Download Full Version ebookmass - Visit ebookmass.

com

Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+™ Guide to Managing and

Troubleshooting PCs Lab Manual, Seventh Edition
(Exams 220-1101 & 220-1102) Mike Meyers

https://ebookmass.com/product/mike-meyers-comptia-a-guide-
to-managing-and-troubleshooting-pcs-lab-manual-seventh-
edition-exams-220-1101-220-1102-mike-meyers/

OR CLICK HERE

DOWLOAD NOW

Discover More Ebook - Explore Now at ebookmass.com

 Instant digital products (PDF, ePub, MOBI) ready for you
Download now and discover formats that fit your needs...

Mike Meyers' CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing and

Troubleshooting PCs, Seventh Edition (Exams 220-1101 &
220-1102) Mike Meyers
https://ebookmass.com/product/mike-meyers-comptia-a-guide-to-managing-
and-troubleshooting-pcs-seventh-edition-exams-220-1101-220-1102-mike-
meyers/
ebookmass.com

Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ Guide the Managing and

Troubleshooting PCs. Fifth Edition (Exams 220-901 &
220-902) Mike Meyers
https://ebookmass.com/product/mike-meyers-comptia-a-guide-the-
managing-and-troubleshooting-pcs-fifth-edition-
exams-220-901-220-902-mike-meyers/
ebookmass.com

Mike Meyers' CompTIA A+ Core 2 Certification Passport

(Exam 220-1102) Mike Meyers

https://ebookmass.com/product/mike-meyers-comptia-a-
core-2-certification-passport-exam-220-1102-mike-meyers/

ebookmass.com

The Palgrave Literary Dictionary of Samuel Taylor

Coleridge Martin Garrett

https://ebookmass.com/product/the-palgrave-literary-dictionary-of-
samuel-taylor-coleridge-martin-garrett/

ebookmass.com
Northern Stars: A Friends-to-Lovers Romance (The Compass
Series Book 4) Brittainy Cherry

https://ebookmass.com/product/northern-stars-a-friends-to-lovers-
romance-the-compass-series-book-4-brittainy-cherry/

ebookmass.com

Do As I Say: How Cults Control, Why We Join Them, and What

They Teach Us About Bullying, Abuse and Coercion Sarah
Steel
https://ebookmass.com/product/do-as-i-say-how-cults-control-why-we-
join-them-and-what-they-teach-us-about-bullying-abuse-and-coercion-
sarah-steel/
ebookmass.com

Somebody to Love: 11 (Blessings, Georgia) Sharon Sala

[Sala

https://ebookmass.com/product/somebody-to-love-11-blessings-georgia-
sharon-sala-sala/

ebookmass.com

Good Governance: Concept and Context Henk Addink

https://ebookmass.com/product/good-governance-concept-and-context-
henk-addink/

ebookmass.com

Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive

Manual 1st Edition

https://ebookmass.com/product/cognitive-processing-therapy-for-ptsd-a-
comprehensive-manual-1st-edition/

ebookmass.com
El secreto de Warren Hills Camila Winter [Winter

https://ebookmass.com/product/el-secreto-de-warren-hills-camila-
winter-winter/

ebookmass.com
About the Series Editor
Michael Meyers is the industry’s leading authority on CompTIA A+
and CompTIA Network+ certifications. He was the president and co-
founder of Total Seminars, LLC, a major provider of computer and
network repair curriculum and seminars for thousands of
organizations throughout the world as well as a member of
CompTIA. Today, Mike works as Vice President of Marketing for
National Cyber Group (www.nationalcyber.com).
Mike has written numerous popular textbooks, including the best-
selling Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing and
Troubleshooting PCs, Mike Meyers’ CompTIA Network+ Guide to
Managing and Troubleshooting Networks, and Mike Meyers’
CompTIA Security+ Certification Guide, plus many more.
About the Author
Mark Edward Soper has worked with computers and related
technologies for over 30 years, and he specializes in technology
education through training, writing, and public speaking. He is the
author or co-author of over 40 books on technology topics ranging
from CompTIA A+ certification to Microsoft Windows, networking,
and troubleshooting. Mark has also taught these and other topics
across the United States.
Mark has CompTIA A+ and Microsoft MOS – Microsoft Excel 2013
certifications, and he currently teaches Microsoft Office classes for
University of Southern Indiana. Mark blogs at www.markesoper.com.

About the Technical Editor

Chris Crayton is a technical consultant, trainer, author, and
industry-leading technical editor. He has worked as a computer
technology and networking instructor, information security director,
network administrator, network engineer, and PC specialist. Chris has
authored several print and online books on PC repair, CompTIA A+,
CompTIA Security+, and Microsoft Windows. He has also served as
technical editor and content contributor on numerous technical titles
for several of the leading publishing companies. He holds numerous
industry certifications, has been recognized with many professional
and teaching awards, and has served as a state-level SkillsUSA final
competition judge.
Copyright © 2023 by McGraw Hill. All rights reserved. Except as
permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of
this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by
any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the
prior written permission of the publisher, with the exception that the
program listings may be entered, stored, and executed in a
computer system, but they may not be reproduced for publication.

ISBN: 978-1-26-471167-3
MHID: 1-26-471167-0

The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this
title: ISBN: 978-1-26-471109-3, MHID: 1-26-471109-3.

eBook conversion by codeMantra

Version 1.0

All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather

than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a
trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and
to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of
infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in
this book, they have been printed with initial caps.

McGraw Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use

as premiums and sales promotions or for use in corporate training
programs. To contact a representative, please visit the Contact Us
page at www.mhprofessional.com.

Information has been obtained by McGraw Hill from sources believed

to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or
mechanical error by our sources, McGraw Hill, or others, McGraw Hill
does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any
information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or the
results obtained from the use of such information.
TERMS OF USE

This is a copyrighted work and McGraw-Hill Education and its

licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is
subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act
of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work,
you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce,
modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute,
disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it
without McGraw-Hill Education’s prior consent. You may use the
work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use
of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be
terminated if you fail to comply with these terms.

THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL EDUCATION AND

ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO
THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS
TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY
INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA
HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY
WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill Education and its licensors do
not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work
will meet your requirements or that its operation will be
uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill Education nor its
licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy,
error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any
damages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill Education has no
responsibility for the content of any information accessed through
the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill Education
and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special,
punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use
of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised
of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall
apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause
arises in contract, tort or otherwise.
To students young and old: keep the faith—with
hard work and diligence you will succeed.
—Mike Meyers

In memory of my mom, who sacrificed to make

my dreams come true.
—Mark Edward Soper
Contents at a Glance
Chapter 1 Safety and Professionalism

Chapter 2 The Visible Computer

Chapter 3 CPUs

Chapter 4 RAM

Chapter 5 Firmware

Chapter 6 Motherboards

Chapter 7 Power Supplies

Chapter 8 Mass Storage Technologies

Chapter 9 Implementing Mass Storage

Chapter 10 Essential Peripherals

Chapter 11 Installing and Upgrading Operating Systems

Chapter 12 Windows Under the Hood

Chapter 13 Users, Groups, and Permissions

Chapter 14 Maintaining and Optimizing Operating Systems

Chapter 15 Working with the Command-Line Interface

Chapter 16 Troubleshooting Operating Systems

Chapter 17 Display Technologies

Chapter 18 Essentials of Networking

Chapter 19 Local Area Networking

Chapter 20 Wireless Networking

Chapter 21 The Internet

Chapter 22 Virtualization

Chapter 23 Portable Computing

Chapter 24 Understanding Mobile Devices

Chapter 25 Maintaining and Securing Mobile Devices

Chapter 26 Printers and Multifunction Devices

Chapter 27 Securing Computers

Chapter 28 Operational Procedures

Index
Contents
Acknowledgments
Additional Resources for Teachers

Chapter 1 Safety and Professionalism

Lab Exercise 1.01: Safeguarding Your IT Future—Becoming
a Professional
Lab Exercise 1.02: Avoiding the Rude Computer Technician
Stereotype
Lab Exercise 1.03: Collecting Information Professionally
Lab Exercise 1.04: Communicating Effectively
Lab Exercise 1.05: Integrating Safety into the Workplace
Lab Exercise 1.06: Taming Electrostatic Discharge
Lab Exercise 1.07: Understanding the Troubleshooting
Methodology
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 2 The Visible Computer

