SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

UNIT 1- 2marks
1.What is PC?

PC is made up of multiple physical components of computer hardware upon which can

be install an operating system and a multitude (or) multiple of softwares to perform the operators desired functions.

2.What are the main components of a PC?

Hardware,Inputdevices,Central processing unit,Arithmetic and logic unit,memory,output

devices,software.

3.Give examples for each component of a PC.

Input devices: Keyboard,floppy disk,hard disk,magnetic tape,mouse,light pen,scanner,optical

disk,etc……

Output devices: Display terminal,printer,plotter,floppy disk drive,hard disk drive,magnetic tape

drive,optical disk,etc…….

4.What are the components directly attached to motherboard?

Buses,System clock,Microprocessor,ROM,RAM,(connected using RAM slots),Video card/Sound card.

5.Define microcomputer system.

Microcomputers have become simpler to learn and troubleshoot because of reduced complexity.This
type of system is called micro computer system.

6.What is the use of cmos battery?

The configuration of a pc at the systems level is stored in a type of memory,CMOS requires very little power
to hold its content.
The CMOS battery supplies a steady power source to store the system configuration for use during the PC’s boot
sequence.

7.Define interrupts.
An interrupt is a signal from a device attached to a computer that causes the main program that operates the computer
to stop and figure out what to do next.

8.What is smps?

Switched mode power supply used to provide different DC voltages

Two types : AT power supply and

 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

ATX power supply

9.Define a)Hardware b)Software c)Operating system.

a)The physical units in a computer,such as the CPU,Memory,Input and Output units,form the Hardware.

b)The compilers as well as user programs(higher level language or machine language)form the
software.

c)The operating system is a special software that manages the hardware and software.

10.Define SRAM and DRAM.

It preserves the content of all the locations as long as the power supply is present.
Dynamic memory can retain the content of any location only for few milliseconds.

11.What are the types of ROM.

ROM is a permanent memory,non volatile memory.
Types :
PROM-Programmable Read Only Memory
EPROM-Erasable PROM
EEPROM-Eletrically Erasable PROM

12.List some of the input,output,storage devices.

Input devices:Keyboard,floppy disk,hard disk,magnetic tape,mouse,light pen,scanner,optical

disk,etc……

Output devices:Display terminal,printer,plotter,floppy disk drive,hard disk drive,magnetic tape

drive,optical disk,etc…….

13. List some mass storage devices.

Hard disk
Floppy disk
Optical disk
Tape drives
14. Name some I/O interface standards.
Keyboard interface
Printer controller
CRT controller
Floppy disk drive controller
Hard disk controller
15.what are the functions of BIOS?
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

It boots the computer

It validates PC configuration
It provides an interface between hardware and software

16.Mention the features of PC and PC-AT.

Features of PC Features of PC-AT
Uniprogramming Multiprogramming
8-bit Data bus 16-bit,32-bit or 64-bit data bus Maximum 1Mb memory
space Beyond 1Mb memory space No cache memory
Supports cache memory
No virtual memory Supports virtual memory Uniprocessing
Supports multiprocessing Uniscalar system
Superscalar architecture
No power management power management
No Multimedia Built-in Multimedia
No error detection Parity check, Functional redundancy check,
Machine check
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

UNIT II – 2 MARKS

1.What is ISA ?
-It is a bus standard for IBM compatibles that extends the XT bus architecture to 16 bits.
- It also allows for bus mastering although only the first 16 MB of main memory is available for direct
access .
- In reference to the XT bus architecture it is sometimes referred to as "AT bus architecture
-
2. What is PCI ?

- The PCI bus provides superior performance to the VESA local bus; in fact, PCI is the highest performance
general I/O bus currently used on PCs.
- This is due to several factors:
- i) Burst Mode ii) Bus Mastering iii) High Bandwidth Options.

3. What is NETWORK INTERFACE CARDS?

A network card, network adapter, network interface card or NIC is a piece of computer
hardware designed to allow computers to communicate over a computer network.

