BRIEF CONTENTS. DETAILED CONTENTS iv INTRODUCTION PART 5: NETWORKS, MODEMS, AND THE INTERNET 793

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2 BRIEF CONTENTS DETAILED CONTENTS iv INTRODUCTION xvii GUIDE TO EXAMINATION OBJECTIVES xxiii PART 1: PERSONAL COMPUTER BASICS 1 Computing Overview 1 2 Safety and Preventive Maintenance 33 3 Case, Electricity, and Power Supplies 61 PART 2: PROCESSING AND MEMORY The Motherboard CPUs Memory Cables Installing and Troubleshooting the Basic Components Working with the BIOS Setup Program 307 PART 3: DATA STORAGE Introduction to Disk Storage Disk Drive Interfaces Performing Disk Management Tasks Managing CD Drives 461 PART 4: INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES Configuring Devices in Windows Video Cards Monitors Keyboards and Mice Working with Printers Imaging and Sound Devices Portable PCs 735 PART 5: NETWORKS, MODEMS, AND THE INTERNET Networking Hardware Concepts Setting Up a Windows Network Using a Windows Network Modems The Internet 973 PART 6: UNDERSTANDING AND USING OPERATING SYSTEMS Selecting and Installing an Operating System The Boot Process Working with Applications Managing Files Optimizing and Troubleshooting Windows 1203 APPENDIXES A The Computer Technician s Toolkit 1245 B Customer Service 1248 C Supporting Users with Disabilities 1251 D Editing the Windows Registry 1252 E ASCII Codes 1262 GLOSSARY 1266 ADDENDUM a 1 INDEX i-1 Brief Contents iii

3 DETAILED CONTENTS BRIEF CONTENTS iii xvii INTRODUCTION GUIDE TO EXAMINATION OBJECTIVES xxiii PART 1: PERSONAL COMPUTER BASICS Test Objectives in Part 1 1 Computing Overview 1 What All Computers Have in Common 1 Digital versus Analog 2 Numbering Systems 4 Input, Processing, and Output 4 Hardware and Software 6 A Look at a Typical Computer 6 Looking at a PC from the Outside 6 Removing the Cover 7 Identifying Key Components 9 Notebook PCs 19 Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) 20 Software 21 BIOS 21 Operating System 22 Applications 24 Study Guide 25 Practice Test 27 Troubleshooting 31 Customer Service 31 For More Information 31 2 Safety and Preventive Maintenance 33 Protecting Yourself from Electrical Shock 34 Power Supply Precautions 34 Monitor Precautions 35 Protecting Yourself from Other Dangers 36 Putting Out Electrical Fires 37 Protecting the Computer from Harm 37 Temperature 38 Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) 39 Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) 42 Physical Trauma 43 Magnets 44 Cleaning a PC 44 Cleaning Supplies 45 Cleaning the Surface of the Monitor 45 Cleaning Other External Surfaces 46 Cleaning a Keyboard 46 Cleaning a Mouse 47 Cleaning the Inside of a PC 48 Cleaning a Printer 49 Disposal of Hazardous Materials 52 Study Guide 53 Practice Test 56 Troubleshooting 59 Customer Service 60 For More Information 60 3 Case, Electricity, and Power Supplies 61 Working with Cases 62 Selecting a Case 62 Preparing a Case for Use 67 Electricity Basics 70 Volts 70 Amps 71 Watts 71 Resistance 71 Grounding 72 AC versus DC 73 Taking Electrical Measurements 73 Measuring Resistance 74 Measuring Voltage 75 Measuring Current 76 Power Supply 76 Types of Power Supplies 77 Drive Connectors 82 How the Power Supply Starts the PC 83 Determining Wattage Requirements 84 Symptoms of a Faulty Power Supply 86 Testing a Power Supply 87 Replacing a Power Supply 88 Surge Suppressors and Uninterruptible Power Supplies 89 Surge Suppressors 89 Uninterruptible Power Supply 90 Power Sources for Notebook PCs 92 AC Adapter 92 Battery 92 iv

