A+ Objectives for the 2003 Core Hardware Exam Domain 1.0: Installation, Configuration, and Upgrading | Section | Objective | Subobjective | Page Range | | 1.1 | Identify the names , characteristics of system modules. Recognize these modules by sight or definition. | Motherboard | 103 “115 | | Firmware | 41 | | Power supply | 159 “163 | | Processor/CPU | 125 “132 | | Memory | 219, 222 “227 | | Storage devices | 431 “434 443 “450 466 “480 | | Display devices | 296 “298, 300 “302, PDF:999 “1001 | | Adapter cards | 108 “112 | | Ports | 47 “55 | | Cases | 121 “124 | | Riser cards | 113 “115 | | 1.2 | Identify basic procedures for adding and removing field- replaceable modules for desktop systems. Given a replacement scenario, choose the appropriate sequences. | Motherboard | 115 “121 | | Storage device | | FDD | 432 “436 | | HDD | 446 “448, 470, 481 | | CD/CD-RW | 473 “475 | | DVD/DVD-RW | 473 “475 | | Tape drive | 480 “481 | | Removable storage | 480 “481 | | Power supply | | AC adapter | 389 “391 | | AT/ATX | 163 “165 | | Cooling system | | Fans | 157 “158 | | Heatsinks | 135 “136, 138 “140 | | Liquid cooling | 147 | | Processor/CPU | 135 “140 | | Memory | 237 | | Display devices | 308 “312 | | Input devices | | Keyboard | 278 “279 | | Mouse/pointer devices | 280 | | Touchscreen | PDF:1000 “1001 | | Adapters | | Network Interface Card (NIC) | 786 “787 | | Sound card | 286 “288 | | Video card | 308 “310 | | Modem | 273 “274 | | SCSI | 468 | | IEEE-1394/FireWire | 292 “293 | | USB | 268 “269 | | Wireless | 369 “370 789 | | 1.3 | Identify basic procedures for adding and removing field-replaceable modules for portable systems. Given a replacement scenario, choose the appropriate sequences. | Portable components : | | Storage device | | FDD | 406 | | HDD | 404 “406 | | CD/CD-RW | 406 | | DVD/DVD-RW | 406 | | Removable storage | 406 | | Power sources | | AC adapter | 389 “391 | | DC adapter | 389 “391 | | Battery | 391 “392 | | Memory | 409 “410 | | Input devices | | Keyboard | 384 “385 | | Mouse/pointer devices | 387 “388 | | Touchscreen | PDF:1000 “1001 | | PCMCIA/mini- PCI adapters | | Network Interface Card (NIC) | 395 “401, 787 | | Modem | 395 “401 | | SCSI | 395 “401 | | IEEE-1394/FireWire | 395 “401 | | USB | 395 “401 | | Storage (memory and hard drive) | 395 “401 404 “407 | | Docking station/port replicators | 401 “403 | | LCD panel | 382 “383 | | Wireless | | Adapter/controller | 369 “370, 395 “401, 786 “787 | | Antennae | 369 “370 395 “401 | | 1.4 | Identify typical IRQs, DMAs, I/O addresses, and procedures for altering these settings when installing and configuring devices. Choose the appropriate installation or configuration steps in a given scenario. | Legacy devices (for example, ISA sound card) | 75 “81 | | Specialized devices (for example, CAD/CAM) | 75 “81 | | Internal modems | 75 “81, 259, 701 | | Floppy drive controllers | 433 “434 | | Hard drive controllers | 439 | | Multimedia devices | 75 “81 | | Network Interface Cards (NICs) | 75 “81 | | I/O ports | | Serial | 259 | | Parallel | 251 “252 | | USB ports | 75 “81 | | IEEE-1394/FireWire | 75 “81 | | Infrared | 372 “373 | | Also read | 703 “712 | | 1.5 | Identify the names, purposes, and performance characteristics of standardized/common peripheral ports, associated cabling, and their connectors. Recognize ports, cabling, and connectors by sight. | Port types | | Serial | 254 “255 | | Parallel | 246 “250 | | USB