Professor Messer’s Free CompTIA A+ Certification Training Course – Operating Systems

Chapter 15: Operating Systems

CompTIA A+ Professionals spend a great deal of their time working with PC operating systems. This chapter provides an overview of Microsoft Windows and discusses best practices for planning Windows upgrades and installations.

Why do you need an operating system, and why are there so many choices? In this video, we’ll explain the importance of the operating system to the computing experience and give you a visual comparison of Apple Mac OS, Linux, and Microsoft Windows.

The Windows operating system is the core operating system used for the CompTIA A+ exam, so it’s important to understand the basic functionality of the user interface, the most common desktop icons, and some of the tools you’ll need to maintain personal computers. In this video, we’ll take you on a tour of some basic Windows operating system features and some OS tools that you’ll use often as a CompTIA A+ certified professional.

When most people start Windows, they see a graphical “splash” screen and a moving status bar. Under the surface, Windows is initializing hardware, loading configuration files, and handing off control to the Windows kernel. In this video, we’ll look at this process in-depth and review some utilities that can assist with troubleshooting the Windows startup process.

Before starting the installation of any Windows operating system, there are a list of hardware, software, and application prerequisites that must be considered. In this video, we’ll give you the information you need to plan an upgrade to Windows 2000 and Windows NT, and we’ll show you which options you’ll see as a CompTIA A+ certified professional.

Windows 2000 is still found in some of the largest networks in the world, so it’s important that a CompTIA A+ certified professional is comfortable supporting every aspect of this operating system. In this video, you’ll learn the requirements for a Windows 2000 installation and watch as we walk through a live Windows 2000 installation. After the installation is complete, we’ll verify a successful installation and discuss important post-installation steps.

Windows XP is the most popular operating system in the world, which makes it a critical part of the CompTIA A+ certification. In this video, you’ll learn about the installation requirements for Windows XP and watch as we step through a live Windows XP installation. The post-install process verifies the installation and discusses important post-install steps.

Upgrade to any operating system brings its own set of challenges and requirements. In this video, you’ll learn about available Windows upgrade paths, hardware and software considerations, integration of service packs, and the importance of a good backup.

Are you planning to upgrade an older Windows operating system to Windows 2000? Before you begin, there are a few things you should consider. In this video, we’ll discuss Windows 2000 upgrade paths, things to consider before you upgrade, and we’ll walk through a live Windows 2000 upgrade process together.

Are you ready to make the jump to the most popular operating system in the world? In this video, you’ll learn the important steps in upgrading to Windows XP, including a pre-upgrade checklist and you’ll step through a live Windows XP upgrade. After the upgrade is complete, you’ll learn about the post-upgrade verification and important last steps.

If you’re going to troubleshoot hardware, you’ll certainly be working with device drivers in Windows’ Device Manager. In this video, we’ll discuss the importance of device drivers and interactively walk you through the installation, troubleshooting, and uninstall of device drivers in Windows XP.

Operating systems require ongoing maintenance to perform at peak efficiency. In this video, we’ll show you how the Windows operating system can take advantage of Windows updates, service packs, backups, and restore points.

Windows includes a number of utilities that can help optimize the performance of applications. In this video, we’ll show you how to use Task Manager and Performance Manager, and we’ll discuss best practices for optimizing the Windows operating system.