4 Study Guide 93 Practice Test 97 Troubleshooting 101 Customer Service 101 For More Information 101 Project Lab, Part PART 2: PROCESSING AND MEMORY 107 Test Objectives in Part The Motherboard 109 Overview of the Processing Subsystem 110 How A Motherboard Works 110 Buses 110 Chipsets 113 Jumpers and Switches 118 Selecting a Motherboard 122 Form Factors 122 Expansion Slots 127 Memory Slots 132 Slot or Socket 134 Built-In Components 135 Batteries 137 I/O Ports 139 Drive Connectors 140 Troubleshooting Problems with Motherboards 141 Dead Motherboard 141 Beeping 142 Dead Battery 142 Dead Built-In Component 143 Malfunctioning Expansion Slot 143 Bad Jumper Settings 144 Bent Pins 144 Study Guide 145 Practice Test 149 Troubleshooting 152 Customer Service 153 For More Information CPUs 155 How a CPU Works 156 How Data Moves In and Out of the CPU 156 Data Processing Speed 158 Core Voltage 161 Cache Usage 162 Cooling Methods 163 Detailed Contents Types of CPUs Prior to Pentium and 8088 CPUs CPUs CPUs CPUs 172 Pentium CPUs and Succeeding Generations 179 Pentium CPUs 179 Pentium II CPUs 182 Pentium III CPUs 187 Pentium 4 and Beyond 189 Study Guide 191 Practice Test 194 Troubleshooting 197 Customer Service 198 For More Information Memory 199 Types of Memory 200 Read-Only Memory (ROM) 201 Random Access Memory (RAM) 203 SRAM and DRAM 203 How RAM Stores Data 204 RAM Packaging 205 Parity versus Nonparity 208 RAM Speeds 209 RAM Labeling 210 Selecting RAM 211 RAM Interaction with the Operating System 212 Understanding Memory Addresses 212 The First 1MB: Conventional and Upper Memory 213 Expanded Memory 214 Extended Memory 214 Examining and Optimizing Memory Usage 215 MS-DOS Memory Management 215 Windows Memory Management 220 Study Guide 223 Practice Test 225 Troubleshooting 228 Customer Service 229 For More Information Cables 231 Serial and Parallel Data Transmission 232 Serial Data Transmission 232 v

5 Parallel Data Transmission 233 Cable Construction 234 Pin-Out Diagrams 235 Connector Types 236 BNC 237 D-sub (DB) 237 Centronics 238 Ribbon Connectors 238 RJ 239 DIN and Mini-DIN (PS/2) 239 Audio Connectors 240 High-Speed Serial 241 Power 241 Serial Cables and Ports 242 Legacy COM Ports and Cables 242 USB 243 IEEE 1394 (FireWire) 246 Parallel Cables and Ports 247 Ribbon Cables 247 Printer Cables 249 Parallel Port Modes 250 Direct Parallel Cables 251 Network Cabling 252 Thick Ethernet 252 Thin Ethernet 253 Twisted Pair 254 Fiber-Optic Cables 256 Troubleshooting Cable Problems 257 Checking Port Status in BIOS Setup 257 Checking Port Status in Windows 258 Testing Legacy Parallel and Serial Ports 259 Troubleshooting USB Device Problems 260 Checking Cables for Broken Wires 261 Study Guide 263 Practice Test 267 Troubleshooting 270 Customer Service 270 For More Information Installing and Troubleshooting the Basic Components 271 What You Need 272 Preparing the Case 272 Configuring a Motherboard 272 Installing the CPU 275 Installing a PGA CPU 276 Installing an SECC CPU 280 Installing RAM 282 Installing a SIMM 284 Installing a DIMM 285 Installing a Motherboard in a PC Case 285 Removing the Case Floor 286 Installing the Stand-Offs 287 Attaching the Motherboard to the Case Floor 289 Attaching Case Wires to the Motherboard 290 Connecting I/O Ports 292 Connecting the Power Supply 293 Installing a Video Card 294 Testing the Installation So Far 295 No Power Supply Fan 296 Beep Codes 297 No On-Screen Text 297 Study Guide 299 Practice Test 301 Troubleshooting 304 Customer Service 305 For More Information Working with the BIOS Setup Program 307 Understanding BIOS and CMOS 308 BIOS 308 CMOS 308 Interaction with Memory 309 Accessing the BIOS Setup Program 310 Common Adjustable Settings in the Setup Utility 313 Date and Time 313 Processor Configuration 314 Drive Configuration 315 Boot Configuration 318 Memory Usage 321 Plug and Play 321 Expansion Bus Management 322 Integrated Peripherals 324 Power Management 326 Security 328 vi

