A+ Concepts Cram Session Sheets

Motherboard Form Factors 1. ATX Most popular. 2. BTX Best cooling design. 3. Micro-ATX/ITX Small form factors. Power Supply - Measured in WATTS, considered a Field Replaceable Unit. Dont go inside it! Voltages : 3.3V, 5V, 12V. Extra 4pins on P1 24pin connector are to supply power to the CPU. Always check voltage selector switch if PC is not powering up. Power supply tester or a Multi-meter can be used to check a power supply. High end video cards use additional power connectors RAID 0 = Striping = Fast but no protection from HDD failure (redundancy) 1 fails all is lost! Minimum number of drives = 2. RAID 1 = Mirroring = Data duplicated across 2 drives, 1 fails and NO data lost RAID 5 = Speed + Redundancy, uses parity across all drives, 1 drive fails NO data LOST. Minimum = 3drives. 802.11 (Wi-Fi) A = 5GHz = 54Mbps Max. B = 2.4GHz = 11Mbps Max. G= 2.4 GHz = 54Mbps Max. N= 2.4 & 5Ghz = 300Mbps (Sometimes listed as 600Mbps an original spec that never came to be!) Microwaves and cordless phones INTERFERE with 2.4GHz! SSID = Routers name for the network Disabling SSID = Must KNOW NAME before can use! Encryption (weakest to strongest) WEP, WPA, WPA2 ***WPA2-AES is the most secure File paths X:\Windows\FONTS = used on ALL modern OS X:\WINNT = where windows resides in Windows 2000 X:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME = Used in XP and 2000. X:\users\USERNAME = Used in Vista and 7. X:\Windows\system32\config (location of SAM file) 32 bit (x86) vs. 64bit (x64) Memory supported: 32bit = 4GB max (3GB addressable), 64bit= 128GB maximum. 32 bit OS cannot be upgraded to 64bit OS, fresh install is required. In 32 bit OS, ALL program files is in X:\Program Files In 64 bit OS, 64 bit programs in X:\Program Files In 64 bit OS, 32 bit programs in X:\Program Files (x86) External Interfaces & Speeds Serial=COM1=RS232=DB9 Parallel=IEE1284=25pin FEMALE=LPT=ECP USB=127 devices=hot swappable 1.1= 1.5 to 12Mbps 2.0= 480Mbps Firewire=IEEE1394 1394A= 400Mbps 1394B= 800Mbps SATA1= 1.5Gbps (1500Mbps) SATA2= 3.0 Gbps(3000Mbps) eSATA is same speed as SATA, just an external adapter! VGA and DVI = Interfaces on most LCD monitors. HDMI = Carries audio and video on the same interface

3.0= 5.0Gbps SATA3= 6.0Gbps

System Utilities CHKDSK Checks a hard drive for errors. /F Fixes errors on the disk. /R Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information. DEFRAG Defragments a hard drive (organizes the data on the hard drive to improve read/write performance) /A Analyze a hard drive to check if defragmentation is required SFC System file checker. /SCANNOW To run the scan immediately Task Manager- Shows the currently running tasks and processes. Any applications/processes that are not responding can be stopped/terminated from here. System performance such as Memory, CPU and Network usage can also be viewed from the Task Manager. MSCONFIG To edit/modify the startup programs Event Viewer To see the logs of any errors/crashes/failures Services console To start/stop/view any services. Disk Management To manage the hard drives

