1. technology and computing
2. hardware
3. computer components
4. disks

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CompTIA A+ Certification
Essentials Support Skills
(2009 Objectives with Windows 7)
Instructor Edition
Study Notes
G180Teng ver091
Acknowledgements
Course Developer .................................................................... gtslearning
Editor ............................................................................... James Pengelly
This courseware is owned, published, and distributed by gtslearning, the
world’s only specialist supplier of CompTIA learning solutions.
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 +44 (0)20 7887 7999  +44 (0)20 7887 7988
www.gtslearning.com
 Three Elysium Gate, 126-128 New Kings Road, London, SW6 4LZ, UK
COPYRIGHT
This courseware is copyrighted © 2011 gtslearning. Product images are the copyright of the vendor or
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supplied by the publisher to accompany the courseware may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, or re-used in
any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Violation of these laws will lead to
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prosecution.
All trademarks, service marks, products, or services are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
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holders and are acknowledged by the publisher.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
Every effort has been made to ensure complete and accurate information concerning the material presented in
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this course. Neither the publisher nor its agents can be held legally responsible for any mistakes in printing or for
faulty instructions contained within this course. The publisher appreciates receiving notice of any errors or
misprints.
Information in this course is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples
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herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted.
Where the course and all materials supplied for training are designed to familiarize the user with the operation of
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Study Notes
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Course Introduction
i
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iii
About This Course .......................................................................................................... viii
Module 1 / PC and Laptop Hardware
1
Module 1 / Unit 1
Types of Computer
3
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Personal Computers .......................................................................................................... 3
Desktop Computers ........................................................................................................... 6
Portable Computers......................................................................................................... 10
Units, Signaling, and Circuits ........................................................................................... 14
20
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Module 1 / Unit 2
Motherboards
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Motherboard Layout ........................................................................................................ 21
Bus Architecture .............................................................................................................. 22
Motherboard Components ............................................................................................... 23
Expansion Bus and Adapter Cards .................................................................................. 27
Motherboard Form Factors .............................................................................................. 35
Power Supply Unit (PSU) ................................................................................................ 39
Cooling Systems ............................................................................................................. 45
Module 1 / Unit 3
Processors
50
Central Processing Unit (CPU) ........................................................................................ 50
Features of CPUs ............................................................................................................ 52
Intel Processors............................................................................................................... 60
AMD Processors ............................................................................................................. 63
CPU Packaging ............................................................................................................... 64
Laptop Processors........................................................................................................... 68
Module 1 / Unit 4
Memory
70
Memory Types................................................................................................................. 70
Memory Characteristics ................................................................................................... 76
Module 1 / Unit 5
Storage Devices
80
Storage Devices .............................................................................................................. 80
Hard Drives ..................................................................................................................... 81
Drive Controllers .............................................................................................................. 83
Floppy Drives .................................................................................................................. 90
Page iii
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Course Introduction
Optical Disc Storage ........................................................................................................ 91
Flash Memory.................................................................................................................. 96
Tape Drives ..................................................................................................................... 98
Module 1 / Unit 6
Input and Peripheral Devices
101
I/O Ports and Cables ..................................................................................................... 102
Input Devices................................................................................................................. 109
I/O Devices .................................................................................................................... 115
Communications Devices .............................................................................................. 120
Installing and Configuring Peripherals ........................................................................... 123
Module 1 / Unit 7
Video and Sound Devices
128
Display Devices ............................................................................................................. 128
Video Adapters .............................................................................................................. 136
Audio Devices ............................................................................................................... 141
Multimedia Input Devices............................................................................................... 145
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Module 2 / Operating Systems
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Module 1 / Summary
PC and Laptop Hardware
Module 2 / Unit 1
Windows Operating System
149
153
155
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What is an Operating System? ...................................................................................... 155
Windows Architecture .................................................................................................... 156
Early Versions of Windows ............................................................................................ 163
Windows 2000 ............................................................................................................... 164
Windows XP .................................................................................................................. 168
Windows Vista ............................................................................................................... 174
Windows 7 ..................................................................................................................... 181
Module 2 / Unit 2
Managing Windows
187
Windows Administrative Tools ....................................................................................... 187
Configuring Hardware.................................................................................................... 202
Screen Savers and Power Management ....................................................................... 210
Managing Software........................................................................................................ 215
Managing Services ........................................................................................................ 220
Windows Registry .......................................................................................................... 222
Module 2 / Unit 3
Windows Storage Management
226
Preparing a Hard Disk ................................................................................................... 226
Navigating Windows ...................................................................................................... 230
Page iv
Study Notes
Table of Contents
Working with Folders ..................................................................................................... 236
Working with Files ......................................................................................................... 238
Searching For Files ....................................................................................................... 243
The Recycle Bin ............................................................................................................ 245
File and Folder Management in Vista ............................................................................ 247
File and Folder Management in Windows 7 ................................................................... 249
Module 2 / Unit 4
Installing and Upgrading Windows
253
Overview of OS Installations.......................................................................................... 253
Installing Windows from CD / DVD ................................................................................ 259
Upgrading Windows ...................................................................................................... 265
Options for Deploying Windows ..................................................................................... 273
Module 2 / Unit 5
Windows Boot Process
278
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Windows Boot Process.................................................................................................. 278
The BOOT.INI File ......................................................................................................... 282
Windows Vista/7 Boot Process ...................................................................................... 284
Configuring Boot Devices .............................................................................................. 286
Advanced Startup Options ............................................................................................. 287
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Module 2 / Summary
Operating Systems
Module 3 / Networking and Printing
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Module 3 / Unit 1
Network Concepts
293
295
296
What is a Network? ....................................................................................................... 296
The OSI Model .............................................................................................................. 303
Network Components .................................................................................................... 304
TCP/IP........................................................................................................................... 309
Internet Protocol and IP Addressing .............................................................................. 310
TCP/IP Application Protocols ......................................................................................... 317
NetBIOS and NetBEUI .................................................................................................. 322
Virtual Private Networks ................................................................................................ 323
The Internet ................................................................................................................... 324
Module 3 / Unit 2
Local, Wireless, and Remote Networks
330
Network Cabling ............................................................................................................ 330
Wireless Networks ......................................................................................................... 335
Windows Networking ..................................................................................................... 341
Simple File Sharing and Homegroups ........................................................................... 343
Accessing the Internet ................................................................................................... 348
Page v
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Course Introduction
Module 3 / Unit 3
Printers
357
Windows Print Process .................................................................................................. 357
Printer Types ................................................................................................................. 360
Installing and Configuring a Printer ................................................................................ 371
Maintaining Printers ....................................................................................................... 380
Module 3 / Summary
Networking and Printing
383
Module 4 / PC Support
385
Module 4 / Unit 1
Troubleshooting Techniques
387
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Module 4 / Unit 2
Basic Troubleshooting Scenarios
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Troubleshooting Models and Processes ........................................................................ 387
Approaching Troubleshooting ........................................................................................ 395
Troubleshooting Resources ........................................................................................... 398
402
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Troubleshooting Basic Hardware Problems ................................................................... 402
Troubleshooting Windows Errors ................................................................................... 408
Troubleshooting Applications ......................................................................................... 411
Troubleshooting Printers ............................................................................................... 413
Network Troubleshooting Basics ................................................................................... 416
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Module 4 / Unit 3
Preventative Maintenance
422
Health and Safety .......................................................................................................... 422
Physical Inspections ...................................................................................................... 430
Maintaining and Optimizing Drives ................................................................................ 433
Environment .................................................................................................................. 437
Patch Management ....................................................................................................... 444
Data Backup .................................................................................................................. 450
Disposal of Consumables and Computer Equipment ..................................................... 456
Module 4 / Unit 4
Security
460
Security Fundamentals .................................................................................................. 460
Access Control .............................................................................................................. 462
Authentication................................................................................................................ 470
Accounting .................................................................................................................... 473
Social Engineering......................................................................................................... 473
Malware......................................................................................................................... 474
Data Security ................................................................................................................. 478
Page vi
Study Notes
Table of Contents
Module 4 / Unit 5
Professionalism and Communication
483
Customer Service Skills ................................................................................................. 483
Communication Skills .................................................................................................... 484
Professionalism ............................................................................................................. 488
Handling Customer Complaints ..................................................................................... 495
Module 4 / Summary
PC Support
500
503
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Index
Page vii
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Course Introduction
About This Course
This course is intended for students wishing to qualify with CompTIA A+ Certification. A+
certification is designed to help students become entry-level IT technicians. It covers
preventative maintenance, basis networking, installation, troubleshooting,
communication skills, and professionalism.
What are the Course Prerequisites?
Ideally, you should have successfully completed gtslearning's "PC Fundamentals with
CompTIA Strata" course or have some basic experience of using a PC, Windows, and
browsing the web. Specifically, it is recommended that you have the following skills and
knowledge before starting this course:
Use a keyboard and mouse.
■
Recognize the main components of a PC and different data media such as floppy
disks, or CD-ROMs.
■
Start the computer and navigate the desktop.
■
Use Windows Explorer to create directories and subdirectories; and move, copy or
rename files and directories.
■
Use Internet Explorer to view websites.
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Optionally, you can take a prerequisites test to check that you have the knowledge
required to study this course at www.gtssupport.com/flower27/220-701/index.htm.
Course Outcomes
This practical "hands-on" course will teach you the fundamental principles of supporting
desktop and portable computers and operating systems. This course will teach you how
to install, maintain, and troubleshoot computer components and systems. As a PC
technician, you will be expected to support old and new systems, so it is important that
you have a full understanding of legacy hardware and software, as well as the latest
technologies.
On course completion, you will be able to:
■
Identify types and characteristics of PC components, including motherboard, CPU,
memory, and storage, input, and output devices.
■
Install and configure peripheral devices.
■
Identify types and characteristics of portable computers.
■
Install and configure Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft
Windows Vista, and Microsoft Windows 7.
Page viii
Study Notes
About This Course
■
Perform basic PC maintenance and troubleshooting.
■
Understand fundamental principles of securing IT systems and working safely.
■
Communicate effectively with customers.
■
Install and configure print devices.
■
Understand fundamental principles of implementing LANs and internet access.
How Certification Helps Your Career
The main aim of this course is to help to prepare you for CompTIA's A+ Certification
Essentials exam (exam code 220-701).
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To obtain CompTIA A+ Certification, you must pass both the Essentials exam
and the Practical Application exam (220-702). You must complete the Practical
Application Support Skills course to prepare for the second exam.
Retain your Job
and Salary
Want to Change
Jobs?
Stick Out from
the Resume Pile
Make your
expertise stand
above the rest.
Competence is
usually retained
during times of
change.
Certifications
qualify you for
new
opportunities,
whether you see
limited
advancement in
your current job
or need to change
careers.
Certifications
are essential
credentials that
qualify you for
jobs, increased
compensation,
and promotion.
Hiring managers
can demand the
strongest skill set.
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IT is ubiqitous; a
critical
requirement of
most
organizations.
