Certification Prep – The 20 Minute Workout

Improvements in Windows Explorer [WINDOWS 8 PREVIEW]

2011-08-31T08:46:00.002-04:00

Steven Sinofsky has a new blog post up at Building Windows 8 An inside look from the Windows engineering team and it is a very detailed look at the history of file management and access throughout the history of the Windows operating systems.

It also includes a look at what's planned for Windows 8.

Steven's intro:

Windows Explorer is a foundation of the user experience of the Windows desktop and has undergone several design changes over the years, but has not seen a substantial change in quite some time. Windows 8 is about reimagining Windows, so we took on the challenge to improve the most widely used desktop tool (except maybe for Solitaire) in Windows. Alex Simons on the program management team authored this post with a detailed look at the evolution of Explorer and the major improvements to its interface and functionality for Windows 8. Judging by the passion on file operations and user interface design, we know this is an important subject so we expect a pretty engaged dialog on the topic. We put this in one lengthy post, will watch the comments and dialog, and down the road we'll continue the discussion.

I recommend reading the entire post Building Windows 8 An inside look from the Windows engineering team

It's a long read but well worth the investment in time

A new workforce in training for IT jobs in health care [TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2011-08-30T09:23:00.001-04:00

By Arielle Levin Becker
© The Connecticut Mirror
This story originally appeared at CTMirror.org, the website of The Connecticut Mirror, an independent, nonprofit news organization covering government, politics and public policy.

HARTFORD — Julie Michaelson has spent five years working on her hospital’s information technology system, but she says it would be a misconception to think she’s computer- savvy. Mary McAward worked for years in data processing before being laid off, and is hoping the coming wave of health information technology will mean a new career path for her.

Both are taking federally funded courses at Capital Community College, part of a national effort to educate more than 10,500 people in the electronic systems that, after years of discussion, are poised to become commonplace in medicine.

That means jobs, to build, install and maintain the systems. The federal Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has estimated that the nation will need 50,000 more health IT workers by 2015.

But as hospitals look to cut costs amid forecasts of tighter health care budgets, will the work be done by people like Michaelson, a registered nurse who added technology to her job functions? Or will there be newer positions for people like McAward?

Experts say there could be room for both.

There’s already been a dramatic increase in demand for people with information technology skills, in part because virtually all hospitals are upgrading or implementing new electronic medical record systems to meet federal standards, said John Brady, chief financial officer and vice president of business planning. Physicians in private practice have been slower to embrace electronic records, particularly those in solo or small practices without the resources to invest the money and time required to get new systems, but federal funding and state-level assistance are helping many in primary care make the switch.

“Things need to be built, and right now, we’re all in a building phase,” said Adam Greenberg, a health information technology consultant who teaches some of the classes at Capital. Once the systems are in place, there will be a need for people to maintain them.

“It is definitely something where I think you’ll see a net increase in jobs,” Brady said.

In addition to new jobs, Leticia Colon, staff development and grants coordinator at Hartford Hospital, predicted that the new technology requirements will likely mean a need for increased training for existing health care workers. Nurses and personal care attendants didn’t used to need to know how to use computers, she noted, but now they do.

“The whole medical field is changing based on this,” she said.

Electronic medical records can make it easier to collect data to see how effective a given technique or program is. They can make it easier to standardize procedures so patient care is more uniform. Experts expect the electronic records to help prevent errors, such as bad drug interactions, and duplicated tests.

But making the change isn’t easy, and it’s requires understanding more than technology, as Greenberg told students during a recent class at Capital. There’s the need to get colleagues to accept the new systems, which can mean changing the way they work and giving up things they trust, like paper records. Making them comfortable with it requires relationship- building and explanation, he said.

In the evolution of health information technology, he said, the industry is still crawling, and about to stand up.
Michaelson said patients and their families already expect hospitals to be automated. But she said health care’s complexity, like the need for clinical judgment, makes it a challenge.

Michaelson was a nurse at Hartford Hospital when she was chosen five years ago to help design and test health information technology systems, working to determine what would and wouldn’t work in a clinical setting. She addresses questions like what information the system should alert health care providers to, and how information about patient allergies should be handled.

Designing and using the systems require an understanding of both technology and how work is done in the hospital. For Michaelson, the class at Capital meant a way to catch up on the technology side.

“I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” she said.

The six-month courses are federally funded and free to students, who must have a least a two-year degree and experience working in information technology or health care. Leventhal said students have ranged from their mid-20s to mid-60s, from having a two-year degree to having a Ph.D. The last of four courses is slated to begin in October.

Applications are being accepted until Sept. 19. Even before the applications were available, Leventhal had a list of 75 students interested in the course, which has room for about 50. Capital is seeking a state grant to develop certificate and degree programs in health IT, along with Northwestern Community College, Norwalk Community College, Charter Oak State College, and Eastern Connecticut State University.

Brady said the hospital association is eager to work with Capital and colleges that are looking to offer the program. “It can only help,” he said.

The course Michaelson is taking is for employees of Hartford Health Care, which includes Hartford Hospital, Windham Hospital and Mid-State Medical Center. The others have included a mix of people who are looking for work and those who have jobs.

McAward raves about the program and the chance to update her skills.

She’s heard that health IT is a promising field for finding a job. “I hope that’s accurate,” she said.

TRAIN SIGNAL - VMware vSphere 5 Training is now available [VIRTUALIZATION TRAINING]

2011-08-29T22:28:00.001-04:00

I plan to get a couple of posts up here regarding my current efforts to complete all of my Hyper-V certifications (I recently passed 70-669 and I’ll blog about that at some point) but I am hoping to get to VMWare shortly after as that is what is in use at my current employer, Bloomberg LP.

I wanted to finish up Hyper-V as I have more experience with it before I moved over to make an attempt at the VCP certification (if you are a VCP4 you only have until February 29, 2012 to upgrade to VCP5 without having to take a VMware Education course all over again; if you pass that date you’re effectively starting from scratch. I’ll get to all of that in a moment.)

I’ve always had great success LEARNING ABOUT THE PRODUCT by getting hands on exposure and filling in the gaps with good training and Train Signal is always my first stop. If they don’t have what I am looking for I may go elsewhere if I feel I am going to need it but I always lean on them first and I have done so since my first purchase back in 2002 / 2003 when I purchased their “Configuring an Internet Gateway using ISA Server, NAT and ICS for Green Lizard Books, INC” training (Mega Lab 7). That was part one of their three part training kit for Windows 2000 / 2003 Routing and Remote Access series.

David Davis holds the following certifications; vExpert, VCP, VCAP-DCA, CCIE. He is a vSphere Video Training Author at TrainSignal.com and he along with Elias Khnaser, VMware vExpert, have put together the newest release in the VMWare training arsenal at TrainSignal - VMware vSphere 5 Training

The training source is 16 hours in total material over 36 lessons and it covers the installation, configuration, and management of vSphere as well as the new features of vSphere 5. Some of the subjects and material as outlined are:

What’s New in vSphere 5
Installing vCenter 5 as a Linux Appliance (vCSA)
Using the vSphere 5 Web-Client
Auto Deploy
Profile-Driven Storage
vRAM Pooled Pricing
Administering vSphere 5 with an iPad
vSphere Storage Appliance (VSA)

Elias and David’s content includes numerous lessons on new vSphere 5 features as well as all the tips and tricks you need to administer vSphere 5 effectively. Additionally they cover topics like Installing ESXi 5, Virtual Infrastructure Storage, Connecting vSphere to a Free OpenFiler iSCSI SAN, Administering vSphere Security, VMHA, DRS, Fault Tolerance, Storage IO Control, VMware Data Recovery (new version 2), and well as many other topics.

If you should decide that you want to review additional information on the course you can do it right on their website on the VMware vSphere 5 Training page.

Additionally, VMworld 2011 is currently ongoing in Las Vegas from 8/29 through 9/1 at The Venetian and at The Wynn; the TrainSignal gang are set up at booth 653 in the VMworld exhibition hall. Stop by and ask them all the questions you want on this or any of their training.

IT Certification Update: August 2011 by Mike Rodriguez [GENERAL CERTIFICATION]

2011-08-08T09:42:00.007-04:00

Mike Rodriguez over on the TrainSignal Training website has released a great write up focusing on a number of important updates for many of the major certification tracks.

He has a write up regarding the New 2011 CompTIA Security+ Exam and the new Security+ SY0-301 Exam Objectives

TrainSignal's current Security+ Training offering has received CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum (CAQC) approval and I am sure as they upgrade their training for the new SY0-301 Exam Objectives they will be able to get the same certification.

There is also a section regarding the upcoming Microsoft Exams that are retiring as of this September. You can review the list of exams that Mike has listed and you can take a look at the full list of retired exams on Microsoft's website

Mike's article also has some updates regarding the CCDE Practical Exam, VMware Certified Professional 4 Desktop Exam as well as a couple of others.

I would definitely suggest reviewing his entire post - IT Certification Update: August 2011

Free Windows 7 Security webinar from Global Knowledge [70-680] [WINDOWS 7]

2011-08-03T09:30:00.000-04:00

Live Webinar
Date: 8/31/2011
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Duration: 1 hour

Global Knowledge senior instructor Tim Euler will introduce you to security for Windows 7 and examine the features that make Windows 7 a truly secure operating system. He will provide a high-level overview of key Windows 7 security components, including:

UAC (User Account Control)
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
Windows Data Execution Prevention
Windows BitLocker and Windows BitLocker To Go
Encrypting File System (EFS) in NTFS
Direct Access
IPv6

Tim will help you understand which security features you can use to protect your organization and its data, and he will discuss the hands-on Windows security training available to help you master the concepts presented in the webinar.

You can register for this free webinar here.

CompTIA is looking for PC Repair/Troubleshooting subject matter experts (SMEs) [COMPTIA HARDWARE]

2011-07-25T12:41:00.001-04:00

CompTIA is looking for IT professionals who have extensive experience in the field of PC troubleshooting, repair and support to be involved in the next update for the CompTIA A+ certification exam.

The full details are below, as taken from their website. If you would like to be considered as a Subject Matter Expert, their application form is available on their website.

Here is the body of the call for SMEs:

PC Repair/Troubleshooting Experts needed for New A+ Exam Workshop

CompTIA is looking for IT professionals who have extensive experience in the field of PC troubleshooting, repair and support to be involved in updating our CompTIA A+ certification exam.

During this "Job Task Analysis" exam development workshop, the first of three workshops, subject matter experts (SMEs) will help determine the exam's target audience, outline main competencies and objectives to be covered in the test, and weight different topics.

SMEs will validate the skills and knowledge required to be a successful PC technician. IT professionals with a strong technical background, at least two years current experience in troubleshooting Microsoft Windows operating systems and PC hardware, including motherboard components, and who are CompTIA A+ certified are preferred. Android and Apple iOS operating system experience will also be helpful. Assistance from subject matter experts is crucial to providing an industry relevant exam.

SMEs receive a $300 a day stipend for the 5-day workshop, as well as provided meals during the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. working days. Travel and lodging expenses are the responsibility of each subject matter expert (although CompTIA has recommendations for nearby accommodations with reasonable rates). Recognition for SMEs includes a listing on the CompTIA website pending full participation in the program. And, you'll have the personal satisfaction of knowing that you are helping others who come behind you.

When: August 15-19, 2011
Where: CompTIA Headquarters, Downers Grove, IL. Downers Grove is a western suburb of Chicago accessible by O'Hare and Midway airports.

Only professionals currently working in the PC repair and support field should apply. Although CompTIA appreciates interest from the training community, applications from trainers, authors, or individuals who may profit or materially benefit from knowledge of the CompTIA A+ credential content are not eligible to participate. If you have questions about the application process, email examdev@comptia.org.

Supercast with David Davis and Industry Experts on Disaster Recovery [GENERAL VIRTUALIZATION INFORMATION]

2011-07-18T14:46:00.005-04:00

I subscribe to many different email lists as I find that when I can target the email I get to something that is topical for me I can tolerate all that spam I get a little better (at least the stuff I’ve signed up for I am asking to have sent to me).

Virtualization Review sent along an email regarding a half day seminar that is being sponsored by Virtacore Systems /PHD Virtual, Zerto and Veeam with David Davis giving the keynote.

David Davis is THE go to guy for Virtualization topics and vSphere Training. He is an author at Train Signal for a number of their VMWare / vSphere training suites.

The forum will focus on Disaster Recovery in VMware Environments on July 20, 2011 Time: 9 am PDT / 12 noon EDT

David’s segment will cover:

The top five DR challenges VMware oriented IT organizations face today
What you can do to minimize disaster potential as information and data proliferates
Typical DR scenarios faced in a virtual infrastructure
DR best practices in virtualized environments
Tips to simplify virtual backup and replication

There’s additional information regarding the remainder of the live webcast on the Disaster Recovery in VMware Environments registration page.

Prometric is implementing a new rescheduling and cancellation policy as of today [GENERAL CERTIFICATION]

2011-07-15T12:13:00.005-04:00

As some of you are aware, I am presently studying for Exam 70-669: TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Desktop Virtualization

During the course of this and having a day job I've had to reschedule this exam once already, pushing it out to July 25. I hope I am ready for it now because much to my surprise there is a new rescheduling and cancellation policy in effect:

"Please note that effective July 15th 2011 our rescheduling and cancellation policy has changed. In order to provide all Microsoft candidates with a broad selection of convenient times and locations in order to test, fees will now be applied for examinations that are rescheduled / cancelled with less than 15 days' notice.

We therefore encourage you to keep your original appointment, or if necessary reschedule or cancel more than 15 days out from your appointment date. Please visit www.prometric.com/microsoft/reschedulecancellationpolicy for more information and www.prometric.com/microsoft/reschedulecancellation/faqs for answers to some frequently asked questions."

I am pretty tuned in and I wasn't aware of this; I am wondering how many other people were also caught unaware

Win7′s no-reformat, nondestructive reinstall [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2011-07-14T06:50:00.001-04:00

I have been reading articles from Fred Langa over the past two decades. His articles have been beyond insightful and extremely helpful. His “Langa Letter” emails were a staple in my inbox for years.

His most recent article “Win7′s no-reformat, nondestructive reinstall” is another big winner.

Since Windows 95, there have been “secret” ways to re-install your Windows operating system leaving much of your data and installed application base intact. For the most part these re-installs are effectively unsupported and relatively unknown.

I don’t remember where I learned my earlier re-installs from for Windows 95 and 98 but I do remember reading his article for Windows XP.

Fred has written a great article that outlines this entire process for Windows 7 and it can be found on the Windows Secrets website; it is titled “Win7′s no-reformat, nondestructive reinstall.”

Better Together: Microsoft Courseware and Kindles [GENERAL CERTIFICATION STUDY]

2011-06-17T08:02:00.005-04:00

Last week the Born to Learn blog posted some information regarding a new program and it has been released as of this past week.

Microsoft Learning Partners in the US can now buy a digital Microsoft Official Course (dMOC) on behalf of their students. The purchase includes a voucher to take a Microsoft Certification exam.

The Kindle is part of the package purchase which comes preloaded with two versions of the digital MOC courseware. One version is in PDF for use on the Kindle or a computer and one version of the course optimized for readability on the Kindle itself

Students then choose if they’d like to consume their Microsoft Learning digital content on a computer, a Kindle, or both.

