CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials

 Course Length - 5 Days

Course Description

This course prepares students for the CompTIA A+ Essentials certification exam # 220-601 (2006 Objectives). Students will obtain the skills and knowledge necessary to install, build, upgrade, repair, configure, troubleshoot, and performing preventative maintenance on personal computer hardware and operating systems.

Course Outline

Unit 1: Getting started with PC hardware support

• Computer components overview
• Hardware, software, and firmware
• Troubleshooting models

Unit 2: Operating systems

• Operating system fundamentals
• Directory and file management

Unit 3: Electricity and power supplies

• Electrical safety
• Power supplies 
• Power supply troubleshooting

Unit 4: CPUs and motherboards

• Central processing units (CPUs)
• Packaging, slots, and cooling techniques
• Motherboards and system cases
• Motherboard troubleshooting

Unit 5: Basic Input/Output System

• BIOS and CMOS
• The POST process
• BIOS and POST troubleshooting

Unit 6: Memory systems

• Memory
• Memory packaging
• Memory troubleshooting

Unit 7: Bus structures

• Buses 
• Host system interaction 
• The PCI bus 
• Video buses

Unit 8: Expansion cards

• Drive adapters 
• Video cards 
• Sound cards 
• Internal modems 
• Expansion card troubleshooting

Unit 9: Ports, connectors, and cables

• Serial and parallel ports, cables, and connectors
• Keyboards, mice, and pointing devices
• USB ports, cables, and connectors
• FireWire ports, cables, and connectors
• Infrared and Bluetooth wireless ports
• Multimedia ports, cables, and connectors
• Port, cable, and connector troubleshooting

Unit 10: Data storage devices

• Hard drives
• Optical drives
• Removable storage devices
• Storage device troubleshooting

Unit 11: Video and multimedia input/output devices

• Cathode ray terminals
• LCDs and other video technologies
• Sound input and output devices
• Scanners and cameras

Unit 12: Printers

• Dot matrix printers
• Inkjet and related printer technologies 
• Laser printers 
• Other types of printers

Unit 13: Portable computers and devices

• Notebook computers 
• Handheld computers

Unit 14: Monitoring and management

• System monitoring
• System management

Unit 15: Operating system troubleshooting

• The Windows boot process
• System troubleshooting

Unit 16: Connecting computers •

• Networking concepts
• Wired network connections
• Wireless network connections
• Network architectures

Unit 17: Networking computers

• Network communications
• Addressing
• Internet connections
• Network installation
• Network troubleshooting

Unit 18: Security

• Operating system security
• Security hardware
• The human aspects of security

Unit 19: Windows installation and upgrades

• Installation
• Upgrades

Unit 20: Safety

• Safety and hazards
• Safe work practices
• Disposing of computer equipment

Unit 21: Troubleshooting and maintaining a PC

• Professionalism and customer satisfaction
• Tools and software
• Preventative hardware maintenance

Appendix A: Certification exam objectives map Appendix B: CompTIA A+ acronyms