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Technology Exams™ Career Lifetime Membership
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Description: A+ Certification - Your Complete Training Guide ! What is A+ Certification? Aplus Certification is an industry recognized credential that certifies the competency of PC Service Specialists. It is sponsored by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) and tests are administered by Sylvan Prometric. The program is backed by over 50 Major computer hardware and software manufacturers, vendors, distributors, resellers, and publications. Certification provides a wealth of benefits to any person seeking a job in the computer industry! Who May Take the Exam? This exam is open to anyone who wants to take the tests. No specific requirements are necessary except payment of the fee. Individuals may retake the test modules as often as they like, but the Core and the Specialty Exams must be passed within 90 calendar days of each other in order for and individual to become certified. Advance Your Career! Whether you are considering entering the computer industry or considering advancing your career, the Aplus certification is a must! Being good at your job is not enough! A-Plus certifies the abilities of PC Service Specialists and will help you achieve the earnings you are worth. Certification is Required in the Corporate World! COMPAQ, Hewlett-Packard, Apple, IBM, Minolta, and Toshiba either require or recommend their personnel and service centers become certified. Test Requirements To gain your A+ certification you must pass two exams: the "Core" Exam and a "Specialty" operating system exam. The Specialty exam covers Windows/DOS. Our interactive self study program provide you with ALL the knowledge necessary to master the Examinations. Core Hardware Service Technician: Domain 1.0 Installation, Configuration, and Upgrading This domain requires the knowledge and skills to identify, install, configure, and upgrade microcomputer modules and peripherals, following established basic procedures for system assembly and disassembly of field replaceable modules. Elements included are listed below with each test objective. 1.1 Identify basic terms, concepts, and functions of system modules, including how each module should work during normal operation and during the boot process. System board - Power supply - Processor /CPU - Memory - Storage devices - Monitor - Modem - Firmware - BIOS - CMOS - LCD (portable systems) - Ports - PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) 1.2 Identify basic procedures for adding and removing field replaceable modules for both desktop andportable systems. System board - Storage device -Power supply - Processor /CPU - Memory - Input devices - Hard drive - Keyboard - Video board - Mouse - Network Interface Card (NIC) Portable System Components AC adapter - Digital Camera - DC controller - LCD panel - PC Card - Pointing Devices 1.3 Identify available IRQs, DMAs, and I/O addresses and procedures for device installation and configuation. Standard IRQ settings - Modems - Floppy drive controllers - Hard drive controllers - USB ports - Infrared ports - Hexidecimal/Addresses 1.4 Identify common peripheral ports, associated cabling, and their connectors. Cable types - Cable orientation - Serial versus parallel - Pin connections Examples of Types of Connectors DB-9 - DB-25 - RJ-11 - RJ-45 - BNC - PS2/MINI- DIN - USB - IEEE 1394 1.5 Identify proper procedures for installing and configuring IDE/EIDE devices. Master/Slave - Devices per channel - Primary/Secondary 1.6 Identify proper procedures for installing and configuring SCSI devices. Address/Termination conflicts - Cabling - Types (example: regular, wide, ultra- wide) - Internal versus external - Expansion slots, EISA, ISA, PCI - Jumper block settings (binary equivalents) 1.7 Identify proper procedures for installing and configuring peripheral devices. Monitor/Video Card - Modem - USB peripherals and hubs - IEEE 1284 - IEEE 1394 - External storage Portables Docking stations - PC cards - Port replicators - Infrared devices 1.8 Identify hardware methods of upgrading system performance, procedures for replacing basic subsystem components, unique components and when to use them. Memory - Hard Drives - CPU - Upgrading BIOS - When to upgrade BIOS Portable Systems Battery - Hard Drive - Types I, II, III cards - Memory Domain 2.0 Diagnosing and Troubleshooting This domain requires the ability to apply knowledge relating to diagnosing and troubleshooting common module problems and system malfunctions. This includes knowledge of the symptoms relating to common problems. 2.1 Identify common symptoms and problems associated with each module and how to troubleshoot and isolate the problems. Processor/Memory symptoms - Mouse - Floppy drive - Parallel ports - Hard Drives - CD-ROM - DVD - Sound Card/Audio - Monitor/Video - Motherboards - Modems - BIOS - USB - NIC - CMOS - Power supply - Slot covers - POST audible/visual error codes - Troubleshooting tools, e.g., multimeter - Large LBA, LBA - Cables - Keyboard - Peripherals 2.2 Identify basic troubleshooting procedures and good practices for eliciting problem symptoms from customers. Troubleshooting/isolation/problem determination procedures - Determine whether hardware or software problem - Gather information from user regarding, e.g., - Customer Environment - Symptoms/Error Codes - Situation when the problem occurred Domain 3.0 Preventive Maintenance This domain requires the knowledge of safety and preventive maintenance. With regard to safety, it includes the potential hazards to personnel and equipment when working with lasers, high voltage equipment, ESD, and items that require special disposal procedures that comply with environmental guidelines. With regard to preventive maintenance, this includes knowledge of preventive maintenance products, procedures, environmental hazards, and precautions when working on microcomputer systems. 