Unit 1 The CPU

1.6 Summary
In this unit, you have studied about the different essentials of CPU. We discussed about the BUSes and
processor modes. You have also identified the different concepts of modern CPU like CISC vs. RISC
comparison of circuit size and die size; importance of cooling the processor, system clocks; packing the
processor; and features of architectural performance. This unit has also explained the evolution of Intel
CPU and different Intel processors like Intel 8088/8086, Pentium Pro processor, MMX technology,
Pentium II, core 2 processor and AMD processors. Apart from this we have discussed the description of
system memory; the meaning of CPU overclocking, overclocking requirements and its potential pitfalls;
how to overclock the Intel processors. With this knowledge you must be able to overclock your CPU.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. Control BUS is used to control and coordinate the CPU Operations.
2. Protected Mode is used in multi-tasking machines.
3. Control BUS is also called as Timing and control BUS.

4. RISC chips have faster CPU performance than CISC. True

5. Multiprocessing is a technique of running more than one process in a system.

6. MMX is an extension that supports Multimedia applications.

7. 8088 use 8 bit BUS while the 8086 uses 16 bit BUS for data transfer
8. The speed specification of clock multiplier of the 8088/86 processor is 1.0.
9. The motherboard interface of 8088/86 packaging is DIP Socket.
10. The two types of Intel 386 are DX & SX.
11. State whether the following statements are true or false.
a. Pentium is the first superscalar processor. True
b. The use of speculative executive will not reduce pipeline stall time in the RISC core in sixth generation
processor False
12. Which are the three major steps in overclocking? Change in BUS speed, Change the multiplier,
Change the voltage supply.
13. Overclocking the Intel Celeron depends on Motherboard Characteristics.
14. FSB Stands for Front Side BUS.

1.8 Terminal Questions

1. What are the different essentials of the CPU?
2. Compare CISC with RISC CPUs.
3. List out the different features of Architectural Performance.
4. Differentiate between the various Intel Micro Processors.
5. List out the important features of MMX Technology.
6. Explain in brief the different issues in overclocking - success and failure.
7. Describe the three major steps in overclocking.
8. How will you overclock Intel Processors?
 Unit 2 The Memory
2.6 Summary
The Memory is the brain of any system. Memory is in the form of arrays of individual storage elements
which are arranged into rows and columns. The organization structure is the important aspect before
starting to learn memory. Memory is mounted on a package which are of many types like Dual Inline
Package, Single Inline Package, Small-Outline “J” lead, Thin, Small-Outline Package, and Chip Scale
Package. Modular approach is the best way of organizing a system. In memory you find three types of
modules. Using these memory modules you can enhance or add the different extended slots. These
memory modules are SIMM, DIMM, and RIMM. Whenever there is upgradation of new memory there
must be a proficient compatibility with the old memory. The new system comes with facility to
overcome the inherent limitations of the old memory by different ways of its use and hardware and
software selection. The use of computer memory is classified as following types: Conventional,
Extended, and Expanded memory.
The importance of memory has become specialized to that level that it has become very difficult to track
the memory options and understand the architecture. Therefore many things are taken care of which
include memory speed, wait states etc. Advancement in the memory lead to specific memory types such
as EDO RAM, BEDO, DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, etc. You might face a lot of problem when you select and
install a memory. These can be solved by trouble shooting it. Troubleshooting a memory is a form of
solving the problems incurred in the memory and correcting the faults and failures.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. What do row and column represent? Address and data bits
2. The communication between the outside world and memory is through Signals.
3. Which of the three set of signals are needed to operate the memory chip? Control lines
4. What are the different types of memory modules? SIMM, DIMM & RIMM
5. State whether the following statements are true or false:
a. RIMM is responsible for reducing the high heat energy generated by RDRAM chips with the help of
long heat sink. True
b. SIMM works by keeping all the electric signals separate. False
6. Upper Memory area is one of the key factors to enable free space for conventional memory.
7. The memory above first megabyte is called Extended Memory.

8. Cycle time is the minimum amount of time needed between the accesses.

9. What are the different types of Memory? EDO RAM, BEDO, SRAM, SDRAM, DRAM, DDRSDRAM,
EDRAM
10. State whether the following statements are true or false:
a. The system that uses more than one wait state for accessing will have very high performance. False
b. The use of wait states will help in supporting the old systems to perform its processes. True
11. What are the different architectures of the memory that are found in the system? Paged memory,
interleaved memory, memory cache, shadow memory
12. In buying the memory the cost is related to SDRAMs, memory hard drive and memory.
13. The amount of memory that is enough to fit the bit width of the data bus is called Memory bank.
14. Troubleshooting memory is a form of solving the problems incurred in the memory and correcting
the faults and failures.
15. What are the three difficult processes in installing a new socket when it is unsuccessful? First
remove the motherboard, detach the damage socket and fix the new socket
16. Epoxy can be used if the socket breaks or cracks.
17. Contact corrosion can occur when the memory module contacts the metal and socket does not
contact.

