Test your basic knowledge |

Comptia A + Certification

Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. An area of the Windows taskbar used by programs and some hardware devices to display status icons. Also called thenotification area or system tray.






2. The process that authenticates a user and verifies the user account's level of access to a resource.






3. An area on the top left of the Windows XP Start menu containing shortcuts to Windows Update and programs for browsing the Internet and using e-mail.






4. Aka Enhanced IDE.






5. A chip that works with a serial port - converting outgoing data from parallel to serial and incoming data from serial to parallel.






6. A network service that handles the requests for Internet services - such as Web pages - files on an FTP server - and mail for a proxy client without exposing that client's IP address to the Internet. There is specific proxy server and client software






7. In the laser printing process - the step in which the laser beam creates a negative of the image that will eventually appear on the printout. Each place that the laser beam touches loses most of its charge - creating an image - whereas the rest of th






8. A remote KVM switch that uses either Cat 5 or USB cabling. The distance it can be from the computers it controls is a function of the length limits of the cabling; it normally uses a proprietary protocol and special hardware.






9. Aka input/output.






10. A specialized type of memory used only with video adapters.






11. An obsolete video standard introduced with IBM PS/2 computers in the late 1980s. VGA had a maximum resolution of 720






12. Encrypted data placed in a file to guard against tampering.






13. A communication service provided over a telecommunications network or computer network. A VC logically resembles a circuit while passing over a complex routed or switched network - such as the phone company's frame relay network.






14. A method for allocating disk space on hard disks in which configuration information for each dynamic disk is located on the disk space beyond the first physical sector. This configuration information is stored outside of any volume on the hard disk.






15. An organization that created several PC standards - including the VGA connector.






16. Software instructions stored in ROM chips. It exists on most PC components and on the motherboard.






17. A feature of HDMI that prevents people from illegally copying HD DVDs. Aka also High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI).






18. A measurement of a body part - such as a fingerprint or retina scan.






19. An LCD display that uses a DB-15 connector - which means that it accepts analog signals that it converts to digital.






20. A power supply standard that has both the 20-pin connector for the motherboard and a 4-pin 12 V connector.






21. Aka External Serial ATA.






22. A 9-pin D-shell connector.






23. A device that in its traditional configuration as a local KVM switch connects a single keyboard - video display - and mouse to two or more computer systems - allowing the user to switch control from one computer to another.






24. Aka denial of service (DoS) attack.






25. The process of informing the software manufacturer who the official owner or user of the product is - and providing contact information such as name - address - company - phone number - e-mail address - and so on - about them. Registration is usually






26. A device - usually resembling a power strip - that protects equipment from power surges.






27. A circuit on a motherboard through which incoming power passes. Several voltage regulators maintain a steady voltage as demand goes up and down - with one or more voltage regulators for the various voltages required (5 volts - 12 volts - 3.3 volts -






28. A sleep mode that is available on any computer that supports ACPI power management. It conserves power while saving the desktop in RAM memory in a work state. To resume - you simply press the power button - and the desktop is quickly displayed.






29. The order in which the BIOS will search devices for an operating system to start.






30. Threats that are not truly malicious code - but can have indirect negative effects - such as decreasing performance or using up bandwidth. Grayware includes spyware - adware - spam - and spim.






31. Aka thermal compound.






32. Memory locations within a CPU that is used as a scratch pad for calculations. Modern CPUs have dedicated registers for specific functions and general-purpose registers for multiple purposes.






33. A perpetrator of malicious software attacks against computers and networks. Also called a cracker.






34. A modified version of FAT12 and FAT16 used in Windows since Windows 95.






35. A protocol developed in the 1980s by IBM for managing names on a network. Also used by Microsoft in early networking. Replaced by DNS on TCP/IP networks.






36. Aka thumb drive.






37. In the domain name system - a first-level domain - which is a suffix added to a registered domain name and separated from the domain name with a "dot" (.). Among the TLDs are .com - .gov - .edu - .org - .mil - .net - .biz - many two-lettered country






38. Aka paging file.






39. A power supply form factor that pairs with an ATX motherboard and case.






40. A type of printer that transfers ink to paper by causing a print head to strike a printer ribbon containing ink against the paper.






41. An Advanced Options menu choice that creates a log of the Windows startup in a file named NTBTLOG.TXT and saved in thesystemroot folder (normally C:Windows).






42. Used to represent the chrominance signal in S-Video.






43. A protocol used to resolve an IP address to a MAC address.






44. Aka System Information.






45. A motherboard form factor introduced in 2003 by Intel as the successor to ATX.






46. Aka compact disc.






47. A file or folder name that breaks the 8.3 file-naming convention used in the FAT file system. This term continues to be used on newer file systems.






48. A parallel interface standard that supports bidirectional communication and transfer rates of up to 2 MBps.






49. A version of the FAT file system for very small drives






50. A special-purpose computer designed for a certain task and installed within a device.