comptia a+ essentials support skills - instructor edition ...networkexpert.ca/pdf/comptia-a+.pdf ·...

CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills

(2009 Objectives with Windows 7) Instructor Edition

Study Notes

G180Teng ver091

Sample

Tel: +44 (0)20 7887 7999 Fax: +44 (0)20 7887 7988 Email: [email protected]

Acknowledgements

www.gtslearning.com

Course Developer .................................................................... gtslearning

Editor ............................................................................... James Pengelly

This courseware is owned, published, and distributed by gtslearning, the world’s only specialist supplier of CompTIA learning solutions. [email protected] +44 (0)20 7887 7999 +44 (0)20 7887 7988 Three Elysium Gate, 126-128 New Kings Road, London, SW6 4LZ, UK

COPYRIGHT

This courseware is copyrighted © 2011 gtslearning. Product images are the copyright of the vendor or manufacturer named in the caption and used by permission. No part of this courseware or any training material supplied by the publisher to accompany the courseware may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, or re-used in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Violation of these laws will lead to prosecution.

All trademarks, service marks, products, or services are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are acknowledged by the publisher.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

Every effort has been made to ensure complete and accurate information concerning the material presented in this course. Neither the publisher nor its agents can be held legally responsible for any mistakes in printing or for faulty instructions contained within this course. The publisher appreciates receiving notice of any errors or misprints.

Information in this course is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted.

Where the course and all materials supplied for training are designed to familiarize the user with the operation of software programs and computer devices, the publisher urges the user to review the manuals provided by the product vendor regarding specific questions as to operation.

There are no warranties, expressed or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, made with respect to the materials or any information provided herein. Neither the author nor publisher shall be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use or the inability to use the contents of this course.

Warning All gtslearning products are supplied on the basis of a single copy of a course per student. Additional resources that may be made available from gtslearning may only be used in conjunction with courses sold by gtslearning. No material changes to these resources are permitted without express written permission from gtslearning. These resources may not be used in conjunction with content from any other supplier.

If you suspect that this course has been copied or distributed illegally, please telephone or email gtslearning.

Sample

http://www.gtslearning.com/

mailto:[email protected]?subject=CAQC%20Course%20Book

Study Notes Table of Contents

Page iii

Table of Contents

Course Introduction i

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iii About This Course .......................................................................................................... viii

Module 1 / PC and Laptop Hardware 1

Module 1 / Unit 1 Types of Computer 3

Personal Computers .......................................................................................................... 3 Desktop Computers ........................................................................................................... 6 Portable Computers ......................................................................................................... 10 Units, Signaling, and Circuits ........................................................................................... 14

Module 1 / Unit 2 Motherboards 20

Motherboard Layout ........................................................................................................ 21 Bus Architecture .............................................................................................................. 22 Motherboard Components ............................................................................................... 23 Expansion Bus and Adapter Cards .................................................................................. 27 Motherboard Form Factors .............................................................................................. 35 Power Supply Unit (PSU) ................................................................................................ 39 Cooling Systems ............................................................................................................. 45

Module 1 / Unit 3 Processors 50

Central Processing Unit (CPU) ........................................................................................ 50 Features of CPUs ............................................................................................................ 52 Intel Processors ............................................................................................................... 60 AMD Processors ............................................................................................................. 63 CPU Packaging ............................................................................................................... 64 Laptop Processors........................................................................................................... 68

Module 1 / Unit 4 Memory 70

Memory Types ................................................................................................................. 70 Memory Characteristics ................................................................................................... 76

Module 1 / Unit 5 Storage Devices 80

Storage Devices .............................................................................................................. 80 Hard Drives ..................................................................................................................... 81 Drive Controllers .............................................................................................................. 83 Floppy Drives .................................................................................................................. 90

Sample

Course Introduction CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills

Page iv

Optical Disc Storage ........................................................................................................ 91 Flash Memory .................................................................................................................. 96 Tape Drives ..................................................................................................................... 98

Module 1 / Unit 6 Input and Peripheral Devices 101

I/O Ports and Cables ..................................................................................................... 102 Input Devices ................................................................................................................. 109 I/O Devices .................................................................................................................... 115 Communications Devices .............................................................................................. 120 Installing and Configuring Peripherals ........................................................................... 123

Module 1 / Unit 7 Video and Sound Devices 128

Display Devices ............................................................................................................. 128 Video Adapters .............................................................................................................. 136 Audio Devices ............................................................................................................... 141 Multimedia Input Devices............................................................................................... 145

Module 1 / Summary PC and Laptop Hardware 149

Module 2 / Operating Systems 153

Module 2 / Unit 1 Windows Operating System 155

What is an Operating System? ...................................................................................... 155 Windows Architecture .................................................................................................... 156 Early Versions of Windows ............................................................................................ 163 Windows 2000 ............................................................................................................... 164 Windows XP .................................................................................................................. 168 Windows Vista ............................................................................................................... 174 Windows 7 ..................................................................................................................... 181

Module 2 / Unit 2 Managing Windows 187

Windows Administrative Tools ....................................................................................... 187 Configuring Hardware .................................................................................................... 202 Screen Savers and Power Management ....................................................................... 210 Managing Software........................................................................................................ 215 Managing Services ........................................................................................................ 220 Windows Registry .......................................................................................................... 222

Module 2 / Unit 3 Windows Storage Management 226

Preparing a Hard Disk ................................................................................................... 226 Navigating Windows ...................................................................................................... 230

Sample


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Working with Folders ..................................................................................................... 236 Working with Files ......................................................................................................... 238 Searching For Files ....................................................................................................... 243 The Recycle Bin ............................................................................................................ 245 File and Folder Management in Vista ............................................................................ 247 File and Folder Management in Windows 7 ................................................................... 249

Module 2 / Unit 4 Installing and Upgrading Windows 253

Overview of OS Installations .......................................................................................... 253 Installing Windows from CD / DVD ................................................................................ 259 Upgrading Windows ...................................................................................................... 265 Options for Deploying Windows ..................................................................................... 273

Module 2 / Unit 5 Windows Boot Process 278

Windows Boot Process .................................................................................................. 278 The BOOT.INI File ......................................................................................................... 282 Windows Vista/7 Boot Process ...................................................................................... 284 Configuring Boot Devices .............................................................................................. 286 Advanced Startup Options ............................................................................................. 287

Module 2 / Summary Operating Systems 293

Module 3 / Networking and Printing 295

Module 3 / Unit 1 Network Concepts 296

What is a Network? ....................................................................................................... 296 The OSI Model .............................................................................................................. 303 Network Components .................................................................................................... 304 TCP/IP ........................................................................................................................... 309 Internet Protocol and IP Addressing .............................................................................. 310 TCP/IP Application Protocols ......................................................................................... 317 NetBIOS and NetBEUI .................................................................................................. 322 Virtual Private Networks ................................................................................................ 323 The Internet ................................................................................................................... 324

Module 3 / Unit 2 Local, Wireless, and Remote Networks 330

Network Cabling ............................................................................................................ 330 Wireless Networks ......................................................................................................... 335 Windows Networking ..................................................................................................... 341 Simple File Sharing and Homegroups ........................................................................... 343 Accessing the Internet ................................................................................................... 348

Sample


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Module 3 / Unit 3 Printers 357

Windows Print Process .................................................................................................. 357 Printer Types ................................................................................................................. 360 Installing and Configuring a Printer ................................................................................ 371 Maintaining Printers ....................................................................................................... 380

Module 3 / Summary Networking and Printing 383

Module 4 / PC Support 385

Module 4 / Unit 1 Troubleshooting Techniques 387

Troubleshooting Models and Processes ........................................................................ 387 Approaching Troubleshooting ........................................................................................ 395 Troubleshooting Resources ........................................................................................... 398

Module 4 / Unit 2 Basic Troubleshooting Scenarios 402

Troubleshooting Basic Hardware Problems ................................................................... 402 Troubleshooting Windows Errors ................................................................................... 408 Troubleshooting Applications ......................................................................................... 411 Troubleshooting Printers ............................................................................................... 413 Network Troubleshooting Basics ................................................................................... 416

Module 4 / Unit 3 Preventative Maintenance 422

Health and Safety .......................................................................................................... 422 Physical Inspections ...................................................................................................... 430 Maintaining and Optimizing Drives ................................................................................ 433 Environment .................................................................................................................. 437 Patch Management ....................................................................................................... 444 Data Backup .................................................................................................................. 450 Disposal of Consumables and Computer Equipment ..................................................... 456

Module 4 / Unit 4 Security 460

Security Fundamentals .................................................................................................. 460 Access Control .............................................................................................................. 462 Authentication ................................................................................................................ 470 Accounting .................................................................................................................... 473 Social Engineering......................................................................................................... 473 Malware ......................................................................................................................... 474 Data Security ................................................................................................................. 478

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Module 4 / Unit 5 Professionalism and Communication 483

Customer Service Skills ................................................................................................. 483 Communication Skills .................................................................................................... 484 Professionalism ............................................................................................................. 488 Handling Customer Complaints ..................................................................................... 495

Module 4 / Summary PC Support 500

Index 503

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About This Course

This course is intended for students wishing to qualify with CompTIA A+ Certification. A+ certification is designed to help students become entry-level IT technicians. It covers preventative maintenance, basis networking, installation, troubleshooting, communication skills, and professionalism.

What are the Course Prerequisites?

Ideally, you should have successfully completed gtslearning's "PC Fundamentals with CompTIA Strata" course or have some basic experience of using a PC, Windows, and browsing the web. Specifically, it is recommended that you have the following skills and knowledge before starting this course:

■ Use a keyboard and mouse.

■ Recognize the main components of a PC and different data media such as floppy disks, or CD-ROMs.

■ Start the computer and navigate the desktop.

■ Use Windows Explorer to create directories and subdirectories; and move, copy or rename files and directories.

■ Use Internet Explorer to view websites.

Optionally, you can take a prerequisites test to check that you have the knowledge required to study this course at www.gtssupport.com/flower27/220-701/index.htm.

Course Outcomes

This practical "hands-on" course will teach you the fundamental principles of supporting desktop and portable computers and operating systems. This course will teach you how to install, maintain, and troubleshoot computer components and systems. As a PC technician, you will be expected to support old and new systems, so it is important that you have a full understanding of legacy hardware and software, as well as the latest technologies.

On course completion, you will be able to:

■ Identify types and characteristics of PC components, including motherboard, CPU, memory, and storage, input, and output devices.

■ Install and configure peripheral devices.

■ Identify types and characteristics of portable computers.

■ Install and configure Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista, and Microsoft Windows 7.