ports | 264 “267 | | IEEE-1394/FireWire | 290 “291 | | Infrared | 373 “374 | | Cable types | | Serial (straight through versus null modem) | 257 “258 | | Parallel | 248 “251 | | USB | 265 “268 | | Connector types | | DB-9 (serial) | 254 “255 | | DB-25 (serial) | 254 “255 | | RJ-11 | 271 “272, 277 | | RJ-45 | 277, 783 | | DB-25 (parallel) | 246 “248 | | Centronics (parallel) | 246 “248 | | PS2/MINI-DIN | 278 “280 | | USB | 264 “265 | | IEEE-1394 | 55, 290 “291 | | Also read | 47 “48 57 | | 1.6 | Identify proper procedures for installing and configuring common IDE devices. Choose the appropriate installation or configuration sequences in given scenarios. Recognize the associated cables. | IDE interface types | | EIDE | 444 “447 | | ATA/ATAPI | 444 “447 | | Serial ATA | 447 “449 | | PIO | 457 “458 | | RAID (0, 1, and 5) | 453 | | Master/slave/cable select | 442 “444 | | Devices per channel | 443 | | Primary/secondary | 443 “444 | | Cable orientation/requirements | 442 “443 | | 1.7 | Identify proper procedures for installing and configuring SCSI devices. | SCSI interface types | | Narrow | 463 “467 | | Fast | 463 “467 | | Wide | 463 “467 | | Ultra-Wide | 463 “467 | | LVD | 463 “467 | | HVD | 463 “467 | | Internal versus external | 463 “468 | | SCSI IDs | | Jumper block/DIP switch settings (binary equivalents) | 468, PDF:1002 “1003 | | Resolving ID conflicts | PDF:901 “927 | | RAID (0, 1, and 5) | 453 | | Cabling | | Length | PDF:1004 “1005 | | Type | 480 “481 | | Termination requirements (active, passive, auto) | 468 “469 PDF:1005 | | 1.8 | Identify proper procedures for installing and configuring common peripheral devices. Choose the appropriate installation or configuration sequences in given scenarios. | Modems and transceivers | 269 “276 | | (dial-up, cable, DSL, ISDN) | 763 “771, 786 “789 | | External storage | 481 | | Digital cameras | 363 “367 | | PDAs | 368 “369 | | Wireless access points | 369 “370 789 | | Infrared devices | 372 “274 | | Printers | 333 680 “682 | | UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and suppressors | 170 “175 | | Monitors | 298 “301 310 “312 | | 1.9 | Identify procedures to optimize PC operations in specific situations. Predict the effects of specific procedures under given scenarios. | Cooling systems | | Liquid | 146 “147 | | Air | 146 “147 | | Heatsink | 146 “147 | | Thermal compound | 146 “147 | | Disk subsystem enhancements | | Hard drives | 456 “463 | | Controller cards (for example, RAID, ATA-100, and so on) | 453 | | Cables | | ATA/IDE | 442 “443 | | Ethernet (RJ-45) | 782 “784 | | Parallel | 250 “251 | | NICs | 788 “789 | | Memory | 143 “144 | | Additional processors | 145 | | 1.10 | Determine the issues that must be considered when upgrading a PC. In a given scenario, determine when and how to upgrade system components. | Drivers for legacy devices | 696 “701 | | Portable adapter card bus types and characteristics | 395 “401 | | Desktop adapter card bus types and characteristics | 108 “112 | | Cache in relationship to motherboards | 241 “243 | | Memory capacity and characteristics | 222 “230 | | Processor speed and compatibility | 124 “132 144 “145, 147 | | Hard drive capacity and characteristics | 405 “406 438 “443 | | System/firmware (BIOS) limitations | 208 “209 454 “456 | | Power supply output capacity | | Desktop | 150 “152 | | Laptop batteries | 388 “392 | Domain 2.0: Diagnosing and Troubleshooting | Section | Objective | Subobjective | Page Range | | 2.1 | Recognize common problems associated with each module and its symptoms, and identify steps to isolate and troubleshoot the problems. Given a problem situation, interpret the symptoms and infer the most likely cause. | I/O ports and cables | | Serial | 257 “258 PDF:854 “856 | | Parallel | 250 “251 PDF:850 “853 | | USB ports | PDF:856 “859 | | IEEE-1394/FireWire | PDF:871 “872 | | Infrared | 372 “374 PDF:872 | | SCSI | PDF:901 “902 | | Motherboards | | CMOS/BIOS settings | 207 “208 PDF:845 | | POST audible/visual error codes | 183 “187 | | Peripherals | PDF:850 “877 | | Computer case | | Power supply | 165 “169 | | Slot covers | 156 | | Front cover alignment | 155 | | Storage devices and cables | | FDD | PDF:895 “898 | | HDD | PDF:898 “902 | | CD/CD-RW | PDF:903 “910 | | DVD/DVD-RW | PDF:903 “910 | | Tape drive | PDF:910 “912 | | Removable storage | PDF:910 “912 | | Cooling systems | | Fans | 202 “204 PDF:844 | | Heatsinks | PDF:844 | | Liquid cooling | 147 | | Temperature sensors | 202 “204 | | Processor/CPU | PDF:844 “845 | | Memory | PDF:846 “849 | | Display device | 312 “320 | | | PDF:873 “874 | | Input devices | | Keyboard | PDF:862 “863 | | | PDF:867 “888 | | Mouse/pointer devices | PDF:862 “863 | | | PDF:867 “888 | | Touchscreen | PDF:1001 “1002 | | Adapters | | Network interface card (NIC) | 786 “788 | | Sound card | PDF:869 “871 | | Video card | 312 “320 PDF:873 “874 | | Modem | PDF:859 “862 | | SCSI | PDF:901 “902 | | IEEE-1394/FireWire | PDF:871 “872 | | USB | PDF:856 “859 | | Portable systems | | PCMCIA (PC Card) | PDF:892 “893 | | Batteries | PDF:890 “892 | | Docking stations /port replicators | PDF:894 “895 | | Portable unique storage | PDF:912 “913 | | 2.2 | Identify basic troubleshooting procedures and good practices for eliciting problem symptoms from customers. | Troubleshooting/isolation/problem determination procedures | PDF:824 “829 | | Determine whether hardware o.r software problem | PDF:829 “833 | | Gather information from user | | Customer environment | PDF:827 “829 | | Symptoms/error codes | PDF:828 “829 | | Situation when the problem occurred | PDF:825 “826 | Domain 3.0: Preventive Maintenance, Safety, and Environmental Issues | Section | Objective | Subobjective | Page Range | | 3.1 | Identify the purpose of various types of preventive maintenance products and procedures and when to use/perform them. | Liquid cleaning compounds | 413 “414 | | Types of materials to clean contacts and connections | 414 PDF:841 | | Non-static vacuums (chassis, power supplies , fans) | 414 “415 | | Clean monitors | 413 “414 | | Clean removable-media devices | 437 “438 | | Ventilation, dust, and moisture control on the PC hardware interior | 153 “157 | | Hard disk maintenance (defragging, scan disk, CHKDSK ) | 649 “652 | | Verify UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and suppressors | 170 “174 | | 3.2 | Identify various safety measures and procedures, and when/howto use them. | ESD (electro-static discharge ) precautions and procedures | | What ESD can do, and how it might be apparent, or hidden | 418 “419 | | Common ESD protection devices | 419 “422 | | Situations that could present a danger or hazard | 422 “424 | | Potential hazards and proper safety procedures relating to | | High-voltage equipment | 422 “426 | | Power supply | 422 “423 | | CRTs | 424 “426 | | 3.3 | Identify environmental protection