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A+ Certification - of 50

A+ Certification Notes (from James Messer series). (last revised 9/26/11)

1. need to review chapters19-21 2. Hyperlinks

a. Summary of Processors b. Computer Boot Process c. Windows Boot Process d. IRQ Assignments e. Max HD Sizes f. Laser Printers g. Laser Printer Problems h. PCMCIA cards i. Recovering the OS j. Troubleshooting Windows

i. Password recovery ii. Unable to access Hidden Partition

iii. Troubleshoot Hard Drive k. POST Diagnostic Error Codes l. Networking Overview m. OSI Seven Layer Model n. Network Cabling o. TCP/IP Addresses p. Wireless Range and Throughput q. Troubleshoot Network Connections r. Misc Notes Start Here s. Power States t. TCP/IP Service Ports u. Registry Hives v. Viruses w.

3. Tools neededa. floppy drive $24.99b. ST cardc. Cable testerd. Cable pin out testere. antistatic cleaner liquid / microfiber clothf. wrist strapg. vacuumh. antistatic mati. power supply testerj. multimeterk. canned air, screwdrivers, torx, pliers, part retriever, paperclip, USB to SATA/IDE

bridge cable, flashlight, cable ties, Windex, paper towels, Q-tips, alcohol, CPU dope, thumb drive with utilities, USB drive for backups, all versions of windows on CD/DVD, IDE/SATA cables, on/off switch/cable, mouse, keyboard, hard drive?,


power supply?, PCI video card?, power cable, CAT5 patch cable, PS2/USB adapter, laptop, earphones (to test audio), new Windows XP/Vista/7 (for cust with lost activation numbers), magnifying glass, replacement screws, electrical tape,

l. r4. Expansion Slots << need to review this and add notes >>

a. AMR: audio / modem riser (located past last expansion slot)b. CNR: communications and networking riser (located before first expansion slot)

5. VGA port – DE-15DVI (Digital Video Interface) sends both digital and analog

6. USB: Type A7. Firewire is Apple trademark, so others label “IEEE 1394”. They run at 400 or 800 Mbps8. Form Factors

a. AT: IBM, early 1980’s – mid 90’s.b. ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) 1995

i. uses 20 or 24 pin power, may also have 4/8 pin connector. ii. memory at 90 degrees from expansion cards

iii. Softpower: 5V to MB. Software can turn the PC on and off.c. Slimline Form Factors:

i. LPX (Low Profile Extended): used a “riser card” (aka, daughterboard)ii. NLX (new Low Profile Extended), has AGP port, replace mb w/o screws, no

longer produced, uses riser boardd. microATX- similar power and mounting points to ATXe. BTX- Balanced Technology eXtended –

i. memory and exp slots parallel, better airflow ii. CPU at 45 degree angle

iii. no longer producedf. microBTX and picoBTX still around

9. Level 1 cache (L1): on the processor, often per coreLevel 2 cache (L2): was on MB now on chip, per CPULevel 3 cache (L3): on the MB

10. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and Floating-Point Unit (FPU)a. ALU and FPU retrieve info from memory, then store/work with it in the cacheb. FPU, formerly known as Math Co-Processor

11. AX, BX, CX, and DX registers are examples of where ALU and FPU temporarily store info. (Not sure if these are part of L1 and L2)

12. FSB has two pieces, Address Bus and Data Bus, which connect CPU to Northbridge (aka, Memory Controller Hub). CPU requests memory address thru Address Bus, MCH sends the data over the Data Bus.

13. CPU Modes: a. Real Mode: no memory protection in hardware, no multitaskingb. Protected Mode: begin 80286, multi-task, virtual mem, memory pagingc. Test question: ???CPU's operate in how many different modes? 3 real mode (16 bit

software), protected mode(32 bit software), and virtual real mode(16 bit programs within an 32 bit envrionment.

14. CPU Features


a. Hyperthreading (HTT): one CPU looks like multiple CPU’s to the app or OSXP and later can take advantage. 15-30% performance increase.

b. CPU throttling (aka, Dynamic Frequency Scaling): slows cpu when not busyIntel calls this “SpeedStep”

c. Microcode: Specialized instructions built into CPU hardware (e.g., MMX)d. Voltage Regulator Module (VRM): CPU can request different voltages at different

times thru Voltage Identification (VID) (e.g., 1.1V or 3.3V). Older CPU’s might have jumpers for you to set a static voltage.

15. 32 bit vs 64 bit refers to bus size, or amount of memory the bus can move at one time16. Actual speed affected by: clock speed, CPU architecture, bus speed, bus width, L1 or L2

cache size, OS capability. Speed no longer expressed in clock cycles e.g., 2 GHz. Have to compare systems using benchmark software.

17. Overclocking: Bios changes to increase things like FSB, CPU multiplier, memory timings18. CPU sockets:

a. Dual In-line Package (DIP) e.g., 8088b. Single Edge Cartridge (e.g., Pentium II) fit in “slot 1”c. Pin Grid Array (PGA) (e.g., Pentium III) put in Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socketd. Know how many pins are on each processor /socket

i. Slot 1 242 Pentium II and IIIii. Socket 370 370 PIII and Celeron

iii. Slot A 242 AMD Athloniv. Socket 423 423 P4v. Socket 478 478 P4 and Celeron

vi. Socket A 462 AMD Athlon XP and Duron19. Gordon Moore’s Law, 1965, # transistors double every two years20. History of CPU’s

a. 8086 1978 – 1990’s 5-10 MHzb. 8088 1979 – early 1990’s 5-10 MHzc. XT/286 introduced 1982 thru early 1990’s 4-25 MHzd. 80386 introduced 1985 -2007 12-40 MHze. 80486 1989 – 2007 16-50 MHz PGA socket 1,2,3f. Pentium – created 1990, released 1993-1999, (Socket 4, 5 and 7)

i. 60-300 MHzii. 64 bit data bus, superscalar arch., MMX.

iii. Note: In this case the 64 bit data bus refers to the external data bus. When you talk about a “64-bit processor” you are referring to the internal registers of the CPU.

g. Pentium Pro: 1995, Socket 8i. 150-200 MHz, superscalar arch.

ii. 4 pipelinesiii. on package L2iv. out of order execution

h. AMD K5: 1996-98, PGA Socket 5 or 7i. 75-133 MHZ (speed no longer equals performance),

ii. pin compatible with Pentiumi. Pentium II: 1997, Single Edge Cartridge (SEC), Slot 1 (242 pins)


i. 233-450 MHzii. consumer version of Pentium Pro with MMX

j. AMD K6: 1997, PGA, Socket 7i. 166-300 MHz

ii. 3dNow! (ie, another specialized instruction set… this one for graphics)k. Celeron Pentium II: 1998, Single Edge Processor

i. value line for this and later intel chipsl. Pentium III: 1999, SEC (Socket 370) and PGA

i. 450-1.4 GHz, high speed L2, m. AMD Athlon: 1999, Classic (462 pin? slot A) and Thunderbird (PGA)

i. 500-2.33 GHz, advanced caching, Enhanced 3DNow!n. AMD Athlon XP: 1999, PGA

i. (Palomino, Thoroughbred, Barton, Thorton), ii. 500-2.33 GHz, increased clock speed, lower voltage

o. Pentium 4 2000, Socket 423 and 478, PGAi. (Willamette, Northwood, Gallatin, Prescott, Prescott 2M, Ceder Mill)

ii. 1.3 – 3.8 GHziii. Netburst arch., deep pipelineiv. PII and PIII were basically improved P-Pro’s. P4 was complete

redesigned core called “Netburst” with 20-stage pipelinev. featured “quad-pumped frontside bus” where external data bus sampled

four times per clock cyclevi. Switched to Land Grid Array (LGA) 775 with codename Prescott

vii. Introduced hyperthreading with Northwood and Prescott. Each pipeline can run more than one thread at a time

viii. Starting with LGA 775 Prescotts, intel began cryptic 3-digit numbering system starting with a “5” or a “6”. (e.g., 2.66 GHz P4 is “506”, 2.8 GHz P4 is “521”, 3-GHz P4 is a “630”. No obvious logic to these numbers.

p. AMD Duron: 2000, 462 pin slot A, PGAi. 600-1.8 GHz

ii. smaller L2, larger L1iii. easily upgraded to faster Duron with just replacing CPUiv. this is a lower end CPU based on Athlon but with smaller cache.

q. Intel Xeon 2001, PGA (Slot II)i. High end, (Xeon 3000, 5000, 7999, 9000), designed for server systems

ii. Server processors tend to be physically larger and have massive cachesr. Intel Itanium / Itanium 2: 2001 PGA with Pin Array CartridgePAC

i. 64 bit, 9 models so far, ii. branch predication, speculative execution, branch prediction

iii. first Intel chip to have 64-bit processing? but several others had 64 bit CPU’s long before this.

s. Athlon-64 2003i. first For-The-Desktop 64-bit

ii. first to have both 32 and 64 bit processingiii. two types: Regular and FX


iv. about 20 sub-types of Athlon 64s, with different codenamesv. Introduced Hypertransport: point to point replacement for FSB.

Memory controller into CPU, so no external MCC. Essentially eliminated the FSB. RAM directly connects to the Athlon-64

t. AMD Opteron; 2003, Micro-PGAi. 64 bit

ii. could also run 32 bit apps without slowing downiii. included high speed I/O path called “Hypertransport”iv. First AMD 64-bit? (supercomputers had 64-bit long before)v. Runs 32 and 64-bit

vi. “lower end” 64-bit CPUvii. pitched to server market (like Itanium 2)

u. AMD Sempron 2004 Sockets A, 754, 939, AM2, S1, AM3i. (successor to Duron)

ii. low end market, two socket sizes, less cache than Athlon-64v. Pentium D (LGA775) 2005

i. was first dual core CPU. It was basically two P4’s, each with its own cache, on one chip

ii. two codenames: Smithfield and Preslerw. Athlon-64-X2 (Socket 754, 939, 940 and later Socket AM2) 2005

i. first AMD dual core. ii. two separate cores shared one L1 cache

x. Intel Core series: Confusing naming system: Core Solo and Core Duo are based on Pentium M architecture. Core 2 processors are based on Core architecture

i. “Intel Core”: (2006, 478-pin FCPGA) 1. mobile only2. solo and duo versions3. based on 32 bit Pentium M, but without NetBurst architecture4. 12 stage pipeline5. single or dual core6. named with a letter followed by 4 digits (e.g., T2300)

ii. “Core 2” 2006-2010 Socket T (LGA 775)1. is a brand encompassing a range of Intel’s consumer64-bit x86-64

single-, dual-, and quad-core microprocessors on the Core microarchitecture. The single- and dual-core models are single-die, whereas the quad-core models comprise two dies, each containing two cores, packaged in a multi-chip module.

2. Fall back from Pentium 4 because do not have hyperthreading technology.

3. redesigned to maximize efficiency4. up to 40% energy saving over Pentium D5. increased cache from 2 to 4 MB6. wide short pipeline, can perform multiple actions in a single clock

cycle7. Three Core 2 versions for desktop:

a. Core 2 Solo


b. Core 2 Duoc. Core 2 Quad

i. With four processing cores, up to 12MB of shared L2 cache¹, and 1333 MHz Front Side Bus

ii. Wide Dynamic Execution, Smart Memory Access, Advanced Smart Cache, HD Boost, Virtualization Technology

8. There is also a Core 2 Extreme for “enthusiasts” that comes in Duo and Quad configurations

iii. Pentium Dual Core 2007 LGA 775, Socket M, Socket P1. aka “Pentium” Don’t know why they re-used the name Pentium

for this processor??? Pretty confusing!2. line of mid-range dual-core processors developed at request of

laptop manufacturers3. positioned between Core 2 and Celeron Dual-core lines

y. AMD Phenom 2007 (Socket AM2+ or AM3) (can run in AM2, but with a penalty)

i. AMD’s first quad core desktop CPU. Each CPU core has own L1 and L2, but all share same L3 to facilitate communication between. They call this “native quad-core” processor. All processors are on same piece of silicon, compared to the “multi-core module” design of Intel’s Core 2 Quad series.

ii. 64 bit. Use the AMD64 technology found in Athlon 64 CPU’siii. based on AMD K10 microarchitectureiv. integrated memory controller (no FSB) that supports two channels of

DDR2 memory. Same HypreTransport bus as Athlon 64/Opteron. v. Phenom X4: Phenom with 4 cores

vi. Phenom X3: (triple core) quad core processor with one core shut off due to a defect

vii. Phenom Black Edition: enthusiast version, includes unlocked clock multiplier for overclocking

z. AMD Phenom II 2008 Socket AM2+ and AM3i. triples L3 cache from 2 to 6 MB

ii. Some versions support AMD’s Turbo Core overclocking technologyiii. based on AMD K10 microarchitecture (same as Phenom)iv. have dual, triple, quad and hex core version

1. some of the dual and triple core versions do not have the defective core, one core is just de-activated to reach lower end markets. These can be unlocked with right bios and motherboard.

