Comptia A+ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, 8th Edition (Exams 220-801 & 220-802)

I may not represent the "typical" target for this book as I purchased it strictly to review CompTIA's Windows troubleshooting protocols; I'm sure my mindset of "let's nuke the entire site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure" when a computer encounters any moderately complex problem is probably not the most conventional (at my job I've found it more practical to keep a backup image on the network). Despite that, I've ended up reading it (mostly) cover to cover; no small feat considering it clocks in at 1150+ pages, and I think I've walked away with more than I expected. Mike Meyers takes a "let's start at the bottom" approach that I find ideal since I think it's easier to understand a complex subject when I get the building blocks first. I'd say the first quarter to third of the book is focused on the overview of the PC, its basic technology, and the evolution that brought us to the present day. Every chapter begins with a section titled "Historical/Conceptual" in which he will review the basic concepts of how the technology works, then become more concrete. For example, over the course of a few chapters the book covers the basis of computer language (the binary system) and how the processor physically communicates with the rest of the computer. He then applies this to describe the Intel 8088 processor, an old and very influential design, then explains how that design evolved over time to incorporate new innovations and discoveries to bring the reader to the present day's Intel Core series. The middle of the book moves into bringing the fundamentals together, and towards the end circles back to advanced/esoteric hardware implementation and networking. Some of the material in these sections may seem to have little bearing on the A+ exam, but it's critical to really knowing the basics of computers and how they work; after all, you can't fix something you don't understand. Generally, beyond Historical/Conceptual comes "Practical Application" which will delve into implementing and troubleshooting. I found the tone throughout well balanced, with the right amount of technical detail mixed with analogies where necessary to promote understanding, and enough humor keep a reader awake. There are also a fair amount of Windows screencaps and diagrams when discussing muddy or dense subjects. Every chapter wraps up with a brief quiz to ensure you've picked up the essentials, and closes with a section titled "Beyond A+" to further expand on relevant topics or suggest continued reading or practice. Later chapters move into what you would expect - Windows internals, hard-drives, LANs, networking, mostly with the same thoroughness as earlier chapters, though at times it does feel like the author is simply rattling off information from a list - I found the section on Windows Group Policies especially tedious, but that's Group Policies for you. Some of the analogies I thought might seem belaboured to a novice; the CPU as a man in a box flipping switches I thought was possibly confusing (like, so simple it's actually kind of obtuse) to someone who doesn't already know a bit about binary and electronics. If you're considering purchasing this book as a beginner looking to pass the A+ exams, I wouldn't think twice. I think this alone would be enough to pass the exams, provided you spend the time needed to actually practice what you can. The specifics the book gets into about troubleshooting particular problems (and the decent index) would also make this an ok reference to have lying around a shop, though not my first choice. I know when you're first starting out, it's hard to be patient, especially when you're making your way through a tome as hefty as this, but don't skim and don't think this book is "beneath you" (my mistake initially) and you'll have a good amount of knowledge under your belt by the time you hit the end. A+ is probably your first step, it's important that you get your first step right. Beyond A+ comes the brunt of computing today - networking. This same author's "Network+" guide book, written with the same attention to detail, would seem to be a natural starting point but it might also be beneficial to go hands on first and try "Computer Networking: Internet Protocols in Action"; it comes with a CD containing packet traces you'll be following with an analyzing program called Wireshark. I'd also suggest a classic, "TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1" if you really want to get how networking works. You'd also do well to check out the catalog of No Starch Press, and bookmark them; you'll be coming back to their heavy stuff in a year or two.

Great book, learned a lot quickly. Teaching you some history of the parts also.

The author presents the information in a well-organized manner with TONS of illustrations. Though the book has about 1,300+ pages, almost every page has some kind of an illustration on it, so the actual text probably takes up a total of only 500 pages or so. The text is mostly presented in a conversational, easy-to-read style with plenty of humor thrown in to keep you engaged. It's quite easy to read this book cover to cover like a novel (rather than like a reference book) because of that style, and in fact the author recommends you to read it novel-style in his introduction. However, there is a slight problem with that: This author spends a lot of time going over the historical and background information in each chapter, and those sections are the most engaging because he sounds really passionate about the topic. He really wants to teach you about the history of how computers became what they are today. However, once he gets to the nitty gritty -- the details, the things that'll actually be covered on the A+ exams -- he mostly drops the conversational tone and presents the information in a very succinct, matter-of-fact tone which is less engaging to read and therefore more difficult to memorize and study. For example, he'll spend entire pages talking about the competition between Intel and AMD (historical stuff), but only very briefly describe how specific parts of their CPUs work (exam stuff). However, the awesome illustrations are the saving grace here. Nearly every single thing he brings up has an accompanying picture or cartoon analogy or something of the sort. It's great to actually see pictures of all the stuff he's referring to in the text (i.e. screenshots of Windows dialog boxes, close-ups of CPU sockets on the motherboard, etc). Another excellent part of the book is that on every couple of pages there'll be a special, highlighted note called "Exam Note" that basically says, "Hey! Wake up! I just mentioned something really important in the last paragraph, and it'll probably be on the exam, so make sure you actually understand what you just read!" Great for people like me who tend to get a little numb after reading several dozen pages worth of technical information. Note: This edition does NOT cover Windows 8, and claims that the current A+ exam has no questions about it (as of December 2012). It only mentions Windows 8 in passing, with a brief overview of the visual changes in the user interface, and that's all.

Excellent book. Very informative and great for the exam.

Excellent book. To be a newbie or already working as a IT tech this book bring a depth knowledge of what you will implement in your daily work.

Ho acquistato questo prodotto certificato Comptia per sostenere l'esame di certificazione Comptia A+. Essendo un manuale all-in-one contiene tutto il necessario quindi non mi sono munito di altri mezzi di studio. Il testo copre tutte le aree dell'esame eccetto (ovviamente) l'applicazione pratica dei concetti (tipologia prevalente dei quesiti dell'esame stesso). Se avete un minimo di dimestichezza con la lingua inglese questo è il prodotto per voi; ad un prezzo irrisorio rispetto ai corsi proposti dai vari centri di formazione avrete una preparazione adeguata al superamento di entrambi gli esami (a patto di metterci la testa).

For both personal and professional reasons I've been reacquainting myself with the various Windows operating systems recently and I chose Mike Meyers' tome for no other reason than it offered broad coverage of XP, Vista, and 7. However, this book proved to be far more than a Windows instruction manual and it has become one of the few books that, when I finished it, I immediately started re-reading! I have previously been guilty of complaining that computer books are over-priced but this is clearly an exception. With a rrp of £40.99, each page (excluding Appendices & index) costs just 2.8 pence. Given the information density, illustration quality, and the fact that you are unlikely to pay the list price, this represents superb value for money. Myers keeps the language accessible and eschews the gratuitous use of intensifiers that can make reading (and understanding) technical literature such a chore. This makes this an enjoyable (yes, enjoyable) read! Criticism is limited to Myers occasionally forgetting that the world stretches beyond the borders of the USA and a little too much advertising for his Company. Nonetheless, even if you have no intention of taking the CompTIA A+ exams, this an outstanding introduction to computing for aspiring techs or enthusiastic amateurs alike and I have no hesitation in rating it a five star publication.

I have bought an earlier version of this book and thought it was great. This is my second time buying this book. The author's style of writing actually makes reading fun, and is easy to understand.