Quiz# 1:

Questions to be answered.

1. What is the reason for technitians to wear special wrist grounding straps?

An antistatic wrist strap, ESD wrist strap, or ground bracelet is an antistatic device used to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) by safely grounding a person working on electronic equipment. It consists of a stretchy band of fabric with fine conductive fibers woven into it. The fibers are usually made of carbon or carbon-filled rubber, and the strap is bound with a stainless steel clasp or plate. They are usually used in conjunction with an anti-static mat on the workbench, or a special static-dissipating plastic laminate on the workbench surface.

The wrist strap is connected to ground through a coiled retractable cable and 1 megaohm resistor, which allows high-voltage charges to leak through but prevents a shock hazard when working with low-voltage parts. Where higher voltages are present, extra resistance (0.75 megaohm per 250V) is added in the path to ground to protect the wearer from excessive currents; this typically takes the form of a 4 megohm resistor in the coiled cable (or, more usually, a 2 megohm resistor at each end). Very cheap wrist straps do not have conductive fabric and instead use the fabric to hold the metal plate against the skin, which can result in reduced ESD protection over time as the metal corrodes.
Wrist straps in industry usually connect to Earth Bonding Points (part of the grounding system) via either a 4 mm plug or 10 mm press stud, whereas personally owned straps are likely to be connected to ground via a crocodile clip.
In addition to wrist straps, ankle and heel straps are used in industry to bleed away accumulated charge from a body. These devices are usually not tethered to earth ground, but instead incorporate high resistance in their construction, and work by dissipating electrical charge to special floor tiles. Such straps are used when workers need to be mobile in a work area and a grounding cable would get in the way, such as in an operating theatre.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antistatic_wrist_strap


2.) After installing a new computer component why is it important to obtain the most current driver for it?

It is required that we install the proper drivers for a certain OS and the hardware used by our computer. Because it may not funtion properly if you intalled a different driver or sofware for a certain driver or the softare is not updated properly. It is important to obtain the most compatible driver or softwares for your computer for it to function properly and no errors may occur.

Source: none.

3.) What are the steps required to install a peripheral device?

A peripheral is a device attached to a host computer behind the chipset whose primary functionality is dependent upon the host, and can therefore be considered as expanding the hosts capabilities, while not forming part of the system's core architecture.

Some of the more common peripheral devices are printers, scanners, disk drives, tape drives, microphones, speakers, and cameras. Peripheral devices can also include other computers on a network system. A device can also refer to a non-physical item, such as a pseudo terminal, a RAM drive, or a virtual network adapter.


Steps:
1.) Install or connect the device to your computer.
2.) Install the proper software for the certain device.
3.) Configurate the software using its SETUP options.
4.) Use the device thoughrouly.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral_device

4.) If a newly installed peripheral device does not function properly what steps can be taken to correct the problem?

First you must check if the compabability of a certain device you installed was compatible for your computer. Then check the handware and software you installed as well. Then you may re-install the software for your device so that you can fix the errors you may encounter. Check also the configurations of your device so that you can determine that the divice is already ready to use and it is functional.

Source: none.

5.) Explain the technique used t0 help protect data on a hard drive when doing a clean install?

In information technology, backup refers to making copies of data so that these additional copies may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. These additional copies are typically called "backups." Backups are useful primarily for two purposes. The first is to restore a state following a disaster (called disaster recovery). The second is to restore small numbers of files after they have been accidentally deleted or corrupted. Data loss is also very common.

Since a backup system contains at least one copy of all data worth saving, the data storage requirements are considerable. Organizing this storage space and managing the backup process is a complicated undertaking. A data repository model can be used to provide structure to the storage. In the modern era of computing there are many different types of data storage devices that are useful for making backups. There are also many different ways in which these devices can be arranged to provide geographic redundancy, data security, and portability.
Before data is sent to its storage location, it is selected, extracted, and manipulated. Many different techniques have been developed to optimize the backup procedure. These include optimizations for dealing with open files and live data sources as well as compression, encryption, and de-duplication, among others. Many organizations and individuals try to have confidence that the process is working as expected and work to define measurements and validation techniques. It is also important to recognize the limitations and human factors involved in any backup scheme.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backup

6.) Explain what a software patch is:

A patch, or diff, is a record of changes made to a resource. Typically a patch will add a new feature, fix a bug, or add documentation to the project.

Patches are the preferred way to submit contributions to open development projects such as open source software. Various tools are available to help with patches. These tools make it very easy to create and manage patches for project outputs such as source code and documentation.

