Hardest Trivia Quiz On CompTIA A+ Essentials!
This is the hardest trivia quiz on CompTIA A+ Essentials. If you really know everything about computers then do take this quiz to prove your worth. Many of the questions will provide valuable information that you might see on the test. Read the questions carefully and answer. Are you ready to face the challenge? If yes, then let's start. Good Luck!
- 1.
A CPU can operate in how many different modes and use which of the following instruction sets?
- A.
3 (RISC, EPIC, CISC)
- B.
2 (RISC, EPIC)
- C.
4 (Throttling, Hyperthreading, MMX, Pipelining)
- D.
3 (Throttling, Hyperthreading, Pipelining)
- E.
None of the above
Correct Answer
A. 3 (RISC, EPIC, CISC)Explanation
A CPU can operate in 3 modes (16-bit real/ 32-bit protected/ merged 16/32 bit)
CPUs can use RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computing)
EPIC(Explicitly parallel instruction Computing)
CISC(Complex Instruction Set computing)
instruction sets.Rate this question:
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- 2.
LC and ST are what type of connectors?
- A.
IEEE1394
- B.
IEEE1284
- C.
RS-232
- D.
Fiber-Optic
- E.
S/PDIF
Correct Answer
D. Fiber-OpticExplanation
LC are lucent connectors.Rate this question:
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- 3.
Which UTP can support speeds of 10 Gbps?
- A.
Cat 4
- B.
Cat 5e
- C.
Cat 6
- D.
Fiber-optic
- E.
Type 3
Correct Answer
C. Cat 6Explanation
While fiber-optic can support 10 Gbps, it is not UTP.
UTP = Unshielded Twisted Pair
Type 3 is generally used for Token Ring networksRate this question:
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- 4.
Generally what speeds/bus size does Mini-PCI support?
- A.
33MHz/66MHz 32-bits
- B.
33MHz/66MHz 64-bits
- C.
66MHz/133MHz 32-bits
- D.
33MHz 32/64-bits
- E.
33 MHz 32-bits
Correct Answer
E. 33 MHz 32-bitsExplanation
Mini-PCI generally runs at the same speeds as PCI. 33 Mhz/32-bitsRate this question:
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- 5.
Firewire running at 400 Mbps uses what IEEE designation?
- A.
802.11
- B.
RS-232
- C.
1284
- D.
1394a
- E.
1394b
Correct Answer
D. 1394aExplanation
Firewire 1394a runs at 400Mbps
Firewire 1394b runs at 800Mbps
802.11 if for Wi-Fi
1284 Parallel
RS-232 SerialRate this question:
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- 6.
A customers pet monkey is throwing around your computer parts and generally making a mess, you should:
- A.
Chastise the monkey
- B.
Leave immediately
- C.
Call your supervisor
- D.
Try to work as best as you can
- E.
Request the monkey be leashed and put in a separate room
Correct Answer
E. Request the monkey be leashed and put in a separate roomExplanation
Every technician has a right to a safe work environment. While putting the monkey on a leash and putting him in a separate room may sound harsh... you have every right to request the customer do so.Rate this question:
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- 7.
What type of power connectors do most modern day power supplies come with?
- A.
ATX, Molex, Mini, Sata
- B.
P1, Molex, Mini, Sata, Pata
- C.
Molex, Mini, P1, AUX
- D.
Molex, Pata, P1, P4
- E.
None of the Above
Correct Answer
A. ATX, Molex, Mini, SataExplanation
While some modern motherboards may come with P4, AUX connectors depending on whether they were made for Intel or AMD, most modern motherboards support P1, Molex, Mini, and Sata cables. Although Mini cables are on their way out.
Note: Comptia sometimes calls P1 connectors ATX connectors.Rate this question:
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- 8.
You overhear a colleague mentioning that they may have to download "new definitions" on the corporate systems. What is he talking about?
- A.
Updating the Registry
- B.
Downloading high priority microsoft updates
- C.
Software firewall updates
- D.
Anti-virus updates
- E.
Updating drivers
Correct Answer
D. Anti-virus updatesExplanation
Definitions are associated with anti-virus updates.Rate this question:
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- 9.
A PCIe Lane runs at which speed?
- A.
1.5 Gbps
- B.
2.0 Gbps
- C.
2.5 Gbps
- D.
3.0 Gbps
- E.
None of the above
Correct Answer
C. 2.5 GbpsExplanation
Uses a point-to-point serial connection rather than parallel communication.
