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The CompTIA A+ Essentials

5 Day Workshop

This instructor-lead Workshop utilizes CompTIA’s ITL series manual (From CompTIA Press), augmented with reading/homework assignments from the Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ Certification Passport, Fourth Edition 2010, to provide students with an introductory understanding of the information technology (IT) field. This workshop, through hands-on activities and in-class practice exams and in association with the A+ Practical Applications Workshop, will prepare students to pass the newly updated CompTIA A+ certification exam (2009 edition). This course also provides the broad-based knowledge necessary to prepare for further study in specialized IT or security fields, or it can serve as a capstone course that gives a general introduction to the field. Workshop modules/ units/topics are listed below. Each unit begins by setting expectations and objectives for each topic. Within each topic, conceptual and explanatory information will alternate with hands-on activities. Each unit is concluded with a summary and the assignment of an independent practice activity that gives the student an opportunity to practice the skills they’ve learned.

The CompTIA A+ certification is an excellent stepping stone for several more advanced security certifications, such as the Security+, CISSP, the CISM, and the CEH (required certifications under DoDD 8570). More information about the A+ certification and exam is available at www.comptia.org.

Duration: 5 days

Cost of Course: $2,300.00 per student – exam voucher not included (GSA and Volume Rates Available)

Materials Required

Any materials required will be provided during the course.

Course Materials Provided

Students will receive the CompTIA A+ Essentials workbook and Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ Certification Passport, Fourth Edition 2010.

Instructor Policy

Students should arrive no later than 10 minutes prior to start time on the first day of class. If you have any special requirements that need to be addressed prior to arrival please let us know at the time of registration. Please do not make any return travel arrangements prior to 6pm on the last day of training.

Locations

We offer this course in the SecureInfo training classroom (San Antonio, Texas or McLean, Virginia locations) or via mobile training at your facility for up to 20 students per course. Contact us at training@secureinfo.com or (210) 403-5600 (ask for training) for more information and pricing on mobile training options.

Who Should Attend?

Students taking this course should have user-level skills and knowledge of personal computers. These skills and knowledge can be obtained by completing any one of the following courses: Windows Vista: Basic, Windows XP: Basic, or Windows 2000: Basic.

Students looking to break into the information assurance field or as an IT technician, government and military personnel seeking IAT-1 certification to fulfill the 8570.1 Directive are encouraged to attend this course.

Course Topics

A+ Essentials Workshop (5 days):

Unit 1: Troubleshooting methodology

  • Topic A: Troubleshooting models
  • Topic B: Professionalism

Unit 2: Operating systems

  • Topic A: Operating system fundamentals
  • Topic B: Directory and file management
  • Topic C: File and folder permissions

Unit 3: Electricity and power supplies

  • Topic A: Electrical safety
  • Topic B: Power supplies

Unit 4: CPUs and motherboards

  • Topic A: Central processing units
  • Topic B: Packaging, slots, and cooling techniques
  • Topic C: Motherboards

Unit 5: The Basic Input/Output System

  • Topic A: The BIOS and CMOS
  • Topic B: The POST and boot processes

Unit 6: Memory systems

  • Topic A: Memory
  • Topic B: Memory packaging
  • Topic C: Memory monitoring

Unit 7: Bus structures

  • Topic A: Buses
  • Topic B: The PCI bus
  • Topic C: Video buses

Unit 8: Expansion cards

  • Topic A: Drive adapters
  • Topic B: Video cards
  • Topic C: Sound cards
  • Topic D: Internal modems

Unit 9: Peripheral connection types

  • Topic A: Serial and parallel connections
  • Topic B: PS/2 connections
  • Topic C: USB connections
  • Topic D: FireWire connections
  • Topic E: Multimedia connections

Unit 10: Data storage devices

  • Topic A: Hard drives
  • Topic B: Optical drives
  • Topic C: Removable storage devices
  • Topic D: Drive maintenance

Unit 11: Video output and image input devices

  • Topic A: Monitors
  • Topic B: Scanners and cameras

Unit 12: Printers

  • Topic A: Printing technologies
  • Topic B: Printer installation and optimization

Unit 13: Connecting computers

  • Topic A: Networking concepts
  • Topic B: Wired network connections
  • Topic C: Basic internetworking devices

Unit 14: Networking computers

  • Topic A: Addressing
  • Topic B: Client configuration

Unit 15: Portable computers

  • Topic A: Notebook computers
  • Topic B: Notebook issues

Unit 16: Monitoring and management

  • Topic A: System monitoring
  • Topic B: System performance
  • Topic C: System management

Unit 17: Operating system troubleshooting

  • Topic A: Windows startup
  • Topic B: System troubleshooting

Unit 18: Security

  • Topic A: Operating system security
  • Topic B: Windows Encrypted File System
  • Topic C: Security hardware
  • Topic D: The human aspects of security

Unit 19: Windows installation and upgrades

  • Topic A: Windows installation
  • Topic B: Upgrades

Unit 20: Safety and maintenance

  • Topic A: Safety and hazards
  • Topic B: Computer maintenance
  • Topic C: Safe work practices
  • Topic D: Disposing of computer equipment

Unit 21: Troubleshooting hardware

  • Topic A: Backups
  • Topic B: Hardware problems

Appendix A: System cases

  • Topic A: System cases

Appendix B: CompTIA A+ acronyms

Appendix C: Certification exam objectives map

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Questions about our corporate training may be directed to training@secureinfo.com, or call 888.677.9351.

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