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Learn to classify USB devices according to how they receive power. Self-Powered Devices that rely on their own power supply (e.g., they are plugged into an AC outlet) are self-powered devices (sometimes called active devices). USB 2.0 devices that draw more th...

Learn how to select the correct sound card for use in your PC system. I/O Ports Look at the I/O ports the sound card has. Almost all sound cards have the three default analog jacks, line out, speaker out, and microphone. However, high-end audio cards have supp...

An enumeration of all the USB port standards there are. USB 1.0 - Low Speed (1996) | 1.5 Mbps Type A Type B Mini-A Mini-B Micro-A Micro-B USB 1.1 - Full Speed (1998) | 12 Mbps Cable length of 3 meters. same as USB 1.0 USB 2.0 - Hi-Speed (2000) | 480 Mbps ...

Learn methods to properly troubleshoot video and display issues on computer systems. The video system has three components: the adapter, cable, and then the display device (e.g. monitor). Video display issues can arise from problems with any one of these compo...

Ensure that equipment and hazardous chemicals are disposed of properly. Remember to: consult the manufacturer's documentation for recommended solutions for equipment disposal. consult your organizations MSDS for info on: physical data toxicity health effects...

Learn how to maintain SSDs and resolve common issues that might arise when using them. While traditional HDDs require regular optimization and defragmentation, SSDs don't need them nearly as much since they don't have read/write heads. When reading a fragmente...

Learn how to perform operations with elevated privileges on Linux systems. On Linux, there are two types of users: standard and superuser. A superuser is the equivalent of a Windows administrator account. It's allowed to perform any operation the system, even ...

Learn the different types of connectors used in USB cables. The connector doesn't affect the speed, its determined by the standard that the USB cable uses. USB Type A The standard connector on 99% of all desktop PC and (older) laptops. Blue tab indicates its c...

Learn the common issues that arise when using printers and how to resolve them. Basic Troubleshooting Perform these tasks before going into specifics. Verify that the printer is: plugged in to a power supply powered on plugged into the computer self-test the ...

Component List Power Supply Central Processing Unit (CPU) Heatsink Motherboard Memory Modules | RAM (Random Access Memory) Optical Disk Drive Hard Disk Drive (HDD) SATA Cable most common of the two IDE Cable Expansion Cards Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) mo...

Learn how to optimize storage spaces. The goal of optimization is to make the storage devices work as fast as possible. There are several things you can do to optimize your storage devices. Depending on how much you use your storage devices, you could get away...

Learn how to troubleshoot memory issues on PC systems, including installation and configuration problems. Symptoms Memory issues tend to be intermittent, making them difficult to troubleshoot. Common symptoms include, but are not limited to: system lockup bla...

Learn to protect systems and manage the electrical power powering them. Types of issues you might come across: Power-Surge Power-Spike Power-Sag Brownout Blackout Types of tools you might use to help prevent those issues from arising: Surge-Protector Surge-...

Learn about different reasonable, logical security measures organizations employ to protect their devices and computer networks. Authentication Methods Ensure that anybody trying to connect to internal networks is actually authorized to do so, and is allowed t...

Learn the different types of cables you use to connect a hard drive to a computer system. Depending on your motherboard and the type of hard drive you're installing, the type of port you'll use will differ. IDE Ports IDE ports were the leading way to connect h...

Learn how to format and organize a new hard disk drive. There are three main parts of a hard disk drive. Partitions Volumes Formats Formatting Formatting prepares the disk area with the rules and specifications for how data is to be saved on that drive. The ...

Learn to use system diagnostic tools that can help diagnose hardware issues on computers. Offline Diagnostic Tools Can be found on the one-time boot menu of a system. Won't connect to the Internet. Run the tool, capture found errors (and their error codes) and...

Learn the steps to follow when installing an expansion card. Use ESD Protection Place the computer on an anti-static mat, ground the case to the mat, and ground yourself to the case and the mat. Good practice states that if a computer component isn't installed...