A lane uses a pair of wires(one for sending/one for receiving). PCIe slots generally come with x1(1-lane)x2x4x8x12x16x32. The most common PCIe slot uses 16-lanes(x16)Rate this question:
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- 10.
This type of RAM is primary used for cacheing on CPUs and is very expensive. What type of RAM is it?
- A.
DDR3
- B.
FPM
- C.
RDRAM
- D.
SRAM
- E.
DRAM
Correct Answer
D. SRAMExplanation
SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) is normally used for cacheing in CPUs.Rate this question:
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- 11.
When using the IEEE 1284 Standard which mode has the fastest transfer rate?
- A.
Nibble
- B.
Mode
- C.
ECP
- D.
EPP
- E.
SPP
Correct Answer
C. ECPExplanation
EPP has a max throughput speeds of 2 MBps (Note its MegaBytes)
ECP 2.5 MBps
ECP is generally the standard used by printersRate this question:
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- 12.
How many IDE controllers do most modern day motherboards that support ATA/ATAPI drives come with?
- A.
1
- B.
0 (IDE no longer comes with modern day drives)
- C.
2
- D.
4
- E.
3
Correct Answer
C. 2Explanation
Remember most modern day motherboards come with two IDE controllers. Both can support 2 devices. (ATA/ATAPI)
ATA/ATAPIRate this question:
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- 13.
The PCMCIA standard defines two levels of software drivers to support PC Cards. What are they? Select all that apply.
- A.
CardBus
- B.
Card Services
- C.
Bus Services
- D.
PCMCIA
- E.
Socket Services
Correct Answer(s)
B. Card Services
E. Socket ServicesExplanation
Socket services are generally known as "lower" services.
Card services are known as "higher/more advanced" services.Rate this question:
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- 14.
A DDR2 running at a DDR-2 speed of 667 MHz has what clock speed?
- A.
133 MHz
- B.
100 MHz
- C.
166 MHz
- D.
200 MHz
- E.
250 MHz
Correct Answer
C. 166 MHzExplanation
If its DDR-2 speed rating is 667MHz, its DDR I/O speed would be 333MHz. Which in effect would make its "core" ram clock speed 166MHz.Rate this question:
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- 15.
On a motherboard using an Intel CPU, what are the names of the different parts of the chipset?
- A.
North Bridge, I/O Controller Hub
- B.
South Bridge, North Bridge
- C.
MMC controller hub, South Bridge
- D.
Memory Controller Hub, I/O Controller Hub
- E.
Super I/O, North Bridge
Correct Answer
D. Memory Controller Hub, I/O Controller HubExplanation
For motherboards using INTEL CPU's the chipset is called the Memory Controller Hub, and I/O controller Hub.
On AMD CPUs its normally called North/South BridgeRate this question:
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- 16.
NTFS by default supports HDD of what size?
- A.
16 exabytes
- B.
2 exabytes
- C.
16 petabytes
- D.
2 terabytes
- E.
8 zettabytes
Correct Answer
D. 2 terabytesExplanation
NTFS by default can support 2 terabytes!
Comptia expects you to know this. You might have a similar question on the test.Rate this question:
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- 17.
If you are using a jumper setting called cable select on two hard drives on the same IDE controller... what determines the order of which is master/slave?
- A.
It is determined by the jumper settings made on the hard drives.
- B.
Attach either drive to either connector. It shouldn't matter.
- C.
Put the master on the end of the cable and the slave in the middle connection.
- D.
Put the master in the middle connector and the slave on the end.
- E.
Set the jumper settings on both drives as master.
Correct Answer
C. Put the master on the end of the cable and the slave in the middle connection.Explanation
When using cable select, the EIDE cable must be able to support it.Rate this question:
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- 18.
What is the upper limit for most CPUs in terms of memory utilization if the CPU is running at 32-bits?
- A.
3GB
- B.
2GB
- C.
5GB
- D.
4GB
- E.
None of the above
Correct Answer
D. 4GBExplanation
2^32 = 4.3B bits = approx 4GB
Remember most motherboards only support up to 4GB of memory.
For chips running at 64-bits
2^64 = 16 exabytes!
Remember this fact. You maybe tested on it.Rate this question:
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- 19.
Firewire running at 800 Mbps uses what IEEE designation?
- A.
802.11
- B.
RS-232
- C.
1284
- D.
1394a
- E.
1394b
Correct Answer
E. 1394bExplanation
Firewire 1394a runs at 400Mbps
Firewire 1394b runs at 800Mbps
802.11 if for Wi-Fi
1284 Parallel
RS-232 SerialRate this question:
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- 20.
