Absolute Beginner's Guide to A+ Certification [Paperback]

Mark Edward Soper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2004

Passing a test is one thing...mastering the field is another, and this book is the first step to mastering the world of PC hardware and operating systems. Mark Edward Soper not only shows you what you need to pass the tests, but also what you need to have an edge on the competition, on exam day and in the workplace. Each chapter takes a ground-up approach, starting with the essentials and gradually building to larger, more complex concepts. The book is loaded with informative illustrations, photos and screen captures that help you follow along, even if you don't have all the hardware at home.

The CD accompanying the book provides study resources, including a PrepLogic test engine, lab exercises, and study notes. The book also offers a handy objectives index that maps each test objective to the section of the book in which it is covered. This invaluable - and overlooked by competitors - tool helps you to be certain that you are ready for test day!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Edward Soper is president of Select Systems and Associates, Inc., a technical writing and training organization located in Evansville, Indiana. Get more information at the Select Systems Web site at www.selectsystems.com. Mark is a 20-year veteran of the computer industry whose first technical articles appeared in the late 1980s. Mark has written more than 140 articles on topics ranging from computer upgrades to laser printer tips and tricks, Internet access, and new features in Windows for publications such as Maximum PC, PCNovice/SmartComputing Guides, PCNovice, SmartComputing, the PCNovice/SmartComputing Learning Series, WordPerfect Magazine, The WordPerfectionist, and PCToday.

Mark has taught computer troubleshooting and other technical subjects to thousands of students from Maine to Hawaii since the early 1990s. He is an A+ Certified hardware technician and a Microsoft Certified Professional.

This is the second book Mark has written in the Absolute Beginner's Guide series: He is also the author of Absolute Beginner's Guide to Cable Internet Connections. Mark is also the author of Que's PC Help Desk in a Book. Mark has also written for other publishers in the Pearson Education family, including the recent TechTV's Upgrading Your PC, Second Edition for Peachpit/TechTV Press (http://www.peachpit.com) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to High-Speed Internet Connections for Alpha Books.

Mark is the coauthor of Que's Upgrading and Repairing PCs: Field Guide and its predecessors (the Technician's Portable Reference series) and he has also contributed to many other Que books in this series, including Upgrading and Repairing PCs from the 11th Edition to the current 15th Anniversary Edition; Upgrading and Repairing Networks, Second Edition; Upgrading and Repairing Laptop Computers; and Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 12th Edition, Academic Edition.

Mark has also contributed to several volumes in Que's Special Edition series, including: Special Edition Using Windows Millennium; Special Edition Using Windows XP Home Edition; Special Edition Using Windows XP Home Edition, Bestseller Edition; Special Edition Using Windows XP Professional; and Special Edition Using Windows XP Professional, Bestseller Edition. Mark is also a contributor to Platinum Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP.

Watch for details about these and other book projects at the Que Web site at http://www.quepublishing.com.

Mark welcomes comments at [e-mail].