Globally, there
are over 600,000
IT job openings.
IT Knowledge
and Skills Gets
Jobs
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IT is Everywhere
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Certification proves you have the knowledge and skill to solve business problems in
virtually any business environment. Certifications are highly valued credentials that
qualify you for jobs, increased compensation, and promotion.
CompTIA A+ certification held by many IT staff in organizations. Worldwide, more than
800,000 individuals are CompTIA A+ certified and 31% of IT staff within a random
sampling of US organizations within a cross section of industry verticals hold A+
Certification.
Indeed, A+ Certification is often a prerequisite qualification for employment and is
mandated or recommended by many leading computer manufacturers and vendors,
such as Cisco and HP and Ricoh, the US State Department, and US government
contractors such as EDS, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman.
Page ix
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Course Introduction
CompTIA Career Pathway
Completing this course will help you to pursue a career in ICT. This course will
particularly benefit you in pursuing a career in supporting desktop personal computer
users, in job roles such as Support Engineer, Maintenance Engineer, Desktop Engineer,
Computer Administrator, or PC Support Analyst.
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CompTIA offers a number of credentials that form a foundation for your career in
technology and allow you to pursue specific areas of concentration. Depending on the
path you choose to take, CompTIA certifications help you build upon your skills and
knowledge, supporting learning throughout your entire career.
Study of the course can also help to prepare you for other, similar technical support
qualifications and act as groundwork for more advanced training. Other qualifications
available include:
■
CompTIA Network+ - a foundation-level certification of competency in network
installation and configuration.
■
CompTIA Server+ - validates the skills of advanced IT technicians (individuals with
18-24 months' experience with Industry Standard Server Architecture [ISSA]).
■
CompTIA Security+ - validates knowledge of communication security, infrastructure
security, cryptography, operational security, and general security concepts.
Page x
Study Notes
About This Course
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) - a foundation-level certification of
competency in Cisco networking appliance installation and configuration.
■
Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator / Engineer / IT Professional (MCSA /
MSCE / MCITP) - Windows-specific qualifications; passing CompTIA's A+, Network+,
and either Server+ or Security+ Certification can satisfy the requirements for the
elective part of the certification, as well as providing a solid groundwork for the further
study required for MCSA / MCSE (Windows Server 2003 track) or MCITP (Windows
Server 2008 Server Administrator / Enterprise Administrator track).
■
Other corporations such as Novell, HP, CompuCom, and Ricoh also recognize
CompTIA A+ as part of their certification tracks or require that their service
technicians obtain the certification.
■
Help Desk Support Analyst - The Help Desk Analyst certification series,
administered by the Help Desk Institute (www.thinkhdi.com), certifies learners'
customer service and Help Desk management skills. Various levels of certification
are available, including Customer Support Specialist, Help Desk Analyst and Help
Desk Manager.
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About the Course Material
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■
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The course material has been prepared as an aid for your use throughout the training
course. You may keep this manual for your own reference after the course is finished.
We hope you will find the course material useful for future reference.
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The course comes in two parts. This "Study Notes" volume contains the main text of the
book for you to refer to in class and to review at home as you prepare for the exam. The
course text is divided into several modules, each covering a different subject area. Each
module is split into a series of units containing related topics for study. Each unit has a
set of review questions designed to test your knowledge of the topics covered in the unit.
At the back of the "Study Notes" volume there is an index to help you look up key terms
and concepts from the course.
The accompanying "Labs and References" book contains a list of the CompTIA
certification objectives (and where in the study notes you can find useful material to
prepare for each objective), tips for taking the CompTIA exams, the practical labs for you
to complete in class, answers to the end of unit review questions, and a glossary of
terms and concepts used in computer support.
If you are viewing this course as an ebook, the "Labs and References" volume
is located after the index - use the bookmarks panel to navigate between
sections.
When you have completed the course and want to prepare for the exam, you can take a
practice test at www.gtssupport.com/flower27/220-701/index.htm.
Page xi
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Course Introduction
Video Training
gtslearning and Professor Messer are excited to announce a joint effort in interactive
learning for CompTIA's certification courses.
Professor Messer uses gtslearning's CompTIA certification courseware to develop and
record his popular video training sessions. Now you can easily follow along with his
video presentations using the links provided in the margins of this course book.
You can use the links in three ways:
1) If you have an ebook, just click the link to open the video in your
browser.
2) If you have a QR code scanner, point your camera at the code to
open it in your phone or tablet's browser.
gtsgo.to/1q3xc
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3) If you have a printed book but no scanner, enter the web address into your browser.
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We do endeavor to keep the video links up-to-date, but if you come across a
broken link, please email the link code (for example "1g3xc") to
support@gtslearning.com and we will update it.
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Course Conventions and Icons
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The following conventions have been used in this course. These are especially useful for
following the practical lab exercises.
■
Bullet and number lists - steps for you to follow in the course of completing a task or
hands-on exercise and review questions are indicated by numbered bullet points.
Other bullet points indicate learning objectives and feature lists.
■
File and command selection - in the labs, files, applets, dialogs and other information
that is displayed on the screen by the computer is shown in sans serif bold. For
example: Click OK, Select Control Panel, and so on.
■
Sequences of commands - in the labs, a sequence of steps to follow to open a file or
activate a command are shown in bold with arrows. For example, if you need to
access the system properties in Windows, this would be shown in the text by: Start >
Control Panel > System.
■
Commands - commands or information that you must enter using the keyboard are
shown in Courier New Bold. For example: Type webadmin@somewhere.com.
Courier New Bold-Italic represents some sort of variable, such as your student
number. For example, if your student number is "5", you would follow the instruction
ping 10.0.0.x by entering ping 10.0.0.5.
Page xii
Study Notes
■
About This Course
Using the mouse - when instructed to click, use the main mouse button; when
instructed to alt-click, use the secondary button (that is, the button on the right-hand
side of the mouse, assuming right-handed use). Sometimes you need to use both the
keyboard and the mouse - for example, Ctrl+click means hold down the Ctrl key
and click the main mouse button.
The following symbols are used to indicate different features in the course book:
Icon
Meaning
A tip or warning about a feature or topic.
A reference to another unit, where more
information on a topic can be found.
A link to a Professor Messer video presentation.
Click or use a QR scanner to open the link or
enter the address printed below it.
Your instructor edition is
identical to the student
edition, except that there
are notes to help you deliver
the course in the margins
and the answers to the
review questions are always
shown.
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Space for you to make your own notes.
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Review questions to help test what you have
learned.
This icon denotes a slide to
accompany the text.
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A hands-on exercise for you to practice skills
learned during the lesson.
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Content Seal of Quality
This courseware bears the seal of CompTIA Official Approved Quality Content. This
seal signifies this content covers 100% of the exam objectives and implements important
instructional design principles. CompTIA recommends multiple learning tools to help
increase coverage of the learning objectives.
The contents of this training material were created for the CompTIA A+ Certification
Essentials exam (exam code: 220-701) covering version 2.0 of the 2009 Edition A+
CompTIA certification exam objectives.
Page xiii
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Course Introduction
It is CompTIA's policy to update the exam regularly with new test items to deter
fraud and for compliance with ISO standards. The exam objectives may
therefore describe the current "Edition" of the exam with a date different to that
above. Please note that this training material remains valid for the stated exam
code, regardless of the exam edition. For more information, please check the
FAQs on CompTIA's website (support.comptia.org).
Four Steps to Getting Certified
This training material can help you prepare for and pass a related CompTIA certification
exam or exams. In order to achieve CompTIA certification, you must register for and
pass a CompTIA certification exam or exams.
In order to become CompTIA certified, you must:
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1) Review the certification objectives at
www.comptia.org/certifications/testprep/examobjectives.aspx to make sure you know
what is covered in the exam.
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2) After you have studied for the certification, take a free assessment and sample test
from CompTIA at www.comptia.org/certifications/testprep/practicetests.aspx to get an
idea what type of questions might be on the exam. You can also use gtslearning's
free practice tests at www.gtssupport.com/flower27/220-701/index.htm.
3) Purchase an exam voucher on the CompTIA Marketplace, which is located at
www.comptiastore.com.
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4) Select a certification exam provider and schedule a time to take your exam. You can
find exam providers at www.comptia.org/certifications/testprep/testingcenters.aspx
How to Obtain More Information
■
Visit CompTIA online - www.comptia.org to learn more about getting CompTIA
certified.
■
Contact CompTIA - call 866-835-8020 ext. 5 or email questions@comptia.org.
■
Connect with CompTIA :
■
Join the IT Pro Community - visit itpro.comptia.org to join the IT community to get
relevant career information.
.
Page xiv
Study Notes
PC and Laptop Hardware
Module 1 /
PC and Laptop Hardware
Delivery Tips
A+ Certification Essentials Domain Areas
1.0 Hardware
2.0 Troubleshooting, Repair, and Maintenance
3.0 Operating System and Software
4.0 Networking
5.0 Security
6.0 Operational Procedure
Domain Objectives / Examples
This unit does not cover any specific CompTIA
A+ objectives or content examples.
1.2 Explain motherboard components, types
and features
Form Factor (ATX / BTX, micro ATX, NLX) •
Memory slots (RIMM, DIMM, SODIMM, SIMM) •
Processor sockets • Bus architecture • Bus slots
(PCI, AGP, PCIe, AMR, CNR) • Chipsets • BIOS /
CMOS / Firmware (POST, CMOS battery) • Riser
card / daughterboard
1.3 Classify power supplies types and
characteristics
AC adapter • ATX proprietary • Voltage, wattage
and capacity • Voltage selector switch • Pins (20,
24)
1.5 Explain cooling methods and devices
Heat sinks • CPU and case fans • Liquid cooling
systems • Thermal compound
1.10 Install, configure and optimize laptop
components and features
Power and electrical input devices (Auto-switching,
Fixed input power supplies, Batteries)
1.3 1.4 Explain the purpose and characteristics of
Processors CPUs and their features
Identify CPU types (AMD, Intel) • HyperThreading •
Multi core (Dual core, Triple core, Quad core) • Onchip cache (L1, L2) • Speed (real vs. actual) • 32bit vs. 64-bit
1.4 Memory 1.6 Compare and contrast memory types,
characteristics and their purpose
Types (DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, DDR / DDR2 /
DDR3, RAMBUS) • Parity vs. Non-parity • ECC vs.
non-ECC • Single sided vs. double sided • Single
channel vs. dual channel • Speed (PC100, PC133,
PC2700, PC3200, DDR3-1600, DDR2-667)
Hardware accounts for 27%
of the exam. This module
covers most of the content
for domain 1 (printers are
covered later).
Make sure students know
the functions of the main
components of the PC and
about the main technologies
and standards. When
preparing for the exam they
should make sure to learn
facts such as data transfer
rates, cable lengths, pin
numbers, and so on.
Unfortunately the first day is
light on practical labs as
there is a lot of theory
material to get through but
try to keep things interesting
with exhibits to hand out...
