Certification Prep – The 20 Minute Workout

So what’s the old saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”? I had fully expected to settle into my new job and get back to posting at least once a week (with a goal of three times each week) but that never materialized. I was expecting the adjustment to the new schedule to stabilize and the time suck over the holidays to not be as bad as it was but it was enough of a challenge to where I had to let something go. Unfortunately it had to be this blog. So at this point my plan is to get back in the saddle for January 1st 2011 and move forward from there. I am wishing one and all a merry holiday season and a great 2011.

I just posted how I came home to a video issue on my XP machine but the real reason I was looking forward to goofing around in my office was because I just got my pair of 2 TB drives today for my Precision 7400 system running Windows 7 Ultimate (x64) Can’t wait for the performance test on this RAID 0 configuration.

So I’ve been offline most of October – I resigned from Microsoft and started in a new position at Bloomberg (I’ll write a post on that at some point). I just wanted to drop that comment and to say that I just had an AGP video card die on my old XP system. The system was the last white box system I built about ten years ago. Six years ago in July of 2004 I upgraded the CPU, video card and power supply and reinstalled Windows XP and it’s been running rock solid ever since up until today. I pulled an old system pull video card from my parts closet and I was on my way again. I love keeping old system parts; how else can you fix your PC at 8PM on a Tuesday?

This story appeared on Network World at http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/092810-obama-ipv6.html   NTIA workshop is current administration's first attempt at promoting next-gen Internet By Carolyn Duffy Marsan , Network World September 28, 2010 09:07 AM ET The Obama Administration bills itself as the most tech-savvy political team ever, but until now it has ignored one of the biggest issues facing the Internet: the rapid depletion of Internet addresses using the current protocol, known as IPv4, and the imminent need for carriers and content providers to adopt a new standard called IPv6.  No IPv6 plan? You're behind schedule Today, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will host a workshop on IPv6 that features high-profile executives from government, industry and Internet policymaking organizations. This workshop is the first time the Obama Administration has given IPv6 any publicity in the 21 months it has been in

As originally published from INFOWORLD on September 13, 2010 Organizations will migrate about 250 million PCs to Windows 7 over the next few years, and Gartner predicts there won't be enough qualified IT staffers to handle the task. It's not a Y2K-style crisis, but there's only a four-year window until Microsoft ends support for Windows XP. The need to migrate from XP to Windows 7 "will create an extra budgetary and resource burden on companies from 2011 to 2012," according to recent report by Gartner. The research firm estimates that large and midsize organizations worldwide will migrate about 250 million PCs to Windows 7 over the next few years. [ Get all the details you need on deploying and using Windows 7 in the InfoWorld editors' 21-page Windows 7 Deep Dive PDF special report . | Stay abreast of key Microsoft technologies in our Technology: Microsoft newsletter . ] Gartner predicted that demand for IT staffers qualified to handle Windows 7 mig

So here’s the deal as provided by http://secunia.com/advisories/41340/ and http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa10-02.html   This is an Adobe issue. Secunia Advisory SA41340 Adobe Reader / Acrobat Font Parsing Buffer Overflow Vulnerability Secunia Advisory SA41340 Release Date - 2010-09-08 Last Update - 2010-09-09 Criticality level - Extremely critical Impact - System access Where - From remote Solution Status - Unpatched Software: Adobe Acrobat 8.x Adobe Acrobat 9.x Adobe Reader 8.x Adobe Reader 9.x   CVE Reference(s) CVE-2010-2883   Description A vulnerability has been discovered in Adobe Reader, which can be exploited by malicious people to compromise a user's system. The vulnerability is caused due to a boundary error within the font parsing in CoolType.dll and can be exploited to cause a stack-based buffer overflow by e.g. tricking a user into opening a specially crafted

Microsoft is bringing back the Windows 7 Family Pack in time for the Anniversary of Windows 7 - Oct. 22 is Windows 7’s 1 year anniversary. This is set to occur starting October 3 in the U.S. when Windows 7 Family Pack will be available for purchase through retail outlets and online at the Microsoft Store . The Windows 7 Family Pack gives you three upgrade licenses of Windows 7 Home Premium for $149.99 where a normal price for the upgrade version of Windows 7 Home Premium is suggested at $119.99 per license. To take advantage of the Windows 7 Family Pack offer, you’ll need a PC running a genuine copy of either Windows Vista or Windows XP that is capable of running Windows 7.