6 Exiting the BIOS Setup Program 329 Recovering from Bad BIOS Setup Changes 330 Installing a BIOS Update 331 Replacing a BIOS Chip 332 Study Guide 335 Practice Test 337 Troubleshooting 341 Customer Service 341 For More Information 341 Project Lab, Part PART 3: DATA STORAGE 347 Test Objectives in Part Introduction to Disk Storage 349 ASCII Characters and Data Storage 350 How Disks Store Data 350 How Magnetic Storage Works 352 How Optical Storage Works 352 Disks versus Drives 353 How Disk Space Is Organized 353 Low-Level Formatting 356 Zoned Recording and Sector Translation 357 BIOS Drive Support 357 Floppy Drive BIOS Support 358 CD-ROM Drive BIOS Support 359 Other IDE Removable Drive BIOS Support 361 Hard Disk BIOS Support 361 Disk Partitions 366 Primary and Extended Partitions 367 Active Partition 368 Master Boot Record 368 Clusters 368 High-Level Formatting 370 FAT Formatting 370 NTFS Formatting 373 Study Guide 376 Practice Test 381 Troubleshooting 384 Customer Service 384 For More Information Disk Drive Interfaces 385 Drive Interface Overview 386 Floppy Interface 387 Detailed Contents IDE Interface 389 ATA Versions 390 Slave/Master Jumpers 392 IDE Ribbon Cable Selection 394 Mixing IDE Drive Types on a Single Cable 395 SCSI Interface 395 Types of SCSI 396 SCSI ID 397 SCSI Termination 398 SCSI Interface and Connectors 399 Using Different SCSI Types on the Same Chain 402 Installing a Drive 402 Setting Up the Drive 402 Mounting the Drive in the Bay 403 Installing the SCSI Adapter (SCSI Only) 404 Connecting the Drive to the Motherboard or Expansion Card 405 Connecting the Power Cable 407 BIOS Configuration 407 Troubleshooting Drive Interface Problems 407 Dead Drive 408 BIOS Doesn t See Drive (IDE) 408 Floppy Light Remains On 409 Old Contents in Floppy Listing 409 Study Guide 409 Practice Test 412 Troubleshooting 416 Customer Service 416 For More Information Performing Disk Management Tasks 417 Understanding the File Storage Hierarchy 418 Floppy Disk Management 421 Types of Floppy Disks 421 Write-Protecting a Floppy Disk 423 Formatting a Floppy Disk 424 Selecting and Caring for Floppy Disks 427 Partitioning and Formatting Hard Disks 428 vii

7 From a Command Prompt in MS-DOS or Windows 9x 428 Formatting from My Computer 437 Partitioning and Formatting During Windows 2000 Setup 439 From Windows 2000 Disk Management 440 Examining Disk Properties in the OS 443 Command Prompt Utilities 443 Windows Utilities 446 Troubleshooting Hard Disk Problems 449 BIOS Sees Drive but Windows Does Not 449 Windows Sees Drive but Cannot Read It 450 Not Bootable 450 Data Errors Reading or Writing Disk 450 Sector Not Found Errors 451 Loss of Partition Information or Accidental Formatting 451 Wrong File System for OS 452 Nonhealthy Disks in Disk Management 452 Study Guide 453 Practice Test 455 Troubleshooting 459 Customer Service 459 For More Information Managing CD Drives 461 Types of CD Drives 462 CD Performance Factors 462 Speed (X) 462 Access Time 463 CLV versus CAV 463 Other Performance Factors 464 Installing a CD Drive 465 Installing an IDE CD Drive 465 Installing a SCSI CD Drive 467 Controlling a CD-ROM Drive through the OS 468 Commands for Real-Mode CD Driver Installation 469 Adding CD Support to a Windows 95 Startup Disk 470 Caring for CDs 471 DVD 472 DVD Drive Speeds 472 DVD Drives and