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Unit
1.1 Types of
Computer
1.2
Motherboards
% of
Examination
27%
20%
20%
15%
8%
10%
No part of these notes may be reproduced in any form, electronic or printed, without the written permission
of a director of gtslearning International Limited. If you suspect that these notes have been unlawfully copied,
please telephone +44 (0)207 887 7999 or email support@gtslearning.com
Page 1
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
Module 1 / Unit 5
Storage Devices
Objectives
On completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Theory & Review Questions
- 45 minutes
■
Describe the capabilities and uses of floppy drives,
CD/DVD/Blu-ray drives, flash memory, and tape drives.
Storage Devices
System memory provides a fast storage medium for the operating
system and applications but is volatile, meaning that data cannot
be stored without a power supply. Non-volatile storage devices (or
mass storage devices) hold data when the system is powered off.
Removable mass storage devices allow data to be archived from
the PC and transferred between PCs.
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Labs - 30 minutes
Describe the capabilities of PATA, SATA, SCSI, and RAID.
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Timings
■
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There's quite a lot of detail
that the students need to
learn here but try to keep
the lesson focused on
knowing the different
technologies and when and
how they are or were used.
Understand how a hard disk drive works and identify the factors
that impact performance.
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Delivery Tips
■
Storage devices use either magnetic or optical technology to store
data. Capacities of storage devices range from 1.44 MB for a
standard 3.5" floppy disk to multiple Gigabytes for tape storage.
gtsgo.to/p8imk
The main storage device in a computer is one or more fixed hard
drives. Other storage devices (such as a floppy drive, CD or DVD
drive, or a tape drive) are used to transfer information to and from
the computer. These are referred to as removable storage, as the
disk media can be removed from the drive.
At least some storage devices are fitted as internal components. In
the case of removable storage devices, the drive is positioned at
the front of the case so that media can be inserted and removed.
Hard drives do not need user access and so do not need to be
positioned near a faceplate.
External storage devices are increasingly popular for backup and
data transfer as they offer more capacity than traditional removable
storage disks. A device such as an external hard drive would
typically be connected to the computer via a USB or Firewire port.
Page 80
No part of these notes may be reproduced in any form, electronic or printed, without the written permission
of a director of gtslearning International Limited. If you suspect that these notes have been unlawfully copied,
please telephone +44 (0)207 887 7999 or email support@gtslearning.com
Study Notes
Storage Devices
Hard Drives
Even with the advances in the speed and capacity of other types of
storage technology, the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) still remains the
primary method of persistent storage for PC data. On a workstation
PC, the hard disk drive will store the operating system files,
application program files, system software files (such as drivers)
and user data. On a server PC, the hard disks will store individual
user files and shared sources of information, such as databases.
The original hard disk drives stored as little as 10 MB - the same as
about 7 floppy disks - but advances in hard disk technology have
enabled disks of over 1 terabyte (1000 GB) to be created - the
same as about 600,000 floppy disks!
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Hard Disk Construction
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Data is stored on a number of metal or glass platters coated with a
magnetic substance. The top and bottom of each platter is
accessed by its own read/write head, moved by an actuator
mechanism.
Sa
2
3
4
HDD with drive circuitry and casing removed showing
1) Platters; 2) Spindle; 3) Read/write heads; 4) Actuator
The heads do not actually touch the surface of the platters. The
platters are mounted on a spindle and spun at high speed and the
heads "float" above them at a distance of less than a millionth of an
inch.
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CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
The disk unit is kept sealed to maintain a constant air pressure
(important for keeping the drive heads at the correct distance from
the platters31) and to prevent the entry of dust.
Stack of platters on spindle
Each side of each platter is
divided into circular tracks
and each track contains a
number of sectors, each
with a capacity of 512
bytes. The collection of
tracks in the same place on
each platter is called a
cylinder. This low-level
formatting is also referred
to as the drive geometry.
e
There are two main formats for HDDs: 3.5" units are the
mainstream type used in PCs; 2.5" form factors are used for
laptops and as portable external drives.
pl
Hard Disk Performance
m
The performance of a hard disk is a measure of how fast it can
read and write data. There are a number of factors that determine
overall hard disk performance.
Sa
One factor is the speed at which the disks can spin (measured in
Revolutions Per Minute [rpm]). The higher the rpm, the faster the
drive is. High performance drives can reach over 15,000 rpm;
average performance is typically 5400 or 7200 rpm.
RPM is one factor determining access time (measured in
milliseconds), which is the delay that occurs as the read/write head
locates a particular position on the drive. A high performance drive
will have an access time below 4 ms; a typical drive might have an
access time of around 9 ms.
The internal transfer rate (or data or disk transfer rate) of a drive
is a measure of how fast read/write operations are performed on
the disk platters. The external transfer rate (often simply
described as the transfer rate) measures how fast data can be
transferred to the CPU across the bus. The amount of cache
memory can help to sustain better transfer rates. A high
performance disk may feature a 4 MB or better cache.
31
A head touching a platter is called a head crash. This can damage the platter or the
head.
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Study Notes
Storage Devices
Generally the burst transfer rate is quoted. This is the
maximum possible transfer rate under ideal conditions
and cannot be sustained over a long period.
Some HDDs are now being fitted with a substantial cache
of flash memory (see below) to improve performance.
These are referred to as hybrid drives.
The other crucial factor that impacts HDD performance is reliability.
Reliability is rated by various statistics, including Early-life Failure
Rate, Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), which is the number
of hours that a device should operate (under optimum conditions)
before a critical incident can be expected, and life expectancy,
which is the duration for which the device can be expected to
remain reliable.
pl
e
All drives now feature Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting
Technology (SMART) to pass status information and alerts back
to monitoring software. This can provide advance warning that a
drive is about to fail.
m
Some of the major hard drive vendors include Seagate, Western
Digital, Maxtor, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Toshiba, and Samsung.
Sa
Drive Controllers
Drive controllers provide a connection point for internal mass
storage devices, such as hard drives, CD/DVD drives, and tape
drives. The interface between the drive, controller, and the rest of
the system is a type of bus. There are three main bus standards for
attaching internal storage devices to a PC: EIDE/PATA, SATA, and
SCSI.
Parallel ATA (PATA)
The Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA)
interface was the principal interface for desktop PCs for many
years32.
gtsgo.to/7lrl4
32
The interface was (and still is) also referred to as IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)
or EIDE (Extended IDE).
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CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
PCs supporting PATA may come
with two drive controllers (IDE1
and IDE2, or primary [PRI IDE]
and secondary [SEC IDE]) though
a single controller is now more
typical if the motherboard also
supports SATA.
IDE connectors on the motherboard note the labels printed to the right of
the connectors
Each PATA controller supports two devices (master and slave).
A PATA drive features a 40-pin port. Shielded cables have 80 wires
and are required for UDMA4 or better transfer modes (see below).
PATA cable is supposed to be up to 45 cm (18") long.
e
Each PATA cable typically has three connectors, one for the
motherboard and one for each device. Most new cables are "Cable
Select", allowing the master and slave device to be identified by the
use of a color-coded connector (rather than setting jumpers on the
device itself).
pl
3
m
4
Sa
2
1
Cable Select PATA cable with 1) Motherboard (blue); 2) Master (black); and 3) Slave
(gray) connectors plus 4) Red stripe indicating pin 1
Pin 1 on the cable must be oriented with pin 1 on the connector. On
the cable, pin 1 is identified with a red stripe. The connectors are
also keyed to prevent them from being inserted the wrong way
around.
PATA has supported a number of standards over the years. The
following table lists non-obsolete ATA standards33:
33
ATAPI stands for ATA Packet Interface and is an extension to ATA to support
CD/DVD drives and tape drives.
Page 84
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Study Notes
Storage Devices
Interface
Standard
DMA Mode
34
Maximum
Transfer
Rate
Special Features
ATA/ATAPI-4
UDMA 0, 1, 2
(UDMA-33)
33 MBps
ATA/ATAPI-5
UDMA 3, 4
(UDMA-66)
66 MBps
ATA/ATAPI-6
UDMA 5
(UDMA-100)
100 MBps
48-bit LBA
expansion35 and disk
noise reduction
ATA/ATAPI-7
UDMA 6
(UDMA-133)
133 MBps
Multimedia
streaming
Ultra DMA, 80
conductor cable, and
Cyclic Redundancy
Checking
e
Serial ATA
Sa
m
pl
Serial ATA (SATA) was developed to address the limitations of
PATA. It is now the most popular means of attaching internal hard
drives, though other types of device (such as DVD drives or tape
drives) are not so well-established, meaning that most
motherboards retain at least one PATA controller.
4 SATA motherboard connectors in front of an IDE connector on an Intel motherboard
As the name suggests, SATA transfers data in serial format. This
allows for thinner, longer, more flexible cables (up to 1m [39"]) with
smaller, 7-pin connectors. Each controller supports a single device.
SATA cable for HP workstations
34
DMA (Direct Memory Access) mode refers to the way that data is transferred to and
from system memory.
35
In the early days of the EIDE interface, BIOS versions severely restricted maximum
drive capacity. 32-bit driver software in the OS now handles drive addressing. Logical
Block Addressing (LBA) is a method of telling the drive how to address a particular
place on the disk surface. 48-bit LBA supports drives up to a (theoretical) 144
Petabytes. Windows 2000 must be patched to SP3 to use 48-bit addressing (otherwise
the maximum partition size is limited to 137 GB).
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CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
The first commercially available SATA standard supports speeds of
up to 1.5 Gbps. This standard was quickly augmented by SATA 3
Gbps and then SATA 6 Gbps.
Another key advantage of SATA over PATA is that SATA is a hot
swappable interface. This means that a compatible drive can be
connected or disconnected while the system is running.
There is also an eSATA standard for the attachment of external
drives, with a 2m (78") cable36.
More information on SATA standards can be obtained from
www.sata-io.org.
Laptop Hard Disk
e
Laptop hard drives are 2.5" form factor drives (compared to 3.5"
desktop versions). Consequently, the drives do not support the
huge capacities of desktops (40 - 120 GB are typical sizes). They
also tend to be slower (around 5000 rpm).
m
pl
Typically, the drive will
plug directly into a 44-pin
connector that provides
power and data transfer
rather than using cables.
Laptop hard disk drive with SATA interface
Sa
Newer drives and laptops support SATA connectors. There will only
be room for one internal hard disk. More capacity can be added by
connecting an external drive.
External Hard Disks
External hard disks have become very popular for backup,
additional storage, and as a means of transferring files. Some
external disks are designed for capacity (from 200 - 500 GB);
others are designed for portability.
External disks are typically packaged in a drive enclosure. The
drive enclosure provides USB or Firewire ports, though some
models support eSATA and some support network connections
(referred to as Network Attached Storage [NAS]). The enclosure
also provides for an external power supply, if the drive is too large
to be powered over USB, and the casing protects the drive from
damage.