Lab Exercise 2.01: Exploring the Functions and Components
of a PC
Lab Exercise 2.02: Examining User-Accessible Components
Lab Exercise 2.03: Recognizing External Connections
Lab Exercise 2.04: Navigating the Windows 10 Desktop and
Tablet Interfaces
 Lab Exercise 2.05: Navigating the Windows 11 Desktop and
Tablet Interfaces
Lab Exercise 2.06: Managing Files and Folders in Windows
Lab Exercise 2.07: Using the Control Panel in Windows
Lab Exercise 2.08: Using the Settings App in Windows
10/11
Lab Exercise 2.09: Getting Familiar with the macOS
Interface
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 3 CPUs
Lab Exercise 3.01: Identifying CPU Characteristics
Lab Exercise 3.02: Recognizing CPU Sockets
Lab Exercise 3.03: Cooling Your CPU
Lab Exercise 3.04: Exploring CPU Specifications with CPU-Z
Lab Exercise 3.05: Removing and Installing a CPU
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 4 RAM
Lab Exercise 4.01: Determining the Amount of RAM in a PC
Lab Exercise 4.02: Identifying Types of RAM
Lab Exercise 4.03: Removing and Installing RAM
Lab Exercise 4.04: Exploring RAM Specifications with CPU-Z
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz
Chapter 5 Firmware
Lab Exercise 5.01: Identifying UEFI/BIOS Firmware
Lab Exercise 5.02: Accessing BIOS/UEFI Settings via the
BIOS/UEFI Settings Program
Lab Exercise 5.03: Configuring and Clearing BIOS/UEFI
Settings Program Passwords
Lab Exercise 5.04: Configuring BIOS/UEFI Settings
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 6 Motherboards
Lab Exercise 6.01: Researching New Motherboards
Lab Exercise 6.02: Identifying Internal Expansion Slots
Lab Exercise 6.03: Removing Expansion Cards
Lab Exercise 6.04: Removing a Motherboard
Lab Exercise 6.05: Identifying Motherboard Features
Lab Exercise 6.06: Installing a Motherboard
Lab Exercise 6.07: Installing Expansion Cards
Lab Exercise 6.08: Exploring Motherboard Features with
CPU-Z
Lab Exercise 6.09: Managing Hardware with Device
Manager
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 7 Power Supplies

Lab Exercise 7.01: Measuring AC Voltage Levels
 Lab Exercise 7.02: Testing Power Supply Output
Lab Exercise 7.03: Choosing a Power Supply
Lab Exercise 7.04: Replacing a Power Supply
Lab Exercise 7.05: Understanding Power Protection
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 8 Mass Storage Technologies

Lab Exercise 8.01: Installing Serial ATA Hard Drives
Lab Exercise 8.02: Choosing External Hard Drives
Lab Exercise 8.03: Comparing SATA Solid-State Drives and
Magnetic Hard Drives
Lab Exercise 8.04: Choosing and Using an M.2 SSD
Lab Exercise 8.05: Troubleshooting Hard Drive Installations
Lab Exercise 8.06: Configuring a Hardware RAID
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 9 Implementing Mass Storage

Lab Exercise 9.01: Creating and Formatting Partitions with
Windows Installation Media
Lab Exercise 9.02: Creating and Formatting Partitions with
GParted
Lab Exercise 9.03: Using Windows Tools to Create and
Format Partitions
Lab Exercise 9.04: Converting Basic Disks to Dynamic Disks
with Disk Management
 Lab Exercise 9.05: Implementing Software RAID 0 with Disk
Management
Lab Exercise 9.06: Maintaining and Troubleshooting Hard
Drives
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 10 Essential Peripherals

Lab Exercise 10.01: Troubleshooting and Benchmarking
USB
Lab Exercise 10.02: Disassembling and Cleaning a
Keyboard
Lab Exercise 10.03: Troubleshooting and Adjusting a
Pointing Device
Lab Exercise 10.04: Installing Sound
Lab Exercise 10.05: Installing Optical Drives
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 11 Installing and Upgrading Operating Systems

Lab Exercise 11.01: Verifying Operating System
Requirements
Lab Exercise 11.02: Checking Hardware Compatibility with
Windows 11
Lab Exercise 11.03: Performing a Clean Installation of
Windows 11
Lab Exercise 11.04: Upgrading from Windows 10 to
Windows 11
 Lab Exercise 11.05: Post-Installation Tasks: Drivers and
Updates
Lab Exercise 11.06: Installing Ubuntu Linux
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 12 Windows Under the Hood

Lab Exercise 12.01: Editing the Windows Registry
Lab Exercise 12.02: Using the Task Manager
Lab Exercise 12.03: Working with Services
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 13 Users, Groups, and Permissions

Lab Exercise 13.01: Managing Users in Windows
Lab Exercise 13.02: Defining NTFS Permissions
Lab Exercise 13.03: Sharing Files and Folders
Lab Exercise 13.04: Encrypting Important Data
Lab Exercise 13.05: Configuring User Account Control
Lab Exercise 13.06: Using BitLocker To Go
Lab Exercise 13.07: Setting File Permissions in Linux
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 14 Maintaining and Optimizing Operating Systems

Lab Exercise 14.01: Backing Up and Restoring in Windows
10 and 11
 Lab Exercise 14.02: Using File History in Windows 10 and
11
Lab Exercise 14.03: Using System Restore
Lab Exercise 14.04: Managing Updates and Patches in
Windows 10 and 11
Lab Exercise 14.05: Scheduling Maintenance in Windows
Lab Exercise 14.06: Installing and Removing Applications
and Windows Components in Windows
Lab Exercise 14.07: Backing Up with Time Machine in
macOS
Lab Exercise 14.08: Managing Updates and Patches in
macOS
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 15 Working with the Command-Line Interface

Lab Exercise 15.01: Exploring the Command-Line Interface
in Windows
Lab Exercise 15.02: Exploring the Command-Line Interface
in Linux
Lab Exercise 15.03: Navigating Basic Commands in
Windows
Lab Exercise 15.04: Navigating Basic Commands in Linux
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 16 Troubleshooting Operating Systems

Lab Exercise 16.01: Examining and Configuring Log Files
in Event Viewer
 Lab Exercise 16.02: Troubleshooting in Safe Mode
Lab Exercise 16.03: Repairing from Windows Installation
Media
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 17 Display Technologies

Lab Exercise 17.01: Installing Video
Lab Exercise 17.02: Configuring Multiple Displays
Lab Exercise 17.03: Troubleshooting Video
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 18 Essentials of Networking

Lab Exercise 18.01: Identifying Local Area Network
Hardware
Lab Exercise 18.02: Evaluating a UTP Cable
Lab Exercise 18.03: Determining a MAC Address
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 19 Local Area Networking

Lab Exercise 19.01: Exploring Local Area Network
Configuration Options
Lab Exercise 19.02: Verifying TCP/IP Settings in Windows
Lab Exercise 19.03: Verifying TCP/IP Settings in Linux
Lab Exercise 19.04: Verifying TCP/IP Settings in macOS
 Lab Exercise 19.05: Testing Your LAN Connections in
Windows, Linux, and macOS
Lab Exercise 19.06: Sharing Folders in Windows
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 20 Wireless Networking

Lab Exercise 20.01: Setting Up a Wireless Network
Lab Exercise 20.02: Configuring and Securing a Wireless
Network
Lab Exercise 20.03: Troubleshooting Wireless Connectivity
in Windows
Lab Exercise 20.04: Resetting a Wireless Router
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 21 The Internet

