NW106 - Notes and Resources
Texts: "A+ Guide to Hardware" by Jean Andrews
"Windows XP Professional" by Stanley Remier and Martin
Keding
CompTIA - The Computing Technology Industry Association. Among other things, they administer a lot of technical certifications such as
A+ and Security+
Ethereal - This is a free, open-source
network analyzer that is available in UNIX and Win32 versions.
The OpenOffice Project - Building
a free, open source competitor to Microsoft Office. (Okay, it's
free, but there's a version for Windows as well.)
ComputerWorld
- If you want to see how computers are really used in real
businesses, this is a good source. Essentially an offshoot of Computerworld
magazine (available as a free subscription if you can convince them
that you influence buying decisions where you work) , this site is
pretty platform independent and has a decent career section, as
well as a 'gossip' column where actual IT folk write in anonymously
and describe the various ways that management can screw up the techies.
CPUniverse - If you
were thinking of going into contracting or consulting, this is a
great site. Affiliated with Contract Professional magazine (not a free
subscription but well worth the cost) this site has tips on the hottest
skill areas, what it's like to work in different parts of the country
and even how to negotiate a contract and handle your tax situation. There's
even a free weekly e-mail newsletter.
SoftPro Books - This
is an excellent source for computer and networking books. You can
order online or go to one of their local stores. (They have one at Yosemite
and Arapahoe in Englewood and another in Boulder.) You can usually
get 10-20% off the list price and if you join their 'frequent shoppers'
club (it's free) you can get additional savings.
GoCertify - A nice site
that has information on just about every technical certification you can
get -- who offers it, what you need to get it, where you can get training
and where/how you can take the test.
BrainBench - Another
certification site, but this one does their own online certification
exams in a wide variety of technical subjects.
Online Computer
Dictionary - Stuck trying to figure out an acronym or computer
term? This is a good site to look it up.
Google - One of the best search
engines out there for the technically inclined.
FAQs Online - Here's the one-stop
shop for looking up Internet FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and RFCs
(Requests For Comments).
Computer Stupidities -
This site collects actual dialogues between real users and real tech
support folk. The range of misunderstandings and confusion is frequently
hilarious.
Peter's
Evil Overlord List - Thinking about a career as an Evil
Overlord? Think you have what it takes to be the next Darth Vader? Check
out this site for a collection of SuperVillain Do's and Don'ts including
'My ventilation shafts will be too small to crawl through'.
The Voice Actor Page -
Want to know who does the voice of Larry 3000 on Time Squad? Find
the answer to this and many more questions about the men and women who
do the talking for your favorite cartoon characters. Search alphbetically
by show title or actor name. (By the way, Larry is voiced by none
other than Mark Hamill.)
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Course Notes |
Windows XP Pro Notes |
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DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this site are those of the
author and are not necessarily those of his employer, Westwood Technical
College or its affilliates. This material is intended to supplement
the class lectures and text and is not required to complete the course.
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