Question | Answer |
Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) | A bidirectional parallel port mode that uses a DMA channel to speed up data flow. |
Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) | A parallel port that shows data to flow in both directions |
IEEE 1284 | A standard for parallel ports and cables developed by the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers and supported by hardware manufacturers |
IEEE 1394 | Standards for an expansion bus that can also be configurated to work as a local bus. It is expected to replace the SCSI bus, providing an easy method to install and configure fast I/O devices |
Industrial Stnadard Architecture (ISA) | an older slot on the motherboard used for slower I/O devices, which can support an 8-bit or a 16=bit data path. |
Pixel | A small spot on a fine horizontal scan line. |
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) | A bus common to desktop computers that uses a 32-bit-wide or a 64-bit data path |
Resolution | The number of pixels on a monitor screen that are addressable by software |
Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART) | A chip that controls serial ports. |
Internal or External Input/Output Devices (AKA Peripherals) | oControlled by software (driver, BIOS, application)
oConsult the documentation
oMay be Energy Star compliant |
Nearly all peripherals need | driver/BIOS, resources, power, and sometimes an application |
The primary Windows tool to manage hardware devices is: | Device Manager |
PC Connections/Ports | Mostly on the rear, becoming popular on the front of the PC |
PS/2 Ports | Is used for connecting some keyboards and mice to a PC compatible computer system. Its name comes from the IBM Personal System/2 series of personal computers
Keyboard (purple) and Mouse (green)
6 pin mini dimm |
Serial Port | A serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time
Dial up Modem
RS 232 Port (DB 9 Male) |
Parallel Port | Sends several data signals simultaneously over several parallel channels (as opposed to the Serial Port)
Printer
DB25 Female |
Video Graphic Array (VGA)Port | Monitor
DB15 Female |
Audio Mini-Jacks Sockets | Microphone, Speakers, and Auxilary (Line in) |
USB | Anything that can be plugged in with a USB Cable |
Ethernet Port | A registered jack connector and wiring pattern used for connection of a high-speed modem to a telephone network using a keyed 8P8C modular connector
RJ45 |
USB Serial data transfer with two data transfer speeds: | USB I – 1.5 or 12Mbps (Original or Basic Speed)
USB II – up to 480Mbps (Hi-Speed)
USB III – up to 5Gbps (Super-Speed) |
USB Ports on the Motherboard | oDesigned for slower peripherals and to replace serial/parallel ports
oMax number of devices: 127, daisy chained or hub
oUses one set of PC system resources, hot pluggable/swappable |
USB Managed by | othe USB controller (built into the South Bridge or individual chip)
oSettings controlled in CMOS Setup/configuration |
USB various connectors | PC side often called the “A” connector
Device side is “B” or “mini-B” connector |
USB I and II have four wires in the cable | Two wires carry data
Two wires carry power (5VDC) |
USB II cables can be how long? | 5 meters |
IEEE 1394 | – (fire wire)
oShielded – twisted-pair wiring for data and isochronous data transfer
oMax number of devices: 63, daisy chained or hub
oUses one set of PC system resources, hot pluggable/swappable |
IEEE 1394 Serial data transfer – similar to USB – with two data transfer speeds: | 1394A – up to 1.2Gbps (Firewire 400)
1394B – up to 3.2Gbps (Firewire 800) |
IEEE 1394 various connectors and cable lengths | 1394A – 4.5 M
1394B – 100 M |
What is isochronous data transfer? | Data is transferred continuously without breaks |
Serial Ports (RS-232) | oTransmit data one bit at a time
Serial mice, modems, and other external slow peripherals
oConfigured by jumpers (I/O cards) or in CMOS Setup (onboard)
oDB-9 port |
Serial Ports (RS-232) Also used to configure network connectivity devices | Often requires a communication application (HyperTerminal or Putty) |
Parallel Ports (IEEE 1284) | oTransmit data one byte at a time
oMostly used by printers can be used by other peripherals
oConfigured by jumpers (I/O cards) or in CMOS (onboard)
oDB-25 port on the PC side, 36-pin Centronics connector on the printer side |
What are the three categories of parallel ports? | Standard Parallel Port (SPP), Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP), and Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) |
Standard Parallel Port (SPP) | A parallel port that shows data to flow in pne directions |
Infrared Transceivers (IrDA) | Wireless communication (short range, LOS) |
I/O Ports on the Motherboard | USB, IEEE 1394, Serial Ports (RS-232), Parallel Ports (IEEE 1284), and Intrared Tranceivers (IrDA) |
Display Devices Monitor/Display | oVideo Interface/Card Circuitry oDisplay |
Display Types | CRT, LCD and Projectors |
Display LCD types | oActive Matrix oDual-scan Passive Matrix oCCFL or LED based |
What does refresh rate mean? | The number of times one screen or frame is built in one second |
Minimum refresh rate set by | VESA: 70Hz |
What resolution should be used on an LCD for the sharpest image? | Bative resolution |
Video Cards | Interface for the monitor, discrete or integrated |
Video Cards Memory | May use system memory or have its own memory (VRAM, SGRAM, or WRAM) |
Frame buffer | video memory that holds one screen of data |
Video Cards Types | AGP and PCI Express |
AGP | designed for video data transfer, more like a port than a bus •32 bits wide and synchronous with system bus •Different Versions: AGP 1X, 2X, 4X, 8X and Pro •Old technology |
PCI Express (PCI Express x16) | About twice as fast as AGP x8, replacing AGP as the standard |
What are the five types of video ports? | 15 Pin VGA Port, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), Composite out port, S-Video port, and HDMI port |
Keyboards | oConnect using different methods: P/S 2, USB & Wireless oStandard Keyboards often managed by System BIOS |
Pointing Device | oConnect using different methods: Serial, P/S 2, USB, & Wireless |
Touch Screen | oOften connects using USB or serial port oUsually requires calibration to LCD resolution |
Barcode Reader | oVarious devices oUses several types of interfaces |
Fingerprint Reader (biometric device) | oStandalone and integrated devices oUses several types of interfaces oRequires occasional cleaning |
KVM Switch | oEnables multiple PCs to use a common set of I/O devices |
The two methods of switching between computers with a KVM switch is: | Using a hot key on the keyboard or buttons on the top of the KVM switch |
Device Manager | oEnable, disable or uninstall devices and update or rollback drivers oResolve conflicts oHardcopy report of system configuration |
When installing hardware devices in Windows XP the user must be logged in as an administrator. Why is that not required in Vista? | Because of the User Account Control (UAC) box. You can enter the |
Using Ports on the Motherboard | •Various ports, many can be disabled/enabled in CMOS/BIOS Setup •Generally, devices controlled in CMOS Setup are also found in Device Manager |
A technician is troubleshooting a suspected onboard port problem. She has checked CMOS/BIOS Setup and discovered Device Manager reports no problem with the port. What is the next thing to do? | Uninstall and reinstall the drivers that came with the device |