Irda works at what distance and at what speeds?
- A.
3 meters at 3 Mbps
- B.
3 feet at 2 Mbps
- C.
10 meters at 4 Mbps
- D.
100 meters at under 1 Mbps
- E.
1 meter at 4 Mbps
Correct Answer
E. 1 meter at 4 MbpsExplanation
Know every wireless technology. Speeds and distances. Many people have been tested extensively on wireless.Rate this question:
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- 21.
Which connector type can carry both audio and video?
- A.
DVI-A
- B.
DVI-D
- C.
DVI-I
- D.
S-Video
- E.
HDMI
Correct Answer
E. HDMIExplanation
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the correct answer because it is a connector type that can carry both audio and video signals. HDMI cables are commonly used to connect devices such as televisions, monitors, and audio/video receivers to transmit high-quality audio and video signals in a single cable. DVI-A, DVI-D, DVI-I, and S-Video are not capable of carrying audio signals, making HDMI the only suitable option for this purpose.Rate this question:
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- 22.
In windows 2000 how would you edit the registry?
- A.
/Start/Settings/Run/Cmd/regedit.exe
- B.
/Start/Run/Cmd/regedit.exe
- C.
/Start/Settings/Run/Cmd/regedt32.exe
- D.
/Start/Run/Cmd/regedit32.exe
- E.
/Programs/Accessories/command prompt/regedt32.exe
Correct Answer
E. /Programs/Accessories/command prompt/regedt32.exeExplanation
In windows 2000 regedit is used primary for searches. You edit the registry using regedt32.exe
Notice option D is spelled regedit32.exe. Be careful on the Comptia exams. You may be given an option of selecting either regedit or regedt32. The difference should be noted especially on windows 2000.Rate this question:
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- 23.
What comes to mind when you hear that a laptop is modular?
- A.
RAM, CPUs, Optical Drives
- B.
Docking Station, Port Replicator
- C.
RAM, CPUs, Optical Drives, HDD
- D.
So-Dimms, Docking Station, Port Replicator
- E.
Docking Station
Correct Answer
C. RAM, CPUs, Optical Drives, HDDExplanation
Modular means components within the laptop like RAM, CPUs, Optical Drives, HDD, Network Drives and even Video Cards can be swapped out. Laptops no longer use "proprietary" OEM-only versions.Rate this question:
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- 24.
In terms of battery technology. Which is the oldest to the newest. Know your batteries. It might rear its ugly head on the test.
- A.
Li-Ion, Ni-Cd, Ni-MH
- B.
Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, Li-Ion
- C.
Ni-MH, Ni-Cd, Li-Ion
- D.
Ni-MH, Li-Ion, Ni-Cd
- E.
Ni-Cd, Li-Ion, Ni-MH
Correct Answer
B. Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, Li-IonExplanation
The correct order of battery technology from oldest to newest is Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, Li-Ion. Ni-Cd (nickel-cadmium) batteries were one of the earliest rechargeable battery technologies developed in the 1950s. Ni-MH (nickel-metal hydride) batteries came after Ni-Cd and were introduced in the 1980s as an improvement over Ni-Cd batteries. Li-Ion (lithium-ion) batteries are the newest technology among the given options and have become widely used in recent years due to their higher energy density and longer lifespan compared to Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries.Rate this question:
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- 25.
Which power management option allows use of soft-power?
- A.
SMM
- B.
APM
- C.
ACPI
- D.
APM Softpower
- E.
APM enabled
Correct Answer
C. ACPIExplanation
Only ACPI supports soft power and hot-swappable devices.Rate this question:
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- 26.
All PC Cards both the 16-bit version and the CardBus version share the same ________ interface.
- A.
50-pin
- B.
32-pin
- C.
64-pin
- D.
68-pin
- E.
72-pin
Correct Answer
D. 68-pinExplanation
Important factoid. Seen on the exams.Rate this question:
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- 27.
You are currently running regedit. How would you go about saving all the entries in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT?
- A.
File/Import/HKEY.bak
- B.
File/Export/HKEY.bak
- C.
Edit/Export/HKEY.bak
- D.
Edit/Copy Key Name/HKEY.bak
- E.
You can't save HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
Correct Answer
B. File/Export/HKEY.bakExplanation
People have seen this type of question on the test. Know how to backup the registry.Rate this question:
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- 28.
What is the 5th step of the laser printing process?
- A.
Clear
- B.
Develope
- C.
Fuse
- D.
Transfer
- E.
