A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 5
CompTIA A+ 220–701 Essentials Exam, 2009 Edition Examination Objectives Mapped to Chapters......Page 12
CompTIA A+ 220-702 Practical Application Exam, 2009 Edition Examination Objectives Mapped to Chapters......Page 23
CHAPTER 1: Introducing Hardware......Page 51
Hardware Needs Software To Work......Page 52
Hardware Used for Input and Output......Page 54
Hardware Inside the Computer Case......Page 57
The Motherboard......Page 58
The Processor and the Chipset......Page 59
Storage Devices......Page 60
Motherboard Components Used for Communication Among Devices......Page 69
Expansion Cards......Page 73
The Electrical System......Page 75
Instructions Stored on the Motherboard and Other Boards......Page 76
CHAPTER 2: Introducing Operating Systems......Page 85
DOS (Disk Operating System)......Page 86
Windows NT......Page 87
Windows 2000......Page 88
Windows XP......Page 89
Windows Vista......Page 90
Mac OS......Page 91
Linux......Page 92
How Windows 2000/XP/Vista Works......Page 93
Components of Windows......Page 94
How Windows Manages Applications......Page 96
How Windows Manages Hardware......Page 97
How Many Bits at a Time?......Page 98
Using Windows 2000/XP/Vista......Page 100
The Windows Vista Desktop......Page 101
Differences in the Windows XP/2000 Desktop and the Vista Desktop......Page 109
Windows Explorer and the Computer Window......Page 113
The Control Panel......Page 120
System Information Utility......Page 122
Command Prompt Window......Page 123
CHAPTER 3: Working with People in a Technical World......Page 131
Job Roles And Responsibilities......Page 132
Certification and Professional Organizations......Page 133
Record-keeping and Information Tools......Page 135
What Customers Want: Beyond Technical Know-How......Page 136
Initial Contact with a Customer......Page 140
Interview the Customer......Page 142
Set and Meet Customer Expectations......Page 143
Working with a Customer on Site......Page 144
Dealing with Difficult Customers......Page 146
Sometimes You Must Escalate a Problem......Page 150
The Job Isn’t Finished Until the Paperwork is Done......Page 151
Working with Coworkers......Page 152
CHAPTER 4: Form Factors, Power Supplies, and Working Inside a Computer......Page 161
Form Factors Used By Computer Cases, Motherboards, And Power Supplies......Page 162
Types of Form Factors......Page 163
Types of Computer Cases......Page 169
Measures And Properties Of Electricity......Page 172
AC and DC......Page 173
Hot, Neutral, and Ground......Page 174
Some Common Electronic Components......Page 176
Types and Characteristics of Power Supplies......Page 178
How to Select a Power Supply......Page 182
Protect Yourself Against Electrical Shock and Burns......Page 184
Protect the Equipment Against Static Electricity or ESD......Page 185
Protect Against Electromagnetic Interference......Page 188
Surge Protection and Battery Backup......Page 189
PC Support Technician Tools......Page 194
Steps to Take Apart a Computer......Page 198
Steps to Put a Computer Back Together......Page 210
Troubleshooting The Electrical System......Page 211
Problems with External Power......Page 212
Problems that Come and Go......Page 213
Problems with the Power Supply Fans......Page 214
Power Problems with the Motherboard......Page 215
Replacing the Power Supply......Page 216
CHAPTER 5: All About Motherboards......Page 225
Motherboard Form Factors......Page 226
Processor Sockets......Page 227
The Chipset......Page 231
Buses and Expansion Slots......Page 234
On-board Ports and Connectors......Page 244
Hardware Configuration......Page 246
How to Select a Motherboard......Page 251
How Startup BIOS Controls The Boot Process......Page 253
Choosing Between a Hard Boot and a Soft Boot......Page 254
The Startup BIOS Controls the Beginning of the Boot......Page 255
Step 1: POST and Assignment of System Resources......Page 257
Step 2: Startup BIOS Finds and Loads the OS......Page 258
Maintaining a Motherboard......Page 260
Installing or Replacing a Motherboard......Page 265
Configuring the Motherboard Using BIOS Setup......Page 276
CHAPTER 6: Supporting Processors......Page 289
Types And Characteristics Of Processors......Page 290
How a Processor Works......Page 291
Intel Processors......Page 296
AMD Processors......Page 298