Lab Exercise 21.01: Assessing Current Internet
Connectivity
Lab Exercise 21.02: Evaluating Internet Connection
Choices
Lab Exercise 21.03: Working with Firewalls and Ports
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 22 Virtualization
Lab Exercise 22.01: Identifying Virtualization Technologies
Lab Exercise 22.02: Installing and Using VirtualBox
 Lab Exercise 22.03: Installing and Using Hyper-V
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 23 Portable Computing

Lab Exercise 23.01: Researching Laptop Upgrade Paths
Lab Exercise 23.02: Replacing and Upgrading RAM
Lab Exercise 23.03: Replacing and Upgrading SATA Mass
Storage
Lab Exercise 23.04: Installing an M.2 SSD
Lab Exercise 23.05: Adjusting Power Management to
Optimize Battery Life in Windows 10
Lab Exercise 23.06: Adjusting Power Management to
Optimize Battery Life in Windows 11
Lab Exercise 23.07: Browsing the Latest Portable PCs
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 24 Understanding Mobile Devices

Lab Exercise 24.01: Comparing Mobile Device Platforms
Lab Exercise 24.02: Installing Mobile Applications
Lab Exercise 24.03: Setting Up E-mail on a Mobile Device
Lab Exercise 24.04: Using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on a Mobile
Device
Lab Exercise 24.05: Researching Chargers and Charging
Ports
Lab Exercise 24.06: Researching Wearables
Lab Analysis Test
 Key Term Quiz

Chapter 25 Maintaining and Securing Mobile Devices

Lab Exercise 25.01: Configuring Mobile Device Security
Lab Exercise 25.02: Installing Updates
Lab Exercise 25.03: Backing Up and Resetting a Mobile
Device
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 26 Printers and Multifunction Devices

Lab Exercise 26.01: Examining Types of Printers
Lab Exercise 26.02: Installing a Printer in Windows
Lab Exercise 26.03: Supporting a Multifunction Device
Lab Exercise 26.04: Maintaining and Troubleshooting
Printers
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Chapter 27 Securing Computers

Lab Exercise 27.01: Configuring Local Policies
Lab Exercise 27.02: Reviewing Security Events
Lab Exercise 27.03: Removing Malware from a Computer
Lab Exercise 27.04: Researching Missing Security Fixes
with Belarc Advisor
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz
Chapter 28 Operational Procedures
Lab Exercise 28.01: Diagramming a Network
Lab Exercise 28.02: Evaluating Power Distribution and
Protection Hardware
Lab Exercise 28.03: Comparing Backup Methods
Lab Exercise 28.04: Creating a Password Reset Disk
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Index
Acknowledgments
The crew at Total Seminars contributed mightily to this edition. Our
editor in chief, Melissa Layne, helped manage the flow of the
textbook. Michael Smyer provided stellar art, editing, and help with
the labs.
On the McGraw Hill side, the crew once again demonstrated why
McGraw Hill is the best in show as a publisher. With their excellent
work and even better attitude, they ensured this book came
together smoothly.
Our project manager, Tasneem Kauser at KnowledgeWorks Global
Ltd., rocked it, with great direction and follow-up on missing pieces.
Our editorial supervisor, Patty Mon, and her excellent team were
wonderful to work with. Quiet competence is totally not overrated,
and Patty and her team have it to spare. Thank you!
To the copy editor, proofreader, and indexer—Bart Reed, Rick
Camp, Kevin Broccoli—superb work in every facet. Thank you for
being the best.
Finally, I thank God for the opportunity to continue to share my
many years of training and experience with others, and I thank Mike
for the chance to team up with him to bring outstanding CompTIA
A+ certification training materials to the world.
Additional Resources for
Teachers
The answer keys to the lab manual activities in this book are
provided along with resources for teachers using Mike Meyers’
CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs, Seventh
Edition (Exams 220-1101 & 220-1102). The instructor materials
provide resources for teachers in a format that follows the
organization of the textbook.
This materials include the following:

• Answer keys to the Mike Meyers’ Lab Manual activities.

• Answer keys to the end-of-chapter activities in the textbook
(available separately).
• Engaging PowerPoint slides on the lecture topics that include
full-color artwork from the textbook.

• An instructor’s manual that contains learning objectives,

classroom preparation notes, instructor tips, a pre-test, a lecture
outline, and an assessment quiz for each chapter in the
textbook.
• Access to test bank files that allow you to generate a wide array
of paper- or network-based tests and that feature automatic
grading. The test bank includes the following:

• Hundreds of practice questions and a wide variety of question

types categorized by exam objective, enabling you to
customize each test to maximize student progress.
 • Test bank files are available as downloads. Check with your
McGraw Hill sales representative to learn what cartridge
formats are available.

Please contact your McGraw Hill sales representative for details on

how to access the instructor materials.
Chapter 1
Safety and Professionalism

Lab Exercises
1.01 Safeguarding Your IT Future—Becoming a Professional
1.02 Avoiding the Rude Computer Technician Stereotype
1.03 Collecting Information Professionally
1.04 Communicating Effectively
1.05 Integrating Safety into the Workplace
1.06 Taming Electrostatic Discharge
1.07 Understanding the Troubleshooting Methodology
Lab Analysis Test
Key Term Quiz

Achieving CompTIA A+ certification is a great way to demonstrate

to prospective employers that you have the appropriate technical
skills to be a worthy candidate for their workplace. However, you
have to demonstrate more than just technical skills to get hired by
and succeed in an organization. You also need to demonstrate that
you have the appropriate interpersonal skills to interact effectively
with fellow employees and clients. CompTIA recognizes the
importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace and thus includes
related questions on its CompTIA A+ certification exams to make
sure you are prepared to show that you have the people skills to
work well with others.
Even though you’re great at fixing computers and extremely
interested in the latest gadgets, do you have the people skills to land
a job, keep a job, and climb the ladder of success? We’ve seen many
talented young individuals who can fix just about anything but
struggle in the area of how to communicate professionally with
others; their impressive resume allows them to walk in the front
door to a promising future… only to slink out the back door in
disappointment after failing due to a lack of people skills.
Whether you like it or not, people evaluate you based on how
they perceive you. Developing and maintaining personal and
professional workplace habits ensures that people perceive you as
the IT professional you are. This set of labs applies the information
you learned in Chapter 1 of Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ Guide to
Managing and Troubleshooting PCs, Seventh Edition (Exams 220-
1101 & 220-1102) with a focus on communicating properly,
presenting yourself professionally at all times, and demonstrating
your technical knowledge regarding safety. These labs will help you
not only to pass the CompTIA A+ exam but also to develop skills
that will serve you well throughout your career, whether in IT or
another field.
The CompTIA objectives challenge you to conduct yourself in a
professional manner while on the job. Objective 4.7 (Exam 220-
1102) goes into detail clarifying how you should act on the job:

Objective 4.7: Given a scenario, use proper communication

techniques and professionalism.

• Professional appearance and attire

• Match the required attire of the given environment

• Formal
 • Business casual

• Use proper language and avoid jargon, acronyms, and slang

when applicable

• Maintain a positive attitude/project confidence

• Actively listen, take notes, and avoid interrupting the customer

• Be culturally sensitive
• Use appropriate professional titles, when applicable

• Be on time (if late, contact the customer)

• Avoid distractions

• Personal calls

• Texting/social media sites

• Personal interruptions
• Dealing with difficult customers or situations

• Do not argue with customers or be defensive

• Avoid dismissing customer problems

• Avoid being judgmental

• Clarify customer statements (ask open-ended questions to

narrow the scope of the problem, restate the issue, or
question to verify understanding)

• Do not disclose experiences via social media outlets

• Set and meet expectations/timeline and communicate status
with the customer

• Offer different repair/replacement options, as needed

 • Provide proper documentation on the services provided

• Follow up with customer/user at a later date to verify

satisfaction

• Deal appropriately with customers’ confidential and private

materials

• Located on a computer, desktop, printer, etc.

Many of the following labs will require you to have a partner, and
your instructor will actually lead the classroom through a few of the
labs, so buddy up.