There is a blog post over on the TechNet website that discusses User State Virtualization (USV) which is a collection of Microsoft technologies that enables synchronization of user state information from individual computers to a central location. The blog post can be found via the Nexus SC: The System Center Team Blog at http://bit.ly/cTPCrb and there are some additional resources outlined as follows: Download the Beta Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide Review a demonstration on Microsoft User State Virtualization Watch a video on the Windows Springboard Series about Microsoft User State Virtualization (from 2008) Browse the other IPD Guides now available Check out the new Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Get the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010 Update 1

As a follow up to my recent post of offering a Certification Class for Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring certification class for this upcoming January, I wanted to re-post my Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring - Skills Being Measured article as these will be the topics of study that we’ll be covering. The skills measured from each of the domains within the 70-680 exam TS: Windows 7, Configuring are: Installing, Upgrading, and Migrating to Windows 7 Perform a clean installation. Identifying hardware requirements Setting up Windows 7 as the sole operating system Setting up Windows 7 in a dual or multi boot configuration Leveraging different installation methods Booting the system from the source of installation (DVD, network, image, WDS, etc) Preparing the installation source (DVD, network, image, WDS, etc) Upgrade to Windows 7 from previous versions of Windows. Performing an in-place upgrade f

This post will only be worthwhile I suppose to the folks in Connecticut and perhaps the general vicinity surrounding. At this time I am announcing classes that I am going to be instructing beginning in January 2011 for Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring. This is a 40 hour class / workshop that will be held over five dates focused on the body of knowledge required to pass the 70-680 Exam for Windows 7, Configuring which is a Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) certification that is one of the certifications that is needed as part of the  MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician 7 certification (both 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring and 70-685 Pro: Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Support Technician are required for this) as well as the MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator 7 certification (both 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring and 70-686 Pro: Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Administrator are required for this). Additionally, the 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configur

Hi gang. This post will only be worthwhile I suppose to the folks in Connecticut and perhaps the general vicinity surrounding. I have teamed up with Wallingford Computer Center to announce classes we are putting together for the fall. Working in conjunction with Wallingford Computer Center I am going to be instructing a Security+ certification class. This is a 40 hour class / workshop that will be held over five dates focused on the body of knowledge required to pass the CompTIA Security+ certification exam (2008 Edition). The table below lists the domain areas measured by this examination and the approximate extent to which they are represented in the examination: Domain % of Examination 1.0 Systems Security 21% 2.0 Network Infrastructure 20% 3.0 Access Control 17% 4.0 Assessments & Audits 15% 5.0 Cryptography 15% 6.0 Organizational Security 12% Total 100% The CompTIA Security+ (2008 Edition) Certification is a vendor neutral credential. The Secur

On the Security Research & Defense blog there is a new post regarding the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) version 2.0 which users can download free of charge . EMET provides users with the ability to deploy security mitigation technologies to arbitrary applications. This helps prevent vulnerabilities in those applications (especially line of business and 3rd party apps) from successfully being exploited. The full blog post is available via http://bit.ly/cJdCrN   A prior post titled Announcing the upcoming release of EMET v2 has a lot more of the detailed information that you might be looking for so be sure to check that out as well.

One of the ways to remember something you’re always forgetting to to write it down. It’s one of the reasons I like blogging. I was so caught up in the middle of something I was doing today that when asked what should have been a simple question on the differences between symmetric and asymmetric encryption my mind locked up. So again, repetition is the best way to memorization. Symmetric Encryption Symmetric encryption uses a secret key which can be any set of characters. When that key is applied to the text of a message to change the content in a particular way. This might be as simple as shifting each letter by a number of places in the alphabet. As long as both sender and recipient know the secret key, they can encrypt and decrypt all messages that use this key. So if A=01 and B=02 and so on to Z=26 then 1001191514 becomes JASON.  Obviously this is a very simple example and it would be somewhat easy to figure out. The problem with secret keys of any strength is tryin

