Study Lab

Don't miss the Study Lab materials found on the CD accompanying this book. Each Study Lab is tailored to the individual chapters in this book, meaning that you'll quickly be able to determine which topics you understand well enough to pass the exam and which topics need more study. The Study Labs are presented in printable PDF format so that you can take them with you to study at work, on the road, or even in your car just before test time!

The Absolute Minimum

• Windows, rather than individual applications, is responsible for installing, configuring, and controlling printers.

• If Windows cannot detect your printer during installation, you can choose it from a list or supply the driver disk or CD.

• You should print a test page when you install a new printer to verify proper operation.

• USB printers often require you to install the driver software before installing the printer.

• A local printer is connected directly to your computer.

• A remote printer is a printer you can use via the network.

• A shared printer is connected to your computer and is also available to others on the network.

• The Windows print spooler holds print jobs before they are transferred to the printer, so you can hold or discard them as needed.

• To print to a network printer, you need the appropriate driver files as well as the path to the printer and permission to use the printer.

• Use the printer Properties sheet tabs to test the printer, adjust print quality, select a port, control the printer, and maintain print quality.

• Using an incorrect printer driver produces garbage output.

• Windows NT 4.0 doesn't have a Device Manager or PnP support, whereas Windows 9x/Me/2000/XP have these features to make hardware installation and support easier.

• PnP installations require PnP support in the device, the system BIOS, and the operating system.

• Digital signatures for drivers are usually not required but are recommended for reliable operation.

• A non-PnP installation might require the user to manually configure the hardware resources in the Device Manager after the card is installed.

• By default, the user is warned about unsigned device drivers, but these drivers can also be blocked or can be used without notice by adjusting the Driver Signing Options dialog.

• The Windows Device Manager indicates malfunctioning devices with a yellow exclamation point (!) and disabled devices with a red X.

• The General Properties tab for a device indicates whether it is working.

• Malfunctioning devices have a Device Manager code that can be used for troubleshooting.

• The Driver tab can be used to solve driver problems, and the Resources tab can sometimes be used to solve resource conflicts.

• System Information provides hardware and software information about a system without risk to the system's configuration.

• System Information can also be used to launch various tools such as DirectX Diagnostics and others.

• The System Restore feature lets Windows Me and XP users revert the system Registry to a previous state.

• File Signature Verification determines if unsigned system or device driver files are on the system.

• System File Checker replaces unsigned system files with signed versions.