measures and procedures, and when/how to use them. | Special disposal procedures that comply with environmental guidelines | | Batteries | 415 “416 | | CRTs | 416 “417 | | Chemical solvents and cans | 416 | | MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) | 417 “418 | Domain 4.0: Motherboard/Processors/Memory | Section | Objective | Subobjective | Page Range | | 4.1 | Distinguish between the popular CPU chips in terms of their basic characteristics. | Popular CPU chips (Pentium-class compatible) | 125 “127 | | Voltage | 125 “128 | | Speeds (actual versus advertised) | 143 | | Cache Level 1, 2, 3 | 132 “135 | | Sockets/slots | 129 “132 | | VRMs | 125 “128, 130 | | 4.2 | Identify the types of RAM (random access memory), form factors, and operational characteristics. Determine banking and speed requirements under given scenarios. | Types of memory | | EDO RAM (Extended Data Output RAM) | 229 “230 | | DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) | 229 “230 | | SRAM (Static RAM) | 229 “230 | | VRAM (Video RAM) | 229 “230 | | SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM) | 229 “230 | | DDR (Double Data Rate) | 229 “230 | | RAMBUS | 229 “230 | | Form factors (including pin count ) | | SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module) | 222 “228 | | DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module) | 222 “228 | | SoDIMM (Small Outline DIMM) | 222 “228 | | MicroDIMM | | | RIMM (Rambus Inline Memory Module) | 222 “228 | | Operational characteristics | | Memory chips (8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit) | 222 “230 220 “221 | | Parity chips versus non-parity chips | 221 | | ECC versus non-ECC | 220 “221 | | Single sided versus double sided | 226 | | 4.3 | Identify the most popular types of motherboards, their components, and their architecture (bus structures). | Types of motherboards | | AT | 107, 113 “115 | | ATX | 108, 113 “115 | | Communication ports | | Serial | 113 “115 | | USB | 113 “115 | | Parallel | 113 “115 | | IEEE-1394/FireWire | 103 “105 290 “291 | | Infrared | 372 “373 | | Memory | | SIMM | 222 “228 | | DIMM | 222 “228 | | RIMM | 222 “228 | | SoDIMM | 222 “228 | | MicroDIMM | 222 “228 | | Processor sockets | | Slot 1 | 129 “132 | | Slot 2 | 129 “132 | | Slot A | 129 “132 | | Socket A | 129 “132 | | Socket 7 | 129 “132 | | Socket 8 | 129 “132 | | Socket 423 | 129 “132 | | Socket 478 | 129 “132 | | Socket 370 | 129 “132 | | External cache memory (level 2) | 241 “243 | | Bus architecture | | ISA | 108 “112 | | PCI 32-bit | 108 “112 | | PCI 64-bit | 108 “112 | | AGP 2X, -4X, and 8X (Pro) | 108 “112 | | USB (Universal Serial Bus) | 105 “108, 115 | | AMR (audio modem riser) slots | PDF:1006 “1007 | | CNR (communication network riser) slots | PDF:1006 “1007 | | Basic compatibility guidelines | 147 PDF:843 “844 | | IDE (ATA, ATAPI, Ultra-DMA, EIDE) | 105 “108 | | SCSI (Wide, Fast, Ultra, LVD) | 463 “467 | | Chipsets | 103 “105 107 “108 | | 4.4 | Identify the purpose of CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor), what it contains, and how to change its basic parameters. | CMOS settings | | Default settings | 194 “195 | | CPU settings | 141 “143 197 “199 | | Printer parallel port ” Uni/bidirectional, disable/enable, ECP, EPP | 199 “201 248 “253 | | COM/serial port ” memory address, interrupt request, disable | 199 “201 259 “261 | | Floppy drive ” enable/disable drive or boot, speed, density | 195 “197 206 “207 | | Hard drive ” size and drive type | 195 “197 | | Memory ” speed, parity, non-parity | 198 “200 | | Boot sequence | 206 “207 | | Date/time | 195 “197 | | Passwords | 197 | | Plug and Play BIOS | 191 “194 204 “206 | | Disabling onboard devices | 199 “201 | | Disabling virus protection | 191 “194 | | Power management | 201 “202 | | Infrared | 199 “201 | Domain 5.0: Printers | Section | Objective | Subobjective | Page Range | | 5.1 | Identify printer technologies, interfaces, and options/upgrades. | Technologies | | Laser | 344 “352 | | Ink dispersion (inkjet) | 338 “344 | | Dot matrix | 333 “338 | | Solid ink | 355 “357 | | Thermal | 352 “353 | | Dye sublimation | 353 “355 | | Interfaces | | Parallel | 246 “248 | | Network | PDF:1007 | | SCSI | PDF:1007 | | USB | 264 “269 | | Infrared | 372 “374 | | Serial | 254 “264 | | IEEE-1394/FireWire | 290 “293 | | Wireless | PDF:1007 | | Options/upgrades | | Memory | 347 “349 | | Hard drives | PDF:1007 | | NICs | PDF:1007 | | Trays and feeders | PDF:1007 | | Finishers (for example, stapling and so forth) | PDF:1008 | | Scanners/fax/ copier | PDF:1008 | | 5.2 | Recognize common printer problems and techniques used to resolve them. | Printer drivers | 357 “358 | | Firmware updates | 357 “358 | | Paper feed and output | PDF:878 PDF:880 PDF:883 | | Calibrations | PDF:342 PDF:890 | | Printing test pages | 687, 689 PDF:878 “881 PDF:885 | | Errors (printed or displayed) | PDF:882 “884 | | Memory | 688 “689 PDF:882 “883 | | Configuration | 687 “689 PDF:880 “881 PDF:883, PDF:885 PDF:887 “888 | | Network connections | PDF:913 “922 | | Paper jam | PDF:878, PDF:883 PDF:890 | | Print quality | PDF:877 “881 PDF:882, PDF:884 PDF:886 “887 PDF:889 “890 | | Safety precautions | 423 | | Preventive maintenance | 336, 341, 351 “352 355 “357, PDF:886 “887 | | Consumables | 416 337 339 “340 343 “344 345 “347 349 “356 | | Environment | 416 | Domain 6.0: Basic Networking | Section | Objective | Subobjective | Page Range | | 6.1 | Identify the common types of network cables, their characteristics, and connectors. | Cable types | | RG-6 (coaxial) | 782 “786 | | RG-8 (coaxial) | 782 “786 | | RG-58 (coaxial) | 782 “786 | | RG-59 (coaxial) | 782 “786 | | Plenum/PVC | 782 “786 | | UTP CAT3 | 782 “786 | | UTP CAT5/e | 782 “786 | | UTP CAT6 | 782 “786 | | Fiber (single and multimode ) | 782 “786 | | Connector types | | BNC | 782 “786 | | RJ-45 | 782 “786 | | AUI | 782 “786 | | ST/SC | PDF:918 | | IDC/UDC (token ring) | PDF:918 | | 6.2 | Identify basic networking concepts including how a network works. | Install and configure network cards | 786 “789 | | Addressing | 786 “789 | | Bandwidth | 779 “781, 788 “790 | | Status indicators | PDF:913 “915 | | Protocols | | TCP/IP | 773, 774 “778 | | IPX/SPX (NWLINK) | 773 | | AppleTalk | 774 | | NetBEUI/NetBIOS | 773 | | Full-duplex, half-duplex | 788 “789 | | Cabling : twisted pair, coaxial, fiber optic | 782 “786 PDF:918 | | Networking models | | Peer-to-peer | 763 | | Client/server | 761 “762 | | Infrared | 372 “373 407 “408 | | Wireless | 780 “781, 789 | | 6.3 | Identify common technologies available for establishing Internet connectivity and their characteristics. | Technologies and characteristics (definition , speed, and connection types ) | | LAN | 759, 772 | | DSL | 767 “769 | | Cable | 769 “770 | | ISDN | 766 “767 | | Dial-up | 763 “766 | | Satellite | 770 “771 | | Wireless | 771 | |
