Beginner looking for book recommendations

BadFury

I need recommendations A+ books for beginners for someone who would be just starting out. My Uncle who is now a retired computer engineer had this long talk with me this morning about my future, and recommended that I should start reading books on A+. What I am looking for are books that I can learn from that dive into the basics; maybe fundamentals. I'm also looking to master these books from beginner to amateur to intermediate, and so on. Honestly, I really don't know where to begin. Any help or advice is appreciated. I apologize if their is already a thread posted related to my post. I am new here. Thank you in advance.

Tjaljew

First of all, you don't need books
you only need one book
i recommend examcram
plus you can watch free training videos, or paid
free : https://www.professormesser.com/
paid: https://www.cbtnuggets.com/
https://www.udemy.com/
Interactive Courses & Labs -uCertify
https://www.itpro.tv/
https://ine.com/
Total Seminars - Best selling books plus practice exams for A+, Network+, and IC3 certification
i had examcram and mike meyers books,
totalsem,cbt,prof-messer videos.
What I used for the exam : examcram book, and mike videos
mike meyers seems to get off track sometimes, yet he is super good
you can get the knowledge and pass the exam by studying examcram book and prof-messer videos, It is enough
Good luck

TacoRocket

If you do want a book I highly recommend Mike Meyers for A+, Net+, and Sec+

p@r0tuXus

First, welcome. These forums have well-seasoned experts and even when you don't agree with personal perspectives, the folks around here are generally good people who take time to contribute and I wish you success.

You might have a look at this page: https://certification.comptia.org/why-certify/roadmap/just-starting-my-career
It's about as basic as you can get with one of the vendor-neutral certification authorities, recognized industry-wide. I would correlate the courses/certifications listed on this page with some reading material you can find on a casual search at Amazon or my favorite, half.com. When you've gotten your feet wet, look at the roadmap document on that page and check out the many acronyms listed there. They won't make much sense now, but it'll give you guide-posts to know you're in the right terrain, if you decide to go down one of the paths.

This site here (TE) has alot of resources aside from the people. Look at posts in the A+ forums to get tips, first-hand experiences, FAQ's and study methods others have adopted or forged for themselves. Tjaljew has some great links, I especially recommend professor messer, cbt nuggets and ITpro.TV. Messer is free, the other two are subscription based. I'll second the exam-cram book. You can find it cheap and get 5 practice tests for each leg of the A+ certification (220-901 & 220-902).

Tolg4

BadFury wrote: »

I need recommendations A+ books for beginners for someone who would be just starting out. My Uncle who is now a retired computer engineer had this long talk with me this morning about my future, and recommended that I should start reading books on A+. What I am looking for are books that I can learn from that dive into the basics; maybe fundamentals. I'm also looking to master these books from beginner to amateur to intermediate, and so on. Honestly, I really don't know where to begin. Any help or advice is appreciated. I apologize if their is already a thread posted related to my post. I am new here. Thank you in advance.

Hello, I passed my A+ a few months ago.

The book I used is the one from David L. Prowse "CompTIA A+ 220-901 and 220-902 Exam Cram", I found it a good read and the book by itself is enough to pass the exams. The author sticks on the exams objectives and gives you a bit of the components history too.

I also watched some videos of "Professor Messer" on youtube, he has a playlist for each of the A+ exams. These videos are good to have another study material.

Hope it helped.

stryder144

Along with all of the great information given here, I highly recommend getting a copy of Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs (current is edition 22). It is my go-to book when researching issues (aside from using good old Google-fu).

BadFury

Thank you all for the awesome information! I'll definitely be getting a copy of Exam Cram, Mike Meyers, and Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs. I will also start studying Professor messers videos as well. The link posted by [EMAIL="p@r0tuXus"]p@r0tuXus[/EMAIL] seems to be a great start, although I am still unsure which path I should take. I have a few endorsements in software development, but always have been interested in information security since I was a kid. just a few months ago I became interested in hardware and started taking apart old electronics salvaging components that I could use on projects someday when I acquire enough knowledge. As of now I'm currently learning Sql (for database building). These are all things I primarily do on my free time. So many options to choose from. Once again, thank you all for the useful information and advice.

djrabes

Professor Messor is good for getting an overview of what is required for the A+ exams. Mess about with Virtual Machines as well to get an understanding of what is included in the operating system to help you with the simulations (If they still do them)

BadFury

I started reading CompTIA 220-901 and 220-902 Exam Cram yesterday. I learned quite a bit from the lesson pertaining to I/O's and Usb devices, and as technical as it gets I actually understand it. Simulations? That sounds cool.

davec8080

TacoRocket wrote: »

If you do want a book I highly recommend Mike Meyers for A+, Net+, and Sec+

I agree. But last I checked...you could sign up for mike meyers video courses on udemy for 10 or 15 bucks, unlimited access. That is cheaper than a book. It is also easier to watch video than read.

