A+ Practice Test – Quick Response Digital Marketing

The A+ Practice Test and AUTOEXEC.BAT

April 11, 2016February 6, 2019
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The best way to prepare for the A+ certification exam is to take multiple versions of the A+ practice test. There are many versions of the A+ practice test available. When taking the practice test you may run into a question describing a scenario where a person desires his default Windows 98 installation to boot to the command prompt and not load Windows at every startup. The scenario then asks what is the best solution to this problem. The answer to the question is that by default there is no win statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT. However, placing a win statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT gives the same result as when the BootGUI option is set to 1.

A non tech person who has no interest in sitting for the A+ certification exam or taking the A+ practice test would have no idea what this question is about. Most people are familiar with Windows 98 and the process of installing an operating system. Even if they are not sure exactly how to accomplish this task it is likely that they have heard the terminology on a prior occasion. This same group of people, however, are probably not familiar with the term “AUTOEXEC.BAT.” Nor would they be likely to be familiar with the term “BootGUI.”

This only serves to illustrate the importance of proper preparation for the A+ certification exam. The exam will test the knowledge of the person taking the test about specific information related to both computer hardware and software. Even if the person taking the test considers himself or herself to be tech savvy there is no substitute for proper preparation. Proper preparation for the A+ certification exam of course must include taking multiple versions of the A+ practice test to both become familiar with the test format and also to bring attention to the areas of knowledge that requires further study.

Technology and Hardware

Deconstructing the 1xx Post Error Code

December 26, 2015February 6, 2019
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Some questions you might see on the A+ practice test are short and sweet. For example, what problem does a “1xx POST error code” indicate? To answer this question it might be helpful to know a little more about the terminology within the error code. POST is an acronym which stands for “Power On Self Test.” When your computer boots up the BIOS or Basic Input / Output System which is a set of computer instructions controlling input and output operations, executes several tests in a sequence to make sure all systems are running properly. If this is the case then Windows will begin to load. If there is a problem then the computer will display error codes sometimes accompanied by beep sounds.

The 1xx POST error code happens to be one of several codes used by IBM. Other codes include 2xx, 3xx, 4xx, 5xx,6xx, 7xx, 8xx,9xx and 10xx. Each number that precedes the “xx” refers to a specific area of the computer’s hardware. The 1xx refers to a “system motherboard error.” The system motherboard is a circuit board inside the computer that allocates electrical power to the CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory) and other parts of the computer’s hardware. The motherboard also facilitates communication between the various components of the computer’s hardware.

Naturally, if you were in the position where you were in need of taking the A+ practice test much of this technical jargon would already be familiar to you. By now (if you read this far) you should know the answer to the question, what problem does a “1xx POST error code” indicate? The error code (of course) indicates a problem with the system motherboard. This type of question is probably not one that can be figured out logically. Unfortunately, it falls under the category of information you will just have to know. Many of the questions on the certification exam will require you memorize information like this. Taking the A+ practice test will help you identify areas of knowledge where you will need further study.

Technology and Hardware

IP Address Inquiry

December 11, 2015February 6, 2019
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If you are planning on taking the A+ practice test there are many technical questions you will have to become familiar with. The following is a dissection of a possible question you might have to answer. The question is as follows:

Which of the following IP addresses would a technician see if a computer is connected to a multifunction network device and is attempting to obtain an IP address automatically but is not receiving an IP address from the DHCP server?

A. 172.16.10.10

B. 192.168.0.10

C. 169.254.10.10

D. 192.168.10.10

I am not well versed in this type of technical jargon so to understand the question I had to look up some of the terminology. The first thing I looked up was “IP Address” and found the following definition:

[An] IP Address is a unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer using the Internet Protocol to communicate over a network.

Next I looked up “Multifunction Network Device and found this definition:

A multifuntion network device is product or device that has multiple functions. An example of this might be a printer that also makes copies, faxes, and scans.

I then looked up how to obtain an IP address automatically. These are the insructions I found:

Click on your Start menu and select Control Panel
Click on Network and Internet.
Click on Network and Sharing Center.
Click on Change adapter settings, located on the left-side menu.
Right click on the Local Area Connection icon and select Properties. You will need to have administrator access.
In the new window, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list of items and click Properties. If any IP or DNS information is listed in the new window, you may want to write it down in case you need to restore your settings at a later time.
Ensure the radio buttons beside Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically are selected. Click OK. Close the remaining windows.

I then looked up Dynamic Host Configuration and found:

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network protocol used to assign IP addresses and provide configuration information to devices such as servers, desktops, or mobile devices, so they can communicate on a network using the Internet Protocol (IP).

Again, I am not very technical so I looked up the answer itself and this is what I found:

If the computer fails to obtain an IP address from a DHCP server, Windows will take over and apply an Automatic Private IP Address (APIPA). This address will be on the 169.254.0.0 network. All of the other addresses could possibly be obtained from a DHCP server. 172.16.10.10 is a Class B private IP. 192.168.0.10 and 192.168.10.10 are Class C private IP addresses.

So now I have a vague idea as to how to approach the initial question quoted above. Hopefully you (the reader) has a better grasp on this material when you take the A+ practice test.