2. However, some of them DO have the defective coreaa. Core i7 (high-end), Core i5 (mid-level) and Core i3 (low-level)

i. Core i7 2008 LGA1366 or LGA 1156 socket1. i7 9xx (first version was codenamed “Bloomfield”) 2008

a. Introduced in 2008, As of 2010 this is top of Intel Core lineb. Initially based off the Bloomfield design, which was the first

Core i7 design and is made on a 45nm manufacturing process.

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/13711.aspx


Newer models based on Lynnfield and Clarksfield and Arrandale

c. Core i7 900 are quad cores, though a 6 core processor (Gulftown) was launched in 2010.

d. Include hyper-threading, Turbo Boost, and virtualization. Also comes in “Extreme Edition” , which are fastest processors Intel has available (? in 2010?) and they include an unlocked multiplier which allows for easier overclocking.

e. Core i7 900 use the LGA1366 socket. This is only found on motherboards using the X58 chipset.

f. copied AMD with built-in MCCg. Quick Path Interconnect: intel counter to AMD’s

hypertransport: super fast replacement for FSB2. i7 8xx 2009

a. Core i7 800 built on a 45nm process using the Lynnfield design.

b. Core i7 800 are quad cores which include hyper-threading, Turbo Boost, and virtualization.

c. Don't have an integrated graphics processor.d. Performance is among the best of any processor made by Intel

or AMD.e. Core i7 800 are socket LGA1156 processors

ii. Core i5 20091. i5 6xx 2009

a. Least powerful Core i5 processor, and is a mainstream variant of Core i7

b. 32nm processors based off the Clarkdale designc. includes an on-die graphics processor.d. Core i5 600 are dual cores which have hyperthreading, Turbo

Boost, virtualization, and the AES instruction set. e. Performance of the Core i5 600 series processors is roughly on

par with mid-range Core 2 Quads and high-end Phenom II processors.

f. Core i5 600 uses LGA1156 socket2. i5 7xx 2009

a. LGA1156b. manufactured at 45nm and use the Lynnfield design.c. Core i5 700 quad core processors. They do not have

hyperthreading but they do have Turbo Boost and they do support virtualization.

d. have no integrated graphics processore. Corei5 700 performance is on par or somewhat better than

high end Core 2 Quad and Phenom II processors.f. This same processor with different features (such as

hyperthreading) are sold as Core i7-8xx and Xeon-3400 series.



They are distinct from high end i7-9xx and Xeon 3500 series that are based on Bloomfield design

3. i5 5xx 2010a. Mobile processors based on Westmere shrink of Nehalem

microarchitectureb. Integrated graphics, but only two processor coresc. have Turbo Boostd. L3 cache is reduced to 3 MBe. based on same chip as i7-6xx and i3-3xx but with different

featuresiii. Core i3

1. i3 5xxa. Launched 2010b. Includes graphics processor die with CPUc. Dual Core with hyperthreading and support virtualizationd. Do not have Turbo Booste. Performance similar to lower end Core 2 Quad like Q6600 f. Intel rates i3 performance better than entry level Celeron or

Pentium processorsg. LGA1156 socketh. based off the 32nm Clarkdale design

bb. Sandy Beach Bridge? 2011

21. Buying Advice: (In Nov 2010) Core i5 750 remains the best overall value out of all the processors in the Core lineup. The Core i5 750 offers performance which is surprisingly close to the Core i7 processors in most situations. The Core i3 and Core i5 600 series products are not slow, but because the price gap is so small it usually makes sense to go for the Core i5 750. (Need to check whether best bet for laptop is the i5-5xx series…. even tho its dual core. gn.)

22. Intel Centrino: refers to mobile “solutions” including mobile processor, support chips and wireless networking. Does not refer to a specific CPU. In general, mobile versions of CPU’s use less power, produce less heat, and run at about 77 percent of equivalent desktop speed.

a. Mobile versions of CPUs may include some of following:i. System Management Mode (SMM): intro’d with 80386 and gave CPU ability

to turn off devices that use a lot of power such as monitor or hard drivesii. Throttling: CPU slows during low demand. Intel calls this “SpeedStep”,

AMD calls it “PowerNow!”b. Mobile versions of CPUs (often have “mobile” or “M” in name:

i. Mobile Pentium IIIii. Pentium M

iii. Mobile Athlon 64iv. AMD Turion 64v. Intel Core Duo

vi. Core i5 5xx23. Multicore:



a. has two (or more) “execution units” or sets of pipelines on one chip, but they share caches and RAM

b. Parallel Processing: multicore CPUs can process more than on thread at a time.24. Summary of Processors: <<Know sockets for each, which have hypertransport, and which

have hyperthreading>>Pent Socket 4, 5, or 7 1993-1999Pent Pro Socket 8 1995 K5 Socket 5 or 7 1996 .Pent II SEC/Slot 1 1997 K6 Socket 7 1997 .Celeron Pent II Single Edge Processor 1998Pent III SEC & PGA 1999 Athlon Slot A or PGA 1999 .Pent 4 PGA 2000 Duron Socket A / Socket 462 Micro-PGA 2000. P4: socket 423 & 478 P4 intro hyperthreading, huge pipelines. Xeon 2001 PGA Socket 603Itanium / Itanium 2: 2001 (Intel’s first 64 bit) “Athlon 64” 2003 .

first 64 bit CPU (at least in AMD vs Intel) . first to have both 64 bit AND 32 bit processing . Intro’d hypertransport: point-to-point replacement . for FSB. So memory controller chip on the CPU . Opteron 2003 Micro-PGA Socket G34 and C32 . First 64 bit processor by AMD . 32 and 64 bit, Hypertransport . Sempron 2004 Low end successor to Duron .Pentium D: LGA775 2005 (first multicore processor ) (is actually a type of P4) “Athlon 64 X2” 2005 .

actually had first dual Core (ie, for the Athlon) . Athlon sockets: 754, 939, and 940 .

Intel Core (Solo and Duo) (mobile only) 2006, 468-pin FCPGACore 2: 2006 Socket T (LGA 775)Pentium Dual Core 2007 (mobile), Socket M, P, and LGA 775 (aka “Pentium”) Phenom: 2007 comes in dual, triple, and quad . core: Socket AM2, AM2+, and AM3 . Phenom II: 2008 Socket AM2+ and AM3 . Athlon II: 2009 based on Phenon II but without L3 cache .Core i7 (2008) LGA 1156 / Socket H and LGA 1366/Socket BCore i5 (2009) LGA 1156 / Socket HCore i3 (2010) LGA 1156 / Socket Sandy Beach (2011)


25. users.bigpond.net.au/cpuburn/ cpu burn-in / test utilitywww.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php monitor cpu tempwww.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

26. Memorya. CPU registers for temporary storageb. Cache has On-die Static Ram (SRAM).

i. This is L1 and L2ii. L3 is external (off die) cache

c. Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)d. Paging systems / Virtual memory: space on HD used for memorye. Memory transfer deals with Bandwidth (i.e., width of the memory bus).

i. Number of bytes transferred with each clock cycle. ii. Memory bandwidth usually 8, 16, 32 or 64 bits.

f. Memory speed: synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) is synchronized to the FSB and measured in clock speed. So if 100 MHz bus, then SDRAM would use PC100 chips

g. DDR and DDR2 is measured in throughput, i. So if 100MHz bus x 8 bytes/cycle=800MBps, then

ii. DDR: 800MBps x 2 =PC1600iii. DDR2: 800 MBps X 4 – PC2-3200

h. Memory Latency (aka, CAS Latency or CL)i. (Messer’s explanation): number of clock cycles once memory is requested to

get an answer. ii. (Meyers’ explanation): delay between two separate MCC requests for lines of

memory from RAM iii. Column Address Strobe (aka, Column Address Select, or Column Array

Strobe) (CAS): one of the wires in the RAM that helps the MCC find a bit of memory

iv. Lower CL number = fewer clock cycles = faster data transferv. Greg’s memory is DDR3 with CL Latency = 9.0 clocks

i. Memory that checks itselfi. older systems had Parity memory, shut down if error, no correction

ii. Error Correcting Code (ECC): detects and corrects errorsj. Registered memory: buffers memory before sending to the system. Buffers between

RAM and memory controller. Found on high speed servers with many banks of RAM

k. Single vs Double sided memory: does not refer to physical layout. i. Refers to groupings of memory on a module called “ranks” or “sides”. Ranks

are the “groups” of memory on a module that can be accessed at one time. ii. If one rank on a DIMM, it is single-sided. If 2 ranks on a DIMM, it is double

sided.l. Types of Memory

i. ROM: Read Only Memory ii. BIOS:

iii. PROM: programmable ROM (write once)iv. EPROM: erasable PROM: (write / erase / write again)v. EEPROM: Electrically Erasable PROM (aka flash memory)

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php


m. Identifying Memory: <<must id names, purposes and characteristics of memory >>i. Not on exam

1. SIMM - Single inline memory2. Fast Page mode (FPM) DRAM3. Extended Data Out (EDO DRAM)4. Burst EDO (BEDO) DRAM (??fastest type??)5. Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3) SDRAM

ii. Dual inline memory module (DIMM), 1. 64 bit data width, 2. used for SDRAM (168 pins), DDR (184 pins) and DDR2 (240 pins)

iii. Rambus Inline Memory Module (RIMM). 1. Rarely see anymore. have memory shields. 2. 16 bit (184 pins) and 32 bit (232 pin) modules. 3. Every memory slot had to be filled. If only use one, had to have a

blank to fill the other slot. These blanks were called C-RIMM or CT-RIMM’s

iv. Small Outline DIMM (SO-DIMM): 1. a type of SDRAM used for laptops and PDAs. 2. 72, 144, and 200 pin versions3. 72 pin chips are 32 bits wide, others are 64 bits wide.

v. MicroDIMM1. half length of SO-DIMM, 2. 64 bit bus, 3. used for very small laptops or mp3 players, 4. 144 and 172 pin versions

n. >> Know for eg, how many pins in a SO-DIMMi. SDRAM 168 pins << only chip with 2 notches on bottom >>

ii. Rambus 1. Rambus16 bit 184 pins2. Rambus 32 bit 232 pins

iii. DDR 184 pinsiv. DDR2 240 pinsv. DDR3 240 pins

vi. SO-DIMM 72, 144, and 200 pinsvii. MicroDIMM 144 and 172 pins

o. Most common type of RAM in video cards is DDR SDRAMp. Ram width

i. Memory chip is an array of capacitors and transistorsii. If memory chip is 64 bits wide and has 8 chips, each is 8 bits

1. may instead have 4 chips that are 16 bitsiii. Memory on test

1. Fast Page Mode (FPM) RAM: a. on very old systems. b. not tied to system clock.

2. Synchronous Dynamic Ram (SDRAM)a. debut in 1996


b. comes on a stick called a DIMMc. runs based on the system clock

i. pc100 is 100 MHzii. only one that has 2 notches, one each end

iii. 168 pins is most common 1. (laptop versions come in 88,144, and 172 pins)

iv. obsoletev. 5 clock speeds on early SDRAM: 66, 75, 83, 100, 133

3. RAMBUSa. 184 pins for desktop (160 pin SO-RIMM for laptops)b. heat shieldc. ran at some multiplier of the system speed (called double or

quadruple pumping) (i.e., send 64 bits of data two or four times for each clock cycle

d. RIMM (RIMM) is the chip, i. Continuity C-RIMM (or CT-RIMM) is the fake.

e. very expensive, always install in pairs (put C-RIMM in blank slots)

f. also obsolete4. DDR (double pumping / Double Data Rate

a. basically copied RAMBUS, many same features, b. double pumping = DDRc. 184 pind. Two numbering systems (i.e., DDR- and PC-)

i. DDR100 = pc800 (mult DDR # *8 to get PC #)ii. if clock speed is 200, DDR speed 400, PC speed 3200

