Embedded Files
A CompTIA A+ technician must be comfortable installing, configuring, and recovering operating systems — particularly Windows. Beyond clicks in an installer, understanding UEFI vs legacy BIOS, partition schemes, and command-line tools speeds problem resolution when GUIs are unavailable.
Start with installation basics: know when to use UEFI with GPT (required for Secure Boot and >2TB drives) versus legacy BIOS with MBR. Confirm firmware settings before beginning: set SATA mode to AHCI for most SSDs unless a RAID array is intentionally configured, and enable or disable Secure Boot depending on OS compatibility. For older installers on NVMe systems, have the correct storage drivers ready on a USB stick.
Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is indispensable. When Windows won’t boot, boot into WinRE to access Startup Repair, System Restore, Safe Mode, or the Command Prompt. Startup Repair can fix common bootloader issues; System Restore reverts configuration changes that caused instability.
Command-line tools are critical for offline troubleshooting:
sfc /scannow checks and repairs corrupted system files.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth can repair the Windows component store that SFC relies on.
chkdsk inspects disks for filesystem errors and bad sectors.
diskpart manages partitions when GUI disk tools are unavailable.
ipconfig /all, ping, and tracert assist with networking issues.
netstat, tasklist, and taskkill help identify problematic services and open ports.
User and permission management is also an A+ topic: know how to create local users, enable Administrator accounts, and use UAC responsibly. For password recovery on local accounts, suggest documented, policy-compliant procedures (backup and recovery tools or well-managed admin access).
Virtualization and dual-boot setups offer safe testing environments. Use Hyper-V or VirtualBox to reproduce an issue without affecting production systems. When troubleshooting boot problems for multi-boot systems, carefully preserve data and keep documented boot partition mappings.
Patch management forms a maintenance discipline: distinguish between vendor driver updates and OS-level updates. If an update causes a regression, use Safe Mode or WinRE to roll back updates or restore from a system image.
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