30 MINUTES

Lab Exercise 1.01: Safeguarding

Your IT Future—Becoming a
Professional
To safeguard your IT future, it is extremely important that you know
how to carry yourself as a professional and keep your customers
satisfied. As discussed in Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ Guide to
Managing and Troubleshooting PCs, Seventh Edition (Exams 220-
1101 & 220-1102), good techs demonstrate professionalism in the
workplace at all times.

Learning Objectives
In this lab, you will learn the proper way to dress for the workplace
and present yourself in the workplace.
After completing this lab, you’ll be able to
• Properly dress for the job and present yourself on the job with
a professional appearance that matches the required attire of
the given environment, whether formal or business casual
• Understand the do’s and don’ts about cell phone usage on the
job

Lab Materials and Setup

The materials you need for this lab are

• A PC with Internet access

Getting Down to Business

Choosing the proper way to dress and present yourself is extremely
important in securing and maintaining a good job. Did you know that
within the first 15 seconds of meeting someone, they form opinions
of you based entirely on your appearance—your body language,
your demeanor, your mannerisms, and how you are dressed? Once
you have made that first impression, it is virtually irreversible, so you
must be aware at all times of how you are being perceived and
always maintain a positive and clean self-image.

Step 1 Based on your current knowledge of what it means to be a

professional in the workplace, list three characteristics that show
these qualities.

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________

Step 2 Go to www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/FirstImpressions.htm
and read the article “Making a Great First Impression.” Notice some
of the characteristics you might have missed in Step 1. List three of
them.

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________

Step 3 Read the article “Rules for Using Cell Phones at Work,” by
Dawn Rosenberg McKay, at www.thebalancecareers.com/rules-for-
using-cell-phones-at-work-526258. Then, read the following
scenarios and write a short explanation of what you would do next.
Remember, you need to avoid distractions such as personal calls,
texting and social media sites, and personal interruptions.

A. Your boss has specifically stated that you cannot use your cell
phone on the job unless you are on break (away from your
work space) or at lunch. Your father will be having surgery
today, and you want to be informed right away about his
status. What should you do?
 __________________________________________________
____________________________________

__________________________________________________
____________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________________________________
B. You’re on the company phone with a client, attempting to
walk her through various troubleshooting steps so that you
don’t have to travel to the client’s location to fix the problem.
Your personal cell phone suddenly rings (because you forgot
to turn it off) and you can see on the caller ID that it’s an old
friend you have not talked to in a while. What should you do?
__________________________________________________
____________________________________

__________________________________________________
____________________________________

__________________________________________________
____________________________________
C. Your boss just came into the office from a meeting with his
boss and is extremely frustrated about issues that do not
involve you. He speaks to you rather harshly and then
abruptly leaves. The moment he leaves, you receive a phone
call from a client who demands that you return his PC to him
today and a text message you’ve been waiting for about a
part for the client’s computer that’s due in. How should you
react?

__________________________________________________
____________________________________

__________________________________________________
____________________________________
 __________________________________________________
____________________________________

30 MINUTES

Lab Exercise 1.02: Avoiding the

Rude Computer Technician
Stereotype
Everyone is familiar with the stereotype of the rude technician so
wrapped up in technology that they are unable to relate to the
people around them. Sneering technobabble, a condescending
attitude, and rude remarks have become traits that people expect to
find in techs, and, all too often, the techs don’t disappoint. In this
exercise, you’ll work with a partner first to role-play the part of the
stereotypical rude tech and then to role-play a professional, well-
behaved tech. In this way, you’ll learn how you should and should
not behave as a technician.

Learning Objectives
The plan is to have a classmate play the role of the client and to
have you play the role of the PC tech. You will work through the
scenario live, just as if it were real.
At the end of this lab, you’ll be able to
• Demonstrate proper communication skills
 • Avoid distractions in the workplace

Lab Materials and Setup

The materials you need for this lab are

• A notepad and pen/pencil

• A clock with a second hand, or a timer

• A space to place chairs so that you can face your partner

• The textbook Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing

and Troubleshooting PCs, Seventh Edition (Exams 220-1101 &
220-1102) for reference
• A PC with Internet access

Getting Down to Business

In this exercise, one person will act as the PC technician while the
other will act as a customer sitting in a cubicle. As the PC tech, you
will first try to emulate as many bad communication habits as
possible while your partner, the customer, identifies and writes down
those bad habits. Then, repeat the process, this time using proper
communication skills. You will then trade roles and repeat the
scenario.

Step 1 Create a scenario in which a customer would ask for

technical support. For example, try “My computer is running slowly
and all these Web pages keep popping up!”—a classic case of
malware infection. The person playing the customer should act as if
they are not technically savvy and are unable to answer any
technical questions or understand any terms outside of what might
be considered “common.” What is considered “common” is up to the
person playing the customer, so have fun!
Step 2 Between 1999 and 2001, the popular television show
Saturday Night Live put on a series of comedy sketches called “Nick
Burns, Your Company’s Computer Guy.” Many of these sketches are
available online. Do a search for and watch a few of these humorous
sketches to see actor Jimmy Fallon portray how insensitive a
technician can be in his personal communications. Why are these
sketches so funny? What does their popularity tell you about how
techs are perceived by our society? Use these videos to get an idea
of how to behave during the next step, and how never, ever to
behave in real life.

Step 3 It’s now time for the technician to do his or her thing in a
timed scenario. Pretend the customer is sitting in a cubicle. Every
computer has an “asset tag number,” and the tech must confirm that
number to make sure they are working on the right computer. After
that, it’s up to the tech! Be as rude as possible (but not so rude that
a person normally would get fired), concentrating on the issues
listed in Step 1 of this lab. Your goal is to try to get started working
on the PC within three minutes.

As the customer, your job is to describe the problem and answer

the tech’s questions to the best of your ability. You want your
computer fixed, but you won’t get up until you have confidence in
the tech. As the tech talks, jot down how they are rude or
inconsiderate to you.
The scenario ends when either the tech is sitting at the
customer’s computer or three minutes have elapsed, whichever
happens first.

Step 4 Discuss the issues that the customer wrote down. After a
quick discussion, repeat the process, this time using good
communication techniques. In most cases, the customer will quickly
relinquish his or her seat and let you get to work.
The scenario ends when the tech is sitting at the customer’s
computer or three minutes have elapsed, whichever happens first.
Step 5 Repeat the entire process, this time trading roles. The
person now playing the tech should attempt to come up with
different ways to be inappropriate, within reason.

15–40 MINUTES DEPENDING ON CLASS SIZE

Lab Exercise 1.03: Collecting

Information Professionally
As Lab Exercise 1.02 pointed out in a comical way, there’s a
psychological aspect involved in providing good customer service.
Yes, your goal is to extract from the customer the information you
need to solve the problem at hand. However, a good technician is
able to get that information in a sensitive and customer-friendly
manner, without making the client feel guilty or ignorant (even if
they are, in fact, both).

Learning Objectives
In this lab, you will practice ways of phrasing technical questions and
conveying technical information in a customer-friendly manner.
At the end of this lab, you will be able to

• Project a positive attitude when speaking with customers

• Elicit information from a client without blaming the customer for

the problem
Lab Materials and Setup
The materials you need for this lab are

• A notepad and pen/pencil

Getting Down to Business

For every unfiltered thought you have in your head about a problem,
there is a filtered, customer-friendly way of phrasing it. For example,
instead of saying “What did you do to it?” you could say “Do you
remember anything happening before the problem started?”
Rephrasing the raw thought in a friendlier manner can pay off in
several ways. When customers don’t feel accused or attacked, they
are much more positive in their evaluation of your service, which can
mean better ratings and reviews for you as well as more business for
your company. By putting a customer at ease, you also may elicit
more and better information from them, so you will have more facts
with which to troubleshoot.
Some keys to eliciting feedback professionally are to

• Ask simple questions that focus on the problem without blaming

anyone. Here are some examples:
• Do you remember installing any software or changing any
settings right before the problem started?

• How long has this been going on?

• Does it happen all the time, or intermittently?

