Rating: 
Summary: Decent Overview of test
Review: I am MCSE, A+, and CCNA certified and used this book as part of my preparation for the CompTia A+ exams.This book presents a decent overview of the CompTia A+ exam objectives, but lacks sufficient detail to actually pass the test without supplementing the material. I have provided 2 recommendations at the bottom of this review. The book covers both areas of the exam (hardware and OS), and provides a CD with tice tests. I noticed the review questions at the end of each chapter lacked worthwhile explanations, which necessitated searching through the text to figure out why you may have missed a particular question. This book overall presents a decent, but minimal, overview of both the hardware and operating system exams and should be used in conjunction with Mueller's "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" classic (ISBN: 0789727455), and Exam Cram's book (ISBN: 078983043x).
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible Hardware section
Review: I first purchased this book hoping to pass the test because I read other text too. When i read through the part where it talks
about Processors he states AMD as America Mega Devices and if the information is new to you you would not know that the real
meaning of AMD is Advanced Micro Devices but I took the test thinking that I was going to pass but I found out that the only
thing that was useful was the information on the IRQ assignments
and I/O adresses and my score was a 505 ten pnts away from passing but I just retook the test this time I used Jean Andrews
A+ Guide to Hardware and I passed with a 548 33pnts above passing, so don't waist your money on this mess
Rating:
Summary: Use this Book to Pass Both Exams!
Review: I just passed (January 2003) both A+ exams using this book! Knowing the information in this book will enable you to pass both exams. The nature and scope of the material and review questions are right on target when compared to the actual adaptive exam. You can pass the test after reading the book two or three times, understanding the theory behind each question,
and missing no more than one or two questions on the final two practice tests. This book contains current info about the test. In addition to this book, I would also buy one of more of the current A+ references, like or Mike Meyers' A+ Certification Exam Guide, Charles J Brooks' A+ Certification Training Guide, or even the or even the Microsoft A+ Certification Training Kit. Even though you could pass both A+ exams with this book and a reference book, I would also buy other adaptive study guides, like Crayton's A+ Adaptive Exams because even though both book cover the required objectives, each book covers different topics in detail beyond the test requirements. PS. I tried the several practice tests on the included CD and found them better than the CD practice tests included with other books; however, I wouldn't buy the additional exam questions. PPS. Forget the other cram/Q&A lists on the Internet: they are a mixed bag. Lot of their questions seemed copied from the major A+ books. The rest of unique questions are good things to know, but about mostly outdated topics not on the current tests. The quality of my two A+ cram/exam sheets were fair at best: typos, correct answers with incorrect explanations, and incorrect answers with correct explanations. Spend your money on another major A+ book.
Rating:
Summary: Ok foundation book...
Review: I just passed the A+ Certification exams. This book helped... barely. The book was missing a lot of information and sometime had incorrect information and table/diagram references - really annoying. The CD and practice questions are a joke. They will NOT fully prepare you for the real thing. The reason for a second star is simply that this was the only resource I used for the test and I passed (but I had to write the OS exam a second time). Not a great book. Better out there. May help you pass.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good book to use
Review: I used this book along with The A+ Exams Guide to study for both A+ exams, and passed both the first time. I found this book to provide a very good review for the concepts, but I did think the questions were a little bit lacking compared to the real thing. I would highly reccomend this book as a supplemental study tool, but not as the only one unless you have a LOT of experience already.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs updating
Review: I'm now on Chapter 11 and I plan to finish the book, carefull reading and studying to learn this information and hopefully to pass the test. I have to say that I found the exact same mistakes that were noted by the reader review titled "Full of dumb mistakes and contradictions". The book may be a first edition, but such a work should have been vetted by readers that could find the errors!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent prep book before taking A+ exam
Review: If you frequent any of the IT forums on the net, you will find that the name of Mike Meyers is often mentioned in the matter of A+. There is a reason why folks and his A+ Passport lends credence to his already impressive line of books. I found the A+ Passport to be an excellent primer before taking the A+ exams. Included with the book is ExamWeb's A+ testing software on a CD. I found the questions to be on the easier side of things so reader's may want to look into finding online testing resources. In A+ Passport, Meyers covers everything you'll need to know for the exams from printers to connector types and IRQs to SCSI. You will be increasing your chances of successfully becoming A+ certified by reading this book. For those breaking into the IT field, also consider picking up Meyer's meatier text, the A+ All-in-One.
Rating:
Summary: Superb book!
Review: If you know your way around computers more than your friends, or you've been called "techie", "tech", "computer geek", or "1337"; then this book is for you. If you know only a few things about computers (like how to turn it on and off, and which way to hold the mouse), you should consider reading the longer and more descriptive version. Personally, I love this book! I'm on my second reading - as I really want to know what I'm talking about when I take the test.
Rating:
Summary: All the best material in one place.
Review: So any interested in COMPTIA certifications, the A+ has undergone a revision and leave it Mike Meyers to once again lead the pack in creating a great prep tool for the exams. The Passport series is great addition to the material needed to pass the exam. If you are looking for the go to book this is not that book, what this book does is cover each objective by giving you a good overview of the material and pointing out the finer details of the exam. The book is made of the person who is in need of material to make sure they have covered everything before taking the exam. The book has over 625 pages filled with explanations and pictures, I think that some of the pictures could have been in color to give the reader a better understanding of the material, but it does not detract form the overall presentation of the information. The book is divided into 2 sections, first is the Core hardware and the second is the Operating Systems. The material is technically accurate and up to date so there is no need to worry about studying the wrong information. There is a cd included has practice exam material for the final preparation tool. Couple this book with Mike Meyers All In One Guide and you have the unbeatable combination. Overall since I have been teaching A+ Mike Meyers is the name to trust and this makes studying a whole easier.
Rating:
Summary: Meyers never cease to amaze me - a great product once again.
Review: The A+ Exam has changed since I took it about three years ago. Since there is a need for each technician to make sure they are current with exam new books are required. Also if you are in pursuit of the certification it is a good idea to have a book that can help you out to give you that final prep you'll need. Either way this may the book to get a hold of. Mike Meyers is the most respected name in the A+ Certification arena and this is another example of how he has taken the opportunity to help you out. The 500 plus page manual starts of with the Hardware exam covering topics like COM/LPT ports, keyboards, mouse, video, audio, NICs, modems, USB and SCSI. From there you'll covers exam objective like ESD, and Safety, EMI and hazard material, motherboards, power supplies, memory, buses, processors from the Pentium to the Pentium 4, although I think coverage of the older CPU might also be helpful. Different types of RAM such as DRAM, SRAM, EDO and FP, IDE and SCSI hard drives, I/O Addressing, IRQs and finally DMAs. Installation, configuration and troubleshooting, portable, printer and networking round out this section. In the Operating Technologies section DOS, Windows 9.X, NT Workstation and 2000 Professional are given their coverage. Again adding Windows 3.X could only help but does not subtract anything by being left out. Networking and troubleshooting finish out this section as well. There is also a cd included with 2 practice exams and overall this book does cover each objective very well. Used with Mike Meyers All in One Certification guide you may just have the unbeatable combination.
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