CD-R/CD-RW Media 473 DVD Drives and MPEG Decoders 474 Troubleshooting CD and DVD Drive Problems 475 Not Accessible from Command Prompt 475 CD Will Not Eject 475 Noisy Drive 476 CD Drive Not Bootable 476 Understanding CD-R 476 How CD-R Works 477 Multisession Recording 477 Speeds 478 Selecting CD-R Media 478 Troubleshooting CD-R Recording 479 Understanding CD-RW 480 Creating a Bootable CD 481 Study Guide 483 Practice Test 486 Troubleshooting 490 Customer Service 490 Project Lab, Part PART 4: INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES 495 Test Objectives in Part Configuring Devices in Windows 497 Device Resources 498 Default Resource Assignments 499 How Resources Are Assigned 500 Resource Assignments and ACPI 501 Viewing Resource Assignments in Windows 502 Installing Plug and Play Devices 507 Installing Non-Plug and Play Devices 507 Removing Devices and Refreshing Assignments 508 Understanding Device Drivers 509 Installing or Updating Device Drivers 511 viii

8 Windows XP and Signed Drivers 514 Resolving Resource Conflicts in Windows 514 Identifying a Resource Conflict 515 Selecting an Alternate Configuration 516 Manually Assigning a Resource 517 Disabling a Device 518 Disabling or Enabling PCI Bus IRQ Steering 520 Study Guide 523 Practice Test 526 Troubleshooting 529 Customer Service Video Cards 531 How a Video Card Works 531 Video Card Interfaces 534 Video RAM 536 Amount of Video RAM 536 Types of Video RAM 538 Video RAMDAC 539 Video Chipset 539 Video Acceleration 540 Animation Support 540 Texture/Shading Support 541 3D API Support 543 Other Video Card Features 544 MPEG-2 Decoding 544 TV Out 544 TV/Video Capture In 544 Dual Monitor Output 544 Installing a Video Card 545 Setting Display Properties in Windows 547 Installing the Driver 547 Changing the Color Depth 548 Changing the Resolution 549 Troubleshooting Video Card Problems 550 Study Guide 552 Practice Test 555 Troubleshooting 559 Customer Service 559 For More Information Monitors 561 Types of Monitors 562 How CRTs Work 562 How LCDs Work 564 Measurements of Monitor Quality 567 Maximum Resolution 567 Dot Pitch 568 Viewable Image Size 568 Maximum Refresh Rate 569 Adjustments 569 Interface 570 Connecting/Disconnecting a Monitor 570 Connecting Multiple Monitors to a Single PC 570 Installing a Monitor Driver 572 Setting the Refresh Rate 573 Testing and Troubleshooting a Monitor 575 Adjusting a Monitor 577 Servicing a Monitor 579 Study Guide 580 Practice Test 583 Troubleshooting 587 Customer Service 587 For More Information Keyboards and Mice 589 Keyboards 589 Nonalphanumeric Keys 590 Keyboard Layouts 591 Keyboard Connectors 593 Selecting a Keyboard 594 Mice and Other Pointing Devices 595 Mouse Connectors 596 Selecting a Mouse 596 Mouse Variants 597 Connecting/Disconnecting Keyboards and Mice 598 Adjusting Keyboard Settings in Windows 599 Adjusting Mouse Settings in Windows 600 Buttons 600 Pointer Appearance 602 Pointer Movement 605 Making the Mouse Function as a Keyboard 607 Making the Keyboard Function as a Mouse 608 Detailed Contents ix

9 Troubleshooting Keyboard Problems 609 Troubleshooting Mouse Problems 610 Study Guide 611 Practice Test 614 Troubleshooting 618 Customer Service Working with Printers 619 Basic Printing Functions 620 Measures of Printer Performance 623 Cost 623 Quality 623 Speed 624 Options 625 Types of Printer Technology 626 Daisywheel Printers 626 Dot-Matrix Printers 627 Inkjet Printers 628 Laser Printers 630 LED Page Printers 634 Dye Sublimation Printers 634 Solid Ink Printers 634 Types of Printer Interface 635 Parallel 635 Serial 636 USB 637 Network 637 Infrared 