4. What is MODEM? List out types of MODEM ?

The modem is a device that enables the PC to use a telephone line to communicate with other PCs and
devices. The name comes from "MOdulation DEModulation".
Types of MODEM : i) internal modem ii) external modem

5.What is SCSI ?
- SCSI stands for "Small Computer System Interface",
- It is a standard interface and command set for transferring data between devices on both internal and
external computer buses.
6.What is IDE ?
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

- Integrated Device Electronics

- IDE interface is a standard way for a storage device to connect to a computer.
- Floppy disk,hard disk,CD-ROM drive devices connect to the computer through an Integrated Drive
Electronics (IDE) interface.
7.What is host adapters ?
- host adapter meaning that it provides a way to connect a complete device to the computer (host).
8.What is Cable key ?
- The cable key is a small, plastic square on top of the connector on the ribbon cable that fits into a notch on
the connector of the device.
- This allows the cable to attach in only one position.
9.What is USB?
- Universal Serial Bus
-Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a serial bus standard to interface devices.
- It was originally designed for computers, but its popularity has prompted it to also become commonplace on
video game consoles, PDAs, portable DVD and media players, cellphones; and even devices such as televisions, home
stereo equipment (e.g., digital audio players), car stereos and portable memory devices. The radio spectrum based
USB implementation is known as Wireless USB.

10.What is host controllers ?

The hardware that contains the host controller and the root hub has an interface geared toward the
programmer which is called Host Controller Device (HCD) and is defined by the hardware implementer. In practice,
these are hardware registers (ports) in the computer.
11.What is EISA?

Extended / Enhanced ISA.

It is a 32 bit bus system and allow memory addressing upto 4GB. Greater speed data transmission upto 32 MB/sec

12.What are the standards include in IDE?

ATA -1
ATA-2
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

ATA-3
ATA-4
ATA-5

13. List the cable types.

 Twisted pair cable
o Shielded twisted pair cable
o Unshielded twisted pair cable
 Co-axial cable.
 Fiber optic cable

14.What are the types of hayes command set?

 Basic command set
 Extended command set
 Proprietary command set
 Register commands

15.Difference of internal and external modem.

The external modem is the way it is powered where internal modem are powered from the expansion bus.
The external modems provide series of signal status LED’s. The LED’s allow to easily check the state of serial
communication
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

UNIT III – 2 MARKS

1.What is computer keyboard ?

A computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard. Keyboards are designed
for the input of text and characters and also to control the operation of a computer.

2. List out the types of keyboard ?

1. Dome-switch keyboard 2. Capacitive keyboard 3. Mechanical-switch keyboard 4. Buckling-spring

keyboard 5. Hall-effect keyboard 6. Laser keyboard 7. Membrane keyboard 8. Roll-up keyboard 9. Waterproof
Keyboards

3. What is Mouse ?

- A mouse (plural mice or mouses) is a computer pointing device.

-it is designed to detect two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface and consists of a small case, to be
held under one of the user's hands, and one or more buttons.

- It sometimes features other elements, such as "wheels", which allow the user to perform various system-dependent
operations, or extra buttons or features can add more control or dimensional input. The mouse's motion typically
translates into the motion of a pointer on a display.

4. What is computer printer ?

A computer printer, or more commonly just a printer, is a device that produces a hard copy (permanent human-
readable text and/or graphics) of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or
transparencies.

5. What is joy stick ?

 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

A joystick is a personal computer peripheral or general control device consisting of a handheld stick that pivots
about one end and transmits its angle in two or three dimensions to a computer. Most joysticks are two-dimensional,
having two axes of movement (similar to a mouse), but three-dimensional joysticks do exist.

6. What is Joystick input ?

The term joystick has become a synonym for game controllers that can be connected to the computer since the
computer defines the input as a "joystick input".

7. What is Image scanner ?

In computing, a scanner is a device that analyzes an image (such as a photograph, printed text, or handwriting) or
an object (such as an ornament) and converts it to a digital image.

8. What is Infrared Cleaning ?

-Infrared cleaning is a technique to remove dust and scratches from film. Infrared cleaning works by
scanning the film with infrared light. From this, it is possible to detect dust and scratches that cut off the infrared light
and they can then be automatically removed based on their position, size, shape and surroundings.

9. What is CGA ?

- Color Graphics Adapter

- The standard IBM CGA graphics card was equipped with 16 kilobytes of video memory, and could be connected
either to a NTSC-compatible monitor or TV via an RCA jack, or to a dedicated RGBI CRT monitor.

- Based around the Motorola MC6845 display controller, the CGA card featured several graphics and text modes.
The highest resolution of any mode was 640×200, and the highest color depth supported was 4-bit (16 colors).

