CompTIA A+ Certification All-In-One For Dummies [Paperback]

Glen E. Clarke (Author), Edward Tetz (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470487380 | ISBN-13: 978-0470487389 | Publication Date: October 19, 2009 | Edition: 2

Nine minibooks cover everything you need to earn the A+ certification

CompTIA's A+ certification is the industry-leading entry-level certification for IT professionals, and this guide is the quick, easy way to prepare for the test. 1,200 pages of up-to-date information correlates with both the hardware and operating system exams and serves as a reference after the test-taking is completed.

The minibooks cover each domain of the exam: A+ Groundwork, Inside the Box, Outside the Box, Maintenance and Troubleshooting, Operating System Basics, Managing The Operating System, Recovering Systems, Networking, and Securing Systems. You'll find plenty of sample test questions to get you prepared, too.

• CompTIA's A+ certification is vendor-neutral and validates the skills of entry-level computer technicians; it can be the ticket to a new or better job
• Certification requires successful completion of two exams; this prep guide covers all the core competencies required
• Nine minibooks cover A+ Groundwork, Inside the Box, Outside the Box, Maintenance and Troubleshooting, Operating System Basics, Managing The Operating System, Recovering Systems, Networking, and Securing Systems
• Covers installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance, and basic networking, with extra information about Vista and a heavier emphasis on hardware
• Companion CD-ROM include the Dummies Test Engine, an exclusive, fully customizable test-prep software package that includes 400 exam review questions

CompTIA A+ Certification All-In-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition is the best study guide to have as you prepare for the A+ exams!

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Covers the CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam (220-701) and Practical Application Exam (220-702)

Earning A+ Certified Professional status can offer your career a real boost. Each of the minibooks in this handy guide is packed with the information you need to know to pass the test and get that A+ after your name. With special icons to mark key points you must master and review questions in every chapter, it's the tool you need to make it happen!

• Inside and out — master motherboards, memory, and processors, and learn to install video, sound, and network cards

• Be a problem solver — learn to prevent problems and hardware failure and to troubleshoot hardware components

• Operating systems 101 — discover what an OS needs to run, and how to support applications and install and upgrade Windows®

• Recovery and security — find out how to fix computers that won't boot, restore a system, set permissions, and scan for viruses

• It's the network — understand networking technology and how to troubleshoot a TCP/IP network

Open the book and find:

• Comprehensive coverage of the new A+ 2009 exams

• "Soft skills" that will enhance your career

• How to find bottlenecks in a system

• Details about network architecture

• A guide to the different types of memory

• All about ports, cables, and connectors

• How to use a remote desktop connection

• Explanations of malicious software types

Bonus CD Includes

• Lab exercises for plenty of hands-on practice
• Practice exams to help you prepare for the real thing
• Dummies Test Engine, our exclusive test-prep software featuring two versions of each of the exams

Please see the CD appendix for details and complete system requirements.

About the Author

Glen E. Clarke (MCSE/MCSD/MCDBA/MCT/MCTS/CEH/Security+/Network+/A+) is an independent trainer and consultant, focusing on network security and security auditing services. Glen spends most of his time delivering certified courses on A+, Network+, Windows Server, SQL Server, Exchange Server, Visual Basic .NET, and ASP.NET. Glen also teaches a number of security related courses covering topics such as ethical hacking and countermeasures, vulnerability testing, firewall design, and packet analysis. Glen is an experienced author and technical editor who has worked on fourteen certification books. Glen designed and coauthored the award nominated A+ Certifi cation Bible and has worked on certifi cation titles involving topics such as Windows certifi cation, CIW certifi cation, Network+ certifi cation, and Security+ certifi cation. Glen is also author of The Network+ Certifi cation Study Guide, 4th Edition.

Edward Tetz graduated in 1990 from Saint Lawrence College in Cornwall, Ontario with a degree in Business Administration. He spent a short time in computer sales, which eventually led to a computer support position. After several years of providing system and LAN support to small and large organizations, in 1994 he added training to his repertoire.
Some of the certifications that he holds include A+, ITIL Foundations Certificate in IT Service Management (IT Infrastructure Library), Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), Microsoft Certifi ed Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA), and Chauncey Group's Certified Technical Trainer (CTT). Since 2002, he has been a full-time consultant for a value added reseller in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Over his years of work experience, he has supported Apple Macintosh, IBM OS/2, Linux, Novell NetWare, and all Microsoft operating systems from MS-DOS to Windows 2008, as well as hardware from most of the major vendors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1200 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (October 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470487380
• ISBN-13: 978-0470487389
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Computers & Technology > Certification > CompTIA

More About the Author

Glen E. Clarke, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Security+, MCSE, CEH, SCNP is an independent trainer and consultant, focusing on network security and web application development.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very outdated, poor editing, April 2, 2010

By 

Joe K (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CompTIA A+ Certification All-In-One For Dummies (Paperback)

Waste of money, waste of time. I'm sorry to say it because I normally love (and trust) the "Dummies" series of books. But I'm a pretty computer proficient person already, and I knew a TON of the material was just useless and obsolete. To confirm my suspicions, I downloaded the official A+ 2009 exam objectives, and sure enough, about half of what this Dummies book covers isn't even covered at all. Who uses ISA slots or Pentium 2s these days, come on?!

They tried to update the book by throwing in new hardware types and such, but it was such an obvious copy and paste job. You might be reading a paragraph, talking about how new and prevalent X hardware is, only to read a recent paragraph addition about how new and prevalent hardware Y is. Guess what, only one of them is (e.g., X went out of style years ago, everyone uses Y now). This is very common.

Updating a book--especially something so technical--should involve more than pasting in some new material. It should be deleting the useless stuff, and giving the reader a true sense of what's the dominant hardware type and what's going out of style. Reading this, you might have no idea if you didn't have prior knowledge. Plus, there are blatant inaccuracies (e.g., AMD's new AM3 processors have 938 pins, not 941 as written in the book).

Sorry, but I can't recommend this book. Comprehensive, yes. Accurate, up-to-date, and relevant? Not by a mile.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of A+ Certification for Dummies, November 12, 2009

By 

B. Kollars - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CompTIA A+ Certification All-In-One For Dummies (Paperback)

The book seems to be packed with information. I've only read the first 200 pages so far but it seems very thorough. The only thing is that there is so much information that it is extremely hard to retain, but that's not the books fault that's just that there is so much to computers. It's probably best, if you're aspiring to learn something about computers, you should start now, because in a few more years there will be so much information that you'll have no chance at ever retaining all the information, that is if it is even possible to do so now. But anyway the book is a great learning tool. The things I like the most is that it has quizzes and a cd that comes along with it with exercises so that you can really get that stuff into your head. Plus the book will go over things not just once but a couple of times, so that helps get things stuck in your head also. FYI, there are billions of acronyms in computer world so have a pen and paper handy so you can write them all down as you go through the book, so you have a quick reference for later. Good luck on your path to more knowledge.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, February 18, 2011

By 

Joseph (Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CompTIA A+ Certification All-In-One For Dummies (Paperback)

With this book I passed the Comptia A+ practical application exam on the first try in 35 minutes and got a score of 825 out of a possible 900. If you plan on buying this invest in some old used computers to practice on.