A+ Certification - Core Hardware

Lesson 1: Introduction to Microcomputers

• A Brief History of Computers

• Number Systems

• Microcomputer System Components and Their Functions

• Software and Firmware

• Tools of the Trade

Lesson 2: Safety

• Basics of Electricity and Electronics

• General Safety Guidelines

• Fire Safety

• Computer Equipment Disposal

Lesson 3: System Components

• Power Supplies

• ROM BIOS

• Central Processing Units

• System Boards

• Memory

Lesson 4: Bus Architectures

• What is a Bus?

• The 8-bit bus

• The ISA Bus

• The EISA Bus

• Micro Channel Architecture Bus

• The PCI Bus

• Plug and Play

• Video Circuitry Buses

Lesson 5: Ports, Connectors, and Cables

• Overview of Input/Output Ports

• PS/2 Ports

• Serial Ports

• Parallel Ports

• Universal Serial Bus Ports

• FireWire Ports

Lesson 6: Expansion Boards

• Drive Controllers

• Video Cards

• Sound Cards

• Modem Cards

Lesson 7: Storage Systems

• Fixed Disk Drives

• Removable Media Disk Drives

• Backup Systems

Lesson 8: Peripheral Devices

• Primary Input Devices

• Primary Output Devices

• Other Input/Output Devices

Lesson 9: Portable Computing

• Components of Portable Systems

• PC Cards

• Power Management

Lesson 10: Networking

• Network Concepts

• Introduction to the OSI Model

• Network Connectivity