William Manning - CompTIA A+ Exam Preparation Course in a Book for Passing the CompTIA A+ Certified Exam - the How to Pass on Your First Try Certification Study Guide

1 Foreword This Exam Preparation book is intended for those preparing for the CompTIA A+certification with an Enterprise Support Technician focus. The strategies and content in this book is a result of experience and understanding of the CompTIA A+certification exam requirements. This book is not a replacement for completing the course. This is a study aid to assist those who have completed an accredited course and preparing for the exam. Do not underestimate the value of your own notes and study aids. The more you have, the more prepared you will be.

While it is not possible to pre-empt every question and content that MAY be asked in the CompTIA A+ Essentials exam, This Book covers the main concepts covered within the PC Technician discipline. The CompTIA A+ certification is the industry standard for computer support technicians. The international, vendor-neutral certification proves competence in areas such as installation, preventative maintenance, networking, security and troubleshooting. CompTIA A+ certified technicians also have excellent customer service and communication skills to work with clients. Due to licensing rights, we are unable to provide actual CompTIA A+ Essentials Exams. However, the study notes and sample exam questions in this book will allow you to more easily prepare for a CompTIA A+ Essentials exam.

Ivanka Menken Executive Director The Art of Service Write a review to receive any free eBook from our Catalogue - $99 Value! If you recently bought this book, we would love to hear from you! Benefit from receiving a free eBook from our catalogue at http://www.emereo.org/ if you write a review on Amazon (or the online store where you purchased this book) about your last purchase! How does it work? To post a review on Amazon, just log in to your account and click on the Create your own review button (under Customer Reviews) of the relevant product page. You can find examples of product reviews in Amazon. If you purchased from another online store, simply follow their procedures. What happens when I submit my review? Once you have submitted your review, send us an email at review@emereo.org with the link to your review, and the eBook you would like as our thank you from http://www.emereo.org/. Pick any book you like from the catalogue, up to $99 RRP. You will receive an email with your eBook as download link.