Sample

http://www.gtssupport.com/flower27/220-701/index.htm

Study Notes About This Course

Page ix

■ Perform basic PC maintenance and troubleshooting.

■ Understand fundamental principles of securing IT systems and working safely.

■ Communicate effectively with customers.

■ Install and configure print devices.

■ Understand fundamental principles of implementing LANs and internet access.

How Certification Helps Your Career

The main aim of this course is to help to prepare you for CompTIA's A+ Certification Essentials exam (exam code 220-701).

To obtain CompTIA A+ Certification, you must pass both the Essentials exam and the Practical Application exam (220-702). You must complete the Practical Application Support Skills course to prepare for the second exam.

Certification proves you have the knowledge and skill to solve business problems in virtually any business environment. Certifications are highly valued credentials that qualify you for jobs, increased compensation, and promotion.

CompTIA A+ certification held by many IT staff in organizations. Worldwide, more than 800,000 individuals are CompTIA A+ certified and 31% of IT staff within a random sampling of US organizations within a cross section of industry verticals hold A+ Certification.

Indeed, A+ Certification is often a prerequisite qualification for employment and is mandated or recommended by many leading computer manufacturers and vendors, such as Cisco and HP and Ricoh, the US State Department, and US government contractors such as EDS, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman.

IT is Everywhere

IT is ubiqitous; a critical

requirement of most

organizations. Globally, there

are over 600,000 IT job openings.

IT Knowledge and Skills Gets

Jobs

Certifications are essential

credentials that qualify you for jobs, increased compensation, and promotion.

Retain your Job and Salary

Make your expertise stand above the rest. Competence is

usually retained during times of

change.

Want to Change Jobs?

Certifications qualify you for

new opportunities,

whether you see limited

advancement in your current job

or need to change careers.

Stick Out from the Resume Pile

Hiring managers can demand the

strongest skill set. Sample


Page x

CompTIA Career Pathway

Completing this course will help you to pursue a career in ICT. This course will particularly benefit you in pursuing a career in supporting desktop personal computer users, in job roles such as Support Engineer, Maintenance Engineer, Desktop Engineer, Computer Administrator, or PC Support Analyst.

CompTIA offers a number of credentials that form a foundation for your career in technology and allow you to pursue specific areas of concentration. Depending on the path you choose to take, CompTIA certifications help you build upon your skills and knowledge, supporting learning throughout your entire career.

Study of the course can also help to prepare you for other, similar technical support qualifications and act as groundwork for more advanced training. Other qualifications available include:

■ CompTIA Network+ - a foundation-level certification of competency in network installation and configuration.

■ CompTIA Server+ - validates the skills of advanced IT technicians (individuals with 18-24 months' experience with Industry Standard Server Architecture [ISSA]).

■ CompTIA Security+ - validates knowledge of communication security, infrastructure security, cryptography, operational security, and general security concepts.

Sample

http://www.comptia.org/certifications/listed/network.aspx

http://www.comptia.org/certifications/listed/server.aspx

http://www.comptia.org/certifications/listed/security.aspx


Page xi

■ Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) - a foundation-level certification of competency in Cisco networking appliance installation and configuration.

■ Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator / Engineer / IT Professional (MCSA / MSCE / MCITP) - Windows-specific qualifications; passing CompTIA's A+, Network+, and either Server+ or Security+ Certification can satisfy the requirements for the elective part of the certification, as well as providing a solid groundwork for the further study required for MCSA / MCSE (Windows Server 2003 track) or MCITP (Windows Server 2008 Server Administrator / Enterprise Administrator track).

■ Other corporations such as Novell, HP, CompuCom, and Ricoh also recognize CompTIA A+ as part of their certification tracks or require that their service technicians obtain the certification.

■ Help Desk Support Analyst - The Help Desk Analyst certification series, administered by the Help Desk Institute (www.thinkhdi.com), certifies learners' customer service and Help Desk management skills. Various levels of certification are available, including Customer Support Specialist, Help Desk Analyst and Help Desk Manager.

About the Course Material

The course material has been prepared as an aid for your use throughout the training course. You may keep this manual for your own reference after the course is finished. We hope you will find the course material useful for future reference.

The course comes in two parts. This "Study Notes" volume contains the main text of the book for you to refer to in class and to review at home as you prepare for the exam. The course text is divided into several modules, each covering a different subject area. Each module is split into a series of units containing related topics for study. Each unit has a set of review questions designed to test your knowledge of the topics covered in the unit.

At the back of the "Study Notes" volume there is an index to help you look up key terms and concepts from the course.

The accompanying "Labs and References" book contains a list of the CompTIA certification objectives (and where in the study notes you can find useful material to prepare for each objective), tips for taking the CompTIA exams, the practical labs for you to complete in class, answers to the end of unit review questions, and a glossary of terms and concepts used in computer support.

If you are viewing this course as an ebook, the "Labs and References" volume is located after the index - use the bookmarks panel to navigate between sections.

When you have completed the course and want to prepare for the exam, you can take a practice test at www.gtssupport.com/flower27/220-701/index.htm.

Sample

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/learning_career_certifications_and_learning_paths_home.html

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcitp/default.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcitp/default.mspx

http://www.thinkhdi.com/



Page xii

Video Training

gtslearning and Professor Messer are excited to announce a joint effort in interactive learning for CompTIA's certification courses.

Professor Messer uses gtslearning's CompTIA certification courseware to develop and record his popular video training sessions. Now you can easily follow along with his video presentations using the links provided in the margins of this course book.

You can use the links in three ways:

1) If you have an ebook, just click the link to open the video in your browser.

2) If you have a QR code scanner, point your camera at the code to open it in your phone or tablet's browser.

gtsgo.to/1q3xc

3) If you have a printed book but no scanner, enter the web address into your browser.

We do endeavor to keep the video links up-to-date, but if you come across a broken link, please email the link code (for example "1g3xc") to [email protected] and we will update it.

Course Conventions and Icons

The following conventions have been used in this course. These are especially useful for following the practical lab exercises.

■ Bullet and number lists - steps for you to follow in the course of completing a task or hands-on exercise and review questions are indicated by numbered bullet points. Other bullet points indicate learning objectives and feature lists.

■ File and command selection - in the labs, files, applets, dialogs and other information that is displayed on the screen by the computer is shown in sans serif bold. For example: Click OK, Select Control Panel, and so on.

■ Sequences of commands - in the labs, a sequence of steps to follow to open a file or activate a command are shown in bold with arrows. For example, if you need to access the system properties in Windows, this would be shown in the text by: Start > Control Panel > System.

■ Commands - commands or information that you must enter using the keyboard are shown in Courier New Bold. For example: Type [email protected]. Courier New Bold-Italic represents some sort of variable, such as your student number. For example, if your student number is "5", you would follow the instruction ping 10.0.0.x by entering ping 10.0.0.5.

Sample

http://gtsgo.to/1q3xc

mailto:[email protected]

http://gtsgo.to/1q3xc


Page xiii

■ Using the mouse - when instructed to click, use the main mouse button; when instructed to alt-click, use the secondary button (that is, the button on the right-hand side of the mouse, assuming right-handed use). Sometimes you need to use both the keyboard and the mouse - for example, Ctrl+click means hold down the Ctrl key and click the main mouse button.

The following symbols are used to indicate different features in the course book:

Icon Meaning

A tip or warning about a feature or topic.

A reference to another unit, where more information on a topic can be found.

A link to a Professor Messer video presentation. Click or use a QR scanner to open the link or enter the address printed below it.

Space for you to make your own notes.

Review questions to help test what you have learned.

A hands-on exercise for you to practice skills learned during the lesson.

Content Seal of Quality

This courseware bears the seal of CompTIA Official Approved Quality Content. This seal signifies this content covers 100% of the exam objectives and implements important instructional design principles. CompTIA recommends multiple learning tools to help increase coverage of the learning objectives.

The contents of this training material were created for the CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials exam (exam code: 220-701) covering version 2.0 of the 2009 Edition A+ CompTIA certification exam objectives.

Your instructor edition is identical to the student edition, except that there are notes to help you deliver the course in the margins and the answers to the review questions are always shown.

This icon denotes a slide to accompany the text.

Sample


Page xiv

It is CompTIA's policy to update the exam regularly with new test items to deter fraud and for compliance with ISO standards. The exam objectives may therefore describe the current "Edition" of the exam with a date different to that above. Please note that this training material remains valid for the stated exam code, regardless of the exam edition. For more information, please check the FAQs on CompTIA's website (support.comptia.org).

Four Steps to Getting Certified

This training material can help you prepare for and pass a related CompTIA certification exam or exams. In order to achieve CompTIA certification, you must register for and pass a CompTIA certification exam or exams.

In order to become CompTIA certified, you must:

1) Review the certification objectives at www.comptia.org/certifications/testprep/examobjectives.aspx to make sure you know what is covered in the exam.

2) After you have studied for the certification, take a free assessment and sample test from CompTIA at www.comptia.org/certifications/testprep/practicetests.aspx to get an idea what type of questions might be on the exam. You can also use gtslearning's free practice tests at www.gtssupport.com/flower27/220-701/index.htm.

3) Purchase an exam voucher on the CompTIA Marketplace, which is located at www.comptiastore.com.

4) Select a certification exam provider and schedule a time to take your exam. You can find exam providers at www.comptia.org/certifications/testprep/testingcenters.aspx

How to Obtain More Information

■ Visit CompTIA online - www.comptia.org to learn more about getting CompTIA certified.

■ Contact CompTIA - call 866-835-8020 ext. 5 or email [email protected].

■ Connect with CompTIA : .

■ Join the IT Pro Community - visit itpro.comptia.org to join the IT community to get relevant career information.

Sample

http://support.comptia.org/

http://www.comptia.org/certifications/testprep/examobjectives.aspx

http://www.comptia.org/certifications/testprep/practicetests.aspx


http://www.comptiastore.com/

http://www.comptia.org/certifications/testprep/testingcenters.aspx

http://www.comptia.org/


http://itpro.comptia.org/

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=83900

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oakbrook-Terrace-IL/CompTIA-The-Computing-Technology-Industry-Association/38957949136

http://twitter.com/comptia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/comptia

http://www.youtube.com/user/CompTIATV

No part of these notes may be reproduced in any form, electronic or printed, without the written permission of a director of gtslearning International Limited. If you suspect that these notes have been unlawfully copied, please telephone +44 (0)207 887 7999 or email [email protected]

Study Notes PC and Laptop Hardware

Page 1

Module 1 / PC and Laptop Hardware

A+ Certification Essentials Domain Areas % of Examination

1.0 Hardware 27% 2.0 Troubleshooting, Repair, and Maintenance 20% 3.0 Operating System and Software 20% 4.0 Networking 15% 5.0 Security 8% 6.0 Operational Procedure 10%

Unit Domain Objectives / Examples 1.1 Types of

Computer This unit does not cover any specific CompTIA A+ objectives or content examples.