In spring of 2009 I wrote an article over on the Petri website titled Security Overview of Encrypting File System (EFS) in Windows 7 based on the beta release of Windows 7 Ultimate edition (build 6.1.7000). Below is an update / reprint of that article. (I’ve mainly removed the beta information and made any changes pertinent to the formal, RTM release of Windows 7). Encrypting File System (EFS) Overview When you want to make sure that data access is restricted only to certain individuals you can leverage NTFS permissions to deny access to everyone and to only grant access to those users by way of the access controls provided within the file system. The problem with this is that the security is bound to the file system so as ownership control is gained to the data on a given system at the level of administrator, that file system security is easily undone and access to that data becomes available. When you are the admin with admin level controls to a system you pretty much can do w

by Kimberly Pittmon Properly marketing your certification can open doors, impart confidence and build networks. On the flip side, under marketing your certification is like shrouding it in secrecy. Here are a few tips to make your certification work for you. 1. Build professional networks: Cultivating business relationships underpin your success. That said, employ the 80/20 rule when building your network. Follow two easy steps to get started. First, carve out 20% of your contacts. Second, focus 80% of your time on fortifying relationships with them. This rule seems paradoxical. But the goal is to work smarter, not harder. Don't have many contacts? Seize everyday encounters to cast a wide net. Opportunities include vendors, clients, customers and peers. Keep your business cards handy. Distribute them to potential contacts. Once you establish a new contact, reach out to them. Send periodic emails containing anecdotes, news or other relevant material. Keep the tone professio

According to a recent story published the IT PRO Enterprise and Business IT News website by Tom Brewster, Ruggero Contu who is a principal research analyst at Gartner, indicated that the software security market will emerge from the recession in decent shape, growing by 11.3 per cent in 2010, as businesses put more emphasis on protecting their IT. The article went on further to say that market revenue is predicted to exceed $16.5 million this year, compared to $14.8 billion in 2009, when growth slowed to seven percent due to the overall state of the global economy. Despite Gartner's claims that companies are to invest more heavily in security, a recent survey from the Ponemon Institute showed IT pros were concerned about the level of their protection capabilities . More than two thirds of IT workers polled said their firms did not have resources to deal with serious threats. The full article can be found online at - Software security revenue to hit $16.5 billion in 2010 .

August 17, 2010 — by Dan Tynan Originally posted on ITWORLD – AN OPEN EXCHANGE Like many people of an inherently cynical nature, the fact Facebook only allows you to express your "Like" on various topics, posts, and advertisements irks me. I know I'm not alone, and so do Facebook scammers, which is why the latest viral "Dislike button" scam has spread so quickly. Facebook Security has issued an official warning about the bogus Dislike button scam. (Of course, this was after Sophos Security researcher Graham Cluley blogged about it and major media outlets like CNN picked it up. You get the feeling the Facebook Security guys spend most of their time riding around the building on Segways and playing with their tasers?) [ See also: Facebook bug coughs up user names and photos to anyone who asks ] The scam starts with a fake status update from someone you know who's been infected (like "Get the official DISLIKE button NOW!") followed by a

The CompTIA Breakaway is the best cross-section of the industry with new vendors and new VARs every year. This year’s event was held beginning on Sunday August 8, 2010 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas and ran through Thursday the 12th. The complete agenda is online at http://www.comptia.org/breakaway/agenda.aspx According to a story published on the BusinessWire website Terry Erdle, senior vice president, skills certification, CompTIA, said in remarks delivered at Breakaway 2010 that “Trends in technology are changing the employment landscape; it doesn’t mean that we don’t need people, it’s just a different kind of job.” The full story which is available online also indicated that forecasts regarding growth in information technology (IT) jobs over the next several years will be in the double digits and that demand will compel the industry to take new, aggressive steps for fill the pipeline with new workers. As outlined in the

An article on the eWeek.com website by Don E. Sears is calling out to IT Pros - “Enterprise and network architects, listen up: Your skills are a hot commodity as companies mount new initiatives in automating and virtualizing the data center and desktop” I’ve stated this many times over the past year in person and on many prior posts; the economy IS slowly (very slowly) recovering. As such there is a small but increasing demand for people with IT skills. While the well is sort of full with water due to layoffs from the worldwide recession, this is slowly and subtlety changing. The well will begin to run low over the next 12 to 18 months in my opinion. Some places are hiring and they are trying to grab who they can with the skill sets they need at a reduced salary cost, mainly due to the power position of hiring in this recession where there are still skilled people out of work and looking for employment. At some point we’ll reach a tipping point; some catalyst will force a majo

