PrepForExam#1.doc 1 J.

Alampi
Things to Know for the Exam #1


1. CHAPTERS 1, 2, part of 4, 5, 6 and Appendix A
2. See Things to Know From Chapter 5 starting on page 2 of this
handout
3. Review all your notes on these Chapters and Labs from the 1
st

6 weeks
4. Review all Quiz Prep Documents from weeks 1 through 5
5. Format of the Exam (75 points in Total)
a. 40 Multiple Choice, Fill in the Blanks and Matching
Questions (40 points)
b. 3 questions on characteristics of Various Operating
Systems (3 points)
c. Questions on DOS Commands from Labs (10 points)
- Format
- Creating a Directory
- Removing a Directory
- Changing a Directory
- Changing from Drive to Drive
- Getting to the root directory from Anywhere
d. Questions on IRQ Tables, IRQ priorities [Now because of this second
chip the priority system becomes 0,1, (8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15), 3,4,5,6,7], Handout on
IRQs and information on IRQs in the textbook on pages
1208-1212 (8 points)
e. Number System Calculations (14 points)
- Binary to Decimal, Decimal to binary, Adding in binary,
Subtracting in Binary, Hex to Decimal, Decimal to Hex,
Adding in Hex, Subtracting in Hex, Hex to 4-bit Binary, 4-bit
Binary to Hex








PrepForExam#1.doc 2 J.Alampi
Things to Know from Chapters 5
Pgs 175-232


CHAPTER 5 Lectures 1 & 2
1. Know the Motherboard Form factor and that it drives the size
of the motherboard and its features: from Chapter 5 Lecture 1
notes and pages 176-177
2. Be able to name five main categories of form factors used for
motherboards from Chapter 5 Lecture 1 notes and pg 233
review question #1
3. Be able to name Four types of cargo carried by a bus: from
Chapter 5 Lecture 2 notes (Electric Power, control signals, memory addresses,
data)
4. Know how buses have evolved around data path and speed
from Chapter 5 Lecture 2 notes and page 185
5. Know the definitions of the following terms from Chapter 5
Lecture 2 notes: Synchronous, Asynchronous, Wait state.
6. Know the types of buses and the definitions of the following
terms from Chapter 5 Lecture 2 notes: Expansion bus, Local Bus,
Local I/O Bus, Local Video Bus.
7. Know the 3 Categories of PCI buses from Chapter 5 Lecture 2
notes: Conventional PCI, PCI-X, PCI Express
8. Know some characteristics of each of the following buses
from Chapter 5 Lecture 2 notes: Conventional PCI, PCI-X, PCI
Express
9. Know the four types of PCI Express buses and which holds the
PCIe video card from Chapter 5 Lecture 2 notes:
10. Know the Definitions of on-board ports and internal
connectors from Chapter 5 Lecture 2 notes
11. Know Three features used to configure the motherboard
(DIP switches, jumpers, CMOS RAM) from Chapter 5 Lecture 2 notes
12. Know some characteristics of DIP Switches, jumpers and
CMOS RAM from Chapter 5 Lecture 2 notes
13. Know how to document Configuration Settings from
Chapter 5 Lecture 2 notes and pages 230-231
14. Understand the concepts of Flashing ROM BIOS and
Motherboard Drivers from Chapter 5 Lecture 2 notes and
pages 211-214
PrepForExam#1.doc 3 J.Alampi
15. Review Figures on pages 176-183
16. Review Page 178 Table 5-1 to understand Sockets for Intel
processors used for desktop computers and Page 180 Table 5-
2 to understand Sockets for AMD processors used for desktop
computers
17. Review Page 186 Table 5-3 to understand Bus Types, Data
Path, Bus Frequency and Throughput of each bus type.
18. Page 186 Figure 5-11 and page 187 Figure 5-12
19. Review Figure 5-14 on Page 188
20. Understand Figure 5-7 on Page 182 and Figure 5-9 on page
183
21. Review the various PCI Express Slots Page 189 Figure 5-15
22. Review the various AGP Standards on Page 191 Table 5-4
23. CNR Slot Page 193 Figure 5-20
24. Page 194 Figures 5-21 & 5-22
25. Page 195 Figures 5-23, 5-24 & 5-25
26. Page 197 Figures 5-27 & 5-28
27. Page 198 Figure 5-29
28. Understand the various CMOS Setup Menus by reviewing
Figures 5-59 through 5-65 on pages 227 - 231
29. Know all of the Key terms below
Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP): Ports developed specifically for video cards.
audio/modem riser (AMR): A specification for a small slot on a motherboard to
accommodate an audio or modem riser card. A controller on the motherboard
contains some of the logic for the audio or modem functionality.
CMOS battery: A lithium coin-cell battery enables CMOS RAM to hold
configuration data, even while the main power to the computer is off.
communication and networking riser (CNR): A specification for a small
expansion slot on a motherboard that accommodates a small audio, modem, or
network riser card.
CrossFire: ATI s technology for installing two video cards on a motherboard.
dual inline package (DIP) switch: A switch on a circuit board or other device
that can be set on or off to hold configuration or setup information.
front panel header: The corner of the motherboard for lights and switches.
I/O shield: The plate installed in the computer case to provide holes for I/O ports.
jumper: Two wires that stick up side by side on the motherboard and are used to
hold configuration information. The jumper is considered closed if a cover is over
the wires, and open if the cover is missing.
land grid array (LGA): Sockets that use lands rather than pins.
North Bridge: The faster hub in the Accelerated Hub Architecture.
On-board ports: Ports that are directly on the motherboard, such as a built-in
keyboard port or on-board serial port.
PrepForExam#1.doc 4 J.Alampi
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect): Buses have been improved several
times. There are currently three major categories and within each category,
several variations of PCI. The PCI buses are used for many types of cards,
including video cards.
PCI Express (PCIe): PCI Express uses a serial bus, which is faster than a parallel
bus because it transmits data in packets similar to how an Ethernet network, USB,
and FireWire transmit data. A PCIe expansion slot can provide one or more of
these serial lanes.
pin grid array (PGA): Sockets aligned with pins aligned in uniform rows around
the socket. Used in earlier Pentiums.
power-on password: A password that a computer uses to control access during
the boot process.
riser card: A card that plugs into a motherboard and allows for expansion cards
to be mounted parallel to the motherboard. Expansion cards are plugged into slots
on the riser card.
SLI (Scalable Link Interface): NVIDIAs technology for installing two video
cards on a motherboard.
South Bridge: The slower hub in the Accelerated Hub Architecture.
Spacers: Another term for standoffs.
staggered pin grid array (SPGA): Having the pins staggered over the socket to
squeeze more pins into a small space.
standoffs: Round plastic or metal pegs that separate the motherboard from the
case, so that components on the back of the motherboard do not touch the case.
startup password: Another term for power-on password.
user password: A password enabling you to logon to the operating system.
wait state: A clock tick in which nothing happens. Used to ensure that the
microprocessor is not getting ahead of slower components. A 0-wait state is
preferable to a 1-wait state. Too many wait states can slow down a system.
zero insertion force (ZIF) sockets: Square or nearly square sockets so that even
force is applied when inserting the processor in the socket, all current processor
sockets have a lever on the side of the socket.