• Avoid asking questions about technical details that they do not

need to know for their job. For example, don’t ask whether they
have the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows, or how much RAM
their computer has. If you need that information, look it up
yourself.
 • Avoid making accusations. Don’t accuse the user of breaking
the computer, deleting a file, or changing a setting. Instead,
make general inquiries such as “Did anything happen lately that
might have caused files to be deleted or settings to change?”
• Help find a workaround. If a customer continues to do
something that is causing problems with their computer, or with
the network, help them find a way to achieve their goals
without doing that thing; don’t just tell him to stop it and leave
him hanging.

• Leave the customer some dignity, even if that involves

pretending not to know what they have been up to. Don’t say
“Stay away from the porn sites. I see them in your browser
history, and that’s why you have malware.” Instead say “It looks
like you have gotten into some malware. Certain Web sites can
download malware to your computer when you click the links on
those sites.”

Step 1 As a class or in small groups, recall some of the more

outrageous things that were said in the student skits from Lab
Exercise 1.02. If your class did not do Lab Exercise 1.02, brainstorm
some things a technician might say to a customer that might come
off sounding rude or insensitive. Then brainstorm some ways you
could rephrase them to sound kinder and more professional.

Step 2 Working individually, rephrase the following statements to be

more customer-friendly and to elicit better information or
cooperation from the customer.

A. It’s the same problem I was here last week for, and I told you
not to do that anymore. Why are you still doing it?

__________________________________________________
____________________________________

B. I need to get to that outlet. Move.

 __________________________________________________
____________________________________

C. You’ve been using illegal file-sharing sites, haven’t you?

__________________________________________________
____________________________________
D. None of my other users are having this problem. What are
you doing to it?
__________________________________________________
____________________________________

E. What NIC model have you got?

__________________________________________________
____________________________________

Step 3 As a class or in small groups, compare your answers from

Step 1. Pick the top one or two favorite responses that represent the
best customer service.

20 MINUTES

Lab Exercise 1.04:

Communicating Effectively
So, you want to be a successful IT technician but are having trouble
communicating? One of the keys to professional communication is
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
 THE CEDARS OF LEBANON.
These trees are the most celebrated natural monuments in the whole
universe. Religion, poetry, and history have equally consecrated
them. Holy Writ celebrates them in several places. They are one of
the favourite images which the prophets employ. Solomon wished to
consecrate them—doubtless on account of the renown of
magnificence and sanctity that these prodigies of vegetation enjoyed
at this epoch—to the ornamentation of the temple that he was the
first to elevate to the one God. These were certainly the trees; for
Ezekiel speaks of the cedars of Eden as the most beautiful of
Lebanon. The Arabs of all sects have a traditional veneration for
them. They attribute to these trees, not only a vegetative force that
gives them eternal life, but even a soul that makes them give signs
of wisdom, of foresight, similar to those of instinct in animals and
intelligence in men. They know the seasons in advance; they move
their enormous branches like human limbs, they spread or contract
their boughs, they raise their branches towards the sky or incline
them to the earth, according as the snow is preparing to fall or to
melt. They are divine beings under the form of trees. They grow on
this single spot of the mounts of Lebanon; they take root far beyond
the region where all prolific vegetation dies. All this strikes the
imagination of the Oriental people with astonishment, and I do not
know that science is not even more astonished. Alas! however,
Basan languishes and Carmel and the flower of Lebanon fade.—
These trees diminish every century. Travellers formerly counted thirty
or forty, later seventeen, and still later, about a dozen.—There are
now only seven of those whose massive forms can presume to be
contemporaneous with Biblical times. Around these old memorials of
past ages, which know the history of the ground better than history
herself, and which could tell us, if they could speak, of many
empires, religions, and vanished human races, there remains still a
little forest of cedars more yellow it appears to me than a group of
four or five hundred trees or shrubs. Each year in the month of June
the population of Beschieraï, Eden, and Kanobin, and all the villages
of the neighbouring valleys, ascend to the cedars and celebrate
mass at their feet. How many prayers have resounded beneath their
branches! And what more beautiful temple, what nearer altar than
the sky! What more majestic and holier daïs than the highest plateau
of Lebanon, the trunks of the cedars and the sacred boughs that
have shaded and that will still shade so many human generations
pronouncing differently the name of God, but who recognize him
everywhere in his works and adore him in his manifestations of
nature! And I, I also prayed in the presence of those trees. The
harmonious wind that resounded through their sonorous branches
played in my hair and froze upon my eyelids those tears of sorrow
and adoration.
Voyage en Orient (Paris, 1843).
 THE GIANT’S CAUSEWAY
(IRELAND)
WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY
The road to the Causeway is bleak, wild, and hilly.
The cabins along the road are scarcely better than those of Kerry,
the inmates as ragged, and more fierce and dark-looking. I never
was so pestered by juvenile beggars as in the dismal village of
Ballintoy. A crowd of them rushed after the car, calling for money in a
fierce manner, as if it was their right; dogs as fierce as the children
came yelling after the vehicle; and the faces which scowled out of
the black cabins were not a whit more good-humoured. We passed
by one or two more clumps of cabins, with their turf and corn-stacks
lying together at the foot of the hills; placed there for the
convenience of the children, doubtless, who can thus accompany the
car either way, and shriek out their “Bonny gantleman, gi’e us a
ha’p’ny.” A couple of churches, one with a pair of its pinnacles blown
off, stood in the dismal open country, and a gentleman’s house here
and there: there were no trees about them, but a brown grass round
about—hills rising and falling in front, and the sea beyond. The
occasional view of the coast was noble; wild Bengore towering
eastwards as we went along; Raghery Island before us, in the steep
rocks and caves of which Bruce took shelter when driven from
yonder Scottish coast, that one sees stretching blue in the northeast.
I think this wild gloomy tract through which one passes is a good
prelude for what is to be the great sight of the day, and got my mind
to a proper state of awe by the time we were near the journey’s end.
Turning away shorewards by the fine house of Sir Francis
Macnaghten, I went towards a lone handsome inn, that stands close
to the Causeway. The landlord at Ballycastle had lent me Hamilton’s
book to read on the road; but I had not time then to read more than