36
The main drawback of eSATA compared to USB or Firewire external drives is that
power is not supplied over the cable. This is not so much of an issue for 3.5" drives,
which require a separate power supply anyway, but limits the usefulness of eSATA for
2.5" portable drives.
Page 86
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Study Notes
Storage Devices
SCSI Hard Disks
Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) has been in use as an
expansion bus since the 1980s. There have been many revisions to
the standard. While SCSI supports any type of internal or external
device (including scanners and printers), it is most commonly used
as a disk interface, particularly on server systems.
The main advantages of SCSI over PATA are higher transfer rates
and support for a larger number of devices per controller and
support for hot swappable devices. Like PATA, the older types of
SCSI are parallel interfaces. SCSI can be implemented via a host
adapter card connected to a PCI, PCI-X, or PCIe slot or as a host
adapter integrated onto the motherboard.
pl
e
Firewire is a type of serial SCSI. Serial Attached SCSI
(SAS) is also very popular in the sever market. It supports
over 16,000 devices, offers point-to-point links (as
opposed to shared bandwidth), has no termination issues,
and supports higher bandwidths (up to 3 Gbps).
m
SCSI connectors and configuration issues are covered in
more detail in Unit 1.6.
Sa
RAID
With RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks), many hard
disks can act as backups for each other to increase reliability and
fault tolerance or they can act together as one very large drive.
RAID can also be said to stand for "Redundant Array of
Inexpensive Disks" and the "D" can also stand for "devices".
The RAID advisory board defines RAID levels. The most common
levels are numbered from 0 to 6 where each level corresponds to a
specific type of fault tolerance. Only levels 0, 1, and 5 are of much
relevance at the desktop however.
RAID Level
gtsgo.to/qygdi
Make sure students
understand what is meant
by RAID0, RAID1, and
RAID5.
Fault Tolerance
Level 0
Striping without parity (no fault tolerance)
Level 1
Mirroring/duplexing
Level 5
Independent data disks with distributed parity
blocks (striping with parity)
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CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
RAID 0 (Striping Without Parity)
Disk striping is a technique where data is divided into 64K blocks
and spread in a fixed order among all the disks in the array.
Because it provides no redundancy, this method cannot be said to
be a true RAID implementation. If any disk in the set fails, all data
is lost. It is used to improve performance by spreading disk I/O over
multiple drives.
Data1
Data4
Data6
Data7
Data2
Data3
Data5
Data8
RAID 0 (striping) - data is spread across the array
pl
e
This strategy requires between 2 and 32 hard disks. It provides the
best performance when used with multiple disk controllers.
RAID 1 (Mirroring/Duplexing)
m
Mirroring requires an even number of hard disks and a single disk
controller. It takes place at the partition level and any partition,
including the boot/system partitions can be mirrored. Each write
operation is duplicated on the second disk in the set.
Sa
This strategy is the simplest way of protecting a single disk against
failure. If one disk fails, the other takes over. The failed disk can be
replaced (ideally, as quickly as possible).
Data1
Data1
RAID 1 (Mirroring) - data is written to both disks simultaneously
In terms of cost per megabyte, disk mirroring is more expensive
than other forms of fault tolerance because disk-space utilization is
only 50 percent. There can also be a loss in performance as each
write operation has to be performed twice.
However, disk mirroring usually has a lower entry cost because it
requires only two disks. Stripe sets with parity (RAID level 5)
require three or more.
Page 88
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Study Notes
Storage Devices
Duplexing is simply a mirrored pair with an additional disk
controller on the second drive. This reduces channel traffic and
potentially improves performance. Duplexing is intended to protect
against controller failures as well as media failures.
Data123
Data123
RAID 1 (Duplex mirror) - an extra controller provides redundancy
RAID 5 (Striping with parity)
pl
e
Striping with parity (RAID 5) is the most common strategy for
fault tolerant designs. It differs from other levels in that it writes
parity information across all the disks in the array. The data and
parity information are managed so that the two are always on
different disks. If a single disk fails, enough information is spread
across the remaining disks to allow the data to be completely
reconstructed.
Sa
m
Stripe sets with parity offer the best performance for read
operations. However, when a disk has failed, the read performance
is degraded by the need to recover the data using the parity
information. Also, all normal write operations require three times as
much memory due to the parity calculation.
Data1
Data3
Parity5-6
Data7
Data2
Parity3-4
Data5
Data8
Parity1-2
Data4
Data6
Parity7-8
RAID 5 (Striping with Parity)
Striping with parity requires a minimum of three drives.
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CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
Floppy Drives
A floppy disk (or "diskette") is a plastic disk coated with a magnetic
substance. The surface of the disk is low-level formatted with
circular tracks and each track contains a number of 512-byte
sectors. Data is stored on the magnetized disk surface using an
encoding scheme called Modified Frequency Modulation. The
disc is enclosed in a rigid plastic case (for protection) with a metal
shutter (so that the drive can access the disk contents). Disks also
feature a write protect tab (when the tab is open, the disk contents
cannot be changed).
1
2
e
4
pl
3
Floppy disk with 1) Shutter; 2) Spindle; 3) Write protect tab; 4) HD tab
Sa
m
The only type of floppy disk in any sort of use is the 3.5" HD (High
Density) double-sided disk, with a maximum storage capacity of
"1.44 MB" (that is, it has 80 tracks each with 18 sectors of 512
bytes on both sides of the disk37). Floppy disks support a transfer
rate of 62.5 KBps.
Diskettes are read and written via a Floppy Disk Drive (FDD). A
drive consists of a spindle motor to spin the disk, read/write heads
(moved by a head actuator) to access the disk and read and write
data, connectors for power and data transfer, and a disk eject
mechanism. The FDD is connected to the PC's FDD controller on
the motherboard using a 34-pin cable.
1
34-pin FDD connector (below two 40-pin IDE connectors) and FDD cable
37
There are also Double Density (720 KB) and Extra HD (2.88 MB) formats plus 5.25"
formats, but these are obsolete. The capacity is always referred to as 1.44 MB but this
is actually a mistake derived from combining binary and decimal measurements
(assuming the sector size is 500 bytes (0.5 KB) rather than 512 bytes). The actual
capacity is 1.47 MB or 1.41 MiB (binary "mibibytes"), with the latter value being
reported by software such as Windows, which uses the binary measurements.
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Study Notes
Storage Devices
Many new PCs and almost all laptops are no longer shipped with
FDDs, though external units are available. With their limited storage
capacity, floppy disks are used almost exclusively for
troubleshooting.
Optical Disc Storage
CDs (Compact Disc) and DVDs (Digital Video or Versatile Disc,
depending on who you believe) are mainstream storage formats for
consumer multimedia, such as music and video. Both formats have
also been adapted for data storage with PC systems. The CD /
DVD drives used with PCs can also play consumer versions of the
discs38.
m
CD Construction
pl
e
The data version of the CD (CD-ROM) became ubiquitous on PC
systems as it has sufficient capacity (700 MB39) to deliver most
software applications. DVD is an improvement on CD technology
and delivers substantially more capacity (up to about 17 GB). DVDs
are used for some software installs (Windows Vista/7 for instance)
and for games and multimedia.
Students should learn the
different capacities and
formats of optical disc for
the exam.
Sa
A CD is a layer of aluminum foil encased in protective plastic, which
can also incorporate a label or screen-printed image on the nonplaying side. The foil layer contains a series of pits and spaces inbetween (called lands) arranged in a spiral. The changes between
pits and lands are used to encode each bit. A standard CD is 120
mm in diameter40 and 1.2 mm thick.
Recordable CDs
A recordable version of the CD (CD-R) was developed in 1999.
Rather than a premastered layer of foil with pits and lands, CD-Rs
feature a layer of photosensitive dye. A special laser is used to
transform the dye, mimicking the pits and lands of a normal CD, in
a process called burning. Most ordinary CD players and drives can
read CD-Rs but they may not playback properly on older
equipment.
38
Some commercial discs have been produced with copy protection systems, making
them unplayable in PC drives.
39
Audio CDs can store up to 80 minutes of music (assuming 16-bit stereo encoded at
44.1 KHz). Originally, CDs could only store 650 MB (74 minutes) but improved
manufacturing techniques have increased that to 700 MB.
40
There are also 80mm discs, playable in most CD-ROM drives.
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CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
CD-R is a type of Write Once Read Many (WORM) media. Data
areas once written cannot be overwritten41. However, a rewritable (or
multisession) disc format (CD-RW) has also been developed. This
uses a heat sensitive compound whose properties can be changed
between crystalline and amorphous by a special laser. There is some
concern over the longevity of recordable CD (and DVD) media.
Cheaply manufactured discs have shown a tendency to degrade and
become unusable (sometimes over the space of just a few years).
CD Standards
Standards for the different types of CDs are published by Phillips
and Sony as differently colored books.
Standard
CD Type
Audio CDs (16-bit sampled at 44.4Hz).
Yellow book
Data CDs (Mode 1) and compressed audio CDs
(Mode 2, which defines 5 stages of compression).
Orange book
Defined the unused CD-MO and the more popular
CD-R and CD-RW.
Phillips' CD-I(nteractive) product.
Video CD.
m
White book
pl
Green book
e
Red book
CD Drives
Sa
A CD drive consists of a spindle motor (to spin the disc), a laser
and lens (to read the disc), and a tracking system to move the
laser and lens assembly. The mechanism for inserting a CD is
either tray or slot based42. A drive may feature audio play and
volume controls and a headphone jack. The drives are
considerably larger than hard disks (5.25" form factor).
Drives also feature a small hole that accesses a disc eject
mechanism (insert a paper clip to activate the
mechanism). This is useful if the standard eject button will
not work or if the drive does not have power.
CD drives are rated according to their data transfer speed. The
original drives had a data transfer rate of 150 KBps. Subsequently,
drives have been available that offer multiples of the original rate;
this would be around 52x for new models, offering transfer rates in
excess of 7 MBps.
41
If there is space, a new session can be started on the disc. However, this makes the
disc unreadable in ordinary CD-ROM drives.
42
Slot-loading mechanisms have rollers that grab the disc. Sometimes, these cannot
handle non-standard disc sizes.
Page 92
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Study Notes
Storage Devices
Many CD drives also function as recordable / rewritable CD burners
(or writers). Such drives feature three speeds, always expressed as
the Read/Record/Rewrite speed (for example, 52X/24X/16X). One
feature to look out for on such drives is BURN-proof technology,
which prevents discs being ruined by buffer under-run errors (where
the software cannot supply the drive the data to write quickly enough).
