CompTIA A+ Certification (A+) Duration: 10 days Introduction CompTIA A+ certification validates the latest skills needed by today's computer support professionals. It is an international, vendor-neutral certification recognized by major hardware and software vendors, distributors and resellers. CompTIA A+ confirms a technician's ability to perform tasks such as installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking. The exams also cover domains such as security, safety and environmental issues and communication and professionalism. CompTIA A+ ensures the right people have the right skills. While many of the essential skills are universal, there are additional skills required to support the needs of businesses. By offering certification options for specific job scenarios, CompTIA A+ gives individuals the ability to grow their careers in a certain area, and employers the flexibility to choose the exam combination that best fits their needs. "A+ training and certification can provide a pathway to a good job. It can also lead to a very good job for people without strong educational credentials or previous work experience." Course Outline Chapter 1 - Before We Start. Hardware Toolkits Hardware Software Software Toolkits Firmware Basic Stages of Troubleshooting Documentation Chapter 2 - Operating Systems Fundamentals Windows Mac OS X RedHat Linux OS Basics XP Stability Improvements Application Failure Reduction Security Features Software Management Hardware Support IT Assistance and Management IT Troubleshooting and Tools Mobile User Features Networking Features Windows XP Professional Features Windows XP Pro Networking System Tools MS-DOS Navigation Commands Navigating in Windows Explorer Creating a Directory in Windows Explorer Copying in Windows Explorer Deleting in Windows Explorer File Types File Extensions File-Name Limits Creating a Text File Attrib Command Attrib Switches File Permissions NTFS File Permissions NTFS Folder Permissions Page 1/10
Chapter 3 - Electricity Electrical Characteristics Safety Precautions Safety Digital Multimeter Calculating Current Static Electricity Static is Caused by. Before Working.. PC Power Supply Installing a Power Supply Typical Power Requirements Standard Outputs Floppy Power Connector SATA Power Connector Motherboard Power Connector Power-Supply Form Factors How to Protect your Equipment Power Issues UPS Troubleshooting Symptoms Chapter 4 - CPU and Motherboards Central Processing Unit (CPU) Installing a CPU CPU Performance CPU Characteristics Cooling Method - Fins Cooling Method - Cooling Fins and a Fan Installing a Motherboard Riser Cards Motherboard/CPU Failures Chapter 5 - BIOS When You Need BIOS Updates Shadowing BIOS Issues Flashing the BIOS Minimizing BIOS Upgrade Risks Recovering From a Failed Update CMOS CMOS Battery Chapter 6 - Memory Systems Memory Measured Units Installation Notes Proper Handling Notebook Memory Testing Memory Memory Types: Volatile vs. Non-Volatile Memory Types: Dynamic vs. Static Memory Memory Types: Asynchronous & Synchronous Speed Ratings Individual Chips SIMM Memory Error Recovery Parity Task Manager Memory Symptoms Chapter 7 - Bus Structures Buses PCI Bus Slots AGP Video Bus Slot The Riser Bus System Interaction Interrupts Page 2/10
Running Processes IRQs Assigning IRQs I/O Addresses DMA Channels Base Memory Addresses PC/XT Bus DIP Switches and Jumpers PC/AT and ISA Bus ISA Expansion Bus Slot PCI Bus PCI Slots PCIe Need for Video Buses VESA Local Bus AGP Chapter 8 - Expansion Cards Handling Expansion Cards Drivers PC Sound Sound Card Components A Sound Card Sound Card Connectors Speakers Modems Riser Cards Softmodems System Resources Modem Connections Internal Modem Symptoms AT Commands HyperTerminal Speed Standards Type II PC Card PC Card Bus Types Card and Socket Services Specifications Legacy Devices Controllers and Interfaces PC Drive Interfaces ATA Motherboard Connectors Standard IDE Cable 80-pin ATA Cable Drive Identification Primary and Secondary SCSI SCSI Device IDs Termination SCSI ID and Termination Differential SCSI Other Interfaces Video Adapters Creating an Image Maximum Colors Video Standards SuperVGA 15-pin VGA/SVGA Connector VGA/SVGA Socket DVI Connector Types DVI-I Connector Video Drivers Video Adapter Slot Types An AGP Video Card PCIe Video Card Video Card Symptoms Page 3/10