All of the details can be found on the Born to Learn blog in the entry titled Better Together: Microsoft Courseware and Kindles

Microsoft's Ten Immutable Laws Of Security [GENERAL SECURITY STUDY]

2011-06-16T14:44:00.002-04:00

A few years ago when I was working at Microsoft they released a paper titled Ten Immutable Laws Of Security.

It looks as if they have made some updates to this as it is now titled Ten Immutable Laws Of Security (Version 2.0)

Whether you are a security specialist, a systems administrator or simply an end user of computer systems I believe this is a great read.

I have often referred back to it when dealing with customers that desperately needed assistance in developing their own security standards in their own environments.

I have also suggested a review of this for folks that are studying for their Security+ and / or CISSP exams as well as it allows for a good base of understanding.

Microsoft Certification Exams retiring on June 30, 2011 [GENERAL CERTIFICATION NEWS]

2011-06-13T08:45:00.000-04:00

Over on the Microsoft Certification Exam Development website there is an updated list of exams scheduled to retire on June 30th of this year along with a listing of exams that have already retired in months past.

All of the exams listed can be found on the Microsoft Certification Exam Development Discontinued Exams page. Below is the list scheduled to retire on June 30.

Exams retiring on June 30, 2011

TS: Developing Business Process and Integration Solutions by Using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 - Exam 70-235

TS: Developing Business Process and Integration Solutions by Using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 - Exam 70-241

Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System - Exam 70-271

Supporting Users and Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System - Exam 70-272

TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 ‒ Implementation and Maintenance - Exam 70-431

PRO: Designing Database Solutions by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Exam 70-441

PRO: Designing and Optimizing Data Access by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Exam 70-442

PRO: Designing a Database Server Infrastructure by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Exam 70-443

PRO: Optimizing and Maintaining a Database Administration Solution by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Exam 70-444

TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Business Intelligence ‒ Development and Maintenance - Exam 70-445

PRO: Designing a Business Intelligence Solution by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Exam 70-446

UPGRADE: MCDBA Skills to MCITP Database Administrator by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Exam 70-447

TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 – Windows-Based Client Development - Exam 70-526

TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 – Web-Based Client Development - Exam 70-528

TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 – Distributed Application Development - Exam 70-529

TS: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 – Application Development - Exam 70-541

PRO: Designing and Developing Web-Based Applications by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework - Exam 70-547

PRO: Designing and Developing Windows-Based Applications by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework - Exam 70-548

PRO: Designing and Developing Enterprise Applications by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework - Exam 70-549

UPGRADE: MCAD Skills to MCPD Web Developer by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework - Exam 70-551

UPGRADE: MCAD Skills to MCPD Windows Developer by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework - Exam 70-552

UPGRADE: MCSD Microsoft .NET Skills to MCPD Enterprise Application Developer by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework: Part 1 - Exam 70-553

UPGRADE: MCSD Microsoft .NET Skills to MCPD Enterprise Application Developer by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework: Part 2 - Exam 70-554

UPGRADE: MCAD Skills to MCTS Windows Applications by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework - Exam 70-558

UPGRADE: MCAD Skills to MCTS Web Applications by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework - Exam 70-559

Connected Home Integrator - Exam 70-625

Consumer Sales Specialist - Exam 70-626

Windows Thin PC (WinTPC) will be available for download on July 1 [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2011-06-07T18:39:00.001-04:00

Karri Alexion-Tiernan posted an article over on the Windows Blog regarding the upcoming software release of Windows Thin PC due out this July.

Microsoft Windows Thin PC (WinTPC) is part of the company’s strategy with respect to Desktop Virtualization.

You can read the entire post on the Windows Team Blog at Windows Thin PC RTMs!

For more information you can visit the WinTPC site.

Windows forecast shows XP's one-of-a-kind dominance [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2011-06-06T18:48:00.001-04:00

There is a newly posted article over on the ComputerWorld website that indicates that Windows 7 will top out at a 41% share, less than half XP's peak of just about 84%. This is based on current roll outs of the Windows 7 operating system and the speculated release date of Windows 8 next year.

Other mitigating factors also include the lag of the Windows Vista release and its unpopularity which allowed Windows XP to reign supreme for such a long time.

The entire article “Windows forecast shows XP's one-of-a-kind dominance” can be found on the ComputerWorld website

Over half of Indian IT professionals may return to India [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2011-06-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Early April, Corp-Corp conducted a survey among Indian IT professionals. More than 1000 professionals responded to this survey. The results show more than half of the Indian IT professionals are planning to return to India.

Survey Highlights

Here are a few quick insights from the survey:

50.1% of the people said that they will be returning to India soon.
6.4% of them have already returned to India and
43% do not have plan to return.

The survey participants includes permanent residents, citizens and Visa holders. The survey results shows 69% of visa holders and 57% permanent residents or citizens are intend to return.

To read the entire story please see Over half of Indian IT professionals may return to India – Survey

VMware Acquires Enterprise Microblogging Platform Socialcast [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2011-06-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

VMware has acquired social communications platform Socialcast. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

VMware has been on a bit of an acquisition spree of late, recently buying Shavlik Technologies, and SlideRocket.

Please see Leena Rao’s complete story at TechCrunch - VMware Acquires Enterprise Microblogging Platform Socialcast

Microsoft Virtualization Certification [70-669, 70-693, 70-659 and 70-652]

2011-05-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

This year I have two main goals for myself and one stretch goal.

I decided for 2011 that I was going to obtain my Microsoft Virtualization Certification and my Cisco CCNA. My stretch goal for 2011 was to also work towards a certification on WMWare.

I am a little farther behind the curve than I wanted to be for the year (I was hoping to have a couple of the Microsoft Virtualization Certification exams out of the way already) but I have been busy with several projects at work and saving the 4th of July celebration in my hometown for the second year in a row.

With that work completed, both the project at work and the one in Wallingford, I am going to get back on track over the summer. (Admittedly, I may have to drop my certification on WMWare stretch goal for 2011 and defer it to 2012 but we’ll see how it goes).

In the meantime I am going to be looking at the Microsoft Server Virtualization certification track as well as the Desktop Virtualization certification track.

These certifications are broken down as Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization which is a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) credential and the Windows Server 2008 R2, Virtualization Administrator certification, which is a Microsoft Certified IT professional (MCITP) credential. There is also the Windows Server 2008 R2, Desktop Virtualization certification which is a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) credential.

In my next post I’ll outline some of my planned study for these certifications. As I move a long in my study and as a method of learning reinforcement for myself, I’ll be posting up some pointers and knowledge tidbits that I pick up along the way.

Shon Harris - Owner and President of Logical Security posts free CEH on-line training [CEH CERTIFICATION]

2011-04-18T08:37:00.002-04:00

Hi Gang,

Really quickly this AM - I saw a posting over on LinkedIn from Shon Harris - Owner and President of Logical Security where she indicated that she is providing 25 hours of free CEH on-line training.

I am presently studying for this certification myself so I am certain it will be quite helpful for me to review this from the master herself and I wanted to pass along the information.

Directly from her posting:

Free On-Line CEH Course – Over 25 Hours Long
I am providing 25 hours of free CEH on-line training.

The video modules are outlined below and can be found at www.logicalsecurity.com/resources/resources_videos.html

Hope you find them useful!

1. Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing
2. Footprinting and Reconnaissance
3. TCP/IP Basics and Scanning
4. Enumeration and Verification
5. Hacking and Defending Wireless/Modems
6. Hacking and Defending Web Servers
7. Hacking and Defending Web Applications
8. Sniffers and Session Hijacking
9. Hacking and Defending Windows Systems
10. Hacking and Defending Unix Systems
11. Rootkits, Backdoors, Trojans and Tunnels
12. Denial of Service and Botnets
13. Automated Penetration Testing Tools
14. Intrusion Detection Systems
15. Firewalls
16. Honeypots and Honeynets
17. Ethics and Legal Issues

All videos can be viewed at http://www.logicalsecurity.com/resources/resources_videos.html

Chain of fools : Upgrading through every version of Windows [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2011-03-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Andy's Tech Experiments Blog has an excellent video presentation covering an experiment he performed where he which upgraded through every major version of Windows using a virtual machine install.

Along with the video installation he has his blog post that offers additional information and details that he did not include within the presentation.

Below is the video and his blog post can be found at Andy's Tech Experiments Blog under Chain of fools : Upgrading through every version of Windows

Poaching of IT employees on the rise [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2011-03-04T18:30:00.001-05:00

Companies are offering their IT pros more flexible hours and more money in the hopes of getting them to stay.

Read the full post on the InfoWorld website.

Regular readers of my blog know I have been saying this for the past six months and it’s only going to escalate from here – this is good news for IT workers, as they may have more leverage for raises / bonuses / flexible and /or additional benefits with their current employer.

If not, the one up the street might offer what you’re looking for. Just remember all the loyalty (or lack thereof) that you’re current employer provides and make the decisions that are best for you and your career.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1: Support Ends on July 12, 2011 [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2011-03-02T08:02:00.001-05:00

Support for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) will come to an end on July 12, 2011. The transition of support on this date corresponds with the regular Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy. The date was originally set when Windows Vista Service Pack 2 released back in April 29, 2009.

Windows Vista users can continue to use the product at this service pack level but to be eligible for Mainstream Support and to have access to security and high priority updates, users must be on the supported service pack.

The most important part of this is that customers still on Windows Vista SP1 after this date will not have access to new security updates, high priority updates and non-security hotfixes.

As part of the normal support lifecycle, support is provided for 12 months for the previous service pack when a new service pack is formally released according to the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Service Pack policy for servers as outlined on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle page.

Both Mainstream and Extended Support are available only at a supported service pack level. However, as per the update to the Service Pack Lifecycle Support Policy announced on April 13, 2010, customers will be able to receive limited troubleshooting on unsupported service pack versions.

Additional information on this is available from the update provided on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Service Pack Support Policy Revisions page.

Certification Question of the Day [QOTD] for Cisco CCNA [CCNA 640-802] [Q001 CCNA] [ANSWER]

2011-02-23T11:00:00.000-05:00

QUESTION – What is a router’s primary function on a network? (Choose all that apply – choose only the best answers).

A. Create the boundary of a Broadcast domain

B. Create the boundary of a Collision domain

C. Creates a network segment where it is the default gateway

D. Creates a network segment where it is the central network device on that segment

E. Responsible for Packet Switching on the network

F. Responsible for Path Selection on a network

Answer and Explanation.

The best answers for this question are A, C, E and F

Choice A - Create the boundary of a Broadcast domain, is correct because routers are mainly responsible for creating the logical network division that we call a broadcast domain. For more information please see the Wikipedia article titled “Broadcast Domain”.

Choice C - Creates a network segment where it is the default gateway, is a correct answer because routers are generally the default gateways for a network segment. For more information please see the “Act as the Default Gateway” segment of the article posted on the InetDaemon website titled “What Is A Router?”

Choices E and F are also correct in that a router is mainly responsible for both packet switching and path selection on a network. For more information please see the Wikipedia articles titled “Router,” “Packet switching” and “Routing”

Choice B - Create the boundary of a Collision domain, is technically correct but it is not the best answer which is why it is not considered as a choice for this question. Network connected devices that are connected to the same Ethernet repeater or switch are considered to be members of the same broadcast domain. When you are talking about the true division point of a Collision Domain that would be one of the primary functions of a network switch. For more information please see the Wikipedia article titled “Broadcast Domain”.

Choice D - Creates a network segment where it is the central network device on that segment, is not a correct answer. While it is entirely possible that a router could be the central network device it often is an end point. Having a default gateway where all traffic enters and exits often places the device on the extreme end of a network segment. Generally hubs and more often than not, switches, are the devices you will see as central network devices for a given segment.

Studying for the Cisco CCNA 640-802 certification [CCNA] [640-802] [TRAIN SIGNAL]

2011-02-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

In my post from yesterday I had mentioned that I am going to be studying to take my Cisco CCNA 640-802 exam.

I have a couple of text books I am going to be reviewing for research and study, I also have access to a couple of CCNA video training suites that I will be using.

One of the titles I am going to be reviewing is Train Signal’s Cisco CCNA Training.

I am going to be doing this training on my train ride to work so it is nice to have it available to view offline and when I am not connected to the internet.

I’ll give you a quick overview of the product now and some more of a detailed review once I’ve had the chance to review most of it.

So according to the marking material on the Train Signal’s Cisco CCNA Training page – “In 3 Days or Less, You'll Learn How To Install, Operate, and Troubleshoot a Small to Medium Enterprise Branch Network... And Have the Knowledge to Pass the Cisco CCNA 640-802 Exam... Guaranteed!”

The immediate additional information there also includes the following:

Professional Training

Nearly 29 Hours (28 Hours, 54 Minutes, 54 Seconds) of Cisco CCNA Training Videos Jam Packed on 4 DVDs!
Multiple File Formats Make it convenient for you to learn anywhere you go! iPod Video, Mp3 Audio, .WMV & high quality .AVI video
PDF of Instructor Notes allow you to follow along with the videos and take more organized notes
Instant Access Online to the entire training course

Exam Preparation

Complete Exam Coverage This course covers all of the bases required for you to obtain:
- Cisco Certified Network Associate Exam Certification
FREE, FULL VERSION of Transcender's Practice Exam for:
- 640-802 - Cisco Certified Network Associate Exam
We've partnered with Transcender, the leading exam simulation provider in the world! Purchased separately, you would pay $139! But you get it FREE as the perfect training companion to our Cisco CCNA Training!

I am excited about the opportunity to review the material and to see how I make out. With the ability to take the iPod Video, Mp3 Audio, .WMV / high quality .AVI video with me on the go I am looking forward to the idea that I can get this done in fairly short order leveraging my commute time on the train. I am sure 12 years of experience helps as does my other networking certifications (CompTIA, Microsoft, etc.) but Cisco is the leader and there is more to the CCNA than just knowing the network piece.

So again – I’ll be keeping you posted on my progress. I don’t think I am going to be tackling this “In 3 Days or Less”; I am sure if I could dedicate three solid days perhaps I could but I am more likely to break up the 23 lessons over the course or a month.

We’ll see how it goes.

Certification Question of the Day [QOTD] for CompTIA Security+ [Security+] [Q001 Security+]

2011-02-23T08:06:00.003-05:00

QUESTION – What are the three core principles of information security?

A. Confidentiality

B. Non-repudiation

C. Authenticity

D. Availability

E. Integrity

F. Identity

G. Risk management

Check back tomorrow for the answer and explanation of today’s question.

Certification Question of the Day [QOTD] for Cisco CCNA [CCNA 640-802] [Q001 CCNA]

2011-02-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

QUESTION – What is a router’s primary function on a network? (Choose all that apply – choose only the best answers).

A. Create the boundary of a Broadcast domain

B. Create the boundary of a Collision domain

C. Creates a network segment where it is the default gateway

D. Creates a network segment where it is the central network device

E. Responsible for Packet Switching on the network

F. Responsible for Path Selection on a network

Check back tomorrow for the answer and explanation of today’s question.

Question of the Day coming for the CCNA 640-802 certification [CCNA] [640-802]

2011-02-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hi Gang.

