CompTIA A+ 220-902

Explore the features of Microsoft operating systems and the installation and upgrade requirements for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1.

Explore features of Microsoft operating systems, installation requirements for Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8/8.1, and upgrade paths that show which systems you can upgrade to each version.

Identify whether to install 32‑bit or 64‑bit Windows based on your processor, and verify the processor and system type in the Control Panel to ensure the correct edition.

Discover Windows features like gadgets, aero interface, and UAC; explore Lager drive encryption, shadow copy backups, ready boost caching, compatibility modes, Windows Firewall, Security Center, and Windows Defender.

Explore system restore points in the system protection tab to revert operating system settings without affecting data, and use Event Viewer to troubleshoot via application, security, setup, and system logs.

Explore Windows file structures and paths, including user profiles, system files, and program files, with control panel views and how to enable system protection and access previous file versions.

Examine side-by-side metro apps, pinning to the taskbar, the metro start screen, OneDrive, Windows Store, multi-monitor taskbar, charms, PowerShell, Windows Live accounts, and the Action Center.

Explore upgrade paths across Windows versions and the minimum system requirements, including processor, memory, and disk space, and cover upgrade versus clean install and data backup.

Use Upgrade Advisor to verify system readiness and identify compatibility issues, and use compatibility mode, Windows Compatibility Center, and the Application Compatibility Toolkit to run older apps and create shims.

The demonstration covers system information, event viewer, system restore, and the action center in Windows 8.1, highlighting OS version, 64-bit processor, 8 GB RAM, activation status, and product ID.

Explore the action center applet in control panel to review security and maintenance settings, including firewalls, windows update, smart screen, and automatic maintenance.

Learn how to create and use system restore points to revert system files and settings to a previous state, including checking affected programs before reboot.

Open the event viewer to inspect event logs, including administrative, application, security, and system logs, with errors and warnings, and explore log subscriptions for forwarding events.

Explore the hardware requirements for Windows installation, including RAM, hard disk space, and memory types, and examine ways to install Windows operating systems.

Install an operating system by configuring partitions, selecting a file system, and formatting a boot drive. Prepare for third-party drivers, workgroup or domain assignment, time date region settings, and updates.

Explore boot methods to install an operating system from usb, cd-rom, dvd, network boot, Macintosh net boot, solid state or external flash drives, or internal hard drives.

Explore installation types including unattended installations with answer files, bootable-media clean installations, and image-based deployments from a reference computer snapshot; upgrades require booting into the target OS.

Explore unattended installations with answer files that automate setup, then compare upgrades, clean installs, repairs, recovery partitions, refresh, reset, and remote deployment options like RIS and Windows Deployment Services (WDS).

Create and designate the OS partition as active during installation to boot. Compare basic and dynamic disks, primary and extended partitions, and bios versus uefi with gpt and mbr.

Explore file systems for installations, including X fat, fat, fat32, and ntfs, and how partition size and quick or full format choices impact performance and security.

Install third-party drivers during setup for hard drives such as SCSI devices, configure time and region, language, and keyboard layout, enable updates if desired, and choose workgroup or domain later.

Explore Windows command line tools and common commands, and learn how to perform tasks from the command line that you might not achieve through the graphical user interface.

Explore Microsoft command line tools in module three, learn what each command does, and how to interact with the system from the command line in a graphical Windows environment.

Explore essential Windows commands for troubleshooting, including taskkill to terminate a process, bcdedit for boot repairs, and chkdsk to diagnose and fix disk issues.

Learn about standard and administrative privileges in Windows Vista to 8.1, and how standard users can run admin commands by right-clicking the utility and choosing run as administrator, password required.

Master command prompt navigation and basic file-system operations, including cd, dir, and md, by moving through the C drive, inspecting folders, and removing created directories.

Explore the built-in tools and utilities in the Windows operating system, learning how to use them to configure settings, optimize device performance, and configure networking.

Explore Windows administrative utilities, including msconfig, Task Manager, and the disk management utility, to understand core system tools and other essential system utilities.

Explore windows administrative tools, including computer management, device manager, and services. Learn to monitor performance, manage firewall rules, and configure local security policy and user accounts.

Learn to use msconfig in windows via the Run box to control startup behavior, boot options, and service loading, including selective startup, safe boot, and hiding Microsoft services.

Learn to use Windows 8 task manager to manage services and startup types, adjust process priorities, and monitor performance, resource usage, and logged-on users.

Use the disk management tool to view partitions and disks, initialize new disks with master boot record or GPT, and shrink volumes to available space.

During a clean installation, migrate user files, settings, and accounts using tools like the Microsoft User State Migration Tool, the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, and Windows Easy Transfer.