3.1 Identify the purpose of various types of preventive maintenance products and procedures and when to use them. Liquid cleaning compounds - Types of materials to clean contacts and connections - Non-static vacuums (chasis, powersupplies, fans) 3.2 Identify issues, procedures and devices for protection within the computing environment, including people, hardware and the surrounding workspace. UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and suppressors - Determining the signs of power issues - Proper methods of storage of components for future use Potential Hazards and Proper Safety Procedures Relating Lasers High- voltage equipment - Power supply - CRT Special Disposal Procedures that Comply with Environmental Guidelines Batteries - CRTs - Toner kits/cartridges - Chemical solvents and cans - MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) Precautions and Procedures What ESD can do, how it may be apparent, or hidden - Common ESD protection devices - Situations that could present a danger or hazard Domain 4.0 Motherboard/Processors/Memory This domain requires knowledge of specific terminology, facts, ways and means of dealing with classifications, categories and principles of motherboards, processors, and memory in microcomputer systems. 4.1 Distinguish between the popular CPU chips in terms of their basic characteristics. Popular CPU chips (Intel, AMD, Cyrix) - Characteristics - Physical size - Voltage - Speeds - On board cache or not - Sockets - SEC (Single Edge Contact) 4.2 Identify the categories of RAM (Random Access Memory) terminology, their locations, and physical characteristics. Terminology EDO RAM (Extended Data Output RAM) - DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) - SRAM (Static RAM) - RIMM (Rambus Inline Memory Module 184 Pin) - VRAM (Video RAM) - SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM) - WRAM (Windows Accelerator Card RAM) Locations and Physical Characteristics Memory bank - Memory chips (8- bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit) - SIMMS (Single In-line Memory Module) - DIMMS (Dual In-line Memory Module) - Parity chips versus non-parity chips 4.3 Identify the most popular type of motherboards, their components, and their architecture (bus structures and power supplies). Types of Motherboards AT (Full and Baby) - ATX Components Communication ports - SIMM and DIMM - Processor sockets - External cache memory (Level 2) - Bus Architecture - ISA - PCI - AGP - USB (Universal Serial Bus) - VESA local bus (VL-Bus) - Basic compatibility guidelines - IDE (ATA, ATAPI, ULTRA-DMA, EIDE) - SCSI (Wide, Fast, Ultra, LVD (Low Voltage Differential) 4.4 Identify the purpose of CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor), what it contains and how to change its basic parameters. Example Basic CMOS Settings Printer parallel port-Uni., bi-directional, disable/enable, ECP, EPP - COM/serial port-memory address, interrupt request, disable - Floppy drive-enable/disable drive or boot, speed, density - Hard drive-size and drive type - Memory-parity, non-parity - Boot sequence - Date/Time - Passwords - Plug & Play BIOS Domain 5.0 Printers This domain requires knowledge of basic types of printers, basic concepts, and printer components, how they work, how they print onto a page, paper path, care and service techniques, and common problems. 5.1 Identify basic concepts, printer operations, printer components, and field replaceable units in primary printer types. Paper feeder mechanisms/Types of Printers Laser - Inkjet - Dot Matrix Types of printer connections and configurations Parallel - Network - USB - Infrared - Serial 5.2 Identify care and service techniques and common problems with primary printer types. Feed and output - Errors (printed or displayed) - Paper jam - Print quality - Safety Precautions - Preventive maintenance Domain 6.0 Basic Networking This domain requires knowledge of basic network concepts and terminology, ability to determine whether a computer is networked, knowledge of procedures for swapping and configuring network interface cards, and knowledge of the ramifications of repairs when a computer is networked. The scope of this topic is specific to hardware issues on the desktop and connecting it to a network. 6.1 Identify basic networking concepts, including how a network works and the ramifications of repairs on the network. Installing and configuring network cards - Network access - Full-duplex, half-duplex - Cabling-Twisted Pair, Coaxial, Fiber Optic, RS-232 - Ways to network a PC - Physical Network topographies - Increasing bandwidth - Loss of data - Network slowdown - Infrared - Hardware protocols |
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