Introduction

This lab manual is a companion workbook for Sybex’s A+ Complete Study Guide by David Groth (Sybex, 2003), which is designed to prepare technicians for the A+ Certification Test. This lab manual is loaded with dozens of real-life, hands-on PC repair activities. Successfully completing the labs in this manual will reinforce complex concepts presented to you in the Study Guide by providing practical hands-on applications of the concepts.

Regardless of your method of training for the A+ certification, this book will complement your study regime. For best results, read the appropriate chapter suggested at the beginning of each chapter, perform the related labs, and review the A+ written lab questions in the text. Each chapter in this book has a note explaining which chapter of the Study Guide to refer to for more information. If you are using this lab manual by itself in a classroom setting, the scenarios and instruction for each lab contain enough information that labs can be completed on their own.

Each lab is set up in a straightforward, easy-to-follow pattern. Every lab in the manual provides you with the following:

• Objectives to be accomplished

• A list of hardware needed in the lab

• A list of software needed in the lab

• An introduction to the lab

• Step-by-step procedures for the lab

• A lab report for observations and information

These labs emphasize the major concepts covered in the A+ Complete Study Guide. Each chapter of this book contains a reading suggestion for specific chapters in the Study Guide. The labs are broken down into sections with step-by-step instructions. Windows command line and DOS commands along with the proper syntax are shown throughout the book. Some labs (those without operating systems identified in their title) may be performed on either a DOS system or a Windows system.

Note

In this book, DOS and command-line characters that you key (type at the keyboard) are shown in boldface after the prompt, and the prompt and the path are shown in standard print. DOS is not case-sensitive, but in this book commands to be typed are shown in uppercase and the prompt is shown in mixed case. The following example shows that the Directory (DIR) command is to be typed. This command will be executed in the Windows directory of drive C: C:\Windows>DIR.

Note

The topics covered in this book follow the same pattern as those in the A+ Complete Study Guide, 3rd edition.

What You’ll Need

You’ll need a few hardware and software items to perform the labs in this book.

Required Equipment

A 486 (or newer), Windows 95 or better computer with a CD-ROM drive, at least 8MB of RAM, and a 200MB IDE hard drive will permit you to do most of the labs in this book. To do every lab in this book, the following equipment or its equivalent is required: a 133MHz Pentium with 32MB of RAM, a 1GB hard drive, a VGA monitor, a CD-ROM drive, and a 3¹/₂-inch floppy drive. A less valuable 486 (or newer) computer can be used for many of the hardware labs to save wear and tear on your more valuable computers. Computers that are used for the hardware labs may not be operational at the end of each lab session.

Note

Some exercises are repeated using different versions of Windows, from 9x to XP.

If computers are to be used by more than one group of students, removable drive trays can reduce interference between students. You’ll also find that some labs require further specific equipment:

• A mouse and keyboard

• IDE interface hard drive

• IDE interface CD-ROM drive

• Miscellaneous cables and hardware fittings

• Sound card

• InPort mouse card or jumper-configured adapter card

• Printer

• Network interface card and cable for each computer that will be attached to the network

Required Software

In order to perform every lab, you need the following software (however, many of the exercises have variations for each version of Windows):

• DOS 6.x

• Windows 95

• Windows 98

• Windows 2000

• Windows NT 4.0

• Windows XP

• Microsoft mouse driver

• Sound card driver

• CD-ROM driver

• Printer driver

Required Tools and Supplies

Finally, there are a few tools and safety items you should have available:

• Antistatic wrist strap

• Antistatic mat

• Flat-blade screwdriver

• Phillips screwdriver

• Long-nose pliers

• Blank floppy disks

• Multimeter

The following list of goodies is recommended for the labs in this manual, not to mention that they are very useful to have on hand in your toolkit:

• Band-Aids

• Flashlight

• Hemostat

• Keeper tube

• Magnifying glass

• Tweezers