CompTIA A+ Certification:
220-604
Topic-Level Outline
Days: 2
Prerequisites: CompTIA A+ Certification: Essentials or
equivalent experience
Unit 1: Electricity and power systems
Topic A: Electricity and static electricity
A-1: Examining the characteristics of electricity
A-2: Considering electrical safety
A-3: Measuring electrical values
A-4: Following proper ESD precautions
Topic B: Power supplies
B-1: Examining a power supply and connectors
B-2: Installing a new power supply
Topic C: Power supply troubleshooting
C-1: Troubleshooting power supply problems
Unit 2: CPUs and motherboards
Topic A: CPU and motherboard installation
A-1: Updating your PC’s BIOS settings
A-2: Updating the BIOS in your PC (Optional)
A-3: Examining the cooling systems in your PC
A-4: Replacing a CPU
A-5: Installing a motherboard
Topic B: Motherboard troubleshooting
B-1: Replacing the CMOS battery
B-2: Troubleshooting BIOS and POST related problems
B-3: Troubleshooting motherboard and CPU problems
Unit 3: Memory systems
Topic A: RAM installation
A-1: Adding memory to a desktop computer
A-2: Installing memory in a notebook computer
A-3: Adding memory to a handheld computer
Topic B: Memory troubleshooting
B-1: Testing memory with memtest86
B-2: Troubleshooting memory
Unit 4: Expansion cards
Topic A: Host system interaction
A-1: Examining system resources
A-2: Identifying common system resource usage
A-3: Identifying the system resources in use with Device Manager
Topic B: Expansion card installation
B-1: Installing a video adapter
B-2: Installing a sound card
B-3: Installing an internal modem
Topic C: Laptop expansion device installation
C-1: Using PC Cards
C-2: Installing an internal expansion card
Topic D: Legacy device installation
D-1: Installing a non-PnP device
D-2: Overriding Plug and Play settings
Topic E: Expansion card troubleshooting
E-1: Searching for and installing updated drivers
E-2: Troubleshooting expansion card-related problems
Unit 5: Data storage devices
Topic A: Hard drives
A-1: Physically installing a hard drive
A-2: Partitioning and formatting a hard drive
Topic B: Optical drives
B-1: Installing an optical drive
Topic C: Storage device troubleshooting
C-1: Maintaining your hard drive
C-2: Troubleshooting data storage devices
Unit 6: Printers and scanners
Topic A: Printing technologies
A-1: Examining the dot-matrix print process
A-2: Examining how inkjet printers work
A-3: Examining how laser printers work
A-4: Identifying other printer technologies
Topic B: Printers
B-1: Examining the Windows printing process
B-2: Installing a printer
B-3: Installing printer add-ons and upgrades
B-4: Performing printer maintenance
B-5: Optimizing printing
B-6: Troubleshooting printer problems
Topic C: Scanners
C-1: Connecting a scanner
C-2: Troubleshooting scanner problems
C-3: Optimizing a scanner
Unit 7: Portable computers and devices
Topic A: Communication connections
A-1: Exploring wireless communications technologies
A-2: Comparing wireless networking standards
Topic B: Component replacement
B-1: Adding and removing hot-swappable components
B-2: Replacing an internal component in a notebook
B-3: Adding peripherals
B-4: Troubleshooting portable computer problems
Topic C: Portable computer power sources
C-1: Identifying power problems
Unit 8: Security
Topic A: Security hardware
A-1: Installing a fingerprint reader
A-2: Installing a card reader
A-3: Installing the IdentiPHI Basic software
A-4: Configuring IdentiPHI Basic to accept smart cards
A-5: Enrolling a smart card with IdentiPHI
A-6: Using a smart card
A-7: Uninstalling the smart card reader and software
Topic B: The human aspects of security
B-1: Implementing physical access restrictions
B-2: Securing access to the operating system
Appendix A: Certification
exam objectives map
Topic A: Comprehensive exam objectives
Appendix B: CompTIA A+ acronyms
Topic A: Acronyms list