A+ Flashcards

All 49 terms

BIOS / UEFI

Firmware that initialises hardware and starts the boot process; UEFI is the modern replacement for BIOS.

POST

Power-On Self-Test: the firmware's hardware check at startup; failures are often reported as beep codes.

CMOS battery

Small motherboard battery that preserves firmware settings and the clock while the PC is unplugged.

DIMM / SODIMM

Memory module form factors: full-size DIMMs for desktops, smaller SODIMMs for laptops.

DDR

Double Data Rate memory; generations (DDR3/DDR4/DDR5) are keyed differently and do not interchange.

HDD

Hard disk drive: mechanical spinning-platter storage; cheap capacity but the slowest internal option.

SSD

Solid-state drive: flash storage with no moving parts; far faster and more shock-resistant than an HDD.

NVMe / M.2

NVMe is a flash-storage protocol that runs over PCIe for top speed; M.2 is the compact slot it commonly uses.

SATA

The standard interface for connecting internal drives to the motherboard.

RAID

Combining drives into one logical volume: RAID 0 stripes, 1 mirrors, 5 adds parity, 10 mirrors and stripes.

PSU

Power supply unit: converts wall AC into the regulated DC voltages the components run on.

GPU

Graphics processing unit: renders images and video, either as a dedicated card or integrated in the CPU.

ESD

Electrostatic discharge: static electricity that can destroy components; prevented with a wrist strap and grounding.

RJ45

The 8-pin connector used for wired Ethernet (RJ11 is the smaller telephone version).

TCP

Transmission Control Protocol: connection-oriented transport with acknowledgements and retransmission.

UDP

User Datagram Protocol: connectionless, fast transport used where occasional loss is acceptable.

IP address

The logical address that identifies a device on a network.

Subnet mask

The value that splits an IP address into its network part and its host part.

Default gateway

The router address a device uses to reach anything outside its own subnet.

DHCP

The service that automatically hands devices an IP address and related settings when they join a network.

DNS

The service that resolves human-readable names into IP addresses.

NAT

Network Address Translation: lets many private internal addresses share one public address.

VPN

Virtual private network: an encrypted tunnel across an untrusted network.

SSID

The broadcast name of a wireless network.

Access point

A device that bridges wireless clients into a wired network.

Hypervisor

Software that runs and manages virtual machines on shared physical hardware.

Virtual machine

A complete software computer, with its own operating system, running on a hypervisor.

IaaS / PaaS / SaaS

Cloud service models: rented infrastructure, a managed platform, or a finished application.

Cloud deployment models

Who the cloud serves: public (shared), private (dedicated), hybrid (a mix), community (a sector).

Troubleshooting methodology

CompTIA's ordered steps: identify, theorise, test, plan and implement, verify, document.

NTFS

The standard Windows file system, supporting permissions, encryption and large volumes.

Task Manager

The Windows tool showing live processes, performance and startup items.

Event Viewer

The Windows tool that stores logs of application crashes, errors and system events.

Device Manager

The Windows tool for managing hardware devices and their drivers.

Disk Management

The Windows tool for creating, formatting and resizing partitions and volumes.

Safe Mode

A Windows startup mode that loads minimal drivers, used to remove faulty updates or malware.

Malware

Umbrella term for malicious software: viruses, trojans, ransomware, spyware, rootkits and more.

Ransomware

Malware that encrypts a victim's files and demands payment for their release.

Phishing

Fraudulent messages that impersonate trusted senders to steal credentials or data.

Social engineering

Manipulating people, rather than technology, to bypass security.

MFA

Multi-factor authentication: proving identity with two or more different factors.

UAC

User Account Control: the Windows prompt that asks for confirmation before system-level changes.

Least privilege

Giving users and accounts only the access they strictly need.

BitLocker

Windows full-disk encryption, protecting data if a device is lost or stolen.

WPA3

The current Wi-Fi security standard, replacing WPA2; WEP and WPA are obsolete and insecure.

Chain of custody

The documented, unbroken handling of evidence so it remains trustworthy and admissible.

AUP

Acceptable use policy: the rules for what users may and may not do on company systems.

Change management

The controlled process for changes: request, approval, testing and a rollback plan.

PII

Personally identifiable information: data that identifies a person and must be protected.