5. DDR2a. twice as fast as DDRb. 240 pinc. core RAM isn’t faster, speed increases due to faster

input/output and adding special buffersd. if clock speed is 200, DDR2 speed 800, PC2 speed 6400

(ie, 200 clock * 2 * 2 = DDR2 800) * 8 = PC2 6400)6. DDR3

a. 4 times speed of DDRb. 240 pin stickc. lower power consumption than DDR2

7. DRAM: uses a capacitor to refresh RAM, dominant type8. SRAM: used on CPU’s cache, doesn’t have to be refreshed, very

expensiveq. Specialized types of Ram

i. Non-parity: 1. RAM by default is non-parity 2. older “parity” ram had an extra chip to keep track of the other chips

ii. ECC (Error Correction Code) memory:


1. Parity memory has been replaced by ECC on high end systems, not on home systems.

2. Requires an expensive MB with an MCC designed to handle ECC 3. typical home systems are “non-parity” and non-buffered

iii. Buffered Memory: 1. used on big servers with many ram slots. 2. Most home/office PC memory is unbufferred. 3. Most PC’s have only 4 memory slots. 4. More than 4 complicates motherboard design.

r. When memory fails: i. system locks up completely, or

ii. get BSOD,iii. get repeating beeps at boot until you turn off the computer

s. Replacing RAM: i. be sure to wear antistatic wrist strap and refer to MB manual

ii. be sure replacement has correct: 1. Type (e.g., DDR3) 2. Speed (e.g., PC2-3200) 3. Capacity (e.g., 8 gig)

iii. Colors in memory slots refer to “banks” or “channels.” Need same size/type chips in the same color slot

1. may have “dual channel” (e.g., two blue slots) or even “triple channel” (it’s the motherboard that’s dual channel, not the memory chips)

2. MCC alternates between the two (or three) slots to increase speed, so chips must match for type and speed

iv. 32 bit OS will only recognize 4 GB RAMt. Types of memory

i. Static RAM (SRAM): 1. fast, expensive, and large. 2. Found in L1 L2 L3 caches

ii. Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM): 1. must be constantly refreshed, 2. basically just a bunch of capacitors

iii. Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM): 1. synchronous with the system clock, ie, the FSB. 2. So 133 MHz clock = PC133 3. not really used any more

iv. Rambus DRAM (RDRAM): 1. intro’d with P4, 2. expensive compared to SDRAM

v. Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM. 1. Twice the data rate of SDRAM2. So instead of 100MHz clock x 8 bytes/cycle = 800 MBps, the double

data rate would be 1600MBps so labeled PC1600.vi. Double Data Rate 2 (DDR2) SDRAM:

1. enhanced interface, more buffers


2. instead of 800 MBps (see above) would have 800 MBps x 4 (DDR2) = PC2-3200

u. Installing and Upgrading Memoryi. check memory spec with:

1. Motherboard book2. Memtest863. CPU-Z (see “memory” and “SPD”)

a. Serial Presence Detect (SPD): chip on the memory stick that stores specs. PC queries SPD for info.

ii. check total memory installed: 1. see Task Manager, bios, or “system”2. However, some memory taken by things like on-cpu graphics, best

quick reference is to look at the mem count during bootupv. Memory troubleshooting tools

i. Before Vista there was no built-in memory testii. Ultimate Boot CD www.ultimatebootcd.com

1. includes Memtest86, Memtest86+ (can use for all Win versions)iii. Windows Memory Diagnosticiv. DocMem RAM Diagnosticv. TestMem4

w. Disk Thrashing: Excess disk activity when switch between programs. Suggests need for more RAM. (?? means there is excess use of the swap disk??)

27. Basic Input Output System (BIOS) (aka, firmware)Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)

a. BIOS ROM, CMOS, Option ROM, Device Drivers, POST

b. Chipset – refers to Northbridge + Southbridgec. Every device on the computer connects to the address busd. Every device on the computer needs BIOSe. Firmware: programs (aka: services) stored on ROM chips

Software: programs stored on erasable memoryf. CMOS: Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor

i. Separate chip that does not store programs. Stores data that is read by BIOS. ii. No longer a separate chip, now built into Southbridge

iii. CMOS is a type of memory, requires batteryiv. BIOS config stored in CMOSv. Access CMOS by: Delete, F2, Ctrl-S, Ctrl-Alt-S

vi. ATA Security Mode Feature Set (aka, Drivelock): feature in some CMOS for protecting HD if system is lost or stolen

vii. Trusted Platform Module (TPM)1. small circuit board on some MB’s to encrypt the HD. 2. It can also accelerate the “bitlocker” encryption in VISTA.

g. the “System ROM” chip stores the system BIOS (i.e., program needed by the CPU to communicate with devices) and the POST

h. Device Driver: file on the HD containing all commands for a devicei. Option ROM: BIOS on the hardware device itself

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/


j. Power-on-Self-Test (POST)i. also located on the system ROM (along with BIOS)

ii. tests all device and notifies user with beep codes and text messagesiii. Post program sends signal to each device initializing device built-in self-testiv. Two stage process

1. check basic components including system clock, RAM, keyboard controller, video card. Failure produces beeps.

a. steady short beeps: power supply may be badb. long continuous beep: memory failurec. steady long beeps: power supply badd. no beep: power supply bad, system not plugged in, or beeper

may be bade. one long, two short beeps: video card failure

2. After video tested, bios displays errors on screen in numeric code or text message

k. Beep Codes:i. most modern PC’s have only one – for bad video – one long and 2 or 3 short

beepsii. one or two short beeps at end of successful POST

iii. Not really POST beepcodes, but1. If memory is a problem you hear some sort of beeps which continue

till you turn off computer2. series of short beeps after running for a while may signal CPU

reaching heat limitiv. POST cards: FF or 00 indicate successful POSTv. IBM POST Diagnostic Code Descriptions

1. 100-199 : System board failures2. 200-299 : Memory failures3. 300-399 : Keyboard failures4. 400-499 : Monochrome video problems5. 500-599 : Color video problems6. 600-699 : Floppy disk errors7. ---- others ------8. 1700-1799: Hard disk problems.

Some May Keep Money Coming Forward – Hard 179. see: http://www.pchell.com/hardware/beepcodes.shtml

l. Test question: While POST is running on your computer, you encountered an error message: 161. What is the likely cause? The CMOS battery need to be replaced

m. American Megatrends and Phoenix Technologies control 99% of BIOS business

n. BIOSi. To reset BIOS password, remove (CMOS) battery or use jumper for battery {}

ii. To verify valid BIOS update

http://www.pchell.com/hardware/beepcodes.shtml


1. look in release note for the “checksum” and compare that to manufacturer value on web. Manufacturer adds up all bytes in file, and gives last 16 or 32 bits of that long number.

2. FsumFrontEnd: a. graphical frontend for unix or linux Fsum checking utility. b. Open FsumFrontEnd, load the file, select “methods” (e.g.,

sum16 and sum32), click “Calculate Hashes” icon, compare values to those from manufacturer’s release notes

iii. Use “printscreen” to doc bios…. or write them down, before upgradeiv. Have backup of current bios, if possible, before upgrade

o. Boot Process: (see also: Windows Boot Process) i. Power Supply sends signal down “Power Good” wire to awaken cpu

ii. CPU sends a built-in memory address via address bus. This address is first line of POST on system ROM

iii. POST passes content to last BIOS function: Bootstrap Loader, iv. Bootstrap Loader reads CMOS for info on where to find the OS

p. Boot Sequence summary: {}Power good, CPU, executes BIOS in ROM, including POST (also on system ROM), bootstrap loader reads CMOS to find a bootable device (one with a “boot signature”, BIOS then loads boot sector and xfers to boot code (e.g., MBR), MBR checks its partition table for one with “active flag” set, loads boot sector code from that partition, which loads/executes the OS kernel

q. Any PC made after 2002 will boot to factory defaults if CMOS clearsr. To maintain CMOS settings while changing battery, leave computer plugged in. The

5.5 volt “soft power” on MB will keep CMOS chargeds. The bootstrapping process (from Wikipedia) {}

i. CPU executes software contained in ROM (e.g., BIOS of a PC)ii. this software searches for devices eligible to participate in booting and load a

small program for the “boot sector” of the most promising deviceiii. Second Stage boot loader (e.g., NTLDR, BOOTMGR, GRUB, etc)

1. not itself an OS, it loads the OS then transfers control to it2. can give user a choice of OS to load

iv. Of a one minute boot, about 15 sec taken by POST and preliminary boot loader, rest by loading the OS and other software.

t. More detailed boot info {}i. x86 CPU runs instruction at BIOS memory location CS:IP FOOO:FFFO

ii. This is near the end of 1 MB system memory available in “real mode”iii. Has a jump instruction to transfer to location of BIOS startup programiv. This program starts POST to check/initialize devicesv. Bootable device is one that can be read from, and last two bytes of first sector

contain the word 0xAA55 (knows as the boot signature)vi. Bios then loads boot sector and xfers execution to the boot code. For a hard

drive this is called the master boot record MBR).vii. MBR checks its partition table for a partitions with the “active “ flag set, then

loads the boot sector code from that partition and executes it.


viii. Boot sector’s main function is to load and execute the OS kernel, which continues startup.

ix. see also in Wikipedia: “other kinds of boot sequences”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootstrap_loader

x. Several devices enable user to “quick boot” to a usually Linux-powered OS for various simple tasks such as internet access (e.g., Splashtop or Latitude ON)

28. Storagea. System boots, goes to first sector (aka, Master Boot Record -MBR) on hard drive,

i. MBR contains: 1. Table of Primary Partitions2. Disk Signature3. Directions for starting the OS

ii. If OS fails, check MBR… there are tools to check it, and overwrite/refresh it {}

1. for XP see: FixMBR and FixBoot 2. for Vista/Win7 see: System Recovery Options

b. Data Encodingi. Flux: hard drives store data in tiny magnetic fields call flux, which can switch

from “north to south” in process called “flux reversal” {}ii. Hard drives read flux reversals in groups called “runs”. The data encoding

system is called Run Length Limited (RLL). More advanced HD’s use an advanced RLL method called Partial Response Maximum Likelihood (PRMS) encoding.

iii. Storing fluxes vertically on platters has allowed manufacturers to exceed one terabyte HD sizes.

c. Drive mechanicsi. Read /write heads move across platter on ends of “actuator arms”. The arms

are moved by either “stepper motor” or “voice coil” technology.(p 400)ii. Heads: each platter has two read/write heads to store data

iii. Cylinders:iv. Sectors per Track”

d. Storage Technologiesi. ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) 1989

1. now called parallel ATA or PATA2. IDE: Integrated Drive Electronics: Western Digital originated

this standard, but now it’s usually called ATA or PATAii. ATAPI: AT Attachment with Packet Interface

iii. SCSI: Small Computer Systems Interfaceiv. SATA: Serial Advanced Technology Attachment

e. Types of ATAi. ATA - AT Attachment (aka, ATA-1)

1. intro’d around 19892. originally called Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), which as a

standard became known as Parallel ATA (PATA)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootstrap_loader


3. PATA cables may be 40 pin or the faster 80 pin (which has a separate ground for each wire)

a. 40 pin master is middle, slave on end connectorb. 80 pin master connects to end, slave to middle cable

ii. ATA-2 (aka, Enhanced IDE (EIDE)) 19901. higher capacity HD using Logical Block Addressing (LBA)2. support for non-hard drive devices3. support for a second controller, so two more ATA devices (total of 4)4. ATA Packet Interface (ATAPI):

a. This was part of ATA-2b. this standard allows non-hard drive devices (e.g., CD’s) to plug

into the same cable and MB interface as a HD. c. Red wire is always pin #1

iii. ATA-31. added Self Monitoring, Analysis and Support Technology

(S.M.A.R.T.) which helps predict when a drive is going to failiv. ATA-4

1. Introduced Ultra DMA. 2. Uses DMA bus mastering to achieve faster speeds

v. ATA-51. changed the ribbon cable to 80 wires. 2. The extra 40 wires act as grounds to improved high speed signals3. added two faster DMA modes (44.4 and 66.6 MBps)

a. the 66.6 MBps DMA was most popular and also called ATA/66.

