Excerpt
INTRODUCTION
This text/lab manual is designed to teach beginning electronics students the fundamental skills required for hardware and software servicing of microcomputer systems. No prior knowledge of electronics is required or assumed, and math and theory are held to a minimum. Instead, emphasis is placed on the development of essential troubleshooting and repair skills.
TEXT ORGANIZATION
Microcomputer Repair, Fourth Edition, is made up of 58 exercises, which are divided into six units. Each unit addresses a specific range of topics. This text organization gives instructors the flexibility to tailor their courses to their students' technical backgrounds and employment preparation goals. The six units are:
- Unit I-Introduction (Exercises 1-4)
Introduces students to the use of this text, the laboratory, safety requirements, and basic tool usage. This unit may be omitted if students are already familiar with the electronics lab.
- Unit II-Basic Skills (Exercises 5-8)
Familiarizes students with fundamentals of electronic hardware, basic soldering skills, and integrated circuit identification. This unit may be omitted if students have completed a laboratory course in basic electronics.
- Unit III-The Windows Operating System (Exercises 9-21)
Describes the Microsoft Windows operating system in detail for the beginner. All aspects of computing under Windows are discussed.
- Unit IV-Computer Networks-(Exercises 22-31)
The important field of computer networking is explained in detail for the beginner from media to protocols. Networking under Windows is also explained in detail.
- Unit V-Microcomputer Hardware (Exercises 32-L9)
Gives students hands-on experience in the teardown and assembly of microcomputer systems. These exercises should be completed by all students. If the number of computers available in the lab is limited, these exercises may be given as laboratory/classroom demonstrations.
- Unit VI-Selected Topics (Exercises 50-58)
Covers a wide range of microcomputer-related topics, from assembly language to computer networks and software viruses. These exercises are designed to introduce students to many advanced topics, so that they are more familiar with the complete world of microcomputer systems.
A detailed glossary of microcomputer-related terms is provided for quick reference.
EXERCISE ORGANIZATION
Each exercise in Microcomputer Repair, Fourth Edition (with the exception of the first, an introductory exercise) is organized into the following sections:
- Introduction sets the stage for the exercise by examining how Joe Tekk, a fictitious technician at a fictitious company (RWA Software), deals with the exercise topic.
- Performance Objectives state exactly what new skills the student will have at the completion of the exercise.
- Key Terms found in the exercise are listed for examination before reading the Background Information.
- Background Information presents all of the technical information and theory necessary to achieve the performance objectives.
- Troubleshooting Techniques are included to show real-world situations and their solutions.
- Summary section lists the main items covered in the exercise.
- Self-Test is provided for students to test their understanding of the Background Information. Answers to Odd-Numbered Self-Test Questions are found at the end of this book.
- Familiarization Activity requires students to actually perform and apply the information presented in the Background Information section of the exercise.
- Questions/Activities allow students to draw their own conclusions about the experience gained from the Familiarization Activities. Students may be required to do further research into a specific topic. This section is optional and may be assigned according to the instructor's course objectives.
- Review Quiz is given at the end of the exercise and outlines exactly what tasks students are expected to be able to complete and to what degree of accuracy, within a given amount of time, they will be expected to complete those tasks.
SUPPLEMENTS
Microcomputer Repair, Fourth Edition, is supported by the following materials:
- A CD-ROM that contains DOS-executable programs called WINQUIZ and NETQUIZ, which take the student through a series of true/false, multiple-choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions about Windows and networking, as well as many different files supporting the exercise material, including WINZIP and LanExplorer.
- A second CD-ROM containing McAfee Utilities is also included, providing a demonstration version of many important system utilities.
- An Instructor's Manual is available which contains suggestions for implementing each of the laboratory exercises and sample tests, as well as the even-numbered self-test answers.
CHANGES AND ADDITIONS TO THE FOURTH EDITION
Several changes and additions were made to create the fourth edition of Microcomputer Repair. These changes and additions are summarized as follows:
- Six new exercises increase coverage of Windows and networking. These are
- Exercise 11, An Introduction to Windows NT and Windows 2000
- Exercise 20, Windows CE
- Exercise 21, Other Network Operating Systems
- Exercise 30, Windows NT Domains
- Exercise 31, An Introduction to Telecommunications
- Exercise 57, Performance and Diagnostic Software
- Many new photographs of current computer hardware.
- Unit III from the third edition (The Disk Operating System) has been moved to Appendix B at the request of reviewers.
- A new Appendix C covers Fault Tolerance in Windows NT.
- A new Appendix D provides information on installing and upgrading Windows.
- Exercise 51, Computer Languages, now contains exposure to additional languages typically used on the PC, such as C++ and Visual BASIC.
- A new glossary contains detailed terms related to microcomputer systems.
Furthermore, each exercise now has Key Terms and Summary sections, additional information, and several new self-test questions and activities. The additional information includes Windows 2000, Windows CE, Windows ME, Netware, Linux, IEEE 802 standards, nets work access points, fiber optic cable, virtual private networking, e-mail, denial of service attacks, firewalls, switching power supply theory, motherboard manufacturers, Pentium III architecture, backside cache, USB, FireWire, the electrophotographic process, WINZIP, TFT displays, CLV and CAV, multimedia files types, C++ programming, FLASH BIOS, Macro viruses, PGP, Windows NT internal operation, benchmarks, fault tolerance, Windows installation and upgrading, plus many other details.