INTRODUCTION
The field of computing has changed dramatically over the decades since the introduction of the IBM Personal Computer (PC) in 1981, and so has the job of the people who build, maintain, and troubleshoot computers. A PC tech for many years serviced IBM-compatible desktop systems running a Microsoft operating system (OS), such as DOS or, later, Windows. All a tech needed to service an early Windows machine was a Phillips-head screwdriver and knowledge of the hardware and OS.
The personal computing landscape today includes a zillion devices in all shapes, sizes, and purposes. How many computing devices do you interact with every day? Seriously, count them.
• An IBM-compatible PC, circa 1989
Here’s my typical contact in a day. My ...
Get Mike Meyers' CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs, Seventh Edition (Exams 220-1101 & 220-1102), 7th Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