It is that simple! 2 Table of Contents 1 Foreword ................................................................................... 1 2 Table of Contents ...................................................................... 3 3 CompTIA A+ Certification .......................................................... 8 4 Exam Specifics .......................................................................... 9 5 Understanding Hardware ......................................................... 10 5.1.1 Floppy Disk Drive ....................................................... 10 5.1.2 Hard Drive .................................................................. 11 5.1.3 Optical Disk Drives ..................................................... 11 5.1.4 Removable Storage Drives ......................................... 12 5.2 Motherboard Components ................................................. 12 5.2.1 Form Factor................................................................ 13 5.2.2 I/O Interfaces .............................................................. 14 5.2.3 Memory Slots ............................................................. 15 5.2.4 CPU ........................................................................... 17 5.2.5 Bus Architecture ......................................................... 18 5.2.6 Bus Slots .................................................................... 18 5.2.7 PATA.......................................................................... 19 5.2.8 SATA, eSATA ............................................................ 19 5.2.9 RAID .......................................................................... 20 5.2.10 Chipsets ..................................................................... 21 5.2.11 BIOS CMOS Firmware ........................................... 22 5.2.12 Riser Cards and Daughterboards ............................... 23 5.3 Power Supply .................................................................... 23 5.3.1 AC Adapter ................................................................ 24 5.3.2 ATX Proprietary .......................................................... 24 5.3.3 Voltage, Wattage, and Capacity ................................. 25 5.3.4 Connectors ................................................................. 25 5.4 Central Processing Units ................................................... 26 5.4.1 CPU Types ................................................................. 26 5.4.2 Hyperthreading ........................................................... 27 5.4.3 Multi-Core .................................................................. 27 5.4.4 On-chip cache ............................................................ 27 5.4.5 Speed......................................................................... 28 5.4.6 32bit and 64bit ............................................................ 29 5.5 Cooling Methods ............................................................... 30 5.5.1 CPU and Case Fans .................................................. 30 5.5.2 Heat Sinks .................................................................. 31 5.5.3 Thermal Compound .................................................... 31 5.5.4 Liquid Cooling Systems .............................................. 32 5.6 Memory ............................................................................. 32 5.6.1 Memory Types ........................................................... 32 5.6.2 Parity .......................................................................... 34 5.6.3 ECC ........................................................................... 34 5.6.4 Double-sided RAM ..................................................... 35 5.6.5 Dual Channel Architecture .......................................... 35 5.6.6 Memory Standards ..................................................... 36 5.7 Display Devices ................................................................. 36 5.7.1 Display Types ............................................................. 36 5.7.2 LCD Technologies ...................................................... 37 5.7.3 Connectors ................................................................. 38 5.7.4 Settings ...................................................................... 39 5.8 Adapter Cards ................................................................... 39 5.8.1 Video Cards ............................................................... 40 5.8.2 Multimedia .................................................................. 40 5.8.3 I/O cards .................................................................... 41 5.8.4 Communications ........................................................ 42 5.9 Laptop Components .......................................................... 42 5.9.1 Expansion Devices ..................................................... 42 5.9.2 Communications ........................................................ 43 5.9.3 Power Management ................................................... 45 5.10 Printers .......................................................................... 46 5.10.1 Network and Local Printing ......................................... 46 5.10.2 Print Drivers ............................................................... 46 5.10.3 Printer Types .............................................................. 47 5.10.4 Consumables ............................................................. 48 6 Repair and Maintenance .......................................................... 49 6.1 Theory of Troubleshooting ................................................. 49 6.2 Common Symptoms .......................................................... 50 6.2.1 Operating System Symptoms ..................................... 50 6.2.2 Hardware Symptoms .................................................. 52 6.2.3 Documentation and Resources .................................. 52 6.3 Troubleshooting Printers ................................................... 53 6.3.1 Anatomy of a Laser Printer ......................................... 53 6.3.2 Laser Printing Process ............................................... 54 6.3.3 The Electronic Process .............................................. 55 6.3.4 Calibration .................................................................. 56 6.3.5 Troubleshooting Printers ............................................ 57 6.4 Troubleshooting Laptops ................................................... 58 6.5 Preventative Maintenance ................................................. 60 7 Operating Systems and Software ............................................ 61 7.1 Differences in Windows ..................................................... 61 7.1.1 Windows XP ............................................................... 61 7.1.2 Windows Vista ............................................................ 62 7.2 Windows Installation .......................................................... 63 7.2.1 Clean Installation ........................................................ 64 7.2.2 Procedures for Clean Installation ................................ 64 7.2.3 Network-based Installations ....................................... 66 7.2.4 Unattended Installations ............................................. 68 7.2.5 Post-Installation Configuration .................................... 68 7.2.6 Windows Upgrade ...................................................... 69 7.2.7 Troubleshooting Installations ...................................... 70 7.2.8 The System Preparation Tool ..................................... 72 7.2.9 Verifying Hardware Compatibility ................................ 73 7.2.10 Hardware Requirements ............................................ 74 7.2.11 Application Compatibility ............................................ 74 7.2.12 Migrating User Data ................................................... 76 File Systems ................................................................................ 77 7.2.13 NTFS File Permissions ............................................... 77 7.2.14 Permission Inheritance ............................................... 78 7.2.15 Simple File Sharing .................................................... 79 7.2.16 File Encryption ........................................................... 79 7.2.17 Shared Folder Access ................................................ 80 7.2.18 Hiding Shares ............................................................. 81 7.2.19 Changing Share Names ............................................. 82 7.2.20 Configuring Access Permissions ................................ 82 7.2.21 Troubleshoot Access Denials ..................................... 82 7.3 Boot Sequences ................................................................ 84 7.3.1 Boot Options .............................................................. 84 7.3.2 Recovery Console ...................................................... 84 7.3.3 Automated System Recovery (ASR) .......................... 86 8 Networking............................................................................... 87 8.1 Fundamentals ................................................................... 87 8.1.1 IP Addressing ............................................................. 87 8.1.2 Common Ports ........................................................... 88 8.1.3 Network Types ........................................................... 88 8.1.4 Network Devices ........................................................ 90 8.1.5 Virtual Private Networks ............................................. 91 8.1.6 Cabling ....................................................................... 91 9 Security ................................................................................... 93 9.1 Security Concepts ............................................................. 93 9.1.1 Encryption Technologies ............................................ 93 9.1.2 Data Wiping................................................................ 95 9.1.3 Firewalls ..................................................................... 95 9.1.4 Authentication Technologies ...................................... 96 9.1.5 Data Security .............................................................. 99 9.2 Security Features ............................................................ 100 9.2.1 Wireless Encryption .................................................. 100 9.2.2 Malicious Software Protection .................................. 102 10 Acronyms .............................................................................. 104 11 Practice Exam ....................................................................... 114 11.1 Refresher NWarm up QuestionsO .................................. 114 12 Answer Guide ........................................................................ 126 12.1 Answers to Questions .................................................. 126 13 References ............................................................................ 132 Notice of Rights all rights reserved. 132 Notice of Rights all rights reserved.