15.01.2024 Views

CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

  • No tags were found...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Prerequisites to Building

In a typical scenario for building a custom PC, a customer has a specific

need, such as a machine for editing video and audio files to make movies.

The customer will have a budget and a software package in mind to get the

job done. Common choices for movie production, for example, are Adobe

Premier and Adobe After Effects—both part of the Adobe Creative Suite that

the customer can license via a monthly fee. Let’s look at issues around new

hardware versus upgrading existing hardware.

New Hardware Builds

If the customer wants all-new hardware, then your path is straightforward.

Consider Johan, who has a small business and wants to add two new

specialized machines: a storage system for general-purpose file storage and a

media system for the lounge. Follow the recommendations in this chapter:

research the hardware compatibility and operating system compatibility for

the software the customer needs.

To recommend an edition of Windows, you need to weigh its features

against the customer’s needs. Microsoft releases three editions anyone can

purchase, which you can think of in terms of how their features address

corporate versus personal needs. Home is the least expensive, Pro costs

more, and Enterprise costs the most. The Home version of Windows 10 can

certainly handle any kind of media center activity, so it would be perfect for

Johan’s lounge machine. Definitely go 64-bit for the additional RAM

capacity.

If the business uses a Windows Domain/Active Directory for controlling

network access and user accounts, then your recommendation would need to

be for the Pro or Enterprise edition. (See Chapter 19, “Local Area

Networking,” for the details on network organization options such as

workgroups and domains.) These editions enable domain access, whereas the

Home version does not. Furthermore, the Pro and Enterprise editions offer

much better control over files and folders with BitLocker and the Encrypting

File System (EFS), two options for encrypting drives and data. (You’ll learn a

lot about both file protection technologies in Chapter 13, “Users, Groups, and

Permissions.”) Finally, if Johan’s office is part of a larger network connecting

many offices over a wide area, the Enterprise edition offers a refined method

for distributing applications to many locations, called BranchCache.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!