10. What is optical mouse ?

 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

An optical mouse uses a light-emitting diode and photodiodes to detect movement relative to the underlying
surface, rather than moving some of its parts — as in a mechanical mouse.

11) What are the Peripheral devices in the Computer?

Some common peripherals used in the Computer are:

Keyboard, CRT Monitor, Printer, Floppy Disk drive,Hard Disk drive, Mouse, CD- ROM drive, Modem,
Scanner.
Some of the Special Peripherals used in certain applications :
DVD drive, Digital Camera, Digitiser, Joystick, Light Pen, Zip drive, Tape Drive and
Plotter.

12) Mention some of the characteristics of the printer.

Some of the main characteristics of the printers are

 Speed
 Quality
 Character Set
 Interface
 Buffer size
 Print mechanism
 Print mode
 Print size
 Print direction

13) What are the two formats for recording on a magnetic disk ?

Ihe two formats are

 Frequency Modulation (FM) format —Single density format..
 Modified Frequency Modulation (MFM)- Double density format.

14) What are the signals related to the keyboard?

1.Keyboard Data
2.Keyboard Clolck
3.Reset
4.Ground
5.+5V
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

15) Mention the functions performed by the keyboard electronics ?

The functions that are performed are:

 Sensing a key depression.
 Encoding.
 Sensing the code to the computer
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

UNIT IV – 2 MARKS

1.What is floppy disk drive?

A floppy disk is a data storage device that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible ("floppy") magnetic storage
medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell.

2. What is hard disk drive?

A hard disk drive (HDD), commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk or fixed disk drive, is a non-
volatile storage device which stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces.

3. What is MFM?

- MFM stands for Modified Frequency Modulation.

-Modified Frequency Modulation, commonly MFM, is a line coding scheme used to encode information on
most floppy disk formats, which include the floppy disk formats used in most CP/M machines as well as PCs
running DOS.

4. What is RLL ?

- Run Length Limited

- Run length limited or RLL coding is a technique that is used to store data on recordable media.
- Specifically, RLL prevents long stretches of repeated bits from causing the signal recorded on media to not
change for an excessive period, by modulating the data.

5. Differences between CD and DVD

 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

Specification DVD CD-ROM

Diameter(mm) 120 120
Disk thickness (mm) 1.2 1.2
Substrate thickness (mm) 0.6 1.2
Track Pitch (nm) 740 1600
Minimum pit size(nm) 400 830
Wavelength(nm) 640 780
Single layer capacity 4.7 GB 650 MB
6. What is DVD ? types of DVD ?

 High density optical storage disk.

 Holds programs, data, audio and video
 Holds up to 17 GB of removable storage that is 7 times greater than the capacity of a CD.
Types

There are 2 types of DVD.

 DVD-video
 DVD-ROM

7.What is CD technology ?
-A Compact Disc or CD is an optical disc used to store digital data.
- The CD, available on the market since late 1982, remains the standard playback medium for commercial audio
recordings to the present day, though it has lost ground in recent years to MP3 players.

8.What is DVD –RW?

 DVD-RWs are rewritable DVD disks introduced in the year 1999 that make it possible to erase the
previously recorded data and re-record again.
 Some of these disks can be erased and rewritten up to 1000 times.
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

These disks have 4.7 GB capacity as a single layer DVD-ROM

9.What is Pen drive ?

 They are NAND-type flash memory data storage devices integrated with a USB interface.
 Typically small, lightweight, removable and are covered by a removable cap.
 Memory capacity varies from 6Megabytes to 64Gigabytes.
 Most flash drives use a standard type-A USB connection allowing them to be connected directly to a port on a
PC.
10.What is Tape drive?
 Tape Drive is also known as a Streamer.
 It is a data storage device that reads and writes data stored on a magnetic tape or a punched tape.
 Instead of allowing random-access to data as Hard disk drives do, Tape drives only allow for sequential-
access of data.
 The capacity of a Tape Drive varies from a few Megabytes to upwards of 800GB
11.What is the coding format in RLL?
In the enoded format a 1 bit indicates a flux transition , while 0 indicates the magnetic field on the disk does not
change for that time interval.

12.List the major parts of FDD.

 Read/Write heads
 Drive motor
 Stepper motor
 Mehanical Frame
 Circuit board

13.What is the disadvantage of Laser disk?