638 Printer Drivers 638 Installing a Printer Driver in Windows 640 Removing a Printer Driver 642 Choosing the Default Printer Driver 643 Changing Printer Driver Properties 643 Fonts and Typefaces 646 Serif versus Sans-Serif Fonts 648 Viewing Installed Fonts in Windows 648 Installing Fonts in Windows 650 Routine Printer Maintenance 651 Laser Printers 651 Inkjet Printers 655 Managing a Print Queue 657 Viewing the Print Queue 657 Controlling the Print Queue 658 Controlling Individual Print Jobs 658 Disabling the Print Queue 658 Troubleshooting Printing Problems 659 Stalled Print Queue 659 Junk Characters in Printout 659 Illegal Operation or General Protection Fault (GPF) 660 Paper Jams 660 Laser Quality Problems 660 Inkjet Quality Problems 661 Dot-Matrix Quality Problems 662 Study Guide 662 Practice Test 668 Troubleshooting 671 Customer Service 672 For More Information Imaging and Sound Devices 673 Scanners 674 Scanner Technology 674 Installing a Scanner 680 Windows Versions and Scanners 681 Troubleshooting Scanner Problems 684 Digital Cameras 684 How Digital Cameras Work 685 Digital Camera Features 686 Digital Video Cameras 691 Webcams 691 Digital Camera Support in Windows 692 Troubleshooting Digital Camera Problems 694 Working with Images in Windows 695 Image Management in Windows XP 695 Image Management in Windows Image Management in Windows Me 698 Sound Cards 699 Understanding the Sound Subsystem 699 Digital Audio and MIDI Sounds 700 Selecting a Sound Card 701 Installing a Sound Card 708 Setting Up the Sound Card in Windows 710 Updating Sound Drivers 712 Troubleshooting Sound Problems 712 x

10 Selecting and Installing PC Speakers 716 Amplification 716 Shielding 717 Number of Speakers 717 Frequency Range 718 Analog versus Digital Speakers 718 Installing Speakers 718 Sound Support in Windows 720 System Sounds 720 Hardware Controls 722 Sound Options for People with Disabilities 722 Narrator 723 SoundSentry 723 ShowSounds 724 ToggleKeys 724 Study Guide 725 Practice Test 729 Troubleshooting 733 Customer Service 733 For More Information Portable PCs 735 Types of Portable Computers 736 Features of Portable Computers 737 LCD Screen 737 Fn Key 738 PC Card Slots 739 Internal and External Drives 740 Docking Stations 743 Mouse Alternatives 744 AC Adapter and Batteries 744 Infrared Ports 747 Managing PC Cards in Windows 748 Stopping a Removable Device 749 Power Management for Notebook PCs 751 Power Management Options in BIOS Setup 751 SpeedStep Technology 752 Power Management Options in Windows 754 Hardware Profiles 761 Creating a New Hardware Profile 761 Customizing a Hardware Profile 763 Switching between Hardware Profiles 765 Upgrading a Notebook PC 767 Adding RAM to a Notebook PC 767 Replacing a Notebook Hard Drive 768 Troubleshooting Notebook PC Problems 769 Display Problems 769 Power Problems 771 PDAs 774 Physical Characteristics 774 PDA Operating Systems 777 Installing New Programs on a PDA 777 Troubleshooting Common Problems with PDAs 778 Study Guide 780 Practice Test 783 Troubleshooting 787 Customer Service 787 For More Information 787 Project Lab, Part PART 5: NETWORKS, MODEMS, AND THE INTERNET 793 Test Objectives in Part Networking Hardware Concepts 795 Network Basics 796 LAN versus WAN 796 Client/Server versus Peer to Peer 796 Resources Shared on a Network 799 Physical Topologies 800 Bus Topology 800 Ring Topology 801 Star Topology 802 Mesh Topology 802 Combinations of Physical Topologies 803 Logical Topologies 805 Network Operating System (NOS) 808 Network Technologies 809 Ethernet 809 Token Ring 812 FDDI 814 How a Network Sends and Receives Data 816 Data Packets 816 Detailed Contents xi