I’ll have a little more to write about some of the additional changes you’re going to be seeing in the site but briefly, one of the ways I have personally found that it is easiest for me to learn something new or to brush up on something I am out of practice on is to research the information and write articles on the theory of a topic. This is just one piece of training that works for me. I still need to do the hands-on practical part and in some cases, especially for new and emerging technologies, take instructional courses.

As such and as part of my studying for my CCNA 640-802 exam, I’ll be publishing Question of the Day questions on this site. They’ll be as much a review for you the reader and they will be for me the blogger. You can expect to see these questions starting tomorrow. I will be intermixing them with the other QOTD for the CompTIA and Windows 7 topics.

On the topic of instructional courses, these come in many “flavors.” Computer based training, online instructor led, online interactive hands on labs, DVD based training and so forth. I have always found for myself that getting two courses / courseware titles from different vendors has always been helpful as it allows me to review parallel subject matter as it is being delivered by two different instructors.

Generally if you are using reputable courseware developers, both sets of courseware should come pretty close on the content side. What might be different is some of the nuances in the delivery of the material. This may help you to learn something you didn’t “get” before or it might help solidify your knowledge on something that was a little shaky. I used to do this a lot when reading research material – I would buy two different textbooks because the two different authors had different writing styles and different ways of communicating the material. While I do have a couple of text books I am going to be reviewing for study I also have access to a couple of CCNA video training suites that I will be using.

One of the titles I am going to be reviewing is Train Signal’s Cisco CCNA Training.

I am going to be doing this training on my train ride to work so it is nice to have it available to view offline and when I am not connected to the internet. I will be going into a bit more into the details in my next post; be sure to stop back tomorrow.

Microsoft Certification Exams slated for retirement in March [GENERAL CERTIFICATION NEWS]

2011-02-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

The Microsoft Certification team recently announced a new set of exam retirements that are planned for this upcoming March 2011. The review process for exams is an ongoing one and as new exams are introduced the older exams are either revised or discontinued.

Below is a list of exams retiring on March 31, 2011 as listed on the Microsoft Learning website.

Exams retiring on March 31, 2011

Implementing and Managing Microsoft Exchange Server 2003	Exam 70-284
Designing a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Organization	Exam 70-285
TS: Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2006, Configuring	Exam 70-351
TS: Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, Implementing and Managing	Exam 70-500
TS: Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server	Exam 70-510
TS: Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 – Application Development	Exam 70-540
TS: Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office	Exam 70-543
TS: Microsoft Forefront Client and Server, Configuring	Exam 70-557
PRO: Upgrading Your MCDST Certification to MCITP Enterprise Support	Exam 70-621
TS: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Configuring	Exam 70-631
SL 6.5 Financials	Exam MB4-348
SL 6.5 Installation & Configuration	Exam MB4-349

Certification Question of the Day [QOTD] for CompTIA Network+ [CompTIA Network+] [Q001 NETWORK+] [ANSWER]

2011-02-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

QUESTION – You are the network administrator for your company. There is a problem with clients connecting to your news server and you believe it is an issue with the way the protocol has been configured. Which protocol would you need to check to verify the settings?

A. NTP

B. NNTP

C. SNMP

D. SMTP

E. TCP/IP

Answer and Explanation.

B is the correct answer – NNTP is the Network News Transfer Protocol and it is the primary protocol that is used to connect news servers to networks and allows clients to access them. For additional information please see the Wikipedia article titled “Network News Transfer Protocol”

Choice “A” is the Network Time Protocol which is used to keep time on computer systems synchronized. For additional information please see the Wikipedia article titled “Network Time Protocol.”

Choice “C” is the Simple Network Management Protocol which is used for managing devices on TCP/IP networks. For additional information please see the Wikipedia article titled “Simple Network Management Protocol”.

Choice “D” is the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol which is used for messaging communications on networks for email client applications like Outlook and Thunderbird and for messaging server to server transfer traffic. For additional information please see the Wikipedia article titled “Simple Mail Transfer Protocol”.

Choice “E” is Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP) which are part of the Internet Protocol Suite. TCP/IP is the set of communications protocols used on most networks including the public Internet. For additional information please see the Wikipedia article titled “Internet Protocol Suite”.

Information about Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2 [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2011-02-17T10:16:00.004-05:00

Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2 is now available.

SP1 for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2 is a recommended collection of updates and improvements to Windows that are combined into a single installable update.

The Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 update also provides a comprehensive set of innovations for enterprise-class virtualization. This includes new virtualization capabilities with Dynamic Memory and Microsoft RemoteFX.

Consumer end-users can find general information about Windows 7 SP1 at the Service Pack Center Website

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 can be downloaded directly from the Microsoft website

Windows 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 can be downloaded directly from the Microsoft website

Documentation for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 is available via KB976932

Additional details regarding Windows 7 Service Pack 1 are available on the Windows 7 Service Pack 1 page

Additional details regarding Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 are available on the Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 page

Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring - Perform a clean installation - Identifying hardware requirements (PART 2) [70-680]

2011-02-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

For Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring you’ll need to make sure you have a good, solid understanding of all of the skills measured. This will need to be a combination of academic knowledge of the subject matter and real world experience.

The first domain is “Perform a clean installation” and the first set of knowledge to have is “Identifying hardware requirements.”

In Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring - Perform a clean installation - Identifying hardware requirements (PART 1) we reviewed some of these requirements and we’ll continue with some additional ones with this installment including reviewing some of the details of each of the different editions of Windows 7

Each of the different editions of Windows 7 supports different features and you’ll need to have at least cursory knowledge of this topic for the exam. This will allow you to pick the specific edition of Windows 7 that you need for an installation for a given scenario.

Windows 7 Starter Edition

Windows 7 Starter is the most limited version of the Windows editions and does not support or include the following features

Windows Aero user interface
DVD playback
Windows Media Center
IIS Web Server,
Internet connection sharing.
Domain join
Encrypting File System (EFS)
AppLocker
DirectAccess
BitLocker,
Remote Desktop Host,
BranchCache.

Windows 7 Starter Edition supports a maximum of one physical processor.

Windows 7 Starter Edition includes and supports the following list of features

Jump Lists
Windows Search
HomeGroup Join
Windows Media Player
Backup and restore
Enhanced Media Playback
Action Center
Device Stage
Home Media Streaming
Bluetooth Support
Fax and Scan
Credential Manager

Windows 7 Home Basic Edition

Windows 7 Home Basic is available only in emerging markets and supports a maximum of one physical processor.

The x86 version supports 4 GB of RAM in total and the x64 version supports up to 8 GB of RAM.

Windows 7 Home Basic Edition includes all of the same features as Windows 7 Starter Edition and the following list of additional ones:

Taskbar Thumbnail Preview
Fast User Switching
Ad-hoc wireless networks
Internet connection sharing
Multi-Monitor Support
Windows Mobility Center

Windows 7 Home Premium Edition

Windows 7 Home Premium supports all of the features that are available in Windows 7 Home Basic Edition as well as these additional features:

Aero Glass
Aero Background
Windows Touch
HomeGroup Create
Windows Media Center
Remote Media Streaming
DVD Playback and authoring
Snipping Tool
Sticky Notes
Windows Journal
Windows Side Show

The x86 version of Windows 7 Home Premium supports up to 4 GB of RAM on the x86 architecture and the x64 version supports up to 16 GB of RAM.

Windows 7 Home Premium Edition supports up to two physical processors.

It does not support:

Domain join
Encrypting File System (EFS)
AppLocker
DirectAccess
BitLocker,
Remote Desktop Host,
BranchCache.

Windows 7 Professional Edition

Windows 7 Professional Edition supports all the features that are available under Windows Home Premium and also offers these additional features:

Domain join
Encrypting File System (EFS)
Location Aware Printing
Group Policy
Remote Desktop Host
Advanced Back-up
Windows XP Mode
Windows Mobility Center Presentation Mode
Offline Folders

It does not support AppLocker, DirectAccess, BitLocker, or BranchCache.

Windows 7 Professional Edition supports up to 4 GB of RAM on the x86 architecture and the x64 version supports up to 192 GB of RAM.

Windows 7 Professional Edition can support up to two physical processors.

Windows 7 Enterprise Edition / Windows 7 Ultimate Edition

The final two editions of Windows 7 are exactly identical to one another as far as feature support goes. The only difference in them is the licensing. Windows 7 Enterprise Edition is available only through Microsoft’s volume licensing; it is not available through retail channels or installed on systems by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) for sale to the general public.

Windows 7 Ultimate Edition on the other hand is directly available through retail channels or Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) for sale to the general public through retail channels.

Both of these versions of Windows 7 support all of the features supported under Windows 7 Professional Edition.

In addition to those features the following is also supported:

BitLocker
BitLocker To Go
AppLocker
Direct Access
Branch Cache
Multi-User Interface Language Packs
Enterprise Search Scopes
VDI Enhancements
Boot from VHD

Both of these editions support up to 4 GB of RAM on the x86 architecture and the x64 version supports up to 192 GB of RAM.

Enterprise and Ultimate Editions can each support up to two physical processors.

Below is a table of the information that was broken out above. Each product is shown with a “YES” if the support the feature listed to the left.

Feature	Windows 7 Starter Edition	Windows 7 Home Basic Edition	Windows 7 Home Premium Edition	Windows 7 Professional Edition	Windows 7 Enterprise Edition Ultimate Edition
Jump Lists	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Search	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HomeGroup Join	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Media Player	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Backup and restore	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Enhanced Media Playback	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Action Center	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Device Stage	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Home Media Streaming	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fax and Scan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Credential Manager	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Taskbar Thumbnail Preview		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fast User Switching		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ad-hoc wireless networks		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Internet connection sharing		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multi-Monitor Support		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Mobility Center		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Aero Glass			Yes	Yes	Yes
Aero Background			Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Touch			Yes	Yes	Yes
HomeGroup Create			Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Media Center			Yes	Yes	Yes
Remote Media Streaming			Yes	Yes	Yes
DVD Playback and authoring			Yes	Yes	Yes
Snipping Tool			Yes	Yes	Yes
Sticky Notes			Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Journal			Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Side Show			Yes	Yes	Yes
Domain join				Yes	Yes
Encrypting File System (EFS)				Yes	Yes
Location Aware Printing				Yes	Yes
Group Policy				Yes	Yes
Remote Desktop Host				Yes	Yes
Advanced Back-up				Yes	Yes
Windows XP Mode				Yes	Yes
Windows Mobility Center Presentation Mode				Yes	Yes
Offline Folders				Yes	Yes
BitLocker					Yes
BitLocker To Go					Yes
AppLocker					Yes
Direct Access					Yes
Branch Cache					Yes
Multi-User Interface Language Packs					Yes
Enterprise Search Scopes					Yes
VDI Enhancements					Yes
Boot from VHD					Yes

Certification Question of the Day [QOTD] for CompTIA Network+ [CompTIA Network+] [Q001 NETWORK+]

2011-02-17T05:58:00.001-05:00

A. NTP

B. NNTP

C. SNMP

D. SMTP

E. TCP/IP

Check back tomorrow for the answer and explanation of today’s question.

Certification Question of the Day [QOTD] for CompTIA A+ [CompTIA A+] [Q001 A+] [ANSWER]

2011-02-16T19:15:00.001-05:00

QUESTION – Which of the following are examples of a male serial connection? (Choose all that apply).

Answer and Explanation:

The correct answers for this question are choices A and C.

“A” represents a D-sub 9 Connector which is commonly used in serial ports (RS-232). See D-sub 9 Connector Pinout for additional information.

“C” represents a D-sub 25 Connector which is also used in serial ports (RS-232). See RS232 serial cables pinout for additional information

“B” represents a parallel port input also known as a printer port or Centronics port. The IEEE 1284 standard defines the bi-directional version of the port, which allows the transmission and reception of data bits at the same time. For more information please see the Wikipedia post “parallel port”

“D” in the D-sub 9 female connector. Please see “D-sub 9 Connector” for more information.

“E” is the Super Video Graphics Array (SVGA) female input that can be found on most PC and laptops today. Please see the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia article titled “Super Video Graphics Array” for more information.

“F” and “G” are Centronics connectors. “F” is the female connection and “G” is the male. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia article titled “Centronics” for more information. The IEEE 1284 article is also a good review.

Certification and Training – The double edged sword [GENERAL CERTIFICATION] [OPINION]

2011-02-16T12:03:00.002-05:00

So training and certification are always the double edged sword for both the employer and the employee.

Let's start with the employer. So as an employer, you want to keep your technical folks as up to speed as possible. As technologies change you want your team to keep pace. To do that you have to arrange for formalized training or just hope they are going to learn it on their own. It is almost always better to at least allow for the team leads to get the formal training and pass down the information on the job to the junior staff. You do need to include some of the junior staff as well so that they feel like they are getting some direct benefit from the classes as well.

Some of the issues that come with training are the cost of the training itself, who gets to go (as often not everyone can go and not everyone is of the skill level to get the most out of the training), how to arrange the coverage at work (time off) for those attending the class and so on. All of this is perpetual too; new technologies are always coming out and then there are always additions to the team in the form of new hires and transfers.

Once classes are taken sometimes there are certifications to earn. It may be that the employee wants this or the employer or it may be a dual interest.

So then the rub - the employee feels that they are now more valuable and hence deserving of a larger salary. They are not wrong about this but they need to take a pragmatic look at it. If the employer effectively paid for the week of training and the certification exam and granted the time off (effectively) to attend the class all of that needs to be calculated before one just randomly goes in to ask for more salary.

It would be my suggestion to consider the output of the company for the classes and the exam first. There is a cost associated with that; if the company paid for it then the employee should consider that investment and the company's desire to boost productivity which helps their bottom line.

A good way to approach this is to review how you put the training and the certification to use. Did it allow the company to do warrantee work they were not able to do before? If so, by you getting certified you are helping the company's bottom line. By learning additional troubleshooting or operational support and product skills in the classes did it allow the company to reduce its service agreement for vendor support (thus saving them money)?

You can base your argument for more salary approaching it like that AFTER proving some worth (think six to twelve months down the road).

Some employers simply look at the negatives only - "if I get them training and they get themselves certified I either need to pay them more or they leave to a company that is going to offer them 20% more in pay and benefits."

So yes, this is always a risk. If your business could increase productivity and earn 20% more for the corporate coffers I am sure the company would go that route. Individuals are no different - if they can increase their own skills and demand more salary they are going to try.

Businesses may be investing in the individual by paying for the classes and the certifications but the individuals are investing the time and effort that goes along with attending the class and trying to prepare for the exam and a lot of that can take place after hours and on their own time.

The smart way for a business to manage this investment is to clearly outline the costs of the classes and the certification training. In doing so the employee understands what the company is spending in their investment of that training for them. The company can also put a clause in that states if the employee wants to take the training and certification that they must stay with the company for 365 days after the class ends or the company has the right to collect the costs of the training from the employee upon a voluntary separation. That is, if the employee wants to chase a raise and leave the company they are going to need to pay for the classes they took. There can be clauses in there too for things like company downsizing, spousal relocation which forces them to move, and so on where the employee wouldn't be forced to pay back for the class. The spirit of a provision like that is so an employee doesn't take advantage of a liberal corporate training policy and then go off and take a competing job offer elsewhere.