Coolers, Fans, and Heat Sinks......Page 300
Case Fans and Other Fans and Heat Sinks......Page 302
Liquid Cooling Systems......Page 303
Dealing with Dust......Page 304
Select a Processor to Match System Needs......Page 306
Install a Processor......Page 308
BIOS Power Management Settings for the Processor......Page 323
Troubleshooting The Motherboard And Processor......Page 324
Problems with Installations......Page 325
Problems with the Motherboard or Processor......Page 327
Problems with Overheating......Page 329
Boot Problems before the Operating System Loads......Page 333
CHAPTER 7 Upgrading Memory......Page 347
Memory Technologies......Page 348
DIMM Technologies......Page 350
RIMM Technologies......Page 355
SIMM Technologies......Page 356
How to Upgrade Memory......Page 357
How Much Memory Do I Need and How Much Is Currently Installed?......Page 358
How Many and What Kind of Modules Can Fit on My Motherboard?......Page 359
How Do I Select and Purchase the Right Memory Modules?......Page 366
How Do I Install the New Modules?......Page 367
Recurring Problems......Page 371
CHAPTER 8 Supporting Hard Drives......Page 379
Solid State, Magnetic, and Hybrid Drives......Page 380
How Data is Organized on a Hard Drive......Page 382
Hard Drive Interface Standards......Page 385
The ATA Interface Standards......Page 386
SCSI Technology......Page 391
RAID: Hard Drives Working Together......Page 393
About Floppy Drives......Page 394
Floppy Drive Hardware......Page 395
Floppy Drive File System......Page 396
Selecting a Hard Drive......Page 397
Steps to Install a Serial ATA Drive......Page 398
Steps to Configure and Install a Parallel ATA Drive......Page 409
How to Implement Hardware RAID......Page 416
Steps to Install a Floppy Drive......Page 422
Problems with Hard Drive Installations......Page 424
How to Approach a Hard Drive Problem After the Installation......Page 426
Boot Problems Caused by Hard Drive Hardware......Page 429
Troubleshooting Floppy Drives and Disks......Page 434
CHAPTER 9 Installing and Supporting I/O Devices......Page 441
Basic Principles to Support I/O Devices......Page 442
I/O Ports on the Motherboard......Page 444
Display Devices......Page 455
How to Install a Keyboard and Mouse......Page 474
How to Install a Barcode Reader......Page 478
How to Install a Fingerprint Reader......Page 479
How to Install a KVM Switch......Page 482
Installing and Configuring I/O Devices and Ports......Page 483
Using Device Manager......Page 484
Using Ports on the Motherboard......Page 489
Installing and Configuring Adapter Cards......Page 493
Troubleshooting Motherboard I/O Ports......Page 507
Troubleshooting Keyboards......Page 508
Troubleshooting Monitors and Video Cards......Page 509
Troubleshooting Other Adapter Cards......Page 514
CHAPTER 10 Multimedia Devices and Mass Storage......Page 521
Sound Cards and Onboard Sound......Page 522
TV Tuner and Video Capture Cards......Page 524
How Data is Read and Written to Optical Discs......Page 528
How Much Data Can Be Stored on Optical Discs......Page 530
Standards Supported by CD, DVD, and BD Drives......Page 531
Features of Optical Drives......Page 532
Caring for Optical Drives and Discs......Page 535
Removable Storage......Page 536
Solid-State Storage......Page 537
External Hard Drives......Page 540
Tape Drives......Page 542
Installing Digital Cameras......Page 545
Installing Webcams and Microphones......Page 546
Installing MIDI Devices......Page 548
Installing a Media Reader......Page 550
Installing an Optical Drive......Page 552
Installing an External Hard Drive......Page 557
Problems with Optical Drives......Page 560
Problems When Burning a CD, DVD, or BD......Page 561
Problems with Removable Storage Devices......Page 562
Problems with Capture Cards......Page 563
CHAPTER 11 PC Maintenance and Troubleshooting Strategies......Page 571
Stay Safe and Keep Others Safe......Page 572
Physically Protect Your Equipment......Page 574
How to Dispose of Used Equipment......Page 576
Protecting Software Copyrights......Page 577
Set Up a Method of Documentation......Page 579
Create a Preventive Maintenance Plan......Page 580
How to Troubleshoot a PC Problem......Page 582
Step 1: Interview the User and Back Up Data......Page 583
Step 2: Examine the System and Make Your Best Guess......Page 585
Step 3: Test Your Theory......Page 588