Write
Correct Answer
D. TransferExplanation
You gotta know your laser printing process!
Clean, Clear, Write, Develop, Transfer, Fuse!Rate this question:
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- 29.
A customer calls you complaining of the many power outages he is experiencing lately. What type of solution would you recommend to him?
- A.
To use a surge suppressor
- B.
To buy a power strip
- C.
Tell him to unplug everything whenever he is experiencing power outages
- D.
Buy a UPS
- E.
None of the above
Correct Answer
D. Buy a UPSExplanation
Remember surge supressors are used for power surges/spikes.
UPS's for brownouts and power sags.Rate this question:
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- 30.
What can you do to mark bad sectors on a hdd, so you can increase performance by not using those sectors?
- A.
Use the fdisk command
- B.
Use the convert command
- C.
Use the checkdisk command
- D.
Chkdsk
- E.
Format
Correct Answer
E. FormatExplanation
Only format will mark bad sectors on the HDD and avoid them.Rate this question:
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- 31.
Sally in accounting used to love using MSN to chat with her boyfriend, but after a nasty breakup, no longer wants the program to run at startup. How would you fix this?
- A.
Use MSCONFIG
- B.
Disable Internet Explorer
- C.
Delete and reinstall MSN
- D.
Edit the registry
- E.
None of the above
Correct Answer
A. Use MSCONFIGExplanation
While editing the registry may fix this problem. It is much easier to disable it in MSCONFIG.Rate this question:
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- 32.
A serial cable has what max. length?
- A.
40m
- B.
10m
- C.
50m
- D.
15m
- E.
9m
Correct Answer
D. 15mExplanation
Know your cable lengths! Serial is 50ft. 15m is closest to 50ft.Rate this question:
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- 33.
Jay is currently trying to send email but can't. Everyone else in his department seems able to do so. After an exhaustive search you notice one of his ports is disabled. What could that port number be?
- A.
110
- B.
23
- C.
25
- D.
53
- E.
68
Correct Answer
C. 25Explanation
SMTP uses port 25. Know your port numbers for the 602 exam!Rate this question:
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- 34.
Jeremy (a closet tech) says he has done everything on his windows 95 system so he can upgrade to windows xp. He has upgraded his ram and video card and bought a new 233 Mhz CPU that his motherboard can support. Can Jeremy upgrade his system?
- A.
He can as long as he has enough ram. He needs at least 64MB
- B.
That would depend on his HDD. He would need a min of 1.5GB of free space
- C.
No he wouldn't. He needs a CPU that can run at least 1 Ghz
- D.
No he can't
- E.
Not enough information
Correct Answer
D. No he can'tExplanation
You can't upgrade from win 95 to XP.Rate this question:
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- 35.
What can you do in the MMC console in windows xp and 2000?
- A.
Add utilities
- B.
Add snap-ins
- C.
Add functions
- D.
Add applets
- E.
None of the above
Correct Answer
B. Add snap-insExplanation
MMC uses snap-ins. If you dont know MMC... familiarize yourself on it.Rate this question:
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- 36.
A laser printout seems to be completely blank. What could be the problem?
- A.
Fuser
- B.
Laser
- C.
Primary corona
- D.
Wrong size paper
- E.
Transfer corona
Correct Answer
E. Transfer coronaExplanation
a completely black page is usually associated with problems with the primary corona. Blank pages with the transfer corona. If you don't know why, review the laser printer process.Rate this question:
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- 37.
What is not a standard voltage for an ATX power plug? Choose 2
- A.
3 volts
- B.
3.3 volts
- C.
3.5 volts
- D.
5 volts
- E.
12 volts
Correct Answer(s)
A. 3 volts
C. 3.5 voltsExplanation
Know the colors of your wires and the voltages!Rate this question:
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- 38.
What wireless security method uses a 128-bit encryption key?
- A.
WPA
- B.
SSID
- C.
WEP
- D.
WPA2
- E.
Mac Filtering
Correct Answer
C. WEPExplanation
You will be tested on wireless security. Be sure to know the differences between WPA and WEP. Expect a couple of test questions on this subject.Rate this question:
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- 39.
The maximum throughput for a standard bluetooth device is?
- A.
2 Mbps
- B.
2 MBps
- C.
1 Mbps
- D.
1.5 Mbps
- E.
.5 Mbps
Correct Answer
C. 1 MbpsExplanation
Know your wireless devices!!!! Distances and throughput. Expect to see many questions on wireless on the test. This can't be emphacized enough.Rate this question:
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- 40.