Some people wonder why they should put the effort into providing a patch. They may consider it additional work over and above the development effort of making the modifications in the first place. If everyone thought like that there would be no community and therefore no open development, so clearly it is in everyone's interest to provide patches. However, there is a second, much more selfish reason for creating and submitting a quality patch: it makes it easier to maintain your use of the project outputs.

At some point in the future an organisation is likely to want to utilise the latest and greatest release of the project outputs. If that organisation's staff has failed to work with the community in order to have their local modifications accepted they will need to reapply all changes, or lose them. That is, the organisation will be paying its staff to make each change twice.
It is easy to ignore this fact. After all, each change seems insignificant and easy to reapply. However, each change is cumulative, and since the project has been progressing independently of your changes it is quite possible that the application of your modifications will no longer be a simple activity.

Source: http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/softwarepatch.xml

Installation Process in Windows XP:

Most new computers come with Windows XP installed, so many people never have to install it. However, you may need to install Windows XP if:

•	You replaced your hard disk drive with a new hard disk drive that does not have Windows XP installed.
•	You are reinstalling Windows XP on a computer because you want to clean off your hard drive and remove any unwanted programs, such as spyware.
•	You purchased a computer without an operating system.

Fortunately, you do not need to be a computer expert to install Windows XP. Installing Windows XP is a straightforward process that takes between one to two hours. Of that time, you need to be present for only about 30 minutes.

You have the Windows XP CD.

You have the product key available. The product key is located on your Windows XP CD case and is required to install and activate Windows XP.

Your computer hardware is set up. At a minimum, you should connect your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and CD drive. If available, you should connect your computer to a wired network.

You have Windows XP drivers available. Drivers are software that Windows XP uses to communicate with your computer’s hardware. Most new computers include a CD containing drivers. If you do not have drivers available, Windows XP may already include drivers for your hardware. If not, you should be able to download them from your hardware manufacturer’s Web site after you set up Windows XP.

If you are reinstalling Windows XP on an existing computer, you need a backup copy of your files and settings. The installation process will delete all of your files. You can use the File and Settings Transfer Wizard to store your files and settings on removable media and then restore them after installation is complete.

Part 1: Begin the installation

1.	Insert the Windows XP CD into your computer and restart your computer.
2.	If prompted to start from the CD, press SPACEBAR. If you miss the prompt (it only appears for a few seconds), restart your computer to try again.
3.	Windows XP Setup begins. During this portion of setup, your mouse will not work, so you must use the keyboard. On the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.
4.	On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement page, read the licensing agreement. Press the PAGE DOWN key to scroll to the bottom of the agreement. Then press F8.
5.	This page enables you to select the hard disk drive on which Windows XP will be installed. Once you complete this step, all data on your hard disk drive will be removed and cannot be recovered. It is extremely important that you have a recent backup copy of your files before continuing. When you have a backup copy, press D, and then press L when prompted. This deletes your existing data.
6.	Press ENTER to select Unpartitioned space, which appears by default.
7.	Press ENTER again to select Format the partition using the NTFS file system, which appears by default.
8.	Windows XP erases your hard disk drive using a process called formatting and then copies the setup files. You can leave your computer and return in 20 to 30 minutes. Part 2: Continue the installation
9.	Windows XP restarts and then continues with the installation process. From this point forward, you can use your mouse. Eventually, the Regional and Language Options page appears. Click Next to accept the default settings. If you are multilingual or prefer a language other than English, you can change language settings after setup is complete.
10.	On the Personalize Your Software page, type your name and your organization name. Some programs use this information to automatically fill in your name when required. Then, click Next.
11.	On the Your Product Key page, type your product key as it appears on your Windows XP CD case. The product key is unique for every Windows XP installation. Then, click Next.
12.	On the Computer Name and Administrator Password page, in the Computer name box, type a name that uniquely identifies your computer in your house, such as FAMILYROOM or TOMS. You cannot use spaces or punctuation. If you connect your computer to a network, you will use this computer name to find shared files and printers. Type a strong password that you can remember in the Administrator password box, and then retype it in the Confirm password box. Write the password down and store it in a secure place. Click Next.
13.	On the Date and Time Settings page, set your computer’s clock. Then, click the Time Zone down arrow, and select your time zone. Click Next.
14.	Windows XP will spend about a minute configuring your computer. On the Networking Settings page, click Next.
15.	On the Workgroup or Computer Domain page, click Next. Part 3: Complete the installation
16.	Windows XP will spend 20 or 30 minutes configuring your computer and will automatically restart when finished. When the Display Settings dialog appears, click OK.
17.	When the Monitor Settings dialog box appears, click OK.
18.	The final stage of setup begins. On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows page, click Next.
19.	On the Help protect your PC page, click Help protect my PC by turning on Automatic Updates now. Then, click Next.
20.	Windows XP will then check if you are connected to the Internet: • If you are connected to the Internet, select the choice that describes your network connection on the Will this computer connect to the Internet directly, or through a network? page. If you’re not sure, accept the default selection, and click Next. • If you use dial-up Internet access, or if Windows XP cannot connect to the Internet, you can connect to the Internet after setup is complete. On the How will this computer connect to the Internet? page, click Skip.
21.	Windows XP Setup displays the Ready to activate Windows? page. If you are connected to the Internet, click Yes, and then click Next. If you are not yet connected to the Internet, click No, click Next, and then skip to step 24. After setup is complete, Windows XP will automatically remind you to activate and register your copy of Windows XP.
22.	On the Ready to register with Microsoft? page, click Yes, and then click Next.
23.	On the Collecting Registration Information page, complete the form. Then, click Next.
24.	On the Who will use this computer? page, type the name of each person who will use the computer. You can use first names only, nicknames, or full names. Then click Next. To add users after setup is complete or to specify a password to keep your account private, read Create and customize user accounts.
25.	On the Thank you! page, click Finish.

