Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy the outdated version!
Review: The writting is great, but this version is outdated! It is for the 1998 test objectives that were retired in March! But the Third Edition of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Want to be A+ .... you need this Book!!!
Review: This book is easy to read , even its not your primary language. Have a lot of pictures and examples I really recommended !! ATT. Agenor Marrero A+
Rating:
Summary: Best exam study guide I ever read
Review: I hate memorizing bland facts devoid of context. If you are like me, it is much easier to study for a test if there you are given context and concepts behind those facts. This book didn't read like just another monotonous study guide. Meyers delves into the history of computers and gives reasons why they operate the way they do today. For example, instead of just listing the different bus speeds of different chip sets, he goes into detail as to what the system bus does and how it works. My one complaint: the practice tests were not at all the ones on the actual exam. Also, the exam had a lot more questions about Windows NT 4 than was covered in the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good test preparation, but poor as a real-world reference...
Review: If you are preparing to take the A+ exam, then the "All in One, A+ Certification Exam Guide" by Michael Meyers is definitely worth your while. Why only four stars, then? Well, to be honest, I was hoping to learn practical techniques that would make me a better potential pc technician. In this regard, the book falls short. Looking back, I now realize that I was somewhat naive about A+ certification. Having only had personal experience with computers, installing cards and drives, I truly believed that in the process of studying for the A+ exam I would gain the knowledge and troubleshooting skills necessary to become a professional technician. What a joke. After passing the A+ exam I thought, "Great! Now I'm ready!" I quickly realized, though, that none of what I had read in this book, or had been tested on, had anything to do with real-world troubleshooting. I simply encountered problems that I was in no way prepared for (missing .dll files, PCs that wont start, PCs that will start on the occasional full moon, plug-n-play devices that neither plug nor play). I felt like an idiot. It has taken me a couple of years to REALLY learn what I needed to know in order to fix these more common software problems. The bottom line is this: if you already know what you're doing (unlike me) and are just looking to earn A+ certification for the heck of it, then Meyers' book will prepare you for the test. But, if you think that you're going to study this book, pass the exam, and then be ready to take your first service call, then you've got another think coming....
Rating:
Summary: Great reference, good test prep, so-so CD
Review: I've been teching for a long time (10+ years) so most of the A+ topics were stuff I already knew. This book did a great job of keeping my interest while going over material I was familiar with, and explained the stuff I didn't know in a very clear and concise manner. I found some of the illustrations a little cutesy and grating (computer components talking to each other via little cartoon word balloons) but thats probably just me... As others have mentioned, the CD is not nearly as impressive as the book. The instructional video is interesting, Myers does a good job of going over the fundamentals of hardware, but it moves kind of slow. The sample exam questions were just bad. I had to download a patch from the TotalSem website before they'd even run on my Win98 machine, and even then the graphics were so bad I often had trouble determining which answers I'd selected. Still, I was able to nail both exams with just this book and about 25 hours of study time. I'd recommend it highly whether you're a computer newcomer, or an old hand who just needs to fill in the gaps.
Rating:
Summary: excellent for novices
Review: Very good coverage of all the basics. I found it helpful for filling in the holes when preparing for the A+ exams, which I passed with scores of 795/900 (OS) and 825/900 (HW) with one reading of the book. However, I didn't approach the material as a total novice, and was a little disappointed with the lack of depth on some topics. It does cover the exam material well; the shallow spots are actually beyond the scope of the exam. If you have never built or serviced a PC, this book should do quite well to provide basic instruction.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was so psyched when I started reading this book. A third of the way through the disappointment set in. Near the end I was bitter towards the writer and grinding my teeth realizing how much time I had wasted. I'm confident that Michael Myers is competent in the field of computer repair and knows what he is talking about. My feeling is that the Third Edition was rushed to press to meet the 2001 exam update and the editing suffered severely because of it. They were so hasty you'll actually find editor's notes alongside several of the pages, completely missed - totally unprofessional. There are so many typos, inconsistencies, and copy editing errors you'll find yourself focusing on those rather than learning the material. I ended up having to backtrack through chapters because of the mistakes. My satisfied study sessions quickly turned into anxious fact-finding hunts and puzzling wonderings of, "I'm confused; didn't he say something different earlier?" After you muddle through the lengthy chapters, Myers offers a ten-question quiz - no review, just a quiz. One of the chapters offers a quiz where three of the answers are incorrect. It takes a short time to realize this, so you sit there wondering how you got the answers wrong and trying to find the information that you supposedly didn't understand. Then you realize that you were actually correct and, in fact, Myers offered the incorrect answers. An eerie feeling sinks in as you begin to wonder how many of the answers on previous chapter quizzes were marked wrong but actually right, and vice versa. Due to all the aforementioned problems, I found myself questioning the validity of the information. This is maddening, especially given the fact that I'm studying for an exam that can make or break a job opportunity for me. I gave this edition two stars rather than one just because after you wade through the fluff it did cover a lot of information on the exams. Due to the inconsistencies, though, I ended up studying from other materials for the tests. If Myers were to cut down on the drivel, correct the multitude of errors, and add a review at the end of each chapter, it would be a worthwhile read. With work, I'm sure the Fourth Edition could be much more effective. This edition was pitiful - a waste of time and money.
Rating:
Summary: Okay for some
Review: If your are just starting to learn how computers work, then this book is okay, after wasting some time and reading only 1/3 of the book I passed the test. Without the books help. It does not go into detail and if anyone were to really want to know what lun does in SCSI, then don't buy this book, the SCSI chapter is small, VERY SMALL.
Rating:
Summary: Not-So-Good
Review: Well, this book covers it all,but all of the typos in the review questions are just unbelievable. Those that have read it know what I'm talking about. And as others have noted, the software basically stinks. Just to run the practice exams, I had to download a patch and hope for the best. Well I took my Core Hardware exam last week and thank god the server went down toward the end, because the practice tests that came with the book were nothing like the actual test. So I left and reverted to Trancender Study material which is very much like the test. I dont recommend this book, its a lot of reading to find out it didnt help at all.
Rating: 
Summary: I passed the A+ Exam...
Review: This book is ok to study with,however, do not waste your time studying the chapter on DOS memory because there were absolutely no questions on the exam. The primary focus of the A+ OS section Win NT/2000 and 9x. I have 2 big beefs with this book. First, the CD with test questions was impossible to install on my home computer. I'm not an idiot and I have a lot of experience working on computers so I know it wasnt a user error problem. Second, there is NO chapter ending summary and review questions in the book. Instead, you have to read entire chapters line by line and highlight the info you think is important. Which makes no sense if you have to cram right before taking the test. I recommend that you buy another A+ book in addition to this one. Maybe A+ for dummies for its conciseness. Also, subscribe to an A+ newsgroup.
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