The best way for a business to manage a situation where a worker is offered a competitive salary elsewhere is to offer a raise / promotion that allows for a competing pay raise. If the person is shopping around (and is worth keeping) and is getting offers of 15% more in pay and some more flex time you could counter with an 6% or 7% promotional raise and tie it to a 1% or 2% evaluation six months down the road and perhaps also offer the additional flex time as well. It is not the same increase that the competitor is offering but for the convenience of staying put and not having to adjust to a new workplace and so forth I am certain most employees would take it.

I often hear employers / managers grumbling and complaining about lack of employee loyalty when they need to deal with scenarios like this and that the employee shouldn't be asking for salary jumps like that because another job offer came along. I always stop them and remind them that the workplace today is not our grandfather's workplace of years ago. In a majority of the cases the employers, especially very large corporate ones, don't care about the employees anymore than the employees care about the employer when it comes down to dollars and cents. A business is just as quick to relocate to another state and unemploy many of their local workers all for tax breaks and lower salaries. I ask where is the loyalty there and I always get "sometimes things like that are just good business." I never let them have that cake and eat it too. I tell them, if it is in the best interests for the company to make smart business decisions then it is equally evident that the employee should do that on behalf of themselves as well.

Finally there is the scenario where the employee is paying for everything themselves and investing their own time (weekends, holidays, vacation time, etc.). In a situation like that, all bets are off. They person footing all the bill themselves is certainly going into it with the intention of making themselves more valuable to their employer and if that employer doesn't see it that way and doesn't respond reasonably then another simply will.

Losing self starting employees like that is the worst mistake a company can make in my opinion. That is born and breed of someone; you can almost never teach anyone work ethic like that. If that is found in an individual it is worth compensating heavily for it simply because it is such as rare commodity.

Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring - Perform a clean installation - Identifying hardware requirements (PART 1) [70-680]

2011-02-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

As part of your effort to take the 70-680 Exam for Windows 7 you’ll need to make sure you have a good, solid understanding of all of the skills measured. This will need to be a combination of academic knowledge of the subject matter and real world experience.

The exam itself is intended for technicians and desktop administrators that have at least one year of experience working with the most recent desktop operating system (Vista). You will also need to have about one year of experience implementing and administering systems in a networked environment.

The first domain is “Perform a clean installation” and the first set of knowledge to have is “Identifying hardware requirements.”

What this means is that you need to understand the base, primary system requirements for Windows 7 which are:

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Additional requirements may also include:

Additional system memory and advanced graphics hardware and additional video memory for high end system needs
A graphics card compatible with DirectX 10 or higher for optimal performance may be needed for high end or gaming systems
A TV tuner and additional hardware may be required for some Windows Media Center functionality.
Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 is needed to leverage BitLocker
Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on.

What you need to have installed and what you need for additional functionality are what is provided in both of those bulleted lists.

In order for hardware and software vendors to get the Windows 7 Software Logo which shows they have passed the testing for this designation they have to meet the qualifying criteria (as outlined in the Windows 7 Resource Kit):

Comply with Anti-Spyware Coalition Guidelines
Do not try to circumvent Windows Resource Protection
Ensure ongoing quality
Clean, reversible installation
Install to the correct folders by default
Sign files and drivers digitally
Support x64 versions of Windows
Do not block installation or application launch based on an operating system version check
Follow UAC guidelines
Adhere to Restart Manager messages
Do not load services and drivers in safe mode
Support multiuser sessions

Above I outlined the base system requirements but there are some delineating numbers with respect to the Windows 7 basic experience and the Windows 7 premium experience.

The hardware requirements for the Windows 7 basic experience are:

Current processor running at least 800 MHz
512 MB of system memory
A graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable

The hardware requirements for the Windows 7 premium experience are:

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum), Pixel Shader 2.0, and 32 bits per pixel
40 GB of hard drive capacity with 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DVD-ROM drive
Audio output capability
Internet access capability

In the next segment I will continue with reviewing some of the details of each of the different editions of Windows 7

I’m always looking for input so drop me a note and let me know what you’d like to see.

Certification Question of the Day [QOTD] for Windows 7 [70-680] [A001 70-680] ANSWER

2011-02-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

QUESTION - You are a desktop engineer for your company which is configured as a single Active Directory domain running Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controllers. Desktop systems in use include Windows XP running service pack 3 and Windows Vista.

You have been working on a service request to install Windows 7 Professional on a workstation in a dual boot configuration with Windows Vista Business edition.

You have completed the Windows 7 installation but you want Windows Vista to be booted by default.

What should you do? (Choose the best, single answer).

A. Use the Bcdedit.exe command line tool to specify the /default parameter.
B. Use the Bootcfg.exe command line tool to specify the /default parameter.
C. Use the Bootcfg.exe command line tool to specify the /Addsw parameter.
D. Edit the boot.ini file in the root of the Windows 7 partition so that Windows Vista is booted by default.
E. Edit the boot.ini file in the root of the C:\ partition so that Windows Vista is booted by default.
F. Edit the boot.ini file in the root of the Windows Vista partition so that Windows is booted by default.

Answer and Explanation:

The best answer for this question is A - Use the Bcdedit.exe command line tool with the /default switch. This switch specifies the default entry that the boot manager selects when the timeout expires.

For additional details you can review http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709667(WS.10).aspx

Choices B and C, Use the Bootcfg.exe command line tool to specify the /default parameter and Use the Bootcfg.exe command line tool to specify the /Addsw parameter are not the best answers in this scenario.

If you attempt to run this on your Windows Vista or Windows 7 installation you will receive the following error:

ERROR: Cannot open BOOT.INI file.

Bootcfg.exe is designed to work with the BOOT.INI file and it will throw this error when it cannot be found.

For more information on Bootcfg.exe please see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/317521

The remaining answers are not correct because Windows Vista and Windows 7 no longer use the boot.ini system file.

The boot.ini file in prior versions of Windows contained information about the Windows operating systems installed on a computer.

This file has been replaced with Boot Configuration Data (BCD) which can be edited with the Bcdedit.exe command line tool.

Additional information on this can be found via http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows7/What-happened-to-the-boot-ini-file

Certification Question of the Day [QOTD] for CompTIA A+ [CompTIA A+] [Q001 A+]

2011-02-15T06:22:00.001-05:00

QUESTION – Which of the following are examples of a male serial connection? (Choose all that apply).

Check back tomorrow for the answer and explanation of today’s question.

Certification Question of the Day [QOTD] for Windows 7 [70-680] [Q001 70-680]

2011-02-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

QUESTION - You are a desktop engineer for your company which is configured as a single Active Directory domain running Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controllers. Desktop systems in use include Windows XP running service pack 3 and Windows Vista.

You have been working on a service request to install Windows 7 Professional on a workstation in a dual boot configuration with Windows Vista Business edition.

You have completed the Windows 7 installation but you want Windows Vista to be booted by default.

What should you do? (Choose the best, single answer).

Check back tomorrow for the answer and explanation of today’s question.

Professor Messer’s Free Microsoft 70-680 Certification Training [70-680]

2011-02-13T13:22:00.002-05:00

http://www.professormesser.com/ is a website I recently came across that provides quality technology information and training, including specialized training courses for CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, Microsoft Windows 7 and Nmap.

While there is some charge for some of the content (in the “paid for” section) there is an abundance on the site that is made available for zero cost.

There is training for CompTIA A+ as well as Network+ and there is the “Professor Messer’s Free Microsoft 70-680 Certification Training” that as of mid February boasts “32 Videos (and counting!) – Total Running Time: 10 hours, 8 minutes” worth of free content.

I am going to be reviewing some of the free training and I will give a review of some of what I see but I can tell you, from what I’ve seen so far it is an awesome resource to put in your personal training arsenal.

Some of the videos fall right into line with some of my original written 70-680 posts; as I reboot the site and refine some of that content I will probably reference these videos as additional study reinforcement.

Certification Question of the Day is returning [QOTD]

2011-02-13T13:13:00.001-05:00

As part of putting the site back online and going back to the originally planned posting schedule, The Certification Question of the Day is going to be making its return.

I did this in the past for the CompTIA A+ Exam certification questions and because of the number of request for it, I am going to be returning them as well as questions for the CCNA certification exam, the Network+ certification exam, the Windows 7 70-680 exam and the Security+ exam.

If there are other exams that you might be interested in seeing QOFD for please let me know.

As I did prior, I will put “QOTD” in the category field for easier searching here on the site as well as the certification it applies to (e.g. “CompTIA A+” or “70-680” – etc.)

A day after a post, I will repost the question with the accompanying answer.

Thanks again for all the input – keep it coming.

SharePoint Saturday–Free event [GENERAL CERTIFICATION STUDY]

2011-01-13T18:25:00.002-05:00

As posted at http://sharepointsaturday.org/hartford/default.aspx. The event details I have cross posted here are for the Hartford area event.

“Join SharePoint architects, developers, and other professionals that work with Microsoft SharePoint 2007 and 2010 for the "SharePoint Saturday" event on January 29th, 2011. SharePoint Saturday is an educational, informative & lively day filled with sessions from respected SharePoint professionals & MVPs, covering a wide variety of SharePoint-orientated topics. SharePoint Saturday is FREE, open to the public and is your local chance to immerse yourself in SharePoint!”

“New Horizons, ThirdM, and CTDOTNET are proud to host the 1st SharePoint Saturday in Connecticut. This event will be held at New Horizons Learning, 340 West Newbury Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002 on Saturday, January 29, 2011. Doors open for registration at 8AM and sessions will begin at 9AM.”

“SharePoint Saturday Hartford is scheduled to end at 6:30PM with three tracks: Developer, End User, and Administrator. If you have any questions about this event please feel free to e-mail us at spshartford@live.com. We look forward to seeing you there.”

Session information can be found at http://sharepointsaturday.org/hartford/Pages/meetings.aspx

Reboot for 2011 [GENERAL SITE NEWS]

2010-12-19T11:57:00.003-05:00

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.

One more PC Hardware fun piece…

2010-10-19T20:30:00.001-04:00

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.

Coming back online…

2010-10-19T20:26:00.001-04:00

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?

At long last, Obama highlights IPv6 issue [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-09-30T08:38:00.001-04:00

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 office. Indeed, government insiders say Federal CIO Vivek Kundra didn't ask them about agencies' progress on IPv6 until last week, when he began preparing for NTIA's workshop.

IPv6 is the biggest upgrade in the 40-year history of the Internet. Forward-looking carriers and enterprises are deploying IPv6 because the Internet is running out of IP addresses using the current standard, known as IPv4.

Read the entire story at http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/092810-obama-ipv6.html

Shortage of Windows 7 migration experts expected [GENERAL IT NEWS]

2010-09-14T10:52:00.001-04:00

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 migrations will exceed the supply during that time frame, leading to higher IT labor costs.

Gartner analyst Steve Kleynhans said IT shops should line up Windows 7 contractors early.

"Begin talks with suppliers now about putting in place contracts that can deliver flexible levels of resources at a fixed rate," he advised.

The report said IT shops have three migration options: accelerate the replacement of desktop PCs with Windows 7 machines, upgrade the operating systems on existing machines, or move some workers to hosted virtual desktops.

"Most organizations will need to find extra funds or redirect budgets away from other projects to complete the Windows migration on time," the Gartner report concluded.

Computerworld is an InfoWorld affiliate.

0 Day threat/multiple spam messages "Here you have" [VIRUS]

2010-09-09T16:56:00.001-04:00

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 PDF file.

The vulnerability is confirmed in versions 8.2.4 and 9.3.4. Other versions may also be affected.

NOTE: The vulnerability is currently being actively exploited.

Solution - Do not open untrusted files.

Provided and/or discovered by - Reported as a 0-day.

Microsoft brings back Windows 7 family pack [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2010-09-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

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.

The Infrastructure Planning and Design guide for Windows User State Virtualization (USV) [GENERAL WINDOWS TECHNOLOGY]

2010-09-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

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

Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring - Skills Being Measured [70-680]

2010-09-05T16:01:00.001-04:00

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 from Windows Vista
- Migrating from Windows XP (custom install)
- Performing an in-place upgrade from one version of Windows 7 to another edition of Windows 7
Migrate user profiles.
- Migrate user profiles from one machine to another
- Migrate user profiles from previous versions of Windows
- Reviewing the differences between side-by-side installations and wipe and load

Deploying Windows 7

Capture a system image.
- Preparing the host system for image capture
- Creating a WIM file from the host system
- Performing an automated image capture
- Performing a manual image capture
Prepare a system image for deployment.
- Inserting an application into a system image
- Inserting a driver into a system image
- Inserting an update into a system image
- Configuring tasks to run after image deployment
Deploy a system image.
- Reviewing automated deployment methods
- Performing a manual deployment of a customized image
Configure a VHD.
- Creating, deploying, booting, mounting, and updating VHDs
- Performing offline updates to images
- Managing offline servicing of images

Configuring Hardware and Applications

Configure devices.
- Updating, disabling, and uninstalling drivers
- Reviewing what signed drivers are
- Resolving conflicts between drivers
- Configuring driver settings
- Resolving problem device driver
Configure application compatibility.
- Setting application compatibility mode
- Implementing application shims
- Resolving compatibility issues with Internet Explorer
Configure application restrictions.
- Configuring software restriction policies
- Configuring application control policies
- Configure application restrictions through group policy at the domain or though local security policy
Configure Internet Explorer.
- Configuring browser compatibility view
- Configuring browser security settings
- Configuring internet service providers
- Managing browser add-ons
- Configuring InPrivate Browsing mode
- Configuring certificates for secure Web sites

Configuring Network Connectivity

Configure IPv4 network settings.
- Connect systems to a network
- Configure name resolution
- Set up a connection for a network
- Configure network locations
- Resolve connectivity issues
- Using APIPA and configuring alternate settings
Configure IPv6 network settings.
- Configure name resolution
- Connect systems to a network
- Set up a connection for a network
- Set up and define network locations
- Troubleshoot and resolve connectivity issues
- Configure link local multicast name resolution
Configure networking settings.
- Add a physically connected (wired) or wireless device
- Connect to a wireless network
- Configure security settings on the Windows 7 client
- Set preferred wireless networks
- Set up and configure network adapters
- Set up and configure location-aware printing
Configure Windows Firewall.
- Configure and administer rules for multiple profiles
- Allowing or denying an application access to the network
- Configure and administer network-profile-specific rules
- Configure, manage and monitor firewall notifications
- Configure and administer authenticated exceptions to firewall rules
Configure remote management.
- Understanding remote management methods
- Configure remote management tools
- Administer systems with remote management tools
- Executing PowerShell commands

Configuring Access to Resources

Configure shared resources.
- Configure and administer folder virtualization
- Configure and administer shared folder permissions
- Configure and administer printers and queues
- Configure and administer HomeGroup settings
Configure file and folder access.
- Encrypting files and folders by using EFS
- Configure and administer NTFS permissions
- Troubleshoot and resolve effective permissions issues
- Understanding NTFS permissions when copying files vs. moving files
Configure user account control (UAC).
- Configure and administer local security policy
- Understand the differences between the admin vs. standard UAC prompt behaviors
- Configure and administer Secure Desktop
Configure authentication and authorization.
- Troubleshooting and resolving authentication issues
- Configure and administer user rights
- Configure and administer user privileges
- Configure and administer credentials
- Configure and administer certificates
- Configure and administer the use of smart cards with PIV
- Understanding the details regarding elevating user privileges
- Understanding the details regarding multifactor authentication
Configure BranchCache.
- Understanding the details regarding distributed cache mode vs. hosted mode
- Understanding the details regarding network infrastructure requirements
- Configure and administer settings for BranchCache
- Configure and administer certificate management BranchCache

