1. have learned how things work, how to configure everything, and how to troubleshoot in real world environments.
2. have learned how to dive into the important safety techniques that every good tech absolutely needs to know.
3. have learned how to dig into the details of one of the foundations of the PC: RAM.

1. Wednesday - Lesson 01
   
   In Lesson 1, I'll introduce you to the course and to the CompTIA A+ certification, and then move right into essential information for every tech. You'll get the scoop on how the many components of the personal computer work together. We'll discuss how professional techs behave and interact with clients. And we'll finish with a tried-and-true troubleshooting methodology that will apply to all tech situations.
2. Friday - Lesson 02
   
   In Lesson 2, we'll take a tour of the PC, starting with the exterior connectors. We'll go into details of the interior devices as well. Our goal is to begin teaching proper tech terminology and familiarize you with standard PC components.
3. Wednesday - Lesson 03
   
   Today, we dive into the important safety techniques that every good tech absolutely needs to know. These range from how to clean the PC to methods to avoid tech-induced damage to how to dispose of old parts safely.
4. Friday - Lesson 04
   
   In this lesson, I'll deliver the goods on central processing units, the core processing component in every PC. I'll explain variations in technology and then give practical information and advice on installing and troubleshooting CPUs.
5. Wednesday - Lesson 05
   
   In Lesson 5, we'll dig into the details of one of the foundations of the PC: RAM. With RAM, the CPU can make magic happen. Without it? Literally nothing can happen. You'll learn about the different varieties of RAM and proper techniques for installing it. Then, we'll wrap up the lesson with troubleshooting RAM and memory problems.
6. Friday - Lesson 06
   
   In this lesson, I'll teach you about the essential programming that makes computers function, what's called the BIOS. Plus, you'll learn about the special tools we use for storing configuration options for BIOS, called the CMOS. It's awesome stuff!
7. Wednesday - Lesson 07
   
   In Lesson 7, I'll teach you all about motherboards, the bedrock of every PC. You'll learn form factors, types of expansion slots, and installation steps for expansion cards. In this lesson, we'll also cover upgrading, installing, and troubleshooting motherboards.
8. Friday - Lesson 08
   
   Today, I'll introduce you to power supplies and the basics of powering a PC. You'll learn about how electricity gets from your wall outlet into your PC, along with how to test that electricity. I'll teach you about the many power supply standards and how to install one inside your PC. Finally, we'll discuss how to troubleshoot a power supply with problems.
9. Wednesday - Lesson 09
   
   In this lesson, you'll learn about devices that enable you to input data into your computer. I'll discuss standard input devices (like keyboards and mice) and multimedia devices (like digital cameras and webcams). I'll also teach you about connecting those devices to your computers using connectors like USB and FireWire.
10. Friday - Lesson 10
    
    Today, we'll dig into hard drive technologies, including traditional hard disk drives and modern solid-state drives. You'll also learn how to install hard drives. I'll explain the fundamentals of protecting data with RAID technology and give you some tips and tricks for troubleshooting bad drives.
11. Wednesday - Lesson 11
    
    In Lesson 11, you'll learn how to prepare a hard drive for use by an operating system. I'll teach you about partitioning and formatting a hard drive. We'll also cover maintaining your data using several included Windows utilities.
12. Friday - Lesson 12
    
    As we wrap up the course, you'll learn about the various forms of removable media. I'll teach you about older formats like floppy disks and tape drives. We'll discuss flash media like USB thumb drives and memory cards. Finally, you'll learn about optical media like DVDs and Blu-ray Discs, as well as external drives.

24

2.4

Yes

No

A solid conceptual and practical knowledge of Windows (XP, Vista, or 7).

Internet access
• Email
• One of the following browsers:
o Mozilla Firefox
o Microsoft Internet Explorer (9.0 or above)
o Google Chrome
o Safari
• Adobe PDF plug-in (a free download obtained at Adobe.com .)
It's also recommended that you have a PC that you can take apart and put back together again. This can be anything from an ancient Intel 286 to a newer 486 or beyond. Because of the dangers of electro-static discharge (to the machine, not the student), we do not require you to tear apart your own primary computer. This is, however, a class that trains you to be a hardware technician - having a machine to play with greatly helps your learning.

1. Attendance 80% or above
2. Participation
3. • Students must successfully pass 10 quizzes with a minimum grade of 70% by the second quiz attempt.
   • If all quizzes are not passed with 70 or better by the second attempt, the final exam score must be 70% or higher on the first attempt for successful completion.
   • The Final Exam must be taken by the Wake Tech course end date
   

This course is intended for anyone interested in A+ Certification Prep.