2.8 Terminal Questions

1. Explain the organization of memory.
2. Describe the different types of memory modules.
3. What are the different considerations to be kept in mind while upgrading/installing memory?
4. How do you select a memory?
5. How will you troubleshoot memory?
 Unit 3 The Motherboard
3.5 Summary
Motherboard being the heart of any PC provides the system resources and supports many important
components of CPU and handles memory. There is always an immediate need for upgrading
motherboard. Therefore, modular motherboards are used for upgradation. There are different slots and
sockets which are used in different PCs to connect various components into the motherboard. In
modern motherboards there is an absence of chips or some cases very negligible. Expansion devices are
used to give the motherboard the added features. The memory size must be adoptable by the
motherboard. When you upgrade a motherboard you can include additional RAM, and upgrade a CPU.
You should consider many factors like dimensions and mounting; feature comparison; CPU and slot
locations; cost; traditional upgrades; daughter card upgrades; processor card, etc. When you want to
upgrade you must undertake pre and post upgradation preparation which involves, electrostatic
protections, downloading CMOS settings, physical preparation of the system cabinet, removing the
original motherboard, installing and reassembling the motherboard and finally testing the motherboard
for working conditions. In every installation there is always a scope for errors. When any such error
occurs you must check for various components for their performance. Also you need to take a decision
whether to replace the components or the motherboard itself with a new piece. In this unit you studied
the various inspecting points before starting the motherboard repair. By now you would have got the
knowledge of how to identify the problem in the motherboard and to troubleshoot the same.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. Motherboard can be called as active back plane.
2. What are the different designated sockets used in the motherboard? Socket 7, socket 8, slot 1, slot 2,
socket 360, slot A, socket A, socket 432.
3. Additional components are connected to motherboard with the help of Expansion slots.
4. What is the main difference between old and modern computers? Less chips
5. State whether the following statements are true or false:
a. Motherboard has only one 1.5 V AGP slot True
b. RIMM offers high access memory speed True
c. Form factor directly contributes to the performance of the motherboard False
d. BTX defines In-line airflow. True

6. Number of I/O ports determines the features of expandability.

7. How will you remove the extra heat produced by the processors? With the help of sink
8. Why is it always better to go in for new motherboards rather than changing one or more components
in the old one? New motherboards give good support with respect to cache, space & RAM availability.
9. State whether the following statements are true or false:
a. CMOS settings needs to be loaded on the new motherboard’s CMOS. True
b. You need not worry about screw driver blades since they are very small. False
c. Labelling the things inside the PC create confusion. False
d. We must always use non-conductor between mother board and any metal attached to it. True
e. If the motherboard does not fit gently inside the system then you need to apply force to fix it. False
10. Why do you think replacing the motherboard is better than replacing the components in the
motherboard? New motherboards are readily available in the market and spare components are
difficult to obtain
3.7 Terminal Questions
1. Explain the classification of sockets and slots. Refer Section 3.2.1. Sockets and slots
2. What are the points to be kept in mind while upgrading motherboard? Refer section 3.3.1.
Considerations
3. How do you perform upgrading? Refer Section 3.3.2. Performing the upgradation
4. What is the use of trouble shooting motherboard? Refer Section 3.4. Troubleshooting
5. What are the basic points to be taken care of while troubleshooting a motherboard? Refer
Section 3.4. Troubleshooting
 Unit 4 Buses
4.9 Summary
Bus has been the little passive interrupt which has the capability to be an agent for communication
between CPU, memory and various components of the computer. Bus is divided into three types of Bus,
address Bus, data Bus and control Bus. It is a backbone of the network allowing the data to pass through
various computers and network. These are the electric wires which help in transferring the data. There
are various types of Buses based on the type of its use such as expansion Bus, local Bus, internal and
external Bus, unidirectional and bidirectional Bus. The Bus architecture is divided into 3 major types like
ISA, PCI and AGP. The other kinds of Buses are FSB and DIB which are responsible for connecting the
various components to motherboard. Industry Standard Architecture which are not in use were used to
connect the system with video cards, sound cards, networking cards, etc. This is bigger in size than the
PCI and is black in colour. ISA Buses were also referred as PC Buses. ISA has its two versions namely 8-bit
ISA and 16-bit ISA.
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) is a high speed, intelligent Bus. PCI supports many features
like, linear burst low access latency, Bus mastering, etc.
AGP is best suited for 3D applications. AGP’s performance is directly proportional to the bandwidth; its
bandwidth is twice than that of PCI. The important feature of AGP specification is that a 32-bit AGP will
easily fit into PCI configuration. It can process multiple request rather than waiting for a long time for
the new instruction and making the CPU sit idle. Bus is queued by signals.
FSB stands for Front Sided Bus and used to connect CPU to the computer system and CPU with the
various other components of the system. FSB is two directional flows of data, i.e. means various
components send and receives the data from the processor.
DIB which stands for Dual integrated Bus enables the data flow simultaneously or in parallel processing
method rather than queuing up in a single sequential method and waiting for a long time to complete
one instruction and CPU going to idle state.
Troubleshooting with respect to Bus is done at POST boards and rectified using LED lights.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. Buses is the electric wire that is used to answer the question of linking and communication
between different components.
2. State whether the following statements are true or false:
a. Control Bus is the one which carries data between the different components of the
computer. False
b. Local Bus is used to directly connect the data transfer to CPU. True
3. Buses are measured in terms of Clock speed and measured by MHz
4. Expansion Buses are used to connect peripherals.
5. The three major types of Buses are ISA, PCI and AGP.
6. ISA Buses are also called as PC Buses.
7. The two versions of ISA are 8-bit and 16-bit.
8. 8-bit ISA was used by PC/XT Bus.
9. 8-bit ISA consists of 62 pins out of which of 20 and 8 are address and data liens respectively.
10. 16-bit Bus consists of extra 8 bits, 5 interrupts and 4 DMA channels.
11. The speed is increased from 4.77MHz to 8.33MHz.
12. PCI is a high speed intelligent Buses
13. State whether the following statements are true or false.
a. In VL architecture the performance of the Bus is independent of CPU speed.
 False
b. PCI gave automatic configuration property to switch and jumper-less peripherals.
True
c. Linear bursts helps in increasing the performance rate of PCI when compare to Bus
which do not have linear burst capability by almost double the time. True
14. Access time is the time taken by the CPU to permit the request access by peripheral for its
control.
15. Interrupt ReQuest (IRQ) is the technique which holds the signal dynamically and wherever there
is a requirement it can be reassigned.
16. FSB derives the Bus clock of the PCI.
17. FSB stands for Front Sided Bus.
18. AGP Port is applicable for 3D applications.
19. State whether the following statements are true or false
a. Performance of AGP is directly proportional to the bandwidth True
b. The bandwidth capability of AGP is 4 times greater than PCI True
c. RBF# indicates the pre-requested low priority read data can be readily accepted by the
master. True
d. GNT# indicates that the whenever there is data keying from the core program to ensure
that whether master is ready to accept the data False
20. AGP is used on ATX and NLX machines.
21. FSB is also called as Processor bus.
22. The chipset consists of two processors namely Northbridge and Southbridge.
23. The state of CPU that it performs faster than FSB for the activity and waits for FSB to send the
new instructions is called idle state.
24. DIB connects Level-2 cache, CPU and Memory.
25. DIB allows single sequential method for processing. false
26. Troubleshooting of Buses can be done at POST Board.
27. LED lights is used to find the faulty Buses.
28. CLOCK signal can be adjusted between 0 Hz to 33 MHz

