Professor Messer’s Free CompTIA A+ Certification Training Course – Input, Output, and System Resources

Chapter 12: Input, Output, and System Resources

The most basic operations of our personal computers involve inputting data, allocating system resources, and outputting the results.

Input Devices (12:38)
220-601, Section 1.1, 220-602, Section 1.1 and 1.2

For your computer to do anything, it first has to know where to start. Fortunately, our personal computers have many ways of getting information into the system so that processing can begin. In this video module, we’ll show you some of the most common input methods and some specialty input devices.

Installing, Configuring, and Upgrading Video (23:28)
220-601, Section 1.1 and 1.3, 220-602, Section 1.1

Video is one of the most common output devices, and it has also become one of the most important. In this video, we’ll discuss the latest video technologies, examine differences in video adapters, and learn how to configure and troubleshoot video settings in Windows XP.

Installing, Configuring, and Upgrading Audio (21:16)
220-601 Section 1.2 and 1.3
200-602 Section 1.1

The use of audio in personal computers has evolved dramatically through the years, and the current assortment of audio hardware devices and software is varied enough to keep even the most knowledgeable technicians guessing. In this video, we’ll show you common audio input and output methods, discuss the details of sample rates, examine the differences between audio bit depths, and perform some audio configurations in Windows XP.

Working with Multimedia Devices (9:49)
220-601 Section 1.2

Our computers are now capable of using many different media types, including digital photos, streaming web video, and high definition video recordings. In this video, we’ll discuss the multimedia devices you’ll need to know for your CompTIA A+ certification and the unique characteristics of each multimedia device.

System Resources: I/O, IRQ, and DMA (16:48)
220-601, Section 1.1 – 220-602, Section 1.2

If you’ve ever looked into the details of the Windows Device Manager, then you’ve probably seen references to I/O addresses, IRQ values, and DMA settings. In this video, we’ll explain what all of these abbreviations mean and show you how the Windows Device Manager can be used to view and modify the system resources in your personal computer.