CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Tenth Edition

Book Preface

The field of computing has changed dramatically over the decades since the introduction of the IBM Personal Computer (PC) in 1981, and so has the job of the people who build, maintain, and troubleshoot computers. A PC tech for many years serviced IBM-compatible desktop systems running a Microsoft operating system (OS), such as DOS or, later, Windows. All a tech needed to service an early Windows machine was a Phillips-head screwdriver and knowledge of the hardware and OS.

The personal computing landscape today includes a zillion devices in all shapes, sizes, and purposes. How many computing devices do you interact with every day? Seriously, count them. Here’s my typical contact in a day. My smartphone alarm clock awakens me in the morning. I use either a Windows or macOS desktop to check the morning news and my e-mail by connecting to other computers over the Internet. Or, if the family is on both systems, I’ll retreat to the study with a laptop running Ubuntu Linux to do the same tasks. At the gym, my smart watch keeps track of my exercises and my heart rate. The computer in my car handles navigation and traffic reports for my daily commute. At the office I’m literally surrounded by dozens of computing devices, because everyone has a desktop or laptop computer, a tablet, a smartphone, plus any number of wearable devices.

Someone needs to set up, manage, maintain, and troubleshoot all of these devices. Because you’re reading this book, I’m guessing that you are that someone. You’re going to need a lot of knowledge about many systems to be a modern personal computer technician. A modern PC tech, therefore, works with many devices running many different systems. Almost everything interconnects as well, and a PC tech makes that connection happen NOTE This book uses the term “personal computer” and the initials “PC” generically to refer to any kind of personal computing device. PCs here mean things that techs interact with, can set up, and repair. This book teaches you everything you need to know to become a great tech. It might seem like a lot of information at first, but I’ll show you how each system functions and interacts, so you learn the patterns they all follow. At some point in the process of reading this book and working on computers, it will all click into place. You’ve got this!

Along the way, you’ll pick up credentials that prove your skill to employers and clients. The rest of this chapter explains those credentials and the steps you need to take to gain them.

CompTIA A+ Certification

Nearly every profession has some criteria that you must meet to show your competence and ability to perform at a certain level. Although the way this works varies widely from one profession to another, all of them will at some point make you take an exam or series of exams. Passing these exams proves that you have the necessary skills to work at a certain level in your profession, whether you’re an aspiring plumber, teacher, barber, or lawyer.

If you successfully pass these exams, the organization that administers them grants you certification. You receive some piece of paper or pin or membership card that you can show to potential clients or employers. This certification gives those potential clients or employers a level of confidence that you can do what you say you can do. Without this certification, either you will not find suitable work in that profession or no one will trust you to do the work.

Modern PC techs attain the CompTIA A+ certification, the essential credential that shows competence in the modern field of information technology (IT), a fancy way of saying computing technology plus all the other stuff needed to connect and support computers. CompTIA A+ is an industry-wide, vendor-neutral certification program developed and sponsored by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). You achieve this certification by taking two computer-based exams consisting of multiplechoice and performance-based questions. The tests cover what technicians should know after 12 months of hands-on work on personal computing devices, either from a job or as a student in the lab. CompTIA A+ certification enjoys wide recognition throughout the computer industry. To date, more than 1,000,000 technicians have become CompTIA A+ certified, making it the most popular of all IT certifications.

Who Is CompTIA?

CompTIA is a nonprofit industry trade association based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. It consists of over 20,000 members in 102 countries. You’ll find CompTIA offices in such diverse locales as Amsterdam, Dubai, Johannesburg, Tokyo, and São Paulo.

CompTIA provides a forum for people in these industries to network (as in meeting people), represents the interests of its members to the government, and provides certifications for many aspects of the computer industry. CompTIA sponsors CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, and other certifications. CompTIA works hard to watch the IT industry and constantly looks to provide new certifications to meet the ongoing demand from its membership. Check out the CompTIA Web site at www.comptia.org for details on the other certifications you can obtain from CompTIA.

CompTIA began offering CompTIA A+ certification back in 1993. When it debuted, the IT industry largely ignored CompTIA A+ certification. Since that initial stutter, however, the CompTIA A+ certification has grown to become the de facto requirement for entrance into the PC industry. Many companies require CompTIA A+ certification for all of their PC support technicians, and the CompTIA A+ certification is widely recognized both in the United States and internationally.