Hardware Questions & Answers (SenthilSSS.com)

1.	What are the typical signs of virus infiltration?
	The hard drive is running out of disk space for no apparent reason. You notice that various .EXE and .COM programs have increased in size for no reason, You notice substantial hard drive activity but were not expecting it, System performance has slowed down noticeably Files have been lost or corrupted for no apparent reason There are an unusual number of access problems The system locks up frequently or without explanation There are unexplained problems with system memory or memory allocation.
2.	How do I clean a CD?
	Using water or isopropyl alcohol on a clean cloth, and wiping from hub to edge - but NOT in a circular pattern.
3.	Why do the chipsets seem to change so rapidly?
	With changes in technology towards providing better and faster PCs, new chipsets are regularly being introduced to support new CPUs and implement the latest industry trends and initiatives like USB, ACPI, AGP, and so on.
4.	What is CMOS? How does it differ from BIOS?
	CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semi-Conductor) is the small amount of low-power RAM which contains the system configuration parameters used by BIOS. BIOS also provides the CMOS Setup utility used to manage the CMOS RAM contents.
5.	What is an I/O port, and what purpose does it serve?
	I/O ports are locations where data and commands may be passed between the system and the device which has to perform the task.
6.	What are some classic signs of a system conflict?
	The system locks up during initialization The system locks up during a particular application The system locks up when a particular device (i.e. a TWAIN scanner) is used The system locks up randomly or without warning regardless of the application The system may not crash, but the device that was added may not function (even though it seems properly configured) - devices that were in the system previously may still work correctly The system may not crash, but a device or application that was working previously no longer seems to function The newly added device (and accompanying software) may or may not work properly.
7.	Which are the types of Intel Processors?
	Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium MMX, Pentium II and Pentium III.
8.	Which are the two current AMD and three current Cyrix CPUs.
	[AMD] K5 and K6; [Cyrix] 6x86/L, MediaGX, and 6x86MX (or M2)
9.	What does "DVD" stand for?
	Digital Video Disc.
10.	What three elements do you need to implement a DVD-ROM system on your desktop?
	A DVD-ROM drive, an MPEG-2 adapter board, and suitable DVD disc media.
11.	What is the one major precaution when servicing DVD drives?
	Keep the unit closed to avoid accidental laser injury to the eyes.
12.	What are some typical floppy media weaknesses?
	Sensitivity to external magnetic fields, and potential damage from contaminants in the environment
13.	How does disk caching improve performance? What are the two places disk caching is typically implemented?
	Disk caching improves drive performance by buffering data transfers to and from the drive. Cache RAM can sometimes be placed on the drive controller, but is most frequently incorporated onto the drive directly.
14.	What are the two key advantages of FAT 32 over the FAT 16 file system?
	Clusters can be smaller, and much larger hard drives can be supported in a single partition.
15.	Which are the three most popular types of memory managers used on today's PCs.
	Microsoft's HIMEM and EMM386, Quarterdeck's QEMM, and Qualitas' 386MAX. There are a number of other memory manager products for the PC, but these three are generally regarded as being the most common.
16.	Why are memory managers less popular today under Windows 95?
	Windows 95 provides all of the memory management features necessary for Windows 95 applications. DOS memory managers are not needed unless DOS applications are utilized in the DOS mode, or run in a DOS window.
17.	What are the three main mouse gestures?
	A "click" (or "single-click"), a "double-click", and a "drag" (or "click and drag").
18.	What are the differences between a mouse and trackball?
	Electronically, there is no significant difference between a mouse and trackball. The trackball is physically just an "upside-down" mouse, and the trackball driver compensates for the reversal in the trackball's orientation.
19.	What is the difference between an interlaced and non-interlaced monitor? Why is the non-interlaced monitor preferred?
	A non-interlaced monitor forms an entire image in one scanning "pass" or "page". Interlaced monitor draws only every other scan line, so two "passes" or "pages" needed to draw a full image. This means an interlaced monitor operates effectively at only half its rates refresh rate, and therefore, the flicker is usually much more noticeable.
20.	What are the three major dangers of working on a computer monitor?
	The three potential hazards of monitor service are X-ray exposure, AC voltage shock, and high-voltage anode shock.