Configuring Mobile Computing

Configure BitLocker and BitLocker To Go.
- Configure and administer BitLocker and BitLocker To Go policies
- Understanding and managing Trusted Platform Module (TPM) PINs
- Configure and administer startup key storage
- Configure and administer data recovery agent support
Configure DirectAccess.
- Configure and administer client side settings for DirectAccess
- Configure and administer authentication for DirectAccess
- Understanding network infrastructure requirements for DirectAccess
Configure mobility options.
- Configure and administer offline file policies;
- Configure and administer transparent caching
- Creating and migrating power policy
Configure remote connections.
- Configure and administer VPN connections and authentication for remote connections
- Configure and administer VPN reconnect settings for remote connections
- Configure and administer advanced security auditing for remote connections
- Configure and administer NAP quarantine remediation for remote connections
- Configure and administer dial-up connections for remote connections
- Configure and administer remote desktop
- Configure and administer published apps

Monitoring and Maintaining Systems that Run Windows 7

Configure updates to Windows 7.
- Configure and administer update settings
- Plan and determine source of updates
- Configure and administer Windows Update policies
- Reviewing update history
- Checking for new updates
- Understanding the details for rolling back updates
Manage disks.
- Configure and administer disk volumes
- Configure and administer file system fragmentation
- Configure and administer RAID configurations
- Configure and administer removable device policies
Monitor systems.
- Configure and administer event logging
- Understanding the details and use of filtering event logs
- Configure and administer event subscriptions
- Configure and administer data collector sets
- Configure and generate systems diagnostics reports
Configure performance settings.
- Configure page files
- Configure hard drive cache
- Configure settings for updated drivers
- Configure networking performance
- Configure and administer power plans
- Configure and administer processor scheduling
- Configure the desktop environment
- Configure and monitor services and programs to resolve performance issues
- Configure and monitor mobile computing performance issues
- Configure and administer system power settings

Configuring Backup and Recovery Options

Configure backup.
- Create a system recovery disk
- Perform a back up of files, folders, and full system
- Create and perform scheduled backups
Configure system recovery options.
- Configure and manage system restore points
- Configure and manage restoring system settings
- Understanding the details regarding the last known good configuration
- Understanding the details regarding complete restore
- Understanding the details regarding driver rollback
Configure file recovery options.
- Configure file restore points
- Performing a restore of previous versions of files and folders
- Performing a restore of damaged or deleted files by using shadow copies
- Perform a restore of user profiles

Certification Class for Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring scheduled [70-680]

2010-09-05T15:33:00.001-04:00

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, Configuring exam is one of the exams needed as part of the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator certification.

Tentatively I am working to set these classes up for Saturday sessions from 8:00AM to 5:00PM. The plan would be to offer three of them on Saturdays in January and then a couple of weeks into February.

The cost of the session is $850.00 per student which is more than 50% off of the 24 hour classes offered by many of the full time schools.

On top of just offering this session at about 50% the going rate you are getting an instructor with 14 years experience in the Information Technology field.

If you want to pull down my resume you can via http://www.zandri.net/aboutjason.html

If you need any further information or details or would like to sign up for any of the classes please call me at 860 614 6069 or email me at Jason@Zandri.net

Security+ certification class slated for December [SECURITY+ CERTIFICATION]

2010-09-05T15:17:00.001-04:00

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 Security+ exam is an internationally recognized validation of foundation-level security skills and knowledge, and is used by organizations and security professionals around the globe.

The skills and knowledge measured by this examination are derived from an industry-wide Job Task Analysis (JTA) and were validated through a global survey in Q4, 2007. The results of this survey were used to validate the content of the domains and objectives and the overall domain weightings, ensuring the relative importance of the content.

The CompTIA Security+ (2008 Edition) Certification is aimed at an IT security professional who has:

A minimum of 2 years experience in network administration with a focus on security
Day to day technical information security experience
Broad knowledge of security concerns and implementation including the topics in the domains of study for the exam as outlined above

The cost for the five day class is $1,200.00 and includes the text book for the class.

The dates for the class are currently planned as follows:

Saturday 11/13 8:00AM to 5:00PM
Saturday 11/20 8:00AM to 5:00PM
Saturday 12/04 8:00AM to 5:00PM
Saturday 12/11 8:00AM to 5:00PM
Saturday 12/18 8:00AM to 5:00PM

If you need any further information or details or would like to sign up for any of the classes please call Ryan at 203 265 6479 or email him at Ryan@WallingfordComputer.com

Additionally, you can contact myself at 860 614 6069 or email me at Jason@Zandri.net

The Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit 2.0 is Now Available [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2010-09-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

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.

The differences between Symmetric and Asymmetric Encryption [SECURITY+ CERTIFICATION]

2010-09-02T12:02:00.001-04:00

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 trying to exchanging them and the base configuration pattern over a public network like the Internet and trying to keep them from falling into the wrong hands.

Anyone who either obtains the original configuration pattern or can figure it out then knows the secret key and can decrypt any message sent with it message

Asymmetric Encryption

One answer to the weaknesses of symmetric encryption as outlined above is to leverage asymmetric encryption. Asymmetric encryption uses two related keys as part of a key pair. A public key is made freely available to anyone who needs to use it and a second, private key is kept secret, so that only you know it.

Any data encrypted by using the public key can only be decrypted by applying the same algorithm, but by using the matching private key. Any data that is encrypted by using the private key can only be decrypted by using the matching public key.

The main drawback to asymmetric encryption is that it is slower than symmetric encryption and requires more processing power to both encrypt and decrypt the data.

About Digital Certificates

In order to use asymmetric encryption there must be a way for users to discover other public keys to encrypt and decrypt data. This is generally done by leveraging digital certificates. The digital certificate contains all of the information that identifies a user or a server, as well as other pertinent and / or needed information such as the organization name, the organization that issued the certificate, the user's e-mail address and country, and the user's public key and so forth.

Certificates are signed by the Certificate Authority (CA) that issues them and usually is a commonly trusted third party. They are relied upon to verify the matching of public keys to identity, e-mail name, and any of the additional information as outlined above.

There are four kinds of digital certificates used on the Internet:

Personal Certificates – Certificates that identify individuals
Server Certificates - Certificates that identify servers that participate in secure communications with other systems
Software Publisher Certificates - Certificates that sign software, showing that the publisher is participating through a trusted CA.
Certificate Authority Certificates – divided into two categories; Root Certification Authorities and Intermediate Certification Authorities

Root Certification Authorities have the ability to assign certificates for Intermediate Certification Authorities.

Intermediate Certification Authorities have the ability to issue server certificates, personal certificates, publisher certificates, or certificates for other Intermediate Certification Authorities.

Security Overview of Encrypting File System (EFS) in Windows 7 [70-680 BitLocker and EFS]

2010-08-24T08:47:00.001-04:00

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 what you want on the system; one of those options is to take ownership of data and change the access control (permissions) of that data.

By leveraging encryption by way of EFS you add on to the NTFS security layer by effectively scrambling the contents of that data so that it can be read only by someone who has the encryption key to decipher it. Just being an administrator of a system is not necessarily going to allow you to gain ownership of the data and the control to access it because now you’d need the key to unlock / decipher the data as well.

There are many forms of encryption in use. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is leveraged by users on the internet to make secure purchases from retailers or to do online banking. Additionally, when you want to send secured email so that only the intended recipient can open it and read it you would leverage certificate encryption to send that email.

For this discussion we’ll be focusing on security files and folders on a Windows 7 system by leveraging the Encrypting File System (EFS)

[NOTES FROM THE FIELD] – With direct respect to Windows Vista the Encrypting File System was only available on Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate edition versions.

The various editions of Windows 7 are not fully aligned with their Vista counterparts but they are in some ways to a certain degree. I outlined what information that was available in a prior article - Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7, Configuring - Perform a clean installation - Identifying hardware requirements (PART 2)

As you can see – only Windows 7 Professional Edition, Enterprise Edition and Ultimate Edition have support for EFS.

Windows 7 along with prior supported versions of Windows operating systems allows you to encrypt stored data on the system.

The Process for Encrypting and Decrypting Files

To enable encryption you would right click a folder or file and then choose Properties from the displaying menu.

Once the Properties page appears you would click the Advanced button on the General Tab and choose the Select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box, and then click OK.

Another dialog box will come up to give you the option of applying the changes to the folder only or to the folder, any subfolders found and the files within.

[NOTES FROM THE FIELD] – It is important to note that once you start encrypting information that you should back up your encryption certificate which is the “key” to lock and unlock the data. If your certificate and key are lost or damaged and you do not have a backup, in most cases where a local system is involved, that encrypted information is lost as it remains forever locked.

There are more recovery options available to you when the system in use is a domain member as there probably is an assigned recovery agent but if you’re using a standalone box you really need to be sure you have the key backed up.

Once the process is complete the data you just selected will be encrypted and you’ll notice this quickly because the folder in Windows Explorer will be green in color.

If the data is not show in a different color you can set this in the control panel by selecting Folder Options and choosing the “show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color”

[NOTES FROM THE FIELD] – Encrypted files will be green and compressed files will be blue.

Encrypted files cannot be compressed via NTFS – in order to compress them you need to use another compression utility (WinZip, compressed folders, etc). If you had some need to only leverage NTFS compression you’d need to decrypt the files first.

Likewise, compressed files (via NTFS) cannot be encrypted without removing the NTFS compression first.

If you want to remove the encryption from a folder or file you simply need to reverse these steps by right clicking the folder or file and then choosing Properties from the displaying menu.

Once the Properties page appears you would click the Advanced button on the General Tab and then clear the Select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box, and then click OK.

Key Thoughts

Some key thoughts with respect to encrypting data by way of EFS:

On the system where the key is present you are accessing the encrypted data seamlessly by double clicking on it or through another program (e.g. file OPEN process within Word, Excel, etc); there is no other interaction for you. The operating system decrypts the file on the fly to access it and then when it is closed it automatically encrypts it again.
You need to back up your encryption certificate and encryption key in case you need to recover these if the system crashes or there is some other error and the system needs to be rebuilt and so on. If you neglect to do this and there is an issue and no other recovery agent is available then these encrypted files are forever locked (for all intents and purposes).
When you encrypt a folder new files or new subfolders that are created in that folder will be encrypted by default. If you need to have a file or subfolder in that folder specifically left unencrypted you’ll need to take that specific action from the properties of that particular object.
If you copy or move a file to another computer, a different volume or to removable media that does not use the NTFS file system, the file will be decrypted on the copy / move action because the accompanying encryption information cannot be carried over to a file system or device that does not leverage it.
When there are other users that are going to need access to files or folders that you encrypt they will need to have their own EFS certificate added to the files in order to gain access to them. Think of this like having their own key just to this file. They are not leveraging your key – your key unlocks ALL of your encrypted files; their key when added to a file that you lock with your key allows them to access that data and only that data.

Market Your Certification [GENERAL CERTIFICATION]

2010-08-23T05:19:00.001-04:00

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 professional, but not "stuffy." Maintain a comfortable connection to remain a viable contender. Above all, don’t be pushy. Rather use tact, judgment and common sense.

2. Market your talents: You’ve heard the adage, “it’s all in a name.” Stop—now—and register your name as a Web site. The process is simplistic, the cost is minimal and the rewards are profound. For example, use www.YourName.com to establish an online presence. This site can house your professional portfolio, CV and case studies. Garner more opportunities by directing employers and clients to your site. Visit Network Solutions to get started.

3. Develop a portfolio: You don't have to be Picasso to showcase your work. In three easy steps, put an artistic spin on your professional portfolio. First, write a concise summary about a particular problem(s) you solved. Next, detail how you devised a solution(s). Finally, create a video demonstration(s) of your solution in action. Use your newly created Web site to house your solutions portfolio. Tout yourself as a problem solver who gets the job done.

4. Craft a pitch: Sell yourself. Capturing excitement about what you can do--in 90 seconds--is called an "elevator pitch." Elevator pitches are tantamount to TV ads. They sell products, promote businesses and persuade audiences. What's your catchy, inspiring and witty "what I can do for you" ad? Your “ad” accomplishes two goals: 1) it should inspire companies to hire you and 2) it should excite audiences about your services. Crafting the perfect "elevator pitch" requires thought, practice and time.

Employing these four tips can promote your talents, garner job interviews and bolster your success. These strategies work in concert to make your more hirable.

Software security revenue to hit $16.5 billion in 2010 [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2010-08-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

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.

That Facebook 'Dislike' button isn't real, unfortunately [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2010-08-18T15:37:00.001-04:00

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?)

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 short URL. Click the URL and you're prompted to install that ersatz Dislike button app.

(Image courtesy of Graham Cluley's blog.)

Installing the app merely changes your status to the same "Get the official...." line so it can spread itself to all your other cynical friends and associates.

As Cluley explains:

"But you still haven't at this point been given a "Dislike" Facebook button, and the rogue application requires you to complete an online survey (which makes money for the scammers) before ultimately pointing you to a Firefox browser add-on for a Facebook dislike button developed by FaceMod.
As far as we can tell, FaceMod aren't connected with the scam - their browser add-on is simply being used as bait."

This scam also apparently has nothing to do with the Facebook account named Dislike Button, which has garnered more than 3 million fans. There's proof I'm not alone. That would be comforting, if I wasn't such a curmudgeon. Heck, I'd even settle for an "Indifferent" button.

(FYI, click the photos tab on that Dislike Button page you'll find many pictures of extremely underdressed women with captions directing you to their various porn sites. And you wonder why I'm cynical.)

To recap: Yes, a Dislike button is a fine idea. But not that Dislike button. Remember, there's a reason "Facebook apps" rhymes with "crap for saps."

ITworld TY4NS blogger Dan Tynan is always cranky when he has to get up before noon. Follow his unique brand of juvenile humor at eSarcasm (Geek Humor Gone Wild) and on Twitter: @tynan_on_tech.

From the CompTIA Breakaway 2010 - Changing IT Environment Demands New Strategies for Training, Certifying Workforce, CompTIA Exec Says [GENERAL CERTIFICATION NEWS]

2010-08-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

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 article, the current number of IT job openings in the United States is estimated to be between 300,000 and 500,000 and that future forecasts for IT job growth through 2018 approach 20 percent.

Computer systems engineers, developers, project managers, network engineers, security specialists, technology sales specialists and support staff and help desk employees were outlined as the top, in-demand job categories.

Areas such as security, cloud computing, healthcare IT and green IT will see even faster growth as organizations expand their reliance on technology solutions in these areas.

Please see the full article - Changing IT Environment Demands New Strategies for Training, Certifying Workforce, CompTIA Exec Says – for all the details.

Competition Is Mounting for Systems Engineering Skill Sets [GENERAL CERTIFICATION NEWS]

2010-08-17T14:43:00.001-04:00

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 major player to aggressively hire and they will need to bring higher salaries to the table in order to poach the holders of these skill sets that are already working for competitors (or even partners).

I don’t believe we’ll necessary see the type of hiring jumps and salary offers as we did at the end of 1998 and 1999 (and into 2000) but it will be a marked improvement from what we’ve seen over the past 18 months.

