technologies of internet connectivity are: ADSL, Wi-max, Dialup, broadband, and optic fiber.
References: fundamental of hardware and operating systems practical
ADSL of disadvantages
ADSL's primary disadvantage is that it, like all DSL connections, is limited by the amount of cable which separates the modem from the nearest phone hub. If the information needs to travel only a short distance, say two or three kilometres, then the "loss" of information inherent in sending digital signals down old-fashioned copper lines is minimal.
'http://hubpages.com/hub/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-ADSL'
ADSL of advantages
Advantages of this method is that there is so much "space" left in the line, in terms of bandwidth, that a line could be used both to transmit an analogue phone call and serve as a DSL connection. This eliminates the need for additional lines.
'http://hubpages.com/hub/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-ADSL'
Wi-max of advantages
Wimax Coverage
The single station of Wimax can operate and provide coverage for hundred of users at a time and manage sending and receiving of data at very high speed with full of network security.
Wimax High Speed
The High speed of connectivity over long distance and high speed voice makes it more demanded in hardly populated areas .
'http://www.freewimaxinfo.com/wimax-advantages.html'
Wi-max of disadvantages
Wi-max range
The other disadvantage of Wimax network is range. As Wimax offer 70Mbps in range with moving station but in practice it is quite different because it is possible only in specify or ideal circumstances. If a user staying away from the specified environment then speed can drop considerably.
'http://www.freewimaxinfo.com/wimax-disadvantages.html'
Dial-up advantages
Dial-up Internet provides Internet access through a telephone line and a modem. The modem dials into the subscriber's Internet Service Provider (ISP) and connects with a modem there. Dial-up speeds are very slow compared to high bandwidth provided by cable, satellite and digital subscriber lines (DSL).
Read more: The Advantages of Dial Up Internet | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5191493_advantages-dial-up-internet.html#ixzz12Cq6mqdc
Dial-up disadvantages
Dial-up speeds are very slow compared to high bandwidth provided by cable, satellite and digital subscriber lines (DSL).
'http://www.ehow.com/facts_5191493_advantages-dial-up-internet.html#ixzz12Cq6mqdc'
Fiber optic of advantages
One of the greatest benefits to using optical light signals is the capacity and speed of such a system. Obviously, light travels much faster than an electrical system (as with a metal wire system), thereby allowing faster reception and delivery of information. Also, fiber optic schemes have a much higher capacity for bandwidth than those that are more traditional.
'http://ezinearticles.com/?Advantages-of-Fiber-Optics&id=1244542'
Task 4
Task 4
Task (4)
For the task you need to do a fresh install of Windows XP (or later operating system permitted by your tutor) on a computer. People a report evidencing your practical work covering the following questions:
List out the names, locations , purpose and contents of any 10 Window XP (or later versions permitted) system files.(10marks)
Use the following tools in Windows such as Microsoft Management Console(MMC) .Event Viewer and Task Manager on the system .List out the practical uses of these tools.(10marks)
Install two new devices after you have installed the Operating system and list out the procedures which you used for adding and configuring the device drivers.(10marks)
a) List out the names, locations , purpose and contents of any 10 Window XP (or later versions permitted) system files.(10marks)
Window XP system files names, location, purpose
Ntoskrnl.exe Executive and kernel. c:\windows\system32\Ntoskrnl.exe
Ntkrnlpa.exe Executive and kernel with support for Physical Address Extension (PAE), which allows addressing of more than 4 gigabytes (GB) of physical memory. c:\windows\system32\Ntkrnlpa.exe
Hal.dll Hardware abstraction layer. c:\windows\system32\Hal.dll
Win32k.sys Kernel-mode part of the Win32 subsystem.
c:\windows\system32\Win32k.sys
Ntdll.dll Internal support functions and system service dispatch stubs to executive functions.
Kernel32.dll Core Win32 subsystem DLLs. c:\windows\system32 look for the file Kernel32.dll
Advapi32.dll Core Win32 subsystem DLLs. c:\windows\system32 look for the file Advapi32.dll
User32.dll Core Win32 subsystem DLLs. c:\windows\system32 look for the file User32.dll
Gdi32.dll Core Win32 subsystem DLLs. c:\windows\system32 look for the file gdi32.dll, Gdi32.dll
Reference: 'http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457124.aspx'
b)Use the following tools in Windows such as Microsoft Management Console(MMC) .Event Viewer and Task Manager on the system .List out the practical uses of these tools.(10marks)
b) MMC - Microsoft Management Console
A comment I frequently hear is users wishing there was one central location where they could go to perform the majority of the administrative tasks that are a part of life with a computer. Just remembering all the locations where these tasks can be accomplished is no small feat in itself. Microsoft must be keeping it a secret or user curiosity isn't what it once was, but such a place does exist; Microsoft Management Console. In Microsoft's own words, "Microsoft Management Console (MMC) hosts administrative tools that you can use to administer networks, computers, services, and other system components." That's all well and good, but what does it mean in real life? Basically, it means that you can create a customized set of tools and group them in a 'console' that is easily accessible without having to search through different locations to find one particular setting or group of settings.
