| A | B |
|---|
| The video card is the only expansion card that needs to be | installed before booting the PC for the first time. |
| The video card is critical in displaying vital information needed to | configure the BIOS during the initial boot process. |
| All expansion cards can be installed once the computer is up and running except the | video card |
| The AGP is used for newer (ATX) motherboards while ISA and PCI are used | for older boards. |
| Insert the video card into the slot by aligning the pins and | gently applying pressure alternately to the front and back of the board until all the pins are in place. |
| When pushing the expansion cards into the slot, try not to | let the motherboard bend. |
| If the motherboards has a built-in video it must be | disabled in the CMOS in order to install an external video card. |
| To connect a keyboard older model motherboards use a | 5-pin connector |
| To connect a keyboard most computers today use a | 6-pin PS/2 port. |
| Sometimes the keyboard connector and port are | color-coded (violet) |
| The mouse can connect via a | PS/2 port or serial port |
| If the motherboard has a video adapter card, plug the monitor into the connector located | on that card. |
| The computer is normally started with the power switch | on the front of the case. |
| BIOS stands for | Basic Input Output System |
| BIOS contains the program code required to control all the | basic operating components of the computer system |
| BIOS contains the software required to test | hardware at boot up, load the operating system, and support the transfer of data between hardware components |
| The BIOS setup, allows the customization of a | computer to function optimally based on the hardware and software profiles. |
| The BIOS code is typically embedded in | ROM or a read-only memory chip on the motherboard |
| The fact that ROM is read only memory protects the ROM from disk | RAM, or power failures that could corrupt it. |
| Although the BIOS cannot be changed while loaded in memory, the basic BIOS program can | be updated. |
| Newer BIOS ROM chips are of a type called | Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), also called flash BIOS. |
| Flash BIOS allows the upgrade of the BIOS software from a disk provided by | the manufacturer without replacing the chip. |
| BIOS upgrades are typically used by manufacturers to fix | flaws in the BIOS code, called bugs, and improve system capabilities |
| It was necessary for manufactures to clone the original IBM BIOS in order to guarantee that | the computer software applications developed for IBM systems would run on their systems as well. |
| Three companies that dominate the BIOS market | Phoenix Technologies, Ltd. (Phoenix) , American Megatrends, Inc. (AMI) , Award Software, Inc. (Award) |
| BIOS initially runs basic device test programs and | then seeks to configure these devices. |