b. It is distinguished by a blue connector for the MB, gray for the slave and black for the master drive. {}

vi. ATA-6vii. ATA-7

viii. Serial ATA (SATA) solved many problems:1. earlier ribbon cables impeded airflow and were difficult to install2. ribbon cables had max length of 18 inches3. could not hot-swap PATA drives4. created point-to-point connection between hard SATA device and the

Sata Controller (aka, Host Bust Adapter HBA).5. Serial connections only need 7 wires (vs 80 for parallel found in

PATA)6. allowed cable length up to 40 inches (one meter).7. Each drive connects to one port, no more master/slave or daisy

chaining8. No max number of drives (MB’s commonly support up to 8)9. Two flavors

a. SATA/150: 1.5 GB/secb. SATA/300: 3.0 GB/Sec (aka, SATA II)c. Test question: Serial ATA transfer rates begin at: 66 MBps

f. SATA


i. Native Command Cueing (NCQ): disk optimization feature of SATAii. ACHI (Advanced Host Controller Interface): SATA feature that allows hot

swappingiii. Max internal cable length: 40 inches (1 meter)

Max external cable length (eSATA): 2 metersg. Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI)

i. up to 16 devices in a daisy chainii. Formats: Fast, Ultra, Ultra Wide, Ultra2, Ultra3, Ultra-320, Ultra-640

iii. Note: “Ultra Wide” interface must have Ultra Wide peripherals or storage devices

iv. Supports hard drives, scanners, tape drives… can put all these devices on the same “daisy” chain, on the same bus

v. Simplified the configuration processvi. Each device on a single bus is assigned a separate number (from 0-15). Need

a termination at the end and this may be a plug or may be internal to the last device. Newer (serial-attached) SCSI devices don’t have jumpers/terminators – the figure it out on their own.

vii. 50 or 68 pin HD connectorsviii. The two electrical types of SCSI cables are: Single ended and Differential

ix. Test question: Which cable/connection types are used for SCSI devices: DB-25 Female connector, 50 pin internal cable, 68 pin Connector (?external?)

h. Removable Drives

i. Floppy (1.44MB), CD (700MB) DVD (4.7 / 8.5 GB) Blue-ray (25 / 50 GB)ii. Legacy (e.g., Iomega Zip or Jaz)

iii. Flash memoryiv. External HD: USB, Firewire, eSATA

29. Hard Drivesa. RAID: Redundant Array of Independent (Inexpensive) Disks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID Seven types:

i. 0 – striping (block level striping without parity or mirroring)1. technically not true RAID because no redundancy or fault tolerance

ii. 1 – mirroring (without parity or striping)1. Disk Duplexing: use separate controller card for each disk. Faster and

saferiii. 2 – bit level striping with dedicated parity

1. all disk spindle rotation is synchronized and data are striped such that each sequential BIT is on a different disk

iv. 3 – byte level striping with dedicated parity1. all disk spindle rotation is synchronized and data are striped such that

each sequential BYTE is on a different diskv. 4 – Block level striping with dedicated parity

1. all parity data confined to a single drivevi. 5 – Block level striping with distributed parity.

1. most common type.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID


2. Distributes parity info across all drives3. If four 200 GB drives, then 600 GB storage

vii. 6 – block level striping with double distributed parity1. requires at least 5 drives, but can lose up to 2 at once

b. JBOD: “Just A Bunch Of Disks” – multiple independent disks. No RAID.c. HD jumpers xxx

i. some use “cable select” 1. drive position on cable determines master vs slave2. both drives must be jumpered to “cable select” and requires a cable-

select cabled. Reverse PATA cable, no problem. Reverse SCSI cable, can damage drivee. CMOS “autodetect” may find a CD/DVD drive, but you still need to install driversf. Hybrid hard drives

i. combine flash memory with platters. ii. Faster and less platter spin.

iii. Less power used. Good for laptopsg. Max hard drive sizes

i. Original AT: 504 MGii. AT with LBA: 8.4 GB

iii. INIT13 extensions: 137 GB (these overcame limitations of old AT bus)iv. Basic Disk partitions: up to 2 Terabytes v. Dynamic Disk partitions: up to 16 terabytes (more if tweak cluster size)

h. Partitioning: divides drive into groups of cylinders called partitions (or volumes)i. Two partitioning methods:

1. Master Boot Record (Basic disks)2. Dynamic Storage Partitioning (Dynamic disks)

ii. Basic disk partitioning creates MBR and partition table. Places these on 1st sector (i.e., the Boot Sector)

iii. BIOS looks to MBR. MBR’s only job is look in partition table and find partition with valid OS

i. Basic Diski. up to 4 partitions, 3 of these can be bootable

ii. partitions are Primary or Extended (extended are not bootable)iii. Extended partitions do not get drive letters. Must create a Logical Drive in

the extended partition and give logical a drive letteriv. Primary or Logical drive may be a folder on primary partition instead of

getting a drive letterv. Only one partition may be active at a time

vi. Primary partition and Logical drive on Basic disks called “basic volumes”j. Dynamic Disks

i. introduced with Win 2000ii. refers to “volumes” rather than primary or extended partitions

iii. Spanned Volume – goes across up to 32 drivesiv. Only have MBR and Partition Table for backward compatibility with older

OS’sv. All info about dynamic disk is on hidden partition on last 1 MB of the HD


vi. Foreign drive – see this in Disk Management Utility if move dynamic disk to a new computer. R-click and choose “import”

vii. Five types of dynamic disk: Simple, Spanned, Striped, Mirrored, RAID5viii. XP and Vista Home editions do not support dynamic disks

ix. Master (C:\) drive cannot use some dynamic disk features (e.g., spanning and extending) unless you use a “Volume Mount Point”: mount another volume as a folder

k. Disk Managementi. FDISK: thru Win ME this was used to partition HD’s

ii. Disk Management utility: graphical partitioning program beginning with Win 2000

1. Disk Initialization: must R-click and initialize a new HD before you can partition

2. Windows requires NTFS on any partition larger than 32 MB (even tho FAT32 will support up to 2 TB)

3. Allocation Unit Size = Cluster Size (use the windows default)4. 8 MB unallocated partition – Windows creates this on install. Uses it

when convert to dynamic disk5. Still sees disk as “Basic” if create RAID using hardware (controller

card or motherboard-based) RAID controller. (Can you still convert it to “Dynamic” in windows without losing data?? gn)

iii. Linux FDISK: has same function but very different program. 1. Most Linux users prefer GParted, rather than FDISK, but it requires a

Linux OS on CD to run it.iv. Re-size partitions

1. Win2000 and XP can resize to make larger2. Win Vista can expand or shrink partitions

v. Formatting: Creates file system and makes the root directoryvi. Four entries in FAT table:

1. End of file2. Bad Sector3. Cluster available4. Next cluster file number

vii. Three Microsoft file systems: FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS1. FAT16 (p. 458)

a. max 32 MB partition (clustering allowed up to 2 GB part.)2. FAT32

a. began with Win95 OSR2b. partitions up to 2 TBc. allowed smaller clusters, more efficient storage

3. NTFS (New Technology File System)a. introduced with Win NTb. more complex clusters and allocation tablesc. six major improvements: Redundancy, Security Compression,

Encryption, Disk Quotas, Cluster Sizing


d. has small immovable partition in center of disk for Master File Table

e. EFS (Encrypting File System)i. not available in XP Home, XP Media Center, Win 7

Starter, Win 7 Home Basic, Win 7 Home Premium)ii. does not hide files, just makes unreadable by other

usersiii. not a part of the NTFS security system

f. ACL (Access Control List) controls NTFS security featuresviii. Quick Format: does not test the clusters

ix. Error Checking Utility (XP, Vista, Win7)1. same function as ScanDisk & ChkDsk in earlier windows2. flags bad clusters on HD, tries to fix invalid filenames, removes “lost

chains” (ie, clusters without filenames)3. CompTia A+ exam uses ChkDsk rather than “Error Checking”4. run weekly as part of maintenance plan

l. Disk Cleanup – cleans Recycle Bin, temp internet, downloaded prog, and temp filesm. Troubleshoot Hard Drives:

i. (Also see: troubleshooting windows)ii. Four areas to check: Connectivity, Partitioning, Formatting, Dying HD

iii. Data corruption1. run Error Checking utility (for pre-XP, use ScanDisk & ChkDsk)2. if unable to load critical windows files

a. pre-Vista: use command line to extract from CAB file on CD(e.g., EXPAND E:\I386\*.CAB –F:FILENAM.DLL

b. {} For Vista/Win7, presumably you do this by booting the install media > System Recovery Options > Repair Your Computer

3. if same errors continue after running error checking utility, try a “disk cleaning” utility like “SpinRite”, which marks bad sectors more accurately than windows built-in Error Correction Code (ECC)

4. If SpinRite fails, try Low Level Format utility from HD manufacturer5. Ultimate Boot CD by Ben Burrows has over 100 HD tools, including

low level format tools from various HD manufacturers30. Removable Media

a. Floppy Drivesi. 34 pin cable with 7-wire twist in middle to differentiate A vs B

ii. Uses “mini power connector” with beveled edges called “chamfers”iii. Floppy 3 Mode Support in CMOS: refers to 1.2 MB floppy used outside USiv. Floppy drive is the most frequent component to fail

b. Flash Memory - two types: i. USB thumb (aka, jump or flash) drives

1. hot swappable in Win 2000 / XP / Vista / 72. Cross platform compatibility: xfer between Mac, Win, and Linux

OS’s


3. Bootable USB with GParted partition editor utility. See: “GParted LiveUSB” at http://gparted.sourceforge.net/liveusb.php

ii. Flash Memory Cards1. Compact Flash (CF)2. SmartMedia3. Secure Digital (SD): most common flash media format

a. SD type: only stores datab. SDIO type: also supports devices like GPS and camerasc. no way to tell difference between SD slot and SDIO slot, so

read the manuald. Three forms: SD, Mini Secure Digital (MiniSD, and Micro

Secure Digital (MicroSD)e. Storage Capacity

i. Standard SD: 4 MB – 4 GBii. Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) 4-32 GB

iii. Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC): 32GB – 2TB

4. Memory Stick: Sony proprietary flash memory. Several formats5. XD Picture Card / Extreme Digital (xD): Olympus and Fujifilm

proprietary format for digital cameras. Three formatsc. Optical Drives: (CD / DVD / Blu-ray)

i. CD media 1. Data stored in microscopic pits that are laser burned into glass master

disc. Then plastic copies are coated with reflective material. CD readers use a laser and mirrors to read the data. The reflective “top” surface must be intact. Small scratches on the underside are not a problem and can be polished out.

2. CDDA (CD-Digital Audio) – special format for first CD’s. Designed for playing music. No error checking, file support or directory structure – so no useful in data storage

ii. CD-ROM 1. special format for storing data on CD. Divided CD into fixed sectors.

Similar to a hard drive’s partitions, but still no file structure. Format is named: ISO-9660 or “CD File System” (CDFS), though there are several “extensions” to this format

iii. CD-R (CD-Recordable)1. Records data using special organic dyes embedded into the disc. The

“burn laser” heats the organic dye, causing change in reflectivity of the surface which if functional equivalent of CD’s “pits”

2. Chemicals used to make them produce a brightly colored recording side

3. come in two varietiesa. 74-minute holds 650 MBb. 80-minute holds 700 MB

iv. CD-RW

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/liveusb.php


1. burn laser heats an amorphous (noncrystalline) substance, that when cooled, becomes crystalline. Crystalline areas are reflective, amorphous areas are not.