11 xii OSI Layers 817 Network Protocols 818 Network Hardware 819 Network Interface Cards (NICs) 819 Network-Capable Printers 821 Network Cabling 822 Hubs 822 MSAU 823 Other Expansion Devices 824 Wireless Networking Hardware 826 Study Guide 828 Practice Test 832 Troubleshooting 835 Customer Service 835 For More Information Setting Up a Windows Network 837 Installing Network Hardware 838 Installing a NIC 838 Setting Up a Hub or Wireless Access Point 840 Networking Software and the OSI Model 841 Setting UP Networking in Windows 842 Understanding Windows Version Differences in Networking 842 Installing Adapters 844 Installing Clients 845 Installing Protocols 848 Installing Services 850 Binding and Unbinding Protocols 851 Checking for Network Connectivity 853 Changing the Computer Name and Workgroup Name 854 Setting Up Networking with Wizards 857 Using the Home Networking Wizard in Windows Me 858 Using the Network Setup Wizard in Windows XP 859 Understanding TCP/IP 862 IP Addresses 862 Subnet Masks 864 Default Gateway 866 DNS Server Address 867 Checking a PC s IP Address and Other TCP/IP Settings 867 Study Guide 870 Practice Test 873 Troubleshooting 876 Customer Service Using a Windows Network 877 Logging On and Off a Network 878 Windows 95/98/Me Logon 878 Windows 2000 Logon 881 Windows XP Logon 885 Accessing Remote Computers on the Network 889 Browsing the Network 889 Setting Up a Network Shortcut 892 Mapping a Network Drive 895 Sharing Local Folders and Printers 896 Installing File and Printer Sharing 896 Sharing a Folder 897 Sharing a Printer 901 Loading Additional Printer Drivers for Sharing 902 Using a Network Printer 904 Network Permissions and Security Settings 906 How Permissions Are Administered 906 Assigning Permissions to a Resource 906 Managing Local Group Membership 910 NTFS Permissions 914 Troubleshooting Network Problems 915 Study Guide 918 Practice Test 922 Troubleshooting 925 Customer Service Modems 927 How Modems Work 928 Baud Rate and Bps 928 UARTs 929 Modem Communication Settings 929 Types of Modems 935 V.92 and Other Standards 935 Hardware versus Software Controlled 937 Internal versus External 938 Fax and Voice Capabilities 939 Installing a Modem 939 Installing an Internal Modem 940 Installing an External Modem 942

12 Testing and Troubleshooting Modems 943 Testing a Modem in Windows 943 Troubleshooting Modem Problems with Device Manager 945 Setting Modem Properties in Windows 947 Setting TAPI Properties 948 Setting Up a Dial-Up Networking Connection 950 Creating a DUN Connection in Windows 95/98/Me 951 Creating a DUN Connection in Windows Creating a DUN Connection in Windows XP 955 Changing DUN Connection Properties 956 Using a Terminal Program 956 HyperTerminal 957 Half Duplex and Full Duplex 957 Binary File Transfer in a Terminal Program 958 Using AT Commands 959 Setting Up HyperTerminal for Command Line Entry 959 Some Common AT Commands You Can Issue 960 Other Uses for AT Commands 961 Study Guide 963 Practice Test 967 Troubleshooting 971 Customer Service The Internet 973 What Is the Internet? 