'http://www.theeldergeek.com/microsoft_management_console.htm'
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) has become a common interface for tools used to manage networks, hardware, users, services, etc.
"http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878-11-1032158.html'
Event Viewer
The Event Viewer contains: Application, System and Security. They are show in error, warning, information, success audit and failure audit .
'http://www.uwyo.edu/askit/displaydoc.asp?askitdocid=2438&parented=1'
(c) Install two new devices after you have installed the Operating system and list out the procedures which you used for adding and configuring the device drivers.(10marks)
Install Laser Printer LPB3050
Turn on the computer and start Windows.
Be sure to log on as a user with administrative rights.
IMPORTANT
If you are not sure about your administrative rights
Contact your system administrator.
If a wizard or dialog box appears during the Plug and Play automatic setup
Click [Cancel], turn off the printer, and use this procedure in this page to perform the installation.
Insert the supplied CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive of your computer.
If the CD-ROM is already in the drive, eject the disk and reinsert it into the drive.
Please wait until CD-ROM Setup appears.
NOTE
If CD-ROM Setup does not appear
Windows Vista
Click [Start] → [Start Search].
Enter [D:\English\MInst.exe] → press [ENTER] on the keyboard.
The CD-ROM drive name ("D:") may differ depending on your computer.
Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003
Click [Start] → [Run].
Enter [D:\English\MInst.exe] → click [OK].
The CD-ROM drive name ("D:") may differ depending on your computer.
If the [AutoPlay] dialog box appears (Windows Vista)
Click [Run AUTORUN.EXE].
If the [User Account Control] dialog box appears (Windows Vista)
Click [Continue].
Click [Custom Installation].
NOTE
To install the printer driver together with the User's Guide
Click [Easy Installation].
Select the software to be installed.
Clear the [Printer Driver] check box.
Click [Install].
Read the license agreement, and then click [Yes].
The installation of the User's Guide starts.
Wait until the dialog box disappears.
The installation takes several minutes.
Check the installation results, and then click [Next].
NOTE
If the software does not install properly
"Installation Problems"
Restart your computer.
Select the [Restart Computer Now (Recommended)] check box.
Click [Restart].
Task 5
Task 5
Task5 -10marks
Research your hardware and OS software and prepare a report:
Listing the meaning of common error codes and start-up message from the boot sequence(5 marks)
(b) Listing the common Windows XP diagnostic utilities and tools, describing the usage of these.(5marks)
(a)Listing the meaning of common error codes and start-up message from the boot sequence(5marks)
• Error #0
Error Message: Connection Successful!
Solution: Does not require any repairs.
• Error #2
Error Message: System cannot find specified file
Solution: You should reinstall NCP & DUN
• Error #5
Error Message: Access Denied
Solution:
1. Ensure that you have entered the right username and password in the field labeled “domain� for NT/2k.
2. Check that the option “accept any authentication including clear text� is activated.
• Error #5
Error Message: Invalid Procedure Call
Solution: Dialup and Network components must be installed again
• Error #6
Error Message: Stack Overflow
Solution:
1. Try cold booting your computer.
2. If this does not work, the problem might come from your RAM or the Swap file.
http://113-windows-error-codes-and-how-to-fix-them_files/113-windows-error-codes-and-how-to-fix-them.htm
(b) Listing the common Windows XP diagnostic utilities and tools, describing the usage of these.(5marks)
Windows XP diagnostic utilities and tools
Diskcleanup
Diskdefragmenter
Usage of Diskcleanup
The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk by searching your disk for files that you can safely delete. You can choose to delete some or all of the files. Use Disk Cleanup to perform any of the following tasks to free up space on your hard disk:
Remove temporary Internet files.
Remove downloaded program files. For example, ActiveX controls and Java applets that are downloaded from the Internet.
Empty the Recycle Bin.
Remove Windows temporary files.
Remove optional Windows components that you are not using.
Remove installed programs that you no longer use.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312
Usage of Diskdefragmenter
ï‚· Process limitations
ï‚· Analyzing volumes
ï‚· Updating the master file table (MFT)
ï‚· Optimizing startup
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc778290%28WS.10%29.aspx#w2k3tr_dfrag_how_waga
Reference
