Computer Hardware and Software Questions and Answers

Answer: B

Correct answer: 9 pin male port

Serial ports on the PC are male, with 9 or 25 pins; the 25-pin female connector is the parallel port. Sex and pin count together identify the port.

Answer: D

Correct answer: All-purpose cleaner

Keys are cleaned with an ordinary all-purpose cleaner on a cloth. Solvents and denatured alcohol attack the plastic and the printed legends, and silicone spray leaves a residue that attracts dirt.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Improper ribbon advancement

If the ribbon does not advance evenly, some characters are struck through fresh ink and others through a used part of the ribbon, so the print alternates light and dark. Paper thickness and head position would affect the whole page uniformly.

Answer: C

Correct answer: SCSI hard drives

SCSI sustains the highest transfer rate of the options and, because it can queue commands and disconnect while seeking, keeps that rate up with several drives on one bus - which is what large video files need.

Answer: C

Correct answer: are the thinnest of the PC cards

PC Cards come in three thicknesses: Type I at 3.3 mm for memory, Type II at 5 mm for modems and network cards, and Type III at 10.5 mm for miniature hard disks.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Scanner

A scanner converts a physical document or image into digital form and feeds it to the computer, so it is an input device. The other three are all output devices, sending information from the computer to the user: a printer produces a paper copy, a monitor displays it and a speaker sounds it. The common input devices are the keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone, webcam, joystick, light pen, barcode reader, OMR and OCR readers, MICR readers used on cheques, and biometric sensors. A few devices are both, and those are worth naming because they are frequently examined: a touchscreen displays and receives touch; a modem both sends and receives; a network card does the same; and storage devices such as a hard disk or a USB drive are read from and written to. The test is simply the direction in which information travels.

Answer: D

Correct answer: cold and dry

Charge cannot leak away through dry air, and cold air holds little moisture, so static builds and discharges most readily in cold, dry conditions.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Define the circumstances of the problem

Nothing can be diagnosed until it is known what happens, when, and what changed. Establishing that comes before opening the case or telephoning anyone.

Answer: B

Correct answer: EMI Electromagnetic Interference

A power cable carries alternating current, which radiates a magnetic field, and that field induces noise in a signal cable running alongside it. Crossing them at right angles, or separating them, is the remedy.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Toner cartridges

A toner cartridge is designed to be returned, cleaned and refilled, and manufacturers provide the packaging to send it back. Boards, batteries and cathode ray tubes all contain hazardous materials and need specialist treatment.