Complete CompTIA A+ Core2: From Zero to Certified

Explore the disk management console to view disks, create and delete partitions, format drives with NTFS or Fat32, and manage boot and recovery volumes.

Learn how disk maintenance tools optimize hard drives by defragmenting and relocating file data to improve read times, and using disk cleanup to remove unnecessary files and cache.

Learn how to manage startup programs and services in Task Manager, inspect resource usage with Resource Monitor (memory, disk, CPU, network), and monitor performance with PerfMon and data collectors.

Explore Unix, Linux, and Chrome OS as major operating systems and their open source licensing. Review Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora alongside server, client, and embedded use.

Explore wired and wireless network connection types in Windows, including how to use a network interface card, identify SSIDs, and join networks with passwords.

Identify devices on a network with IP addresses and MAC addresses as logical and physical identities. Learn IPv4 and IPv6, subnet masks, default gateway, DNS server settings, and use ipconfig.

Explore how user accounts and groups define access, including local and Microsoft accounts, group types like administrator and guest, and how user account control settings manage privilege escalation.

Configure folder sharing and NTFS permissions, map network drives, connect printers, and join domains via a domain controller, with roaming profiles and home folders for domain users.

Explore how the Linux shell provides a command line interface inside the terminal. Switch between multiple terminals with ctrl+alt+f1 through f6 and note the X.Org server's desktop environments.

Learn to switch between users using the esc command, check root vs normal prompts, and manage users and groups with useradd, userdel, groupadd, and groupdel.

Explore macos features, including the dock, spotlight search, terminal (bash and zsh), mission control with multiple desktops, and system preferences, plus trackpad gestures and display accessibility options.

Explore configuring a soho network for home use, including router and wireless setup. Identify attacks, threats, and vulnerabilities and apply wireless security protocols to secure the network.

Explore how vulnerabilities form from insecure coding, misconfigurations, and outdated systems, and learn security baselines, hardening, vulnerability scanning, antivirus, updates, and BYOD risks.

Understand social engineering attacks that manipulate trust through impersonation, dumpster diving, shoulder surfing, tailgating, and piggybacking, and learn how to prevent information leaks with proper credential handling and shredding.

Differentiate internal and external threats, describing malicious and unintentional actions, footprinting, spoofing, on-path attacks, and DDoS with botnets. Explain defenses such as web application firewall and ids.

Explain how password attacks obtain plaintext passwords, why hashes protect storage (md5, sha-1, sha-256), and how dictionary and brute-force attacks crack them, stressing strong passwords.

Learn hashing as one-way encryption that proves integrity and encryption as transforming plaintext into ciphertext with a key; compare symmetric and asymmetric schemes using public and private keys for https.

Examine wifi authentication methods, including open, personal with a password, and enterprise with radius server and EAP, using 802.1x, TLS, and WPA2/WPA3 key exchanges.

Enforce strong Windows workstation security with 12+ character passwords, mixed case, numbers, and symbols, avoid personal names, and enforce password expiration and bios password protection.

Manage user accounts within the organization, assigning file and system permissions for basic, development, and administrator tasks. Learn about administrator and guest accounts, uac, root privileges, and avoiding shared accounts.

Configure account policy and execution control, including logon hours, failed attempts, and password resets via secure methods. Manage trusted software sources, download methods, and autoplay with UAC prompts.

Learn how Windows Defender antivirus detects infections using signatures and updates, perform quick scans, manage settings, and apply firewall rules to protect traffic and control applications.

Discover how to protect data at rest with EFS and BitLocker encryption, encrypt drives and folders, store the BitLocker key, and unlock data only with the correct password.

Configure browser security by choosing trusted browsers, downloading from official sources, managing extensions, enabling TLS/HTTPS, cookies controls, and using Malwarebytes and VirusTotal.

Explore malware vectors and payloads, including boot sector viruses, trojans, worms, fileless malware, backdoors, keyloggers, ransomware, and crypto miners.

Identify malware symptoms such as slow performance, crashes, and suspicious alerts; quarantine the infected system and remediate with anti-malware tools such as Malwarebytes, safe mode scans, system restore, and education.

Enable a screen lock on your mobile and use antivirus security software, OS updates, and VPN to defend against malware, trojans, ransomware, and cryptominer threats.

Explore mobile encryption basics for iOS and Android, remote backups and remote wipe, and IoT security risks from default configurations and weak passwords.

Troubleshoot mobile OS and app issues through rebooting, managing notifications, and closing background tasks. Learn to use resets, clear caches, update or reinstall apps, and check compatibility and connectivity.

Explore how to access remote systems using tools like RDP and VNC, including IP addresses, domain names, and security considerations.

Explore backup and recovery practices, setting up backups with local, network, or cloud locations. Explain full, incremental, and differential methods and their impact on frequency and retention.

Explore data destruction, disposal, and recycling methods for hard drives, including secure erase, crypto erase, shredding, incineration, degassing, and outsourcing with certification.