World Famous Comics: PC Technician Street Smarts: A Real World Guide to CompTIA A+ Skills
PC Technician Street Smarts: A Real World Guide to CompTIA A+ Skills
By: James Pyles Publisher: Sybex Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Sybex Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 408 Publication Date: November 29, 2006
Product Description: 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.
Good Practical Guide On The Basics Giving this book a bad review also shows how you can encounter or work with technically ignorant "professionals" that can't replace a sound card, swap-out memory or re-install windows, because they dwell on theory and attend technical seminars just to hear people talk. This guide is actually a step-by-step hands-on learning, real world scenarios, teaching Tech Support Specialist how to actually perform those tasks that arises frequently on the job, common responsibilities of a PC Technician, based upon exam objectives.
This book is merely saying that you can use it as a Lab Manual for certification prep, along side another resource, therefore, is not the go to source for passing the A+ CompTia Test alone, I've been an A+ Technician for 7 years now, and worked with individuals with all kinds of certifications that couldn't handle the most basic of tasks on the job.
The IT Field is littered with Know-it-all types, but underestimating this guide can expose your inability to perform the basics on the job because they happen to work in "another area of technology", well this is the very beginning point and should be recommended to better understand more advance systems and technologies down the road.
If you're studying for the test, add this to your resources of learning, you won't be disappointed and soon you too will start noticing individuals that negatively review the basics but can't replace a Power Supply, Troubleshoot a Network, Install a Printer or Adding/Deleting Users accounts in Active Directory, among other tasks.
Hope This Review Helps You, Good Luck
How much this benefits you depends on experience.... In response to the person who said it was to easy and not practical, well I'm here to tell you it is. I'm studying for the A+ exams and just purchased this as a supplement to the Mike Meyers book. I've been working with computers since the DOS days but have never gotten in to building, repairing, or upgrading systems. This book covers simple things that most of us should know how to do (replacing ram, pci cards, etc) but it also does more advanced things as well. I never replaced a motherboard or cpu. This book goes into detail on how to do this. Obviously if you know how to build a cpu from scratch, this book is not for you. If you have rarely, or never, opened up a cpu and installed components, its extremely helpful. I recommend it and it has helped me out.
Information is too simple to be of any practical use. If you have half a brain and have ever turned on a computer before this book is too easy for you. Bought is as a supplement to Meyers A+ prep book. Found the information inside next to useless.
Beginners guide to PC repair. I agree with the previous reviewer, James' style is easy to follow. The book is divided up by simple tasks to harder task as you progress through the book. If you are a noob to the PC repair and upgrade workplace and want a book that will walk you through the normal day to day jobs that makes up "A day in the life of a PC Tech", then this book is right up your alley.
I don't reccomend this for people who have been working in the field and just found themselves wanting or needing the A+ certificate. It would not provide much more than a basic review and your money could be spent better on an exam cram or fast pass guide.
Good luck on the Exam!
For hands-on labs for the A+ exam, get this book! If you need some hands-on practice for the A+ exams, you really ought to invest a little in your career and buy this book. After all, most of us learn by doing... and in my opinion, there are no better hands-on practice scenarios than the labs included in this book. The step-by-step directions for each lab are clear, and Pyles' writing style is interesting and easy to understand. The book is also filled with helpful notes, tips, and warnings, many of which are critical for you to know for the A+ exams.
In short, I highly recommend this book to anyone studying for the A+ certification. Not only will it help you pass the exams, but more importantly, it will also make you a much better tech.
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