PC Technician Street Smarts: A Real World Guide to CompTIA A+^® Skills

by James Pyles

• ISBN13: 9780470121313
• ISBN10: 0470121319
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2007-03-01
• Publisher: Sybex

Summary

Develop the skills you need in the real world Hit the ground running with the street-smart training you'll find in this practical book. Using a "year in the life" approach, it gives you an inside look at the common responsibilities of PC Technicians, with key information organized around the actual day-to-day tasks, scenarios, and challenges you'll face in the field. This valuable training tool is loaded with hands-on, step-by-step exercises covering all phases of a PC Technician's job, including: Installing hardware and software Maintaining hardware and software Installing and upgrading operating systems and networks Installing and upgrading security systems An invaluable study tool This no-nonsense book also covers the common tasks that CompTIA expects all of its A+ certification candidates to know how to perform. So whether you're preparing for certification or seeking practical skills to break into the field, you'll find the instruction you need, including: Installing or replacing a power supply Installing or replacing a laptop hard drive Upgrading Windows(r) 2000 to Windows(r) XP Scanning for and removing viruses Installing printer drivers Troubleshooting your network The Street Smarts series is designed to help current or aspiring IT professionals put their certification to work for them. Full of practical, real world scenarios, each book features actual tasks from the field and then offers step-by-step exercises that teach the skills necessary to complete those tasks. And because the exercises are based upon exam objectives from leading technology certifications, each Street Smarts book can be used as a lab manual for certification prep.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Installing Hardware and Software

Installing RAM

Installing a PCI Card

Installing a CPU

Installing a Power Supply

Installing a Hard Drive

Installing a Floppy Drive

Installing a SCSI Drive

Installing a CD Drive

Installing a DVD Drive

Installing a Motherboard

Installing a Video Card

Installing a Laptop Keyboard

Installing SO-DIMM in a Laptop

Installing a Laptop Hard Drive

Installing a Laptop Optical Drive

Installing a KVM Switch

Installing a Complete Workstation from the Box

Preventing ESD Damage

Installing Drivers from a Disk

Installing Drivers from the Internet

Reformatting a Hard Drive

Installing an Operating System (Windows XP Professional) as a Fresh Install

Uninstalling Software

Installing Microsoft Applications

Installing Non-Microsoft Applications

Upgrading Windows 2000 to Windows XP

Using Restore Points in Windows XP

Shutting Down Programs

Tweaking Windows XP

Installing a Local Printer

Installing Printer Drivers

Maintaining and Documenting Computer Systems

Identifying a Motherboard

Managing a Swap File

Imaging a Disk

Searching for Drivers

Cleaning Dust Bunnies Out of Computers

Cleaning Out Fans

Oiling Fans

Cleaning and Degaussing Monitors

Cleaning Keyboards, Mice, and PCs

Defragging a Hard Drive

Updating Security Patches

Checking and Reseating RAM

Checking and Reseating PCI Cards

Checking Internal Connectors

Speeding Up Windows 2000 Professional

Flashing the BIOS

Changing the CMOS Battery to Correct

Resetting Passwords

Testing Ports with an Online Scanner

Changing Printer Toner

Performing Asset Management of PCs

Performing Asset Management on Inventory

Performing Asset Management

Performing Asset Management

Tracking Work Done on a PC

Networking Computer Systems

Mapping Drives

Creating File Shares

Configuring PCs to Use Dynamic Addressing

Installing a Network Printer

Making a Straight-Through Cable

Making a Crossover Cable

Testing Network Cables

Setting Up a Mail Account

Joining a Computer to a Domain

Creating a User in Active Directory

Mapping Network Cables

Setting Up a Local User ID

Adding a Network Peripheral Port

Setting Up VPN on a PC

Setting Up Dial-Up Networking

Connecting a PC to a Network Printer

Troubleshooting and Restoring Computer Systems

Scanning for and Removing Viruses

Scanning for and Removing Malware

Changing Backup Tapes on a Server

Changing the Backup Schedule on a Server

Backing Up Outlook Express

Backing Up Outlook

Troubleshooting a Randomly Rebooting PC

Troubleshooting a PC That Can't Print

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