Open the run box to access registry editor, remote desktop, notepad, and Windows Explorer. Run system information, dx diag, and defrag, and use system restore and Windows Update.

Explore the computer management console and its tools, including task scheduler, disk management, device manager, services, performance, and shared folders, with hands-on demonstrations of scheduling Notepad and monitoring system activity.

Explore device manager by inspecting adapter properties, driver details, and options to update or roll back drivers when applicable, review power management controls for turning off devices to save power.

Manage local user accounts on this device, including viewing who is logged on, changing names and passwords, adjusting administrator versus standard account types, and enabling or disabling the guest account.

Learn how to use Performance Monitor to view real-time processor, memory, and disk usage, add counters, and switch between line, histogram, and report views to diagnose slowdowns.

Explore the Windows services console to view and manage services, adjust startup types, and understand dependencies with examples like Bluetooth, Adobe Acrobat Update service, and certificate propagation.

Explore print management in Windows 8.1 via devices and printers, add network printers by IP address, install drivers, set security and default printer, and manage the print queue.

Explore the system configuration tool to control boot options, enable safe boot options, load or skip system services and startup items, and use Task Manager to manage startup programs.

Explore how the task manager shows running apps, startup programs, and background processes with real-time CPU, memory, disk, and network usage, and adjust startup types for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet.

Explore the registry editor (regedit) and navigate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, current configuration, and hardware map pointer class; learn to search values, back up, and export before making cautious changes.

This lecture demonstrates using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to build a custom console by adding tools like Event Viewer, Device Manager, and Disk Management via Add/Remove Snap-in.

Learn to analyze drives for fragmentation, optimize them, and set defrag schedules (daily, weekly, or monthly), then interpret results to explain fragmentation levels and improve drive performance.

Explore the Windows control panel, review tools and utilities to configure the operating system, and complete the tour by examining options not covered in the last module.

Explore the control panel's many utilities and applets as we examine the icons, tools, and topics presented in this part 2.

Navigate internet options to customize home page, cookies, pop ups, privacy, and accessibility, while managing security zones, programs, and advanced settings.

Adjust display settings for multiple monitors by selecting each monitor's resolution from a drop-down and configuring refresh rate and color depth in device manager properties.

Manage local user accounts and adjust folder options in Windows Explorer, including account types, user controls, and visibility settings for hidden and protected system files.

Discover how to use system properties to view hardware details, configure virtual memory and page file, set startup and recovery options, enable remote assistance, and create restore points.

Explore how Windows 8 security center manages security and maintenance tasks, including problem reporting and solution checks, and note vendor-managed firewall like McAfee and guidance to use a single antivirus.

Learn to manage power options by selecting or creating power plans, compare balanced, power saver, and high performance settings, and tailor display, sleep, and brightness for battery and plugged-in use.

Manage programs with add/remove programs and enable Windows features, then create a homegroup to share pictures, videos, music, and printers while controlling shared content.

Explore devices and printers in the control panel, add printers, and use the sound applet to manage playback and switch output between headphones and speakers.

Master the troubleshooting applet to diagnose and fix computer problems across categories, and learn to set up new connections or VPNs and view network adapters in device manager.

Explore the control panel views and Internet Options to configure home page, startup, cookies, privacy, security, and default programs like email.

Learn how to configure display settings, adjust resolution and brightness, manage multiple displays, set orientation, choose duplicate or extend mode, calibrate color, and explore power options.

Learn to manage power options and default and custom plans, adjust display timeout and brightness, and configure power button, lid, and wake password behaviors on battery or plugged in.

Learn to use programs and features to uninstall installed software and manage Windows features on or off, including installing a TFT client and turning off the telnet client.

Explore homegroup, a feature to create a home network for sharing files and printers. Learn to set private or public networks, enable file and print sharing, and manage connections.

Explore the sound tool to manage your microphone and speakers, set playback devices, and customize system sounds for events like connect, disconnect, and notifications.

Explore troubleshooting tools for hardware, sound, recording, playback, and program compatibility, and learn to configure network sharing, adapters, wireless connections, and security settings.

Configure a Microsoft computer to operate on a network by applying the essential settings that enable connectivity and information sharing.

Master Windows desktop networking basics, including home/work groups, domain setup, shares (including administrative) and printer sharing, remote desktop, proxy and firewall settings, and configuring alternative IP addresses.

Explore homegroup vs workgroup networks, detailing how homegroup simplifies sharing in Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1, while workgroups use peer-to-peer accounts and devices that act as clients and servers.

Join computers to a domain and share a common security association. Authenticate to a domain controller and receive an access token for network resources, never asking for a password again.

Map a remote folder as a drive via net use or Windows Explorer, and access hidden administrative shares like admin$ and IPC$ by name; connect printers by name or IP.