1.2 Motherboards

1.2 Explain motherboard components, types and features Form Factor (ATX / BTX, micro ATX, NLX) • Memory slots (RIMM, DIMM, SODIMM, SIMM) • Processor sockets • Bus architecture • Bus slots (PCI, AGP, PCIe, AMR, CNR) • Chipsets • BIOS / CMOS / Firmware (POST, CMOS battery) • Riser card / daughterboard 1.3 Classify power supplies types and characteristics AC adapter • ATX proprietary • Voltage, wattage and capacity • Voltage selector switch • Pins (20, 24) 1.5 Explain cooling methods and devices Heat sinks • CPU and case fans • Liquid cooling systems • Thermal compound 1.10 Install, configure and optimize laptop components and features Power and electrical input devices (Auto-switching, Fixed input power supplies, Batteries)

1.3 Processors

1.4 Explain the purpose and characteristics of CPUs and their features Identify CPU types (AMD, Intel) • HyperThreading • Multi core (Dual core, Triple core, Quad core) • On-chip cache (L1, L2) • Speed (real vs. actual) • 32-bit vs. 64-bit

1.4 Memory 1.6 Compare and contrast memory types, characteristics and their purpose Types (DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, DDR / DDR2 / DDR3, RAMBUS) • Parity vs. Non-parity • ECC vs. non-ECC • Single sided vs. double sided • Single channel vs. dual channel • Speed (PC100, PC133, PC2700, PC3200, DDR3-1600, DDR2-667)

Delivery Tips

Hardware accounts for 27% of the exam. This module covers most of the content for domain 1 (printers are covered later).

Make sure students know the functions of the main components of the PC and about the main technologies and standards. When preparing for the exam they should make sure to learn facts such as data transfer rates, cable lengths, pin numbers, and so on.

Unfortunately the first day is light on practical labs as there is a lot of theory material to get through but try to keep things interesting with exhibits to hand out...

Sample

No part of these notes may be reproduced in any form, electronic or printed, without the written permission of a director of gtslearning International Limited. If you suspect that these notes have been unlawfully copied,

please telephone +44 (0)207 887 7999 or email [email protected]

Module 1 / Unit 5 CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills

Page 80

Module 1 / Unit 5 Storage Devices

Objectives

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

■ Understand how a hard disk drive works and identify the factors that impact performance.

■ Describe the capabilities of PATA, SATA, SCSI, and RAID.

■ Describe the capabilities and uses of floppy drives, CD/DVD/Blu-ray drives, flash memory, and tape drives.

Storage Devices

System memory provides a fast storage medium for the operating system and applications but is volatile, meaning that data cannot be stored without a power supply. Non-volatile storage devices (or mass storage devices) hold data when the system is powered off. Removable mass storage devices allow data to be archived from the PC and transferred between PCs.

Storage devices use either magnetic or optical technology to store data. Capacities of storage devices range from 1.44 MB for a standard 3.5" floppy disk to multiple Gigabytes for tape storage.

The main storage device in a computer is one or more fixed hard drives. Other storage devices (such as a floppy drive, CD or DVD drive, or a tape drive) are used to transfer information to and from the computer. These are referred to as removable storage, as the disk media can be removed from the drive.

At least some storage devices are fitted as internal components. In the case of removable storage devices, the drive is positioned at the front of the case so that media can be inserted and removed. Hard drives do not need user access and so do not need to be positioned near a faceplate.

External storage devices are increasingly popular for backup and data transfer as they offer more capacity than traditional removable storage disks. A device such as an external hard drive would typically be connected to the computer via a USB or Firewire port.

Delivery Tips

There's quite a lot of detail that the students need to learn here but try to keep the lesson focused on knowing the different technologies and when and how they are or were used.

Timings

Theory & Review Questions - 45 minutes

Labs - 30 minutes

gtsgo.to/p8imk

Sam

ple

http://gtsgo.to/p8imk

http://gtsgo.to/p8imk


Study Notes Storage Devices

Page 81

Hard Drives

Even with the advances in the speed and capacity of other types of storage technology, the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) still remains the primary method of persistent storage for PC data. On a workstation PC, the hard disk drive will store the operating system files, application program files, system software files (such as drivers) and user data. On a server PC, the hard disks will store individual user files and shared sources of information, such as databases.

The original hard disk drives stored as little as 10 MB - the same as about 7 floppy disks - but advances in hard disk technology have enabled disks of over 1 terabyte (1000 GB) to be created - the same as about 600,000 floppy disks!

Hard Disk Construction

Data is stored on a number of metal or glass platters coated with a magnetic substance. The top and bottom of each platter is accessed by its own read/write head, moved by an actuator mechanism.

HDD with drive circuitry and casing removed showing

1) Platters; 2) Spindle; 3) Read/write heads; 4) Actuator

The heads do not actually touch the surface of the platters. The platters are mounted on a spindle and spun at high speed and the heads "float" above them at a distance of less than a millionth of an inch.

1

2

3

4

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The disk unit is kept sealed to maintain a constant air pressure (important for keeping the drive heads at the correct distance from the platters31) and to prevent the entry of dust.

Stack of platters on spindle

Each side of each platter is divided into circular tracks and each track contains a number of sectors, each with a capacity of 512 bytes. The collection of tracks in the same place on each platter is called a cylinder. This low-level formatting is also referred to as the drive geometry.

There are two main formats for HDDs: 3.5" units are the mainstream type used in PCs; 2.5" form factors are used for laptops and as portable external drives.

Hard Disk Performance

The performance of a hard disk is a measure of how fast it can read and write data. There are a number of factors that determine overall hard disk performance.

One factor is the speed at which the disks can spin (measured in Revolutions Per Minute [rpm]). The higher the rpm, the faster the drive is. High performance drives can reach over 15,000 rpm; average performance is typically 5400 or 7200 rpm.

RPM is one factor determining access time (measured in milliseconds), which is the delay that occurs as the read/write head locates a particular position on the drive. A high performance drive will have an access time below 4 ms; a typical drive might have an access time of around 9 ms.

The internal transfer rate (or data or disk transfer rate) of a drive is a measure of how fast read/write operations are performed on the disk platters. The external transfer rate (often simply described as the transfer rate) measures how fast data can be transferred to the CPU across the bus. The amount of cache memory can help to sustain better transfer rates. A high performance disk may feature a 4 MB or better cache.

31 A head touching a platter is called a head crash. This can damage the platter or the head.

Sample



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Generally the burst transfer rate is quoted. This is the maximum possible transfer rate under ideal conditions and cannot be sustained over a long period.

Some HDDs are now being fitted with a substantial cache of flash memory (see below) to improve performance. These are referred to as hybrid drives.

The other crucial factor that impacts HDD performance is reliability. Reliability is rated by various statistics, including Early-life Failure Rate, Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), which is the number of hours that a device should operate (under optimum conditions) before a critical incident can be expected, and life expectancy, which is the duration for which the device can be expected to remain reliable.

All drives now feature Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) to pass status information and alerts back to monitoring software. This can provide advance warning that a drive is about to fail.

Some of the major hard drive vendors include Seagate, Western Digital, Maxtor, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Toshiba, and Samsung.

Drive Controllers

Drive controllers provide a connection point for internal mass storage devices, such as hard drives, CD/DVD drives, and tape drives. The interface between the drive, controller, and the rest of the system is a type of bus. There are three main bus standards for attaching internal storage devices to a PC: EIDE/PATA, SATA, and SCSI.

Parallel ATA (PATA)

The Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) interface was the principal interface for desktop PCs for many years32.

32 The interface was (and still is) also referred to as IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) or EIDE (Extended IDE).

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PCs supporting PATA may come with two drive controllers (IDE1 and IDE2, or primary [PRI IDE] and secondary [SEC IDE]) though a single controller is now more typical if the motherboard also supports SATA.

IDE connectors on the motherboard - note the labels printed to the right of

the connectors

Each PATA controller supports two devices (master and slave).

A PATA drive features a 40-pin port. Shielded cables have 80 wires and are required for UDMA4 or better transfer modes (see below). PATA cable is supposed to be up to 45 cm (18") long.

Each PATA cable typically has three connectors, one for the motherboard and one for each device. Most new cables are "Cable Select", allowing the master and slave device to be identified by the use of a color-coded connector (rather than setting jumpers on the device itself).

Cable Select PATA cable with 1) Motherboard (blue); 2) Master (black); and 3) Slave

(gray) connectors plus 4) Red stripe indicating pin 1

Pin 1 on the cable must be oriented with pin 1 on the connector. On the cable, pin 1 is identified with a red stripe. The connectors are also keyed to prevent them from being inserted the wrong way around.

PATA has supported a number of standards over the years. The following table lists non-obsolete ATA standards33:

33 ATAPI stands for ATA Packet Interface and is an extension to ATA to support CD/DVD drives and tape drives.

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Interface Standard DMA Mode34

Maximum Transfer

Rate Special Features

ATA/ATAPI-4 UDMA 0, 1, 2 (UDMA-33)

33 MBps Ultra DMA, 80 conductor cable, and Cyclic Redundancy Checking

ATA/ATAPI-5 UDMA 3, 4 (UDMA-66)

66 MBps

ATA/ATAPI-6 UDMA 5 (UDMA-100)

100 MBps 48-bit LBA expansion35 and disk noise reduction

ATA/ATAPI-7 UDMA 6 (UDMA-133)

133 MBps Multimedia streaming

Serial ATA

Serial ATA (SATA) was developed to address the limitations of PATA. It is now the most popular means of attaching internal hard drives, though other types of device (such as DVD drives or tape drives) are not so well-established, meaning that most motherboards retain at least one PATA controller.

4 SATA motherboard connectors in front of an IDE connector on an Intel motherboard

As the name suggests, SATA transfers data in serial format. This allows for thinner, longer, more flexible cables (up to 1m [39"]) with smaller, 7-pin connectors. Each controller supports a single device.

SATA cable for HP workstations

34 DMA (Direct Memory Access) mode refers to the way that data is transferred to and from system memory. 35 In the early days of the EIDE interface, BIOS versions severely restricted maximum drive capacity. 32-bit driver software in the OS now handles drive addressing. Logical Block Addressing (LBA) is a method of telling the drive how to address a particular place on the disk surface. 48-bit LBA supports drives up to a (theoretical) 144 Petabytes. Windows 2000 must be patched to SP3 to use 48-bit addressing (otherwise the maximum partition size is limited to 137 GB).