2. Three drive specs: Write speed / Rewrite speed / Read speed (e.g., 12x10x32 or 48x24x48)

3. Multisession: burn files to CD-R, then come back later and burn additional files

4. UDF: Universal Data Formata. replaced the ISO-9660 format for CD media

v. ADAPTI-Compliant: 1. means that the drive can plug into the ATA controller on the

motherboard just like a hard drive.2. You don’t need to install drivers?? (not so sure about that. gn) 3. You still need “burner software” to record. This is built into XP and

Vistavi. Music CD

1. Use a slightly different disc called a “music CD-R”. To restrict duplication, you can record TO a music CD-R or music CD-RW, but you can’t record FROM them

vii. DVD-Video (Digital Video Disc) 19951. Developed for video2. can store 2 hours of video on each side3. MPEG (Moving Pictures Expert Group) - standards of video and

audio compressiona. MPEG-1 352 x 240 at 30 fps (just below VHS quality)b. MPEG-2 used for DVD. Allows up to 1280 x 720 at 60

frames/sec sec with full CD quality audio. OK for TV, including HDTV

c. MPEG-4 – uses “wavelet” compression which is superior to earlier versions. Used to deliver video over web and for Blu-ray

viii. DVD (Digital Versatile Discs)1. adaptation of DVD-video for data storage2. DVD-ROM: can store up to 16 GB of data3. Smaller, more densely packed pits than CD4. Can be single or double sided, single or dual-layer5. Recordable DVD: at least six standards:

a. DVD-R for general useb. DVD-R for authoringc. DVD+Rd. DVD-RWe. DVD+RWf. DVD-RAM (requires a special cartridge, so rarely used)

ix. Blu-ray1. near perfect audio and video quality2. up to 25 GB (single layer) or 50 GB (dual layer)


3. two sizes: standard and mini4. HD-DVD was a competing standard that was conceded (by Toshiba)

in 20085. Uses a blue-violet laser with wavelength 405 nm

(DVD uses a red laser with wavelength of 640 nm)6. smaller wavelength is much more precise, so sharper image7. can handle higher definition video resolutions than DVD8. Blu-ray disc requirements << know for test>>

a. at least P4 or Athlon 64 X2b. 1 GB RAM for XP / 2 GB RAM for Vistac. HDCP compliant video card (either DVI or HDMI)

9. Region codes << know for test>>a. instituted to stop piracyb. region code on older drives can only be changed 4 timesc. newer drives are “region free”d. USA is “Region 1”

x. BD-ROM 1. Read only version of Blu-ray2. most drives are backward compatible with DVD and CD formats3. PlayStation3 uses a Blue-ray disc player

xi. BD-R: recordableBD-RE: rewritable

1. see LG WH10LS30K at Newegg for $99 (Nov 2010)xii. PATA optical drives use regular 40 pin IDE cables

xiii. ADAPTI drives require no CMOS changesxiv. CD and DVD drives do not come with eSATA connectors, but some Blu-ray

disc drives use eSATAxv. Clean optical disks with damp cloth. Brush from center to edge, do not use

circular motionxvi. Buffer Underrun

1. all CD/DVD/Blu-ray burners have onboard buffer RAM. Underrun is inability of computer to keep the burner loaded with data

a. Don’t multi-task during burn unless you have “BURN-proof” technology to turn off burning and restart when buffer fills

b. Burning from ISO solves underrun problems when duplicating CD’s

xvii. AUTORUN.INF: by default Windows looks for this file when insert a CDxviii. Technical specs for various optical drives are found in books named for their

color. (e.g., 1. Red book = Audio CD’s2. Yellow book = Data CD’s3. Orange book = Recordable CD’s

d. Troubleshoot optical disk drivesi. Most problems due to incorrect device drivers, disconnected cables or

incompatible/bad media31. Power


a. Electricityi. Amp: rate of electron flow past a point in one sec

ii. Voltage: electrical “pressure” pushing the electronsiii. Watt: measure of real power. Volts * Amps = watts

eg 120V * 0.5A = 60Wiv. Volt-amperes (VA): measure of apparent powerv. Alternating Current: flow of electrons alternates back and forth

1. Frequency of alternating currenta. AC travels long distance better, but most electronic devices

use DCb. US/Canada: 110-120 volts of AC (VAC), 60 Hz (60

cycles/sec)c. Europe: 220-240VAC, 50 Hz

vi. Direct Current: vii. current moves one direction with constant voltag

viii. e

Transistor is a solid state device used to amplify a signal or serve as a switch

Capacitor stores charge when being supplied with a voltage and releases it when put into a circuit without one.

b. Circuit Breaker: If push too much amperage thru, the wiring inside detects the increase in heat and automatically opens the switch.

c. Connectorsi. 4-pin peripheral power connector (Molex)

1. for devices needing 5 or 12 voltsii. Floppy drive power connector (mini-connector)

1. also supplies 5 or 12 voltsiii. SATA power connector

1. 15 pin connector that can supply 3.3, 5, or 12 Vd. Power Supply: converts AC to 3.3, 5, and 12 Volt DC

i. AT1. in original IBM PC

ii. ATX (aka, ATX12V) 19951. 20 pin (P1) connector with 3.3, 5 and 12V to MB2. standby power/soft power: always “on” when plugged in. Always

have 5V running to MB, so always unplug (though most have a true power off toggle on the back)


iii. ATX12V 1.3 2003 1. 20-pin main MB connector, 2. added the 12V (P4) 4-pin MB connector. This is used by some

high power demanding MB’s, 3. added 6-pin (flat) AUX connector for additional 3.3 and 5V power

to MB (not standardized so different manufactures varied the configuration.)

iv. EPS12V:1. Developed for power hungry servers.2. had more connectors3. introduced “rails”

v. ATX12V 2.0: 1. 24 pin connector, but backward compatible with 20 pin ver 1.3

connectors 2. Dropped the AUX connector, but required SATA hard drive

connectors (SATA power connectors have 15 pins) 3. had two 12 volt rails for any power supply rated higher than 240

watts.vi. ATX12V2.2

1. Standard 24 pin (P1) main connector (driven by PCI express), 2. increased +12VDC output, 3. dropped the 4-pin AUX connector4. has 6 pin PCI express connector, 5. 4-pin +12V (some MB’s use these), 24-pin MB, Molex, Floppy,

SATAe. Rails:

i. Originally power supplies took AC and transformed it to 3 DC voltage rails of 3.3, 5, and 12 volts.

ii. MB and any devices using 12V shared the same rail. Later power supplies divided this into multiple rails (at least for 12V)

iii. ATX12V standard requires up to 18 Amps for each 12 volt rail. Look for 12 to 18 A per rail when replacing power supply

f. Active Power Factor Correction (Active PFC)i. transforming AC to DC creates a humming noise called “harmonics”

ii. Active PFC eliminates harmonics, be sure new power supply specifies thisg. There is always some power loss when convert from AC to DC. ATX12V 2.0

requires at least 70% efficiency in the transformation.h. Generally, have at least 500 watt power supplyi. Troubleshoot Power Supplies

i. To test for defective power supply, test the connectors where they attach to the MB by sticking probe beside wires on molex and P1/P4 connectors

ii. Can use Power Supply Tester, but this doesn’t test performance under load. If PS starts at all, its better to use volt meter while P1 is attached to MB to test the various connectors

iii. Paper clip test: connect green and black wires on P11. If PS starts with paper clip, remove clip:


a. PS stops=pass, PS stays on=fail2. Jump the Power on/off soft switch on MB with screwdriver’

a. If unable to start by crossing on/off pins on MB = MB problemb. If can cross the MB pins to start PS, replace power on/off

switch.c. Note: Fixed one pc by turning on/off with switch while

paperclip inserted, then removed clip and switch started working…. May have been due to re-seating the connectors, but it worked)

iv.v. Power supplies tend to die with intermittent errors. Examples include

1. Computer boots fine, then locks up. Pressing ctrl-alt-del repeatedly gets it to restart

2. Intermittent and inconsistent error codes on bootup3. Computer runs fine for an hour or two, then locks up4. Only floppy disk drives fail more often than power supplies in PC’s

vi. Always have a Class C fire extinguisher on the workbench. This is for electrical fires

j. Testing toolsi. Circuit tester: lights show if ground, etc wired correctly

ii. Power Supply Tester: can check new PS or one disconnected from MB. Faster way to test all cables from PS, but does not test under load.

iii. Multimeter: (aka, Volt-Ohm Meter or digital multimeter)1. video on multimeter use: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=bF3OyQ3HwfU2. Four electrical tests:

a. Continuity: whether electrons can flow from one end of wire to the other. Use to test for bad fuse or broken wire

b. Resistance: broken wire or fuse will also show infinite resistance

c. AC Voltage (VAC) and d. DC Voltage (VDC)

3. DC has polarity. For DC, be sure Red to hot, Black to ground. eg, red lead to red Molex, black to black wire = 5 volts red to yellow wire, black to black wire = 12 volts

4. To measure DC current, open the circuit at the point where you want to measure the current. Place the multimeter probes in series with the circuit.

5. Test Question: A multimeter is set up to DC, Ohms, and 20k. How would a good 4-ampere fuse measure? 0.00

6. Test Question: A multimeter is set up to DC, Ohms, and 20k. How would a bad 4-ampere fuse measure? infinitely high

7. Test Question: The farad is the basic unit of measurement for: capacitors

8. Ohms is the basic unit of measurement for: resistors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF3OyQ3HwfU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF3OyQ3HwfU


9. using an ohmmeter: remove power to the circuit before attaching the meter

k. Polarized plug: larger connection is neutral (white wire), smaller is hot (black wire)l. Before replacing an AC adapter (aka, external power supply), on a laptop be sure to

check: voltage, amperage, and polarity.m. Surge Suppressor

i. power spikes and noise (e.g., start vacuum), storms, power grid changes. Smooth out spikes by diverting spikes to ground

ii. noise filters remove line noise. Higher decibel is better.iii. Joule rating: 200-good, 400-better, best if > 600, (Meyers says at least 800)iv. Surge amp rating: higher is betterv. UL1449 voltage let-through ratings: 500, 400, and 330 volts. Lower is better.

n. Power Conditioner:i. line noise can cause keyboard lockups, data corruption and other problems

ii. filters electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI)

o. Uninterruptable Power Supply: i. for blackouts, brownouts, surges. UPS types include

1. Standby2. Line-interactive: increases output when power drifts down3. On-line UPS: always run from battery

ii. Features may include: auto shutdown, battery capacity, number of outlets, phone line suppression

32. Connectorsa. Universal Serial Bus (USB): Type A, B or Mini-Bb. Parallel: DB-25 Plug, magenta

i. Centronics Plug on printerc. Serial: 9-pin or 25-pin (the 25 pin looked identical to 25-pin parallel)d. IEEE 1394: Apple trademarked it “Firewire, (aka, i.LINK):

i. 9-pin Firewire 800 ii. 6-pin Firewire 400

iii. 4-pin Firewire 400iv. EEE 1394 cabling consists of shielded cable pairs. There are 4 and 6 wire

versions of this cable type, known as STP, used in IEEE1394 connections.e. RJ-11 (phone / 4-pin), RJ-45 (Ethernet / 8-pin)f. PS/2: (aka, Mini Din) first came on IBM PS/2 series computers, purpleg. 1/8” jack connector: used for audioh. Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI): larger DIN connector for things like

musical keyboards or other instrumentsi. Sony/Phillips Digital Interconnect Format (S/PDIF): may have coaxial (yellow?)

and/or fiber connector. Fiber port may have a flap to keep dust out.j. Cables: Ribbon, Coaxial, Twisted Pair, Sata, Fiber Optics,

i. Twisted pair: don’t put unshielded near florescent lightii. Cable Conventions

1. male and female connections


2. red stripe on ribbon cable is pin 13. missing pins and keys

iii. Standard Cables1. USB: printers, hard drives, scanners, phones, etc2. Parallel cables3. Serial

a. null-modem cable: connect to another device4. Ethernet cables

a. cross-over cable: directly connect 2 Ethernet devicesk. Types of Connectors

i. D-Subminiature: DA-15, DB-25, DC-37, DD-50, DE-9ii. Centronics: Wang Labs had surplus connectors for calculators, so used for

printers1. Centronics 36 – Printers / Centronics 50 – SCSI

iii. Networking1. BNC: Early Ethernet “thin net”2. IBM Type 1 – Token ring networking3. RJ-45: modern copper cabling4. Fiber Optic: ST, SC, LC, MT-RJ

l. Connecting cables:i. Gender changers

ii. Null-modem adapters (allows you to use a modem cable as a null modem)iii. Couplers

33. Adapter Cards / Expansion Busa. Every device on computer connects to external data bus and address bus.b. Chipset provides an extension of address bus and data bus to expansion slots.c. Every device soldered to MB runs at speed of the system crystal (aka, clock). d. System crystal sits on its own buse. So that expansion cards are not limited to system crystal speed, there is a separate

“Expansion Bus Crystal” which runs much slower than the FSB34. History of Expansion buses

a. PC Bus (IBM)i. on first IBM PC’s

ii. 8 bit expansion bus running at 7 MHzb. AT Bus (IBM)

i. created for 80286ii. 16 bit bus running at 7 MHz

c. ISA – Industry Standard Architecturei. Early 80’s. Created by group of clone makers

ii. combined best parts of PC and AT busiii. 16 bits at 7 MHziv. too slow and narrow, each device had to be configured manually

d. Three unsuccessful attempts to take lead in late 80’si. IBM Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) – had to be licensed from IBM

ii. Extended ISA (EISA) - too expensive to produce


iii. VESA Local Bus (VL-Bus) from Video Electronics Standards Assoc. Only worked in tandem with ISA

e. Intel PCI – Peripheral Component Interconnect (1993)i. released to public domain

ii. faster, wider, more flexibleiii. original was 32 bits wide and ran at 33 MHziv. could co-exist with ISA slotsv. self-configuring

vi. burst mode feature for efficient data transfersf. AGP (Intel) -Accelerated Graphics Port (1997)

i. a specialized PCI card to handle the increased graphic demands of the Windows interface

ii. direct connect to Northbridgeiii. most were brown in color, so easy to identify

g. PCI-X - PCI Extended (1998)i. 64 bit wide bus

ii. also accepts PCI cardsiii. 4 speeds (66, 133, 266, and 533 MHz)

h. Mini-PCI - for laptopsi. PCIe - PCI-Express (2004)

i. still PCI, but uses point-to-point serial connection with Northbridge (vs shared parallel used by PCI

ii. so connection not shared with other devicesiii. uses one wire to send its 32 bits of data and one to receive (called a “lane”)iv. can have 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, or 32 lanes. v. PCIe (x16) is the most common. Has 16 lanes.

