HARDWARE

 

1. What kind of tools can be used to manage devices and drivers In Windows 2000?

*  The Add/Remove Hardware Wizard

            *  The Device Manager snap-in

            *  Driver Signing

            *  Hardware profiles

            *  Service Packs

2. What is driver signing?

You can configure Windows 2000 Server to signal whether or not Microsoft has certified the driver that is being installed. It is known as driver signing. This is facility for testing and certifying drivers. A certified driver includes a digital signature that can be detected by Windows 2000 Server.

3. What is the importance of service packs?

Service packs are a collection of patches, bug fixes, and minor upgrades that are supplied by Microsoft. A service packs contains software patches for:

*  Blocking security loopholes

            *  Fixing software bugs

            *  Providing drivers for newly released hardware

4. What are the ISA and PCI expansion slots?

Most hardware devices are plugged into ISA and PCI expansion slots in a computer. To read more about ISA and PCI expansion slots please click at http://www.genderchangers.org/lib/reader/hardware_course/node41.html.

5. What are the SCSI and IDE interfaces and how are they used?

* SCSI is a system-level interface that connects the hard disk to the CPU. SCSI is an expansion bus that connects hardware peripherals to a computer     using standard hardware and control commands. An SCSI bus supports devices, such as hard disk, compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM) drive, tape driver, printer, and scanner. Each device on the SCSI bus has an identification number or an SCSI ID that helps the SCSI controller identify the device while communicating.

* IDE, also known as AT Bus Interface, was first introduced in the International Business Machines (IBM) advanced technology computers. The official name of IDE is AT Attachment (ATA). ATA IDE is inexpensive and therefore widely used.

6.      What is the UPS?

UPS Uninterrupted Power Supply allows you to continue working for a limited period even through a power outage. The UPS continues to supply power to your computer, converting battery power to main voltage. When the battery charge is exhausted, UPS shuts down. The software senses when the UPS is about to shut down due to exhausted batteries and sends a warning message to the user.

 

 

NETWORK ADAPTERS

 

1.      What is the network adapter?

The network adapter is a device that provides connectivity between a computer and the network. Is also known as a NIC (Network Interface Card).

2.      What do you use to configure the settings of a network adapter?

The Properties sheet of the network adapter.