What is POST?
Power-On Self-Test: A hardware check performed by the BIOS when the computer boots.
How does a technician identify a hardware failure during POST?
Through Beep Codes or on-screen error messages.
What installation tip determines if POST is working properly?
Remove all RAM modules and power it on; it should emit the “no RAM” beep code.
What is the relationship between BIOS and CMOS?
BIOS is the firmware (program) on a ROM chip; CMOS is the memory chip that stores the user-configured settings.
What is a common sign that a CMOS battery is failing?
The computer’s time and date are constantly incorrect.
What is UEFI?
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface: A modern replacement for legacy BIOS that supports larger drives and 64-bit systems.
What does Secure Boot do?
A UEFI feature that ensures the computer only boots an OS trusted by the motherboard manufacturer to prevent rootkits.
What is the Trusted Platform Module (TPM)?
A specialized chip on the motherboard used to store encryption keys, passwords, and digital certificates.
What does it mean to “Flash the BIOS”?
Updating the EEPROM chip with new firmware from the manufacturer to improve stability or performance.
What is Ohm’s Law?
V=IR (Voltage = Current × Resistance).
What is the formula for Electrical Power?
P=VI (Power/Watts = Voltage × Current).
What is the purpose of a Voltage Selector Switch on a PSU?
It sets the input voltage to either 115V or 230V based on the country’s power standards.
Contrast a Blackout vs. a Brownout.
Blackout: Complete loss of AC power. Brownout: Reduced voltage level for a period of time.
What is the difference between a Power Surge and a Spike?
Spike: Sudden increase in voltage for a very short time. Surge: Dramatic increase in voltage above normal flow for a longer duration.
Contrast a UPS vs. an SPS.
UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply): Provides consistent quality power and instant battery backup. SPS (Standby Power Supply): Backup battery that takes time to switch over (less reliable).
Contrast RISC vs. CISC architectures.
RISC: Small set of instructions executed rapidly. CISC: Broad set of instructions, resulting in fewer steps per operation.
What is Hyper-Threading (Intel)?
A technology that allows multiple pieces of code (threads) to execute simultaneously, making one CPU act like two.
What is HyperTransport (AMD)?
A high-speed connection between the CPU and the Northbridge chip.
Define Overclocking vs. Throttling.
Overclocking: Running a CPU faster than rated speed (can cause damage). Throttling: Running a CPU slower than rated speed to save power/heat.
What is the difference between an Integrated and Dedicated GPU?
Integrated: Embedded on CPU, uses system RAM. Dedicated: Separate chip with its own video memory.
Define RAID Striping.
Distributes data across multiple drives for performance; failure of one drive loses all data.
Define RAID Mirroring.
Stores duplicate data on one or more drives for redundancy (RAID 1).
Define RAID Parity.
Provides basic error checking and fault tolerance by storing checksums separately (RAID 5).
Identify the legacy PS/2 port colors.
Purple for keyboard; Green for mouse.