Congratulations! Windows XP setup is complete. You can log on by clicking your name on the logon screen. If you’ve installed Windows XP on a new computer or new hard disk drive, you can now use the File and Settings Transfer Wizard to copy your important data to your computer or hard disk drive.

After logon, take a few minutes to validate your copy of Windows. Validation gives you access to hundreds of free downloads from the Microsoft Download Center. To learn about the new features Windows XP provides, click the Start button, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Tour Windows XP.

Latest OS from Unix/Linux:

Latest OS from Sun Microsystems:

Sun Microsystems

25.January.2006 -- The Solaris 10 Operating System (Solaris OS) just got better. The newest release of the software includes a host of new features, such as:

• GRUB-based (GRand Unified Bootloader) boot loader for simplification of installation and boot of the Solaris 10 OS on x64/x86 platforms
• Sun Update Connection, which provides immediate access to the latest patches and fixes, or software updates
• Solaris Containers improvements to enable customers to install and update patches dynamically within a Container
• Improved network performance
• Improved memory management
• Updated peripheral support including iSCSI support
• Integrated bug fixes

Simplified Installation and Updating

The Solaris 10 Operating System 1/06 integrates two applications that simplify installing and updating. The popular GRUB boot loader, traditionally used on Linux, simplifies and accelerates the boot process for alternate operating systems from a Solaris system or USB device.

Sun Connection software enables immediate access to Sun Connection Services, so you can get the latest software updates (including security patches and fixes), as they become available.

Market Momentum

Nearly four million people have chosen the Solaris 10 OS since it became available just over a year ago. The list of supporting independent software vendors grows longer each day.

Customers are seeing remarkable performance improvements after deploying the Solaris 10 OS in their environments, due to networking enhancements, a radically improved kernel, special optimizations for memory allocation, and chip multithreading (CMT). The Solaris 10 software's unique Solaris Dynamic Tracing feature (DTrace) yields additional application performance gains by tuning applications.

"We favor Solaris because we've seen it's faster than Linux for the same applications with no changes, especially large memory footprint applications, including simulations and large database cache applications," says Neal Tisdale, vice president of Software Development at NewEnergy Associates, a Siemens Company.

"We also like the features of DTrace and the Sun compilers. These are pulling my development teams over into Solaris."

“We favor Solaris because we've seen it's faster than Linux for the same applications with no changes, especially large memory footprint applications.” Neal Tisdale Vice President of Software Development NewEnergy Associates, a Siemens Company

A Thriving Ecosystem

Sun continues to support a community of participation in the software space. In addition to making the Sun Java Enterprise System and all of our developer tools available free of charge, we have also committed to opening the source all of our infrastructure software. All of this software is available--at no cost--through the Solaris Enterprise System.

The Solaris Enterprise System includes popular developer tools such as the NetBeans software, the Sun Studio 11 software, and the Sun Java Studio Enterprise software, giving developers powerful choices for creating applications optimized for the Solaris 10 OS. Sun also makes it easier for customers to deploy open source software by supporting popular open source applications such as the Postgres database.