4.11 Terminal Questions

1. Explain the working of Bus connection. Refer Section 4.2. BUS
2. Bring out the different DMA channels with its specific functions Refer section 4.3.1, 8-bit Bus,
Table 4.2. DMA channel expansion
3. After the development of two versions of architecture of Buses, why was PCI Bus selected? Refer
Section 4.4, Peripheral component Interconnect
4. Explain the features supported by PCIBus? Refer Section 4.4.1, PCI configuration
5. List the different PCI signals along with their functions? Refer Section 4.4.3, PCI signal, table 4.1,
the functions of PCI signals
6. What are the characteristics of AGP? Refer Section 4.5, Accelerated Graphic Port
7. Explain the architecture of AGP along with its figure? Refer Section 4.5, structure of AGP
8. Compare between PCI and AGP? Refer Section 4.5.1, AGP vs PCI
9. How do you troubleshoot Bus problem? Refer Section 4.8, Troubleshooting
 Unit 5 CMOS
5.6 Summary
Complementary Metal Oxide semiconductors are known as CMOS RAM in short and also called as Very
Low-Power static RAM. BIOS read the attributes from the CMOS RAM to perform normal operation in
the system.
Therefore, to have a proper system you should have correct CMOS settings. The information on date,
time or addresses are lost when the power goes off. BIOS require CMOS to carry out the basic
input/output system function, hardware devices and interfacing function. A battery is connected to PC
to provide power to the CMOS. This battery is called CMOS battery which helps in storing the date, time
and system attributes until the next time system is turn on.
Launch set up utility in the first place as the manufacturers; CMOS setup initiates hardly are consistent
in accessing the setup utilities, in most of the cases you only have to launch the setup in the beginning of
the configuration.
 You have studied the key sequences and their functions. If you forget any of the key
combination or get stuck during the configuration verify and use anyone of the key listed in the
table shown earlier. This will force the CMOS setup routine by causing configuration change. As
the number of devices as well as the key combinations increase a number of combinations come
into existence. To get optimum solutions we need to choose the right one with the help of
following points like:
 Basic Check, System cache must be enabled, Wait states of RSM must be minimized, ROM
shadowing must be enabled, Power management must be enabled, Drive access must be
optimized, Go with BIOS defaults. These options give no guarantee to use available features of
CMOS setup use. While configuring the standard CMOS setup there are many entries found
commonly in the CMOS standard setup menu list. They are Date and time, Error halt-No errors,
All errors, All, but keyboard, All, but disk, Floppy drive A, Halt on, Hard disk C.

