Question 1

Device drivers are always built-in to the operating system and provided by the operating system vendor.

Accepted Answer

Device drivers can be built-in to the operating system or provided by third-party vendors.

Question 2

You manage several hundred Windows 7 computers for your company. In the past,your support staff has spent a lot of time troubleshooting issues related to incompatible or faulty device drivers. You want to reduce the amount of troubleshooting your staff is doing. What is one step you can take that will help?

Accepted Answer

Configuring driver signing to disallow unsigned drivers will ensure that only drivers that have been digitally signed by a trusted publisher are installed on the computers. This will greatly reduce the likelihood of incompatible or faulty drivers causing issues on the systems.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a Linux device special file type?

Accepted Answer

Linux has three types of device special files: block, character, and named pipes. "Stream" is not a type of device special file in Linux.

Question 4

The office manager of your company has instructed you to find a solution for a problem. A new employee is being hired and her desk will be located where there is a table that is occupied by an older model fax machine and scanner. There is no room to put the table anywhere else and the table that holds the ink-jet printer is too small for the other two devices. There is money in the budget if funds are necessary. What do you recommend?

Accepted Answer

The best solution would be to replace the ink-jet printer with a multifunction printer that can perform the functions of printing, scanning, and faxing. This would eliminate the need for the separate scanner and fax machine, freeing up space on the table for the new employee. It is also a cost-effective solution that can be easily implemented within the budget. The other options are not ideal as they either inconvenience the new employee or are not practical solutions for the problem.

Question 5

Device drivers perform the actual communication between physical devices and the operating system.

Accepted Answer

Device drivers are essential software components that allow the operating system to communicate with physical devices such as printers, scanners, keyboards, and monitors. They act as intermediaries between the device hardware and the OS, translating requests and commands from the operating system into signals that the device can understand, and translating the device's responses back into formats that the OS can interpret. Without device drivers, the OS would not be able to interact with peripherals and other hardware components, and the computer would be unable to function correctly.

Question 6

Which of the following are common formats for distributing driver files?

Accepted Answer

Zip files are commonly used for distributing driver files as they allow multiple files to be compressed into one, making it easier to download and transfer. Txt (text) files, drv (driver) files, and ini (initialization) files are not typically used for driver distribution.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a typical step in the process for installing new hardware on a Mac OS X system?

Accepted Answer

Configuring dip switches is not typically required when installing new hardware on a Mac OS X system. The other steps, such as shutting down the system, attaching new hardware, and inserting a DVD/CD-ROM, are all common steps in the installation process.

Question 8

You want to take advantage of a new VoIP application you just downloaded. What type of device will you need to use this application?

Accepted Answer

To use a VoIP application, you will need a device with a sound card to transmit and receive audio signals. Analog modems, flash drives, and DVD drives are not necessary for using a VoIP application.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of using device drivers rather than incorporating code into the kernel for all possible devices?

Accepted Answer

Having to recompile the kernel after each new device is installed is not an advantage of using device drivers. It is a disadvantage because it requires additional effort and system downtime. Options A, B, and D are advantages of using device drivers.

Question 10

A user calls the help line and ask for some help installing a new keyboard. He isn't sure how to plug the keyboard into the computer because it doesn't have a cable connected to it. What advice are you likely to give him?

Accepted Answer

Many wireless keyboards come with a USB receiver that needs to be plugged into a USB port on the computer. This allows the keyboard to communicate wirelessly with the computer. Option A is not applicable to wireless keyboards. Option B does not make sense as patch cables are used for network connections, not keyboard connections. Option C is a premature suggestion without troubleshooting or diagnosing the issue.

Question 11

You are about to install a new USB camera on your Linux system and you realize that there is no device special file available for your device. What command can you use on the system to create a new device special file?

Accepted Answer

The "mknod" command can be used to create a new device special file on a Linux system.

Question 12

Mouse and keyboard drivers are standard and are usually included with the OS.

Accepted Answer

Mouse and keyboard drivers are considered standard drivers that are typically included with the operating system, and thus don't require additional installation.

Question 13

You have a hardcopy of a report that you found some errors on that must be corrected. The report is three pages long and you have about 20 minutes before a meeting you must attend to present the report. Unfortunately,the report was created on your laptop at home and you have no way of getting to it quickly. What is your best option?

Accepted Answer

Scanning the report and using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology will allow you to quickly convert the hardcopy into an editable digital format. You can then fix the errors and re-print the corrected report in the given timeframe. Retyping the entire report on your work computer or using white out and a typewriter would take too much time, and crossing out errors with a pen and hand writing corrections is not professional or easily legible.

Question 14

A print spooler is a log file that maintains a history of print jobs.

Accepted Answer

A print spooler is a software program that controls the printing process and manages print jobs. It stores print jobs temporarily in a buffer until the printer is ready to print them, but it does not maintain a log file of print jobs.

Question 15

You have attached a new USB camera to your computer but it doesn't seem to be working. Which tool can you use to see if Windows successfully installed the driver and to see if the device is working correctly?

Accepted Answer

The best tool to check if Windows successfully installed the driver and to see if the device is working correctly is the Device Manager. It provides a list of all the hardware that is installed on the computer and any issues with the driver or device are indicated by a warning symbol next to it. The Add Hardware Wizard is used when adding new hardware that is not automatically detected by Windows. Programs and Features is used to uninstall programs and Windows Update is used to download and install updates for Windows and its components.

Question 16

IEEE 1394 interfaces are targeted towards comparatively slow peripherals such as keyboards and mice.

Accepted Answer

IEEE 1394 interfaces, also known as FireWire or i.LINK, are targeted towards high-speed peripherals such as hard drives, digital cameras, and video cameras. They offer data transfer rates of up to 800 Mbps, which is much faster than USB 2.0.

Question 17

You recently purchased a new digital camera and now you want to print some of the photos you have been taking. Which type of printer are you most likely to use to print your photos?

Accepted Answer

Ink-jet printers are the best choice for printing photos because they can produce high-quality images with vibrant colors and sharp details. They use a specialized ink and can print on various types of photo paper. Laser printers, on the other hand, are better suited for printing text and graphics with crisp lines, but are not ideal for printing photos. Plotter and dot-matrix printers are mostly used for large format printing and industrial applications, and are not suitable for printing photos.

Question 18

A user complains that his new mouse doesn't work right. He has an old system at home and when he has had this problem,he cleaned the ball on the underside of the mouse to fix it,but this mouse doesn't have a ball on the underside. What can you tell him about his mouse?

Accepted Answer

The fact that the mouse doesn't have a ball on the underside indicates that it is an optical mouse, which uses a sensor to track movement instead of a physical ball.

Question 19

You need to install a new sound card for a colleague's computer. Which of the following does NOT represent a typical method for installing the driver on a Windows system?

Accepted Answer

The Programs and Features section in Windows is used for uninstalling programs and managing installed programs, but it is not used for installing device drivers. The typical methods for installing device drivers on a Windows system include Plug-and-Play (PnP), the Add Hardware Wizard, and Device Manager.

Question 20

Which of the following is a good practice when you are installing a new device?

Accepted Answer

Checking for a new driver is a good practice when installing a new device because it ensures that the device is using the most up-to-date and compatible driver with the system. Reinitializing the kernel and recompiling the installed driver are not necessary steps for a typical device installation, and blindly using the driver supplied by the OS may not always be the best option.

Quiz 6: Configuring Input and Output Devices