COMP 1200 Hardware and Software Essentials

Course Information

Pre/Corequisites

Prerequisite: (Skill) - Basic Windows navigation; Click, Double-click, etc.
Prerequisite: (Skill) - Internet usage such as email, internet searching, etc.
Prerequisite: (Skill) - Window Explorer, such as file organization, searches, etc.

Institutional Core Competencies

• Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility - Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to engage in the social responsibilities expected of a community member.
• Critical and Creative Thinking - Students will be able to demonstrate purposeful thinking with the goal of using a creative process for developing and building upon ideas and/or the goal of using a critical process for the analyzing and evaluating of ideas.

Course Competencies

1. Recognize system modules by sight or definition.
2. Perform basic procedures for adding and removing field replaceable modules for a desktop system.
3. Perform basic procedures for adding and removing field replaceable modules for portable systems.
4. Install/Configure devices using IRQs, DMAs and i/O addresses settings or appropriate modifications.
5. Recognize ports, cabling and connectors by sight.
6. Choose the appropriate installation or configuration of IDE devices.
7. Choose the appropriate installation or configuration of SCSI devices.
8. Install and configure common peripheral devices.
9. Optimize PC operations.
10. Determine the issues that must be considered when upgrading a PC.
11. Diagnose and troubleshoot hardware.
12. Verify problem with customer.
13. Identify the various type of preventative maintenance measures, products and procedures.
14. Perform various safety measures and procedures.
15. Identify environmental protection measures and procedures.
16. Distinguish between the popular CPU chips and terms of their basic characteristics.
17. Determine banking and speed requirements of RAM.
18. Identify the most popular types of motherboards, their components, and their architecture.
19. Identify the purpose of CMOS.
20. Identify printer technologies.
21. Recognize common printer problems and techniques.
22. Identify the common types of network cables, their characteristics, and connectors.
23. Explain the basic networking concepts including how a network works.
24. Identify common technologies available for establishing Internet connectivity and their characteristics.
25. Compare Windows operating systems.
26. Identify the names, locations, purposes and contents of major system files.
27. Demonstrate the ability to use command-line functions and utilities to manage the operating system.
28. Manage disks, directories and files.
29. Identify the major operating system utilities, their purpose, location, and available switches.
30. Perform procedures for installing Windows and setup the operating system to a basic operational level.
31. Perform operating system upgrades.
32. Perform emergency boot processes and utilities.
33. Load and configure device drivers.
34. Optimize the operating system and major operating system subsystems.
35. Recognize and interpet the meaning of common error codes and startup messages from the boot sequence.
36. Recognize common operational and usability problems.
37. Configure the operating system to connect to a network.
38. Configure the operating system to connect to and use the Internet.