BadFury

Professor messor or Mike Meyers. Which of the 2 would be most recommended? I started watching professor messor yesterday, and he is easy to follow and understand. Yes videos are easier to watch than read, but I personally understand better when I read. Also, I like having sources of gainable knowledge in black and white.

p@r0tuXus

Personally, I liked Professor Messer. It's free, for one. Also, his Exam Notes are awesome. It's only $20 for both of the exams' notes, definitely worth the investment.

shochan

Here are some Microsoft free books!

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/mssmallbiz/2017/07/11/largest-free-microsoft-ebook-giveaway-im-giving-away-millions-of-free-microsoft-ebooks-again-including-windows-10-office-365-office-2016-power-bi-azure-windows-8-1-office-2013-sharepo/

davec8080

BadFury wrote: »

Professor messor or Mike Meyers. Which of the 2 would be most recommended? I started watching professor messor yesterday, and he is easy to follow and understand. Yes videos are easier to watch than read, but I personally understand better when I read. Also, I like having sources of gainable knowledge in black and white.

OK, that is too easy. Go to bookfinder web site. Search for [FONT=&quot]ISBN-13:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot]978-1259589515[/FONT]

BadFury

davec8080 wrote: »

OK, that is too easy. Go to bookfinder web site. Search for ISBN-13:978-1259589515

Is this something you have read, and are recommending it because it helped you pass the Exams?

quickman007

I used The Official Cert Guide when I took the A+. Passed both exams on the first try. I had a bit of experience to go along, but that book with Professor Messer should be enough to pass.

BadFury

quickman007 wrote: »

I used The Official Cert Guide when I took the A+. Passed both exams on the first try. I had a bit of experience to go along, but that book with Professor Messer should be enough to pass.

Is the CompTIA 220-901 and 220-902 Exam Cram just as good because that's what I'm reading now, and I am learning a lot from it! Quick question though about motherboards... Right now, I currently own a laptop which I don't intend to take apart until I fully mastered the motherboard section and all it's components but my mind is getting way too curious. I have galaxy S6 and the screen is completely shattered. Anyway would it be worth taking apart to examine and study its motherboard? Or would that be a total waste of time?

BadFury

@Ny246 I would recommend getting the most latest edition. Also I'm currently reading compTIA 220-901 and 220-902 Exam Cram by David L. Prowse. So far I've learned a hell of lot from it and it is easy to understand. I found it for 15 dollars plus 2 dollars shipping on Abe.com. Check it out! It's definitely worth it!

davec8080

BadFury wrote: »

Is this something you have read, and are recommending it because it helped you pass the Exams?

Yes. Actually, I have used Mike Meyers books to pass many CompTIA exams. The last one I supplemented with video from Mike Meyers as well. But if someone is looking for a BOOK specifically, it's the mike meyers all-in-one...
I might be the only person I know or have ever heard of who got a perfect score on A+ exams, btw...
I can't give all the credit to Mike Meyers for that, but he does a good job of covering ALL of the exam objectives.

BadFury

@ny246 Mike Meyers and the exam cram have been the most recommended. So for now go with the one you can afford to get you started, and yes I've been told by studying one of the 2 books plus professor messer that it is possible to pass the exams. Don't forget the practice test! Also make flashcards! I found this website that has premade flashcards that are all free. I'll post the link tomorrow for you and others tomorrow after work.

davec8080

ny246 wrote: »

I'm looking into getting the Mike Meyer's all in one book at the moment. Will this along with Professer Messer videos be enough? Or should I use Exam Cram as well? The issue for me is that the books are quite expensive.

If you study the allinone meyers book well enough, that by itself should be enough to get you through the two A+ exams.