Troubleshooting Process 1. Identify the problem - Question the user, identify user changes, and perform backups before making changes. 2. Analyze the problem - Establish a theory of probable cause. - This is often referred to as root cause analysis. 3. Test components - Test the theory to determine the cause. Once the theory is confirmed, determine the next steps to resolve the problem. If the theory is not confirmed, establish a new theory or escalate the problem. 4. Establish a plan of action Finally, implement the solution. 5. Evaluate the results - Verify full system functionality. If applicable, implement preventative measures. 6. Document - Record your findings, actions, and outcomes. Subnet Mask is used to determine if a destination is local or remote 255 = MUST MATCH Default Gateway is used to communicate OUTSIDE of your subnet, IP of DG MUST be on your subnet IF DG isnt correct you can still access resources in internal network, but nothing outside of your subnet! Default gateway is used to communicate between two networks using different protocols. DNS translates FQDN (web addresses) into IP DNS Broken= NO WEB access but everything else working! (can still access web using the IP address but not the domain name). Hosts file is used with DNS. WINS translates HOSTNAMES (NetBIOS names) into IP. (LMHOSTS file is used with WINS) DHCP Auto-assigns IP Addresses to clients. APIPA = Assigns a 169.254.x.y address when DHCP couldnt give an IP. (An APIPA address indicates that DHCP is not working correctly) NAT = Allows multiple Internal IPs to use a single External IP address IP Ranges A = 1-126 B = 128-191 C = 192-223 D = 224-239 = MULTICAST E = 240-255 = RESERVED 255.0.0.0 255.255.0.0 255.255.255. * 127.0.0.1 is the loopback address. Ping it to confirm if the protocol is working properly. Private (Internal) IP address: only used on a private intranet 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255

192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

Networking Utilities PING is used to test connection/availability of a host (PC). PING a resolves IP to hostname PING t will ping continuously until stopped IPCONFIG Shows information about the HOST PCs network status (IP, subnet, gateway) IPCONFIG /ALL shows even more (Physical Address (MAC), DHCP Lease, DNS server. Netstat Shows Active/Open/Listening ports and who is communicating with them NETSTAT A shows all active ports. NETSTAT R shows the routing table. NSLOOKUP Used to test DNS functionality to resolve DNS names to IP addresses. TRACERT Used to check the route to the destination host. Used to check where the network failure is occurring on the path. Displays all the hops to the destination. TELNET Used to configure a host remotely. SSH - Secure version of TELNET. Remote Desktop To remotely connect to a machine. Uses RDP(Remote Desktop Protocol). Port Numbers Telnet 23 FTP 20,21 SSH 22 HTTP 80 HTTPS 443 SMTP 25 POP 110 IMAP 143 DNS 53 Port 3389 Networking Tools Cable Tester Checks if a cable is working or not. Can identify if a cable is straight through, crossover, etc. Toner Probe Sends a tone down the cable to identify a cable in a cluster at the other end. Crimping tool Used to terminate (connect an RJ45 jack) to an Ethernet cable. TDR (Time Domain Reflectometer) Used to test for location of breaks in a cable Punch Down tool Used to punch down cables in 66block, etc. Connector Types Telephone RJ11 Ethernet RJ45 Coaxial BNC Fiber optic ST/SC