Troubleshooting and maintaining the CMOS involves maintenance the battery rather than maintain the
CMOS chip. Here you need to take care of CMOS of password of maintenance and battery maintenance.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. CMOS is a small and low-power RAM chip which was used to store the system’s setup
parameters.
2. When the computer starts, BIOS read the parameters which are stored in the CMOS RAM.BIOS
3. CMOS RAM is also called as very low power static RAM.
4. CMOS RAM has Nickel cadmium battery.
5. CMOS battery helps in storing the date, time and system attributes until the next time system is
turned on.
6. In PC/AT, floppy disk was being used which contained the CMOS setup utility during booting of
the computer.
7. AMI BIOS used Del key at the time of POST.
8. Power management saves electricity and increases the use of many components.
9. Non AMI machines use CTCHIPZ utility to check and access the hidden settings.
10. By Shadowing the video and system RAM you can increase the performance of the system.
11. Cyl is the number of cylinders available in the hard disk.
12. Wpre is the setting which specifies where write pre-compensation begins in the cylinder.
13. State whether the following statements are true or false
 a. “Clear password” is a jumper name. True
b. Circuit damage in the motherboard can be repaired. False

5.8 Terminal Questions

1. List the need of CMOS. Refer Section 5.2.1 the need of CMOS
2. Why is it difficult to select optimum combination? Refer Section 5.3 CMOS Optimization tactics
3. List the entries of CMOS standard menu list. Refer Section 5.4 Configuring the standard CMOS
setup
4. What is a password? How do you manage password problem? Refer Section 5.5.1 CMOS
password troubleshooting
5. Explain CMOS battery maintenance. Refer Section 5.5.2 CMOS battery maintenance
 Unit 6 BIOS
6.7 Summary
BIOS stand for Basic Input Output System and are added on ROM chips to provide an interface between
the raw PC hardware and standardized operating system. In general BIOS contains three major sections
like POST (Power-On-Self-Test), Setup and System Routines. POST performs a low level diagnostic and
reliability test of all the main components of the system. When the POST encounters a problem then it
stops and the CMOS Setup will come up with an error message. System service routines are the
functions that form the layer between hardware and the operating system. Whenever there is necessity
and a specific function has to be carried out always see that the operating system is interfaced with
Interrupts which are the small programs that make the running application and take the control to
required module.

There are specific types of features which help the BIOS in controlling and testing the various
components of the system. Some of the major areas that need support from BIOS are CPU, Chipset,
Memory, drive, power management, I2/O, PnP, Parallel port, etc.

