Anybody here A+ Certified?

Every A+ course I've messed with is more like the history of computers, and nothing really relevent to the fast paced technology changes of today, its not really even required unless you're planning on opening your own computer repair shop as the licensed owner.

Our local repair shop has 15 employees all working under the A+ certified licensed owner, you can do a Google search for A+ courses if you're determined to go that route, unfortunately the most expensive ones are really close to being up to date, but you'll probably get more benefit from a mule choking A+ certification book like Bigelow's Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PC's 5th Edition, a quite excellent book that you can get your hands on through your local Books A Million or such type Book Store, after about 2 weeks of study, you will have the local repair shop guys afraid to talk to you, because you'll discover how much they don't know, and they really don't want you finding that out.

But the book can prepare you to take the course and even has some possible test questions for you to study, I was going to do the same thing you're contemplating, got into an online course and was about half way through the thing when I realized I'd only learned about 5 things, and they were basically computer history related, I realized I had already forgotten what most of the shop guys knew, and could repair machines they threw up their hands on, its just a piece of paper that doesn't mean a thing today as long as you're current with whats happening today, it doesn't really matter about whats retired and in the garbage cans already, unless you're planning on teaching computer history.

Don't listen to me if you have your heart set on it, Go For It! But you're going to learn the same thing I did! SO Good Luck!




<A HREF="http://forums.btvillarin.com/index.php?act=ST&f=41&t=2541&st=0#entry20385" target="_new">My Puter</A>

What, you mean live in Britain?

<font color=blue>"Why are you so fat, Brandes?" - Glen McGrath to Eddo Brandes.
"Because every time I shag your wife, she gives me a biscuit" - Eddo Brandes' reply</font color=blue>

Well, what should i do if i want to work as a pc technician/IT guy?

<b><font color=blue>Athlon64 3200+ Winchester/MSI Neo4 Platinum SLI/MSI 6800 Ultra/1 GB Kingston HyperX (Dual Channel)/74GB WD Raptor/600Watt Enermax Noisetaker/ Dual Mitsubishi 21 Inch Monitors</b></font color=blue>

Yah A+ is [-peep-], I had class that basicly gave you the backgroudn to pass the certifications, and I knew more than the teacher...sooo.

For network Do your Cisco CCNA/CCNP...

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

I didnt know the network+ certification but from what you're saying Im much happier to have my CCNA than this certication!

CCNA is all about layers thought and I think its a big plus because once you udnerstand this completly, you can troubleshoot any network problem much faster! Also I dont think novell is worth knowing much about but thats just a personnal opinion.

And I like cisco products/documentation/certification, its been tryed and tested and its really solid!

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

Um I guess I moved im from PC tech to network Tech hehe

I personally am a network tech so im biased towards that. I find the task in network to be more interstign than just PC tech. Altough both are really interesting.

He did mentionned network+ thats why me and riser steared him into that direction =)

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

heh i understand i have done both, and networking pays more, alot more if you can find a good position.

<A HREF="http://www.cameronwilliamson.com/nutshell.mp3" target="_new">"Like a scrotum, there it is in a nutshell."</A>
<font color=red>Roll Tide!</font color=red>
<A HREF="http://www.cameronwilliamson.com" target="_new">-={Apathetic As<i></i>shole.}=-</A>

Network+ covers a lot of general TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, hardware, questions on the operating systems, not really the network portion of things. I know the OSI model fairly well. My boss doesn't know what it is.
I thought it was a good test, but the CCNA is definately a whole lot more complex.
I'm a network analyst yet I don't touch any of the Cisco stuff in our company. I do everything but the Cisco.. which I want to take some courses on and get certified with it.. might as well since they'll pay for it.
I'm working on my MCSE 2k3 right now.. which I'd really like to have.. I'm trying to find a position more along the lines of a true LAN Administrator/Network/Windows Admin type thing.. I can pick up the cisco stuff fairly fast as I've worked on them a little in the past.

But knowing Cisco is a hard enough job, let alone knowing the Windows admin portion of things on top of that.

I tell you.. I meet a lot of people with the MCSE.. which to me, seems like a really hard test to pass.. yet these people have it and can't do basic things.. I don't get it.
I know you can take the 1 week course where you learn the answers to all the tests each day.. at the end of each day you take the test you learned about.. with a 0% failure rate. People are getting their certs and don't know what they're doing.

A whole bunch are good with the mcse, but then they're handing it out to anyone with 3k-5k to pay them for the cert.. it's ruining what that thing means.. thats the highest thing you can get from microsoft and people want to hand it out like candy.. I'm still on the first book for the mcse learning all the stupid little things that are helpful that no one knows.

you have to pass 6 core exams, one elective exam, and one design exam to pass your MCSE.. its not just one exam

My PC:
Abit AX8 Socket 939 VIA K8T890
AMD Athlon 64 3200 Winchester
Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro 256 Mb PCIe
WD Raptor 37 Gb SATA
Corsair 2x512 PC3200 DDR Dual-Channel Platnium Edition

I go to college for networking. Currently I have finished trainging for my CCNA. This fall I will start classes for my CCNP.

I thought about going and getting my certification but there is really no point. Cisco certs only last two years before you have to renew them. In two years ill just be finishing my CCNP classes. I dont really see anypoint in taking my CCNA, then waiting two years, upgrading my CCNA, then gettting my CCNP. Im just going straight for my CCNP.