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The first commercially available SATA standard supports speeds of up to 1.5 Gbps. This standard was quickly augmented by SATA 3 Gbps and then SATA 6 Gbps.

Another key advantage of SATA over PATA is that SATA is a hot swappable interface. This means that a compatible drive can be connected or disconnected while the system is running.

There is also an eSATA standard for the attachment of external drives, with a 2m (78") cable36.

More information on SATA standards can be obtained from www.sata-io.org.

Laptop Hard Disk

Laptop hard drives are 2.5" form factor drives (compared to 3.5" desktop versions). Consequently, the drives do not support the huge capacities of desktops (40 - 120 GB are typical sizes). They also tend to be slower (around 5000 rpm).

Typically, the drive will plug directly into a 44-pin connector that provides power and data transfer rather than using cables.

Laptop hard disk drive with SATA interface

Newer drives and laptops support SATA connectors. There will only be room for one internal hard disk. More capacity can be added by connecting an external drive.

External Hard Disks

External hard disks have become very popular for backup, additional storage, and as a means of transferring files. Some external disks are designed for capacity (from 200 - 500 GB); others are designed for portability.

External disks are typically packaged in a drive enclosure. The drive enclosure provides USB or Firewire ports, though some models support eSATA and some support network connections (referred to as Network Attached Storage [NAS]). The enclosure also provides for an external power supply, if the drive is too large to be powered over USB, and the casing protects the drive from damage.

36 The main drawback of eSATA compared to USB or Firewire external drives is that power is not supplied over the cable. This is not so much of an issue for 3.5" drives, which require a separate power supply anyway, but limits the usefulness of eSATA for 2.5" portable drives.

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SCSI Hard Disks

Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) has been in use as an expansion bus since the 1980s. There have been many revisions to the standard. While SCSI supports any type of internal or external device (including scanners and printers), it is most commonly used as a disk interface, particularly on server systems.

The main advantages of SCSI over PATA are higher transfer rates and support for a larger number of devices per controller and support for hot swappable devices. Like PATA, the older types of SCSI are parallel interfaces. SCSI can be implemented via a host adapter card connected to a PCI, PCI-X, or PCIe slot or as a host adapter integrated onto the motherboard.

Firewire is a type of serial SCSI. Serial Attached SCSI

(SAS) is also very popular in the sever market. It supports over 16,000 devices, offers point-to-point links (as opposed to shared bandwidth), has no termination issues, and supports higher bandwidths (up to 3 Gbps).

SCSI connectors and configuration issues are covered in more detail in Unit 1.6.

RAID

With RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks), many hard disks can act as backups for each other to increase reliability and fault tolerance or they can act together as one very large drive.

RAID can also be said to stand for "Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks" and the "D" can also stand for "devices".

The RAID advisory board defines RAID levels. The most common levels are numbered from 0 to 6 where each level corresponds to a specific type of fault tolerance. Only levels 0, 1, and 5 are of much relevance at the desktop however.

RAID Level Fault Tolerance Level 0 Striping without parity (no fault tolerance) Level 1 Mirroring/duplexing Level 5 Independent data disks with distributed parity

blocks (striping with parity)

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RAID 0 (Striping Without Parity)

Disk striping is a technique where data is divided into 64K blocks and spread in a fixed order among all the disks in the array. Because it provides no redundancy, this method cannot be said to be a true RAID implementation. If any disk in the set fails, all data is lost. It is used to improve performance by spreading disk I/O over multiple drives.

Data7Data6Data4Data1

Data8Data5Data3Data2

RAID 0 (striping) - data is spread across the array

This strategy requires between 2 and 32 hard disks. It provides the best performance when used with multiple disk controllers.

RAID 1 (Mirroring/Duplexing)

Mirroring requires an even number of hard disks and a single disk controller. It takes place at the partition level and any partition, including the boot/system partitions can be mirrored. Each write operation is duplicated on the second disk in the set.

This strategy is the simplest way of protecting a single disk against failure. If one disk fails, the other takes over. The failed disk can be replaced (ideally, as quickly as possible).

Data1

Data1

RAID 1 (Mirroring) - data is written to both disks simultaneously

In terms of cost per megabyte, disk mirroring is more expensive than other forms of fault tolerance because disk-space utilization is only 50 percent. There can also be a loss in performance as each write operation has to be performed twice.

However, disk mirroring usually has a lower entry cost because it requires only two disks. Stripe sets with parity (RAID level 5) require three or more.

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Duplexing is simply a mirrored pair with an additional disk controller on the second drive. This reduces channel traffic and potentially improves performance. Duplexing is intended to protect against controller failures as well as media failures.

Data123

Data123

RAID 1 (Duplex mirror) - an extra controller provides redundancy

RAID 5 (Striping with parity)

Striping with parity (RAID 5) is the most common strategy for fault tolerant designs. It differs from other levels in that it writes parity information across all the disks in the array. The data and parity information are managed so that the two are always on different disks. If a single disk fails, enough information is spread across the remaining disks to allow the data to be completely reconstructed.

Stripe sets with parity offer the best performance for read operations. However, when a disk has failed, the read performance is degraded by the need to recover the data using the parity information. Also, all normal write operations require three times as much memory due to the parity calculation.

Data7Parity5-6

Data3Data1

Data8Data5

Parity3-4Data2

Parity7-8Data6Data4

Parity1-2

RAID 5 (Striping with Parity)

Striping with parity requires a minimum of three drives.

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Floppy Drives

A floppy disk (or "diskette") is a plastic disk coated with a magnetic substance. The surface of the disk is low-level formatted with circular tracks and each track contains a number of 512-byte sectors. Data is stored on the magnetized disk surface using an encoding scheme called Modified Frequency Modulation. The disc is enclosed in a rigid plastic case (for protection) with a metal shutter (so that the drive can access the disk contents). Disks also feature a write protect tab (when the tab is open, the disk contents cannot be changed).

Floppy disk with 1) Shutter; 2) Spindle; 3) Write protect tab; 4) HD tab

The only type of floppy disk in any sort of use is the 3.5" HD (High Density) double-sided disk, with a maximum storage capacity of "1.44 MB" (that is, it has 80 tracks each with 18 sectors of 512 bytes on both sides of the disk37). Floppy disks support a transfer rate of 62.5 KBps.

Diskettes are read and written via a Floppy Disk Drive (FDD). A drive consists of a spindle motor to spin the disk, read/write heads (moved by a head actuator) to access the disk and read and write data, connectors for power and data transfer, and a disk eject mechanism. The FDD is connected to the PC's FDD controller on the motherboard using a 34-pin cable.

34-pin FDD connector (below two 40-pin IDE connectors) and FDD cable

37 There are also Double Density (720 KB) and Extra HD (2.88 MB) formats plus 5.25" formats, but these are obsolete. The capacity is always referred to as 1.44 MB but this is actually a mistake derived from combining binary and decimal measurements (assuming the sector size is 500 bytes (0.5 KB) rather than 512 bytes). The actual capacity is 1.47 MB or 1.41 MiB (binary "mibibytes"), with the latter value being reported by software such as Windows, which uses the binary measurements.

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Many new PCs and almost all laptops are no longer shipped with FDDs, though external units are available. With their limited storage capacity, floppy disks are used almost exclusively for troubleshooting.

Optical Disc Storage

CDs (Compact Disc) and DVDs (Digital Video or Versatile Disc, depending on who you believe) are mainstream storage formats for consumer multimedia, such as music and video. Both formats have also been adapted for data storage with PC systems. The CD / DVD drives used with PCs can also play consumer versions of the discs38.

The data version of the CD (CD-ROM) became ubiquitous on PC systems as it has sufficient capacity (700 MB39) to deliver most software applications. DVD is an improvement on CD technology and delivers substantially more capacity (up to about 17 GB). DVDs are used for some software installs (Windows Vista/7 for instance) and for games and multimedia.

CD Construction

A CD is a layer of aluminum foil encased in protective plastic, which can also incorporate a label or screen-printed image on the non-playing side. The foil layer contains a series of pits and spaces in-between (called lands) arranged in a spiral. The changes between pits and lands are used to encode each bit. A standard CD is 120 mm in diameter40 and 1.2 mm thick.

Recordable CDs

A recordable version of the CD (CD-R) was developed in 1999. Rather than a premastered layer of foil with pits and lands, CD-Rs feature a layer of photosensitive dye. A special laser is used to transform the dye, mimicking the pits and lands of a normal CD, in a process called burning. Most ordinary CD players and drives can read CD-Rs but they may not playback properly on older equipment.

38 Some commercial discs have been produced with copy protection systems, making them unplayable in PC drives. 39 Audio CDs can store up to 80 minutes of music (assuming 16-bit stereo encoded at 44.1 KHz). Originally, CDs could only store 650 MB (74 minutes) but improved manufacturing techniques have increased that to 700 MB. 40 There are also 80mm discs, playable in most CD-ROM drives.

Students should learn the different capacities and formats of optical disc for the exam.

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CD-R is a type of Write Once Read Many (WORM) media. Data areas once written cannot be overwritten41. However, a rewritable (or multisession) disc format (CD-RW) has also been developed. This uses a heat sensitive compound whose properties can be changed between crystalline and amorphous by a special laser. There is some concern over the longevity of recordable CD (and DVD) media. Cheaply manufactured discs have shown a tendency to degrade and become unusable (sometimes over the space of just a few years).

CD Standards

Standards for the different types of CDs are published by Phillips and Sony as differently colored books.

Standard CD Type Red book Audio CDs (16-bit sampled at 44.4Hz). Yellow book Data CDs (Mode 1) and compressed audio CDs

(Mode 2, which defines 5 stages of compression). Orange book Defined the unused CD-MO and the more popular

CD-R and CD-RW. Green book Phillips' CD-I(nteractive) product. White book Video CD.

CD Drives

A CD drive consists of a spindle motor (to spin the disc), a laser and lens (to read the disc), and a tracking system to move the laser and lens assembly. The mechanism for inserting a CD is either tray or slot based42. A drive may feature audio play and volume controls and a headphone jack. The drives are considerably larger than hard disks (5.25" form factor).

Drives also feature a small hole that accesses a disc eject mechanism (insert a paper clip to activate the mechanism). This is useful if the standard eject button will not work or if the drive does not have power.

CD drives are rated according to their data transfer speed. The original drives had a data transfer rate of 150 KBps. Subsequently, drives have been available that offer multiples of the original rate; this would be around 52x for new models, offering transfer rates in excess of 7 MBps.

41 If there is space, a new session can be started on the disc. However, this makes the disc unreadable in ordinary CD-ROM drives. 42 Slot-loading mechanisms have rollers that grab the disc. Sometimes, these cannot handle non-standard disc sizes.

