Free CompTIA A+ Study Guide

Free CompTIA A+ Study Guide

Certiology’s CompTIA A+ ( A Plus ) 220-801 Computer Hardware Technician Study guide, Notes and Tutorials are exactly what you need to prepare for your CompTIA A+ ( A Plus ) final exam.

Our free CompTIA A+ ( A Plus ) Study Guide gives you the opportunity to identify any knowledge gaps so you can refine your study strategy and ensure a passing score!

1. Configure and apply BIOS settings.

  • Install firmware upgrades – flash BIOS
  • BIOS component information
    • RAM
    • Hard drive
    • Optical drive
    • CPU
  • BIOS configurations
    • Boot sequence
    • Enabling and disabling devices
    • Date/time
    • Clock speeds
    • Virtualization support
  • BIOS security (passwords, drive encryption: TPM, lo-jack)
  • Use built-in diagnostics
  • Monitoring
    • Temperature monitoring
    • Fan speeds
    • Intrusion detection/notification
    • Voltage
    • Clock
    • Bus speed

2.  Differentiate between motherboard components, their purposes, and properties.

  • Sizes
    • ATX
    • Micro-ATX
    • ITX
  • Expansion slots
    • PCI
    • PCI-X
    • PCIe
    • miniPCI
    • CNR
    • AGP2x, 4x, 8x
  • RAM slots
  • CPU sockets
  • Chipsets
    • North Bridge
    • South Bridge
    • CMOS battery
  • Jumpers
  • Power connections and types
  • Fan connectors
  • Front panel connectors
    • USB
    • Audio
    • Power button
    • Power light
    • Drive activity lights
    • Reset button
  • Bus speeds

3. Compare and contrast RAM types and features.

  • Types
    • DDR
    • DDR2
    • DDR3
    • SDRAM
    • SODIMM
    • RAMBUS
    • DIMM
    • Parity vs. non-parity
    • ECC vs. non-ECC
    • RAM configurations
      • Single channel vs. dual channel vs. triple channel
    • Single sided vs. double sided
  • RAM compatibility and speed


4. Install and configure expansion cards.