35. PC communication has 4 parts: I/O Address, IRQ, DMA Channel, and Memory Addressa. Not all devices use all four, but all use IRQ’s. b. In the old days you had to configure the I/O address and IRQ for each device

manually. IBM tried to simplify this by reserving some I/O address and IRQ combinations for the serial and parallel ports. These preset combinations were called COM ports for serial connections and LPT ports for parallel connections. (p. 301-307)

c. I/O Addressi. every device responds to at least four I/O addresses

ii. the address bus to expansion slots is always 32 bit wided. IRQ –Interrupt Requests

i. allows device to stop the CPU long enough to send its data (e.g., that the mouse has moved)

ii. every CPU has an “interrupt wire.” A device puts voltage here to get CPU’s attention.

1. IOAPIC –I/O Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller - this is the intermediary chip receiving interrupt request from all devices, then charges the CPU’s interrupt wire.

2. CPU then queries IOAPIC to see which device interrupted. 3. This IOAPIC function is usually built into the Southbridge


4. Before IOAPIC, IRQ’s were actual wires leading to the previous generation of traffic cops, called PICs.

iii. IRQ’s are numbered 0-22. IRQ 9 is reserved for the IOAPIC and is its communication to the CPU interrupt wire

iv. Vista and Win7 have more extensive IRQ’s called “virtual” IRQ’s ranging from 0 to 190. However, they are all handled automatically by the OS.

e. DMA Channel – Direct Memory Accessi. DMA is accessing memory directly without using the CPU.

ii. Classic DMA involves a “DMA controller” (formerly called the “8237”) used for things like game sounds, moving data from floppy or HD into RAM. Controller allows devices to access external data bus when CPU is busy with internal calculations (i.e., about 95% of the time)

iii. Only floppy drives still use classic DMA. Modern devices use “bus mastering” to watch for other devices accessing external data bus and avoid conflicts.

iv. Ultra DMA is a type of bus mastering used by hard disksv. Neither PCI nor PCIe support DMA so devices that use these expansion slots

are not DMA devicesvi. Test question: Which use a DMA channel: Floppy Disk, SCSI adapter, sound

cardf. Memory Address

i. Two reasons device may need memory addresses: for onboard RAM or for option ROM. This is handled automatically by modern OS’s

36. Typical Modern IRQ AssignmentsIRQ Line Typical Device

0 System Timer1 Keyboard2 Reserved3 COM2, COM4, SDLC4 COM1, COM3, SDLC 5 LPT26 Floppy Controller7 LPT18 Real Time Clock9 Reserved

10 Unassigned11 SCSI adapters12 SCSI adapters13 Co-processor14 Primary IDE15 Secondary IDE

37. Test question: IRQ that cascades with IRQ2: IRQ938. IRQ conflicts can cause: broken up system sounds, system lockups, printer doesn’t work

while modem is on, mouse not work, and others


39. Misc Expansion Card notes from Messer videos:a. Adapter card architectures

i. PCI 32-bit and 64-bit slots1. PCI 32 bit expansion card: check voltage signaling keyway (3.3V

or 5V), and 64 bit spacer keyway2. 64 bit card may run in 32 bit slot, just slower

ii. Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP). 1. has the hook on the back to hold it in place

iii. PCI Express: 1. Newer motherboards use PCI Express for graphics

iv. Input/Output cards1. SCSI adapter card: typically has SCSI ports on back and inside of

computer (at top of card)v. Serial / Parallel: some may fit on a PCI Express card

vi. Communications cards1. Modem: may also connect to a PCI card

b. Install and troubleshoot adapter cardsi. Determine number and type of slots

ii. Check min hardware/software requirements for the adapter card. Are drivers available for your computer and OS

iii. Does driver need to be installed before card is installed? or vice versa?Note: USB and Firewire devices often need drivers installed before the device.

iv. Drivers “unsigned” by Microsoft will usually install with no problem. However, Vista 64-bit is trying to be extra stable. Drivers MUST be signed by Microsoft

v. If Vista Ultimate warns driver is not digitally signed by Microsoft: You need to run SIGVERIF utility to manually create a digital signature for the driver.

c. Device Manager Error Iconsi. Black ! on yellow circle: device is missing, windows doesn’t recognize the

device, or device driver problemii. red X: disabled device. May be damaged or turned off manually.

1. try enabling device, re-installing drivers, roll back to earlier driver, and check the “error code”

iii. blue ! on white field: device on which system resources have been configured manually. Only occurs on non-ACPI systems.

40. Motherboards: Characterized by Form Factor, Chipset, and Componentsa. Form Factor: see #7 aboveb. Chipset defines the type processor, RAM, and built in devices (including expansion

slots)i. Mostly composed of Northbridge and Southbridge

ii. Northbridge originally helped CPU work with RAMiii. Newer MB’s Northbridge instead provides communication with video card

and CPU has taken over role of memory controlleriv. Southbridge handles some expansion devices and mass storage devices.


v. Control of floppy drives, infrared connections, parallel ports and modems has been moved from Southbridge to the “Super I/O chip”

vi. The two dominant chipset makers are Intel and NVIDIAvii. Intel calls Northbridge the Memory Controller Hub (MCH)

Southbridge is called: I/O Controller Hub (ICH) or the Legacy I/O Controller Hub

c. Components: built in components determine the functionality of the system41. Cooling Systems

a. Heat Sinks: dissipate heat through thermal conduction. i. Fins/grid increases surface area.

ii. Made of copper or aluminum alloyiii. 3rd party versions tend to have more surface area and to be quieter

b. On-chip or on-board fansc. Case fans: most common sizes: 80mm, 92mm, 120mmd. www.silentpcreview.com good site for reviews of quiet fans

42. Input/Output Devicesa. Video Displays:

i. CRT: Electron gun, electron beams, focusing coils, deflection coils, anode connection, separating mask for beams, phosphor layer

1. Refresh rate (hertz): higher refresh rate causes less eye strainii. LCD: florescent or LED light, color filter, horizontal filter <-> crystal

molecule <-> vertical filter1. Specifications:

a. Screen sizeb. Native resolution: total number pixels across top and sides.

Gives sharpest view.c. Aspect ratio: 4:3=square 16:9=widescreend. Response time: how fast LCDs change color or move back and

forth (in ms)e. Brightness: candela per square meter (cd/m2), higher is betterf. Contrast ratio: contrast between black and white. Larger is

betterg. Viewing Angle: in degrees, h. Connection: VGA / DVI / S-Video, HDMI. Need converter if

doesn’t match your adapteriii. LCD Projectors: not always LCD

b. Video Adaptersi. Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP):

1. has special graphics connector on MB. 2. Has hook in back of card

ii. PCI Express: high throughputiii. Features of Video Adapters

1. Video Ram (VRAM)2. Supported resolutions: important for LCD monitors3. Connectors may include: VGA, DVI, S-Video, HDMI

c. Audio Adapters:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/


i. input connectors: 1/8” (3.5mm) jacks or USB, webcam microphone (integrated into USB connection), built in to laptop

ii. Output: 1/8” (3.5mm) jacks or ¼” (6.35mm) jacks (for legacy devices)d. Audio quality

i. Sample rate in kHz: 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, 96(e.g., 8 kHz would be 8000 samples per sec)

1. 44.1 kHz often used on CD’s2. 48 kHz often used on DVD’s

ii. Audio bit depth: 8 vs 16 vs 24 bit: number of slices per cycle1. 8-bit = 256 possible levels2. 16-bit = 65,536 possible levels3. 24-bit = 16,777,216 possible levels

iii. Number of channels (e.g., mono, stereo, ?more)iv. Combine all above into Audio Bit Rate: maximum number of kilobits

per second of audio: 128, 192, 320 kbpsa. Bit rate: (sampling rate) x (bit depth) x (number of channels)

eg, 48 kHz x 16 bits x 1 48,000 x 16 768 kilobits = 96 kilobytes per channel

e. Multimedia Devicesi. Digital Cameras

1. Pixel Density: megapixels2. Storage: compact flash, secure digital, other formats (e.g., XD)

ii. Web cams: often use USB or built into laptop, usually for live video that is not stored

iii. Digital Video Cameras: 1. may have own hard drive2. Flash memory (Compact Flash – CF), Secure Digital (SD)3. Connectivity

a. Firewire on higher end cameras, or USB for lower endb. Removable memory cards

iv. Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)1. industry standard since 1983 2. newer systems may use USB rather than midi connector

f. System Resourcesi. Input/Output (I/O) address: every device (e.g., keyboard) has a 32-bit

address. This is a hexadecimal numberii. Interrupt request (IRQ): allows device-to-CPU interruptions

1. device actually talks to Programmable Interrupt Controller (PIC)a. originally there were 16 IRQ’s availableb. Advanced PIC: allows more than 16 devices

i. usually part of the Southbridgeii. allows 24 IRQ’s

iii. Direct Memory Address (DMA): 1. allows device to bypass CPU and communicate with memory.2. not all devices have DMA


3. coordinated with a DMA controller or through bus masteringi. eg, hard drives just write to memory directly w/o going

thru cpuiv. Memory Addresses:

1. legacy device may be reserving part of memory addresses2. Boot ROM: hard drive controllers, network cards3. On-board RAM: video

v. Identifying Conflicts1. Shown by yellow tag in device manager2. go into properties, look for “conflicting device List” under

“Resources”a. may be able to change setting (e.g., for IRQ)

43. Printer and Scanner typesa. Laser Printers

i. prints full page at onceii. Raster Image Processing types: page description language used to build the

page for print1. Adobe Postscript2. HP Printer Command Language (PCL)3. Microsoft XML Page Specification (XPS)

iii. printing process1. clean excess toner from drum2. negatively charge the drum3. write image (laser reflects off mirror onto drum)4. develop/add toner: only parts of drum where laser touched have

negatively charged toner attached5. transfer what’s on the photosensitive drum to paper

a. not yet fused so if pull out jammed page, lot of toner may fall/rub off

6. Fuse: heat up and pressure melts toner and sticks it to the paper

Clean Charge Write Develop Transfer Fuse (Can Charlie Write Down This Fact)

iv. Another explanation of printing process1. Cleaning – electrically neutral soft plastic blade cleans excess toner

from photoreceptor. Discharge lamp removes remaining charge2. Charging - -600V charge placed on photoelectric drum (primary

corona). Corona wire charges drum.3. Writing – laser etches image on drum applying -100V charge.

Negatively charged toner attracted to the relatively more positive (ie, -100V vs -600V)

a. There are six basic steps in the LaserJet print process. During which step does the laser scan the image? Writing


b. answer on a practice test: Used to create the image of a page on the drum when using a laser printer: Corona wire (not Laser) ????