Digital Versatile Discs (DVD)
DVD is similar to CD but with a different encoding method, higher
density discs, and a shorter wavelength laser. DVD discs are also
thinner and can be dual-layer and / or double-sided (a DVD is two
0.6 mm discs sandwiched together). The different permutations
result in these storage capacities:
Standard
Capacity
Description
4.7 GB
Single layer / Single sided
DVD-9
8.5 GB
Dual layer / Single sided
DVD-10
9.4 GB
Single layer / Double sided43
DVD-18
17.1 GB
Dual layer / Double sided
pl
e
DVD-5
Format for high quality audio
(superior sampling rates and 5.1
surround sound for instance)
Sa
DVD-Audio 8.5 GB
m
DVD-Video Up to 17.1 GB Commercially produced DVDs
using mpeg encoding and
chapters for navigation (can be
single or dual layer and single or
double sided)
DVDs also feature a higher transfer rate, with multiples of 1.38
MBps (equivalent to 9X CD speed). The fastest models feature 16X
read speeds.
Like CD, there are recordable and rewritable versions of DVD,
some of which support dual layer recording. There are two slightly
different standards for recordable and rewritable DVDs, referred to
as DVD-R / DVD-RW versus DVD+R / DVD+RW44. Most drives can
read all formats but write in either + or - format. Many consumer
DVD players can play DVD±R discs.
Consumer DVDs feature copy protection mechanisms (Digital
Rights Management) and region coding. Region coding, if
enforced, means that a disc can only be used on a player from the
same region.
43
Double-sided discs need to be turned over to play or record to the second side.
An additional format – Panasonic's DVD-RAM – is not widely supported by computer DVD
drives but is optimized for multiple write operations and so well suited to data storage.
44
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CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
The following codes are used:
■
Region 0 - no coding (that is, playback is unrestricted).
■
Region 1 - Canada and the US.
■
Region 2 - EMEA and Japan.
■
Region 3 - SE Asia.
■
Region 4 - South America, Australia, and New Zealand.
■
Region 5 - Russia, Africa, and parts of Asia.
■
Region 6 - China.
pl
Blu-ray Discs
e
Some DVD players are multi-region but some discs feature
protection mechanisms to disable playback in such machines. PC
software is not usually region coded, with the exception of some
PC game discs.
m
Blu-ray Discs (BD) have emerged as the next generation format
for distributing consumer multimedia and are also likely to be used
to distribute high-bandwidth applications, such as video games45.
Sa
Blu-ray is principally required to cope with the demands of High
Definition video recording and playback. HD requires much more
bandwidth and storage space because it uses a much higher
resolution picture (1920x1080 compared to 720x480 [NTSC] or
720x576 [PAL]) and better quality audio (digital surround sound).
Video and audio terminology and formats are covered in
more detail in Unit 1.7.
A Blu-ray Disc works on fundamentally the same principle as DVD
but with a shorter wavelength laser (a 405nm blue laser compared
to DVD's 650nm red laser). This means discs can be much higher
density; though the cost of components to make the drives is
considerably higher.
A standard BD has a capacity of 25 GB per layer; mini-discs (8cm)
can store 7.8 GB per layer. Currently, only dual-layer discs are
standard though quad-layer 100 GB discs have been demoed.
There are currently no double-sided formats.
45
Page 94
Its competitor, High Definition DVD (HD DVD), was discontinued in 2008.
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Study Notes
Storage Devices
The base speed for Blu-ray is 36 MBps and the maximum
theoretical rate is 12x (432 MBps). At the time of writing, most
drives are 2x or 4x; 2x is the minimum required for movie playback.
Generally speaking, BD players are also capable of CD and DVD
playback. Recordable (BD-R) and re-recordable (BD-RE) drives
and discs are also available. BD-R is often available at the same
speed as playback while BD-RE is usually half playback speed.
HP Blu-ray / DVD / CD drive
e
Like DVDs, consumer Blu-ray Discs (BD-ROMs) are likely to be
DRM-protected and may be region coded:
Region A - America, Japan, and SE Asia.
■
Region B - EMEA, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
■
Region C - Russia and Central Asia (including China).
m
pl
■
Laptop Removable Drives
Sa
Different types of CD and DVD drives (including writable drives) or
a floppy drive can be supplied as an integrated device within the
laptop chassis or as an optional component. Most laptops have a
Media Bay. This is a housing for a standard drive (such as a CDROM or DVD-R) that can be swapped with other components, such
as a hard disk, floppy disk, or an additional power pack.
Swappable drive bay on a Compaq Presario
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Page 95
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
Flash Memory
Solid state storage uses a type of non-volatile Electrically
Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)
technology called flash memory. Flash memory is non-volatile
because it does not need a power source to retain information.
Compared to other types of storage, flash memory is very small
and light. Mass manufacturing has seen prices fall to very
affordable levels. Storage capacity ranges from 512 MB to 256 GB.
There are many ways of packaging flash memory. One of the most
popular is the USB drive (or "thumb" drive). This type of drive
simply plugs into any spare USB port. Another popular type of
packaging is the memory card, used extensively in consumer
digital imaging products, such as digital still and video cameras.
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Hybrid drives are likely to be
commonplace in the next
few years.
Flash Memory Devices
There are several proprietary types of memory card. Some popular
examples include CompactFlash (CF), Secure Digital (SD), and
Sony Memory Stick. The largest cards have up to 64 GB capacity.
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Flash memory is taking over
most of the applications of
older removable storage
technologies. Some of the
offline music stores are
even selling singles on flash
memory sticks rather than
CD.
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Many PCs are fitted with Memory Card Readers with 2 or 3 slots
that between them will accommodate most of the sticks on the
market.
Memory card reader on an HP Pavilion PC
Another use for flash memory is as the main
storage for electronics devices such as PDAs,
cellphones, mp3 players, handheld games
consoles, and so on.
HP USB flash
drive
Data transfer rates vary quite widely between different devices,
which are rated on the same system as CDs, using multiples of 150
KBps, with the fastest devices working at up to 200x read speeds
(or 38 MBps; the write speed is typically about two-thirds of the
read speed).
Page 96
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Study Notes
Storage Devices
Solid State Drives
Flash memory is also being incorporated onto a new generation of
Solid State Drives (SSD) designed to replicate or supplement the
function of the hard drive.
The advantages of flash memory-based SSDs are that the lack of
moving parts make them quieter, more power efficient, and less
prone to catastrophic failure. Read times are better because seek
time and consequently the effect of file fragmentation is eliminated.
They are also less susceptible to data loss in the event of power
failure46.
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The main disadvantage is the high cost; a 64 GB SSD costs a bit
more than a 2 TB HDD (a 1 TB SSD can cost the same as a topend server). SSDs can also perform worse than HDDs when writing
data and when serving large (GB) files. Flash chips are also
susceptible to their own type of degradation over the course of
many write operations, so the operating system must use wear
leveling routines to optimize the usable life of the device47.
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SSDs are available as either standalone units or hybrid drives. In a
hybrid drive, the SSD portion functions as a large cache, containing
data that is accessed frequently. The magnetic disc is only spun up
when non-cached data is accessed. This reduces power
consumption but can degrade performance.
HP SSD with SATA interface
46
Most drives still feature DRAM-based write cache to improve performance. In the
event of a power failure, unwritten cache would be lost. However, the DRAM cache
may be backed up by a battery to cover this eventuality.
47
Windows Vista supports booting from flash memory USB, SSDs, or hybrid drives
(ReadyDrive) but doesn't support wear leveling. This feature was introduced with Windows
7.
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Page 97
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
Tape Drives
Magnetic tape drives provide a low cost per byte method of
creating system backups. They may be internal or external units,
supplied with ATA/EIDE, SCSI, USB, or Firewire interfaces. Some
of the more popular formats are summarized below48:
Quarter-Inch Cartridge (QIC) - this is the oldest tape drive
format still in use. Tapes can store up to 4 GB49.
■
Travan - the Travan backup format (now owned by Imation) is a
development of the QIC system. Tapes can store up to 10 GB
uncompressed data.
■
Digital Audio Tape - this uses a digital format with two magnetic
heads: one to read and one to write. DAT backup systems
conform to a standard called Digital Data Storage (DDS) and
support up to 36 GB uncompressed capacity.
■
8 mm Tape Systems - offers high-capacity (up to 200 GB) data
storage in a cartridge that appears identical to 8 mm (1/4")
video tapes, although it uses a much higher quality magnetic
media. The 8 mm standard is mainly being developed by the
Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT) forum, sponsored notably by
Sony.
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■
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Sony AIT-3 drive and tape cartridge
Digital (DLT) - This tape technology was developed for highspeed, LAN-based backup systems. DLT is a popular format for
mini-computers and large servers and is much faster than other
tape backup formats.
DLT was originally developed by DEC but the standard is now
maintained by Quantum, Fujitsu, Hitachi, and Imation. The
standard has VS (Value Series) and Super-DLT variants, with
capacity up to 300 GB. Another DLT format, Linear Tape-Open
(LTO), was set up by HP and IBM. LTO-based products go
under the brand name Ultrium. Tapes have up to 400 GB
uncompressed capacity.
48
Compression increases tape capacity but also makes backup jobs slower to
complete.
49
All tape types have a range of standards associated with them. Typically, a tape
drive will be incompatible with later standards. In some cases, a drive may also not be
compatible with earlier standards (or may have read-only compatibility).
Page 98
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Study Notes
Storage Devices
Review Questions / Module 1 / Unit 5 / Storage Devices
Answer the following questions. The correct answers are in the
accompanying "Labs and References" manual.
1) True or false? The read/write heads on a hard disk require
regular cleaning to obtain optimum performance from a hard
disk.
False - the heads are located within a sealed unit and
microscopic in size.
2) What basic factor might you look at in selecting a highperformance drive.
RPM - the speed at which it spins.
Run lab 2 after completing
the review questions with
the students.
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3) What is a SMART hard disk?
One with Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting
Technology. This means that it can provide status reports
to diagnostic software.
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4) At what UDMA mode is a shielded cable required?
UDMA-4 / UDMA-66 and above.
5) True or false? SATA is an interface for hard drives only.
False.
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6) Apart from speed, what are the advantages of SATA over
PATA?
Hot swappable drives, longer, more compact cabling, and
simpler configuration.
7) What component do you need to install a SCSI hard drive?
A SCSI host adapter.
8) If you have a computer with three hard disks, what type of RAID
fault-tolerant configuration will make best use of them?
RAID 5 (striping with parity); RAID 0 is not fault-tolerant
and RAID 1 requires an even number of disks.
9) If a CD writer is 12x8x32x, what is the maximum transfer rate
when creating a CD-R?
About 1.7 MBps (1800 KBps).
10) True or false? DVD-RW media allows double-layer recording.
False - only DVD, DVD-R, or DVD+R media can be double
layer.
11) What is the transfer rate of a 10x DVD drive?
13.2 MBps.
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Page 99
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Module 1 / Unit 5
12) What is the most capacity that you could obtain from a single
Blu-ray recordable disc?
50 GB (dual-layer; 25 GB per layer).
13) What distinguishes a hard drive designed for a laptop and one
designed for a PC?
Laptop drives are 2.5" rather than 3.5". They also tend to
be slower and lower capacity.
14) What is the function of a media bay?
A slot into which different types of drive or replacement
battery pack can be inserted.
15) True or false? A memory card reader is required to attach a
USB flash memory drive to a PC.
