Computer Hardware and Software Questions and Answers

Answer: B

Correct answer: 32 bit word size, 16 bit data path

The 386SX has the full 32-bit internal architecture of the 386 but reaches memory over a 16-bit bus, which made it cheaper to build systems around. The SX suffix marks that reduction.

Answer: C

Correct answer: ROM BIOS

At power-up nothing has been loaded from disk, so the first code executed must already be in firmware. The ROM BIOS then reads CMOS for the settings and goes on to the disk.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Gigahertz

Processor speed is quoted in gigahertz, the number of clock cycles per second - 3 GHz meaning three billion cycles a second. It is a poor measure of performance on its own, and knowing why matters more than knowing the unit. Two processors at the same clock speed can differ greatly because of the number of cores, the instructions completed per cycle, the size of the cache, and the memory bandwidth available. Comparing clock speeds across different architectures is close to meaningless. The distractors measure other things entirely: gigabytes measure storage or memory capacity, megabits per second measure network speed, and dots per inch measure printer or scanner resolution. Modern processors also vary their clock dynamically, running below the nominal speed when idle to save power and boosting above it briefly under load - so the quoted figure is a base rating rather than a constant.

Answer: A

Correct answer: only digital

ISDN is digital end to end: the signal is digital on the subscriber's line as well as in the exchange, which is what removes the need for a modem and gives it its quick call setup.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Format

Invalid media means the partition exists but carries no file system, which is exactly the state after partitioning. The next step is therefore to format it.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 4MB

Twenty-four bits is three bytes per pixel:

\[ 1024\times 768\times 3 = 2{,}359{,}296\ \text{bytes} \approx 2.25\ \text{MB} \]

More than 2 MB is needed, and cards are supplied in powers of two, so 4 MB is the size required.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Parallel

Of the interfaces listed, the parallel port gives the highest throughput to a printer, since it sends eight bits at a time; RS-232 and other serial connections send one.

Answer: A

Correct answer: serial ports

RS-232 defines the voltages, signals and connectors of the asynchronous serial port.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Operating system

An operating system is system software: it manages the hardware and provides the services that other programs depend on. The other three are application software, written to perform a task for the user and running on top of the operating system. System software divides into several kinds. The operating system manages processes, memory, files and devices. Device drivers translate between the operating system and particular hardware. Utilities perform maintenance - disk defragmentation, backup, antivirus, compression. Language translators convert source code into machine code, and comprise compilers, interpreters and assemblers. Firmware such as the BIOS sits below them all. The distinction is one of purpose rather than of importance: system software exists to make the machine usable, application software to make it useful. A user interacts directly with applications and only indirectly with the system software beneath them.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Software stored permanently on a hardware device to control it

Firmware is software written into a hardware device to control it - permanent enough to be part of the device, but still code rather than circuitry. Hence the name, standing between hardware and software. The BIOS or UEFI on a motherboard is the familiar example, but firmware is present in almost everything: hard disks, SSDs, printers, routers, cameras, keyboards and washing machines all run their own. It was originally stored in ROM and unchangeable. Modern devices use flash memory instead, so firmware can be updated - which is what makes a router able to receive a security patch, and what makes a failed update capable of rendering a device useless, since the code that would let it recover is the code being replaced. The distinction from an operating system is one of level: firmware initialises and controls one device, while an operating system manages the whole machine and the software running on it.