Which of the following system files are not necessary for all windows xp/2000 machines to boot?
- A.
NTLDR
- B.
NTDETECT.COM
- C.
BOOT.INI
- D.
NTBOOTDD.SYS
- E.
They are all needed
Correct Answer
D. NTBOOTDD.SYSExplanation
NTBOOTDD.SYS is for SCSI devices.Rate this question:
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- 41.
The Windows Update website calls their most important updates?
- A.
Time critical
- B.
Critical
- C.
High Priority
- D.
Service Packs
- E.
None of the above
Correct Answer
C. High PriorityExplanation
Visit the MSFT site!Rate this question:
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- 42.
Bluetooth is defined as:
- A.
802.11b
- B.
802.3
- C.
802.15
- D.
802.5
- E.
802.6
Correct Answer
C. 802.15Explanation
Know your standards!Rate this question:
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- 43.
A laptop HDD has a standard size of?
- A.
2"
- B.
2.5"
- C.
3"
- D.
3.5"
- E.
4"
Correct Answer
B. 2.5"Explanation
Laptops are a huge part of the test. Know the differences between Laptops and Desktops. RAM, HDD, etc etcRate this question:
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- 44.
You have just received an email from the President of the United States to give him your username and password. What is this type of deception known as?
- A.
Masquerading
- B.
Phishing
- C.
Worm
- D.
Social engineering
- E.
Deceptive practices
Correct Answer
B. PhishingExplanation
Do you know what a trojan horse is? The differences between a worm and a virus? What piggy-backing is? If not, study up on it!Rate this question:
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- 45.
Which of the following components is not tested by POST?
- A.
System RAM
- B.
CPU
- C.
Mother Board
- D.
Power Supply
- E.
None of the above
Correct Answer
D. Power SupplyExplanation
POST (Power-On Self Test) is a diagnostic testing process that occurs when a computer is turned on. It checks various components of the computer to ensure they are functioning properly. The system RAM, CPU, and Mother Board are all tested by POST to ensure they are working correctly. However, the Power Supply is not directly tested by POST. The Power Supply is responsible for providing power to all the components of the computer, but it is not specifically tested by the POST process. Therefore, the correct answer is Power Supply.Rate this question:
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- 46.
Grabate from human resources calls complaining that his system is slow and won't open files as fast as it use too. What two things can you do to improve his overall performance? Choose 2
- A.
Run Chkdsk
- B.
Run Defrag
- C.
Run Msconfig
- D.
Run Disk Cleanup
- E.
Run Scheduled Tasks
Correct Answer(s)
B. Run Defrag
D. Run Disk CleanupExplanation
Defrag and Disk Cleanup will be seen over and over again on both 601/602. Know how to access them and what they do.Rate this question:
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- 47.
By default, XP Home installs:
- A.
FAT32
- B.
FAT16
- C.
NTSF
- D.
NTFS
- E.
HPTS
Correct Answer
D. NTFSExplanation
All XP installations by default are NTFS. Know the differences between FAT and NTFS!Rate this question:
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- 48.
You want to shutdown your pc, but save everything into memory. What option will allow you to do this?
- A.
Standby
- B.
Sleep mode
- C.
Snooze
- D.
Hibernate
- E.
None of the above
Correct Answer
D. HibernateExplanation
Hibernate is the correct option because it allows you to save everything into memory before shutting down your PC. When you hibernate your computer, all open documents and applications are saved to the hard drive, and the computer enters a low-power state. Upon restarting, the computer restores all the saved data from the hard drive, allowing you to continue where you left off. This is different from standby, sleep mode, and snooze, which also save data but in a different manner and may not retain the state of all open applications.Rate this question:
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- 49.
What is the default format for print jobs sent to the print spooler?
- A.
Enhanced Metafile
- B.
RAW
- C.
PostScript
- D.
GDI
- E.
TWAIN
Correct Answer
A. Enhanced MetafileExplanation
This is kind of tricky. But definately know your printer languages, and what TWAIN is. You might see it on the test.Rate this question:
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- 50.
A client has recently opened a retail store. She asks that you select a printing process that is very cheap but would allow her to print out duplicate receipts. What would you suggest?
- A.
Thermal
- B.
Dye-sub
- C.
Laser
- D.
Dot-matrix
- E.
Inkjet
Correct Answer
D. Dot-matrixExplanation
The only viable option would be to use Dot-matrix. It can print receipts in duplicate/triplicate.Rate this question:
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Mar 21, 2023Quiz Edited by
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