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Many CD drives also function as recordable / rewritable CD burners (or writers). Such drives feature three speeds, always expressed as the Read/Record/Rewrite speed (for example, 52X/24X/16X). One feature to look out for on such drives is BURN-proof technology, which prevents discs being ruined by buffer under-run errors (where the software cannot supply the drive the data to write quickly enough).

Digital Versatile Discs (DVD)

DVD is similar to CD but with a different encoding method, higher density discs, and a shorter wavelength laser. DVD discs are also thinner and can be dual-layer and / or double-sided (a DVD is two 0.6 mm discs sandwiched together). The different permutations result in these storage capacities:

Standard Capacity Description

DVD-5 4.7 GB Single layer / Single sided

DVD-9 8.5 GB Dual layer / Single sided

DVD-10 9.4 GB Single layer / Double sided43

DVD-18 17.1 GB Dual layer / Double sided

DVD-Video Up to 17.1 GB Commercially produced DVDs using mpeg encoding and chapters for navigation (can be single or dual layer and single or double sided)

DVD-Audio 8.5 GB Format for high quality audio (superior sampling rates and 5.1 surround sound for instance)

DVDs also feature a higher transfer rate, with multiples of 1.38 MBps (equivalent to 9X CD speed). The fastest models feature 16X read speeds.

Like CD, there are recordable and rewritable versions of DVD, some of which support dual layer recording. There are two slightly different standards for recordable and rewritable DVDs, referred to as DVD-R / DVD-RW versus DVD+R / DVD+RW44. Most drives can read all formats but write in either + or - format. Many consumer DVD players can play DVD±R discs.

Consumer DVDs feature copy protection mechanisms (Digital Rights Management) and region coding. Region coding, if enforced, means that a disc can only be used on a player from the same region.

43 Double-sided discs need to be turned over to play or record to the second side. 44 An additional format – Panasonic's DVD-RAM – is not widely supported by computer DVD drives but is optimized for multiple write operations and so well suited to data storage.

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The following codes are used:

■ Region 0 - no coding (that is, playback is unrestricted).

■ Region 1 - Canada and the US.

■ Region 2 - EMEA and Japan.

■ Region 3 - SE Asia.

■ Region 4 - South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

■ Region 5 - Russia, Africa, and parts of Asia.

■ Region 6 - China.

Some DVD players are multi-region but some discs feature protection mechanisms to disable playback in such machines. PC software is not usually region coded, with the exception of some PC game discs.

Blu-ray Discs

Blu-ray Discs (BD) have emerged as the next generation format for distributing consumer multimedia and are also likely to be used to distribute high-bandwidth applications, such as video games45.

Blu-ray is principally required to cope with the demands of High Definition video recording and playback. HD requires much more bandwidth and storage space because it uses a much higher resolution picture (1920x1080 compared to 720x480 [NTSC] or 720x576 [PAL]) and better quality audio (digital surround sound).

Video and audio terminology and formats are covered in more detail in Unit 1.7.

A Blu-ray Disc works on fundamentally the same principle as DVD but with a shorter wavelength laser (a 405nm blue laser compared to DVD's 650nm red laser). This means discs can be much higher density; though the cost of components to make the drives is considerably higher.

A standard BD has a capacity of 25 GB per layer; mini-discs (8cm) can store 7.8 GB per layer. Currently, only dual-layer discs are standard though quad-layer 100 GB discs have been demoed. There are currently no double-sided formats.

45 Its competitor, High Definition DVD (HD DVD), was discontinued in 2008.

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The base speed for Blu-ray is 36 MBps and the maximum theoretical rate is 12x (432 MBps). At the time of writing, most drives are 2x or 4x; 2x is the minimum required for movie playback.

Generally speaking, BD players are also capable of CD and DVD playback. Recordable (BD-R) and re-recordable (BD-RE) drives and discs are also available. BD-R is often available at the same speed as playback while BD-RE is usually half playback speed.

HP Blu-ray / DVD / CD drive

Like DVDs, consumer Blu-ray Discs (BD-ROMs) are likely to be DRM-protected and may be region coded:

■ Region A - America, Japan, and SE Asia.

■ Region B - EMEA, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

■ Region C - Russia and Central Asia (including China).

Laptop Removable Drives

Different types of CD and DVD drives (including writable drives) or a floppy drive can be supplied as an integrated device within the laptop chassis or as an optional component. Most laptops have a Media Bay. This is a housing for a standard drive (such as a CD-ROM or DVD-R) that can be swapped with other components, such as a hard disk, floppy disk, or an additional power pack.

Swappable drive bay on a Compaq Presario

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Flash Memory

Solid state storage uses a type of non-volatile Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) technology called flash memory. Flash memory is non-volatile because it does not need a power source to retain information. Compared to other types of storage, flash memory is very small and light. Mass manufacturing has seen prices fall to very affordable levels. Storage capacity ranges from 512 MB to 256 GB.

Flash Memory Devices

There are many ways of packaging flash memory. One of the most popular is the USB drive (or "thumb" drive). This type of drive simply plugs into any spare USB port. Another popular type of packaging is the memory card, used extensively in consumer digital imaging products, such as digital still and video cameras.

There are several proprietary types of memory card. Some popular examples include CompactFlash (CF), Secure Digital (SD), and Sony Memory Stick. The largest cards have up to 64 GB capacity.

Many PCs are fitted with Memory Card Readers with 2 or 3 slots that between them will accommodate most of the sticks on the market.

Memory card reader on an HP Pavilion PC

HP USB flash

drive

Another use for flash memory is as the main storage for electronics devices such as PDAs, cellphones, mp3 players, handheld games consoles, and so on.

Data transfer rates vary quite widely between different devices, which are rated on the same system as CDs, using multiples of 150 KBps, with the fastest devices working at up to 200x read speeds (or 38 MBps; the write speed is typically about two-thirds of the read speed).

Flash memory is taking over most of the applications of older removable storage technologies. Some of the offline music stores are even selling singles on flash memory sticks rather than CD.

Hybrid drives are likely to be commonplace in the next few years.

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Solid State Drives

Flash memory is also being incorporated onto a new generation of Solid State Drives (SSD) designed to replicate or supplement the function of the hard drive.

The advantages of flash memory-based SSDs are that the lack of moving parts make them quieter, more power efficient, and less prone to catastrophic failure. Read times are better because seek time and consequently the effect of file fragmentation is eliminated. They are also less susceptible to data loss in the event of power failure46.

The main disadvantage is the high cost; a 64 GB SSD costs a bit more than a 2 TB HDD (a 1 TB SSD can cost the same as a top-end server). SSDs can also perform worse than HDDs when writing data and when serving large (GB) files. Flash chips are also susceptible to their own type of degradation over the course of many write operations, so the operating system must use wear leveling routines to optimize the usable life of the device47.

SSDs are available as either standalone units or hybrid drives. In a hybrid drive, the SSD portion functions as a large cache, containing data that is accessed frequently. The magnetic disc is only spun up when non-cached data is accessed. This reduces power consumption but can degrade performance.

HP SSD with SATA interface

46 Most drives still feature DRAM-based write cache to improve performance. In the event of a power failure, unwritten cache would be lost. However, the DRAM cache may be backed up by a battery to cover this eventuality. 47 Windows Vista supports booting from flash memory USB, SSDs, or hybrid drives (ReadyDrive) but doesn't support wear leveling. This feature was introduced with Windows 7.

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Tape Drives

Magnetic tape drives provide a low cost per byte method of creating system backups. They may be internal or external units, supplied with ATA/EIDE, SCSI, USB, or Firewire interfaces. Some of the more popular formats are summarized below48:

■ Quarter-Inch Cartridge (QIC) - this is the oldest tape drive format still in use. Tapes can store up to 4 GB49.

■ Travan - the Travan backup format (now owned by Imation) is a development of the QIC system. Tapes can store up to 10 GB uncompressed data.

■ Digital Audio Tape - this uses a digital format with two magnetic heads: one to read and one to write. DAT backup systems conform to a standard called Digital Data Storage (DDS) and support up to 36 GB uncompressed capacity.

■ 8 mm Tape Systems - offers high-capacity (up to 200 GB) data storage in a cartridge that appears identical to 8 mm (1/4") video tapes, although it uses a much higher quality magnetic media. The 8 mm standard is mainly being developed by the Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT) forum, sponsored notably by Sony.

Sony AIT-3 drive and tape cartridge

■ Digital (DLT) - This tape technology was developed for high-speed, LAN-based backup systems. DLT is a popular format for mini-computers and large servers and is much faster than other tape backup formats.

DLT was originally developed by DEC but the standard is now maintained by Quantum, Fujitsu, Hitachi, and Imation. The standard has VS (Value Series) and Super-DLT variants, with capacity up to 300 GB. Another DLT format, Linear Tape-Open (LTO), was set up by HP and IBM. LTO-based products go under the brand name Ultrium. Tapes have up to 400 GB uncompressed capacity.

48 Compression increases tape capacity but also makes backup jobs slower to complete. 49 All tape types have a range of standards associated with them. Typically, a tape drive will be incompatible with later standards. In some cases, a drive may also not be compatible with earlier standards (or may have read-only compatibility).

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Review Questions / Module 1 / Unit 5 / Storage Devices

Answer the following questions. The correct answers are in the accompanying "Labs and References" manual.

1) True or false? The read/write heads on a hard disk require regular cleaning to obtain optimum performance from a hard disk. False - the heads are located within a sealed unit and microscopic in size.

2) What basic factor might you look at in selecting a high-performance drive. RPM - the speed at which it spins.

3) What is a SMART hard disk? One with Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology. This means that it can provide status reports to diagnostic software.

4) At what UDMA mode is a shielded cable required? UDMA-4 / UDMA-66 and above.

5) True or false? SATA is an interface for hard drives only. False.

6) Apart from speed, what are the advantages of SATA over PATA? Hot swappable drives, longer, more compact cabling, and simpler configuration.

7) What component do you need to install a SCSI hard drive? A SCSI host adapter.

8) If you have a computer with three hard disks, what type of RAID fault-tolerant configuration will make best use of them? RAID 5 (striping with parity); RAID 0 is not fault-tolerant and RAID 1 requires an even number of disks.

9) If a CD writer is 12x8x32x, what is the maximum transfer rate when creating a CD-R? About 1.7 MBps (1800 KBps).

10) True or false? DVD-RW media allows double-layer recording. False - only DVD, DVD-R, or DVD+R media can be double layer.

11) What is the transfer rate of a 10x DVD drive? 13.2 MBps.

Run lab 2 after completing the review questions with the students.

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12) What is the most capacity that you could obtain from a single Blu-ray recordable disc? 50 GB (dual-layer; 25 GB per layer).

