Rating: 
Summary: In this case being first is a good thing.
Review: A+ is updating exams and the new exams are being released shortly. You want to find a book that will give you fighting chance witht he new objectives. You want to find a book wriiten by a trusted and respected name in the industry. You can all this and much more with the release of the A+ Deluxe edition.David Groth has given us what would appear to be an excellent breakdown for the exam. Being first in this case is a good thing and the material included is more then the objectives and the exam require. As if the expectation would be anything less with Groth. Just short of 1000 pages, this book covers both the exams and has the explaantion in a easy to comprehend manner without over working the information. The author has gone to great lengths to ensure that everyone and anyone reading this book can understand the material, no matter what the technical level. One of the most impressive parts of the book is amount of troubleshooting infomration included. Also the practice questions, of which there has to be more than a 1000 in the book and hundreds more on the cd, are excllent and in most case harder then the actual exam. If that was all you got,then you would have a great start, but the deluxe edition has a second cd with 20 videos that have more hands on exercises. The cds also have bonus exams and flashcards making this one of the best values on the market today. Overall this one great book and if you add the lab manual, then you just might have the best combination around so far.
Rating:
Summary: Make this your primary study guide
Review: Among the finalists for best A+ study guides are: "A+ Complete Study Guide" by David Groth and "A+ All-In-One Certification Exam Guide" by Michael D. Meyers. Both books are very good, but A+ Complete Study Guide - Second Edition comes out the winner as far as I'm concerned. David Groth presents a thorough guide, logically laid-out with clear and concise synopsis of each objective. In my opinion, no one book can be all things to everyone, but this book comes closest. Face it, there is a lot of material to cover and comprehend to prepare you for CompTIA's A+ Certification Exam. David Groth not only gives you more than enough information to enable you to pass the exam, but also a thorough basic understanding of what CompTIA expects you to know. The book contains advice for studying, pointing out that you should take the pretest at the beginning of each section, and pay attention to those areas where you appear weak. This is one of the most up-to-date books dealing with A+ certification, including sections on the newest Windows 2000 operating system. The book tries to parallel the newest CompTIA exam, de-emphasizing DOS and Windows 3.1 and beefing-up Windows 95, 98 & 2000. You can buy this book confidently knowing that if you study it thoroughly you won't have a problem with the CompTIA A+ exam.
Rating:
Summary: Latest Updates to New A+ Certification standards
Review: David Groth's new version of the A+ certification is the standard by which all new versions will be judged by. I bought this book recently, to prep myself for the new A+ certification exam guidelines. I enjoyed the material covered on the CD as well as the end of section questions for reviewing subject matter. I put this book a little ahead of the Myers' book for A+, and certainly ahead of the Microsoft Press A+ Certification Study guide. As for the exams, gone are the questions from the old tests, like customer service, DOS, and Windows 3.1 and 95 questions. New material on tests include Windows 98, NT4, and 2000 Professional. Groth's book is one of the first new version books to hit the market. Worthwhile subjects for study consideration are: installation and upgrading operating systems(v95 to v98,vNT4 workstation to v2000 Professional), diagnosing and troubleshooting of operating systems errors and peripheral difficulties and the makeup of the two newly named exams (the Core Hardware Exam and the Operating System Technologies Exam). Buy this book and pass 2001 objectives, the first time through!
Rating:
Summary: Ever wanted to read the back of the book, while online?