Networking Devices Hub Broadcasts everything that it receives to all ports. Also called a multiport repeater Switch Connects multiple hosts on the same network together. Router Connects multiple networks together. WAP Used to connect multiple devices through a wireless connection. Networking Cables Coaxial Nowadays mainly used for cable internet/TV, uses BNC connectors. Ethernet Most commonly used cable type nowadays, uses RJ45 connectors. Maximum Length 100m(328feet) 1. UTP: Unshielded, susceptible to RFI and EMI. 2. STP: Shielded, less susceptible to RFI and EMI. Less expensive than fiber. 3. Plenum: Uses special coating for use in HVAC ducting, drop-ceilings etc. Does not give toxic fumes or accelerate fire rate. Fiber Optic Uses light beams to transfer data, immune to RFI and EMI and uses SC or ST connectors. Malware Types Adware A small program that shows unwanted advertisements on the computer Spyware A program that spies on the user and tries to steal sensitive information from the computer Trojan A small malicious program that pretends to perform a particular function, mainly used as a backdoor to gain unauthorized access to the computer, does not multiply itself Worm A malicious program that uses a host machine to infect other machines. Spam Unwanted junk e-mails Memory Concepts Parity Ability to DETECT single bit errors ECC Ability to CORRECT single bit errors SIMM 72 pins, old technology, installed in pairs SDRAM 168 Pins synchronized with FSB speed examples: PC100 PC133 DDR 184 pins DDR2 240 pins DDR3 240 pins, currently the latest RAM. RDRAM (RIMM) Requires two identical modules to work. 16-bit 184pins, 32-bit 232pins. C-RIMM A fake placeholder module used to fill empty slots where RIMMs are used to provide continuity. SODIMM 72pins or 144 pins, used in Laptops. *Faster RAM installed alongside slower RAM will slow down to match speeds L1 cache = Fastest memory on the processor dye. CPU cooling Active cooling: CPU fan. Passive cooling: Heatsink. Always apply thermal grease when installing a new processor or heatsink. Cleaning the dust from the system can improve cooling. Printer Concepts Laser Uses Ink Toners, maintenance kits need to be replaced (includes Fuser, rollers, etc.). Printing process: 1. Cleaning. 2. Conditioning. 3. Writing. 4. Developing. 5. Transferring. 6.Fusing Inkjet Uses ink cartridges, prints by injecting ink on the paper. Thermal Requires special type of paper (Thermal paper) to print. Impact Dot Matrix is the best example, particularly used for printing on multipart forms. Local vs. network printers Local printer is directly connected. Local can be shared, Network printers use a TCP port. Print Spooler Service to process print requests to the printer. Start/Restart this service if unable to see any installed printers or if print jobs are not processing. Printer Troubleshooting Tips 1. Paper Jams: Check rollers, clear sensor and restart if no paper jam. 2. Fuser problems: Ink not sticking to the paper, difference in ink opacity. 3. Maintenance kit: Page count needs to be reset after the maintenance kit is replaced. 4. Spooler service: Too many jobs in queue, jobs not processing, unable to see installed printers. 5. Driver problems: Strange/unrecognized characters being printed on the paper (PCL, Postscript). 6. Toner problems: Make sure to remove the plastic strip when installing a new toner.

Laptops External card types: PCMCIA, Express Internal Card Types: Mini-PCI, Mini-PCI-e Display problems: Inverter or Backlight issue if very dim image is visible. Inverter needs to be replaced if display shows up when screen is tilted to a certain angle. Port Replicator: A device designed to make it easy to connect external devices to a laptop. Docking Station: Can use multiple hardware profiles, can provide additional features such as an external graphics card. *Always refer to the Service Manual FIRST when trying to work inside a laptop. Post Errors The following devices give beeps if they fail at POST: 1. RAM 2. CPU 3. VGA Card The following devices never give beep message at POST: 1. Hard Drive or any other Secondary Storage Devices 2. Power Supply 4. External USB devices. Typical Errors Related With Certain Devices Hard Drive = Clicking sound CPU = Overheating problems CPU Fan = Whining sound. Power Supply = Pop sound. Professionalism in the workplace Use proper language avoid jargon, acronyms, slang Maintain a positive attitude Listen and do not interrupt a customer Be culturally sensitive Be on time If late contact the customer Avoid distractions Personal calls Talking to co-workers while interacting with customers Personal interruptions Dealing with a difficult customer or situation Avoid arguing with customers and/or being defensive Do not minimize customers problems Avoid being judgmental Clarify customer statements Ask open-ended questions to narrow the scope of the problem Restate the issue or question to verify understanding Important Tips When asking questions to identify the problem, never ask the user what they did before the computer stopped working, always ask what the computer did before it stopped working When installing a WAP, the most important thing to consider is the placement of the WAP. To join a Domain or a Workstation, go into System Properties by right clicking on My Computer and clicking Properties. Gadgets in Windows Vista and Windows 7 can be added or removed by right clicking on the Desktop and going into the Display Folder. Single rate memory works on one piece of data at a time. Net start/stop command can be used to start or stop a service without having to restart the system. A service can also be started or stopped form the Services console. Encrypted Files/Folders are GREEN Compressed Files/Folders are BLUE Things to NEVER plug into a UPS: Laser printer or any high wattage device KNOW YOUR FILE PATHS from page 1 MISC Troubleshooting & Noises PCs might make Power supplies might make a pop (if they break) or whine (if too much load is placed on them) Hard drives click (as in the click of death) or make a grinding sound

3. Sound Card