Sound Card Symptoms Chapter 9 - Ports, Connectors and Cables PCI, ISA, AGP, Bus Slots Purpose Hardware Resource: Interrupts Hardware Resource: IRQs IRQs Continued Assigning IRQs Hardware Resource: I/O Addresses Hardware Resource: DMA Channels Serial Ports Serial Transmission Serial Cables Male and Female Connectors Serial Connectors Pin Numbers 9-pin Null Modem Connections 25-pin Null Modem Connections Parallel Ports Parallel Port Resources Port Types PC Input Devices AT Keyboard Port and Connector Bar Code Reader with Y-cable USB Features USB Device Classes USB Versions USB Symbols USB Ports USB Connectors USB Power Installing USB Devices FireWire Features FireWire Versions Isochronous Transfers 4-pin FireWire Ports, Connectors 6-pin FireWire Ports, Connectors FireWire Power Installing FireWire Devices Wireless Connections Infrared IrDA Port Radio 802.11 Wireless Router Bluetooth A Bluetooth Mouse Multimedia Connections RCA and S-Video Connectors Coax Connector MIDI Connectors S/PDIF Connections Chapter 10 - Data Storage Hard Drive Components Head Crash Hard Drive Installation ATA Drive Identification SCSI Drive Identification Chassis Installation Data and Power Cable Connections Hard Drive Geometry Hard Drive Preparation Low-Level Formatting Partitioning Unpartitioned Disk in Windows Page 4/10
Partition Types Formatting Partitioning Utilities File Systems FAT File System NTFS File System Comparison Organization of Data File Fragmentation Hard Drive Maintenance CD Drive Components Components of a CD Recordable CDs CD Drive Speeds DVDs DVD Types Using CD and DVD Drives Optical Drive Connections Optical Drive Installation Optical Disc and Drive Cleaning USB Flash Drives Flash MP3 Player Floppy Disks 5.25 Floppy Disk Capacities Write Protection Diskette Preparation Floppy Controller Resources Floppy Drive Cable Floppy Controller Connector Boot Floppies Backup Methods Tape Formats Chapter 11 - Video and Multimedia Input and Output Devices Video Bus VESA PCIe AGP CRT Monitor (Cathode Ray Terminal) CRT Components How CRTs Produce Images CRT Characteristics Video Settings: Refresh Rates Video Connectors Display Adjustments CRT Issues Flat Panel Monitor LCD Advantages How a Flat Panel Screen Works Flat Panel Monitor Characteristics Flat Panel Monitor Connections DVI-D DVI-I TMDS Touch Screen Touch Screen Input Methods Multiple Monitors Display Projectors LCD Monitor Issues Speakers Connected to a PC Speakers Connected Together Microphone Connection to a PC Line In Devices MIDI Connections Page 5/10
Scanners Flatbed Scanner Multifunction Sheetfeed Scanner Hand-Held Scanner Scanner Connections Digital Cameras Resolutions Digital Camera Memory Cards Printing Images Digital Camera Connections Memory Card Readers Camera Connection Problems Chapter 12 - Printers Dot-Matrix Printer Dot-Matrix Printer Issues Other Impact Printers An Inkjet Printer Inkjet Printer Cartridges Inkjet Cartridge Print Heads Inkjet Print Quality Straight-Through Paper Path Curved Paper Path Laser Printer Laser Printer Components Laser Printing Process Other Printer Types Main Windows Components Inkjet Communications Interfaces Inkjet Problems Laser Printer Communications Interfaces Laser Printer Problems Chapter 13 - Portable Computers and Devices Network Connections Hot-Swappable Components Safely Remove Hardware Non-Hot-Swappable Components Upgrading Memory Peripherals Notebook Computer Issues Notebook Batteries Notebook Power Power Indicator Lights Troubleshooting Power Problems Notebook Processors Notebook Hard Drive Notebook Keyboard Monitors Notebook Pointing Devices Communication Connections Infrared Radio 802.11 Wireless Router Bluetooth Notebook Peripheral Ports PC Card Types PC Card Bus Types Card and Socket Services Port Replicators Docking Station Maintenance Being Mobile PDA Using the Stylus Page 6/10