Step 5: Verify the Fix and Take Preventive Action......Page 591
Step 6: Document What Happened......Page 592
CHAPTER 12 Installing Windows......Page 597
Choose the Version of Windows......Page 598
Choose the Method of Installation......Page 605
Choose the Type of Installation: Upgrade, Clean Install, or Dual Boot......Page 611
Understand the Choices You’ll Make During the Installation......Page 612
Final Checklist Before Beginning the Installation......Page 617
Performing a Vista In-place Upgrade......Page 619
Performing a Clean Install or Dual Boot......Page 622
Performing a Clean Install Using the Vista Upgrade DVD......Page 625
What to do After the Vista Installation......Page 626
How to Install Windows XP......Page 637
Windows XP Clean Install When an OS is Not Already Installed......Page 638
Windows XP Clean Install When an OS is Already Installed......Page 640
Upgrade to Windows XP......Page 641
What to Do After the XP Installation......Page 642
Clean Installation of Windows 2000......Page 644
Clean Install of Windows 2000 When an OS is Already Installed......Page 646
CHAPTER 13 Maintaining Windows......Page 653
Verify Critical Windows Settings......Page 654
Clean Up the Hard Drive......Page 657
Defrag the Hard Drive......Page 659
Check the Hard Drive for Errors......Page 662
Verify Startup Programs......Page 663
Free Up Additional Hard Drive Space......Page 666
Backup Procedures......Page 670
Planning for Disaster Recovery......Page 672
Back Up User Data......Page 674
Back Up System Files......Page 680
Back Up the Entire Hard Drive......Page 687
Directory Structures......Page 692
Commands to Manage Files and Folders......Page 694
Use Disk Management to Manage Hard Drives......Page 704
Regional and Language Settings......Page 714
CHAPTER 14 Optimizing Windows......Page 727
Task Manager......Page 728
System Configuration Utility (MSconfig)......Page 738
Services Console......Page 741
Computer Management......Page 742
Microsoft Management Console (MMC)......Page 744
Event Viewer......Page 747
Reliability and Performance Monitor......Page 751
The Registry Editor......Page 753
Step 1: Perform Routine Maintenance......Page 760
Step 2: Check if the Hardware Can Support the OS......Page 761
Step 3: Check for Performance Warnings......Page 763
Step 4: Check the Reliability Monitor......Page 766
Step 5: Disable the Indexer for Windows Search......Page 767
Step 7: Disable the Vista Sidebar......Page 770
Step 8: Plug Up Any Memory Leaks......Page 771
Step 10: Consider Using Vista ReadyBoost......Page 773
Step 11: Clean Windows Startup......Page 775
How to Manually Remove Software......Page 780
Monitor the Startup Process......Page 787
CHAPTER 15 Tools for Solving Windows Problems......Page 795
Tools to Help with Blue Screen Errors, System Lockups, and I/O Device Errors......Page 796
Vista Tools for Solving Startup Problems......Page 815
Files Needed to Start Windows Vista......Page 816
Steps to Start a Vista Computer......Page 817
Advanced Boot Options Menu......Page 822
The Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE)......Page 827
The Command Prompt Window in Windows RE......Page 831
What Happens when Windows 2000/XP Starts Up......Page 833
Files Needed to Start Windows 2000/XP......Page 835
The Boot.ini File......Page 836
Windows 2000/XP Boot Disk......Page 837
Recovery Console......Page 839
Windows 2000 Emergency Repair Process......Page 850
CHAPTER 16 Fixing Windows Problems......Page 861
Fixing Problems Caused by Hardware......Page 862
Fixing Problems Caused by Applications......Page 866
Troubleshooting Vista Startup......Page 872
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears......Page 873
Problems at Stage 2: After the Progress Bar Appears and Before Logon......Page 880
How to Recover Lost Data......Page 883
Troubleshooting Windows 2000/XP Startup......Page 886
CHAPTER 17 Networking Essentials......Page 897
Networking Technologies......Page 898
Broadband Technologies......Page 901
Wireless Technologies......Page 904
Dial-up Technology......Page 908
Internet Access When You Travel......Page 910
Networking Adapters and Ports......Page 911
Cables and Connectors......Page 913
Hubs and Switches......Page 918
Wireless Access Points......Page 920
Routers......Page 922
Layers of Network Communication......Page 925
Understanding IP Addresses and How They Are Used......Page 929