Access the Solaris source code, including the recently released features, the Solaris ZFS (zettabyte file system) and the Solaris Containers for Linux Applications, through OpenSolaris.org.

Get the Solaris OS Today

Download the Solaris 10 OS 1/06 today, free of charge, or order a media kit containing the Solaris Enterprise System software. Because at Sun, we're all about delivering value.

Latest OS from Microsoft:

What's new in Windows 7: Faster & easier

Windows 7 was built around your feedback, so you'll see a lot of things you've asked for. You asked us to make everyday tasks faster and easier, make your PC work the way you want it to, and make new things possible. And that's exactly what we're doing. Click below to see how it's coming to life!

mproved taskbar and full-screen previews

The taskbar at the bottom of your screen is what you use to switch between the applications you've got open. In Windows 7 you can set the order in which the icons appear and they'll stay put. They're easier to see, too. Click once on the new large icons or bigger preview thumbnails and you're ready to go. You can even see a full screen preview before switching to the window.

Get the picture: See what's open with previews and easily control your Windows experience with the new Taskbar.

Better device management

One of the great things about PCs is how they let us use such a wide array of devices. In the past, you had to use several different screens to manage different types of devices. But With Windows 7, you'll use a single Devices and Printers screen to connect, manage, and use whatever printers, phones, and other devices you have on-hand.

All together now: See all your devices in one spot

A new technology in Windows 7 called Device Stage takes device management a step further. Device Stage helps you interact with any compatible device connected to your computer. From Device Stage you can see device status and run common tasks from a single window. There are even pictures of the devices which makes it really easy to see what's there. Here's a list of products that take advantage of Device Stage.

Device Stage puts device features front and center

HomeGroup

Setting up a home network can be complicated. With PCs running Windows 7, a home network will be easier to setup and a lot more useful. HomeGroup makes it easier to connect to other computers and devices on a wireless home network, so you can share files, photos, music, and printers throughout your home. To use HomeGroup, you’ll need to have at least two PCs running Windows 7. Once you've set up a homegroup, you can use the Network and Sharing Center to choose what you share with other homegroup members.

Decide whether to join an existing network

Easily explore content on other devices on the network

Latest Expansion Slot Processors

Highlights

Designed for high-performance servers clustering and business critical applications, these Supermicro 1U rack servers support the latest 800MHz FSB Xeon with EM64T. It features a pair of universal expansion slots that can be utilized for either PCI-X-133/100 or the latest PCI-Express cards to provide outstanding I/O flexibility.

Abstract

Designed for high-performance servers clustering and business critical applications, this Supermicro 1U rack server supports the latest 800MHz FSB Xeon with EM64T. It features a pair of universal expansion slots that can be utilized for either PCI-X-133/100 or the latest PCI-Express cards to provide outstanding I/O flexibility.

Product Specifications Compare with other products. Product Name 1U RM BB Black Xeon-DP EM64T CD 4HS SCSI PciX GBE2 420W Mini Product Type Barebone System Case Style 1U Chipset Intel E7320 Color Black Expansion Bays 4 x 1/3H Drive Bay Total Hot-swappable 1 x 5.25" Slimline External Removable Media Bay Total 1 x 5.25" Slimline External Removable Media Bay Occupied Ports 2 x RJ-45 Network 2 x 4-pin Type A USB 2.0 USB Rear 2 x Header USB 2.0 USB Internal On-board 1 x VGA 1 x 6-pin mini-DIN (PS/2) Keyboard 1 x 6-pin mini-DIN (PS/2) Mouse 2 x Serial 1 x Header IEEE 1284 (EPP/ECP) Parallel 2 x 4-pin Type A USB 2.0 USB Front 1 x Serial Front Optical Drive Speed 24x CD-ROM Bus Speed 800MHz FSB Product Line SuperServer Dimensions 1.7" Height x 17.2" Width x 19.8" Depth Controller LSI Logic 53C1020 Single-channel Ultra320 SCSI 320MBps Integrated supporting 1 RAID Level(s) 6300ESB Serial ATA Integrated supporting 0, 1 RAID Level(s) Dual-channel Ultra ATA/100 (ATA-6) 100MBps Floppy Maximum Memory 12GB DDR333/PC2700 Registered DDR SDRAM ECC Dual-channel 24GB DDR266/PC2100 Registered DDR SDRAM ECC Dual-channel Optical Drive CD-Reader - CD-ROM Network 2 x Intel 82541GI Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000Mbps Integrated Graphics Controller ATi Rage XL 8MB PCI Integrated Processor Interface Socket 604 Processor Support Intel Xeon Up to 3.8GHz Intel Xeon LV Up to 2.8GHz Certifications & Standards USA - UL, FCC Canada - CUL Germany - TUV Europe - CE Mark EN 60950/IEC 60950 Expansion Slots 1 x 64-bit -133MHz 3.3 V DC PCI-X Total Fan System 4 x Fans Frequency 50 Hz or 60 Hz Input Voltage 100 V AC to 240 V AC Power Supply 1 x Power Factor Correcting Non Hot-swappable Installed Total Processor Support 2 Memory Slots 184-pin DIMM (6 Total/6 Free) Processor Speed 3.8GHz 2.8GHz Processor Type Xeon Xeon LV Additional Information SCSI Backplane: Single Channel SCSI Backplane with SAF-TE

