Absolute Beginners Guide to A+ Certification. Covers the Hardware and Operating Systems Exam

Preparing for the Core Hardware Exam

As I wrote this book, my office at times looked like the back shop of a busy PC repair center: Several PCs were running, sometimes with the side panels removed. A laptop or two could also be seen, and there was a whole lot of installing, removing, and reinstalling going on. Why all the effort? I know that some of you (and a big thank you! for reading this far) won't have the opportunity to get your hands into a lot of PCs.

However, although I've stocked this book with lots of photos and other details about different types of hardware, there's no substitute for hands-on experimentation. There are hands-on labs on the CD for virtually every chapter. Take the name seriously:

• Work "live" with as much of the hardware the exam covers as you can.

• Open up actual systems and look at the components. Check your "junk" closets at home or at work for older hardware you can cannibalize. As you work with equipment, compare it to the relevant chapter in this book. Trace the components identified. Try to locate common motherboard components . Use the manuals that come with equipment (or download them from the vendors ' Web sites) to help you become acquainted with the many variations in motherboards, add-on hardware, and systems.

• Install boards that use manual settings and Plug and Play (PnP) configuration.

• Pop open the covers on laser printers and use the manual to locate the major components covered on the exam.

• Build a simple network.

In addition, use the Practice Test, Key Terms, and other features of the Study Labs located on the CD packaged with this book to find your weak areas. Spend more time studying the areas in which you're weak and less time on the areas you've already mastered. This information is stored in Adobe Acrobat format (Acrobat Reader is also found on the CD), so you can print it or view it on your home or office PC. Thus, you can study for the A+ Certification Exam almost anywhere .

The CD also contains an industry-leading test engine from PrepLogic, which simulates the actual A+ test so that you can be sure that you're ready when test day arrives. Don't let the A+ test intimidate you. If you've read the chapters, worked through the Study Lab, and passed the practice tests from PrepLogic, you should be well prepared to ace the test!

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