Review: Here it goes:
A+ Complete Study Guide
Retail Price: US $49.99 A+ Exam Preparation from an Expert - Your Key to better job opportunities Comprehensive Preparation for the A+ Exams Hundreds of Practice Questions Full Coverage of All Exam Objectives Tear-Out Objectives
Map for Easy Reference The A+ Complete Study Guide is a comprehensive training resource designed to prepare you to pass both the Core Module and the DOS/Windows Module of CompTIA's 1998 A+ certification program. This Study Guide provides full coverage of every objective for each module of the exam, giving you all of the information you need to master PC issues. Core Module Coverage:
- Basic computer service concepts
- General PC architecture
- Memory architecture
- Disk system architectures
- PC bus architectures
- Installation and upgrades
- Printers
- Networks
- Safety and maintenance issues
- Customer service techniques
- Troubleshooting DOS/Windows Module Coverage:
- Operating system architecture
- Operating system instalation and configuration
- Preventive maintenance
- Installing and running applications
- MS-DOS and Windows networking
- Guarding against virus attacks
- Operating system management
- Application installation and configuration
- Networking
- Troubleshooting DOS and Windows Featured on the CD: The enclosed CD includes an exclusive custom test-preparation program that will help you prepare for the A+ exam. About the Author:
David Groth is President and Chief Consultant of Devarim, Inc., located in Fargo, North Dakota. He holds a number of technical certifications, incluiding A+ (DOS/Windows and MAc), MCP, and Novell CNA, CNE, and CNI. He is also an Apple Certified Technician and a Toshiba Certified Technician. Publisher: Sybex
Book level: Intermediate
Book type: Reference Computer book shelf category: Certification/Hardware Here is some of the reason why you may want to get this book:
Today is Tuesday, the 26 of May, and I just checked the price of this book at other stores online.
Here is what I found from yahoo shopping (http://shopping.yahoo.com/p___1978299072?d=b&id=1978299072):
Price at (new):
Yahoo: $49.99
Barnes and Noble: $49.99
A Book Company, IIc: $32.49
Superbookdeals: $47.49 Bottomdollarm did not have the price for that book.
Shopper did not have the price for that book.
Dealtime was offline.
$33.24 at Buy
Out of stock from Amazon.com (but not from the resellers who are selling this book for WAY too cheap). The newer version of this (that is obviously worth a lot more) is going for $59.99 - which is the same price that it's going for at BarnesAndNobles. I personaly prefer Amazon.com, because they allow you to get the book for the full price, if you have the money for it, or used, if you don't, and because of the lower shipping and handling cost. I'm having a hard time finding the newer version in some of the other stores I looked at.
$29.79 at Overstock
$31.49 at Walmart
Pricewatch does not have it. The book covers all the the cover says it does. If you are looking for a book that will help you with work, and you are already certified, this book may be a good reference for you. But, honestly, propeller heads who are almost hackers are geniouses, unlike most common people, and most who are still in the road to becoming that. They may already be at the same level as the author, and not learn much from it, since the book is for intermediates, not for advanced. (Lots of people have trouble selecting books for their knowledge level.) If the author had made this book much more complex, it would not serve its purpose anymore: Helping people who don't yet have an A+ Certification, and who most likely haven't worked with computers for very long (else they would likely have one) to obtain a certificate that will significantly improve their job security, and perhaps even their pay checks. Perhapsfill their pockets, and help feed their children and their families...
Perhaps reading this book may be too easy for you, if you've been working with computers for 40 years. But if you are a college student, wanting to get your first, second, or third real job, it will be challenging. You may need to focus a lot. This book is certainly not for beginners, and although it does not cover everything you will ever need to know about computers, the author says it covers everything you need for the certification test. Anyone can see that this claim is far from being farfetched just by flipping the pages w/out even reading
the book and seing the complexity of the material - or by looking at its thickness, for Pete's sake.
If you want to improve your job security, or increase you income, and you don't consider yourself an Eistein - though you know you are smart, and relatively knowledgeable of computers - get this book! It is worth it! Totaly! You'll be much more likely to get certified with it, than w/out it.
If you study it well, I know you'll get A+ Certified. Good luck.
