Consider each question - For the answer, leave the mouse over the and wait for the tool-tip to pop up.  Move the mouse slightly to keep the tool-tip on screen.

• What does BIOS stand for?

• What does POST stand for?

• What is one difference between a Quick POST and Normal POST?

• What is the MBR?

• Name three operating system configuration files?

• What are POST codes? Why are they needed?

• Are POST codes always beeps?

• Are POST codes the same for every motherboard?

• What is a Shell?

• What is a Kernel?

• What is GUI?  Is it a Shell?

• Where is the BIOS stored?

• What is CMOS?

• What are BIOS defaults?

• What is a high resistance joint?  How might it show as a fault with different PC components?  What could you do to correct it with say a memory module or a hard disk drive?

• In an ATX PSU what are 3 available voltages and their use in the PC?

• What is new regarding the ATX specification for current model Pentium 4 and Athlon compatible PSUs?

• For PC breakdowns, what is the percentage of PSU related issues?  How does that compare to the percentage cost?

• What features determine a quality PSU?

• Consider 7 different power related faults with a PC?

• What is ripple?

• What are the voltage colour codes for a standard ATX PSU?

• To test a PSU correctly it should be done under which situation; loaded or unloaded?

• What is a 'burn-in' test?

• Consider 7 different PC busses.

• What factors determine the bus speed?

• What is bus width?

• What are the three main bus functions - Address, Data and Control?

• What is synchronisation or 'Hand Shake'?

• What is a clock in bus terminology?

• What is the FSB and what are some typical speeds? How have advances in technology changed the CPU frequency, (i.e. represent unique moments in time) without increasing the system clock?

• What is legacy?  Which bus is considered a legacy bus?

• What are Chipsets?

• What are the main roles of the North Bridge?

• What are the main roles of the South Bridge?

• Why does the North Bridge require a heat sink or even a fan?

• Can you find the chipset model for any type of motherboard?

• Can you name (either code name or number) 3 Intel and 3 AMD chipsets?

• Why is it important to understand chipsets when building or upgrading a PC?

• Do you know the chipset for your PC?

• Can you identify different memory types by the number of pins?

• What is DDR and how is it faster?

• What is the bus width of SDRAM?

• What are the bus widths of EDO RAM?

• What does PC3200 mean?  What type of RAM is it?  Can you find out the FSB required?

• What voltage does RAMBUS or RDRAM operate at?

• When selecting DDR ram why is it important to know the true FSB of the motherboard?

• What are the terms ECC, FPM, SDRAM, SIMM, DIMM and EDO? 

• What would you choose first when building a PC;
      A) The motherboard
      B) The Chipset
      C) The Memory
      D) The Processor

• What does Dual Channel mean?  What is the available bus data width?

• In which two circumstances is memory installed in pairs?

• What are the symptoms of faulty memory?  How can you determine which stick is faulty?

• Consider how transistors and micron technology improve CPU speed and power.

• What are the physical differences between Slot and Socket CPUs

• Why were CPUs developed in Slot style?

• What are four common Intel CPU types (i.e. pin numbers/Socket or Slot)?

• What are four common AMD CPU types (i.e. pin numbers/Socket or Slot)?

• What are the two Intel P4 pin layouts that were first released?

• What is a die?

• What determines how large the die must be?

• What prevents a CPU from being able to clock it faster?

• What is Hyper threading?

• What is ZIF?