Free admission. Farmington, CT Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010 9:00am - 5:00pm Hartford Marriott Farmington 15 Farm Springs Rd Farmington, CT 06032 Events run from 9:00am - 5:00pm Seating for the live event is limited, so register today. For more information or to register, visit > www.msdnevents.com/firestarter OR CALL 1-877-MSEVENT You are invited to join your local Microsoft Developer Evangelists for an inside look at the Windows Phone 7 platform. You'll learn how to harness the strength of Silverlight and XNA to create compelling user experiences with rich, multi-media content. We'll also outline the new distribution and revenue opportunities Windows Phone 7 and the Windows Marketplace offer to web, game, mobile and interactive developers and application publishers. Morning Sessions Introduction to Windows Phone Development and the WP7 platform Building Windows Phone 7 Applications with Silverlight Building Windows Phone 7

There is a short post over on the Born to Learn site titled Have another slice of MCTS--It's good for you! that I really recommend folks take a look at. There is one cross quote that is well representative of the job market today in my opinion. "Over one-third of respondents who have a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification hold multiple MCTS designations. Those with multiple MCTS designations earn an average of $87,041, or $13,000 more than those who hold only one MCTS." That is great reason to get certified. As a holder of multiple certifications and an Microsoft Certified Instructor for the night classes at TodaysTec http://todaystec.com/about_us/display.php I can certainly exude the virtues of having certifications and keeping them up to date by getting containing education credits or by re-certifying on the newer technologies as they release. My Personal Certification Story outlines my start in the information technology field. I hav

Hi gang. This post will only be worthwhile I suppose to the folks in Connecticut and perhaps the general vicinity surrounding. I have teamed up with Wallingford Computer Center to announce classes we are putting together for the fall. This is a trial schedule – if we can get some decent interest we are looking into the possibility of expanding the offering in 2011. In the meantime here is what we have on tap: Saturday October 9th from 10:30AM to 3:00PM Introduction to Windows 7 – This class will introduce Windows XP and Vista users to the new Windows 7 GUI (graphical user interface) as well as to show them how to perform common tasks. Some of the steps from XP / Vista have stayed the same and others have changed. The 1 day session cost is $124.00 and includes the classroom book to keep Saturday October 16th from 10:30AM to 3:00PM Introduction to Office 2010 class - This class will introduce Office 2003 users (primarily) to Office 2010 and the Office Ribbon which replaces the Offic

There are no sure fire ways to get hired in the IT field, especially if you’re a newcomer in the current economy with organizations taking the “do more with less” mantra to a whole new level of meaning. Not only are you coming in with little to no practical experience but you’re potentially competing with some seasoned veterans for the few jobs that are available. There are however a few things you can do to maximize your chances and to set yourself apart from other potential hires. Today I’ll show you what you can do to position yourself for the best chance to grab that open position and get the job you want. I have a post from last year on the TrainSignal website titled How to Break into the IT Industry and Get the Job You Want and its as relevant now as it was when I originally wrote it. Feel free to check out the entire post at http://proxy.trainsignal.com/break-into-the-it-industry-and-get-the-job-you-want/ and let me know your thoughts.

LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) ― Computer hackers have begun targeting power plants and other critical operations around the world in bold new efforts to seize control of them, setting off a scramble to shore up aging, vulnerable systems. Cyber criminals have long tried, at times successfully, to break into vital networks and power systems. But last month, experts for the first time discovered a malicious computer code — called a worm — specifically created to take over systems that control the inner workings of industrial plants. In response to the growing threat, the Department of Homeland Security has begun building specialized teams that can respond quickly to cyber emergencies at industrial facilities across the country. As much as 85 percent of the nation's critical infrastructure is owned and operated by private companies, ranging from nuclear and electric power plants to transportation and manufacturing systems. Many of the new attacks hav

Over on the Petri IT Knowledgebase website I have a new article up titled Configuring Taskbar Alerts & Maintenance Functions in Windows 7 Action Center In this article I introduce the Windows 7 Action Center, how to directly access it from the Control Panel as well as to review some of the settings and options available to you through the Security and Maintenance functions This is another one of those Windows 7 articles that fits well within the body of knowledge for the exam. As always, I am always looking forward to any feedback you have on this or any of the articles I have written so feel free to offer your input. Additionally, I would welcome any suggestions topics of interest that you would like to see and based on free time and column space I’ll do what I can to deliver them to you.