13) What distinguishes a hard drive designed for a laptop and one designed for a PC? Laptop drives are 2.5" rather than 3.5". They also tend to be slower and lower capacity.

14) What is the function of a media bay? A slot into which different types of drive or replacement battery pack can be inserted.

15) True or false? A memory card reader is required to attach a USB flash memory drive to a PC. False - the "drive" will plug into any USB port.

16) What type of tape system offers the best capacity and performance? Digital Linear Tape (DLT).

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Study Notes Index

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Index

Where a term or phrase is abbreviated, the abbreviation is the form listed in the index. Note that index references are made to the nearest main heading for the topic in which the term appears.

. .NET ......................... 159

1

10Base Standards ... 330, 332, 333

2

2.5'' Hard Drive ........... 86

3

32-bit CPU .................. 55 3DNow! ....................... 54 3G ............................. 352

6

64-bit ........................... 55

8

8 mm Tape .................. 98 802.11i ...................... 337 802.1X ...................... 338

A

AC Adapter ................. 43 Access Control .. 462, 478 Access Time ............... 82 Accountability ............ 492 ACPI ......................... 210 ACR ............................ 31 Action Center ............ 409 Activation .................. 261 Active Listening ......... 484 Adapter Card .............. 27 Add Hardware Wizard203 Add/Remove Programs ................................. 215

Address Bus ......... 22, 57 Addressing 298, 312, 322 Administrative Tools .. 192 ADSL ........................ 349 Advanced Startup Options ..................... 287 Adware ..................... 475 Aero .......................... 176 AGP ............................ 31 Alerts ........................ 403 Algorithm .................. 463 Allocation Unit ........... 227 AMD...................... 50, 63 AMR............................ 31 Answer Files ............. 275 API .................... 157, 322 APIPA ....................... 313 Application

File associations ............ 238 Installation ...................... 215 Troubleshooting ............. 411

Application Compatibility ......................... 218, 220 ARC .......................... 283 Archive Attribute ....... 452 ARP .......................... 309 Aspect Ratio ............. 131 Asymmetric Encryption ................................. 464 ATA................. See PATA Athlon 64 .................... 63 Atom ........................... 68 Attributes .................. 234 ATX............................. 35 ATX12V ...................... 41 Audio ........................ 142 Auditing ..................... 473 Authentication ........... 470 Automatic Updates .... 446 Autorestart ................ 408

Auto-switching Power Supply ......................... 43

B

Back Side Bus ............ 23 Backdoor .................. 475 Backlight ................... 407 Backup ...................... 450

Restoring data ............... 455 System........................... 289 Tape Rotation ........ 453, 454

Bandwidth ................. 297 Bank ........................... 76 Barcode Reader ........ 112 Battery ........ 43, 404, 456 BCD .......................... 285 Binary ................... 14, 15 Biometric Device 113, 472 BIOS ........... 25, 286, 448 BIOS Security ........... 466 Bit ............................... 14 Bit Depth ................... 136 Blackberry ................... 12 Blackout .................... 441 Blanking Plate ............... 8 Bluescreen ................ 408 Bluetooth .......... 121, 340 Blu-ray ........................ 94 Body Language ......... 487 Boot Disk .......... 255, 288 Boot Files .................. 281 Boot Process ............ 278 BOOT.INI .......... 279, 282 BOOTSECT.DOS ..... 279 Brightness ................. 135 Bristle Brush ............. 430 Broadband ................ 349 BTX ............................ 37 Buffered Memory ........ 78 Bus ............................. 27

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Bus Architecture .......... 22 Bus Mastering ............. 29 Byte ............................ 14

C

Cable ........................ 330 Firewire .......................... 108 Network ......................... 330 Parallel port ................... 103 PATA ............................... 83 SATA ............................... 85 USB ............................... 105

Cable Internet Access350 Cable Management ... 425 Cache ......................... 57 Cache Memory............ 24 Capacitor .............. 17, 71 Capture Card ............ 145 CardBus .................... 117 Case ............................. 6 Case Fan .................... 45 Cat5e ........................ 330 CD / CD-R / CD-RW.... 91 CDFS ........................ 227 CDMA2000 EV-DO ... 352 Cell Phone .................. 12 Cellular Internet Access ................................. 352 Centronics ................. 103 Certificate Authority ... 464 Chemicals ......... 430, 457 Chipset ................. 23, 56 CHKDSK ................... 434 Cipher ....................... 463 Classful Subnet ......... 310 Classification of Information ................ 478 Cleaning.... 380, 430, 431 CLEANMGR ............. 436 Client ........................ 298 Clock Multiplier ............ 22 Clock Speed ............... 58 Cluster ...................... 227 CMD ......................... 190 CMOS ................. 25, 286 CMOS Battery ............. 26 CNR ............................ 31 Coaxial Cable ........... 332

Coin Cell Battery ......... 26 Color Depth ............... 136 COM ......................... 159 Command Prompt ..... 190 Commit Charge ......... 195 Communication ......... 484 Communications Devices ................................. 120 Complaints ................ 495 Compliance ............... 461 Component Connections ................................. 133 Composite Video....... 133 Compressed Air Can . 430 Compression ............. 228 Compromise ............. 492 Computer Management ................................. 192 Computer Name ....... 199 Conductor ................... 17 Confidentiality ........... 493 Contrast .................... 135 Contrast Ratio ........... 131 Control Panel ............ 187 Core 2 ................... 62, 68 Core iX ........................ 62 CPU .............. 50, 52, 195 CPU Fan ..................... 45 CPU Manufacturing ..... 52 CRT .......................... 128 Cultural Sensitivity .... 493 Current ........................ 17 Customer Service .... 483, 495 Cylinder ...................... 81

D

DAT ............................ 98 Data Bus ..................... 22 Data Protection ......... 461 Data Security ............ 478 Data Storage ............... 80 Daughter Board .......... 36 DB25 ......................... 103 DB9........................... 103 DDR / DDR2 / DDR3 ... 73 DDS ............................ 98 Default Gateway ....... 312

Defragmenter ............ 435 Degauss ................... 135 DEP ............................ 60 Deployment............... 273 Desktop .....164, 171, 176 Desktop Case ............... 6 Device ....................... 158

Configuring .................... 204 Installing ........................ 203 Removing ...................... 207 Troubleshooting ..... 404, 410

Device Manager ........ 203 Devices and Printers . 209 DHCP ............... 313, 339 Dial-up Networking .... 349 Differential Backup .... 452 Digital Camera .......... 146 Digital Certificate464, 471 Digital Video Recorder ................................. 145 DIMM .......................... 71 Diode .......................... 17 Direct Connect Architecture................. 57 Directory Structures .. 230 DirectX .............. 139, 194 Disk Boot Order ........ 286 Disk Cleanup ............ 436 Disk Management .... 226, 256 DISKPART ................ 226 Display .......128, 136, 407 Disposal .................... 456 Disposal Policy ......... 479 Distractions ............... 493 DLL ........................... 215 DLP .......................... 130 DLT ............................. 98 DNS .................. 312, 325 Docking Station ......... 119 DOCSIS .................... 350 Documentation . 390, 398, 399, 488 Domain ............. 199, 258 Domain Controller ..... 258 Domain Name ........... 325 DOS .......................... 163 Dot Matrix ................. 368 Double-sided Memory . 76

Sample

CompTIA A+ Certification Practical Application Support Skills

(2009 Objectives with Windows 7) Instructor Edition

Labs and References

G180Teng ver091

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Tel: +44 (0)20 7887 7999 Fax: +44 (0)20 7887 7988 Email: [email protected]

Acknowledgements

www.gtslearning.com

Course Developer .................................................................... gtslearning

Editor ............................................................................... James Pengelly

This courseware is owned, published, and distributed by gtslearning, the world’s only specialist supplier of CompTIA learning solutions. [email protected] +44 (0)20 7887 7999 +44 (0)20 7887 7988 Three Elysium Gate, 126-128 New Kings Road, London, SW6 4LZ, UK

COPYRIGHT

This courseware is copyrighted © 2011 gtslearning. Product images are the copyright of the vendor or manufacturer named in the caption and used by permission. No part of this courseware or any training material supplied by the publisher to accompany the courseware may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, or re-used in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Violation of these laws will lead to prosecution.

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Information in this course is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted.

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If you suspect that this course has been copied or distributed illegally, please telephone or email gtslearning.

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mailto:[email protected]?subject=CAQC%20Course%20Book

Labs and References Table of Contents

Page iii

Table of Contents

CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam Objectives 1

Domain 1.0 Hardware ........................................................................................................ 1 Domain 2.0 Troubleshooting, Repair & Maintenance ......................................................... 3 Domain 3.0 Operating System and Software ..................................................................... 4 Domain 4.0 Networking ..................................................................................................... 5 Domain 5.0 Security .......................................................................................................... 5 Domain 6.0 Operational Procedure ................................................................................... 6

Exam Tips 7

Registering for the Test ..................................................................................................... 7 Taking the Test .................................................................................................................. 7 After the Test ..................................................................................................................... 8 Retaking the Test .............................................................................................................. 8

Labs 9

Answers to Review Questions 75

Module 1 / PC and Laptop Hardware ............................................................................... 75 Module 2 / Operating Systems ........................................................................................ 83 Module 3 / Networking and Printing ................................................................................. 89 Module 4 / PC Support .................................................................................................... 93

Glossary 98

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Labs and References CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam Objectives

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CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam Objectives

The material in this course will help you to learn and practice the CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Examination Objectives (Exam Code: 220-701 / Release Date: September 2010 [Version 2.0]).

It is CompTIA's policy to update the exam regularly with new test items to deter fraud. The exam objectives may therefore describe the current "Edition" of the exam with a date different to that of the objectives. Please note that this training material remains valid for the specified exam code, regardless of the exam edition.

The following tables list where the domain objectives of the Essentials exam is covered in this course.

A+ Certification Essentials Domain Areas % of Examination

1.0 Hardware 27% 2.0 Troubleshooting, Repair, and Maintenance

20%

3.0 Operating System and Software 20% 4.0 Networking 15% 5.0 Security 8% 6.0 Operational Procedure 10%

Domain 1.0 Hardware

Domain Objectives / Examples Unit 1.1 Categorize storage devices and backup media FDD • HDD (Solid state vs. magnetic) • Optical drives (CD / DVD / RW / Blu-Ray) • Removable storage (Tape drive, Solid state [e.g. thumb drive, flash, SD cards, USB], External CD-RW and hard drive, Hot swappable devices and non-hot swappable devices)

1.5 Storage Devices

1.2 Explain motherboard components, types and features Form Factor (ATX / BTX, micro ATX, NLX) • Memory slots (RIMM, DIMM, SODIMM, SIMM) • Processor sockets • Bus architecture • Bus slots (PCI, AGP, PCIe, AMR, CNR) • Chipsets • BIOS / CMOS / Firmware (POST, CMOS battery) • Riser card / daughterboard

1.2 Motherboards

PATA (IDE, EIDE) • SATA, eSATA • Contrast RAID (levels 0, 1, 5)

1.5 Storage Devices

I/O interfaces (Sound, Video, USB 1.1 and 2.0, Serial, IEEE 1394 / Firewire, Parallel, NIC, Modem, PS/2) • Bus slots (PCMCIA)

1.6 Input and Peripheral

Devices

Students should use these tables to help to revise for the exam.

