Help Needed Filling In A+ OS Objectives

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I am finalizing my preparation for the 2003 A+ OS exam. I already completed my 2003 A+ Hardware exam.
I really need to complete this exam t his month so please no criticism. I have searched for the answers and could not find them. If you do find the answer via google know that I tried and didnt find them. Sorry! I really appreciate all of your help.
And I plan to contribute what I have learned from my studying to this board.

Thanks again

Professor Falken


Section 1.4

Directory Structures (root directory, subdirectories, etc)

Navigate the directory structure

Maximum depth


Section 3.1

Common Error Messages and Codes

Inaccessible boot device

Startup Messages

Device/Service has failed to start

User-modified settings cause improper operation at startup



3.2 Recognize when to use common diagnostic utilities and tools. Given a diagnostic
scenario involving one of these utilities or tools, select the appropriate steps needed
to resolve the problem.

Step-by-Step/Single step mode

o MSD


3.3 Recognize common operational and usability problems and determine how to
resolve them

Troubleshooting Windows-specific printing problems

o Incorrect parameter

 

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PF. I think you'll find the answers to section 1.4 are mostly DOS related,in so much as using DOS at the command prompt to manipulate directories and subdirectories. If memory serves me correct the answer to the maximum depth is also in this section of the MM tome.

 

Wheres your question?

all the information you need is in the Mike Meyers book

 

Hey Prof, glad to hear u nailed one exam already. Trust me on this one, don't underestimate the OS exam! I did mine last week and like I said, alot of detailed and intricate stuff that I was busting my brains over - never came. But I'll still advise u here.

Section 1.4 - Pretty straight foward intro to Windows in the MM book. Maximun depth is interesting, however, its not in the book nor referenced anywhere else.

Section 3.1 - Study mostly on boot errors, like critical boot files needed and how they work together.

Section 3.2 - Probably the easiest of all. Study on Dr. Watson, msconfig, recovery utilities, and the system utilities in Administrative tools especially Eventlog. Know how they work & what they do and how you access them (URL paths). Everything u need to know can be found in the Troubleshooting Win 9x/Me & NT/2000/XP chap of the MM book.

Section 3.3 - Remember one thing: Printer problems & networks go hand in hand! A user is unable to print because the printer on the network was never added to their system. Make sure u also know how to add one and make it default.

Alot of valuable info can be found in the 2 Troubleshooting chaps. Make sure you know about Safe Mode too! Lemme know if this helps.

 

Maximum path lenght for NTFS is 256 characters. This is thereby also the maximum directory structure counting all characters in the path.
example:
C:\windows\system32 = 19
C:\w\s = 6
By just using short names you could extend the number of subfolders.

BTW, Congrats on the pass.

 

In this post I wrote exactly the answers I need. Please can someone give me more detailed answers please. I really need this information to prepare for the A+ OS exam.


Thanks

Professor Falken

 

Let's see if we can meet each other halfway, Professor. I know in your studies, you *must* have come up with at least *some* information in these areas. The Meyers book is usually pretty good at providing them.

Let's take another view point. For example, you mention "Common Error Messages and Codes" as one of the areas where you need help. I used that exact phrase as my search string on Google. Unfortunately, the results weren't as specific as I liked since they included error codes for web browsers and Mac computers. I changed the search string to "Common PC Error Messages and Codes" and came up with the following results page:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Common+PC+Error+Messages+and+Codes&btnG=Search

My guess is that if you explore the links presented just on page one of the results, you'll get a lot of information.

What I'm trying to say here is that you are capable of coming up with at least some of the answers to your own questions by using both your print and online resources. Once you come up with those, if you still don't understand the concepts or you believe that you don't have enough info, post what you've learned in that area thus far and we'll see if we can fill in the blanks.

 

Listen, I searched on google before posting. Ok.
I cant believe this, I looked at your link. If were to search every
link on that page for the information that I need my day would end. The 2003 A+ OS exam is this month I can believe that you are telling me this. At least at this point in time. You know that by the end of this month is only time I can take the 2003 A+.
With that in mind do you think you can help me and just save me the lectures PLEASE.

Thanks Professor Falken.
P.S. I dont have the time to do extensive searching.
Please if you know the answer that let me know.
I know Google exists I dont have the time to search and read
a bunch of articles. There are only a few areas of the objectives
that I need answers on. Please just give me the answers.

Professor Falken

P.S. The information I am looking for is not in the Mikey Meyers
book.

 

Dude! Chill Out.
There are members here that are taking their time out to help you, you can atleast show some gratitude for a start. If you do not have the time to research information, which at times, can take some time to do (research that is), then how are you going manage when you're in the I.T. field if you can't be bothered on objectives for a certification. Problems in the real world, may at times, make you look for a solution at home, in your own time, and unpaid, it is one of the many skills you are going to need Patience. It will all depend on which sector you decide to go into, and whether you are comitting in imporving yourself, and looking to further your knowledge and career,

You might not have the time, but you would have to make the time. As you been planning on getting A+ Certified for
some time now, has it only "popped" into your head to read through the objectives at such short notice?