Latest notebook/laptop Processors:

Intel® Core™2 Extreme Mobile Processor:

Designed from the ground up for extreme competitive gaming and HD multimedia on the fly, the Intel® Core™2 Extreme processors are the world's highest performing quad-core¹ and dual-core² mobile processors. Delivering all the performance of a desktop, enabled in a revolutionary, sleek, and killer notebook.

As your ultimate engine for hi-def digital content creation, HD multimedia, and a rockin' hardcore gaming experience, these notebooks provide the raw power, responsiveness, and realism you need for the most compute-intensive and multi-threaded apps-wherever you want to be.

Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor (QX9300)

Achieving clock speeds of up to 2.53GHz, along with an astounding 12 MB of shared L2 cache and a 1066 MHz Front Side Bus (FSB), the Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor is your ultimate engine for hi-def multimedia while powering the latest generation of hardcore games.

The Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor has four cores processing multiple threads and multiple tasks at blistering speeds for an incredible "like you're there" experience in advanced artificial intelligence (AI), particle systems, dynamic physics, and texture generation. As your ultimate engine for creating rich, HD videos with up to 50 percent faster performance when encoding³ and editingΩ video, these processors enable you to perform like a multiple armed monster.

Extreme press

"Phenom is, clock for clock, slower than Core 2"
—Anandtech 11/19/07

• Discover the biggest change in transistor technology in 40 years

Game downloads

Download the latest and hottest games like Crysis* optimized for Intel® processor technology.

• Search downloads

And because you're looking for ultimate control in game, the Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor bus ratio locks (overspeed protection) have been removed, so you can fine tune your notebook experience for maximum gaming performance.°

Intel® Core™2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor (X9100)

Designed for gamers and power-users, the Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor the is world's highest performing dual-core processor&sup2. For those who want an intense, high-performance mobile computing experience, the Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor delivers revolutionary mobile dual-core performance with 3.06GHz frequency, 6MB of shared L2 Advanced Smart Cache, and Intel® Smart Memory Access with a blazing 1066MHz Front Side Bus (FSB).

Experience excellent mobile gaming and multimedia with the raw power, responsiveness and realism of revolutionary mobile dual-core performance. The Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor brings a whole new intensity to mobile gaming.

And just like its quad-core big brother, the Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor also offers the ultimate control to with bus ratio locks (overspeed protection) removed, so you can fine tune your notebook experience for maximum gaming performance.°

Extreme notebook performance

Notebooks built with the Intel® Core®2 Extreme mobile processors are designed with mobile-optimized technologies built in.

Component	Benefit
45nm Intel® quad-core processor(QX9300) 45nm Intel® dual-core processor (X9100)	Enabled by new hafnium-based circuitry, the processors provide dynamically increased energy efficiency and greater performance in gaming, multimedia, and multitasking on the go.
Power-Optimized 1066 MHz Front Side Bus (FSB)	Increased process system bus speed provides increased data bus bandwidth vs. prior generations for incredible gaming performance.
Larger Intel® Advanced Smart Cache	For the QX9300, 12MB of shared L2 cache minimizes bus traffic by allowing all four cores access to the L2 memory and shared data to be accessed from the cache. For the X9100, 6MB of shared L2 cache minimizes bus traffic by allowing the two cores access to the L2 memory and shared data to be accessed from the cache
Dual Intel® Dynamic Acceleration (QX9300 only)	Uses headroom of idle cores by dynamically boosting frequency of active cores while maintaining the thermal envelope.
Support for Intel® Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel® XTU) and Intel® Extreme Memory Profiles (Intel® XMP)°	Intel® XTU and Intel® XMP simplify processor and memory overclocking to optimize performance for extreme gaming.