Mike Meyers' A+ Certification Passport (Paperback)

by Mike Meyers (Author), Tracey Rosenblath (Author), Michael Meyers (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Software developers make their programs ever more graphical; interfaces become ever more slick. But underneath the buttons and sliders, PCs are electronic systems comprising power supplies, logic processors, and specialized circuitry for such functions as video and sound. When the machine grinds to a halt, someone has to know how to identify the problem and get it straightened out. That's the function of the CompTIA A+ certification, and this new edition of Mike Meyers' A+ Certification Passport will help you earn it. Meyers combines reams of detailed information about IBM-standard PCs (which is to say, those running Intel, AMD, and Cyrix) with rock-solid troubleshooting advice. Look here for electronic details of the IDE and SCSI interfaces, as well as strategies for figuring out whether a problem is in a drive or in its controlling electronics.

Meyers has organized his book around the two A+ exams, which means you'll find excellent coverage of the subjects CompTIA includes (hardware from early days through the Pentium III era, and Microsoft MS-DOS and Windows operating systems through Windows 2000). Inversely, you'll find no coverage of potentially useful subjects that CompTIA doesn't test (Linux and Microsoft Windows XP, most notably). Updated coverage--of new USB and FireWire standards, as well as memory specifications--meets the high standard of the previous edition. This book will help you prepare for the A+ exams; it and a couple of supplementary texts will get you ready for the job site. --David Wall

Topics covered: The electronics of IBM-standard personal computers (motherboards, processors, memory, disk drives, video cards, network interfaces, and so on), and strategies for safely and efficiently troubleshooting and repairing them. Later chapters explain how to do configuration work in Microsoft MS-DOS, Windows 95/98, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 Professional. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Library Journal
Meyers's clear-cut guide is tailored for test preparation: the accompanying CD includes two interactive practice exams (on hardware and operating systems), review questions conclude each chapter, and handy exam tips are scattered throughout. A useful purchase for all public libraries; those owning older A+ guides should upgrade.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 450 pages
• Publisher: Osborne/McGraw-Hill (November 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072193638
• ISBN-13: 978-0072193633
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,042,532 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent Overview of test, April 14, 2004

By	Ron Atkins "Ron" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mike Meyers' A+ Certification Passport, Second Edition (Passport) (Paperback)

I am MCSE, A+, and CCNA certified and used this book as part of my preparation for the CompTia A+ exams.

This book presents a decent overview of the CompTia A+ exam objectives, but lacks sufficient detail to actually pass the test without supplementing the material. I have provided 2 recommendations at the bottom of this review.

The book covers both areas of the exam (hardware and OS), and provides a CD with tice tests. I noticed the review questions at the end of each chapter lacked worthwhile explanations, which necessitated searching through the text to figure out why you may have missed a particular question.

This book overall presents a decent, but minimal, overview of both the hardware and operating system exams and should be used in conjunction with Mueller's "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" classic (ISBN: 0789727455), and Exam Cram's book (ISBN: 078983043x).

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Review Book for Experienced Computer Techs, June 4, 2002

By	Kye (Carlsbad, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Mike Meyers' A+ Certification Passport is mostly useful for experienced computer technicians who know the information already but need to refresh their understanding of certain topics or memorize specific information before taking CompTIA's A+ exams. That said, this book only covers the very basics of computer hardware and software as it applies to the A+ exams. For a more in depth understanding of the subject matter refer to Mike Meyers' All-In-One Certification Guide.

Good Points About the Book:
- Short to the point chapters that can be read and understood within an hour's time.
- Alerts and sidebars that inform the reader to issues stressed or not stressed in the A+ exams
- Easy to read, conversational style relation of the material that helps move the reader along from topic to topic.
- No overblown explanations or analogies of any topic.
- Included CDRom that contains practice tests for both the software and Hardware exam. (Many online resources are also available via the Internet. Just do a search for "COMPTIA FREE TESTS" at your favorite Internet Portal to find them. Careful, some sites are much better than others.)

Bad Points About the Book:
- Useless travel theme that does nothing to aid the reader.
- Objectives of the CompTIA test are not laid out for the reader within the chapters as one might expect from a "Cram" book like this. (Go to CompTIA's web sit for more information about exam objectives)
- Unless you are an experienced computer tech this book will not prepare you for the exam.
- No cram sheet included with the book for last minute preparation. Why?

Again, I am awarding the 4 starts because it is a good refresher for an experienced computer technician, newbies should look more in depth books and get lots of hands on training before attempting the real tests.

If and when you are confident that you are ready for the actual tests, take the provided practice exams. If you can score 75 to 80 percent correct the first time you take both practice tests you will very likely pass the real exams. Notice I wrote the first time. If you fail the practice tests the first time you take them, be sure not to review the answers to the questions. If you failed them, you were not ready to take the tests so reviewing the answers will ruin the effectiveness of the practice exams for when you need to come back to them.

Good Luck

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All the best material in one place., January 3, 2004

By	Michael J Woznicki "Michael J Woznicki" (Holland, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mike Meyers' A+ Certification Passport, Second Edition (Passport) (Paperback)

So any interested in COMPTIA certifications, the A+ has undergone a revision and leave it Mike Meyers to once again lead the pack in creating a great prep tool for the exams. The Passport series is great addition to the material needed to pass the exam.

If you are looking for the go to book this is not that book, what this book does is cover each objective by giving you a good overview of the material and pointing out the finer details of the exam. The book is made of the person who is in need of material to make sure they have covered everything before taking the exam.

The book has over 625 pages filled with explanations and pictures, I think that some of the pictures could have been in color to give the reader a better understanding of the material, but it does not detract form the overall presentation of the information.

The book is divided into 2 sections, first is the Core hardware and the second is the Operating Systems. The material is technically accurate and up to date so there is no need to worry about studying the wrong information.

There is a cd included has practice exam material for the final preparation tool. Couple this book with Mike Meyers All In One Guide and you have the unbeatable combination. Overall since I have been teaching A+ Mike Meyers is the name to trust and this makes studying a whole easier.