4. Developing – applies negatively charged mist of toner to drum5. Transfer - +600V charge applied to secondary corona wire attracting -

100V charged toner to transfer to paper a. Purpose of the transfer corona: Charges the paper so the ink

sticks to it b. To keep the paper from clinging to the drum, it is discharged

by the “detac corona wire” immediately after picking up the toner

6. Fusing – image fused/baked to paper by 350° F b. Inkjet (ink-dispersion) printer: inexpensive, quiet, expensive ink, eventually fades,

clogs easilyi. Inkjet printhead moved where to keep from drying out: maintenance area

c. Dot-matrix (impact) printer: good for carbon/multiple copies, low cost per page, noisy, poor graphics

i. Test question: Impact printer prints well on left side, but fade as printing moves to the right: misaligned platen

d. Thermal printer: special white paper turns black when heated, very quiet, sensitive to light and heat (and clear tape!),

e. Solid ink (dye-sublimation) printer: i. puts one color on paper at a time

ii. goes from ink to gas without liquid, using different heat levels to create different colors

iii. no true black, limited media size (need page-size roll of blue, red, yellow ink), wastes dye

iv. security risk: because taking some ink from the roll, leaves image behindf. Scanners: flatbed, drum (archiving and high-end film scanning)g. All-in-one devices: printer, scanner, fax, phone

44. Printer and Scanner componentsa. Drivers: printer language, trays, colors, fonts, other optionsb. Firmware: update via USB or via network, similar to BIOS upgradec. Paper: friction feeder/roller; continuous feed (with perforations between sheets),

duplexing,d. Consumables: Toner (powdered ink), ink cartridge, paper,

i. Paper rated in brightness: 92 or 97 brightnessii. Weight of paper: basis weight (24 or 28 lb), actually refers to weight of paper

before cut into smaller reams45. Printer and Scanner interfaces

a. Serial, parallel/Centronics, USB, IEEE 1394/Firewire, SCSIb. Remote printer interfaces: NIC card, Wireless (802.11, infrared, Bluetooth)c. Can use loop-back plug to test a PC’s serial (RS232) (9-pin female plug) and parallel

(25-pin male plug) ports.


Parallel loopback plug (above)

46. Printer/Scanner Installinga. Printer drivers: PCL, Postscript, Graphics Device Interface (GDI)

i. GDI is an application dev interface that is part of windows, so don’t need PCL, postscript, etc

b. Scanner driversi. TWAIN (Technology Without An Interesting Name): an open API for

scanners developed in 1992ii. Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) newer, for both scanners and cameras,

new in XPc. Initial setup

i. Calibrate the device: color printers, differences in paper, match printed image to monitor, match scanned image to print image

ii. Configure option defaults: resolution (print vs draft quality), cover sheetd. Post Install: print test page, educate end usere. Upgrades: laser printer may need more memory, firmware upgrade,

47. Printer Optimizationa. For slow network connections, it may help to “start printing after last page is

spooled”b. Color Management: in printers device driver, may want to calibrate color in

advanced graphic uses such as photo printing, may need different profiles for different types paper. Scanners: may need to scan an item, print, then compare the two.

c. Media types: plain, matte, glossy. Different types absorb ink differently. Affects saturation, drying time, and brightness.

d. Paper size and orientation.48. Scanner Optimization

a. Resolution: DPI. First commercial laser printers were 300 DPI, so usually look for that in scanning.

i. Color – High resolution (300+) for picturesii. Grayscale – 300 dpi – images and complex docs

iii. Black and White – Documents – 100 dpib. Color Depth: 8, 16, 32 bit. More disk space for greater depthc. File formats:

i. BMP: device independent bitmap. Usually uncompressed


ii. JPG / JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts GroupLossy compression: less resolution than original, created to save disk space, good for photos

iii. GIF - Graphics Interchange Format: Compressed, limited to 256 color palatte, good for buttons on web pages

iv. TIF / TIFF – Tagged Image File Format: lossless compression, high-end desktop publishing

v. PNG – Portable Network Graphics: lossless compression, designed to replace GIF with larger color palatte

49. Troubleshoot Printers and Scannersa. gather info, error codes, event log, connectivity, sample printout, test page, printer’s

diagnostic utils, driver update, replace consumables, user manual, knowledge baseb. Tools

i. Multimeter: power from wall, ii. Screwdrivers and magnets

iii. Cleaning solution (no isopropal on control panels), water, neutral detergentiv. Print test patternv. Do not use standard vacuum cleaner due to static electricity and inadequate

filtering of fine toner particlesc. Paper problems: Out of paper, paper jamsd. Output quality:

i. garbled print: may be a driver issueii. spots or smudging may be a cleaning issue

iii. Slow printing: DPI set too high, spooler disabled or set improperly, restart print spooler, clear queue, recycle printer (may be in wrong mode if multifunction

e. Dot matrix: print head not moving or not printing, paper not advancingf. Inkjet problems: ink too low, cartridge needs aligning

i. inkjet printhead moved where to keep from drying out? maintenance areaii. Methods of dispersing ink in inkjet printers: Thermal and Piezoelectric

g. Laser: low toner, lines down page may be scratch on drumh. Scanner:

i. no connectivity, ii. poor quality: resolution set too low, dirty glass or doc feeder

50. Laser Printer Problems (p. 1005)a. Blank paper: out of toner. Remove toner and look at imaging drum. If image

present, transfer corona or hi voltage power supply has failedb. Dirty printouts: fusing mechanism dirty. Leaves speckles on printoutc. Ghosting: imaging drum not fully discharged, insufficient toner, or toner not

adequately chargedd. Light vs dark ghosting: try printing a lighter imagee. Vertical white lines: clogged toner. Shake cartridge or replace itf. Blotchy print: low toner, try shaking cartridge, dump paper, check fusing roller and

photosensitive drum for foreign objectsg. Spotty print at regular intervals – damaged drum or toner stuck to fuser rollers. Wipe

off fuser rollers


h. Embossed effect: foreign object on a rolleri. Incomplete characters on transparencies: adjust print densityj. Creased pages: try different type paper or different feed trayk. Paper Jams: follow manufacturer jam procedure. May be bad jam sensor

i. Which of the following components in a laser printer are most likely to cause a paper jam? Photosensitive drumExplanation: If laser printer’s static eliminator strip is broken, paper may jam because cannot curl around the photosensitive drum

l. Pulling multiple sheets: try new ream of paper. Check/replace the cork/rubber separation pad

m. Warped overprinted or poorly formed characters: may be paper or hardware problem. Avoid paper that is too rough, too smooth, or damp

n. If laser printer is on, hear fan operating, but will not print, first check: printer is online

51. Preventive Maintenance for printers and scannersa. vendor guidelines for scheduled maintenanceb. follow vendor documentationc. put on calendar, create ticket at scheduled timed. install maintenance kits (manufacturer or 3rd party)e. reset page count if sched maint is based on thisf. clean scanner glassg. Unplug before working on inside of printerh. Clean up spilled toner with cold water. It’s designed to melt if warm

52. Laptops and Portablesa. Expansion Cards

i. Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) (aka, PC Card). Each type of card uses the same 68-pin connector (a pin is a conduit inside a port that the computer uses to access peripherals connected to that port), so the cards are downward compatible. That means if you have a Type III slot or socket on your notebook computer you can connect a Type II card as well, and if you have a Type II slot, you can connect a Type I card in that slot. A Type III card will not fit in a Type II slot, however.

1. Type I: 16 bit, 3.3 mm thicka. typical for memory devices (RAM, flash memory SRAM)

2. Type II: 16 or 32 bit, 5 mm thicka. intro’d I/O support allowing NIC, modem and TV cardsb. often have miniature connector or dongle to full size connector

3. Type III: 16 or 32 bit, 10.5 mm thick. a. Hard drives, interface cards with full size connectors

4. Type IV: 16 mm thick a. intro’d by Toshiba, not officially standardized. b.


ii. Cardbus1. looks similar to PCMCIA but keyed different. PCMCIA can fit in

these slots, but not vice versa

iii. Express Card1. current trend. Two types: 34mm and 54 mm

b. Communication connectionsi. Bluetooth: voice, file transfer, and more

ii. Infrared: printingiii. Cellular/Mobile WAN: network anywhereiv. Ethernet

c. Mobile vs Desktopi. Throttling: laptop CPU’s slow down when get too hot, some slow when on

batteryii. Power Management: extend battery life (e.g., stop HD spinning, run display

with lower light)iii. Mobiles likely have Wi-Fiiv. Input devices: keyboard with track padv. Battery

1. Nickel-Cadmium (NiCad): a. early batteries, b. handled deep discharge well

2. Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH): a. newer; b. can be over-discharged and limit ability to recharge fully


3. Lithium Ion (Li-ion): a. newest: b. service life is limited, even if not in use; c. Charge capacity decreases over time

vi. AC Adapters (i.e., external power supply)1. generally auto-switching (110 vs 220volts)

a. if so, should say something like: Input: 100-240V ~ 50-60Hz 2.0A

vii. LCD technology1. Matrix: Active or Passive2. Native Resolutions << know these for exam >>

a. XGA (1024 x 768) – eXtended Graphics Arrayb. SXGA (1280 x 1024) – Super eXtended Graphics Arrayc. SXGA+ (1400 x 1050) – Super eXtended Graphics Array Plusd. UXGA (1600 x 1200) – Ultra eXtended Graphics Arraye. WXGA (1280 x 800)f. WXGA+ (1680x1050)g. WUXGA (1920 x 1200) – Widescreen Ultra eXtended

Graphics Arrayd. Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) standard

i. Open standard for power management and device configurationii. Not seen on PDA’s

iii. Standby / Suspend / Hibernate << know difference for test >>1. Power-on Standby: (?aka: sleep) halt operation, power to CPU &

memory2. Suspend: completes all operations, memory is powered3. Hybrid Sleep: designed for desktops, puts open docs and programs in

memory AND on hard disk, then puts computer in low-power state. If power fails, Windows can restore work from hard disk

4. Hibernate: memory contents saved to disk, no power, primarily for laptops

e. Before replacing laptop hard drive, unplug and remove the batteryf. Laptop Troubleshooting

i. Boot Process1. AC power lights, cables snug2. Check DC from power supply with multimeter, or swap with known

good power supply3. Remove unnecessary USB’s and expansion cards4. Check BIOS errors and look at system logs5. Listen for clicks (hard drive) or beep codes

ii. LCD video: 1. Toggle between LCD / ext monitor / both

a. Tells if video adapter is working, even if LCD is not2. Check LCD switch (turns screen off when close).

a. Physical switch on older systems, b. internal magnetic switch on newer


3. Verify backlight is working. a. May need to replace the LCD inverter or display if backlight

not coming on. b. Inverter converts DC to AC for the LCD screen

4. Verify set to native resolution if image is not very sharpiii. Input interface

1. for touchscreen, stylus and digitizer must be in sync2. digitizers tend to drift and need calibration

iv. Keypad problems: 1. check the “lock” buttons (e.g., scroll lock, F-Lock). 2. There may not be visual notification of these

v. Wireless problems: check the internal wireless card to be sure the antenna is attached

g. Laptop Preventive Maintenancei. Use “neutral” detergents to clean

ii. put liquid on lint-free cloth first, then cleaniii. monitor internal temp using CPU-IDiv. Google “computer cigarette smoke”

53. Operating Systemsa. All versions are available on Vista and Win7 install discsb. Features of OS’s

i. File Management: (e.g., Add, delete, rename)ii. Application Support: (e.g., memory mgt, swap file mgt)

iii. Input and Output support: (e.g., printers, keyboards, hard drives, USB drives)iv. Operating system configuration and management

c. Two tools on XP install disc for checking hardware/software compatibilityi. Windows Catalog

ii. Upgrade Advisord. Microsoft tool to check hardware compatibility

i. Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) ii. (formerly: Windows Logo’d Products List)

iii. (aka: Windows Catalog)e. Before upgrade:

i. Check compatibility, ii. backup data,

iii. un-install unnecessary apps, iv. disc scan and defrag, virus scan v. uncompress all files/folders,

vi. disable virus scanning in CMOSf. Multiboot Session:

i. e.g., Install XP and 2000 in a separate foldersii. Vista requires separate partitions for each OS

iii. Install OS’s in order from oldest to newestg. Installation methods:

i. Place install files on shared network directoryii. Image Installation: (aka, Disk Cloning)


1. complete copy of installed/configured OS (e.g., Norton Ghost)iii. Remote Installation: beginning with Win 2000 serveriv. Automated Install:

1. Scripted Installa. download “setup manager” for XP or 2000

i. unattended, sysprep, remote (p.591)b. Vista: Automated Install Kit (AIK) (overly complicated)

2. Disk cloning: same as “image installation” (e.g., Norton Ghost)v. slipstreaming: merge Service Packs with installation process

h. Windows unattended mode supports which data sources? (is this same as “automated install”

i. Network Connection and Optical Media (not Thumb Drive)i.j. Troubleshooting Install

i. If lockup during install: unplug and restart, (don’t Ctrl-Alt-Del or Reset). This will restart with Smart Recovery

ii. Check log files: SETUPLOG.TXT and SETUPAPI.LOG (located in \windows or \WINNT directory

iii. If install does not launch automatically:1. Win 2000 or XP: run WINNT32.EXE2. Vista: run SETUP.EXE

k. Migrating users:i. XP: Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

ii. Vista/Win7: Windows Easy Transferl. Network roles: Workgroup or domain (Win7: HomeGroup)

i. In a workgroup:1. All computers are peers; no computer has control over another

computer.2. Each computer has a set of user accounts. To log on to any computer

in the workgroup, you must have an account on that computer.3. There are typically no more than twenty computers.4. A workgroup is not protected by a password.5. All computers must be on the same local network or subnet.

ii. In a HomeGroup: << seems like a really bad concept. gn >>1. Only Win 7 Home Premium and higher OS supports HomeGroups2. If running a HomeGroup you can still share files with XP, Vista and

Win 7 computers. However, limited to Advanced sharing mode of XP. << many complaints about this, though. Just stick with workgroups. gn >>

3. If you are connected to a Domain, you cannot create a HomeGroup4. Computers on a home network must belong to a workgroup, but they

can also belong to a homegroup. 5. A homegroup makes it easy to share pictures, music, videos,

documents, and printers with other people on a home network. 6. A homegroup is protected with a password, but you only need to type

the password once, when adding your computer to the homegroup.


7. If you forget the HomeGroup password:a. Start > Run > type “homegroup” > press Enter > click “View

or print homegroup password”8. Different technology from Workgroups. Uses IPv6 for

communication.iii. In a domain:

1. One or more computers are servers. Network administrators use servers to control the security and permissions for all computers on the domain. This makes it easy to make changes because the changes are automatically made to all computers. Domain users must provide a password or other credentials each time they access the domain.

2. If you have a user account on the domain, you can log on to any computer on the domain without needing an account on that computer.

3. You probably can make only limited changes to a computer's settings because network administrators often want to ensure consistency among computers.

4. There can be thousands of computers in a domain.5. The computers can be on different local networks.

m. Minimums for Install Win 2000 XP pro Vista

i. Pentium 133 MHz 233 MHz CPU 1 GHz 32 or 64 bit CPUii. 64 MB RAM 64 MB RAM 512 (home) or 1GB (others)

iii. 650 GB free space 1.5 GB avail HD 20-15 free home / 40-15 free otheriv. VGA SVGA 800x600 direct x9, 32MB (h) 128 (other) v. net card and internet

vi. CD or DVD DVDn. Upgrades

i. Can upgrade to XP Pro from: 98, Me, NT 4.0, 2000 Pro, XP homeUpgrade Advisor: checks for compatibility

ii. Can upgrade from any XP version to Vista, but some require clean installUpgrade from Win2000 to Vista requires clean install

iii. Steps: compatibility check, backup, removed unused apps, disc scan and defrag, uncompress files/folders, virus scan, disable virus checking in CMOS

iv. Beginning with Vista, all versions on same install disco. Major Current OS’s

i. Mac OS named after big cats << No Mac OS questions on A+ >>1. Ver 10.3 = Panther2. Ver 10.4 = Tiger3. Ver 10.5 = Leopard4. Ver 10.6 = Snow Leopard5. browser named Finder

ii. Linux << No Linux-specific questions on A+ >>1. Unix-Compatible software system (but not actual Unix)2. Portable, powerful, open source3. Distributions: Ubuntu, Debian, Red Hat / Fedora


4. Multiple virtual desktops selectable at bottom5. Browser in Red Hat is named Nautilus6. Advantages: free, works with wide variety of software, passionate

user community, 7. Disadvantages: limited driver support (esp for laptops), limited

support optionsiii. Microsoft Windows

1. 85-90% of systems run windows2. Windows 2000: (released 2001)

a. Professional: for desktopsb. Server: entry level server for databases or web serverc. Advanced Server: for windows domains to manage large

groups of peopled. Datacenter Server: Rare. For large data centers needing fault

tolerance and redundancy capabilities3. XP: Home, Media Center, 64 bit, Professional4. Vista: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate

(released 2006 / some ref’s say 2007?)5. Windows Server 2003 and 20086. Windows Mobile, 7. Windows Tablet PC (XP, Vista)8. Window 7 (released 2010)

p. Windows XP tidbitsi. Ways to access “System”

1. Start > Settings > CP > Performance and Maintenance > System2. Winkey-Break3. XP: R-click MyComputer > Properties4. Win7: Start > R-click Computer > Properties

ii. Launch command prompt1. Start > Run > “cmd”2. Start > Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt3. this is not DOS, just looks like it

iii. regedt321. Start > Run > “regedt32”

a. In Win2000 regedt is different from regedt32b. Beginning with XP regedt is same as regedt32c. regedit = regedt (at least in XP and Win7)

2. folders folder beginning with “HKEY” are called “hives”q. Windows Boot Process for Win 2000 and XP r. Boot Sequence summary: (see Computer Boot Process)

Power good, CPU, POST (on system ROM), bootstrap loader reads CMOS, Operating System (simplified)

s. Power good, CPU, executes BIOS in ROM, including POST (also on system ROM), bootstrap loader reads CMOS to find a bootable device (one with a “boot signature”, BIOS then loads boot sector and xfers to boot code (e.g., MBR), MBR checks its partition table for one with “active flag” set, loads boot sector code from that


partition, which loads/executes the OS kernel see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootstrap_loader

i.ii. POST MBR NTLDR

NTBOOTDD.SYS BOOT.INI NTDETECT.COM NTOSKRNL.EXE HAL.DLL HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEMNTOSKRNL.EXE Completes registry loading, initialize device drivers, start WINLOGON.EXE

iii. System Files: refers to NTLDR, BOOT.INI and NTDETECT.COMiv. Power on Self Test (POST): << exam doesn’t expect detailed code knowledge

>>1. before you see anything2. initial inventory of hardware3. quick hardware diagnostic4. look/listen for error codes, beep codes5. use POST diagnostic card

v. Master Boot Record1. Bios finds the MBR, the first sector of the hard drive2. MBR looks in partition table for a bootable partition3. partition boot sector code launches NTLDR.EXE from the system

partitionvi. NTLDR – The NT loader (located in root of drive C for XP and 2000, but not

Win7)1. Loads NTBOOTDD.SYS (if SCSI disk support is required). Note:

system specific, can’t just copy this to anther system that has SCSI devices

2. NTLDR then processes the BOOT.INI file (also on root of drive C for XP and 2000, not Win7), which may prompt you to select on OS, or give you options when launching the default OS

3. After prompt on OS option, hit ENTER and NTLDR loads NTDETECT.COM (you see a screen showing it initialize hardware). NTDETECT detects basic hardware required to start the OS, and returns this info to NDLDR. (for pre-Vista systems ntdetect also determines which hardware profile to use… if multiple profiles are configured.) If Windows takes a long time to boot, it may be stuck here trying to initialize a specific piece of hardware. If you append the /SOS command in BOOT.INI you get a more detailed report of hardware initialization and can see where it’s pausing.

4. Next NTLDR launches:a. NTOSKRNL.EXE: the kernel of the OS

i. provides the Kernel and Executive layers of the Windows NT kernel space. Responsible for various system services such as hardware virtualization, process and memory management, etc. Contains the Cache

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootstrap_loader


Manager, the Executive, the Kernel, the Security Reference Monitor, the Memory Manager, and the Scheduler, among other things. (Wikipedia)

b. HAL.DLL: hardware abstraction layer. Windows uses this to communicate to hardware. Before HAL.DLL apps had direct access to hardware, but Windows introduction of HAL.DLL allows multitasking of this thru HAL

5. NTLDR finishes by loading registry hive named: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM, the system configuration is stored here

6. NT is now loaded and NTLDR transfers control of the OS to NTOSKRNL.EXE

7. NTOSKRNS.EXE completes the Registry loading, initializes all device driver and starts the WINLOGON.EXE program

vii. Alternate Explanation of the boot process:1. CPU wakes up and runs system BIOS2. BIOS sends routine looking for valid OS in boot sector of primary

master HD3. Master File Table (MFT) is in boot sector of C partition. It points to

the OS system files4. System files start the PC, then point CPU to the5. boot files: NTOSKRNL runs and GUI loads, system is now running

viii. Other important Windows files1. SYSTEM.INI WIN.INI : These have been replaced by the registry,

but still exist (at least thru Vista, unsure about Win7) to help with legacy apps

2. SYSEDIT.EXE configuration file editor for legacy files – WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, CONFIG.SYS AND AUTOEXEC.BAT

3. MSCONFIG.EXE: the Microsoft configuration utility. Takes the place of SYSEDIT in modern Windows to edit configuration files and tools. Launch manually using RUN command.

ix. Note: The Recovery Console can be used to restore damaged or corrupt NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM files from the Win XP install CD

t. Vista/Win7 Boot process i. Supports two different boot processes: one for systems using BIOS and one

for those using UEFI1. BIOS uses its boot order to scan partitions for a Master Boot Record.

MBR scans partition table for system partition and loads its boot sector, which contains the BOOTMGR

2. UEFI system does not run boot MBR or boot code, it simply loads BOOTMGR directly.

3. BOOTMGR reads Boot Configuration Data (BCD)a. may ask “Which OS do you want to load?”b. then it loads WINLOAD.EXE, which readies the system to

load the operating system kernel


c. by loading the Hardware Abstraction Layer, the system Registry, and drivers for any boot devices.

d. the OS then takes over.4. Note: Boot Configuration Data replaces boot.ini from earlier versions

and can be altered using the command line tool: bcdedit.exeii. BOOTMGR also brings windows out of hibernation. Check this if

hibernation failsiii. Unlike Win2000 and XP, the boot files and system files must all reside on

same partition in Vista and Win 7.u. Windows Installation

i. Windows 2000 Professional Min RecPentium 133 Pentium II64 MB RAM 128 MB RAM650 MB free HD 2 GB free HDfloppy CD-ROMVGA (640x480) SVGA (800x600)

ii. Windows XP Professional Min RecPentium/K6 233 MHz 300 MHz64 MB RAM 128 MB RAM 1.5 GB free HD CD or DVD SVGA (800x600)

iii. Installation Media1. floppy, cd/dvd, USB2. Network installation3. Drive imaging

iv. Network configuration1. computer name2. Workgroup: used in smaller environments

Domain: larger enterprise where manage computers centrally3. File System: FAT/FAT32, NTFS,4. Dual-boot support: can run in same partition, but better to use separate

partitionsv. Installation Techniques

1. From boot media2. Unattended installation: uses Unattend.txt which answers the install

questions (if you know answers in advance) {}a. Unattended can be from optical media or network (not thumb

drive)3. Remote network install4. Sysprep / drive imaging: used to package a new machine in advance

and ask user minimum info. System specific answers already inserted.vi. Preparing the computer


1. check Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List to see if system can run that OS

2. Partition or format the HD3. Verify all software can run on the OS (are upgrades needed)4. Assure any backups are compatible

vii. Window 2000 Install tidbits1. “typical” settings for network include

a. Client for Microsoft Networks, b. File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks, c. TCP/IP transport protocol with automatic settings

viii. Windows XP Install tidbits1. “typical” settings for network include

a. Client for Microsoft Networksb. File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networksc. TCP/IP transport protocol with automatic settingsd. QoS Packet Scheduler: Packet Schedulers for Quality of

Service: allows XP to support other applications that need higher quality of service, like voice and video

2. When systems become part of a domain they can be managed from a centralized place. Choose workgroup if no domain is to be configured

ix. Post-install checklist1. verify boot, allow burn-in time2. verify printer and other peripherals are working3. Service Packs, Security patches, driver and app updates4. Go to System and verify latest Service Pack is installed 5. Install/configure apps and updates