BIOS will differ in its features depending on the manufacturers. Some of the prominent manufacturers
of BIOS are AMI, Award, Phoenix, etc. You also studied the various format used in BIOS code by various
manufacturers. Like the BIOS code, boot sequences also vary with manufacturers. You have discussed on
the shortcomings and compatibility issues of BIOS which threw light on device drivers, shadowing, direct
control and bugs. These issues and problems caused in BIOS can be rectified using the error messages
which are displayed during or after the completion of the POST. There are two types of error codes that
are generated. Beep code and POST code. Beep codes are formed by the speakers of the system and
POST codes are single byte hexadecimal characters. Whenever there is a problem in the system it is
identified with the help of beep code or POST code by referring to the manufacturer’s manual.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. BIOS is present in RAM that acts as an interface between computer hardware and operating
system.
2. BISO instructs the service routine to configure the hardware and RAM false
3. POST stands for Power on self-test.
4. Which are the two types of routines? Setup routine and system routine
5. BIOS features depends on Manufacturer of the BIOS.
6. State whether the following statements are true or false.
a. BIOS should give support of parity and error checking and correction to memory. True
b. BISO supports ACPI specification for disk drives. False
c. I2/O support is responsible for allowing the dynamic assignment to the port and
resources of I/O devices. True
7. AAAA-BBBB-DDMMYY-Kx is the code format followed by AMI BIOS.
8. According to AMI BIOS in the code format A#-BBBB-CCCCCCDDDDDDDD- EEEEEE-FFFFFFFF-G,
EEEEEE represents DD/MM/YY format.
9. Load the BDA sequence loads the BIOS data area into conventional memory in AMI BIOS.
10. Interrupt vectors are initialized by Vector table.
11. BIOS shadowing is a process that copies the content of ROM into RAM memory which helps in
improving the speed of the system.
12. BIOS bugs are accidental errors in BIOS codes
13. POST generates Beep code and POST code.
6.9 Terminal Questions
1. Explain the working of motherboard BIOS in detail. Refer Section 6.2, Motherboard BIOS
2. What are the features of BIOS? Refer Section 6.3, BIOS features
3. Given the code (2A6LGTJ10). Identify the chipset and BIOS manufacturer of this code.
Refer Section 6.3.2, BIOS features and also refer the manual for specification on Award BIOS.
4. List the boot sequence of Phoenix Technologies. Refer Section 6.4, BIOS and Boot sequences
5. How do you troubleshoot any problem in BIOS? Refer Section 6.6, Troubleshooting
 Unit 7 Power Supplies and Power Management
7.6 Summary
Power supply plays an important role in PC operation and its components. It converts AC into one or
more levels of DC that can be used by electronic devices inside the computer. Though you might not be
willing to give more importance to it, in reality any fault in the power supply can create severe problems
in the stability issues, data loss, and also result in damage to motherboard or drives. You can always
prevent the use of power by the system while in idle state. In this unit you have seen the working of the
typical switching power supply and got to know reliable guidelines for selecting and upgrading a power
supply. Major power management techniques for computers on Windows operating system were also
reviewed. You also saw how to use those schemes and to troubleshoot many of the power supply and
power management problems.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. Feedback loop is the path that leads to the initial energy generator point of the feedback signal
to the subsequent modification of that event.
2. AC line voltage is rectified and filtered by single chip regulator.
3. Duty cycle is the amount of time that a signal is “on” compared to overall cycle.
4. State whether the following statements are true or false
a. Switching power circuit components are large in size and difficult to pack inside. False
b. Switching power circuit acts as radio transmitter. True
5. The basic indication of power problem is that if there is any malfunction in the power supply
then it will not boot the PC.
6. What can be suspected when the PC freezes for no reason at all several times in an hour or
several times in a day? Power problem
7. What is the indication of gray color wire in the computer in power supply pin assignments?
Power Ok
8. The important factors to be considered when choosing a power supply are Capacity or the new
supply and physical dimensions.
9. Operating system is responsible for supporting the controls and dialog needed for selecting the
power management scheme.
10. The three power saving modes are basic conservation, standby and Hibernate mode.
11. Hibernate is the mode that switches off the computer automatically when it is in idle state for a
long period.
12. State whether the following statements are true or false:
a. Fan blades must be clean to release excess of heat out of the system True
b. It is compulsory to use Y- adapter all over the system especially in connecting HDD. False

7.8 Terminal Questions

1. Explain the typical working of switching power supply with a neat diagram. Refer Section 7.2,
Switching regulations
2. How will you recognize a power problem? Refer Section 7.3.1, recognizing the problem
3. What are the different schemes in power management? Refer Section 7.4, Power management
in Windows OS
4. List the tips for troubleshooting switch power supply. Refer Section 7.5.1, Switch power
supplies.
 Unit 8 Storage Devices
8.7 Summary
Disk Drives are the machine that reads and writes the data into the respective disks. The different types
of disk drives are hard drives, CD drives, DVD drives and the latest Blu-ray disk drives and Flash memory
drive. The hard drive is also known as hard disk drive or fixed disk drive. It is the main and largest storage
device on the computer. It is referred usually in the computer by C: drive. CD-ROM (Compact Disc, read-
only-memory) is an adaptation of the CD that is designed to store computer data in the form of text,
graphics and stereo sound. DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disk that can hold program, data, audio and
video. It is capable of providing up to 17GB of external storage on your computer. Blu-Ray Disk is often
referred shortly as BD. BD is the advanced version of DVD which is made out of smaller pits and lands.
Single Layer BD can store about more than five times the DVD capacity (almost 25 billion bytes) and
double layer BD can store up to 50 billion bytes. The standard disk size is of 12 cm in size. The single
layer Blu-ray disk can handle up to 25GB of data and dual layer disk can handle up to 50GB of data. Flash
Memory drive also called as USB flash is an external storage device which can be used to read and write
the flash memory. This device is less expensive, very reliable and durable source of storage media. The
flash drive is used for the same purpose like
CD-ROM and floppy disks. And in this unit we have discussed on the troubleshooting tips for various
types of disk drives.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. IDE standards for Integrated Drive Electronics
2. The two devices that are configured as master and save shares a single channel that called by a
specification.
3. CD-ROM is an adapter of the CD that is designed to store computer data in the form of text,
graphics and stereo sound.
4. EFM is a complex decoding process that convert sequence of pits and land into meaningful
binary information.
5. Low level device Driver allows programs to access the CD-ROM as the hardware level.
6. Auto insert allows the disk to automatically identify.
7. Access time is the time recorded by the drive to locate required information on the disk.
8. State whether the following statements are true/false.
a. MPEG-2 decoder is used to compress and decode movie data. True
b. Analog output is used for mixing in an auxiliary audio signal to the decoder card. False
c. Digital output jack is used to drive an external digital device. True
9. The data layer in the Blu-ray disk is closer to the surface of the disk true
10. The two types of Blu-ray optical disk recorder are BD-R & BD-RE.
11. BDMV stands for Bleu-ray disk movie.
12. Male type-A USB connector is used to connect the flash drive to computer.

