A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Enhanced, Comprehensive (Hardcover)

~ Jean Andrews (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Watch Jean Andrews bring concepts and technical topics to life via "live" demonstrations - mapping completely to the textbook!

About the Author

Jean Andrews has more than 30 years of experience in the computer industry, including more than 13 years in the college classroom. She has worked in a variety of businesses and corporations designing, writing, and supporting application software; managing a PC repair help desk; and troubleshooting wide area networks. She has written numerous books on software, hardware, and the Internet, including the bestselling A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, A+ Guide to Hardware: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, and A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting. Jean lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1275 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology; 5 edition (April 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1418835579
• ISBN-13: 978-1418835576
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.8 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #106,199 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #82 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Hardware > PCs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good resource, but only to a point. . ., February 17, 2006

By	S. Hansen - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I enrolled in an online course with Thomson Education Direct (which has recently changed to Penn Foster). The course was designed to prepare me to pass the A+ exam and this textbook was part of the package I received after I graduated. The book is loaded with information and includes end-of-chapter questions and exercises to help you prepare for the A+ exam, plus a CD with further instructional material and test questions. I take the tests first thing, to see where I stand, and find that, unfortunately, the test questions are riddled with mistakes, but I think, No problem. Though the book is a fifth edition, the CD is probably a new thing and that could account for the mistakes. I'll just use the textbook to check the test questions and make sure they're correct.

Unfortunately, the textbook, because it is designed to be used in a classroom setting, provides no answers for the end-of-chapter questions and exercises, so if you're studying independently, it's impossible to check your work to make sure you're correct. I thought, No problem. The student manual lists an instructor's edition which comes with an Electronic Instructor's Manual, Solutions to all the end of chapter material, ExamView, PowerPoint presentations, Figure Files and a Daily Lesson Planner. All you have to do, according to the ad, is go to the listed website (http://www.course.com/pcrepair). So, I go to the site, type the author's name, Jean Andrews, into the search box, up comes the book, and I order it, no sweat. With shipping it runs right around $83.00, a lot for a book, but since it will prepare me for the A+, I'm willing to spend the money.

Unfortunately, it's a waste. The book that arrives is exactly like the student's manual I already have, no answers to any questions at all. I think, No problem. I'll just call customer service to see when the additional resources are going to arrive.

Unfortunately, I am told I can't get the additional resources, because I am not an instructor. Not only that, I learn that because I am a private buyer, I cannot send the Instructor's Edition back and get a refund. Two facts they fail to mention on either the website or in the student's text. I am also informed that the additional resources, supposedly included with the textbook, come at an additional cost. I think, Now, we've got a problem. I'm out $83.00, and Thomson's attitude seems to be "Too bad, so sad." Not exactly what I expect when this entire misunderstanding is due to their faulty advertising.

I'm sorry I ever ran across Thomson, if this is the best they can do for their customers. They seem to be a lot more concerned with preventing cheating than helping someone get certified, because this textbook was provided to me AFTER I graduated from their course when the resources that could help me answer the questions were no longer available to me. Also, you have to wonder, if all the instructor's resources aren't available to the average joe, why are they listed in the student's manual with a source where you can buy them? When I get my A+ certification, I'm sorry to say it will be in spite of Thomson, not because of them.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lot of info, but horrible to read, review, September 15, 2006

By	k3wals "College student" (Northern Illinois) - See all my reviews

I got this book for my PC Technology Class, I've used it for 2 weeks, and I just hate this book. The thing that gets me mad the most is that its ALL OVER THE PLACE. They'll be talking about the BIOS, then go to expansion slots for like 3 pages, and then go back to Bios's again (pg 197-208). It's very confusing to follow, they should have sections, instead of cramming everything without header titles. The only good thing I like about it is that is has a lot of info, but if you have the time, and patience to find it, then this book is probably OK for you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Class Room Book, September 4, 2009

By	Mojave Desert California (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Be your own teacher, take test, follow the details. This is the same book for the College Course I was planning on taking. This really breaks it down for you.