CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) Resources — Official Docs, Tools & Labs
One-stop list of official CompTIA resources for 220-1201: exam page, objectives, candidate policies, CE/renewal, plus curated vendor docs, tools, drivers, and safe hands-on lab ideas.
On this page
Below are official CompTIA links followed by trustworthy vendor docs and lab tools. Use this page as your launchpad; pair it with the Syllabus and Practice.
CompTIA official
- A+ (220-1201) exam page — outline, pricing, languages, scheduling
https://www.comptia.org/certifications/a - Exam objectives (download) — blueprint used to map our syllabus
https://www.comptia.org/certifications/a/exam-details - Candidate handbook & policies — IDs, testing rules, retakes, accommodations
https://www.comptia.org/testing - Continuing Education (CE) & renewal — CEUs, activities, timelines
https://www.comptia.org/continuing-education - Pearson VUE scheduling — test center & online testing options
https://home.pearsonvue.com/comptia
Hardware reference (quick, reliable)
- PCPartPicker (spec lookups & compatibility sanity checks) — https://pcpartpicker.com/
- Intel® & AMD® CPU/chipset pages (socket, TDP, features)
https://www.intel.com/ • https://www.amd.com/ - Kingston/Crucial memory finders (form factors, timings)
https://www.kingston.com/memory • https://www.crucial.com/memory - SATA/NVMe basics (form factor vs interface vs protocol) — https://sata-io.org/ • https://nvmexpress.org/
Networking fundamentals
- IANA service name & port registry — authoritative port numbers
https://www.iana.org/assignments/service-names-port-numbers/service-names-port-numbers.xhtml - Cisco small-business guides (clear SOHO diagrams & vocabulary)
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/smb.html - Wi-Fi Alliance (generations/security overviews) — https://www.wi-fi.org/
Printers & imaging
- HP / Brother / Canon support — maintenance kits, drum/fuser docs, error codes
https://support.hp.com • https://support.brother.com • https://www.usa.canon.com/support - Laser process refresher (vendor-agnostic): Processing → Charging → Exposing → Developing → Transferring → Fusing → Cleaning
Operating systems & tools (Core 1 depth)
- Windows docs (device manager, storage, power, drivers) — https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/
- Apple platform support (macOS hardware, ports, recovery) — https://support.apple.com/
- Android help center (safe mode, reset, connectivity) — https://support.google.com/android/
Useful free utilities
- HWiNFO / CPU-Z / GPU-Z — quick hardware identification
https://www.hwinfo.com • https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html • https://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/ - CrystalDiskInfo — SMART health (back up if failing) — https://crystalmark.info/
- NirSoft & Sysinternals (Windows diagnostics) — https://www.nirsoft.net/ • https://learn.microsoft.com/sysinternals/
- Wireshark (packet capture) — https://www.wireshark.org/
- Advanced IP Scanner / Angry IP — quick LAN discovery — https://www.advanced-ip-scanner.com/ • https://angryip.org/
- Rufus / Balena Etcher — bootable media creation — https://rufus.ie • https://etcher.balena.io/
Safe hands-on labs (free or low-cost)
- Virtualization: Install VirtualBox or Hyper-V, create two VMs (Win + Linux), practice NIC types, snapshots (remember: snapshots ≠ backups), shared folders.
https://www.virtualbox.org/ - SOHO router lab: Change admin defaults, set WPA2/3-Personal, create DHCP reservation, test 2.4 vs 5/6 GHz, channel selection.
- Storage drills: Add a SATA SSD to a desktop, initialize/partition/format, compare NTFS vs exFAT, read SMART.
- Printer maintenance: Replace toner/drum, run cleaning cycles, fix a paper path jam (vendor guide above).
- CLI practice:
ipconfig,ping,tracert,nslookup,net use,chkdsk,sfc,DISM.
Always follow ESD precautions (strap, mat, handle by edges) and document steps.