I am not having a go at you for no reason, it is just that your last post was uncalled for, we are here to help and assist where possible, you are not paying for a service, even if you are a Premuim Member.

the replies you have made in this thread are in my opionon no help whats so ever....

you need a more detailed answer? Expand on why the answers already given are not detailed enough?

If you can help us with more specific answers, then we can help you..

...and remember, be happy, pleased and honoured to be part of this community, whereby, we all help (or least try and help) each other...

Thats all for now...

 

Most, if not ALL, of the information you are looking for IS in the "Mikey Meyers" book.

If you can't be bothered to search for the information, why should others be bothered to search for the information for you? Do you know how we answer your questions? By Googling the information in the exact way that you would (and should) have done it. Is our time less valuable than yours?

We're not here to spoonfeed you. We're here to guide you and help you be a better tech. Rationalize your behavior all you want... but if you don't learn how to do this now, it doesn't matter if you pass the A+ exam, or any other certification for that matter... you won't be able to survive in the real world.

 

Yes Micheal, I finally agree with you on something.

Problem solving is a MAJOR skill in IT. What will you do when you get a job, rely on forums to do your work for you (you would NEVER get anything done)?? do we get a cut of your wages???

Nobody minds answering questions, but when it is blatantly obvious that you have made no effort yourself, then people will resent you coming to them for help!!

Maybe you should take a course on how to use the web for yourself before you take these exams, then you will be able to do your own research.

And regarding you "not having the time", sometimes I'm up till 4 in the morning going through 50 pages of links in google. Should I stop this behavior and rely on someone else to do it for me??? NO

 

Ok. Let's take a rational look at why we become certified. Ideally (though not always practically), we take an exam (or more than one) and become certified to establish publicly that we *already know* the material covered by the cert. The certification is supposed to establish the cert holder's expertise in a particular area.

In the case of the A+ cert, it is supposed to establish that the certification holder already has the level of expertise in PC hardware and software support equal to about six months of on the job experience. The certification itself isn't designed to be a magic bullet to get our "foot in the door" of IT, although it's advertised that way and some employers treat it that way.

I remember sweating bullets when studying for the OS portion of the A+ exam. Hardware was fairly easy for me since it was concrete as opposed to abstract. DOS memory management about drove me nuts. I finally figured out a study strategy that worked for me (drawing many, many diagrams on large sheets of butcher paper) and the bottom line is that I took and passed both the hardware and OS exams back to back.

I felt "reasonably" sure that I could pass the exams when I scheduled them but I wasn't "absolutely" sure. No one is absolutely sure about passing (unless they are the king or queen of all gurus or are delusional beyond belief) and there's always the possibility of failure.

There probably isn't a certified person on this board that hasn't failed at least one exam in their life. It's the risk we take when we try to expand ourselves beyond our current limits. I'm always nervous before the exam but manage to calm down once it starts and focus on the job at hand.

One strategy when you don't feel ready to sit an exam is to cancel and reschedule. I know it sounds harsh, but it is better than beating your head against a wall, trying to race against time to grasp the concepts required to pass. Remember, you are already supposed to know all this stuff before you sit the exam. The exam and the cert doesn't graduate you into being an expert in a particular area. You are supposed to *be* that expert *before* sitting the exam.

You aren't performing heart-lung transplants, Professor. If you need to postpone the exam for a month to give yourself the time to study and do proper research, no one dies.

I recall my three-month stint doing desktop support for a small city's IT department and also the time spent doing hardware and software support for HP's website usability lab. A big, big portion of the job was doing research and trying to solve problems such as "what does this error message mean"? I can't count the hours I've spent on the phone with some vendor's tech support person trying to solve some issue.

Research and digging for answers is what the job is all about...at least a really big part of it. The process of studying for the exam is the process of learning the job. Sure, there have been times when I just plain gave up after practically killing myself trying to find an answer. I finally just asked my co-workers or superiors what I could do that I hadn't already done and their experience gave me the clues that I needed. However, struggling for the answers was extremely valuable in honing my troubleshooting skills. If I had told my boss that I just didn't have the time to do the research, I'd have been out of a job just like that.

My current job is the same. I do technical writing for vendors such as Adobe and Sun and I almost never have all of the information I need to create the product they want up front. Sometimes it's very frustrating, but In the six-weeks or so that I've been on my current job, I've learned more about Reader, Flash, and a variety of other technologies than I would have thought possible.

That's all for now. I'm hopping back off my soap box, Professor. This is nothing against you and no one is trying to discourage you. We are, on the other hand, trying to present a realistic picture not only of what it is to study and pass an exam but what it is to actually do the job you are aspiring to.

Good luck.

 

Prof, you dont need more detailed answers, whats in the Mike Meyers book is as detailed as it gets for the A+, you dont need to go deeper into every objective as its simply a waste of time at this stage

 

Quoted for Truth. If you study what's in the Meyers book, you will likely pass.

 

my first 'QFT'

wahoo

 

Congrats

 

Truth is truth, man! Gotta call it when I see it.

 

Trip, I think he really means "thanks for your help and for spending YOUR own TIME on searching - the link was most useful"

I thought that link was most excellent Trip! Cheers! Any chance you could get me a link on the meaning of life??????

 

This is as close as you'll get ala Google. Good luck.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=the+meaning+of+life&btnG=Google+Search

 

Man, that's easy!!! link