Rating: Summary: You won't pass the Dos/Win Review: After buying the book as my sole study aide for the A+ test, I then came to this site and read the reviews. I started to panic and rightly so. The core portion of the book is nicely written and easy to understand. If you actually read the words that make the sentences that make the paragraphs, you'll have a good grasp of not only the answers but the concepts as well. Those that take only the study tests at the end of chapters, memorize the "Instant Answers" and use the bold face method of studying run the risk of flunking the Core test. No matter what web site you go to, those attempting to cram for the test and simply regurgitate the "knowledge" at test time are those that fail the test and wonder why.That said, the Dos/Win portion of this book is insufficient enough for the publisher to simply pull the book from the shelves. You WILL NOT pass the Win/Dos portion if this is your only aide, unless you retain ample personal experience. I don't know how this book was even published with so little information on a 65 question test.The test will delve deeply into troubleshooting Dos and Win 95, and this book only gives you 37 pages and mostly on boot sequences. Only by luck did I pass the Dos/Win with a score of 69% A score to be embarrased of on the one hand, while bordering on embarrased of being certified by a company that hasn't udated it's test in so many years that it's painfully outdated. The Dos/Win is more of a history test than a technolgy test as (regardless of what people will say) Dos will finally meet it's end with the release of Win ME. Most computers in the workplace are either 98 or NT, neither of which are mentioned and won't be until the end of the year when CompTia will revamp the test and remove the Dos, Win 3.x and 95 from the testing. Be careful of websites that offer practice test and brain dumps. Most braindumps give wrong answers and many of the practice test have errors as well. You can simply stop reading this book when you finish with the Core section.
Rating: Summary: Somebody at IDG Books needs to read "Editing For Dummies" Review: This book started out on a great premise of concise information needed to pass. The only problem is, there are many mistakes in this book! I found myself referencing 3-4 other books on questionable info and deciding in each case that the other 3-4 books must be right. For instance, the book refers to IDE as meaning "Intelligent drive electronics" when every other book (and one page of this book) define IDE as "Integrated Drive Electronics". PCMCIA is defined in this book as "Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Adapter". Every other book I've read says it is an abbreviation for "Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association". Not that big of a deal unless they are test questions! There were errors in some of the included CD test questions as well. I also had a hard time feeling comfortable with the fact that one half of the test is Dos/Windows and this book concludes hardware and then throw in 37 pages on the Dos/Windows world. A little bit of error can really cause you to doubt your knowledge about the whole thing, because you can't remember if information came from here or another more reliable source. My recommendation: Get the New Riders book, "A+ Fast Track". It's brief, in-depth, and ACCURATE! Summing up A+ Certification for Dummies - GREAT CONCEPT FOR THIS BOOK, BUT LIKE SOFTWARE, WAIT UNTIL A LESS BUGGY VERSION COMES OUT.
Rating: Summary: Don't let this be your only resource ... you'll regret it Review: This book is an excellent introduction for the A+ exam, but if you rely on it as your only resource, you will score lowly and perhaps not even pass the test. There are several mistakes, both in the text and on the exam questions on the CD, which will cost you on the test. Also, it doesn't go into enough detail in several areas, particularly printing and Windows operation. Buy this book for the very good introduction to key terms and concepts, and especially for its handy tables and charts for memorization. But, buy a more detailed and professional exam guide to guarantee a passing and better score.
Rating: Summary: Some swear at it. Some swear by it! I'm the latter! Review: Well, I read a lot of the reviews on this book. Many seem to swear at it because of some of its technical inaccuaracies -- well lah-dee-dah! Those must be the purists! Well, I took and passed both tests (Core: 93, DOS/WIN: 89) and with the help of this book plus some affordable practice tests I found and downloaded, some online free tests and my own experience I was able to pass this test. The only critque I have of this book is that DOS/Windows should have been covered more extensively - and of course Mr. Glister should have a chance to do that since CompTia is going drop Windows 3.1 from the test and add Win 98, NT and 2000 this year (2000). He'll sure improve the book if the does! SO I SWEAR BY THIS BOOK AND RECOMMEND IT TO ALL WHO WISH TO PREPARE FOR THE A+ TESTS.
Rating: Summary: A+ Certification for Dummies the book Review: The book delivers exactly what you need for passing the test. My friends and I used this book and passed with flying colors. Mr. Gilster made it a painless way to study for the exam. We found it witty and fun.
Rating: Summary: Direct and to the Point Review: This was the only book I purchased to pass the A+ certification (I bought the flash cards as well). Not everything on the exam was covered in the book but the vast majority of it was. There are some contradictions in the text vs the CD questions but I wrote an email requesting clarification and received a response in two days. The book is really good in telling you what you need to study and contains some very useful memorization tips and test taking tips. I did not find the flash cards useful at all. The Flash cards were nearly identical (if not identical) to the CD questions.
Rating: Summary: It's old stuff but it's geared for the test! Review: (the test is on the old stuff)I agree with alot of the other coments on this book, and there are some mistakes. But it will help you pass the test and get you A+ certification. I used it to refresh before the test and passed. Infact if it weren't for the mistakes I would give it 5 stars.
Rating: Summary: Great book, but needs a little extra Review: This book was my main resource for studying. I passed with a 93% (core) and a 90% (dos/win). I would suggest other sources though. (examnotes.net or nerdgirl.net) Just look around on the web for info and practice tests.
Rating: Summary: Out with the old and in with the older? Review: Ok, the book is ok for someone looking to expand knowledge of... older computers, I bought the book hoping it would cover more recent computers as well. It has no references to windows 98, p3, k6-2, k6-3, k7's, to drive my point home I'll just quote the book.... 'SDram could very well be the next PC memory standard' uhm k ... a few spelling mistakes, and a few numerical, and those could be hazardous to someone who doesn't know alot about computers.
Rating: Summary: Basic Overview Review: This book was moderately helpful. It was easy to read and interesting (well as far as a self-study books goes). There were quite a few flaws in the book. Many tables contradict themselves with what is on the included exam, some even contradict themselves from chapter to chapter. I found this book also did not give me a full plethora of detailed information that some of the 3rd party exams covered. If you buy this book make sure you get other study material to go with it.
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