Learn About CompTIA A+ Essentials

  By Certification Magazine —

These questions are based on CompTIA A+ Essentials exam 220-601.

Self Test Software Practice Test

Objective: Personal computer components.

Sub-objective: Identify the fundamental principles of using personal computers.

Single answer, multiple-choice

What is the minimum number of DIMMs that can be installed in a typical system?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 4
4. 8

Answer:

A. 1

Tutorial:

DIMMs are 64 bits wide. This width matches the memory bus of modern computer systems, which means DIMMs can be installed one at a time.

The DIMM modules are 8 bytes wide and transfer 8 bytes (64 bits) of data at a time. With DIMMs made of older SDRAM (synchronous DRAM) memory chips, the data is transferred once per clock cycle. However, with DDR SDRAM and DDR2 SDRAM, the data is transferred two times per clock cycle: once on the leading edge of the clock signal and again on the falling edge. This allows large amounts of data to be transferred per clock cycle. For example, in a Pentium 4 system with a front-side bus operating at 400 MHz, up to 6,400 MB of data is transferred to and from the DDR2-DIMMs per second.

The total speed is affected by the clock and bus speed supported by the module. For example, DDR 1600 uses a clock speed of 100 MHz with a bus speed of 200, resulting in a total transfer rate of 1,600 Mbps.

SIMMs come in two sizes: 30-pin and 72-pin. The 30-pin SIMMs are used in x486 systems, which have a 32-bit memory bus. Each 30-pin SIMM is only 8 bits wide, which is why four 30-pin SIMMs are needed to form a single bank of memory. The larger 72-pin SIMMs expand the chip bus to 32 bits wide. They were developed for later x486 systems and the original Pentium systems, which have a 64-bit memory bus. This means that only one 72-pin SIMM can be installed in an x486 system, but two are required for Pentium systems because of their larger bus.

SIMMs were phased out in favor of DIMMs because of performance limitations. Their performance is inferior to DIMMs and RIMMs because of the slower speeds at which they operate. For example, the maximum data transfer of an EDO SIMMs operating on a 33-MHz clock is approximately 266 Mbps.

RIMMs come in 64-, 32-, and 16-bit packages. The 64-bit modules have an 8-byte bus, while the 32-bit and 16-bit modules have 4- and 2-byte buses, respectively. The 64-bit RIMMs can operate at high speeds and can transfer a large amount of data per second using 184 pins. For example, RIMM modules operating on a clock speed of 600 MHz can transfer 8 bytes of data twice per clock cycle, for a total transfer rate of up to 9,600 Mbps. RIMMs must be installed in pairs.

Reference:

Mueller, Scott. Upgrading and Repairing PCs, pages 492-495.

Objective: Laptops and portable devices.

Sub-objective: Identify the fundamental principles of using laptops and portable devices.

Multiple answer, multiple-choice

What should you do to configure the Dualview feature on a portable computer running Windows XP? (Choose two.)

1. Install a new video adapter and the appropriate drivers for the adapter.
2. Plug a second monitor into the video port on the portable computer.
3. Select the second monitor, and select the "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" check box.
4. Select the second monitor, and select the "Use this device as the primary monitor" check box.

Answer:

2. Plug a second monitor into the video port on the portable computer.
3. Select the second monitor, and select the "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" check box.

Tutorial:

To configure the Dualview feature on a portable computer, you should plug a second monitor into the video port, select the second monitor on the Settings tab of the Display Properties dialogue box and select the "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" check box. Dualview is a feature in Windows XP that allows you to work on multiple monitors. Portable computers usually include a port to which you can connect a separate monitor. Dualview allows you to expand the display across both monitors.

Similar to Dualview, the multiple monitors feature of Windows XP allows you to choose a monitor that will function as the primary monitor. The primary monitor is one on which you log in and start your programs. When you use Dualview on a portable computer, the primary display must always be the portable computer's LCD screen.

You should not install a new video adapter and appropriate drivers for the adapter because most portable computers include a port to which you can connect a second monitor. Installing a new video adapter and appropriate drivers for the adapter would be required while configuring the multiple monitors feature on a Windows XP desktop computer.

You should not select the second monitor on the Settings tab of the Display Properties dialogue box or select the "Use this device as the primary monitor" check box. The "Use this device as the primary monitor "check box allows you to specify a monitor that will function as primary monitor. When you use Dualview on a portable computer, the primary display must always be the portable computer's LCD screen.

References:

Using Windows XP, Computer Setup and Maintenance, Expand your workspace with multiple monitors
Microsoft At Home, Articles, Get More Done, Two monitors are better than one

Objective: Operating systems.

Sub-objective: Identify the fundamentals of using operating systems.

Single answer, multiple-choice

When turning on a Windows XP client computer, you receive the following error message:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
Windows\System32\Hal.dll

The computer does not boot. What should you do to fix the problem?

1. Create a new WIN.INI file.
2. Create a new AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
3. Create a new BOOT.INI file.
4. Create a new WIN.COM file.

Answer:

C. Create a new BOOT.INI file.

Tutorial:

You should create a new BOOT.INI file to troubleshoot the problem. Windows XP will generate the following error messages if the BOOT.INI file is missing or damaged:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
Windows\System32\Hal.dll

or

Invalid Boot.ini

You should not create a new WIN.INI file to troubleshoot the problem. Windows XP does not require a WIN.INI file to load Windows. Initialization (.INI) files are required to store configuration settings for Windows. Windows computers store configuration settings information in system registry and .INI files. The WIN.INI file stores information related to computer and driver software setting in Windows XP. This file does not contain any information when a full installation of Windows XP is performed.

You should not create a new WIN.COM file to troubleshoot the problem. Windows requires WIN.COM to load Windows successfully. However, the error message indicates the BOOT.INI file is corrupt and needs to be rebuilt.

You should not create a new AUTOEXEC.BAT file to troubleshoot the problem. The AUTOEXEC.BAT is a batch file that executes the commands listed in the batch file when Windows boots up.