8.9 Terminal Questions

1. Explain the working of hard drive with a neat diagram. Refer section 8.2.1: The hard drive
construction, fig 8.1, typical diagram.
2. Describe the construction of CD-ROM Refer section 8.3.1: Basics of CD-ROM drive.
3. How to troubleshoot CD-ROM? Refer section 8.3.3: Troubleshooting.
4. Explain the DVD drive & decoder. Refer section 8.4.2: The DVD drive and decoder.
5. Provide the guidelines for DVD drive troubleshooting. Refer section 8.4.3: Troubleshooting of
DVD drive.
6. What are the different types of Blu-ray disk? Refer section 8.5.1: Physical media types of Blu-ray
disk.
7. Elaborate the flash memory drive. Refer section 8.6: Flash memory drive.
8. List the guidelines for troubleshooting flash memory drive. Refer section 8.6.4: Troubleshooting
a USB flash drive.
 Unit 9 Parallel Port
9.4 Summary
Parallel port is a device which is used to connect and communicate between computer and other
peripheral devices. Parallel port interface is one of the simplest and straight forward circuits in the PC. It
consists of three registers which perform specific functions: they are data register, status register and
control register.
While accessing the printer, the system CPU loads the port data register with the value to be passed. In
this unit you studied the different types of signals which are responsible for transferring the data from
the computer to the peripheral device which is mostly a printer. You also discussed the operation of the
parallel port with the help of different kinds if signals which have been represented with the help of
parallel port timing diagram. Apart from these, a comparison between the various parallel port modes
such as unidirectional port and bidirectional ports were made in this unit. You have not only come to
know the standard used in new peripheral device and its different mode components but also discussed
how to prevent the parallel port from experiencing any problem, but if problems to occur then how to
troubleshoot in the Windows configuration.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. Parallel port is a device that is used to connect and communicated between computer and
printer.
2. Data registers are called as Bidirectional.
3. Signal is any time varying quantity which is generated to produce the interrupt.
4. IEEE joined with NPA released a standard for bidirectional parallel port.
5. State whether the following statements are true or false.
a. There will be serious problem in the port if you use a cheap cable. True
b. You should enable the status monitor software when there is a problem in the port.
False
6. ECP stands for Extend capability port.

9.6 Terminal Questions

1. Explain the operation of the parallel port in detail. Refer sec 9.2.2 Port Operation
2. Differentiate between different nodes of IEEE 1284 standard. Refer sec 9.2.3 IEEE 1284 modes
3. How will you resolve the problem of Windows configuration through troubleshooting? Refer sec
9.3 Troubleshooting
 Unit 10 Serial Port
10.6 Summary
Serial port is a device that is used to connect and communicate between the low-bandwidth devices like
modem and keyboard. Serial port used two data lines; one to transmit data and another to receive data.
It is a bidirectional port. Asynchronous communication is a type of communication in which a start signal
is initiated before a data byte or character and a signal is sent after each code. Clock can be used by
receiving device to detect each data bit. This method is known as synchronous communication. The
combination of synchronization bits and data byte is called as Data Frame. Serial port uses either 25-pin
connector or 9-pin subminiature D-type connector to be used in the PC.
DTE stands for data terminal equipment. DCE stands for data carrier communication and is normally a
modem or any other piece of data communication equipment. The distinction becomes very important
between DTE and DCE because data and handshaking signals are swapped at the DCE end.