The aluminium side of the disc gets oxidized and the quality is decreased.This is called as Laser rot.
14.List the internal components of flash drive.
 USB connector
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

 USB mass storage controller device

 Test points
 Flash memory chip
 Crystal oscillator
 LED
 Write protect notch

15.Define shoe-shining effect.

This effect occurs during tape backup process when the transfer rate of the data falls below the transfer speed of the
tape drive.When it occurs,the data buffer of the tape drive empties and the drive must stop, reverse position and
beginwriting once the tape buffers fills again.
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

UNIT V – 2 Marks
1. What is In – circuit emulators?

An in-circuit emulator is a hardware device used to debug the software of an embedded system. It is usually in the
form of bond-out processor which has many internal signals brought out for the purpose of debugging.

2. List out any two advantages of In-circuit emulators?

-Virtually all embedded systems have a hardware element and a software element, which are separate but tightly
interdependent.

- The host system will have special compilers that produce executable code for the embedded system. These are called
cross compilers or cross assemblers.

3. What is logic analyser ?

-A logic analyzer displays signals in a digital circuit that are too fast to be observed by a human being and presents
it to a user so that the user can more easily check correct operation of the digital system.

-Logic analyzers are typically used for capturing data in systems that have too many channels to be examined with
an oscilloscope.

4. What are the uses of LOGIC STATE/TIMING ANALYSER?

 Many digital designs, including those of ICs, are simulated to detect defects before the unit is constructed.
 The simulation usually provides logic analysis displays. Often, complex discrete logic is verified by simulating
inputs and testing outputs using boundary scan.
 Logic analyzers can uncover hardware defects that are not found in simulation.
 These problems are typically too difficult to model in simulation, or too time consuming to simulate and often
cross multiple clock domains.

5. What is multimeter ?
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

-A multimeter or a multitester is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several functions in one
unit.

- A multimeter can be a handheld device useful for basic fault finding and field service work or a bench
instrument which can measure to a very high degree of accuracy.

6.What is CRO ?

-The cathode-ray oscilloscope (CRO) is a common laboratory instrument that provides accurate time and
amplitude measurements of voltage signals over a wide range of frequencies.

- Its reliability, stability, and ease of operation make it suitable as a general purpose laboratory instrument.

7. List out the CRO controls?

A. Cathode-ray tube
B. Vertical amplifier section
C. Horizontal-sweep section
D. Trigger
E. Connections for the oscilloscope

8. Functions of signature analyzer?

-Signature analyzer is a pattern detector.

- Signature analyzer can detect what activities occur more than once, and calls them patterns. These patterns can be
detected from text input, MIDI code input and analogue x,y,z input.

9 How to troubleshoot a Windows PC Motherboard?

 POST Codes (Power On Self Test) - Computer Beeps at start up - Reseat the PCI cards. For notebooks then
reseat the mini-PCI bus. Reseat the RAM.
 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

 For Notebooks - perform a hard reset.

 Perform Diagnostics test.
 Perform an MSCONFIG if your computer has it.

10. What are the causes for floppy disk drive troubleshooting ?

A floppy drive may not work because of one or more of the below reasons.
1. Bad floppy diskette.
2. Not setup in CMOS.
3. Confliction with other hardware.
4. Not connected properly.
5. Bad drivers.

11. Define resolution.

The resolution is often specified in digits.It specify that how many digits could display. The vendors started to specify
the maximum resolution of the multimeter based on the digital display.

12.What are the measured quantities of digital multimeter?

o Inductance in henry.
o Capacitance in farad
o condutance in Siemens
o frequency in hertz
o temperature in degree celcius or Fahrenheit

13.Define cross compilers.

The host system will have special compilers that produce executable code for the embedded system.

14. Define VTMM.

 SUBJECT: IT-E51 COMPUTER HARDWARE AND TROUBLESHOOTING

BRANCH:IT / THIRD YEAR /FIFTH SEM

Analog meters may be implemented with vacuum tubes to precondition and amplify the input signal. Such meters are
known as vacuum tube volt meters (VTVM) or vacuum tube multimeters (VTMM).

15.How to troubleshoot the expansion card?

All or part of the system may be inoperable. The new card may work but a mouse or COM port may not work.

The solution is Change the interrupt or RAM address on the new expansion card. See the documentation that came
with the new card in order to change pin settings. many expansion devices come with proprietary software that will
assist you in doing this.