Exam Highlights

Before taking the exam, review the key topics and terms that are presented in this chapter. You need to know this information.

Key Points

• Always find out the manufacturer and model of a computer first. Some manufacturers change default Windows settings, include modified help files, and install custom diagnostics software.

• Always try one possible solution at a time. If the solution does not work, undo the solution before moving on to the next. This takes extra time but helps ensure the stability of the user’s system and gives you a better idea of what worked and what did not.

Key Terms

basic input/output system (BIOS) A computer’s BIOS program determines in what order the computer searches for system files on boot up, manages communication between the operating system and the attached devices on boot up, and is an integral part of the computer.

device driver Software that is used to allow a computer and a piece of hardware to communicate. Device drivers that are incompatible, corrupt, outdated, or of the wrong version for the hardware can cause errors that are difficult to diagnose.

Internet cache files A temporary copy of the text and graphics for all the Web pages that a user has visited. These temporary files are stored in random access memory (RAM) and on your hard disk and can be accessed more quickly than retrieving the files fresh from the Internet every time you visit the page. Internet cache files make browsing the Internet faster because pages you visit often can be loaded more quickly than they can if no cache files exist.