CompTIA A+ Study Guide

Welcome to the CompTIA A+ Complete Deluxe Study Guide. This is the sixth version of our best-selling study guide for the A+ certification sponsored by CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association).

This book was written at an intermediate technical level; we assume that you already know how to use a personal computer and its basic peripherals, such as USB devices and printers, but we also recognize that you may be learning how to service some of that computer equipment for the first time. The exams cover basic computer service topics as well as some more advanced issues, and they cover some topics that anyone already working as a technician, whether with computers or not, should be familiar with. The exams are designed to test you on these topics in order to certify that you have enough knowledge to fix and upgrade some of the most widely used types of personal desktop computers.

We’ve included review questions at the end of each chapter to give you a taste of what it’s like to take the exams. If you’re already working as a technical service or support technician, we recommend that you check out these questions first to gauge your level of knowledge. (You can also take the assessment test at the end of this introduction, which is designed to see how much you already know.)

You can use the book mainly to fill in the gaps in your current computer service knowledge.

You may find, as many PC technicians have, that being well versed in all the technical aspects of the equipment is not enough to provide a satisfactory level of support—you must also have customer-relations skills. We include helpful hints to get the customers to help you help them.