Final Exam

1. Pick three and explain their function and role in a modern computer. Explain using examples from your work of the semester:

Motherboard

operating system - an operating system is a piece of software (e.g. Windows, Ubuntu) that organizes work and is made easily accesible for even the amatuer computer-goer.

floppy drive

Random Access Memory

Networking

optical drive - an optical drive is basically a drive that can take external work off of a CD-ROM or DVD and display it on your monitor. (e.g. CD Drive, DVD Drive, CD-R Rewritable, etc.)

hard drive

flash memory

monitor

Power supply - a power supply is a box inside of the case which supplies power for everything in the computer. Some have switches but mostly the ones I have come across in this class do not. Power supplies get their power from a power cord that runs to any regular wall outlet.

Case

Cooling

mouse

keyboard

sound card/sound system

2. Discuss working within the class group to solve problems and gather information about your projects. How could you use this experience or recreate it to do work in the future?

I will be doing a lot of problem solving for the next few years of mu life. I am planning on majoring in Computer Science. This major takes a lot of problem solving and troubleshooting.

3. Describe the most significant challenge you overcame while working on computers this semester. What did you do to overcome the challenge?

The biggest challenge and worst outcome came back in Term 3 during the 80 Penitum 3 project. My partner Jimmy and I were trying to install the Ubuntu Linux Operating System. After installation, a restart was needed to finalize the install. For some reason the hard drive wasn't reading the operating system. After about 6 installs and troubleshooting, I noticed that in the start-up options that the hard drive was not being read from. I quickly switched it to on and then like magic the operating system was working.

4. What was the most important thing you learned from this class? Explain.

Probably learning all the parts of a computer and how they work. Now I have the knowledge to make my own computer with a little bit of money, time, patience, and elbow grease.

5. What do you wish you learned from this class?

I wanted to learn a bit more on the sound card and graphics card area since I didn't have much time to try and work with them.

Where are you going next year and what are you studying?

I am going to Wentworth Institute of Technology and am majoring in Computr Science.