False - the "drive" will plug into any USB port.
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16) What type of tape system offers the best capacity and
performance?
Digital Linear Tape (DLT).
Page 100
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Study Notes
Index
Index
Where a term or phrase is abbreviated, the abbreviation is the form listed in the index.
Note that index references are made to the nearest main heading for the topic in which
the term appears.
1
10Base Standards ... 330,
332, 333
2
2.5'' Hard Drive ........... 86
3
6
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32-bit CPU .................. 55
3DNow! ....................... 54
3G ............................. 352
64-bit........................... 55
File associations ............238
Installation ......................215
Troubleshooting .............411
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8 mm Tape.................. 98
802.11i ...................... 337
802.1X ...................... 338
A
AC Adapter ................. 43
Access Control .. 462, 478
Access Time ............... 82
Accountability ............ 492
ACPI ......................... 210
ACR ............................ 31
Action Center ............ 409
Activation .................. 261
Active Listening ......... 484
Adapter Card .............. 27
Add Hardware Wizard203
Add/Remove Programs
................................. 215
Auto-switching Power
Supply......................... 43
B
Back Side Bus ............ 23
Backdoor .................. 475
Backlight ................... 407
Backup...................... 450
Restoring data ............... 455
System........................... 289
Tape Rotation ........ 453, 454
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.NET ......................... 159
Address Bus ......... 22, 57
Addressing 298, 312, 322
Administrative Tools.. 192
ADSL ........................ 349
Advanced Startup
Options ..................... 287
Adware ..................... 475
Aero .......................... 176
AGP ............................ 31
Alerts ........................ 403
Algorithm .................. 463
Allocation Unit ........... 227
AMD...................... 50, 63
AMR............................ 31
Answer Files ............. 275
API .................... 157, 322
APIPA ....................... 313
Application
Bandwidth ................. 297
Bank ........................... 76
Barcode Reader........ 112
Battery ........ 43, 404, 456
BCD .......................... 285
Binary ................... 14, 15
Biometric Device 113, 472
BIOS ........... 25, 286, 448
BIOS Security ........... 466
Bit ............................... 14
Bit Depth ................... 136
Blackberry ................... 12
Blackout .................... 441
Blanking Plate ............... 8
Bluescreen ................ 408
Bluetooth .......... 121, 340
Blu-ray ........................ 94
Body Language......... 487
Boot Disk .......... 255, 288
Boot Files .................. 281
Boot Process ............ 278
BOOT.INI .......... 279, 282
BOOTSECT.DOS ..... 279
Brightness ................. 135
Bristle Brush ............. 430
Broadband ................ 349
BTX ............................ 37
Buffered Memory ........ 78
Bus ............................. 27
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.
Application Compatibility
......................... 218, 220
ARC .......................... 283
Archive Attribute ....... 452
ARP .......................... 309
Aspect Ratio ............. 131
Asymmetric Encryption
................................. 464
ATA.................See PATA
Athlon 64 .................... 63
Atom ........................... 68
Attributes .................. 234
ATX............................. 35
ATX12V ...................... 41
Audio ........................ 142
Auditing ..................... 473
Authentication ........... 470
Automatic Updates.... 446
Autorestart ................ 408
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Page 503
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Index
Cable ........................ 330
Firewire.......................... 108
Network ......................... 330
Parallel port ................... 103
PATA ............................... 83
SATA ............................... 85
USB ............................... 105
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Cable Internet Access350
Cable Management ... 425
Cache ......................... 57
Cache Memory............ 24
Capacitor .............. 17, 71
Capture Card ............ 145
CardBus .................... 117
Case ............................. 6
Case Fan .................... 45
Cat5e ........................ 330
CD / CD-R / CD-RW.... 91
CDFS ........................ 227
CDMA2000 EV-DO ... 352
Cell Phone .................. 12
Cellular Internet Access
................................. 352
Centronics................. 103
Certificate Authority ... 464
Chemicals ......... 430, 457
Chipset ................. 23, 56
CHKDSK ................... 434
Cipher ....................... 463
Classful Subnet ......... 310
Classification of
Information ................ 478
Cleaning.... 380, 430, 431
CLEANMGR ............. 436
Client ........................ 298
Clock Multiplier............ 22
Clock Speed ............... 58
Cluster ...................... 227
CMD ......................... 190
CMOS ................. 25, 286
CMOS Battery ............. 26
CNR ............................ 31
Coaxial Cable ........... 332
Page 504
Defragmenter ............ 435
Degauss ................... 135
DEP ............................ 60
Deployment............... 273
Desktop .....164, 171, 176
Desktop Case ............... 6
Device....................... 158
Configuring .................... 204
Installing ........................ 203
Removing ...................... 207
Troubleshooting ..... 404, 410
Device Manager ........ 203
Devices and Printers . 209
DHCP ............... 313, 339
Dial-up Networking.... 349
Differential Backup .... 452
Digital Camera .......... 146
Digital Certificate464, 471
Digital Video Recorder
................................. 145
DIMM .......................... 71
Diode .......................... 17
Direct Connect
Architecture................. 57
Directory Structures .. 230
DirectX .............. 139, 194
Disk Boot Order ........ 286
Disk Cleanup ............ 436
Disk Management .... 226,
256
DISKPART ................ 226
Display .......128, 136, 407
Disposal .................... 456
Disposal Policy ......... 479
Distractions ............... 493
DLL ........................... 215
DLP .......................... 130
DLT ............................. 98
DNS .................. 312, 325
Docking Station......... 119
DOCSIS .................... 350
Documentation. 390, 398,
399, 488
Domain ............. 199, 258
Domain Controller ..... 258
Domain Name ........... 325
DOS .......................... 163
Dot Matrix ................. 368
Double-sided Memory . 76
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C
Coin Cell Battery ......... 26
Color Depth............... 136
COM ......................... 159
Command Prompt ..... 190
Commit Charge ......... 195
Communication ......... 484
Communications Devices
................................. 120
Complaints ................ 495
Compliance ............... 461
Component Connections
................................. 133
Composite Video....... 133
Compressed Air Can. 430
Compression............. 228
Compromise ............. 492
Computer Management
................................. 192
Computer Name ....... 199
Conductor ................... 17
Confidentiality ........... 493
Contrast .................... 135
Contrast Ratio ........... 131
Control Panel ............ 187
Core 2 ................... 62, 68
Core iX........................ 62
CPU .............. 50, 52, 195
CPU Fan ..................... 45
CPU Manufacturing..... 52
CRT .......................... 128
Cultural Sensitivity .... 493
Current........................ 17
Customer Service .... 483,
495
Cylinder ...................... 81
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Bus Architecture.......... 22
Bus Mastering ............. 29
Byte ............................ 14
D
DAT ............................ 98
Data Bus ..................... 22
Data Protection ......... 461
Data Security ............ 478
Data Storage............... 80
Daughter Board .......... 36
DB25......................... 103
DB9........................... 103
DDR / DDR2 / DDR3 ... 73
DDS ............................ 98
Default Gateway ....... 312
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CompTIA A+ Certification Practical
Application Support Skills
(2009 Objectives with Windows 7)
Instructor Edition
Labs and References
G180Teng ver091
Acknowledgements
Course Developer .................................................................... gtslearning
Editor ............................................................................... James Pengelly
This courseware is owned, published, and distributed by gtslearning, the
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Information in this course is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples
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herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted.
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Labs and References
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam Objectives
1
Domain 1.0 Hardware........................................................................................................ 1
Domain 2.0 Troubleshooting, Repair & Maintenance ......................................................... 3
Domain 3.0 Operating System and Software ..................................................................... 4
Domain 4.0 Networking ..................................................................................................... 5
Domain 5.0 Security .......................................................................................................... 5
Domain 6.0 Operational Procedure ................................................................................... 6
Exam Tips
7
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Registering for the Test ..................................................................................................... 7
Taking the Test.................................................................................................................. 7
After the Test ..................................................................................................................... 8
Retaking the Test .............................................................................................................. 8
9
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Answers to Review Questions
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Labs
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Module 1 / PC and Laptop Hardware ............................................................................... 75
Module 2 / Operating Systems ........................................................................................ 83
Module 3 / Networking and Printing ................................................................................. 89
Module 4 / PC Support .................................................................................................... 93
Glossary
98
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CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Table of Contents
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Page iv
Labs and References
CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam Objectives
CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam
Objectives
The material in this course will help you to learn and practice the
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Examination Objectives
(Exam Code: 220-701 / Release Date: September 2010 [Version
2.0]).
It is CompTIA's policy to update the exam regularly with
new test items to deter fraud. The exam objectives may
therefore describe the current "Edition" of the exam with a
date different to that of the objectives. Please note that
this training material remains valid for the specified exam
code, regardless of the exam edition.
Students should use these
tables to help to revise for
the exam.
Stress that the training
material remains current for
the stated exam code,
regardless of the date or
edition appearing on the
exam.
% of
Examination
27%
20%
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A+ Certification Essentials Domain Areas
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The following tables list where the domain objectives of the
Essentials exam is covered in this course.