half-a-dozen pages of it. They described how the author, a
clergyman distinguished as a man of science, had been thrust out of
a friend’s house by the frightened servants one wild night, and
butchered by some Whiteboys who were waiting outside and called
for his blood. I had been told at Belfast that there was a corpse in the
inn: was it there now? It had driven off, the car-boy said, “in a
handsome hearse and four to Dublin the whole way.” It was gone,
but I thought the house looked as if the ghost was there. See, yonder
are the black rocks stretching to Portrush: how leaden and grey the
sea looks! how grey and leaden the sky! You hear the waters rushing
evermore, as they have done since the beginning of the world. The
car drives us with a dismal grinding noise of the wheels to the big
lone house: there’s no smoke in the chimneys; the doors are locked.
Three savage-looking men rush after the car: are they the men who
took out Mr. Hamilton—took him out and butchered him in the
moonlight? Is everybody, I wonder, dead in that big house? Will they
let us in before those men are up? Out comes a pretty smiling girl,
with a curtsey, just as the savages are at the car, and you are
ushered into a very comfortable room; and the men turn out to be
guides. Well, thank Heaven it’s no worse! I had fifteen pounds still
left; and, when desperate, have no doubt should fight like a lion.
 THE GIANT’S LOOM, GIANT’S CAUSEWAY.
The traveller no sooner issues from the inn by a back door, which he
is informed will lead him straight to the Causeway, than the guides
pounce upon him, with a dozen rough boatmen who are likewise
lying in wait; and a crew of shrill beggar-boys, with boxes of spars,
ready to tear him and each other to pieces seemingly, yell and bawl
incessantly round him. “I’m the guide Miss Henry recommends,”
shouts one. “I’m Mr. Macdonald’s guide,” pushes in another. “This
way,” roars a third, and drags his prey down a precipice; the rest of
them clambering and quarrelling after. I had no friends; I was
perfectly helpless. I wanted to walk down to the shore by myself, but
they would not let me, and I had nothing for it but to yield myself into
the hands of the guide who had seized me, who hurried me down
the steep to a little wild bay, flanked on each side by rugged cliffs
and rocks, against which the waters came tumbling, frothing, and
roaring furiously. Upon some of these black rocks two or three boats
were lying: four men seized a boat, pushed it shouting into the water,
and ravished me into it. We had slid between two rocks, where the
channel came gurgling in: we were up one swelling wave that came
in a huge advancing body ten feet above us, and were plunging
madly down another (the descent causes a sensation in the lower
regions of the stomach which it is not at all necessary here to
describe), before I had leisure to ask myself why the deuce I was in
that boat, with four rowers hurrooing and bounding madly from one
liquid mountain to another—four rowers whom I was bound to pay. I
say, the query came qualmishly across me why the devil I was there,
and why not walking calmly on the shore.
The guide began pouring his professional jargon into my ears.
“Every one of them bays,” says he, “has a name (take my place, and
the spray won’t come over you): that is Port Noffer, and the next,
Port na Gange; them rocks is the Stookawns (for every rock has its
name as well as every bay); and yonder—give way, my boys,—
hurray, we’re over it now: has it wet you much, sir?—that’s a little
cave: it goes five hundred feet under ground, and the boats goes into
it easy of a calm day.”
“Is it a fine day or a rough one now?” said I; the internal disturbance
going on with more severity than ever.
“It’s betwixt and between; or, I may say, neither one nor the other. Sit
up, sir. Look at the entrance of the cave. Don’t be afraid, sir; never
has an accident happened in any one of these boats, and the most
delicate ladies has rode in them on rougher days than this. Now,
boys, pull to the big cave. That, sir, is six hundred and sixty yards in
length, though some say it goes for miles inland, where the people
sleeping in their houses hear the waters roaring under them.”
The water was tossing and tumbling into the mouth of the little cave.
I looked,—for the guide would not let me alone till I did,—and saw
what might be expected: a black hole of some forty feet high, into
which it was no more possible to see than into a millstone. “For
Heaven’s sake, sir,” says I, “if you’ve no particular wish to see the
mouth of the big cave, put about and let us see the Causeway and
get ashore.” This was done, the guide meanwhile telling some story
of a ship of the Spanish Armada having fired her guns at two peaks
of rock, then visible, which the crew mistook for chimney-pots—what
benighted fools these Spanish Armadilloes must have been; it is
easier to see a rock than a chimney-pot; it is easy to know that
chimney-pots do not grow on rocks.—“But where, if you please, is
the Causeway?”
“That’s the Causeway before you,” says the guide.
“Which?”
“That pier which you see jutting out into the bay right ahead.”
“Mon dieu! and have I travelled a hundred and fifty miles to see
that?”
I declare, upon my conscience, the barge moored at Hungerford
Market is a more majestic object, and seems to occupy as much
space. As for telling a man that the Causeway is merely a part of the
sight; that he is there for the purpose of examining the surrounding
scenery; that if he looks to the westward he will see Portrush and
Donegal Head before him; that the cliffs immediately in his front are
green in some places, black in others, interspersed with blotches of
brown and streaks of verdure;—what is all this to a lonely individual
lying sick in a boat, between two immense waves that only give him
momentary glimpses of the land in question, to show that it is
frightfully near, and yet you are an hour from it? They won’t let you
go away—that cursed guide will tell out his stock of legends and
stories. The boatmen insist upon your looking at boxes of
“specimens,” which you must buy of them; they laugh as you grow
paler and paler; they offer you more and more “specimens”; even the
dirty lad who pulls number three, and is not allowed by his comrades
to speak, puts in his oar, and hands you over a piece of Irish
diamond (it looks like half-sucked alicompayne), and scorns you.
“Hurry, lads, now for it, give way!” how the oars do hurtle in the
rowlocks, as the boat goes up an aqueous mountain, and then down
into one of those cursed maritime valleys where there is no rest as
on shore!
At last, after they had pulled me enough about, and sold me all the
boxes of specimens, I was permitted to land at the spot whence we
set out, and whence, though we had been rowing for an hour, we
had never been above five hundred yards distant. Let all cockneys
take warning from this; let the solitary one caught issuing from the
back door of the hotel, shout at once to the boatmen to be gone—
that he will have none of them. Let him, at any rate, go first down to
the water to determine whether it be smooth enough to allow him to
take any decent pleasure by riding on its surface. For after all, it
must be remembered that it is pleasure we come for—that we are
not obliged to take those boats.—Well, well! I paid ten shillings for
mine, and ten minutes after would cheerfully have paid five pounds
to be allowed to quit it; it was no hard bargain after all. As for the
boxes of spar and specimens, I at once, being on terra firma, broke
my promise, and said I would see them all—first. It is wrong to
swear, I know; but sometimes it relieves one so much!