Character-Based Names Identify Computers and Networks......Page 935
TCP/IP Protocol Layers......Page 937
Ping, Ipconfig, and Telnet......Page 941
Virtual Private Networks......Page 948
Connect to a Network using an Ethernet Connection......Page 949
Connect to a Network Using a Wireless Connection......Page 953
CHAPTER 18 Networking Practices......Page 969
Connect to the Internet Using Cable Modem......Page 970
Connect to the Internet Using DSL......Page 974
Connect to the Internet Using an On-demand Broadband Connection or Static IP Addressing......Page 976
Connect to the Internet Using Satellite......Page 980
Connect to the Internet using a Dial-up Connection......Page 981
Connect to the Internet Using ISDN......Page 983
Implement Windows Firewall and Vista Network Security......Page 984
Physically Configure a Small Network......Page 990
Install and Configure a Router for a Small Network......Page 991
How to Set Up a Wireless Network......Page 1001
Cable Testers......Page 1005
TCP/IP Utilities......Page 1006
Remote Desktop......Page 1010
Remote Assistance......Page 1015
Troubleshooting Network and Internet Connections......Page 1019
Problems with Hardware and Device Drivers......Page 1020
Problems with TCP/IP, the OS, and ISP Connectivity......Page 1022
Problems with Client-Side Applications......Page 1025
CHAPTER 19 Security Essentials......Page 1041
Comply with Security Policies......Page 1042
Controlling Access to Secured Resources......Page 1043
Authenticate Users......Page 1044
Classify Users and Data......Page 1056
Sharing Files and Folders......Page 1059
Security Devices to Protect Data and Computers......Page 1066
Encryption Techniques......Page 1068
Use BIOS Features to Protect the System......Page 1070
Protect Against Malicious Software......Page 1071
Educate Users......Page 1078
Perform Routine Security Maintenance......Page 1080
CHAPTER 20 Security Practices......Page 1089
Controlling Access to Data Folders and Files......Page 1090
Hidden Network Resources and Administrative Shares......Page 1101
Encrypting Files and Folders......Page 1103
Supporting BIOS Security Features that Affect Access Control......Page 1110
Malware Symptoms......Page 1114
Strategies for Dealing with Malware......Page 1115
Step-by-Step Attack Plan......Page 1116
Protect a System Against Malicious Software......Page 1136
CHAPTER 21 Supporting Notebooks......Page 1143
Warranty Concerns......Page 1144
Service Manuals and Other Sources of Information......Page 1146
The OEM Operating System Build......Page 1148
Caring for Notebooks......Page 1151
Supporting Notebook Peripheral Devices......Page 1153
Port Replicators and Docking Stations......Page 1154
PC Card, CardBus, and ExpressCard Slots......Page 1156
Using Bluetooth, Cellular, and Wi-Fi Connections......Page 1160
Power and Electrical Devices......Page 1164
Power Management......Page 1168
Input Devices......Page 1174
Video......Page 1176
Troubleshooting, Replacing, and Upgrading Internal Parts......Page 1178
Three Approaches to Dealing with a Broken Internal Device......Page 1179
Upgrading Memory......Page 1180
Replacing a Hard Drive......Page 1184
Disassembling and Reassembling a Notebook Computer......Page 1187
CHAPTER 22 Supporting Printers......Page 1211
Types of Printers......Page 1212
Printer Features......Page 1219
Installing and Sharing Printers......Page 1220
How to Install a Printer using Vista......Page 1221
How to Install a Local Printer using Windows XP......Page 1223
Steps to Install a Network Printer Using Windows XP......Page 1226
Manage Printer Features and Settings......Page 1228
Share an Installed Printer......Page 1231
How to Use a Shared Printer......Page 1234
Printer Languages......Page 1236
Using Windows to Manage Printers......Page 1237
Printer Consumables......Page 1239
Maintaining Printers......Page 1241
Printer Maintenance Kits......Page 1242
Upgrade the Printer Memory or Hard Drive......Page 1247
Cleaning a Printer......Page 1249
Updating Printer Firmware......Page 1251
Printer Does Not Print......Page 1254
Problems with Laser Printers......Page 1261
Problems with Inkjet Printers......Page 1266
Problems with Impact Printers......Page 1267
APPENDIX A CompTIA A+ Acronyms......Page 1273
APPENDIX B Keystroke Shortcuts in Windows......Page 1283
Glossary......Page 1287
Index......Page 1315