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1.0 Hardware
2.0 Troubleshooting, Repair, and
Maintenance
3.0 Operating System and Software
4.0 Networking
5.0 Security
6.0 Operational Procedure
20%
15%
8%
10%
Domain 1.0 Hardware
Domain Objectives / Examples
1.1 Categorize storage devices and backup media
FDD • HDD (Solid state vs. magnetic) • Optical drives (CD
/ DVD / RW / Blu-Ray) • Removable storage (Tape drive,
Solid state [e.g. thumb drive, flash, SD cards, USB],
External CD-RW and hard drive, Hot swappable devices
and non-hot swappable devices)
1.2 Explain motherboard components, types and
features
Form Factor (ATX / BTX, micro ATX, NLX) • Memory
slots (RIMM, DIMM, SODIMM, SIMM) • Processor
sockets • Bus architecture • Bus slots (PCI, AGP, PCIe,
AMR, CNR) • Chipsets • BIOS / CMOS / Firmware
(POST, CMOS battery) • Riser card / daughterboard
PATA (IDE, EIDE) • SATA, eSATA • Contrast RAID
(levels 0, 1, 5)
I/O interfaces (Sound, Video, USB 1.1 and 2.0, Serial,
IEEE 1394 / Firewire, Parallel, NIC, Modem, PS/2) • Bus
slots (PCMCIA)
Unit
1.5 Storage
Devices
1.2
Motherboards
1.5 Storage
Devices
1.6 Input and
Peripheral
Devices
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Page 1
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam Objectives
Unit
1.3 Classify power supplies types and characteristics
AC adapter • ATX proprietary • Voltage, wattage and
capacity • Voltage selector switch • Pins (20, 24)
1.4 Explain the purpose and characteristics of CPUs
and their features
Identify CPU types (AMD, Intel) • HyperThreading • Multi
core (Dual core, Triple core, Quad core) • On-chip cache
(L1, L2) • Speed (real vs. actual) • 32-bit vs. 64-bit
1.5 Explain cooling methods and devices
Heat sinks • CPU and case fans • Liquid cooling systems
• Thermal compound
1.6 Compare and contrast memory types,
characteristics and their purpose
Types (DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, DDR / DDR2 / DDR3,
RAMBUS) • Parity vs. Non-parity • ECC vs. non-ECC •
Single sided vs. double sided • Single channel vs. dual
channel • Speed (PC100, PC133, PC2700, PC3200,
DDR3-1600, DDR2-667)
1.7 Distinguish between the different display devices
and their characteristics
Projectors, CRT and LCD • LCD technologies (Resolution
[e.g. XGA, SXGA+, UXGA, WUXGA], Contrast ratio,
Native resolution) • Connector types (VGA, HDMi ,SVideo, Component / RGB, DVI pin compatibility) •
Settings (Refresh rate, Resolution, Multi-monitor,
Degauss)
1.8 Install and configure peripherals and input
devices
Mouse • Keyboard • Barcode reader • Biometric devices •
Touch screen • KVM switch
Multimedia (e.g. web and digital cameras, MIDI,
microphones)
1.2
Motherboards
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Domain Objectives / Examples
1.9 Summarize the function and types of adapter
cards
I/O (SCSI, Serial, USB, Parallel) • Communications (NIC,
Modem)
Video (PCI, PCIe, AGP) • Multimedia (Sound card, TV
tuner cards, Capture cards)
1.10 Install, configure and optimize laptop
components and features
Power and electrical input devices (Auto-switching, Fixed
input power supplies, Batteries)
Expansion devices (PCMCIA cards, PCI Express cards,
Docking station) • Communication connections
(Bluetooth, Infrared, Cellular WAN, Ethernet, Modem) •
Input devices (Stylus / digitizer, Function keys, Point
devices [e.g. touch pad, point stick / track point])
1.11 Install and configure printers
Differentiate between printer types (Laser, Inkjet,
Thermal, Impact) • Local vs. network printers • Printer
drivers (compatibility) • Consumables
Page 2
1.3
Processors
1.2
Motherboards
1.4 Memory
1.7 Video and
Sound
Devices
1.6 Input and
Peripheral
Devices
1.7 Video and
Sound
Devices
1.6 Input and
Peripheral
Devices
1.7 Video and
Sound
Devices
1.2
Motherboards
1.6 Input and
Peripheral
Devices
3.3 Printers
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Labs and References
CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam Objectives
Domain 2.0 Troubleshooting, Repair &
Maintenance
Domain Objectives / Examples
Unit
2.1 Given a scenario, explain the troubleshooting
theory
Identify the problem (Question user and identify user
changes to computer and perform backups before
making changes) • Establish a theory of probable
cause (question the obvious) • Test the theory to
determine cause (Once theory is confirmed determine
next steps to resolve problem, If theory is not confirmed
re-establish new theory or escalate) • Establish a plan
of action to resolve the problem and implement the
solution • Verify full system functionality and if
applicable implement preventative measures •
Document findings, actions and outcomes
2.2 Given a scenario, explain and interpret common
hardware and operating system symptoms and
their causes
Use documentation and resources (User / installation
manuals, Internet / web based, Training materials)
OS related symptoms (Bluescreen, System lock-up,
Input / output device, Application install, Start or load,
Windows specific printing problems [Print spool stalled,
Incorrect / incompatible driver]) • Hardware related
symptoms (Excessive heat, Noise, Odors, Status light
indicators, Alerts, Visible damage [e.g. cable, plastic])
2.3 Given a scenario, determine the troubleshooting
methods and tools for printers
Manage print jobs • Print spooler • Printer properties
and settings • Print a test page
2.4 Given a scenario, explain and interpret common
laptop issues and determine the appropriate basic
troubleshooting method
Issues (Power conditions, Video, Keyboard, Pointer,
Stylus, Wireless card issues) • Methods (Verify power
[e.g. LEDs, swap AC adapter], Remove unneeded
peripherals, Plug in external monitor, Toggle Fn keys or
hardware switches, Check LCD cut-off switch, Verify
backlight functionality and pixilation, Check switch for
built-in Wi-Fi antennas or external antennas)
2.5 Given a scenario, integrate common
preventative maintenance techniques
Physical inspection • Updates (Driver, Firmware, OS,
Security) • Scheduling preventative maintenance
(Defrag, Scandisk, Check disk, Startup programs) •
Use of appropriate repair tools and cleaning materials
(Compressed air, Lint free cloth, Computer vacuum and
compressors) • Power devices (Appropriate source
such as power strip, surge protector or UPS) • Ensuring
proper environment • Backup procedures
4.1
Troubleshooting
Techniques
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4.1
Troubleshooting
Techniques
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4.2 Basic
Troubleshooting
Scenarios
4.2 Basic
Troubleshooting
Scenarios
4.2 Basic
Troubleshooting
Scenarios
4.3
Preventative
Maintenance
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Page 3
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam Objectives
Domain 3.0 Operating System and Software
Unless otherwise noted, operating systems referred to within
include Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, XP
Home, XP Media Center, Windows Vista Home, Home Premium,
Business and Ultimate, Windows 7 Starter, Home Premium,
Professional and Ultimate.
Domain Objectives / Examples
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3.1 Compare and contrast the different Windows
Operating Systems and their features
Windows 2000, Windows XP 32-bit vs. 64-bit, Windows
Vista 32-bit vs. 64-bit, Windows 7 32-bit vs. 64-bit
(Sidebar, Aero, UAC, Minimum system requirements,
System limits, Terminology [32-bit vs. 64-bit - x86 vs.
x64], User interface, start bar layout)
Application compatibility, installed program locations
[32-bit vs. 64-bit], Windows compatibility mode
Windows 2000 and newer - upgrade paths and
requirements (Windows OS Upgrade Advisor, Microsoft
Assessment and Planning Toolkit)
3.2 Given a scenario, demonstrate proper use of
user interfaces
Taskbar / systray • Start menu
Control Panel • Run line utilities (MSCONFIG,
MSINFO32, DXDIAG, CMD, REGEDIT) •
Administrative tools (Performance Monitor, Event
Viewer, Services, Computer Management) • MMC •
Task Manager
Windows Explorer (Libraries in Windows 7) • My
Computer
Sa
My Network Places / Homegroup • Location of basic
network settings between OS versions
Command prompt utilities (telnet, ping, ipconfig)
3.3 Explain the process and steps to install and
configure the Windows OS
Device Manager (Verify, Install and update device
drivers, Driver signing) • Virtual memory • Configure
power management (Suspend, Wake on LAN, Sleep
timers, Hibernate, Standby) • Demonstrate safe
removal of peripherals
File systems (FAT32 vs. NTFS) • Directory structures
(Create folders, Navigate directory structures) • Files
(Creation, Extensions, Attributes, Permissions)
Verification of hardware compatibility and minimum
requirements • Installation methods (Boot media such
as CD, floppy or USB, Network installation, Install from
image, Recover CD, Factory recovery partition) •
Operating system installation options (File system type,
Network configuration, Repair install) • Disk preparation
order (Format drive, Partition, Start installation) • User
data migration - User State Migration Tool (USMT)
Page 4
Unit
2.1 Windows
Operating
System
2.2 Managing
Windows
2.4 Installing
and Upgrading
Windows
2.1 Windows
Operating
System
2.2 Managing
Windows
2.3 Windows
Storage
Management
3.2 Local,
Wireless, and
Remote
Networks
4.2 Basic
Troubleshooting
Scenarios
2.2 Managing
Windows
2.3 Windows
Storage
Management
2.4 Installing
and Upgrading
Windows
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please telephone +44 (0)207 887 7999 or email support@gtslearning.com
Labs and References
CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam Objectives
Domain Objectives / Examples
Unit
3.4 Explain the basics of boot sequences, methods
and startup utilities
Disk boot order / device priority (Types of boot devices
[disk, network, USB, other]) • Boot options (Safe mode,
Boot to restore point, Recovery options [Automated
System Recovery (ASR), Emergency Repair Disk
(ERD), Recovery console])
2.5 Windows
Boot Process
Domain 4.0 Networking
Unit
4.1 Summarize the basics of networking fundamentals,
including technologies, devices and protocols
Basics of configuring IP addressing and TCP/IP properties
(DHCP, DNS) • Bandwidth and latency • Status indicators •
Protocols (TCP/IP, NETBIOS) • Full-duplex, half-duplex •
Basics of workgroups and domains • Common ports:
HTTP, FTP, POP, SMTP, TELNET, HTTPS • LAN / WAN •
Hub, switch and router • Identify Virtual Private Networks
(VPN) • Basics class identification • IPv6 vs. IPv4 (Address
length differences, Address conventions)
4.2 Categorize network cables and connectors and
their implementations
Cables (Plenum / PVC, UTP [e.g. CAT3, CAT5 / 5e,
CAT6], STP, Fiber, Coaxial cable) • Connectors (RJ45,
RJ11)
4.3 Compare and contrast the different network types
Broadband (DSL, Cable, Satellite, Fiber) • Dial-up •
Wireless (All 802.11 types, WEP, WPA, SSID, MAC
filtering, DHCP settings) • Bluetooth • Cellular
3.1 Network
Concepts
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Domain Objectives / Examples
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3.2 Local,
Wireless,
and Remote
Networks
3.2 Local,
Wireless,
and Remote
Networks
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Domain 5.0 Security
Domain Objectives / Examples
5.1 Explain the basics principles of security concepts
and technologies
Encryption technologies • Data wiping / hard drive
destruction / hard drive recycling • Software firewall (Port
security, Exceptions) • Authentication technologies (User
name, Password, Biometrics, Smart cards) • Basics of
data sensitivity and data security (Compliance,
Classifications, Social engineering)
5.2 Summarize the following security features
Wireless encryption (WEPx and WPAx, Client
configuration [SSID])
Malicious software protection (Viruses, Trojans, Worms,
Spam, Spyware, Adware, Grayware) • BIOS Security
(Drive lock, Passwords, Intrusion detection, TPM) •
Password management / password complexity • Locking
workstation (Hardware, Operating system) • Biometrics
(Fingerprint scanner)
Unit
4.4 Security
3.2 Local,
Wireless,
and Remote
Networks
4.4 Security
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Page 5
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam Objectives
Domain 6.0 Operational Procedure
Domain Objectives / Examples
4.3
Preventative
Maintenance
4.5
Professionalism
and
Communication
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6.1 Outline the purpose of appropriate safety and
environmental procedures and given a scenario
apply them
ESD • EMI (Network interference, Magnets) • RFI
(Cordless phone interference, Microwaves) • Electrical
safety (CRT, Power supply, Inverter, Laser printers,
Matching power requirements of equipment with power
distribution and UPSs) • Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS) • Cable management (Avoiding trip hazards) •
Physical safety (Heavy devices, Hot components) •
Environmental - consider proper disposal procedures
6.2 Given a scenario, demonstrate the appropriate
use of communication skills and professionalism in
the workplace
Use proper language - avoid jargon, acronyms, slang •
Maintain a positive attitude • Listen and do not interrupt
a customer • Be culturally sensitive • Be on time (If late
contact the customer) • Avoid distractions (Personal
calls, Talking to co-workers while interacting with
customers, Personal interruptions) • Dealing with a
difficult customer or situation (Avoid arguing with
customers and/or being defensive, Do not minimize
customers' problems, Avoid being judgmental, Clarify
customer statements, Ask open-ended questions to
narrow the scope of the problem, Restate the issue or
question to verify understanding) • Set and meet
expectations / timeline and communicate status with the
customer (Offer different repair / replacement options if
applicable, Provide proper documentation on the
services provided, Follow up with customers / user later
date to verify satisfaction) • Deal appropriately with
customers' confidential materials (Located on computer,
desktop, printer, etc)
Unit
Page 6
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Labs and References
Exam Tips
Exam Tips
Registering for the Test
Two commercial organizations currently administer the CompTIA
Certification exams - VUE and Prometric. You can locate a test
center using the links on CompTIA's website:
certification.comptia.org/Training/testingcenters.aspx
Arrive at the test center at least 15 minutes before the test is
scheduled.