Having said that, in certain scarce skills areas like SharePoint and security, we may well see some marked jumps regardless. Some of that would be having the right skills and “right place, right time.”

For some additional insight and opinion on this please see - Competition Is Mounting for Systems Engineering Skill Sets

MSDN EVENT - Register now for a Windows Phone 7 Firestarter event in Farmington, CT [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-08-17T08:15:00.001-04:00

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 Applications using XNA

Lunch break (included at session)

Afternoon Sessions:

Monetizing Your Apps with Marketplace
Windows Phone 7 Services
Light Up Windows Phone 7

Amplify your creativity, productivity and profits with Windows Phone 7 – and don't miss these full-day sessions in your local area. Register today and save your seat – seating is limited!

Have another slice of MCTS--It's good for you! [GENERAL CERTIFICATION NEWS]

2010-08-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

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 have been meaning to write an update to that and I will try to do that in the near future.

I will be working in the near term to get more training out at both TodaysTec and in conjunction with Wallingford Computer Center.

The training will be both for the IT Pro and the new comer and everyday user.

Stay Tuned…

Security+ certification class, Windows 7 and Office 2010 introductory classes now forming for this fall [CERTIFICATION CLASS]

2010-08-08T12:07:00.002-04:00

Hi gang.

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 Office 2003 menus and toolbars as well as to show them how to perform common tasks.

The 1 day session cost is $124.00 and includes the classroom book to keep

As a special offer – attendees that book both classes at the same time can do so at the discounted rate of $219.00 in total.

Additionally, we will be hosting 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 aimed at an IT security professional who has:

A minimum of 2 years experience in network administration with a focus on security
Day to day technical information security experience
Broad knowledge of security concerns and implementation including the topics in the domains of study for the exam as outlined above

The cost for the five day class is $1,200.00 and includes the text book for the class.

The dates for the class are currently planned as follows:

Saturday 11/13 8:00AM to 5:00PM
Saturday 11/20 8:00AM to 5:00PM
Saturday 12/04 8:00AM to 5:00PM
Saturday 12/11 8:00AM to 5:00PM
Saturday 12/18 8:00AM to 5:00PM

If you need any further information or details or would like to sign up for any of the classes please call Ryan at 203 265 6479 or email him at Ryan@WallingfordComputer.com

Additionally, you can contact myself at 860 614 6069 or email me at Jason@Zandri.net

How to Break into the IT Industry and Get the Job You Want [GENERAL CERTIFICATION]

2010-08-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

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.

New Threat: Hackers Look To Take Over Power Plants [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2010-08-04T05:43:00.001-04:00

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 have occurred overseas, but the latest episode magnified worries about the security of plants in the U.S.

"This type of malicious code and others we've seen recently are actually attacking the physical components, the devices that open doors, close doors, build cars and open gates," said Sean McGurk, director of control systems security for Homeland Security. "They're not just going after the ones and zeros (of a computer code), they're going after the devices that actually produce or conduct physical processes."

Officials have yet to point to any operating system that has been compromised by the latest computer worm. But cyber experts are concerned that attacks on industrial systems are evolving.

In the past, it was not unusual to see hackers infiltrate corporate networks, breaking in through gaps and stealing or manipulating data. The intrusions, at times, could trigger plant shutdowns. The threat began to escalate last year, with cyber criminals exploiting weaknesses in systems that control what the industries do.

The latest computer worm, dubbed Stuxnet, was an even more alarming progression. Now hackers are creating codes to actually take over the critical systems.

In many cases, operating systems at power plants and other critical infrastructure are decades old. Sometimes they are not completely separated from other computer networks used by companies to run administrative systems or even access the Internet.

Those links between the administrative networks and the control systems provide gateways for hackers to insert malicious codes, viruses or worms into the programs that operate the plants.

Sitting in his office not far from Homeland Security's new state-of-the-art cyber operations center, McGurk recently held out a small blue computer flash drive containing the destructive Stuxnet worm.

Experts in Germany discovered the worm, which has since shown up in a number of attacks — primarily in Iran, Indonesia, India, and the U.S., according to Microsoft. Stuxnet had tried to infect as many as 6,000 computers, as of July 15, according to Microsoft data.

German officials transmitted the malware to the U.S. through a secure network, and experts at the Energy Department's Idaho National Laboratory began to analyze it.

In plain terms, the worm was able to burrow into some operating systems that included software designed by Siemens AG, by exploiting a vulnerability in several versions of Microsoft Windows.

On Monday, Microsoft released another update to address the problem, and Siemens has taken similar steps.

Annual reports issued by Homeland Security and the Department of Energy have detailed weaknesses in the industrial computer systems, and have repeatedly pressed companies to improve security practices. Reports as recently as this May urged companies to routinely download patches to update software, change and improve passwords, carefully restrict access to critical systems and use firewalls to separate commonly used networks from those that control key systems.

A successful attack against a critical control systems, the Energy Department warned in its May report, "may result in catastrophic physical or property damage and loss."

Over the past year, Homeland Security has quietly been deploying teams of experts around the country to assess weaknesses in industrial control systems. The agency has created four teams and — with a budget scheduled to increase from $10 million this year to $15 million next year — has plans to grow to 10 teams in 2011.

The teams are armed with a $5,000 kit: a black, suitcase-sized bag crammed with cables, converters, data storage and high-tech computer forensic tools. With that equipment, they can download the problem malware, analyze it and work with the companies to correct or clean their systems.

So far, said McGurk, the teams have done 50 assessments and have been dispatched 13 times to investigate and help correct cyber incidents and attacks. Nine of those cases involved some type of deliberate cyber intrusion, while the other four were the unintended result of an operator's action.

In one of the nine intrusion cases, a company representative had gone to a conference and had the presentation documents downloaded onto a computer flash drive.

One of the files was infected with the Mariposa botnet, a malicious software code that has infected 12 million computers worldwide, including hundreds of companies and at least 40 major banks in 190 countries since appearing in December 2008.

When the man returned to his office and connected his laptop to the company's network, the botnet spread, eventually affecting nearly 100 computers.

A Homeland Security team was called in and helped the company evaluate the problem and begin to clear up the system.
___
Online: U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team: http://www.us-cert.gov/control_systems/csfaq.html

Configuring Taskbar Alerts & Maintenance Functions in Windows 7 Action Center [70-680 GENERAL CERTIFICATION STUDY]

2010-07-29T04:14:00.001-04:00

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.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Beta additional details [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-07-28T18:01:00.001-04:00

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 be released within the first half of calendar year 2011.

There are two ways you can obtain the service pack beta. You can download a special key to enable Windows Update to offer you the service pack beta, or you can download the service pack directly. For each download method, you should choose the correct download for your platform (x86, IA64 or x64).

You can visit the Download Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Beta page from the TechNet evaluation center.

You will not be able to upgrade from the beta builds to the final build of SP1 - you will have to uninstall the Service Pack or do a clean install of Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 and then go to the actual release version of the service pack when it releases.

The beta release will be in English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.

The beta installation of the service pack will stop functioning after a certain amount of time. You will be reminded of the deadline beginning March 30, 2011 that the beta will expire on June 30, 2011. You will have to upgrade to a newer build or uninstall and return to the RTM build by that time.

There is a Notable Changes document for details on the additional improvements in SP1.

Certification Pays Handsome Dividends [GENERAL CERTIFICATION]

2010-07-27T12:08:00.001-04:00

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. Demonstrates your value. Employers seek a healthy return on their investment--you. A certification may keep you employed, get your hired or increase your salary.

Invest in yourself and remain competitive by certifying your skills today. Visit Microsoft’s certification site to get started.

VIDEO - Windows 7 Deployment Series – Jay Paloma [70-680, 70-685, Installation]

2010-07-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

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 Apply WIM Image - by Jay Paloma

This is Part 3 of the Windows 7 Deployment Series. We will take a look at how to deploy a WIM image using WAIK. We will use WAIK commands to partition and format the destination hard disk, then apply the WIM image into the computer. We will then reboot the machine to run Windows 7 for the first time and complete the configuration. Again, we will need the WinPE boot CD we created in Part 1

Windows 7 Deployment Part 4 - Use MDT to Acquire WIM Image - by Jay Paloma

In Part 4 of this series, we will now take a look at how to acquire a WIM image, this time using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010. To do this, we use the Deployment Workbench to create a SYSPREP AND CAPTURE task sequence, then run the Deployment Wizard from the Deployment Share

Windows 7 Deployment Part 5 - Importing WIM into MDT and Deploying - by Jay Paloma

In Part 5 of this video series, we will now take a look at how to prepare a WIM file for use in MDT. We will also see how to deploy Windows 7 using MDT on a bare metal machine scenario

Windows 7 Deployment Part 6 - Deploying via MDT Media - by Jay Paloma

In part 6 of this video series, we will take a look at how to prepare the MDT media, enabling us to deploy Windows 7 even to branch offices that may not permit us to use the Wide Area Network for deployment

Windows 7 Deployment Part 7 - Deploying MDT via Network Share - by Jay Paloma

In the last part of this video series, we will take a look at how to run the Deployment Wizard from the Deployment Share. The Deployment Share is generated in Microsoft Deployment Toolkit when you first run and configure the Deployment Workbench. Now it's just a matter of running the Deployment Wizard from the share

Getting Started with the Windows 7 Desktop [70-680 GENERAL]

2010-07-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

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 – 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.

The Road to MCITP: DBA - Gabriel Villa [MCITP: DBA OVERVIEW]

2010-07-21T11:59:00.000-04:00

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 MCITP Database Developer.

Lastly, 70-448 and 70-452, Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008, make you an MCITP Business Intelligence Developer.

I plan to log my voyage to obtaining my goals on this blog. I anticipate that discussing any details will boost my confidence, and perhaps will encourage others to shoot for Microsoft certification. You can get more details about SQL Server certification of other products from the Microsoft Learning site.

A few tips that I know of. First and foremost, set a date to test. I noticed I prep more for the exams when I schedule and actually register for the test. Registration fee’s for most MS exams are $125 USD. You can register for an exam at www.prometric.com.

Currently, they have an offer, from now until June. I’ve known of the free retake voucher for any Microsoft Exam from Prometric for some time now. I been a very bad geek and have been putting if off for some time.

Also, thanks to Rob Boek, I have obtained a 50% off voucher for the 70-432, the first requirement for Certified DBA. Step one, register, secondly, log into Microsoft Learning Plan with a MS Live account and take advantage of the free Microsoft material which include readings, tutorials and recommended books.

Lot into it. If you’re about to take a test, Good Luck and I Hope this information helped.

Getting Familiar with the Windows 7 Start Menu [70-680 GENERAL]

2010-07-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

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.

BLOGGING WINDOWS has just announced Beta for Next Version of Microsoft Security Essentials Now Available [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-07-20T15:32:00.001-04:00

The Beta for Next Version of Microsoft Security Essentials is now available according to a post over on the Blogging Windows blog.

New features in the beta of Microsoft Security Essentials include:

Windows Firewall integration – During setup, Microsoft Security Essentials will now ask if you would like to turn the Windows Firewall on or off.
Enhanced protection for web-based threats – Microsoft Security Essentials now integrates with Internet Explorer to provide protection against web-based threats.
New protection engine – The updated anti-malware engine offers enhanced detection and cleanup capabilities with better performance.
Network inspection system – Protection against network-based exploits is now built in to Microsoft Security Essentials.

To download the beta of Microsoft Security Essentials you will need to visit the Microsoft Connect page to register for the beta. Once completed – you will find the instructions for downloading and installing the beta.

The download that I got for my 64-bit installation of Windows 7 indicated that it was version 2.0.375.0.

The complete post is available for review via http://windowsteamblog.com/

The connect page indicates that the minimum system requirements for the current release of Microsoft Security Essentials still apply; they are:

Minimum system requirements for Microsoft Security Essentials

Operating System: Genuine Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3); Windows Vista (Gold, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2); Windows 7

For Windows XP, a PC with a CPU clock speed of 500 MHz or higher, and 256 MB RAM or higher.
For Windows Vista and Windows 7, a PC with a CPU clock speed of 1.0 GHz or higher, and 1 GB RAM or higher.
VGA display of 800 × 600 or higher.
140 MB of available hard disk space.
An Internet connection is required for installation and to download the latest virus and spyware definitions for Microsoft Security Essentials.
Internet Browser:
- Windows Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.
- Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or later.
Microsoft Security Essentials also supports Windows XP Mode in Windows 7. For more information, see the system requirements for Windows XP Mode in Windows 7

As outlined on the Connect site, these are the steps for installing the Microsoft Security Essentials Beta

Confirm that your computer meets the minimum system requirements to install Security Essentials Beta.
Read the KB article to determine whether your computer is running a 32-bit version or 64-bit of the Windows operating system.
Click the appropriate MSE download link listed under Title column. Select the download link based on your Windows operating system (32 -bit or 64 bit.)
Review the “Download location nearest you” drop down option. Select the appropriate value based on your geographic location.
Click Download link under Download single file column.

Note: Depending on your Internet Explorer security settings, the download of the installation file may be blocked.Right click on the yellow bar (see image below) and the click on “Download File…” in order to allow the download to begin.
Click Run from the File Download –Security Warning pane.
Follow the installation wizard to install Microsoft Security Essentials Beta.

New blogger Kimberly Pittmon joining us here at Certification Prep – The 20 Minute Workout [GENERAL SITE NEWS]

2010-07-20T12:38:00.001-04:00

In an effort to get new posts up on a more regular basis I have been reaching out as part of an open invitation to all technical bloggers that I have contact with to work with them regarding sharing their work on Certification Prep – The 20 Minute Workout.

Obviously with a free site that’s a little hard to do; if people are going to commit their time they are going to want compensation. Since the site doesn’t generate any money right now (I may be re-launching some ads again in the fall) all I have to offer folks is credit for their work and a platform to showcase it. There are always a passionate few, like myself, that will do it anyway as you never know what the “free work” will provide for you down the road. (You’d be surprised where some of my prior “free” work has led me).

While I have been emailing a few different folks, as of this morning I do have one commitment from my out reach. Kimberly Pittmon has offered to try to commit to one post a week.

Her short bio:

Kimberly Pittmon is a ravenous learner and a Microsoft Certified Trainer. Her mantra is to amass life-long knowledge--creatively and constantly. Kimberly serves as Director of Marketing Systems for a national trade association.

Welcome Kimberly – great to have you on board.

CompTIA Network+ Certification N10-004 Exam [NETWORK+ CERTIFICATION]

2010-07-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association) is the Information Technology industry’s largest developer of vendor-neutral IT certification exams.

I have an article up on the Toolbox for IT website titled CompTIA Network+ Certification N10-004 Exam which reviews the history of the exam as well as the current prerequisites and requirements for the current iteration of the exam - N10-004.

I additional review some of the upcoming changes that are due for the CompTIA family of certifications as of January 1, 2011.

As always, I’m interested in your feedback so feel free to drop me a note and let me know your thoughts.

Which training classes would you like to see? [WALLINGFORD – GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-07-19T13:14:00.001-04:00

So this posing is going to be more for the people in central Connecticut so my apologies for the people far and wide that read my blog as this is really not going to be relevant for you.

I had a discussion today with Ryan over at Wallingford Computer Center regarding some training classes they are looking to offer at their center.

They have a Beginners Hardware class scheduled to run on Monday August 23rd.