THE KEYSTONE, GIANT’S CAUSEWAY.

The first act on shore was to make a sacrifice to Sanctissima Tellus;
offering up to her a neat and becoming Taglioni coat, bought for a
guinea in Covent Garden only three months back. I sprawled on my
back on the smoothest of rocks that is, and tore the elbows to
pieces: the guide picked me up; the boatman did not stir, for they
had their will of me; the guide alone picked me up, I say, and bade
me follow him. We went across a boggy ground in one of the little
bays, round which rise the green walls of the cliff, terminated on
either side by a black crag, and the line of the shore washed by the
poluphloisboiotic, nay the poluphloisboiotatotic sea. Two beggars
stepped over the bog after us howling for money, and each holding
up a cursed box of specimens. No oaths, threats, entreaties, would
drive these vermin away; for some time the whole scene had been
spoiled by the incessant and abominable jargon of them, the
boatmen, and the guides. I was obliged to give them money to be left
in quiet, and if, as no doubt will be the case, the Giant’s Causeway
shall be a still greater resort of travellers than ever, the county must
put policemen on the rocks to keep the beggars away, or fling them
in the water when they appear.
And now, by force of money, having got rid of the sea and land
beggars, you are at liberty to examine at your leisure the wonders of
the place. There is not the least need for a guide to attend the
stranger, unless the latter have a mind to listen to a parcel of
legends, which may be well from the mouth of a wild simple peasant
who believes in his tales, but are odious from a dullard who narrates
them at the rate of sixpence a lie. Fee him and the other beggars,
and at last you are left tranquil to look at the strange scene with your
own eyes, and enjoy your own thoughts at leisure.
That is, if the thoughts awakened by such a scene may be called
enjoyment; but for me, I confess, they are too near akin to fear to be
pleasant; and I don’t know that I would desire to change that
sensation of awe and terror which the hour’s walk occasioned, for a
greater familiarity with this wild, sad, lonely place. The solitude is
awful. I can’t understand how those chattering guides dare to lift up
their voices here, and cry for money.
It looks like the beginning of the world, somehow: the sea looks older
than in other places, the hills and rocks strange, and formed
differently from other rocks and hills—as those vast dubious
monsters were formed who possessed the earth before man. The
hilltops are shattered into a thousand cragged fantastical shapes; the
water comes swelling into scores of little strange creeks, or goes off
with a leap, roaring into those mysterious caves yonder, which
penetrate who knows how far into our common world. The savage
rock-sides are painted of a hundred colours. Does the sun ever
shine here? When the world was moulded and fashioned out of
formless chaos, this must have been the bit over—a remnant of
chaos! Think of that!—it is a tailor’s simile. Well, I am a cockney: I
wish I were in Pall Mall! Yonder is a kelp-burner: a lurid smoke from
his burning kelp rises up to the leaden sky, and he looks as naked
and fierce as Cain. Bubbling up out of the rocks at the very brim of
the sea rises a little crystal spring: how comes it there? and there is
an old grey hag beside, who has been there for hundreds and
hundreds of years, and there sits and sells whisky at the extremity of
creation! How do you dare to sell whisky there, old woman? Did you
serve old Saturn with a glass when he lay along the Causeway
here? In reply, she says, she has no change for a shilling: she never
has; but her whisky is good.
This is not a description of the Giant’s Causeway (as some clever
critic will remark), but of a Londoner there, who is by no means so
interesting an object as the natural curiosity in question. That single
hint is sufficient; I have not a word more to say. “If,” says he, “you
cannot describe the scene lying before us—if you cannot state from
your personal observation that the number of basaltic pillars
composing the Causeway has been computed at about forty
thousand, which vary in diameter, their surface presenting the
appearance of a tesselated pavement of polygonal stones—that
each pillar is formed of several distinct joints, the convex end of the
one being accurately fitted in the concave of the next, and the length
of the joints varying from five feet to four inches—that although the
pillars are polygonal, there is but one of three sides in the whole forty
thousand (think of that!), but three of nine sides, and that it may be
safely computed that ninety-nine out of one hundred pillars have
either five, six, or seven sides; if you cannot state something useful,
you had much better, sir, retire and get your dinner.”
Never was summons more gladly obeyed. The dinner must be ready
by this time; so, remain you, and look on at the awful scene, and
copy it down in words if you can. If at the end of the trial you are
dissatisfied with your skill as a painter, and find that the biggest of
your words cannot render the hues and vastness of that tremendous
swelling sea—of those lean solitary crags standing rigid along the
shore, where they have been watching the ocean ever since it was
made—of those grey towers of Dunluce standing upon a leaden
rock, and looking as if some old old princess, of old old fairy times,
were dragon-guarded within—of yon flat stretches of sand where the
Scotch and Irish mermaids hold conference—come away, too, and
prate no more about the scene! There is that in nature, dear Jenkins,
which passes even our powers. We can feel the beauty of a
magnificent landscape, perhaps: but we can describe a leg of mutton
and turnips better. Come, then, this scene is for our betters to depict.
If Mr. Tennyson were to come hither for a month, and brood over the
place, he might, in some of those lofty heroic lines which the author
of the Morte d’Arthur knows how to pile up, convey to the reader a
sense of this gigantic desolate scene. What! you, too, are a poet?
Well, then Jenkins, stay! but believe me, you had best take my
advice, and come off.
The Irish Sketch-Book (London, 1843).
 THE GREAT GLACIER OF THE
SELKIRKS
(CANADA)
DOUGLAS SLADEN
If Banff represents the Rocky Mountains made easy, the Glacier
House represents the Selkirks made easy—a much more notable
performance, for these mountains had long been regarded as
impassable by engineering. The Glacier House is a few miles
beyond Rogers’ Pass, in the midst of the line’s greatest marvels of
nature and engineering. Just before comes the monarch of snow
sheds; just above the monarch of glaciers; just below the monarch of
viaducts. The Great Glacier of the Selkirks comes to a conclusion
within a couple of miles above it. The moraines and splintered
forests at its foot tell a frightful tale of destruction, and the glacier
advances every year; but only a few inches, so the hotel is safe for
the present.
The hotel is a pretty little châlet, mostly dining-room, with a trim, level
lawn in front containing a fine fountain. Eighteen miles broad is the
great Glacier of the Selkirks, one foot of which is planted so
threateningly above the hotel and the railway station, that it looks as
if it meant to stamp them out of existence with the stealth of a thief in
the night.
A marvellous and delightful walk it is from the hotel to the Glacier—at
first through dry woods of fir and spruce, and balsam and tamarack,
carpeted, wherever the sun breaks through, with purple blueberries,
wild raspberries, pigeon and salmon berries. Here you might meet a
grizzly bear any minute. You pause, if you are only a man and a
woman, on the lovers’ seat under the thousand-ton boulder hurled
down by the Glacier in the childhood of the earth. Then you pass the
fierce glacial torrent of grey-green water, so cold or charged with
impurities that fish refuse to live in it, swelling, as all snow-fed rivers
do, as the heat of a summer’s day waxes. Some of its pools are
huge and deep; some of its falls and rapids as fierce as the cataract
at Lorette, rounded boulders and splintered trunks everywhere
attesting its fury. The path crosses and recrosses the river over
bridges of tree-trunks, with smaller trunks loosely pinned across
them, like the little straw mats in which cream cheeses are wrapped.
As the path mounts, the scenery becomes more open, and you are
greeted, according to the season, with Canada’s gorgeous lily or
Canada’s prodigality of wild fruits; for you are in the track of the
glacier and the avalanche, and in the death of the forest is the birth
of blossoms and berries. All around you now is a scene of awful
grandeur—boulders as big as settlers’ huts, and giant tree trunks,
many of them blackened with fire, tossed together like the rubbish on
a dust-heap, and, brooding over all, the great Glacier like a dragon
crouching for the spring. One can hardly believe it is the Glacier; the
transitions are so abrupt. A turn of a path brings you almost in
contact with a piece of ice larger than any lake in the British Islands.
From under its skirts trickle tiny rills; a few feet below, the rills league
themselves into a river. Even a first-class glacier is a disappointing
affair if you go too close. Its blueness disappears, also its luminosity,
except in crevasses deep enough to show you the pure heart of the
ice. The surface is a dirty-looking mixture of ice and snow. There
were two lovely horizontal crevasses, one so spacious and shining
that it is called the Fairy Cavern. The pleasure of standing in them is
spoilt, because they look all the time as if they were going to close
on you. At another foot of the Glacier there are immense moraines,
looking like the earthworks of Dover Castle. I examined them one
October day when I went with a guide to the top of the Glacier, eight
thousand feet above sea-level, to see the splendid Glacier-girdled
head of Mount Fox on the other side of the abyss.
I never intend to do any more mountain climbing through deep, fresh
snow. For the last hour or two of the ascent the snow was as deep
as one’s thighs at every step, and though the guide was towing me
by a rope tied round my waist, it was intolerably wearisome. To begin
with, he had to sound with his staff at every step and see that we
were on terra firma, and not on the soufflet of a crevasse; and
though there had been such a snowfall the night before, the sun was
as hot as summer overhead. The sight was worth doing once, with
the miles and miles of the sea of ice all round one, and the long
white slopes of virgin snow.
If it had not been for the aggressive visage of Mount Fox, it would
have answered to the description of the interior of Greenland given
me by Dr. Nansen, where the world consists of yourselves, the sun,
and the snow. We started at eight o’clock in the morning, but in some
way or other I was not quite as rapid as the guide had calculated, for
a couple of hours before nightfall he began to get excited, if not
alarmed. We were at the time clear of the deep snow, and muddling
about in a mixture of drifts and moraines; but after dark he was not
sure of his way until we struck the path at the foot of the Glacier....
The Glacier House has not only its noble and easily accessible
glacier; it is in the very heart of the finest mountain scenery in the
Selkirks, which is so different to the scenery of the Rockies. The
Canadian Rockies are blunt-topped fisty mountains, with knuckles of
bare rock sticking out everywhere. The Selkirks are graceful
pyramids and sharp sierras, up to their shoulders in magnificent
forests of lofty pines. The trees on the Rockies are much smaller and
poorer. Right above the hotel, to the left of the overhanging Glacier,
is the bare steeple of Sir Donald, one of the monarchs of the range;
Ross Peak and Cheops frown on the descent of the line to the
Pacific; and the line of the Atlantic is guarded by the hundred
pinnacles of the rifted mountain, formerly known as the Hermit, and
now, with singular infelicity, re-christened, in an eponymous fit,
Mount Tupper.
 THE GREAT GLACIER OF THE SELKIRKS.
Sir Charles Tupper is one of Canada’s greatest men, but his name is
more suitable for a great man than a great mountain, especially
since there is a very perfect effect of a hermit and his dog formed by
boulders near the top of the mountain. The men in the railway camp
have got over this difficulty with the doggerel:

“That’s Sir Charles Tupper

Going home to his supper.”