974 Ways to Connect to the Internet 975 Modem 976 ISDN 977 DSL 977 Cable 978 One-Way Satellite 978 Two-Way Satellite 978 IP Addresses on the Internet 979 Network Address Translation (NAT) 980 Static and Dynamic Internet IP Addresses 981 Internet DNS Servers 982 TCP/IP Communications Protocols 982 HTTP 983 FTP 984 Telnet 984 Protocols 984 Using and Configuring Internet Explorer 985 Using Internet Explorer to Access Web Content 985 Working with Favorites 985 Working with the Explorer Bar 988 Changing Internet Explorer Viewing Preferences 989 Setting Security Preferences 990 Setting Privacy Preferences 991 Using and Configuring Outlook Express 994 Basic Program Features 994 Setting Up Accounts 995 Filtering Out Junk Mail 997 Setting Outlook Express Configuration Options 998 Transferring Files with FTP 998 Selecting an FTP Program 999 Installing and Using WS_FTP 999 Command-Line FTP Access 1001 Sharing an Internet Connection on a LAN 1003 Installing ICS in Windows 98 Second Edition 1003 Installing ICS in Windows Me 1004 Sharing an Internet Connection in Windows Sharing an Internet Connection in Windows XP 1005 Setting Up Other PCs to Use the Shared Connection 1005 Troubleshooting Internet Connection Problems 1006 No Web, No Web but No but No Web 1008 No Access to Specific Web Site 1009 Detailed Contents xiii

13 Study Guide 1010 Practice Test 1014 Troubleshooting 1017 Customer Service 1018 Project Lab, Part PART 6: UNDERSTANDING AND USING OPERATING SYSTEMS 1023 Test Objectives in Part Selecting and Installing an Operating System 1025 Understanding Operating Systems 1026 Checking the Current OS Version 1027 Understanding MS-DOS 1029 User Interface 1029 Major System Files 1030 Features 1032 Understanding Windows User Interface 1033 Major System Files 1034 Features 1037 Understanding Windows 95, 98, and Me 1038 User Interface 1039 Major System Files 1039 Features 1040 Windows 9x Versions 1041 Understanding Windows NT, 2000, and XP 1044 User Interface 1045 Major System Files 1047 Features 1048 Preparing to Install an Operating System 1052 Checking System Requirements 1052 Planning How You Will Start the Setup Program 1053 Planning an Upgrade 1055 Planning for Multi-Booting 1056 Special Upgrading Issues for Specific OSes 1057 Installing Windows 9x 1057 Product Key 1058 Example: Installing Windows Installing Windows NT, 2000, or XP 1062 Setup Boot Disks 1062 Example: Installing Windows Managing Multi-Boot Settings 1066 Troubleshooting Installation Problems 1067 Hardware Incompatibilities 1067 Cannot Get Past ScanDisk 1067 Errors Reading from CD 1067 Stops Recognizing CD Drive (98) 1068 File Is Missing after Installing 1068 Study Guide 1070 Practice Test 1075 Troubleshooting 1079 Customer Service The Boot Process 1081 What Constitutes a Bootable Disk? 1082 Startup Configuration Files 1083 CONFIG.SYS 1083 AUTOEXEC.BAT 1086 SYSTEM.INI 1088 WIN.INI 1089 Registry 1089 MS-DOS Boot Process 1090 Windows 9x/Me Boot Process 1091 Alternative Boot Modes 1092 MS-DOS Mode 1095 Examining the Boot Log 1095 Windows NT, 2000, and XP Boot Process 1097 Alternative Boot Modes 1097 Troubleshooting Startup Problems 1100 Common Windows 9x Startup Issues 1100 Common Windows 2000/XP Startup Issues 1103 Controlling What Loads at Startup 1104 Using a Windows 9x Startup Disk 1106 Using a Windows 2000/XP Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) 1109 Using the Recovery Console in Windows 2000/XP 1110 xiv

14 Common Shutdown Problems 1112 Does Not Shut Off Automatically 1112 Application Not Responding 1112 Will Not Shut Down with Power Button 1113 Windows 98 Shutdown Issues 1113 Shutdown Sound Problems 1114 Study Guide 1114 Practice Test 1119 Troubleshooting 1122 Customer Service Working with Applications 1123 Installing Windows Applications 1124 Installing a Typical Windows Application 1124 Working with ZIP Files 1124 Installing an Application That Has No Setup Utility 1127 Working around Installation Security Issues 1129 Other Potential Problems with Installing Applications 1130 Controlling Whether an Application Loads at Startup 1131 Making an Application Load