■
The test center administrator will demonstrate how to use the
computer-based test system.
■
You must have two forms of ID - one with picture, both with
signature, preferably with your private address (driving license,
passport, and so on).
■
Books, calculators, laptops, PDAs, or other reference materials
are not allowed.
■
Pens, pencils, and paper are not required! You must not
attempt to write down questions or remove anything from the
exam room.
■
It is CompTIA's policy to make reasonable accommodations for
individuals with disabilities.
Make sure students
understand that "unscored"
items will appear that may
test things that are not part
of the exam objectives.
For example, exam items
that have been written for
the next version of the exam
objectives are often
"seeded" into the current
exams to gather
psychometric data to check
their validity.
Remind students that free
practice exams are
available at
www.gtssupport.com/
flower27/220-701/index.htm
Sa
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■
Try to allocate some time to
discuss the format of the
exam.
Taking the Test
■
There are 100 questions which must be answered in 90
minutes. The passing score is 675 on a scale of 100-900.
■
Read each question and its option answers carefully. Don't rush
through the exam as you'll probably have more time at the end
than you expect.
■
At the other end of the scale, don't get "stuck" on a question
and start to panic. You can mark questions for review and come
back to them.
■
As the exam tests your ability to recall facts and to apply them
sensibly in a troubleshooting scenario, there will be questions
where you cannot recall the correct answer from memory.
Adopt the following strategy for dealing with these questions:
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Page 7
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Exam Tips

Narrow your choices down by eliminating obviously wrong
answers.

Don't guess too soon! You must select not only a correct
answer, but the best answer. It is therefore important that
you read all of the options and not stop when you find an
option that is correct. It may be impractical compared to
another answer.

Utilize information and insights that you've acquired in
working through the entire test to go back and answer
earlier items that you weren't sure of.

Think your answer is wrong - should change it? Studies
indicate that when students change their answers they
usually change them to the wrong answer. If you were fairly
certain you were correct the first time, leave the answer as it
is.
Don't leave any questions unanswered! If you really don't know
the answer, just guess.
■
The exam may contain "unscored" questions, which may even
be outside the exam objectives. These questions do not count
towards your score.
pl
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■
m
After the Test
A score report will be generated and a copy printed for you by
the test administrator. The score report will show whether you
have passed or failed and your score in each section. Make
sure you retain the report!
Sa
■
■
5 days after passing the exam, go to www.comptia.org/careerid
and create an account (or log on to an existing account) using the
information in your score report. When you have passed both A+
exams, you can use this site to order your certificate and ID card.
■
If 6 weeks have passed after ordering your certificate and you
haven't received it, contact questions@comptia.org
Retaking the Test
If you do fail the certification test at the first attempt, then you can
retake it at your convenience. However, should you fail the test at
the second, third, or subsequent try, you will not be able to resit the
exam for at least 30 days after your last attempt. Study your score
report to see which areas of the exam you were weak on.
Page 8
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CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Labs
Lab 10 / Adding External Storage
USB or Firewire represent simple ways to extend storage capacity
on a PC or transfer larger files than is possible with floppy disks,
Delivery Tips
Hand out a few USB sticks
(64MB or larger is fine).
Remember to collect them
at the end of the class.
20 minutes
1) If necessary, run the setup program for the device from the
supplied CD to install the drivers. You only need to do this if the
Windows setup disc does not contain a suitable driver for the
device.
2) If the device is connected by a cable, connect the smaller "B"
connector on the USB cable to the device then the larger "A"
connector to a USB port on the PC.
pl
Timings
Exercise 1: Adding an External Storage Device
e
If you have any other
removable device (external
hard drive, CD writer, or
memory stick for instance),
split the students into
groups and give them a few
devices each.
There are a number of different types of drive, but adding and
removing them is usually straightforward. Your instructor will give
you any extra instructions for the devices available.
m
3) After a few seconds, Windows will detect the device and begin
configuring it. When this process is complete, an AutoPlay
dialog should be displayed. Select Open folder to view files
and verify that the drive is listed within Explorer.
Sa
4) Alt-click the drive and note the options - for a read/write disk
you should see the option to Format. Select Properties.
5) Look through the dialog box to view the options available then
click Cancel.
Exercise 2: Configuring Storage Devices
The Disk Management utility enables you to view and configure
storage devices. This is generally used to configure the hard disks,
but any drive installed on the PC shows up here (except for the
floppy drive).
1) Alt-click Computer and select Manage. Click the Disk
Management tool.
2) Alt-click the removable drive and select Change Drive Letter
and Path. Change the default drive letter to R: and click
through the warnings.
Page 26
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Labs and References
Labs
e
Any read/write disk can be divided into a number of partitions.
These are displayed in the panel next to the drive. By default,
Windows 7 creates a 100 MB "System Reserved" system
partition and a boot partition for the rest of the disk.
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Configuring a disk using the Disk Management tool
m
3) If available, alt-click the partition and select the Format
command. Note that you can choose between FAT32, exFAT,
and NTFS and set the size of allocation units (clusters).
Sa
Most removable drives will come pre-formatted as FAT or
FAT32 drives, for maximum compatibility. If you only need to
use the media on Windows computers, you might want to reformat it using exFAT or NTFS, for better efficiency, security,
and reliability.
4) Click Cancel to exit without re-formatting the drive.
5) Close the Computer Management console.
Exercise 3: Removing and Re-inserting a Drive
1) Click the Safely Remove Hardware icon and select the option
to Eject Storage Device.
Safely Remove Hardware
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Page 27
CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills
Glossary
Glossary
⅛ Connector
Standard 3.5mm audio socket (the type of jack found on headphones and basic speakers).
10/100/1000BASE-T
Specifications for Ethernet running over twisted-pair cable at 10/100/1000 Mbps.
32-bit
Most programs and operating systems run in 32-bit mode. Aside from allowing the computer to
access more memory (4 GB), programs are protected from one another; each runs in its own address
space.
64-bit
The PC is starting to move to a 64-bit platform. 64-bit offers some speed improvements, especially for
tasks such as 3D processing, but its main advantage is the increase in address space and better
support for virtualization (running multiple OS on the same hardware).The main 64-bit platform is
called AMD64 or EM64T (by Intel). This platform is supported by 64-bit versions of Windows XP /
Vista / 7 as well as various Linux distributions.
802.11
See: Wi-Fi.
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8.3 Filenames
The DOS file naming standard - an eight-character ASCII name followed by a three-character file
extension (which identifies the file type). Windows supports long file names but can also generate a
short file name, based on DOS 8.3 naming rules. This provides backwards compatibility for older
applications.
Sa
m
802.1X
802.1X (or EAP [Extensible Authentication Protocol]) is an authentication standard, developed to
allow remote, wireless, and wired authentication to be centrally managed. A client device passes
authentication information to a RADIUS server on the wired network for validation. The authentication
information could be a user name and password or could employ smart cards or tokens.
802.2
See: Ethernet.
8mm Tape Backup
8mm (¼") data tape storage systems appear similar to the tape cartridges used by many video
cameras, although the media is higher quality.
AAA
Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting - the principal types of security control. A resource
should be protected by all three types of control.
AC (Alternating Current)
When electricity is produced by a generator at the power station, the rotational movement of the
magnetic coils causes the current produced to oscillate like a sine wave (it is said to alternate).
Computers require direct current (at a constant voltage). A transformer is used to convert AC from the
power outlet into the 3.3, 5, and 12V DC supply required by the computer.
AC Adapter
Portable power supply for portable computers. The AC adapter converts incoming AC mains power
into the DC voltages required by the portable computer.
Page 98
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Labs and References
Glossary
Access Control
Creating one or more barriers around a resource such that only authenticated users can gain access.
Each resource has an access control list specifying what users can do. Resources often have
different access levels (for example, being able to read a file or being able to read and edit it).
Permissions are often specified in an Access Control List (ACL) attached to the resource.
Access Point (AP)
Device that provides connectivity between wireless devices and a cabled network. APs with internet
connectivity located in public buildings (cafes, libraries, airports for instance) are often referred to as
hotspots.
Access Time
Access time is the speed at which memory or a disk drive can be addressed and utilized (opened,
read from, or written to).
Accessories/System Tools
Folder in Start menu programs containing tools for configuring and optimizing the system.
e
Accident
Health and safety means that an organization should prepare employees to deal with accidents and
emergencies. Obviously accidents vary widely in terms of type and seriousness, but the basic
procedure should be to sound the alarm, alert emergency services, attend to the situation yourself (if
it is safe for you to do so), and complete an incident report.
pl
Account Policies
User security information - such as password expiration and uniqueness - can be configured globally
as a set of rules (policy).
ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
See: Power Management.
m
Active Directory
The database that contains the users, groups, and computer accounts in a Windows Server domain.
Sa
Active Listening
A technique in communications to ensure that you capture all the information that the other person is
"transmitting", including non-verbal cues such as tone of voice or gestures. There are various active
listening techniques for ensuring that you are "getting the right message", such as summarizing,
reflecting (matching the speaker's communication style), interpreting, and verbal attends (such as
"Uh-huh, or "I see").
Active Partition
The primary partition marked as active; there is only one per system. This becomes the bootable
partition. In Microsoft terminology, the partition that the PC boots from is referred to as the system
partition.
Adapter Card
Circuit board providing additional functionality to the computer system (video, sound, networking,
modem, and so on). An adapter card fits a slot on the PC's expansion bus and often provides a port
through slots cut into the back of the PC case. Different cards are designed for different slots (ISA,
PCI, or AGP).
Address Bus
The part of the bus that identifies a particular location in memory. The size of the address bus
determines the number of addressable locations and therefore the amount of addressable memory.
For example, the Pentium CPU has a 36-bit address bus that can address 64 GB system memory.
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Page 99