CompTIA A+ Certification Prep 1: Hardware

In Lesson 2, we'll take a tour of a desktop PC, starting with the exterior connectors. We'll go into details of the interior devices as well. Our goal is to begin teaching proper tech terminology and familiarize you with standard computer components. You'll also learn about some common computer roles, so you can better understand why desktop PCs are used in both homes and businesses.

This lesson looks at the ways laptops differ from desktops. You'll learn about laptop hardware, including a variety of support devices such as docking stations and port replicators. You'll find out how to manage laptop power and battery life and how to protect, maintain, and troubleshoot laptops.

In this lesson we dive into the important safety techniques that every good tech absolutely needs to know. These range from how to clean a computer to methods to avoid tech-induced damage to how to dispose of old parts safely.

In this lesson, we'll deliver the goods on central processing units, the core processing component in every PC. We'll explain variations in technology and then give practical information and advice on installing and troubleshooting CPUs. Plus, we'll dig into the details of one of the foundations of the computer: RAM. With RAM, the CPU can make magic happen. Without it? Literally nothing can happen. You'll learn about the different varieties of RAM and proper techniques for installing it. Then, we'll wrap up the lesson with troubleshooting RAM and memory problems.

In this lesson, we'll teach you about the essential programming that makes computers function, what's called the BIOS or UEFI. Plus, you'll learn about the special tools we use for storing configuration options for BIOS and UEFI. It's awesome stuff! We'll also teach you all about motherboards, the bedrock of every PC. You'll learn form factors, types of expansion slots, and installation steps for expansion cards. In this lesson, we'll also cover upgrading, installing, and troubleshooting motherboards.

Today, we'll introduce you to power supplies and the basics of powering a PC. You'll learn about how electricity gets from your wall outlet into your PC, along with how to test that electricity. We'll teach you about the many power supply standards and how to install one inside your PC. Finally, we'll discuss how to troubleshoot a power supply with problems.

In this lesson, you'll learn about devices that enable you to input data into your computer. We'll discuss standard input devices (like keyboards and mice) and multimedia devices (like digital cameras and webcams). We'll also teach you about connecting those devices to your computers using connectors like USB and Thunderbolt.

Today, we'll dig into storage technologies, including traditional hard disk drives and modern solid-state drives. You'll also learn how to install storage devices of several interface types, including SATA and M.2. We'll also explain the fundamentals of troubleshooting storage devices.

In Lesson 10, you'll learn how to prepare a storage device such as a hard disk drive or solid-state drive for use by an operating system. We'll teach you about partitioning and formatting. We'll also cover maintaining your data using several included Windows utilities.

In this lesson, you'll explore various forms of mass storage that you can take with you, such as USB flash media, memory cards, optical drives, and external drives. You'll also discover how RAID arrays improve storage performance and/or reliability.

As we wrap up the course, you'll learn about all the other stuff that goes into making IT work, such as documentation, change management, ticketing systems, and disaster prevention and recovery.