I discussed the idea of my running an introduction to Windows 7 class on a weekday night from 5:30 to 9:30 as well as a separate introduction to Office 2010 along the same lines - on a weekday night from 5:30 to 9:30 – in the September / October timeframe.

The classes would be $109.00 each and include the textbook. In the situation where someone wished to take both classes they could do so for the combined discount cost of $196.00.

I wanted to put this out for feedback – tell me what you think. Would you be interested in intro classes such as this?

Drop me a note and let me know.

My Personal Certification Story [GENERAL CERTIFICATION]

2010-07-16T08:19:00.001-04:00

I originally wrote this back in 2003 and it has been posted ever since over at MCMCSE.COM.

Below is the original write up as it is seen there.

I am thinking of making an update to it (or maybe a “Part II”) but in the mean time here it is in its entirety.

Taking computers from a hobby, to a job, to a career has been an interesting journey for the relatively short period I have been doing it and not a day goes by where I don’t learn something new. Given the speed of change within the industry, I doubt that will ever change either and I’m glad.

I bought myself my first computer in May of 1995 at the suggestion of two friends. Mike was a full time computer professional and Dave was an avid gamer who I worked with at the power plant, but both suggested I would love it.

I was wishy-washy about laying out nearly $3000.00 for a brand new computer system and didn’t purchase one “intentionally.” Had I really been smart about it, I would have waited for Mike to go with me to get one, since he was the computer pro. I had recently filed for divorced and was down and out and walking through a large retail outlet around the time of my 26th birthday when I decided to go for it on impulse.

I bought a brand name model system 486/66, with Windows for Workgroups installed on it, which as it would turn out, was one of the late 90’s worst brand name computer system hardware manufacturers. (Let’s just say they made Pretty Bad computer systems and leave it at that.)

And thus the story really begins.

Having to have Mike consistently help me over the phone from his apartment troubleshoot the system led to me getting more and more confident in what it was he was having me do. I decided to lookup some books on computer hardware around Christmastime 1997 when I purchased a new Pentium 200 system. During my investigation I found out about the A+ certification run by COMPTIA. I asked Mike about it and he really didn’t have much information on it, but he did point me to the COMPTIA web site.

By this time, I was helping friends and members of my family with their computer systems for things like memory upgrades and peripherals and I felt that if I was going to buy books to learn more about computer systems and hardware, I should buy books that centered on the certification. The secondary idea that I had at the time was the company I was working for, the major power producer for southern New England, was posting jobs for technical support people. I thought that if I could hone my skills and abilities and gain this certification, I might be able to move out of the power plant and into the corporate center where jobs in the computer field were centered for the company.

For the better part of 1998 I studied the materials in the A+ books I had purchased and continued to do more and more side work for family and friends and now customers of a small part-time business I started doing for things such as computer repair and upgrades. In the fall of that year I took and passed both parts of the A+ exam and obtained the certification.

Since I wanted to keep going, I looked toward the Microsoft field of exams as I began to polish up my resume for my employer. Since I was unsure about the Microsoft Certified Professional program and I wasn’t really “in the field” as of yet, I took a look at the exam that corresponded to Windows 95, as I was most familiar with it. My friend Mike again helped me as best he could by asking around where he worked, but most of the people who worked with him at the university had college degrees and not certifications, so again, the best he could offer at the time was direction to the web site.

In the meantime my employer had thrown me a curveball. Human Resources had rejected all three of my applications due to the fact that I did not meet the minimum education requirements of the postings. Since I didn’t want to be discouraged at the time, I told myself it was because the job was higher level than the hardware certification I had recently gained. I told myself I would fair better after landing the Microsoft Certified Professional certification.

I purchased a study guide for the 70-064 Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows 95 certification exam and read it from cover to cover while building, tweaking, and trashing and rebuilding my home system. Three months later, in the second week of January of 1999 I obtained my Microsoft Certified Professional certification (MCP) on Windows 95 and applied for two newly posted level one jobs at my company.

Human Resources cut me down again. Not the hiring manager for the department, but human resources. Worse yet, they returned my receipt copy of my application with a rejection notice. (Efficient, yet cold.) I was a little more determined this time. I felt that I have proved (if to no one else, myself) that I had taken the company’s (and my own) initiative to “improve yourself, in all ways, both in your current job and beyond it” by taking on these tasks of the past year on my own. I was adamant now. I wanted the hiring manager to tell me I wasn’t qualified, not someone sitting at the human resources front desk.

Because I worked a rotating shift job I was able to go to corporate headquarters during their “9 to 5” workday and ask to speak with someone. The conversation that I had spoke volumes to their attitudes and direction in both the Human Resources department and the company as a whole.

I got the standard, “you do not have the minimum qualifications for the job” defense when I told the woman about all the strives I had made in both my past nine years with the company and in the past two years working on the side and most recently with obtaining the two certifications. I even showed her the personal track I had outlined for myself, intending to gain the entire Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer certification by years end. I also stated that I wasn’t going to “corner cut” by using the 70-064 exam I had passed. I intended to do it by starting off after the 70-073 Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows NT4 workstation exam.

The woman looked at me as if I had lobsters coming out of my ears. She had absolutely no idea what I was talking about, and yet, she was the one rejecting my application before the manager was ever getting the opportunity to see it.

Irritated, I asked, “what do I need to do, who do I need to speak with, to be able to arrange a time to speak with the hiring manager”

I was told, unequivocally, that if anyone did not have the minimum qualifications for the job posting, it was her job to rubber stamp the applications and send them back.

She then tried to soften the blow to me by suggesting that if these postings were something that I truly wished to pursue within the company, that I might want to consider taking a night class to gain the required degree.

That was the last straw for me. It was one thing, perhaps, for this person to not fully understand the certifications I had gained, but I was incensed that she was clueless to my current situation.

I asked her, “Do you know what my current job is here at this company?”

She only answered after glancing at my resume. “Power Plant Equipment Operator”

I then asked her, “Could you quickly give me a five second, ten-thousand foot overview of my job description and what it entails?”

She actually could not, at least not off the top of her head. So I helped her out by explaining that I was working to keep power flowing to the power grid, so that a portion of our 1.7 million customers could have electrical power. I also explained that it was a 7x24x365 operation and that I worked a rotating shift along with every other operations employee at the power station, including the shift supervisors, and that it was just like that at all ten of the power stations in our system.

“So tell me,” I asked “How should I go about these night classes that you suggest? Would you care to inform the Plant Supervisor that I wish to embark on some night courses as part of the “Improve Yourself” effort that the company was sponsoring and that I would need to be on day shift only for the next couple of years?”

She was quiet, but I wasn’t through.

“If you don’t even know enough about the jobs that are posting and the status of the applicants that are putting in for them, who are you to make the decisions of who gets the interviews and who doesn’t”

“That’s my job. This is what I am supposed to do. I am one of the managers of Human Resources”

I told her that she wasn’t qualified for her job if she couldn't describe my current position and realize that I couldn't take the course of action that she had suggested as far as "improving" myself and I walked out of the Human Resource office.

I went home, posted my resume on an internet job board, and ordered an Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows NT4 workstation exam guide from an online retailer.

Two weeks later I had received four phone calls, three interviews, and one job offer, which I accepted.

After nine years as an employee for this one company, the last seven of which were joyless, I found myself looking forward to going to work for a change.

I was going in with a two week notice.

Since that day much has changed, both personally and in the technology field.

I did gain that MCSE by the end of the year. I also changed jobs three more times. My current resting place? I am a Technical Account Manager for Microsoft Corporation.

I have never yet set a technical book down for very long. I have continued to learn new things, both in the technology field and outside of it, every single day.

I now earn more money than I would have had I stayed at the power plant, even if you figure all of the overtime in. I sleep at night, for the most part, server emergencies aside.

I have obtained some other certifications, mostly other COMPTIA ones, a Novell CNA on 4.1 and a small handful of third party ones.

In every single job change, I have had more than one job offer and almost every hiring manager, in both jobs I accepted, ones that never were offered formally to me and even the ones I declined, commented on my personal determination in continuing to educate myself. What a wonderful departure from what I had been used to in the past.

While the economy may have slowed, and job changes are less frequent for all, myself included, the technology changes do not. If I want to be part of the change, part of the future and not the past, I need to change with it.

I’ve upgraded my Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer certification to the Windows 2000 track and I did it under the early achiever timeline.

I grabbed the new Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) certification as one of the 5000 charter members, as it was only one additional test for me.

And I did it all because I wanted to, not because I had to.

I do it for a career that I am happy to have gotten involved in, for a job that pays fairly well for the amount of work I put into it, all for a hobby that I absolutely love.

Until the next time, remember,

“You're finished as soon as you stop trying.”

Global PC shipments up 22 pct as businesses spend [TECHNOLOGY GENERAL]

2010-07-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

There is a story on the Forbes.com website written by Jessica Mintz that outlines a report from IDC Market Research which shows that regardless of the situations around the globe with shaky economies that they are improving, albeit very slowly.

The report shows that the global PC market grew 22.4% in the second quarter of 2010 which was in-line with projections and that on a worldwide basis, Desktop PC shipments exceeded expectations. This showed that despite the fact that some sectors are stalled or just restarting their growth that businesses are moving ahead with PC replacements in anticipation of some level of slow and steady improvement. The report additionally noted that Portable PC sales trailed the original projections slightly.

From the report, the regional look for the United States market showed a slight up-tick in sequential growth as well as a double-digit jump of 12.6% from the previous year, confirming that the market continued to recover. Projections for a stronger rebound, near 18% growth, to build on a 19% increase in Q1 and more than 25% gain in Q4, did not materialize. A wait-and-see stance dominated the business sector as a result of economic uncertainty. Although we saw some healthy PC refresh activity, volumes were below our initial estimations as buyers reassessed their spending priorities. As we move into the second half of 2010, slower economic growth and rising costs may undermine the market's ability to drive growth with aggressive pricing.

The full IDC Press Release is available on the IDC website.

The full story as presented by Forbes is available on the Forbes.com website.

Follow up from my Exam 83-640: TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring post[GENERAL CERTIFICATION]

2010-07-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

With respect to my prior post regarding the pulling of the 83 series of exams but finding some conflicting information, I was able to get in touch with Tjeerd Veninga at Microsoft who is the SR MARKETING MANAGER MCT and he forwarded me the following:

Delivery of 83-640 was suspended in June; we currently don’t have any Howler versions in market (83 is the channel code for our lab based exams). Because this exam earns the same certification as 70-640, candidates who search for 83-640 are directed to the 70-640 information.

The blog post that you found was an old one that predates our announcement to suspend delivery of this exam. The blog with the details on the suspension can be found here:

http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/b/weblog/archive/2010/06/01/we-re-taking-action-based-on-your-feedback.aspx

We hope to have more news later as we do continue to believe the performance based tests are a great way to test skills.

And so there you have it!

Information about Service Pack 1 Beta for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2 [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-07-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Microsoft has released article 976932 which reviews the details and additional information regarding Service Pack 1 Beta for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2.

For professional and enterprise consumers that are interested in downloading the beta it can be downloaded from the Microsoft Technet website.

End users are not encouraged to use the beta installation. Microsoft has indicated “This early release of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta is not available for home users. The SP1 Beta does not provide new end-user features, and installation is not supported by Microsoft.”

You must be running the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in order to download and install the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta.

Professional and enterprise customers can learn more about piloting, deploying and managing Windows 7 by visiting the Springboard Series on TechNet.

There is a technical overview whitepaper of the Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta release which reviews the features and benefits and that download can be found via Windows Server 2008 R2 Technical Whitepaper.

The Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta Reviewer’s Guide is another whitepaper that evaluates the core features of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta release.

With direct respect to Windows 7, the minimum system requirements as outline by Microsoft are:

Windows 7 Minimum System Requirements:

1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 GB of RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
DVD-compatible drive
Internet access

Note: Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV, BitLocker, or navigation through the use of “touch,” may require advanced or additional hardware. Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM and 15 GB of available disk space.

With direct respect to the Service Pack 1 beta, it is important to note that it is time-limited software which will no longer operate after June 30, 2011. Before this time you will be required to uninstall the beta and install the final version of Service Pack 1 when it is released.

Exam 83-640: TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring [GENERAL CERTIFICATION]

2010-07-13T09:40:00.001-04:00

Originally released in 2008 the 83 dash series of exams was introduced by Microsoft to replace the standard format of exams that had been delivered by the 70 dash series.

The 70 dash series of exams, like 70-680 for Windows 7, Configuring, are set up as multiple choice, hot area, sort and order type questions in a standardized format. Very little has changed in these exams over the past 12 or so years. (My first Microsoft exam was 70-064 Implementing and Supporting Windows 95).

The 83 series was supposed to be a change up in the test delivery by offering the examinee part of the exam as lab based. There are still some traditional 70 dash based questions but a good portion of the exam format is lab based.

At some point the exams were on hold, as you can note as evident from http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?ID=83-640&locale=en-us where they push you back to the 70-640 exam

Having said that, there are posts on the Born to Learn blog http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/b/weblog/archive/2010/05/07/trying-to-register-for-83-640-read-this.aspx as recent at May that show the exam as still available.

I’ve already taken 70-640 so I don’t have a reason to take 83-640 and due to that I don’t have the current status on the 83 dash series but I will try to ask for an update.

In the meantime, the Transcender Team Blog has a couple of good posts worth reviewing on the subject.

83-640 versus 70-640: How do they calculate my score if it’s virtual? and other desperate questions

83-640 versus 70-640: Which MCTS: Windows Server 2008, Active Directory Configuration is which?

The Case for Ongoing Training [GENERAL CERTIFICATION]

2010-07-02T14:23:00.001-04:00

Even though you may be strapped for time, ongoing training can greatly impact your professional development.

I wholeheartedly agree with this; as a matter of fact, my entire career in information technology is rooted on this premise.

Changes in technology and the IT industry happen quickly, so you must keep up to date with new trends and developments as they emerge if you hope to remain at the forefront of the field.

Pursuing training on an ongoing basis also can help your job security

Please read the entire article The Case for Ongoing Training as posted on the Certification Magazine website

Microsoft Outlook Hotmail Connector 14.0 Tutorial Walk-through [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-06-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

For those of you that are like me and tie your Hotmail account to Outlook, the Outlook connector has been a good friend.

Recently, Microsoft has released version 14.0 to replace version 12.1

The newly released Outlook Hotmail Connector 14.0 is compatible with Outlook 2003, 2007, and 2010.

I have a new post up on the Toolbox for IT website titled Microsoft Outlook Hotmail Connector 14.0 Tutorial Walk-through that will walk you through the steps you need to take in order to install or upgrade to a newer version of the Microsoft Outlook Hotmail Connector.

As always, I’m interested in your feedback so feel free to drop me a note and let me know your thoughts.

Windows 7 Starter Edition Netbook Installation [70-680 GENERAL CERTIFICATION STUDY INFORMATION]

2010-05-30T17:04:00.001-04:00

With all of the enhancements that Windows 7 offers over Windows XP there are a number of netbook owners that are interested in migrating their systems to Windows 7.

Because of the hardware demands of Windows Vista, netbooks had been primarily released running Windows XP. Once Windows 7 came on the scene, Windows 7 Starter Edition had been made available for use (primarily) on these systems.