RTS which stands for Request to send is a signal that is generated by the DTE which informs DCE that it
will receive a data. CTS which stand for Clear to send is a signal that tells the DTE that the receiver node
is ready to receive the data.
Modem is the combination of modulator or demodulator which converts analog signals to digital and
vice-versa. Construction of internal modem needs to be undertaken carefully as you have to open the
case of the computer and work inside the system. Though the rate of failure of modem and serial port is
minimal, you have to be a bit more careful while troubleshooting.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. Serial port is a device that is used to connect and communicate between the low bandwidth
devices.
2. The method of receiving device with the help of clock to detect each data bit is known as
Synchronous communication.
3. The combination of synchronisation bits and the data byte is called as Data frame
4. Baud rate is defined as the total number of frequency or voltage signals per second existing in a
communication line.
5. UART stands for Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter
6. DCE is a data communication equipment.
7. Bipolar signals are also called as bipolar Transmission.
8. TX is a transmit line which outputs the serial data from the computer.
9. RTS stands for request to send.
10. DTR Signal is asserted when the DTE is initialized and ready to start the serial operation.
11. Modulator and demodulator are together known as modem
12. The telephone interface is connected to RJ11 telephone jack to receive audio signal.
13. Phase shift keying is digital modulation signal that changes the phase of the reference signal.
14. COM is a serial port.
15. State whether the following statements are True/False:
a. Motherboard outright replacement is an economical way to replace the modem.
b. By setting the motherboard jumpers and installing an expansion slot in the place of
defective port, the computer will assume that there is a port available. True
10.8 Terminal Questions
1. Explain in detail the concept of asynchronous communication.
2. Describe the working of serial port functioning.
3. Describe the construction and the operation of a modem with a neat diagram.
4. What are the guide lines in installing a modem?
5. How do you the resolve the problems in the serial port through troubleshooting?
 Unit 11 Input – Output Devices
11.6 Summary
Let’s recapitulate important concepts discussed in this unit:
 A standard mouse consists of several components: A housing that can be held in the hand and
moved around, a roller ball that signals movement to the system, buttons (usually two) for
making selections, a cable for connecting the mouse to the system and an interface connector
to attach the mouse to the system.
 The keyboard is the primary input device. It is used for entering commands and data into the
system. The keyboard is the friendliest input peripheral.
 A sound card has many uses, including: adding stereo sound to entertainment (game) software,
increasing the effectiveness of educational software, particularly for young children, adding
sound effects to business presentations and training software, creating music by using MIDI
hardware and software, adding voice notes to files, adding sound effects to operating system
events, enabling a PC to read, enabling PC use by disabled individuals, playing audio CDs.
 In order to install a sound card, you will have to select IRQ numbers, a base I/O address, or DMA
channels that don't conflict with other devices.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. The largest manufacturers of mice are Microsoft and Logitech.
2. Trackball is a stationary device. True.
3. Hardware problems in the mouse are very difficult to resolve.
4. A standard technique known as Scanning is followed by the keyboard electronics.
5. 8042 is a keyboard controller chip.
6. One of the best ways to maintain a keyboard in top condition is periodic cleaning
7. Microphone is required to record the sound.
8. The number of measurements per second, called the Sampling rate is measured in kHz.
9. MIDI stands for Musical Instrument digital interface.
10. IRQ Numbers, base I/O address and DMA channels should not conflict with other devices while
installing a sound card.
11. DMA channel is the way to move information directly to PC's memory, bypassing PC's processor.
12. The audio format box should contain information about the type of compression that was used
to compress the file, the sound quality of the file, and whether or not the file is in stereo.

11.8 Terminal Questions

1. Explain the features of a mouse and a track ball.
Mouse is a pointing device which is used to point a particular option on the screen and then
select that option by clicking. Different manufacturers produce different varieties of mouse.
Trackballs are also called as "rollerballs". Trackballs are a stationary device. Movement or
rotation of the ball moves the cursor. (Refer sections 11.2.1 & 11.2.2)

2. How does the key board function? How will you determine the Keyboard failure?
When a key is pressed, the key switch is activated. The keyboard has an electronic circuit to
determine which key has been pressed. Then a standard 8-bit code is generated and sent to the
computer. (Refer section 11.3.1)
3. List out the steps involved in installing a sound card.
To install a sound card, you have to select IRQ numbers, a base I/O address, or DMA channels
that don't conflict with other devices. Most cards come already configured to use on otherwise
idle set of ports, but problems occasionally arise. (Refer section 11.5)

4. How will you overcome the IRQ conflict with sound card?
The audio portion of a sound card has a default IRQ setting, but also supports any of several
alternate interrupts. You should try to leave the sound card at the default setting (usually IRQ 5)
and change other adapters where possible. (Refer section 11.5)
 Unit 12 Video Adapters and Accelerators
12.7 Summary
Let’s recapitulate important concepts discussed in this unit:
 Video adapter is a board that plugs into a personal computer to give it display capabilities. Those
capabilities of a computer, however, depend on both the logical circuitry (provided in the video
adapter) and the display monitor.
 DirectX is the technology from Microsoft, which is a collection of Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs) for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and
video, on Microsoft platforms.
 The video display hardware can be broadly classified into non-accelerated and accelerated
cards.
 A Graphics Processing Unit or GPU (also occasionally called visual processing unit or VPU) is a
specialized microprocessor that offloads and accelerates graphics rendering from the central
processor. It is used in embedded systems, mobile phones, personal computers, workstations,
and game consoles.
 Video cards, graphics cards, and other 2D/3D graphic accelerator cards are bundled with the
corresponding device drivers that are essential for the proper function and performance of the
graphics device.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. The AGP technology was introduced by Intel.
2. DirectX technology is from Microsoft.
3. BIOS stands for basic input output system.
4. Video display hardware can be broadly classified as accelerated and non-accelerated.
5. DRAM stands for dynamic random access memory.
6. VRAM stands for video random access memory.
7. The term GPU was coined and popularized by NVIDIA
8. The term VPU was first introduced by ATI technologies.
9. GPU stands for Graphics processing unit
10. KNI stands for katmai new instructions
11. MMX stands for multimedia extension
12. You need to run DxDiag.exe file to test whether your monitor supports DirectDraw or not.