Stress that the training material remains current for the stated exam code, regardless of the date or edition appearing on the exam.

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Domain Objectives / Examples Unit 1.3 Classify power supplies types and characteristics AC adapter • ATX proprietary • Voltage, wattage and capacity • Voltage selector switch • Pins (20, 24)

1.2 Motherboards

1.4 Explain the purpose and characteristics of CPUs and their features Identify CPU types (AMD, Intel) • HyperThreading • Multi core (Dual core, Triple core, Quad core) • On-chip cache (L1, L2) • Speed (real vs. actual) • 32-bit vs. 64-bit

1.3 Processors

1.5 Explain cooling methods and devices Heat sinks • CPU and case fans • Liquid cooling systems • Thermal compound

1.2 Motherboards

1.6 Compare and contrast memory types, characteristics and their purpose Types (DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, DDR / DDR2 / DDR3, RAMBUS) • Parity vs. Non-parity • ECC vs. non-ECC • Single sided vs. double sided • Single channel vs. dual channel • Speed (PC100, PC133, PC2700, PC3200, DDR3-1600, DDR2-667)

1.4 Memory

1.7 Distinguish between the different display devices and their characteristics Projectors, CRT and LCD • LCD technologies (Resolution [e.g. XGA, SXGA+, UXGA, WUXGA], Contrast ratio, Native resolution) • Connector types (VGA, HDMi ,S-Video, Component / RGB, DVI pin compatibility) • Settings (Refresh rate, Resolution, Multi-monitor, Degauss)

1.7 Video and Sound

Devices

1.8 Install and configure peripherals and input devices Mouse • Keyboard • Barcode reader • Biometric devices • Touch screen • KVM switch


Devices

Multimedia (e.g. web and digital cameras, MIDI, microphones)

1.7 Video and Sound

Devices 1.9 Summarize the function and types of adapter cards I/O (SCSI, Serial, USB, Parallel) • Communications (NIC, Modem)


Devices

Video (PCI, PCIe, AGP) • Multimedia (Sound card, TV tuner cards, Capture cards)

1.7 Video and Sound

Devices 1.10 Install, configure and optimize laptop components and features Power and electrical input devices (Auto-switching, Fixed input power supplies, Batteries)

1.2 Motherboards

Expansion devices (PCMCIA cards, PCI Express cards, Docking station) • Communication connections (Bluetooth, Infrared, Cellular WAN, Ethernet, Modem) • Input devices (Stylus / digitizer, Function keys, Point devices [e.g. touch pad, point stick / track point])


Devices

1.11 Install and configure printers Differentiate between printer types (Laser, Inkjet, Thermal, Impact) • Local vs. network printers • Printer drivers (compatibility) • Consumables

3.3 Printers

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Domain 2.0 Troubleshooting, Repair & Maintenance

Domain Objectives / Examples Unit 2.1 Given a scenario, explain the troubleshooting theory Identify the problem (Question user and identify user changes to computer and perform backups before making changes) • Establish a theory of probable cause (question the obvious) • Test the theory to determine cause (Once theory is confirmed determine next steps to resolve problem, If theory is not confirmed re-establish new theory or escalate) • Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution • Verify full system functionality and if applicable implement preventative measures • Document findings, actions and outcomes

4.1 Troubleshooting

Techniques

2.2 Given a scenario, explain and interpret common hardware and operating system symptoms and their causes Use documentation and resources (User / installation manuals, Internet / web based, Training materials)

4.1 Troubleshooting

Techniques

OS related symptoms (Bluescreen, System lock-up, Input / output device, Application install, Start or load, Windows specific printing problems [Print spool stalled, Incorrect / incompatible driver]) • Hardware related symptoms (Excessive heat, Noise, Odors, Status light indicators, Alerts, Visible damage [e.g. cable, plastic])

4.2 Basic Troubleshooting

Scenarios

2.3 Given a scenario, determine the troubleshooting methods and tools for printers Manage print jobs • Print spooler • Printer properties and settings • Print a test page


Scenarios

2.4 Given a scenario, explain and interpret common laptop issues and determine the appropriate basic troubleshooting method Issues (Power conditions, Video, Keyboard, Pointer, Stylus, Wireless card issues) • Methods (Verify power [e.g. LEDs, swap AC adapter], Remove unneeded peripherals, Plug in external monitor, Toggle Fn keys or hardware switches, Check LCD cut-off switch, Verify backlight functionality and pixilation, Check switch for built-in Wi-Fi antennas or external antennas)


Scenarios

2.5 Given a scenario, integrate common preventative maintenance techniques Physical inspection • Updates (Driver, Firmware, OS, Security) • Scheduling preventative maintenance (Defrag, Scandisk, Check disk, Startup programs) • Use of appropriate repair tools and cleaning materials (Compressed air, Lint free cloth, Computer vacuum and compressors) • Power devices (Appropriate source such as power strip, surge protector or UPS) • Ensuring proper environment • Backup procedures

4.3 Preventative Maintenance

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Domain 3.0 Operating System and Software

Unless otherwise noted, operating systems referred to within include Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, XP Home, XP Media Center, Windows Vista Home, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate, Windows 7 Starter, Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate.

Domain Objectives / Examples Unit 3.1 Compare and contrast the different Windows Operating Systems and their features Windows 2000, Windows XP 32-bit vs. 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit vs. 64-bit, Windows 7 32-bit vs. 64-bit (Sidebar, Aero, UAC, Minimum system requirements, System limits, Terminology [32-bit vs. 64-bit - x86 vs. x64], User interface, start bar layout)

2.1 Windows Operating

System

Application compatibility, installed program locations [32-bit vs. 64-bit], Windows compatibility mode

2.2 Managing Windows

Windows 2000 and newer - upgrade paths and requirements (Windows OS Upgrade Advisor, Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit)

2.4 Installing and Upgrading

Windows 3.2 Given a scenario, demonstrate proper use of user interfaces Taskbar / systray • Start menu

2.1 Windows Operating

System Control Panel • Run line utilities (MSCONFIG, MSINFO32, DXDIAG, CMD, REGEDIT) • Administrative tools (Performance Monitor, Event Viewer, Services, Computer Management) • MMC • Task Manager


Windows Explorer (Libraries in Windows 7) • My Computer

2.3 Windows Storage

Management My Network Places / Homegroup • Location of basic network settings between OS versions

3.2 Local, Wireless, and

Remote Networks

Command prompt utilities (telnet, ping, ipconfig) 4.2 Basic Troubleshooting

Scenarios 3.3 Explain the process and steps to install and configure the Windows OS Device Manager (Verify, Install and update device drivers, Driver signing) • Virtual memory • Configure power management (Suspend, Wake on LAN, Sleep timers, Hibernate, Standby) • Demonstrate safe removal of peripherals


File systems (FAT32 vs. NTFS) • Directory structures (Create folders, Navigate directory structures) • Files (Creation, Extensions, Attributes, Permissions)

2.3 Windows Storage

Management Verification of hardware compatibility and minimum requirements • Installation methods (Boot media such as CD, floppy or USB, Network installation, Install from image, Recover CD, Factory recovery partition) • Operating system installation options (File system type, Network configuration, Repair install) • Disk preparation order (Format drive, Partition, Start installation) • User data migration - User State Migration Tool (USMT)

2.4 Installing and Upgrading

Windows

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Domain Objectives / Examples Unit 3.4 Explain the basics of boot sequences, methods and startup utilities Disk boot order / device priority (Types of boot devices [disk, network, USB, other]) • Boot options (Safe mode, Boot to restore point, Recovery options [Automated System Recovery (ASR), Emergency Repair Disk (ERD), Recovery console])

2.5 Windows Boot Process

Domain 4.0 Networking

Domain Objectives / Examples Unit 4.1 Summarize the basics of networking fundamentals, including technologies, devices and protocols Basics of configuring IP addressing and TCP/IP properties (DHCP, DNS) • Bandwidth and latency • Status indicators • Protocols (TCP/IP, NETBIOS) • Full-duplex, half-duplex • Basics of workgroups and domains • Common ports: HTTP, FTP, POP, SMTP, TELNET, HTTPS • LAN / WAN • Hub, switch and router • Identify Virtual Private Networks (VPN) • Basics class identification • IPv6 vs. IPv4 (Address length differences, Address conventions)

3.1 Network Concepts

4.2 Categorize network cables and connectors and their implementations Cables (Plenum / PVC, UTP [e.g. CAT3, CAT5 / 5e, CAT6], STP, Fiber, Coaxial cable) • Connectors (RJ45, RJ11)

3.2 Local, Wireless,

and Remote Networks

4.3 Compare and contrast the different network types Broadband (DSL, Cable, Satellite, Fiber) • Dial-up • Wireless (All 802.11 types, WEP, WPA, SSID, MAC filtering, DHCP settings) • Bluetooth • Cellular


and Remote Networks

Domain 5.0 Security

Domain Objectives / Examples Unit 5.1 Explain the basics principles of security concepts and technologies Encryption technologies • Data wiping / hard drive destruction / hard drive recycling • Software firewall (Port security, Exceptions) • Authentication technologies (User name, Password, Biometrics, Smart cards) • Basics of data sensitivity and data security (Compliance, Classifications, Social engineering)

4.4 Security

5.2 Summarize the following security features Wireless encryption (WEPx and WPAx, Client configuration [SSID])


and Remote Networks

Malicious software protection (Viruses, Trojans, Worms, Spam, Spyware, Adware, Grayware) • BIOS Security (Drive lock, Passwords, Intrusion detection, TPM) • Password management / password complexity • Locking workstation (Hardware, Operating system) • Biometrics (Fingerprint scanner)

4.4 Security

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Domain 6.0 Operational Procedure

Domain Objectives / Examples Unit 6.1 Outline the purpose of appropriate safety and environmental procedures and given a scenario apply them ESD • EMI (Network interference, Magnets) • RFI (Cordless phone interference, Microwaves) • Electrical safety (CRT, Power supply, Inverter, Laser printers, Matching power requirements of equipment with power distribution and UPSs) • Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) • Cable management (Avoiding trip hazards) • Physical safety (Heavy devices, Hot components) • Environmental - consider proper disposal procedures

4.3 Preventative Maintenance

6.2 Given a scenario, demonstrate the appropriate use of communication skills and professionalism in the workplace Use proper language - avoid jargon, acronyms, slang • Maintain a positive attitude • Listen and do not interrupt a customer • Be culturally sensitive • Be on time (If late contact the customer) • Avoid distractions (Personal calls, Talking to co-workers while interacting with customers, Personal interruptions) • Dealing with a difficult customer or situation (Avoid arguing with customers and/or being defensive, Do not minimize customers' problems, Avoid being judgmental, Clarify customer statements, Ask open-ended questions to narrow the scope of the problem, Restate the issue or question to verify understanding) • Set and meet expectations / timeline and communicate status with the customer (Offer different repair / replacement options if applicable, Provide proper documentation on the services provided, Follow up with customers / user later date to verify satisfaction) • Deal appropriately with customers' confidential materials (Located on computer, desktop, printer, etc)

4.5 Professionalism

and Communication

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Labs and References Exam Tips

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Exam Tips

Registering for the Test

Two commercial organizations currently administer the CompTIA Certification exams - VUE and Prometric. You can locate a test center using the links on CompTIA's website:

certification.comptia.org/Training/testingcenters.aspx

■ Arrive at the test center at least 15 minutes before the test is scheduled.

