Computer Hardware and Software Questions and Answers

Answer: A

Correct answer: Replace the indicated parts, one at a time in the recommended order

Changing one part at a time is what identifies which was faulty; replacing them all at once repairs the machine but teaches nothing and wastes good parts. The recommended order puts the most likely first.

Answer: D

Correct answer: speaker

The beep is the BIOS's only way of reporting before the display works, and no beep at all may mean simply that the speaker is disconnected. Checking it first avoids condemning a working board.

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: ball is dirty

A mechanical mouse translates the ball's motion through two rollers, and dirt on them makes the pointer jump or stick in one axis. A driver or IRQ fault would stop the mouse working rather than make it erratic.

Answer: A

Correct answer: in parallel

Voltage is a difference between two points, so the meter is placed across the component, in parallel with it, and the circuit need not be broken. Current is what requires the circuit to be opened and the meter placed in series.

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: A

Correct answer: Floppy drive

The 34-pin connector is the floppy interface; IDE drives use 40 pins and SCSI 50 or more.

Answer: D

Correct answer: CD-ROM standards

The coloured books define the CD formats: Red Book audio, Yellow Book CD-ROM, Orange Book recordable, Green Book CD-i.

Answer: A

Correct answer: 9

On the 16-bit ISA bus the second interrupt controller is cascaded through IRQ2, so a device requesting IRQ2 is actually serviced as IRQ9. The two are the same line seen from either side.

Answer: D

Correct answer: All of the above

A steady short beep, no beep at all, and one long continuous tone all point to the system board or the power supply - failures early enough that the BIOS cannot report anything more specific.