Terminal Questions
1. Explain the features of conventional video adapters. Refer section 12.2: Conventional Video
Adapters
2. Briefly explain the major classification of video display hardware. Refer section 12.3:
Classification of Video Display Hardware
3. List out the issues associated with video speed. Refer section 12.4.1: Issues in Video
Performance
4. Explain the precautionary measures to be taken to avoid basic problems in video cards. Refer
section 12.6.1: Avoiding the Basic Problem
 Unit 13 SCSI and USB Systems
13.4 Summary
SCSI is a set of standards that define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces for
physical connection and data transmission between computers and peripheral devices. The computer
peripherals and hardware components are completely free from compatibility issues because it is taken
care by SCSI devices. Installation of SCSI devices is very easy because it is similar to PnP devices. The
different checklist can be used to verify the installation of SCSI devices. It is very easy to troubleshoot
the connectors and wires since it will not give much trouble. The trouble may cause during installation,
setup, and operation of the devices that is on the bus.

Universal serial Bus (USB) is a serial Bus standard for connecting the device to the computer without
installing the driver when the computer is shut down and restarted. USB allows up to 127 USB devices to
run simultaneously on computer. USB is a connection with two points in which one point is a master on
host and another point works as slave. Host is usually a computer that may have 127 slaves connected
at a time. Computer has 2 to 4 USB connectors but hub number may increase up to 127. The USB system
architecture consists of three main components, Host computer, USB device and USB cable.

Though the USB problems are not severe, there are few steps which can control these small problems
such as hardware failure, device driver’s configuration problems, cabling problems, firmware/BIOS
problems, Root hub configuration problems, etc.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. SCSI is a set of standard that define commands, protocols and electrical and optical interfaces
for physical connection and data transmission between computer and peripheral devices.
2. SCSI stands for small computer system interface.
3. SCSI devices use 50 pin or 68 pin cable to get connected.
4. SCSI needs handshaking protocol to organize data transfer from sending end to receiving end.
5. Terminator is a small register used to enhance with SCSI signal integrity.
6. LUN indicate devices with in devices.
7. You don’t need to install SCSI host adapter and no need to connect any SCSI device in order to
configure SCSI. False.
8. Which devices are termed as intelligent serial interface? USB
9. UHCI stands for universal host controller interface.
10. The two types of cables are high speed and low speed.
11. State whether the following statement are true or false
a. Hardware problems are due to high or low power and limited Bandwidth True
b. When the USB device is connected to the root hub we need to load the device drivers
and configure the device by using drivers in the disk. False
c. Firmware is antivirus software. False
d. Root hub configuration problem is a problem related to computer set up. True

13.6 Terminal Questions

1. Explain the SCSI concepts in detail. Refer section 13.2.1, SCSI concepts
2. Describe how to perform installation of SCSI system. Refer Section 13.2.2, Installing a SCSI
system
3. Write the steps involved in troubleshooting procedure in SCSI system. Refer Section 13.2.4
troubleshooting
4. Explain the essential concepts of USB system Refer section 13.3.1, USB concepts
5. Describe the working of USB. Refer section 13.3.2, SCSI architecture
6. What are the general procedures for troubleshooting USB? Refer Section 13.3.3,
troubleshooting
 Unit 14 PC Assembly

14.6 Summary
This unit has provided you with some important concepts like:
 Plug and Play (PnP) which is a combination of hardware and software support that enables a
computer system to recognize and adapt to hardware configuration changes with little or no
intervention by a user.
 The kernel-mode functionality in Windows 2000 Plug and Play which supports boot-time Plug
and Play activity and interfaces with the HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer), Executive, and
device drivers.
 In Linux, each device driver does its own low level configuration.
 Before start assembling a PC, you should identify various cables such as power cables, data
cables etc. in the computer.
 USB cables are used to connect most new devices to your computer including flash memory
sticks, portable media players, internet modems and digital cameras.
 Enough antistatic precautions to be taken before you start assembling a PC.
 You can configure CD-ROM as either a Master or Slave depending upon the IDE connectors and
jumper settings.
 You need to plug sound and video cards into their respective PCI or AGP slots.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. In Linux, the ‘pci.h’ header file is available in /usr/include/linux directory.
2. ACPI stands for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface Specification
3. Every USB cable will work with all kinds USB plug and play devices. False
4. The standard audio jack is 3.5 mm in size.
5. S-Video cable generally contains 4 to 9 pins.
6. The Ethernet cable is also known as RJ45
7. SMPS stands for switch mode power supply
8. Hard disk can be used as either Master or Slave. True
9. Before you start assembling a PC, you should ensure proper earthing. True.

14.8 Terminal Questions

1. Explain the term PnP. Refer section 14.2: Plug and Play Devices
2. How will you identify different cables in the computer? Refer section 14.3: Identification of
Cables in Computers
3. How will you fit various peripherals into the computer cabinet? Fitting of Cabinet
4. Explain the steps to install the motherboard into the cabinet. Mounting Motherboard in Cabinet