The floppy drive uses which DMA (direct memory access) channel?
Answer: D
Correct answer: 2
The floppy controller uses DMA channel 2, which is why that channel is never available for anything else on a machine with a floppy drive.
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You have a system that periodically locks up. You have ruled out software, and now suspect that it is hardware. What should you do first that could help you narrow it down to the component at fault?
Answer: D
Correct answer: disable the CPU cache in CMOS
Switching the cache off in CMOS is done in seconds and needs no parts. If the lockups stop, the fault is in the cache; if they continue, the cache is cleared and the search moves on.
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A static jolt of as little of _____ volts can fry most any PC integrated circuit.
Answer: B
Correct answer: 30
Modern integrated circuits are damaged by discharges of a few tens of volts - far below the three thousand or so a person can feel. That gap is the whole reason for wrist straps: the damage is done long before anything is noticed.
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Which values are held in CMOS for the hard drive
Answer: A
Correct answer: size (heads, cylinders, sectors)
CMOS holds the drive's geometry so that the BIOS can address it before any operating system is loaded. Interrupt assignments and free space are not part of it.
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Before sending data, a modem sends a request to send signal, or RTS.
Answer: A
Correct answer: True
RTS, request to send, is raised by the sender to ask permission to transmit; the receiver answers with CTS. That exchange is the hardware handshake of RS-232.
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What is the best ground for a conductive work bench?
Answer: A
Correct answer: AC outlet
The bench is earthed to the ground pin of a properly wired AC outlet, which is the building's true earth. Grounding to another device or to a chassis only ties two floating points together.
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When a bearing in the power supply fan goes out, what should you replace?
Answer: D
Correct answer: power supply
The fan in a PC supply is inside a sealed unit carrying line voltage and large capacitors, so the whole power supply is replaced rather than opened. Its cost is far below the risk of working inside it.
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Every video card must have?
Answer: B
Correct answer: RAM
A video card must hold the image it is displaying, so it needs memory - the frame buffer, read out sixty or more times a second to refresh the screen. A processor of its own is optional; RAM is not.
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What are the most likely conditions for ESD?
Answer: B
Correct answer: Cold and dry
Dry air is an insulator, so charge accumulates on a body instead of leaking away, and cold air holds less moisture than warm. Cold and dry is therefore the worst combination - which is why static problems are worst in winter.
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14.4 modem should transmit _____ bits per second
Answer: A
Correct answer: 14,400-15,000
A modem's speed is quoted in bits per second, and 14.4 is shorthand for 14,400 bps - the k for kilo being dropped in speech.
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