Free online courseHardware

Course Description

Strong IT support starts with knowing what happens inside a computer and how to bring a system from parts to a working, secure machine. This free online course gives you the foundation to understand hardware components, how they interact, and how everyday troubleshooting decisions are made in real environments. You will connect the history of computing to modern architectures so concepts like processors, memory, motherboard design, and expansion capabilities feel logical instead of confusing.

As you progress, the focus shifts from recognition to real-world readiness: identifying components, planning a build, assembling a computer, and applying test and quality checks that mirror what technicians do before a device is handed over to a user. You will also get comfortable with the early stages of system startup, including BIOS concepts, POST behavior, and the boot process, helping you diagnose issues that happen before an operating system even loads.

The course then broadens into operating systems and practical administration. You will see how storage is prepared through partitioning and formatting, and how installations are performed across different Windows versions, alongside an introduction to Unix-like systems. By working with command-line tools, including essential Linux commands and basic text editing workflows, you build confidence to operate beyond graphical interfaces when troubleshooting demands it.

Finally, the course introduces core networking ideas that every support professional needs to communicate with teams and solve connectivity problems. By tying together hardware knowledge, OS fundamentals, and networking basics, you gain a well-rounded base for entry-level IT roles, personal projects, or further study in system administration and infrastructure.