The IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software version 4 course in the Cisco® Networking Academy® is designed to prepare you to take and pass the CompTIA A+ exams based on the 2006 objectives. You must pass both the A+ Essentials and one of the technician exams to earn the A+ certification. Chapters 1 through 10 cover the foundational knowledge that aligns with the CompTIA A+ Essentials exam (220-601). Chapters 11 through 16 explore more advanced concepts in greater depth to prepare you for the specialized CompTIA A+ technician exams (220-602 for IT Technician, 220-603 for Remote Support Technician, and 220-604 for Bench Technician).
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software Labs and Study Guide, Third Edition, is designed as a valuable teaching and learning tool, incorporating new features to improve your hands-on skills and reinforce the key topics of the course. Each chapter contains a Study Guide section and a Labs section.
The Study Guide section is designed to provide additional exercises and questions to reinforce your understanding of the course topics, preparing you for the course assessments and focusing on preparing for the associated certification exams.
The Labs section features the complete collection of the lab exercises and worksheets specifically designed by Cisco to give students hands-on experience in a particular concept or technology.
Chapters 1–10 cover the following skills and competencies:
- Core competencies in the latest hardware and software technologies
- Information security skills
- Safety and environmental issues
- Soft skills for career development
Chapters 11–16 cover the following skills and competencies:
- Advanced troubleshooting skills
- Preparation for all three CompTIA job environment certification exams
- Advanced installation of computers, peripheral devices, networks, and security components
About the Author
Patrick Regan has been a PC technician, network administrator/engineer, design architect, and security analyst for the past 16 years after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Akron. He has taught many computer and network classes at Sacramento local colleges (Heald College and MTI College) and has participated in and led many projects (Heald College, Intel Corporation, Miles Consulting Corporation, and Pacific Coast Companies). For his teaching accomplishments, he received the Teacher of the Year award from Heald College, and he has received several recognition awards from Intel. Previously, he worked as a product support engineer for the Intel Corporation Customer Service, a senior network engineer for Virtual Alert supporting the BioTerrorism Readiness suite, and as a senior design architect/engineer and training coordinator for Miles Consulting Corp (MCC), a premiere Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and consulting firm. He is currently a senior network engineer at Pacific Coast Companies, supporting a large enterprise network. He holds many certifications, including the Microsoft MCSE, MCSA, MCT; the CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Linux+, Security+, and CTT+; the Cisco CCNA; and the Novell CNE and CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA).
Over the past several years, he has written several textbooks for Prentice Hall, including Troubleshooting the PC, Networking with Windows 2000 and 2003, Linux, Local Area Networks, Wide Area Networks, and the Acing series (Acing the A+, Acing the Network+, Acing the Security+, and Acing the Linux+). He also coauthored Exam Cram 70-290 MCSA/MCSE Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment, Second Edition.