Rating: 
Summary: A+ Complete Study Guide - Not Enough Information
Review: I bought this book with the hopes of preparing me for the new A+ certification exams (220-301 and 220-302). This book fell way short. The information in the book is good and informative but most of it is not on the tests. If it weren't for the fact that I've been in the IT business for over 15 years and because of my experience from this line of work, I would have failed the tests miserably! Also, there are MANY typos in the book. So many, in fact, that I quit counting. It was somewhat distracting. It's apparent the book was not proofread well before being published. If you are wanting a book to study that will prepare you for passing the A+ exams, this isn't the one you want to buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Not recommended for the A+ Exam
Review: I cannot recommend this Book for the A+ Exam. The A+ Topics are discussed in a hard and unpleasant way. After reading 350 pages, i had to stop reading and had to look for another A+ training Guide. It is not as easy to learn for the exam with the book from David Groth as with other books. During the exam, i realised that most of the discussions in this book haven't anything to do with the real A+ exam. So this Book isn't very Exam related. Don't waste your time with this book, there are other, much better A+ Training Guides out there.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a great place to start your studies
Review: I found this book to be very well laid out for beginners and advanced techs alike. It was easy to read and understand and did a great job of keeping the information in your head (the chapter quizes and study CD were a great tool). I am now A+ Certified and scored a 95 on the Core and an 89 on the DOS/Windows on the first try and I would not have done it without this book! The book led me from knowing nothing but the basics to a solid fundamental knowledge of all exam objectives. The Core Part covers virtually everything the exam can test you on and the DOS/Windows part does a good job of prepping you for the basics but on the exam you had better know Dos,Win3.x and Windows 95 via experience or you may have a hard time with the test. I highly recommend this as your first study platform then using A+ Exam Cram to polish your knowledge before taking the tests! Good Luck! If I can do it so can you!!
Rating:
Summary: Ever wanted to read the back of the book, while online?
Review: I have had my MSCE+I and CCNA certifications since 1999, and I am an experienced Windows network administrator. I purchased this book when I decided to round out my resume with an A+ certification. I just want to voice my agreement with those who have given a similar rating, especially with respect to the O/S Technologies Exam and networking in general. This text is full of errors and emphasizes legacy technology. Regardless of whatever potential value it might have as an aid to pass the certification examinations, this text could very well do more harm than good as a general training tool for a novice technician working in a real-world production environment due to its many errors and a novice's inability to tell a good text from a bad. In my humble opinion, one should simply not buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not at all geared towards passing the new A+ Exam
Review: I'm somewhat new to computers so I recently took a course at a local school to get help passing the A+ test. The school used this book for the class. Per advice, I bought the Transcender A+ Certification Test software, which I'm told is the one study test that most closely resembles the actual test given by Comptia. After taking a few of the practice exams, I found the book to fall far short of the information and knowledge base required to pass the exam. Not thrilled with the idea that the actual test does not test one's ability to perform well in the real world, I am looking for a comprehensive book that will offer the information I need. As it's title states it to be a prep for the A+ test, by definition, it will disappoint most readers. The test is much more focused on troubleshooting scenarios and trickery, and alot of it on very outdated hardware. The book does deal with the types of hardware and software issues discussed on the test, but does not take the information to the level one needs to do well on the A+ Test. I found the software troubleshooting section to be very weak and very general, and the index is so poorly written that it makes the desired information (if available at all) extremely difficult to find. Perhaps a good book for someone who just wants to learn the basics about PC hardware and software, but it is a poor prep for the actual test if you're someone just getting into the field. The questions in the book are much different than what one will actually find in the new adaptive test for 2001. (Go to Transcenders.com and download free test samples) Hopefully, a book will come out that properly prepares one for taking the adaptive test, but I haven't found it yet.
Rating:
Summary: Hats off to the latest and best effort from David Groth.
Review: The 2nd Edition of the A+ Complete Study Guide was an excellent reference for the A+ exams. David Groth is highly respected in the field and his books are without exception some of the best material to found. So it is true with the latest A+ Study Guide the Deluxe Edition. In over 900 pages page Groth with have you looking at every exam objective and more. With Part 1 focusing on the hardware exam from buses, BIOS, CMOS, memory, power supplies, mice, ISA, MCA, USB, AGP, video, audio, portable, printers, networking and troubleshooting. This section covers far more than the exam requires and is an excellent source of information for every technician certified or not. In part 2 the Operating Systems Technologies exam is taken apart working with DOS, Windows 9.X, NT work station, 2000 Professional. As with the hardware exam Groth extends the coverage to include Linux and the MAC and also networking and troubleshooting. Although Windows 3.X is left out there is more information than the exam requires which has become a trademark of the David Groth over the years. Included in the book comes 2 cd, one of the cd has over 20 videos and hands on exercises that coincide with the book. The other cd has practice question and coupled with the ones in the book you'll have 1,000 questions to work with. Again Groth goes beyond the call of duty and included 6 bonus exams and allows you to download information to a palm device. Overall this is one of the very best sources of information for the exam on the market today.
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