Edited content from the FAQ that was originally published at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ff384134.aspx Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 is an update for enterprises and IT Professionals that includes virtualization enhancements and previous improvements delivered via Windows Update. Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is an update that helps keep your PCs supported, provides ongoing improvement to the operating system, by including previous updates delivered over Windows Update as well as continuing incremental updates to the Windows 7 platform based on customer and partner feedback, and is easy for organization to deploy a single set of updates. The system requirements for the Service Pack 1 beta are that you need to be running the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 (build 7600). The beta of SP1 can install on RTM evaluation versions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. The final release version of Service Pack 1 is expected to b

by Kimberly Pittmon Certifying your skills affords tangible career advancement benefits. Possible merits include boosting your salary, illuminating your résumé and advancing your job. In today's sputtering job climate, attaining--or maintaining--a certification can give you a razor-sharp edge. Here is how a certification can jumpstart or augment your career: 1. Provides you leverage. Employers expect employees to contribute quickly, accurately and measurably. A certification says, "Yes, I can do that." 2. Illustrates your tenacity. If anything is worth having, it's worth the toil. Employers seek people who will produce more with fewer resources. 3. Boosts your confidence. In the workplace, it's all about solving problems. And confidence--to deliver--is the engine that drives practical solutions. 4. Illuminates your résumé. Hiring managers give résumés a cursory glance. A certification makes them apt to read your résumé and summon an interview. 5.

There is a seven part series developed by Jay Paloma posted over on You Tube and I have leveraged the embed code to post the videos below for your study of the 70-680 and 70-685 Windows 7 exams. This video series explains how to deploy Windows 7 from Windows XP using WAIK – the Windows Automated Installation Kit and MDT 2010 – the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Windows 7 Deployment Series Part 1 - Generate WinPE Boot CD - by Jay Paloma This video is Part 1 on a series on Windows 7 Deployment. This explains how to generate the WinPE Boot CD in Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK)   Windows 7 Deployment Part 2 - Use WAIK to Acquire WIM Image - by Jay Paloma This is Part 2 of the Windows 7 Deployment Series. Let's now take a look at how to use WAIK to acquire an image of a Windows 7 machine and store it in the Windows Imaging Format or WIM. For this we will need the WinPE boot CD that we created in part 1   Windows 7 Deployment Part 3 - Using WAIK to A

Late last year I had posted an article over on http://www.petri.co.il/ that reviews some subtle changes to Windows 7 Desktop that you should be aware of. While the changes from Vista to Windows 7 are subtle they are a radical departure for those users that are more familiar with Windows XP. The full article is titled Getting Started with the Windows 7 Desktop and it takes a brief look the Windows 7 Desktop and the changes in the basic functions of it and how you can perform some customizations for personalization and ease of use. There is some additional focus of the article regarding the Notification Area that is on the right side of the taskbar by default near the time and date information. This part of the Taskbar contains icons for installed program that can provide status for things such as the existence (or lack) of network connectivity, volume control, action center notifications and so forth. For the 70-680 exam it is good to just understand some of these changes – agai

This post was originally written by Gabriel Villa on his blog http://extofer.blogspot.com/ It’s about that time to focus on a few things, one being Microsoft Certification. I passed the 70-433 Database Developer certification last year. My intention is to become a Microsoft Certified IT Pro Database Developer and DBA. Microsoft has three Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification and three IT Professional certifications for SQL Server 2008. The MCTS include Implementation and Maintenance (70-432), Database Development (70-433) and Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance (70-448). Each of these are the prerequisite to the IT Professional certifications (MCITP). For instance if you take 70-432 and 70-450, Designing, Optimizing and Maintaining a Database Server Infrastructure using Microsoft SQL Server 2008, you obtained MCITP Database Administrator. Exam 70-433 along with 70-451, Designing Database Solutions and Data Access Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008, makes you an

Late last year I had posted an article over on http://www.petri.co.il/ that reviews some of the changes in the Windows Start Menu. While the changes from Vista to Windows 7 are subtle they are a radical departure for those users that are more familiar with Windows XP. The full article is titled Getting Familiar with the Windows 7 Start Menu and also goes over some simple steps for customizing the Start Menu as well as reviews what is new with the Recently Opened Programs area that is available on the Windows 7. For the 70-680 exam it is good to just understand some of these changes – again most specifically from XP to Windows 7 – as well as comprehending how to make some of these customizations to the configurable settings from the GUI.