Computer Repair Training Plus – Hardware Lesson 1-1

I teach Computer Repair Training Plus class for an ROP in Southern California.  There is no required text for this course since we have access to the Internet.  However, I do recommend several good authors and books that can be valuable references for you.  CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Guide by Michael Meyers, Upgrading and Repairinginside computer case 2 PCs by Scott Mueller, and A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC by Jean Andrews are some of my favorites.  These books can be found at Amazon and eBay. I have found some of the older versions sell for a lot less and still contain most of the information that you will need to learn.  The technology has been rapidly improving over the years but the basics have stayed the same.  For example, floppy drives and ATA hard drives operate the same as they did 10 years ago with only a few bandwidth improvements.  However, the newer SATA and solid-state drives are a much needed improvement.

YouTube videos are available on Hardware 1.1 and Binary .   ( http://youtube.com/frenchge )

I will also be making some Lab and supplemental lesson and other resources available as this course progresses.

I also want to mention the A+ CompTIA certification.  This certification is the most widely recognized computer CompTIA-Atechnician certification throughout the world.  Passing the two tests for certification will open many doors to the computer maintenance field.  Many employers make the A+ a prerequisite for getting an interview.  CompTIA is a vendor neutral nonprofit organization and has developed a set of exam objectives that we will cover during this course. The objectives can be viewed at the CompTIA site and comprise the following categories; hardware, operating systems and software, networking, security, troubleshooting, repair and maintenance, and operational procedures. Each category is weighted differently with hardware having the highest weight followed by operating systems and then troubleshooting.

The Computer Repair Training website has some additional information you might find helpful.