We made two long stays at the Glacier House, and I never enjoyed
anything more in my life than the effect of the snug little châlet, with
its velvety lawn, in the stronghold of the giant mountains, brought
into touch with the great world twice a day by the trains east and
west, which echoed their approach and departure miles on miles
through the ranges.
On the Cars and Off (London, 1895).
 MAUNA LOA
(HAWAII)
LADY BRASSEY
At 6:30 a. m., we made the island of Hawaii, rather too much to
leeward, as we had been carried by the strong current at least
eighteen miles out of our course. We were therefore obliged to beat
up to windward, in the course of which operation we passed a large
bark running before the wind—the first ship we had seen since
leaving Tahiti—and also a fine whale, blowing close to us. We could
not see the high land in the centre of the island, owing to the mist in
which it was enveloped, and there was great excitement and much
speculation on board as to the principal points which were visible. At
noon the observations taken proved that Tom was right in his opinion
as to our exact position. The wind dropped as we approached the
coast, where we could see the heavy surf dashing against the black
lava cliffs, rushing up the little creeks, and throwing its spray in huge
fountain-like jets high above the tall cocoanut-trees far inland.
We sailed along close to the shore, and by two o’clock were near the
entrance to the Bay of Hilo. In answer to our signal for a pilot, a boat
came off with a man who said he knew the entrance to the harbour,
but informed us that the proper pilot had gone to Honolulu on a
pleasure trip.
It was a clear afternoon. The mountains, Mauna Kea and Mauna
Loa, could be plainly seen from top to bottom, their giant crests rising
nearly 14,000 feet above our heads, their tree and fern clad slopes
seamed with deep gulches or ravines, down each of which a
fertilizing river ran into the sea. Inside the reef, the white coral shore,
on which the waves seemed too lazy to break, is fringed with a belt
of cocoanut palms, amongst which, as well as on the hillsides, the
little white houses are prettily dotted. All are surrounded by gardens,
so full of flowers that the bright patches of colour were plainly visible
even from the deck of the yacht. The harbour is large, and is
exposed only to one bad wind, which is most prevalent during the
winter months....
It was half-past nine before we were all mounted and fairly off. The
first part of our way lay along the flat ground, gay with bright scarlet
Guernsey lilies, and shaded by cocoanut-trees, between the town
and the sea. Then we struck off to the right, and soon left the town
behind us, emerging into the open country. At a distance from the
sea, Hilo looks as green as the Emerald Isle itself; but on a closer
inspection the grass turns out to be coarse and dry, and many of the
trees look scrubby and half dead. Except in the “gulches” and the
deep holes, between the hills, the island is covered with lava, in
many places of so recent a deposit that it has not yet had time to
decompose, and there is consequently only a thin layer of soil on its
surface. The soil being, however, very rich, vegetation flourishes
luxuriantly for a time; but as soon as the roots have penetrated a
certain depth, and have come into contact with the lava, the trees
wither up and perish, like the seed that fell on stony ground.
The ohia trees form a handsome feature in the landscape, with their
thick stems, glossy foliage, and light crimson flowers. The fruit is a
small, pink, waxy-looking apple, slightly acid, pleasant to the taste
when you are thirsty. The candle-nut trees attain to a large size, and
their light green foliage and white flowers have a very graceful
appearance. Most of the foliage, however, is spoiled by a deposit of
a black dust, not unlike what one sees on the leaves of a London
garden. I do not know whether this is caused by the fumes of the not
far-distant volcano, or whether it is some kind of mold or fungus.
After riding about ten miles in the blazing sun we reached a forest,
where the vegetation was quite tropical, though not so varied in its
beauties as that of Brazil, or of the still more lovely South Sea
Islands. There were ferns of various descriptions in the forest, and
many fine trees, entwined, supported, or suffocated by numerous
climbing plants, amongst which were blue and lilac convolvulus, and
magnificent passion-flowers. The protection from the sun afforded by
this dense mass of foliage was extremely grateful; but the air of the
forest was close and stifling, and at the end of five miles we were
glad to emerge once more into the open. The rest of the way lay
over the hard lava, through a desert of scrubby vegetation,
occasionally relieved by clumps of trees in hollows. More than once
we had a fine view of the sea, stretching away into the far distance,
though it was sometimes mistaken for the bright blue sky, until the
surf could be seen breaking upon the black rocks, amid the
encircling groves of cocoanut-trees.
The sun shone fiercely at intervals, and the rain came down several
times in torrents. The pace was slow, the road was dull and dreary,
and many were the inquiries made for the “Half-way House,” long
before we reached it.
Directly we had finished our meal—about three o’clock—the guide
came and tried to persuade us that, as the baggage mules had not
yet arrived, it would be too late for us to go on to-day, and that we
had better spend the night where we were, and start early in the
morning. We did not, however, approve of this arrangement, so the
horses were saddled, and leaving word that the baggage-mules
were to follow us on as soon as possible, we mounted, and set off
for the “Volcano House.” We had not gone far before we were again
overtaken by a shower, which once more drenched us to the skin.
The scene was certainly one of extreme beauty. The moon was
hidden by a cloud, and the prospect lighted only by the red glare of
the volcano, which hovered before and above us like the Israelites’
pillar of fire, giving us hope of a splendid spectacle when we should
at last reach the long wished-for crater. Presently the moon shone
forth again, and gleamed and glistened on the raindrops and silver
grasses till they looked like fireflies and glowworms. When we
emerged from the wood, we found ourselves at the very edge of the
old crater, the bed of which, three or four hundred feet beneath us,
was surrounded by steep and in many places overhanging sides. It
looked like an enormous caldron, four or five miles in width, full of a
mass of coloured pitch. In the centre was the still glowing stream of
dark red lava, flowing slowly towards us, and in every direction were
red-hot patches, and flames and smoke issuing from the ground. A
bit of the “black country” at night, with all the coal-heaps on fire,
would give you some idea of the scene. Yet the first sensation is
rather one of disappointment, as one expects greater activity on the
part of the volcano; but the new crater was still to be seen,
containing the lake of fire, with steep walls rising up in the midst of
the sea of lava....
The grandeur of the view in the direction of the volcano increased as
the evening wore on. The fiery cloud above the present crater
augmented in size and depth of colour; the extinct crater glowed red
in thirty or forty different places; and clouds of white vapour issued
from every crack and crevice in the ground, adding to the sulphurous
smell with which the atmosphere was laden. Our room faced the
volcano: there were no blinds, and I drew back the curtains and lay
watching the splendid scene until I fell asleep.

Sunday, December 24th (Christmas Eve).

I was up at four o’clock, to gaze once more on the wondrous
spectacle that lay before me. The molten lava still flowed in many
places, the red cloud over the fiery lake was bright as ever, and the
stream was slowly ascending in every direction, over hill and valley,
till, as the sun rose, it became difficult to distinguish clearly the
sulphurous vapours from the morning mists. We walked down to the
Sulphur Banks, about a quarter of a mile from the “Volcano House,”
and burned our gloves and boots in our endeavours to procure
crystals, the beauty of which generally disappeared after a very short
exposure to the air. We succeeded, however, in finding a few good
specimens, and, by wrapping them at once in paper and cotton-wool
and putting them into a bottle, hope to bring them home uninjured.
On our return we found a gentleman who had just arrived from Kan,
and who proposed to join us in our expedition to the crater, and at
three o’clock in the afternoon we set out, a party of eight, with two
guides, and three porters to carry our wraps and provisions, and to
bring back specimens. Before leaving the inn the landlord came to
us and begged us in an earnest and confidential manner to be very
careful to do exactly what our guides told us, and especially to follow
Welcome to our website – the ideal destination for book lovers and
knowledge seekers. With a mission to inspire endlessly, we offer a
vast collection of books, ranging from classic literary works to
specialized publications, self-development books, and children's
literature. Each book is a new journey of discovery, expanding
knowledge and enriching the soul of the reade

Our website is not just a platform for buying books, but a bridge
connecting readers to the timeless values of culture and wisdom. With
an elegant, user-friendly interface and an intelligent search system,
we are committed to providing a quick and convenient shopping
experience. Additionally, our special promotions and home delivery
services ensure that you save time and fully enjoy the joy of reading.

Let us accompany you on the journey of exploring knowledge and

personal growth!

ebookmass.com