A+: Core Module Study Guide (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Blessed are the troubleshooters. When personal-computer hardware breaks, repairing it can baffle even the most proficient software expert. That's why the world needs hardware wizards, and the best gauge of hardware wizardry around today is the A+ certification. If you're out to earn your A+ ticket, David Groth's A+: Core Module Study Guide is an excellent resource.

At first glance, the book does have a few drawbacks. Some information is out of date: SCSI-3 long ago progressed beyond the proposal phase, and there's no mention of Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics (EIDE) disks, DVD drives, or universal serial bus (USB) ports here. Plug and Play is treated in these pages like the shaky new technology it was several years ago. The Pentium II CPU gets only cursory coverage, and there's no mention of Celeron. AMD and Cyrix--the companies--get brief nods, but the chips they make are not addressed separately. Also, the accompanying CD-ROM could have been a better learning tool (the test simulator has a kind of clunky interface and it doesn't provide answer discussions or references to the text).

Component and CD-ROM details aside, though, A+: Core Module Study Guide provides a solid introduction to the general operation and key subsystems of IBM- compatible personal computers. Readers get the goods on electronic theory, volatile and nonvolatile memory, processors, peripheral buses, printers, and networks. A key feature is the in-depth coverage of isolate-and-test strategies that are essential to effective troubleshooting; readers find out how the various subsystems work together and are taught to diagnose a multitude of system failures. The book even includes trade information, detailing how to treat customers respectfully and how to work safely. And each chapter of the book concludes with multiple-choice questions, the answers to which appear in an appendix. --David Wall --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

David Groth, an A+ instructor at Corporate Technologies in Fargo, North Dakota, reveals the information necessary to pass the Core module for A+ certification. The A+ certification is the industry-leading hardware and software support qualification and is fast becoming a prerequisite for employment in the computer industry.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 815 pages
• Publisher: Sybex Inc; 1st edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0782121810
• ISBN-13: 978-0782121810
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,644,249 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A+ instructor says shame on you david groth, January 5, 2000

By	Michael P. Croy (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A+: Core Module Study Guide (Certification Study Guide 0) (Hardcover)

The information in this book could be useful if the author had some sort of coherent flow of information. He jumps from one subject to the next, explains simple concepts with complex terminology. And I don't think I've ever seen an A+ text that spends almost 100 pages talking about networking when only 5% of the exam deals with the subject. He spends too much time, in my opinion, explain ancient history when it comes to computers. A technician does not really need to know how an 8088 processor handles its information. And the troubleshooting section deals with DOS! I think he should have saved that for the second book in his 2 part text. If you are thinking about buying this book along with the dos/windows book, please save your money and look elsewhere.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book needs some work, October 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A+: Core Module Study Guide (Certification Study Guide 0) (Hardcover)

I was dissappointed after reading this book. Although I did learn some things, I realized after reading other books that there are quite a few inaccuracies in its content and also the book is also riddled with editorial errors, as if it was rushed to the Press. I think the author should apologise to consumers and rewrite this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Will need more than just this book to pass the A+ Core exam., October 3, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A+: Core Module Study Guide (Certification Study Guide 0) (Hardcover)

Overall, an excellent book. But I don't feel that this book alone is good enough to pass the A+ Core exam. The section on the EP print process seems to differ slightly in the terminology used in other A+ Core books. For example, this book says that Step 1 is the "Charging" (Conditioning) whereas other books correctly say that the first step is the "Cleaning". Also, this book is a little light on the Portable Systems topic. And the tests at the end of each chapter are too easy and this may give one a false sense of confidence. I would not use this book as the sole study guide for the A+ Core Exam.