SECTION A [40 MARKS]
Attempt ALL the Questions in this Section.
1. (a) What are the three main components of a Computer System?
(b) Identify an example of ach of the above components. (6 marks)
2. (a) Give any two examples of: (i) peripherals (ii) parallel ports
(b) State and explain the two main types of printers. (8 marks)
3. (a) Write in full PCI and AGP bus technologies.
(b) Suggest a common expansion card for each of the above bus technologies.
(c) Which units are used for bus width and bus bandwidth? (6 marks)
4. (a) What are the two main interfaces of microprocessors?
(b) Suggest any two design issues of microprocessors.
(c) Identify any two major manufacturers of microprocessors. (6 marks)
5. (a) What are the two main file systems in Windows OS?
(b) Which three categories of items are stored on a hard disk drive?
(c) Give any three advantages of partitioning a hard disk drive? (8 marks)
6. (a) What is the importance of the motherboard in a PC?
(b) State any two design issues of a motherboard.
(c) Give any two proprietary form factors of ATX motherboards. (6 marks)
SECTION B [60 MARKS]
Attempt ONLY THREE Questions in this Section.
Question 1
a) With examples, explain the terms:
(i) backward compatibility
(ii) proprietary hardware (6 marks)
b) (i) Draw and label the pin-out of DB-9 male port.
(ii) Differentiate between DVI and HDMI ports. (4 marks)
c) Briefly explain the terms:
(i) plug and play
(ii) hot swapping (4 marks)
d) With examples, differentiate between:
(i) systems software and application software
(ii) programming tools and utility programs (6 marks)
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Question 2
a) (i) What is the importance of computer memory?
(ii) Differentiate between main memory and secondary memory. (4 marks)
b) Compare SIMM and DIMM RAM modules in terms of:
(i) physical appearance
(ii) memory bus size (6 marks)
c) (i) Differentiate between SDR and DDR memory types.
(ii) What is the advantage of DDR2 over DDR? (6 marks)
d) A computer technician installed a new RAM module, but it was not recognised.
Explain what may have caused this and offer solutions to the problem. (6 marks)
Question 3
a) Explain how data is:
(i) physically stored on a hard disk platter
(ii) logically organized by Windows OS (6 marks)
b) (i) What is meant by formatting a disk?
(ii) Write MS DOS syntax for formatting drive D? (4 marks)
c) (i) What are hard disk drive partitions?
(ii) Differentiate between primary and extended partition. (4 marks)
d) As a system administrator, you are to implement a dual boot.
With an example, describe how to go about it. (6 marks)
Question 4
a) (i) What is a dual boot?
(ii) Briefly explain how you can achieve a dual boot. (6 marks)
b) (i) Write in full SATA and SCSI hard disk drive technologies.
(ii) What are the advantages of SATA over IDE hard disk technology? (4 marks)
c) (i) State any two reasons of using external hard disks.
(ii) Suggest any two interfaces of connection of external hard disk to a PC.
(4 marks)
e) As a computer technician, you are to install IDE hard disk.
Outline the main steps you have to go through. (6 marks)
Question 5
a) (i) What are the main stages of troubleshooting a PC?
(ii) State any three software troubleshooting tools. (6 marks)
b) What could be the cause of each of the following:
(i) PC does not show light when switched on.
(ii) PC goes through POST but keeps on rebooting.
(iii) Grinding noise, but power supply unit is fine. (6 marks)
c) (i) What information is contained in owner’s manual?
(ii) How can owner’s manual be used in troubleshooting? (4 marks)
d) Suppose you are an IT technician who offers online services to clients.
A secretary calls complaining of a PC not switching on.
Take us through a scenario of your questions to her on phone. (4 marks)
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