at Startup 1131 Preventing an Application from Loading at Startup 1131 Removing Windows Applications 1132 Removing an Application with Its Own Uninstall Program 1133 Removing an Application through Add/Remove Programs 1133 Troubleshooting Application Removal Programs 1135 Manually Removing an Application 1136 Reorganizing the Start/Programs Menu 1136 Adding and Removing Windows Components 1137 Adding and Removing Windows Components in Windows 9x/Me 1138 Adding and Removing Windows Components in Windows 2000/XP 1139 Working with MS-DOS Applications 114 Installing an MS-DOS Application 1141 Understanding PIFs 1143 Configuring DOS Applications 1144 Running an Application in MS-DOS Mode 1149 Using DOSSTART.BAT 1150 Troubleshooting Problems with Applications 1151 General Protection Fault (GPF) 1151 Illegal Operation 1151 Invalid Working Directory 1152 Application Not Responding (System Lockup) 1152 Study Guide 1155 Practice Test 1158 Troubleshooting 1161 Customer Service Managing Files 1163 Understanding File Systems 1164 How File Systems Store Data 1164 File Systems on MS-DOS and Windows PCs 1165 Using the Windows File Management Interface 1167 My Computer 1168 Windows Explorer 1170 File Management Skills to Master 1171 Working with the Recycle Bin 1172 Working with Basic File Attributes 1174 NTFS File Attributes 1176 NTFS Compression 1176 NTFS Encryption 1179 Troubleshooting File Management Error Messages 1181 Backing Up and Restoring Files 1182 Backing Up Files with Microsoft Backup 1183 Restoring Files with Microsoft Backup 1184 Working with a Command Prompt 1185 Getting to a Command Prompt 1185 Changing Drives and Directories 1186 Understanding Command Syntax 1187 Understanding Wildcards 1189 Detailed Contents xv

15 Viewing Multiple Screens 1189 Command Examples 1190 Study Guide 1194 Practice Test 1198 Troubleshooting 1202 Customer Service Optimizing and Troubleshooting Windows 1203 Identifying, Removing, and Avoiding Viruses 1204 Types of Virus Infections 1204 How Viruses Spread 1205 Symptoms of Virus Infection 1205 Understanding Virus Definitions 1207 Avoiding Future Virus Infections 1208 Optimization Utilities 1209 Disk Defragmenter 1209 Disk Cleanup 1212 FAT32 Converter 1213 DriveSpace 1215 System Information Utilities 1218 Device Manager 1218 Computer Management 1219 Disk Management 1220 Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 1221 Hardware Diagnostic Tool (HWINFO) 1224 Problem-Solving Utilities 1225 ScanDisk 1225 Check Disk 1227 System Configuration Editor (SYSEDIT) 1227 System Configuration Utility (MSCON FIG) 1228 Registry Editor (REGEDIT or REGEDT32) 1229 Registry Checker (SCANREG) 1229 Dr. Watson 1230 Automatic Skip Driver (ASD) 1230 Other Utilities 1230 Task Scheduler 1231 Windows Scripting Host (WSCRIPT) 1232 Study Guide 1233 Practice Test 1236 Troubleshooting 1239 Customer Service 1239 Project Lab, Part APPENDIXES A The Computer Technician s Toolkit 1245 B Customer Service 1248 C Supporting Users with Disabilities 1251 D Editing the Windows Registry 1252 E ASCII Codes 1262 GLOSSARY 1266 ADDENDUM a 1 INDEX i-1 The Photo Insert contains the following images: Complete PC System P-1 System Unit (Front) P-2 System Unit (Back) P-2 Notebook Computer P-3 Selected Notebook Components P-3 System Unit Interior P-4 Motherboard P-5 Motherboard and Components P-6 Drives and Expansion Cards P-7 IDE Drives P-8 SCSI Drives P-9 PC Maintenance Toolkit P-10 Individual PC Maintenance Tools P-11 Color Inkjet Printer P-12 Laser Printer P-13 Network Hub and Router P-14 Networking Cards P-14 Star Topology Network P-15 Cable Connectors P-16 xvi