Test Me!

megamaced

megamaced

Geek Geek Geek!
I'm taking my CompTIA A+ Hardware exam this Friday :eek:

I would like a load of computer hardware questions thrown at me, so I can prepare.

You can ask me anything from:
-What goes where?
-How do you install this and that
-How does that work?
-What address is that?
-Is that compatible with this
etc.

I'm ready.... ;)
 
I'm doing A+ aswell, taking both exams in new year. Got Mike Meyers 1000+ page book on it.

OK here it goes:

1. What is DMA and why is it used?
a) To allow the CPU to communicate to the south bridge
b) To stop IRQ conflicts by assigning resources automatically
c) To allow devices to access the RAM bypassing the CPU
d) To allow the RAM to refresh at a lower rate

2. How many pins do a stick of SD-RAM have?
a) 184
b) 168
d) 260
e) it doesn't have any pins moron, because its a disk

3. Between the CPU and the north bridge, what is the address bus used for?
a) Sending the memory address for data
b) Sending cached data
c) Sending processed data
d) Allowing the CPU to process data when the RAM is refreshing
 
sabashuali said:
Try and list all the different IRQ's without looking at the book!
Click to expand...

That's difficult! I can tell you that IRQs are interupt requests to get the attention of the CPU. Every piece of hardware has an IRQ, so when it needs a job processed, it can use this channel to stop what the CPU is doing, and get it to perform the required task.

I can't tell you what every IRQ is used for! I think the hard drive is IRQ 2 :confused: Are there 16 IRQ channels?
 
IRQs are cascaded with 2 IRQ controllers to provide more for a wider range of possible hardware configurations.
 
Answers for Addis.

Q1 is answer C.
Reason: DMA stands for Direct Memory Access. If the CPU is busy, a device can store information into the memory for access by the CPU later. This process saves time and lowers the load of the CPU

Q2 Answer B.
Reason: Standard Synchronious Dynamic Random Access Memory (SD-RAM) has 168pins.

Q3 Answer A
Reason: I know the address bus is for RAM. I can't give a better reason at the moment though!

Okay, please mark! :D

Keep those questions coming!
 
Joking aside, I do think you need to know the IRQ's 'off by heart'.

I was self studtying for the A+ myself and I really think it is one of the questions in the exsam.....

Better safe than sorry....
 
Yea I'd remember the IRQs, saves a lot of panic.

The address bus is used by the CPU to tell the north bridge to send the data in the memory address provided onto the data bus.
 
sabashuali said:
Joking aside, I do think you need to know the IRQ's 'off by heart'.
Better safe than sorry....
Click to expand...

addis said:
Yea I'd remember the IRQs, saves a lot of panic.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip guys.

I spent last night revising my IRQ's! I can tell you that:
IRQ 0: System Timer
IRQ 1: Keyboard
IRQ 2: Is the same as IRQ 9. It is a gateway to IRQ 10 - 15
IrQ 3: COM 1 & 3
IRQ 4: COM 2 & 4
The other IRQs are usually free to assign whatever you want.

Can you give me some more questions? :cool:
The exam also covers basic networking, laptops and printers.
 
I took my exam today. God I was nervous! :swt:

The first few questions were all about printers, especially laser printers. I had to answer several troubleshooting questions like 'what is at fault in a laser printer if such and such happens'.

There were a lot of networking questions as well, such as 'what type of cable is suitable for this setup etc'.

As it happens, IRQ and DMA featured quite a lot in the exam. There were at least 5 questions based on IRQ. One of them was 'what IRQ channel is for COM 1 etc'.

Anyway, the good news is i've passed! :spin2: I'm half way to becoming fully qualified!

Needless to say, i've learned quite a lot from this board; special thanks go to Big B, Addis, Anti-tread and sabashuali. :good:
 
Congrats on passing! I wish i knew what 1/4 of the stuff you were talking about was! I'm glad there are people out there that know what they're doing cuz i sure as hell dont. What do you get certified to do once you're certified?
 
Almost anything hardware related. I could become a support technician, I could carry out upgrades/fixs for people in shops like PC world.....

After i've completed A+, i've got to start MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) and then Cisco CCNA. After i've completed those, I could quite easily get an admins role in a big corp. :cool:
 
A lot of the stuff comes with doing it again and again. Believe it or not, five years ago, I didn't know that much about computers and really couldn't care less at the time. I ended up going to college in an attempt to study, but found I slept far to often in class. Since then I've learned quite a bit outside of schooling. You may find that a lot of people have some cynacism toward certs, because of people that cram, pass, but when it comes to actual practice, are as useful as an accordian to a deer hunter.
Certification does have one big point: it looks good, and the more you have, the better you look. The key is knowing your trade...
Hell...I just remembered that I told my fiancee I'd look into taking the A+ Cert myself. (and the nervousness I have about tests that cost $$ to take!)
 
Hmmm, I've been working on my MCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support technician) for a while. I got the book for it and was over halfway through and reading about 50-75 pages a night when this damn thing called school started. I have too much HW to do much at all with it. Maybe nexte semester I can finish it and test considering that all I have is Computer Apps I (laughs, interns for school sys admin, laughs more), World Geography, Athletic PE, and Principles of Business. That brings my homework grand total to around 0 minutes and 0 seconds for the entire semster.
 
megamaced said:
After i've completed A+, i've got to start MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) and then Cisco CCNA. After i've completed those, I could quite easily get an admins role in a big corp. :cool:
Click to expand...
Are you serious. MCSE straight after A+? I thought the usual route was A+/Network+ then Server+, MCSA (systems administrator and then you have enough credits to go for the MCSE). And I think getting a sysadmin role won't be such an easy task. Would you have the experience to do it? Myself I'm only doing A+ in my spare time, got GCSEs to deal with right now. Then maybe take MCSD prerequisites.
 
I guess I am fortunate to have done my GCSEs years ago :)

You are half right in your assumption.

My course goes like this:

ECDL - Basic concepts of IT. Basic working knowledge of Miscrosoft Office & Internet Explorer. 1 week Course, 7 exams

A+ Software and hardware. 2 week course, 2 exams

N+ Networking. 1 week course, 1 exam

MCSE - 1 month course, 7 exams

CCNA - I think it's a one month course with 2 exams, but I can't remember!

The MCSA is the next step up from MCSE. Whether I take it or not depends on the size of my wallet at the time! :D These courses are extremely expensive!
 
Many people don't even think some of the courses are worth the paper their written on just because they can be done so quickly now in 'cram courses' not to say they arn't good qualifications Id love them. Ive just been told by a few people that theyd go for experience over some qualifications because some uber n00bs can get those qualifications in a cram course.
 
I PASSED! :spin:

Such a relief! Now I am a fully qualified A+ Technician :)


Nic said:
Many people don't even think some of the courses are worth the paper their written on just because they can be done so quickly now in 'cram courses' not to say they arn't good qualifications Id love them. Ive just been told by a few people that theyd go for experience over some qualifications because some uber n00bs can get those qualifications in a cram course.
Click to expand...

I can agree with some of what you are saying. On the other hand, these qualifications can back up your knowledge and experience of computers; they are proof that I know what I am talking about, and I am not some chancer who can barely work the start menu :)
 
Ah MCSA progresses from MCSE. I thought it was the other way round. A month for MCSE is fast. How much is this all costing? 2 weeks for a+ aswell.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top