Establish and configure network connections across internet options, wireless networks, vpn, dial-up, proxy settings, and ad hoc setups for workplace connectivity.

Configure Windows 7 system properties to enable remote assistance and remote desktop; remote assistance requires user request, while remote desktop accepts connections from administrators, with optional network level authentication.

Configure multiple network profiles—home, work, and public—and tailor sharing and network discovery rules by location, enabling or disabling features like print sharing based on the network type.

Block all incoming connections by default and allow only chosen exceptions. Explore the general tab and network settings, noting that turning the firewall off is not recommended.

Configure automatic private ip addressing (apipa) fallback via the alternate configuration tab in the network card properties, setting a manual ip, subnet mask, gateway, and dns, avoiding dhcp range conflicts.

Configure network card speed and duplex in device manager, negotiate with what the switch can do, enable wake-on-LAN, and turn on quality of service, with BIOS-level options by vendor.

Learn how to join a computer to a domain using system information and change settings, including entering the domain name and connecting to the domain controller via Active Directory.

Explore administrative shares in computer management, noting hidden shares end with a dollar, and that admin shares auto-connect to system drives and the print folder; sessions show current connections.

Map a network drive in file explorer by choosing map network drive, assigning a drive letter, and browsing to a networked folder to finish the mapped drive.

Enable LAN settings in Internet Options and enter the proxy IP address and port to route all internet traffic through the proxy server.

Learn to enable or disable remote assistance and remote desktop on Windows 8 point one, noting Windows Home lacks remote desktop and adjust the invitation duration to six hours.

Explore alternate IP addressing and alternate configuration to specify static TCP/IP settings when DHCP fails, and customize speed and duplex in device manager for network adapters.

Discover common preventive maintenance tasks and the recommended frequencies to prevent computer issues in this module.

Explore preventative maintenance procedures to perform on a regular basis and learn how to use specific Windows tools to follow best practices.

Learn about three major backup types—full, incremental, and differential—and how each type affects restoration. Explore on site and offsite storage considerations, and why sequencing matters when restoring data.

Perform scheduled disk maintenance by running check disk to scan for problems and bad sectors, via disk properties or the command line, then defragment the drive to improve performance.

Learn to manage operating system updates, drivers, and firmware with Windows update settings, enabling automatic downloads and installs, and stay protected by automating antivirus updates.

Learn to use maintenance tools such as backup, defrag, check disk, and system restore accessed from drive or operating system properties, plus restore points, recovery images, and file history.

Learn to manage Windows Update settings in the control panel, check for updates, and choose when to download or install them, including updates for other Microsoft products.

Open file explorer, inspect drive properties, and use disk cleanup to free space; run disk check for errors and defrag from drive tools, then review quotas and Windows update settings.

Explore operating systems features and functionality beyond Windows, examining Mac, Linux, and Unix, to understand diverse devices in your network.

Explore features and functionality of macOS and Linux, compare best practices and available tools, and cover basic Linux commands alongside Windows familiarity.

Master backups with rsync on Linux, local and remote, encrypted transfers, and Time Machine as a GUI option. Learn disk maintenance, fsck checks, defragmentation implications, and cross-platform updates and antivirus.

Back up files with Linux tools like rsync and tar, or Time Machine on Mac. Create Linux snapshots with lvcreate, and restore using disk utility or rsync.

Discover how Linux and Unix use shells and a terminal window to run different shells, launch applications, and access the command line via ssh from Mac.

Enable Linux screen sharing by starting a multi-user screen session and using screen -x with an access list, or enable macOS built-in screen sharing in System Preferences with access controls.

Discover how to force quit unresponsive applications on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Learn Mac force quit, Windows force quit tool, and Linux sudo xkill for terminating a window.

Discover macOS features such as mission control and workspaces, keychain with encryption keys and certificates, Spotlight and iCloud, gestures, Finder, remote disk, the Dock, and Boot Camp for multiboot.

Explore essential Linux commands, including ls, grep, cd, mv, cp, rm, and chmod, plus system tools like ps, sudo, and apt-get, for managing files, processes, network interfaces, and permissions.

Explore client-side virtualization within the CompTIA A+ 220-902 framework, enabling multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on a desktop or client machine, and understand how this technology works.

Discover how client side virtualization lets you run multiple operating systems on one device, while examining virtual machines, resource and emulator requirements, and the hypervisor, security and network requirements.

Learn how virtualization uses a hypervisor to run multiple operating systems on a single workstation, allocating host resources and configuring hardware assisted virtualization via BIOS/EFI.

Explore client side virtualization with Oracle VirtualBox to create and manage Windows host virtual machines, and use snapshots to revert to earlier states for safe testing.