■ The test center administrator will demonstrate how to use the computer-based test system.

■ You must have two forms of ID - one with picture, both with signature, preferably with your private address (driving license, passport, and so on).

■ Books, calculators, laptops, PDAs, or other reference materials are not allowed.

■ Pens, pencils, and paper are not required! You must not attempt to write down questions or remove anything from the exam room.

■ It is CompTIA's policy to make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

Taking the Test

■ There are 100 questions which must be answered in 90 minutes. The passing score is 675 on a scale of 100-900.

■ Read each question and its option answers carefully. Don't rush through the exam as you'll probably have more time at the end than you expect.

■ At the other end of the scale, don't get "stuck" on a question and start to panic. You can mark questions for review and come back to them.

■ As the exam tests your ability to recall facts and to apply them sensibly in a troubleshooting scenario, there will be questions where you cannot recall the correct answer from memory. Adopt the following strategy for dealing with these questions:

Try to allocate some time to discuss the format of the exam.

Make sure students understand that "unscored" items will appear that may test things that are not part of the exam objectives.

For example, exam items that have been written for the next version of the exam objectives are often "seeded" into the current exams to gather psychometric data to check their validity.

Remind students that free practice exams are available at www.gtssupport.com/ flower27/220-701/index.htm

Sample

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Exam Tips CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills

Page 8

Narrow your choices down by eliminating obviously wrong answers.

Don't guess too soon! You must select not only a correct answer, but the best answer. It is therefore important that you read all of the options and not stop when you find an option that is correct. It may be impractical compared to another answer.

Utilize information and insights that you've acquired in working through the entire test to go back and answer earlier items that you weren't sure of.

Think your answer is wrong - should change it? Studies indicate that when students change their answers they usually change them to the wrong answer. If you were fairly certain you were correct the first time, leave the answer as it is.

■ Don't leave any questions unanswered! If you really don't know the answer, just guess.

■ The exam may contain "unscored" questions, which may even be outside the exam objectives. These questions do not count towards your score.

After the Test

■ A score report will be generated and a copy printed for you by the test administrator. The score report will show whether you have passed or failed and your score in each section. Make sure you retain the report!

■ 5 days after passing the exam, go to www.comptia.org/careerid and create an account (or log on to an existing account) using the information in your score report. When you have passed both A+ exams, you can use this site to order your certificate and ID card.

■ If 6 weeks have passed after ordering your certificate and you haven't received it, contact [email protected]

Retaking the Test

If you do fail the certification test at the first attempt, then you can retake it at your convenience. However, should you fail the test at the second, third, or subsequent try, you will not be able to resit the exam for at least 30 days after your last attempt. Study your score report to see which areas of the exam you were weak on.

Sample

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Labs CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills

Page 26

Lab 10 / Adding External Storage

USB or Firewire represent simple ways to extend storage capacity on a PC or transfer larger files than is possible with floppy disks,

There are a number of different types of drive, but adding and removing them is usually straightforward. Your instructor will give you any extra instructions for the devices available.

Exercise 1: Adding an External Storage Device

1) If necessary, run the setup program for the device from the supplied CD to install the drivers. You only need to do this if the Windows setup disc does not contain a suitable driver for the device.

2) If the device is connected by a cable, connect the smaller "B" connector on the USB cable to the device then the larger "A" connector to a USB port on the PC.

3) After a few seconds, Windows will detect the device and begin configuring it. When this process is complete, an AutoPlay dialog should be displayed. Select Open folder to view files and verify that the drive is listed within Explorer.

4) Alt-click the drive and note the options - for a read/write disk you should see the option to Format. Select Properties.

5) Look through the dialog box to view the options available then click Cancel.

Exercise 2: Configuring Storage Devices

The Disk Management utility enables you to view and configure storage devices. This is generally used to configure the hard disks, but any drive installed on the PC shows up here (except for the floppy drive).

1) Alt-click Computer and select Manage. Click the Disk Management tool.

2) Alt-click the removable drive and select Change Drive Letter and Path. Change the default drive letter to R: and click through the warnings.

Delivery Tips

Hand out a few USB sticks (64MB or larger is fine). Remember to collect them at the end of the class.

If you have any other removable device (external hard drive, CD writer, or memory stick for instance), split the students into groups and give them a few devices each.

Timings

20 minutes

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Labs and References Labs

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Any read/write disk can be divided into a number of partitions. These are displayed in the panel next to the drive. By default, Windows 7 creates a 100 MB "System Reserved" system partition and a boot partition for the rest of the disk.

Configuring a disk using the Disk Management tool

3) If available, alt-click the partition and select the Format command. Note that you can choose between FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS and set the size of allocation units (clusters).

Most removable drives will come pre-formatted as FAT or FAT32 drives, for maximum compatibility. If you only need to use the media on Windows computers, you might want to re-format it using exFAT or NTFS, for better efficiency, security, and reliability.

4) Click Cancel to exit without re-formatting the drive.

5) Close the Computer Management console.

Exercise 3: Removing and Re-inserting a Drive 1) Click the Safely Remove Hardware icon and select the option

to Eject Storage Device.

Safely Remove Hardware

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Glossary CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials Support Skills

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Glossary

⅛ Connector Standard 3.5mm audio socket (the type of jack found on headphones and basic speakers).

10/100/1000BASE-T Specifications for Ethernet running over twisted-pair cable at 10/100/1000 Mbps.

32-bit Most programs and operating systems run in 32-bit mode. Aside from allowing the computer to access more memory (4 GB), programs are protected from one another; each runs in its own address space.

64-bit The PC is starting to move to a 64-bit platform. 64-bit offers some speed improvements, especially for tasks such as 3D processing, but its main advantage is the increase in address space and better support for virtualization (running multiple OS on the same hardware).The main 64-bit platform is called AMD64 or EM64T (by Intel). This platform is supported by 64-bit versions of Windows XP / Vista / 7 as well as various Linux distributions.

8.3 Filenames The DOS file naming standard - an eight-character ASCII name followed by a three-character file extension (which identifies the file type). Windows supports long file names but can also generate a short file name, based on DOS 8.3 naming rules. This provides backwards compatibility for older applications.

802.11 See: Wi-Fi.

802.1X 802.1X (or EAP [Extensible Authentication Protocol]) is an authentication standard, developed to allow remote, wireless, and wired authentication to be centrally managed. A client device passes authentication information to a RADIUS server on the wired network for validation. The authentication information could be a user name and password or could employ smart cards or tokens.

802.2 See: Ethernet.

8mm Tape Backup 8mm (¼") data tape storage systems appear similar to the tape cartridges used by many video cameras, although the media is higher quality.

AAA Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting - the principal types of security control. A resource should be protected by all three types of control.

AC (Alternating Current) When electricity is produced by a generator at the power station, the rotational movement of the magnetic coils causes the current produced to oscillate like a sine wave (it is said to alternate). Computers require direct current (at a constant voltage). A transformer is used to convert AC from the power outlet into the 3.3, 5, and 12V DC supply required by the computer.

AC Adapter Portable power supply for portable computers. The AC adapter converts incoming AC mains power into the DC voltages required by the portable computer.

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Labs and References Glossary

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Access Control Creating one or more barriers around a resource such that only authenticated users can gain access. Each resource has an access control list specifying what users can do. Resources often have different access levels (for example, being able to read a file or being able to read and edit it). Permissions are often specified in an Access Control List (ACL) attached to the resource.

Access Point (AP) Device that provides connectivity between wireless devices and a cabled network. APs with internet connectivity located in public buildings (cafes, libraries, airports for instance) are often referred to as hotspots.

Access Time Access time is the speed at which memory or a disk drive can be addressed and utilized (opened, read from, or written to).

Accessories/System Tools Folder in Start menu programs containing tools for configuring and optimizing the system.

Accident Health and safety means that an organization should prepare employees to deal with accidents and emergencies. Obviously accidents vary widely in terms of type and seriousness, but the basic procedure should be to sound the alarm, alert emergency services, attend to the situation yourself (if it is safe for you to do so), and complete an incident report.

Account Policies User security information - such as password expiration and uniqueness - can be configured globally as a set of rules (policy).

ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) See: Power Management.

Active Directory The database that contains the users, groups, and computer accounts in a Windows Server domain.

Active Listening A technique in communications to ensure that you capture all the information that the other person is "transmitting", including non-verbal cues such as tone of voice or gestures. There are various active listening techniques for ensuring that you are "getting the right message", such as summarizing, reflecting (matching the speaker's communication style), interpreting, and verbal attends (such as "Uh-huh, or "I see").

Active Partition The primary partition marked as active; there is only one per system. This becomes the bootable partition. In Microsoft terminology, the partition that the PC boots from is referred to as the system partition.

Adapter Card Circuit board providing additional functionality to the computer system (video, sound, networking, modem, and so on). An adapter card fits a slot on the PC's expansion bus and often provides a port through slots cut into the back of the PC case. Different cards are designed for different slots (ISA, PCI, or AGP).

Address Bus The part of the bus that identifies a particular location in memory. The size of the address bus determines the number of addressable locations and therefore the amount of addressable memory. For example, the Pentium CPU has a 36-bit address bus that can address 64 GB system memory.

Sample

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