The IT Support Launchpad
The hardware, operating systems, and networking a help desk actually asks about.
Free to watch. Starting adds a personal copy to My Learning with progress tracking and a curated-path certificate on completion.
About this path
CompTIA A+ is two enormous exams and most people drown in the first playlist they open. This path takes the hardware half, the operating-systems half, the networking chunk that A+ assumes you already know, and the security module that turns a technician into someone trusted with a domain account. Crash Course fills in what a computer is really doing underneath.
What you'll learn
- Diagnose hardware faults with a repeatable process
- Work confidently in Windows, macOS, and Linux administration
- Explain addressing, DNS, and routing well enough to troubleshoot
- Apply the security practices a help desk is trusted with
- Recognise what the operating system is doing under any fault you see
The path, module by module
Each step is lifted from a full course in our catalog, and where a course repeats itself we keep only the lessons that earn their place.
Module 1 · from CompTIA A+ Complete Course (Core 1 + Core 2)
Core 1 (220-1201): Hardware and Networking - Part 1
Professor Messer on Core 1 hardware. The first eight lessons of a 120-lesson course, which is the right dose before you know if this career fits.
8 lessons · 1h 36m
How to Pass Your CompTIA A+ Exams in 2026 · Laptop Hardware - CompTIA A+ 220-1201 - 1.1 · Connecting Mobile Devices - CompTIA A+ 220-1201 - 1.2
Module 2 · from CompTIA A+ Complete Course (Core 1 + Core 2)
Core 2 (220-1202): Operating Systems and Security - Part 1
Core 2, operating systems and security. Jumping straight here from Core 1 hardware skips six modules of parts catalogue you can look up on the job.
8 lessons · 1h 22m
Operating Systems Overview - CompTIA A+ 220-1202 - 1.1 · File Systems - CompTIA A+ 220-1202 - 1.1 · Installing Operating Systems - CompTIA A+ 220-1202 - 1.2
Module 3 · from CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) Complete Course
Cabling, Ethernet, and Wireless
Addressing and protocol fundamentals. A+ assumes this and never teaches it.
8 lessons · 43m
Other Useful Protocols - CompTIA Network+ N10-009 - 1.4 · Network Communication - CompTIA Network+ N10-009 - 1.4 · Wireless Networking - CompTIA Network+ N10-009 - 1.5
Module 4 · from CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Complete Course
Application and OS Vulnerabilities
The security module that decides whether a technician gets domain admin. Short, and worth more than another hardware lesson.
8 lessons · 38m
Other Social Engineering Attacks - CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 - 2.2 · Memory Injections - CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 - 2.3 · Buffer Overflows - CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 - 2.3
Module 5 · from Computer Science Crash Course
Operating Systems, Files, and the Command Line
Operating systems, memory, files, and the command line, explained rather than memorised. Makes every A+ answer make sense instead of stick.
8 lessons · 1h 38m
Software Engineering: Crash Course Computer Science #16 · Integrated Circuits & Moore's Law: Crash Course Computer Science #17 · Operating Systems: Crash Course Computer Science #18