The CCIE is a btch. From what I hear that exam actually has a suicide rate attached to it. Its very small though, like 3-4 percent.

My PC:
Abit AX8 Socket 939 VIA K8T890
AMD Athlon 64 3200 Winchester
Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro 256 Mb PCIe
WD Raptor 37 Gb SATA
Corsair 2x512 PC3200 DDR Dual-Channel Platnium Edition

I don't know jack [-peep-] about the test and I don't work in the field, but I still felt inclined to post.

*inserts p-o-c and bows*

<pre><font color=red>A64 3200+ Winchester
DFI Lan Party NF4 Ultra-D
1GB Corsair 4400C25PT
WD740GD, WD2000JB, WD1200JB
ATI X800XL
Dell 2405FPW</pre><p>

I've been into PC's for 5 years now and I want to get the proper training to get a decent job in the computer field. I don't care what it is exactly, as long as I can work with computers. I have 2 years of college already (core classes), so what should my first step be? Any linkage would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the info thus far.

<b><font color=blue>Athlon64 3200+ Winchester/MSI Neo4 Platinum SLI/MSI 6800 Ultra/1 GB Kingston HyperX (Dual Channel)/74GB WD Raptor/600Watt Enermax Noisetaker/ Dual Mitsubishi 21 Inch Monitors</b></font color=blue>

Bill Gates is hiring...are you Chinese?

<font color=red>GO BUCKEYES!</font color=red>

one thing i would like to tell you about cisco routers and switch (may be useful or you may already know)

you can type out the commands you want to enter into the router/switch in notepad. Then whenever your ready just paste all the commands into the router/switch and it will go right to town.

This method is very good in a classroom enviroment where the routers have to be cleared. It allows you to save your work without having to manually go in and put all the commands back in by hand.

Its also good if your working for a company and the router goes down. Instead of having to put all the commands back in just open up your notepad file from where you did the initial config, paste it back in, and your router is good to go.

and oh yeah the question mark is your friend

My PC:
Abit AX8 Socket 939 VIA K8T890
AMD Athlon 64 3200 Winchester
Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro 256 Mb PCIe
WD Raptor 37 Gb SATA
Corsair 2x512 PC3200 DDR Dual-Channel Platnium Edition

No need!
PM me your email, I will send you a little utility from cisco that let you have 5 virtual router, you type the command and it emulates msot of the router's behavior. So you can setup a mutli router environment!
Really good practice we used it during our CCNA.

BTW you can change the IOS image, just ened to be supported, I could probably provide you any IOS 12.x for most of switches/router.

And nowadays its pretty uniform, altough I dont do much work on the big 6000/5500/7000 series! so I would really know, and its CatOS...

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

You're alright, you know that?

I'll have to get a list of the commands and such.. now I'll need to know the concept of what to configure and how.. I'll PM ya in a minute.

i already have the router esim or whatever at home. most of them arent fully functional anyway.

i like the copy paste method slightly better than the TFTP because you can edit the configurations more.

With a TFTP you just copy from place to place.. if you need to change something. Say for example an access list. if you need to put an entry near the begining of an access list, then your stuck taking the entire access list out then putting them back in manually. With notepad you can just add the line you want copy the entire ACL back into the router and your done.

also with notepad and the copy and paste method, you dont have to upload the entire config just the parts you want. Say for example the config got messed up on an ISDN interface but the rest of your router works. if your configs arent up to date you could copy a config and then mess something else up.

the point is copying from tftp is an all or nothing... with copy and paste you can pick, edit, and copy only what you want to copy


My PC:
Abit AX8 Socket 939 VIA K8T890
AMD Athlon 64 3200 Winchester
Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro 256 Mb PCIe
WD Raptor 37 Gb SATA
Corsair 2x512 PC3200 DDR Dual-Channel Platnium Edition

if you want i can post or pm you some sample configs i have from my CCNA semester 4 class

its has some stuff that is still kinda new to me.. like the isdn and frame-relay interfaces

My PC:
Abit AX8 Socket 939 VIA K8T890
AMD Athlon 64 3200 Winchester
Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro 256 Mb PCIe
WD Raptor 37 Gb SATA
Corsair 2x512 PC3200 DDR Dual-Channel Platnium Edition

Must Consult Someone Experienced. An oldie but a goodie.



No woman is safe within reach of my heart.

thread hijacking! w00t we can get a room, anyone wanna joiin, eden wingding anyone?

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

The CompTIA FAQ page used to state quite plainly how almost everyone studies for the A+ exam.

"Anyone accessing all the questions and correct answers from Braindump sites are bad people. Even though there is no way for anyone to know if you cheated on this exam to gain a certification that isn't worth the paper it's printed on, if you do: Bad dog! No cookie!"

...or something like that.


The Pen is mightier than the Sword, but the Sword is better if you need back up.

In one class We had to open computers and check stuff and say what the name of the diferent slot and stuff like that, along the lines of A+...and the teacher said, this is a AGP port, its the fasttest one yet, only video card for the moment but we should see sound card and such in the future. Everybody in the class wrote that down...funny..I just shut my trap lol! So umm even my teacher was clueless. At elats it wasnt on the exam!

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0