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31 Days Before Your CompTIA A+ Exams, 2nd Edition

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31 Days Before Your CompTIA A+ Exams, 2nd Edition

By Ben Conry
Published Sep 25, 2011 by Cisco Press.

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Description

Sample Content

Updates

Features

• Tear out visual calendar summarizes each day’s study topics
• Checklist highlights important tasks and deadlines leading up to your exam
• Description of the CompTIA A+ exam organization and signup process, includes how to use a voucher
• Strategies from the author help you to be mentally, organizationally, and physically prepared for exam day
• Conversational tone, making your study time more enjoyable

Copyright 2012
Edition: 2nd

Book
ISBN-10: 1-58713-260-5
ISBN-13: 978-1-58713-260-5

31 Days Before Your CompTIA A+ Exams

Second Edition

Ben Conry

A Day-by-Day Review Guide for the CompTIA A+ 220-701 and 220-702 Exams

31 Days Before Your CompTIA^® A+ Exams, Second Edition offers you a personable and practical way to understand the certification process, commit to taking the exam, and finish your preparation using a variety of study resources.

The 31-Day format breaks down key exam topics into 31 daily review sessions using short summaries, lists, tables, examples, and graphics. This edition includes a Study Resources section at the end of each day that provides you with a quick reference for locating more in-depth treatment of a day’s topics within relevant textbook resources.

Use this day-by-day guide to organize, prepare, and review all the CompTIA A+ objectives for the CompTIA A+ Essentials exam (220-701) and the CompTIA A+ Practical Application exam (220-702).

· The features of the book empower you to fit exam preparation into an otherwise busy schedule:

· Tear-out visual calendar summarizes each day’s study topics

· Checklist highlights important tasks and deadlines leading up to your exam

· Description of the CompTIA A+ exams and sign-up process

· Strategies from the author help you to be mentally, organizationally, and physically prepared for exam day

· Conversational tone makes your study time more enjoyable

Who Should Read This Book?

This book is for anyone preparing for the CompTIA A+ exams working with learning resources published by either Cisco Press, Que, Addison-Wesley, Cengage, or McGraw-Hill listed on page xxvii of this book.

Online Sample Chapter

31 Days Before Your CompTIA A+ Exams, Day 31: Storage

Sample Pages

Download the sample pages (includes Chapter 1 and Index)

Day 31: Storage 1

A+ 220-701 Exam Objective 1

Key Points 1

Storage Devices 1

Hard Drives 1

Floppy Drives 1

Solid-State HDD and NVRAM 2

Tape Drives 2

CD, DVD, and BD Drives 2

Network Drives 3

Interfaces and Cables 3

Homework 4

Funwork 4

Study Resources 4

Day 30: Motherboards, Adapter Cards, Memory Slots, and Power Supplies 5

A+ 220-701 Exam Objectives 5

Key Points 5

Motherboards 5

Adapter Card Interfaces 7

Memory Slots 9

Power Supplies 9

RAID Adapters 11

Homework 11

Funwork 12

Study Resources 12

Day 29: Processors and Cooling 13

A+ 220-701 Exam Objectives 13

Key Points 13

Central Processing Unit 13

RISC and CISC 15

00_9781587132605_fm.qxd 8/29/11 4:07 PM Page x

Processors 15

System Resources 16

Cooling Systems 17

Homework 18

Funwork 18

Study Resources 19

Day 28: Memory 21

A+ 220-701 Exam Objective 21

Key Points 21

Memory 21

RAM 21

Speed 22

Virtual RAM 23

ROM 23

EEPROM 23

NVRAM 23

Memory Slots 23

Homework 24

Funwork 24

Study Resources 25

Day 27: Displays, Peripherals, and Adapters 27

A+ 220-701 Exam Objectives 27

Key Points 27

Resolutions 27

Peripheral and Input Devices 28

Mouse and Touchpad 28

Keyboard 28

Adapter Cards 28

PCI and PCIe Cards 29

AGP Cards 29

Sound Cards 29

TV Tuner Cards 29

Capture Cards 29

NIC and Modem Cards 30

Ports 30

USB Ports 30

PS/2 Ports 31

Serial Ports 31

Parallel Ports 31

Display Adapter Ports 32

Cables 32

Audio Cables 33

FireWire Cables 33

Network Cables 33

SCSI Cables 33

Homework 34

Funwork 34

Study Resources 34

Day 26: Operating Systems Comparisons and User Interfaces 35

A+ 220-701 Exam Objective 35

Key Points 35

Operating Systems and the Layered PC Model 35

Desktop Operating Systems 36

Apple OS X 36

Microsoft Windows 36

Linux 37

OS System Requirements 38

Network Operating Systems 39

The “Multi” Terms 40

GUI Versus CLI 40

Command-Line Syntax 40

Command Prompt Commands 41

Users and Permissions 43

Homework 43

Funwork 43

Study Resources 44

Day 25: Operating System Installation and Booting 45

A+ 220-701 Exam Objectives 45

The Windows User Interface 45

GUI Utilities 45

Windows 7 Libraries 45

My Computer 46

Control Panel 46

Command-Line Utilities 46

Ping 47

Telnet 47

Ipconfig 47

Run-Line Utilities 48

MSConfig 48

MSInfo32 49

Dxdiag 49

Regedit 49

Operating System Installation 50

Hardware Compatibility List 50

Preparing the HDD for an OS Installation 50

Partitioning 50

Formatting 51

Windows Boot Process 51

Clean Operating System Install 52

Boot Modes 52

Logical Memory 53

Windows Boot Options 53

Safe Mode 53

Boot to a Restore Point 53

Recovery Options 54

Automated System Recovery 54

Emergency Repair Disk 54

Recovery Console 55

Homework 55

Funwork 55

Study Resources 56

Day 24: Laptops and Printers 57

A+ 220-701 Exam Objectives 57

Key Points 57

Expansion Devices 57

PCMCIA Cards and PCI Express Cards 57

Docking Stations 58

Laptops and Projectors 59

Communication Connections 59

Bluetooth Devices 59

Infrared Communications 60

Cellular WANs 60

Ethernet NICs 61

Modems 61

Power Settings and Electrical Input Devices 62

Autoswitching Power Supplies and Fixed-Input Power Supplies 62

Batteries 62

ACPI Levels 63

Input Devices 63

Digitizers 64

Function Keys 64

Pointing Devices 64

Printer Types 65

Laser Printers 65

Inkjet Printers 65

Thermal Printers 66

Impact Printers 66

Local Versus Network Printers 66

Printer Drivers (Compatibility) 67

Consumables 67

Homework 67

Funwork 67

Study Resources 67

Day 23: Basic Troubleshooting and Preventive Maintenance 69

A+ 220-701 Exam Objectives 69

Key Points 69

Troubleshooting 69

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