Powering the PDA Connecting PDAs and PCs Sync Chapter 14 - Systems Monitoring Temporary Files Undelete Windows Diagnostics Getting The Windows Version Task Manager Services Service Properties The Startup Program Group Microsoft Installed Software Microsoft Error Reporting Event Viewer Sorting and Filtering Events Managing Event Log Files The Registry Registry Keys Edit the Registry Registry Corruption and Backups Export the Registry Chapter 15 - Connecting Computers Local Area Network Network Categories A Peer-to-Peer Network Local User Account Accessing Shares Client/Server Model Network Client Connections Network Protocols UTP and STP Cat5 Installation Composite Cable Thicknet Cables Coax Connectors Thicknet Connectors RJ-45 Wiring EIA/TIA-568-A Standards Terminating Cable to an RJ-45 Plug TIA 570 Specifications Fiber Optic Cable Connectors RS-232 / Null Modem Cables IEEE 1394/Firewire USB 2.0 Network Interface Card NICs Wireless LAN Wired Network with Wireless Segments Bus and Star Ethernet Topologies Comparing Star and Bus Designs Combined Bus and Star Designs Token Ring Fiber Optic Cable Networks Chapter 16 - Networking Network Operating Systems Windows 2000 Windows 2000 Server Domain Active Directory Trees and Forests Active Directory Windows Server 2003 Novell NetWare Novell/Microsoft Connectivity Page 7/10
UNIX and Linux Network Infrastructure Services Application Servers Client Operating Systems Windows 9x/Me Windows NT and 2000, Compared Windows XP Linux Mac OS Network Interface Card (NIC) MAC Addresses Network Protocols Common Network Protocols IP Addresses Subnet Masks DHCP Process Additional TCP/IP Properties Computer Names Windows Workgroups and Domains NWLink Network Client Software Share Permissions Effective Permissions Connecting to Shares Share Printers NetWare Client Software Basic Terminology TCP/IP Protocol Suite Communication via PSTN Cable Modem ISDN DSL Satellite Wireless WAN Voice Over IP WAN Bandwidth Technologies T Lines and E Lines X.25 and Frame Relay X.25 Defined ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) Mesh Topology LAN Internet Connections NAT (Network Address Translation) Remote Connections Network Protection Port and Packet Filters DMZ DMZ Configurations: Screened Host DMZ Configurations: Bastion Host DMZ Configurations: Three-Homed Firewall DMZ Configurations: Back-to-Back Firewall Intrusion Detection Software (IDS) Secure Sockets Layer Secure Electronic Transactions Antivirus Software Privacy Issues SPAM Protection Stop Pop-up Ads Remove Spyware Web Browsers Internet Explorer Security Zones Wireless Standards 802.11 Standards WLAN Security Problems Page 8/10
WLAN Security Solutions Windows XP Wireless Clients Windows 2000 Wireless Clients Windows CE Wireless Clients Electrical Interference Crosstalk Cable Testing Devices Cable Tests To Troubleshoot a Network Client.. Network Analyzers Portable Network Analyzer NIC Drivers TCP/IP Configuration Troubleshooting TCP/IP SNMP Agent UNIX Ifconfig Chapter 17 - Security User Accounts Groups Workgroups Active Directory Authentication A Fingerprint Scanner Smart Card and Reader Installing Biometrics and Smart Card Readers Fobs Protocols File System Security NTFS Advantages NTFS Security NTFS Permissions Disabling Simple File Sharing Encryption Security Policies Auditing Auditing Guidelines Physical Access Restrictions Corporate Security Policies Social Engineering Attacks Alleviate Security Weaknesses Malicious Software Prevention Network Security Chapter 18 - Safety Floor Surfaces Fire Safety Fire Extinguisher Types Electrical Safety Air Quality Computer Hazards Incident Reporting High-Voltage Interference Minimizing High-Voltage Interference Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Electromagnetic Induction Shielding and Filtering MSDS MSDS Hazard Ratings Personal Protection by Rating Ergonomic Workstations Laptop Safety Computer Equipment Disposal Chapter 19 - Troubleshooting and Maintaining the PC Gathering Information Page 9/10
Hardware or Software Problem? Hardware Toolkits Software Toolkits CD Binder Preventive Measures Cleaning PC Equipment Chapter 20 - Professionalism and Communication Professional Service Service Level Agreements Problem Tracking What to Track Help Desk Software Chapter 21 - Windows Install and Upgrade Clean Installations Upgrades Windows Client OS Versions Windows 2000 System Requirements Windows XP System Requirements Windows XP Media Center Hardware Compatibility Installation Methods File Systems Multi-Boot Computers Windows XP Upgrade Troubleshooting Post-Installation Tasks Driver Signing Upgrade Paths Pre-Upgrade Tasks Upgrade Process Product Activation Windows & Microsoft Update Windows XP Professional SP2 Prerequisites None. Page 10/10