Examining PC Hardware

CompTIA A + (220-1001) Domain:

Domain 3.0: Hardware

CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Objective:

Objective 3.4: Given a scenario, select, install, and configure storage devices.
Objective 3.5: Given a scenario, install and configure motherboards, CPUs, and add-on cards.
Objective 3.9: Given a scenario, install and configure common devices.

Overview

This lab is part of a series of lab exercises designed to supplement coursework and provide students with a hands-on training experience based on real-world applications. This series of lab exercises is intended to support courseware for CompTIA A+® certification.

This lab will explore the BIOS, CMOS Setting utility, and various other tools for identifying computer hardware components. Students will view and manage the configuration of the components that are installed on a Windows-based computer system.

outcomes:

In this lab, you will learn to:

  1. Examine the BIOS configuration using the CMOS utility.
  2. Use built-in Windows utilities to examine computer system hardware.
  3. Use a third-party software utility to examine computer system hardware.
Courses

Key terms and descriptions

Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
Firmware used to start a PC and manage flow of information between computer hardware and operating system.
CMOS Setting Utility
Allows BIOS settings to be viewed and configured.
Device Manager
A Control Panel applet in Microsoft Windows operating systems, which allows users to view and control the hardware attached to the computer.
System Information Utility
Provides detailed information about hardware and software on a Windows operating system.
DirectX Diagnostic Tool (Dxdiag.exe)
A Windows tool that gives detailed information about a system’s graphic, sound, and input devices for compatibility with DirectX.
Resource Monitor
A built-in Windows operating system tool that provides a method for monitoring the usage of CPU, hard disk, network, and memory in real time.