Product Details

• Paperback: 888 pages
• Publisher: Que (February 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789730626
• ISBN-13: 978-0789730626
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 7.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,381,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've always been interested in things that go fast, like airplanes and trains. However, it took me until my late 20's to discover that the world's fastest ' and most versatile ' devices didn't have wheels.
My background in English, history, and French makes me somewhat unusual in the technology writing field, but it gives me a big advantage when it comes to helping ordinary people understand how the Internet, PCs, servers, and digital cameras work. I stay up to date by reading technology blogs, newsletters and websites, and experimenting on 'FrankenPC' and my office network.
Although I've been contributing to books since 1999, I cut my technology writing teeth in the mid-1980's. Do you remember the Commodore 64 and its inscrutable 1541 floppy disk drive manual? My first piece of tech writing crunched down the essentials an ordinary user needed to know to get programs running to a single page. A few years later, exasperated with salespeople who kept selling PC clone configurations the techs in the back room could never get to work right, I wrote a compatibility handbook for my then-employer, a computer store. In the meantime, I spent a lot of time talking users through configuring startup files with DOS's ghastly Edlin line editor and discovering the brave new world of desktop publishing and scalable fonts.
I turned that expertise into a new part-time career as a magazine writer, first for WordPerfect Magazine (1989-1995), and later for Sandhills Publishing (1991-2001). In the meantime, I provided consulting and training services to area businesses, and, starting in 1992, spent most of the rest of the decade traveling the US and teaching classes on computer troubleshooting, workgroup networking, and other subjects. I also wrote three book-length training manuals in 1992-1993.
Before email was common, I often submitted magazine stories by bringing my laptop computer and portable printer to the nearest UPS or FedEx drop box, hand-feeding the printer and hoping that the pick-up time shown on the box was accurate!
Beginning in early 1999, I made the decision to become a full-time writer, cheering my wife and children (who area also big technology users) by getting off the road. I teamed up with Scott Mueller, dean of computer hardware books, to help get Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 11th Edition, wrapped up on schedule. I've contributed to every edition since, and have also co-authored many books with Scott.
I've also teamed up with TechTV to write two books on computer upgrades, paired up with radio and TV tech guru Leo Laporte for two books on computer troubleshooting, and written several other books on the Internet, home networking, Windows Vista, troubleshooting, and digital photography. Right now, I'm wrapping up work on a new A+ Certification guide and a new book on Windows 7.
I'm also a freelance author for MaximumPC magazine (since 2004) and a frequent blogger on the MaximumPC.com website, with some of my articles finding a second life in the books The Maximum PC Guide to Building a Dream PC and The MaximumPC Ultimate PC Performance Guide. To keep my finger on the pulse of PC users, I also teach classes on digital photography, digital imaging, and specialized training for the Evansville campus of IvyTech Community College of Indiana (www.ivytech.edu/evansville/). I attend Grace Church of the Nazarene (www.nazarene.org). If you have questions about my books or other projects, please drop me a line.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All you need, except maybe for hardware, to pass the A+ exam, June 13, 2004

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Absolute Beginner's Guide to A+ Certification (Paperback)

While certification is not a guarantee that you will get a job or keep the one that you have, it is an important credential that will increase the odds of both. The A+ certification is a general one, with the required knowledge being:

* The basic components of a PC.
* The manner in which data is stored in a digital computer.
* Motherboards and the components connected to it.
* Power supplies.
* RAM and ROM memory devices.
* Hardware used for I/O operations.
* The fundamentals of video.
* The fundamentals of printers.
* Portable computers, the similarities to and differences from desktop computers.
* The different ways in which data can be stored offline.
* How to prepare disks for storage.
* How to install operating systems.
* How to upgrade, optimize and troubleshoot the various Windows operating systems.
* The fundamental network protocols.
* The basic hardware used in networking.

This book covers all of this material (for exams 220-301 and 220-302) at a level where the beginner can follow. If you have some experience in an area, then reading those sections may not be of benefit. However, all readers will find the sample exams on the CD of assistance. One can read all they want about a topic, but at some point you reach the area of diminishing returns. Nothing better prepares you for a certification exam than going through a realistic sample exam. In fact, it is the best way to study as well. By taking the exam, you can identify your weaknesses and use the book to strengthen those areas.
With over 800 pages of text and additional practice material on the CD, this book is a bargain at $34.99. I recommend that you consider trying it before you spend the money for preparation classes. The only area where classes are superior would be those where you actually work with the hardware.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title fool you., June 1, 2005

By 

DSEDM (Edmonton, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolute Beginner's Guide to A+ Certification (Paperback)

I have two books which I an using to study for the A+ exams. This book and the much higher priced All In One A+ Exam Guide - 5th Edition.

This book is very easy to follow and loaded with information.

Don't let the title fool you, it is chuck full of advanced topics that target the A+ exams.

I use this book as my primary source of study now and just use the other as a reference tool to see if anything has been missed.

Do yourself a favor and get the book if your serious about the A+ certs.

An Update:
I have just finished passing both of the A+ exams, with a comfortable passing margin, using this book as my primary source of study.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars! Buy this book!, September 24, 2004

By 

Gavin Newsum (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolute Beginner's Guide to A+ Certification (Paperback)

This is an excellent book! But like the title indicates, it is for the absolute beginner seeking to learn about hardware from A-Z from a well-planned book with a very clear writing style. Although this book is elementary, I think it is possible to pass the A+ exam using only this book and your hands-on experience.