I have a new post up on the Toolbox for IT website titled Windows 7 Starter Edition Netbook Installation that will walk you through the steps you need to take in order to prepare media for a Windows 7 Starter Edition Netbook Installation by using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool.

As always, I’m interested in your feedback so feel free to drop me a note and let me know your thoughts.

Back online [GENERAL SITE NEWS]

2010-05-30T10:18:00.001-04:00

Hi gang – I’m back.

I’ve been on hiatus for the past month Saving Wallingford’s Fireworks.

They’re saved and now I can get back to doing some technology blogging.

I’ll be at TechEd North America 2010 in New Orleans in a week as well; I am sure I’ll have some things to post from there.

As an MCT, I am going to be helping out at the Hands-on-Lab (HOL) area.

If you’re going to be there feel free to stop by and say “hi”.

MSDN, TechNet get Office 2010 this week Enterprises must wait until April 27 for final bits, consumers until June [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-04-20T12:34:00.001-04:00

As posted on the IT World Open Exchange website, IT professionals that are subscribers to MSDN and TechNet are going to be able to get their hands on the Office 2010 RTM (release to manufacturing) bits on Thursday April 22nd.

Microsoft Developer Network and TechNet subscribers will be able to download the RTM bits of the different versions of Office 2010 five days before volume license customers with Software Assurance will be able to.

End consumers will have to wait until June for retail copies to be available.

This is just one of the many benefits of the Microsoft Developer Network and TechNet subscription programs.

For the full details please see the MSDN, TechNet get Office 2010 this week posting at the IT World Open Exchange website

For more information on the different TechNet Plus Subscription Offerings please see the Microsoft TechNet Plus Subscription Offerings website

For more information on the different MSDN Subscriptions that are available please see the Compare MSDN Subscriptions webpage.

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 – System Requirements [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-04-19T05:00:00.000-04:00

The Microsoft Store website has been updated to offer users the chance to pre-order Office 2010. Office Home and Student 2010 is showing as retailing on the site for $149.99 and will include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Office 2010 is expected to be generally available in June of 2010.

I have a post up over on my Toolbox for IT blog that outlines some of the system specifications and requirements for this upcoming release of Office 2010.

Please see Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 - System Requirements

Microsoft is now taking pre-orders for Office 2010 [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-04-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

The Microsoft Store website has been updated to offer users the chance to pre-order Office 2010.

Stephen Elop, President of the Microsoft Business Division, is planned to announce the launch of Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 on May 12, 2010 at 11 a.m. EST.

Office Home and Student 2010 is showing as retailing on the site for $149.99 and will include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

Office Home and Business 2010 is showing as retailing on the site for $279.99 and will include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote as well and will also include Outlook.

Office Professional 2010 is showing as retailing on the site for $499 and will include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook and will also include Publisher and Access.

Office 2010 is expected to be generally available in June of 2010.

Microsoft Software Inventory Analyzer [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-04-16T05:00:00.000-04:00

The Microsoft Software Inventory Analyzer is a free tool available for download from the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/sam/en/us/msia.aspx that can help you with your software inventory.

The current release of MSIA (5.1) will allow an administrator to scan and inventory all of the Microsoft software that is installed on a single system or across multiple systems (up to 250 systems in total).

The tool can then generate a report that will show the details of all installed Microsoft products, including the type and the number of licenses.

The tool can be used to identify and report all installed Microsoft products listed under Add or Remove Programs and it can consolidate the MSIA report with the Microsoft Licensing Statement (MLS) report (in .xls format).

Downloads for MSIA 5.1 are available as shown below:

View the MSIA online User's Manual

View the MSIA Frequently Asked Questions

View the logon script

View the read me file

Technorati Tags: Software Inventory Analyzer,Microsoft,general

Microsoft Security Essentials [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-04-15T05:00:00.000-04:00

Microsoft Security Essentials provides Microsoft consumer customers with a free option for real-time protection against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software for their home PCs .

The Microsoft Security Essentials free download (available to all consumers that are running genuine Windows installations) is as simple to install as it is easy to use.

New definitions are provided automatically so that you are always kept up to date and so your PC is protected against the latest threats.

Minimum system requirements for Microsoft Security Essentials are

Operating System:

Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3)
Windows Vista (Gold, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Windows 7

Your software must be able to be verified as genuine as per the http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/ site

For Windows XP, a PC with a CPU clock speed of 500 MHz or higher, and 256 MB RAM or higher.
For Windows Vista and Windows 7, a PC with a CPU clock speed of 1.0 GHz or higher, and 1 GB RAM or higher.
VGA display of 800 × 600 or higher.
140 MB of available hard disk space.
An Internet connection is required for installation and to download the latest virus and spyware definitions for Microsoft Security Essentials.
Internet Browser:
- Windows Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.
- Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or later.
Microsoft Security Essentials also supports Windows XP Mode in Windows 7. For more information, see the system requirements for Windows XP Mode in Windows 7

Technorati Tags: Security Essentials,Microsoft,general

Are you ready for Office 2010? - Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit for Microsoft Office 2010 [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-04-14T12:42:00.001-04:00

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit for Microsoft Office 2007 (version 4.0) is available online via http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/dd632446.aspx

If you’re looking to go to Office 2010 once it releases then you’ll want to check out the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit for Microsoft Office 2010 (version 5.0 – BETA 1).

You’ll need your Live ID in order to access the tool via the “Download the MAP 5.0 Beta 1 for Office 2010” site as the BETA review program is now open but it is due to close in the next few days (mid-April).

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 5.0 is an agentless tool that streamlines the IT infrastructure planning process through network-wide automated discovery. This Solution Accelerator performs an inventory of your enterprise environment and provides usage information for servers in the Core CAL Suite, a data center infrastructure assessment survey, and a readiness assessment for the most widely used Microsoft technologies including Office 2010.

According to the 5.0 Beta 1 site information the tool also provides:

Heterogeneous Server Environment Inventory: The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit performs a network inventory of IT assets remotely without the use of agents, identifying heterogeneous server environments consisting of Windows Server and Linux operating systems, including those running in a virtual environment. MAP 5.0 also automates the discovery of Linux-powered LAMP stacks.

Software Usage Tracking: Right-size your IT with the MAP Toolkit 5.0. MAP 5.0’s new usage tracking feature provides consistent software usage reports for Microsoft servers, including Windows Server, SharePoint, and System Center Configuration Manager. Run updated reports whenever you need to accurately assess the current software usage and client access history in your environment. This will reduce your time and administrative costs for managing software and Server and Client Access License (CAL) licensing assets, and ensures that you pay only for the licenses you use.

Microsoft Office 2010 Readiness Assessment: Streamline your migration to Office 2010 with MAP 5.0’s hardware compatibility proposal document. The actionable recommendations and assessments presented shorten the time it takes to plan your Office 2010 migration.

Data Center Infrastructure Assessment Survey: Use this survey in the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 5.0 to assess the components needed to design the storage and networking infrastructure for the Dynamic Infrastructure Toolkit for System Center.

Technorati Tags: general,Microsoft,Office 2010,Office

Are you ready for Office 2010? - Microsoft Rapid Economic Justification guide [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY]

2010-04-14T12:31:00.001-04:00

The Microsoft Rapid Economic Justification guide, created by the Microsoft Business Value Group, takes you through the project assessment process in simple steps and includes tools, templates, and how-to information to help you make a compelling business case for an IT project.

The guide simplifies the process of researching, preparing, and presenting your project analysis into manageable, easy-to-follow steps. You can create the necessary reports and presentations on your own or work with a Microsoft partner to complete the work for you.

You can get the details on the Microsoft Rapid Economic Justification guide on the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/business/enterprise/value.mspx

Additionally, the full 150 page Rapid Economic Justification Guide in PDF format is available for review as well.

The Rapid Economic Justification Data Collection Worksheet is also available.

Technorati Tags: Rapid Economic Justification guide,Office,Office 2010,Microsoft

Complimentary Windows 7 Practice Exam Bundle [GENERAL CERTIFICATION NEWS]

2010-03-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

ExamForce is offering 7 free Microsoft, CompTIA and Cisco practice exams and their CramMaster test preparation engine.

I have personally used them in the past and they are generally pretty good questions for study and review for the respective exams.

The exams usually come to you in a small pool of about 50 for each topic, in the hopes that if you like your free preview that you might decide to buy the full package which will often includes 300+ questions.

The current offer includes the following titles:

70-680 Windows 7 Configuring Practice Exam

640-802 Cisco CCNA Practice Exam

640-553 Cisco Security Practice Exam

220-701 CompTIA A+ Essentials Practice Exam

220-702 CompTIA A+ IT Technician

N10-004 CompTIA Network+

SY0-201 CompTIA Security+

Download Your 7 Free Practice Exams Today at: http://www.examforce.com/customer/special25.php

Just a quick note as well, I was not paid for any type of endorsement on this. I simply wanted to pass along the information regarding this free offer to the readers of the blog.

Technorati Tags: 70-680,70-680 Windows 7,A+,CompTIA,Network+,Security+,Cisco,CCNA,practice exams,free

Certification Prep is teaming up with MCMCSE.com to update the A+ Study guides [A+ CERTIFICATION]

2010-03-30T16:48:00.001-04:00

I engaged in some email correspondence with the site owner of MCMCSE.com (Jason Sprague) regarding his free A+ Study Guides on their Study Center page.

They currently have them listed as the 220-701 and 220-702 guides but upon further review I did notice that they were still the material from the 601 and 602 exams (which is still about 70% relevant to the 2009 exam release).

I wanted to find out if he was going to have an update to this soon as I had students starting an A+ class and I wanted to offer them the links as additional study material.

Jason explained to me that as of right now it was a work in progress to get the information updated but that it had to be put on the back burner for a bit.

I am going to be preparing notes and updates for my class and I offered to assist with the content update.

Over the next few weeks you can expect to see the content for 220-701 and 220-702 posted here and migrated into the guides that Jason offers as well.

Technorati Tags: A+. certification,ComptTIA,220-701,220-702

Getting back into the saddle [GENERAL SITE NEWS]

2010-03-30T13:25:00.001-04:00

Hi gang!

Thanks for the emails asking what’s up with the site and what I’ve been up to.

Sorry about the disappearance. I was pulled into a couple of escalating issues with respect to my day job and needed to focus additional time and attention that I might have otherwise directed toward the blog. That and I am still instructing at night. So with all of that I didn’t have the time to keep the blog on track.

Having said all that, I have gotten the bulk of the issues addressed and I’ve taken a couple of weeks off from work and now I am going to get back on schedule.

So you can expect to see regular posts from me again from three to five times a week again.

Step into the Windows 7 Virtual Labs for Free [70-680 GENERAL CERTIFICATION STUDY INFORMATION]

2010-02-09T15:29:00.001-05:00

As offered on the Microsoft website, you can leverage these offered virtual labs and get exposure to the features in Windows 7, including the Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5, AppLocker, BranchCache, BitLocker, Microsoft Application Virtualization (APP-V) and many others.

The system requirements for the TechNet Virtual Labs have been outlined as:

Windows Vista
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows Server 2003
Internet Explorer versions 5 or later is required

I am running Windows 7 Ultimate Edition x64 and had no issues running the labs but these are the requirements as outlined on the System Requirements page.

Additionally a screen resolution of 1024x768 or greater is recommended and the online labs are in US English and only support US English Language Keyboards.

The FREE Windows 7 Virtual Labs are a MUST HAVE for anyone studying for the 70-680 MCTS Windows 7, Configuring exam.

Technorati Tags: 70-680,70-680 Windows 7,Windows 7,MCITP,MCP,MCSE,MCSA,MCTS,Windows Server 2008

Crash course on Microsoft Outlook 2007 calendar sharing [GENERAL KNOWLEDGE SHARE]

2010-02-09T14:46:00.001-05:00

Brien M. Posey, MCSE, is a five-time recipient of Microsoft's Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for his work with Exchange Server, Windows Server, Internet Information Services (IIS), and File Systems and Storage. Brien has served as CIO for a nationwide chain of hospitals and was once responsible for the Department of Information Management at Fort Knox. As a freelance technical writer, Brien has written for Microsoft, TechTarget, CNET, ZDNet, MSD2D, Relevant Technologies and other technology companies. You can visit Brien's personal website at www.brienposey.com.

He recently posted an article titled Crash course on Microsoft Outlook 2007 calendar sharing on the SearchExchange.com website.

The walkthrough reviews the steps to share out an Outlook 2007 calendar, customize personal calendars, and to view multiple Outlook calendars in overlay mode all with accompanying screenshots.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Outlook 2007,Calendar,Sharing

Changing your default search provider in Internet Explorer 7 [GENERAL KNOWLEDGE SHARE]

2010-02-09T08:04:00.002-05:00

So for those of you that might be interested in changing your default search provider in Internet Explorer 7 this quick walk through allows you to do it in a few simple steps.

So the first thing you need to do is open your browser. Once you do that you’ll see the default search provider in gray in the search window as shown below.

The next step is to click on the arrow to the right side of the search field and the magnifying glass so that the option menu shows up:

Once you do that you can select “Change Search Defaults” which will open the dialog box as shown below.

To choose a provider not shown or to create your own you’d choose the blue link Find more providers… at the bottom left corner of the dialog box. Choosing that link will cause the http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/searchguide/en-en/default.mspx?dcsref=http://runonce.msn.com/runonce2.aspx page to load as shown below.

On this page you can choose from the list of provided options to select from or to create one of your own. Choosing one of the defaults is as simple as clicking on them; for the remainder of this walk through we are going to create our own.

What you need to do is open another browsing window (either another tab in this open browser session or by opening a whole new session) and go to that search provider’s site by entering the URL; for our example we’ll use http://isearch.igive.com/ which brings us here:

The next step is to enter TEST (in all capital letters) into the site’s search field and search them out.

The results of that action are shown below.

What is important for us is the http://isearch.igive.com/search.cfm?q=TEST&cid=46258 address in the field at the top – we need to highlight that and copy all of that and paste it into the third step in the other browser session where we are doing the “Add Search Providers to Internet Explorer” work.

After you do that step 4 is to give this new provider a name – we are going to call ours “iGive Search to benefit WUAH” and click the INSTALL button.

Once you do that the following dialog box appears:

You want to put a check into the “Make this my default search provider” box and choose the Add Provider option.

When you do this you’ll notice the default search box in the upper right hand corner changes to:

You have successfully changed the default search provider for Windows Internet Explorer 7. Future searches will render their results from the new provider:

Technorati Tags: Internet Explorer 7,Search

Free e-book offer from Microsoft Press – First Look: Microsoft Office 2010 [GENERAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS]

2010-02-08T12:51:00.001-05:00

For a limited time, you can download this free e-book “First Look: Microsoft Office 2010”, by Katherine Murray, which offers 14 chapters of early content.

· Download e-book First Look: Microsoft Office 2010 (PDF file, 10.5 MB)

· Download e-book First Look: Microsoft Office 2010 (XPS file, 27.9 MB)

Direct links:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/E/D/A/EDAE500D-75C8-406F-B1B4-A9FDEF477281/ebook_Microsoft_Office_2010.pdf

http://download.microsoft.com/download/E/D/A/EDAE500D-75C8-406F-B1B4-A9FDEF477281/ebook_Microsoft_Office_2010.xps

The e-book offer includes the following content.

Part I, "Envision the Possibilities," describes the changes in the new Microsoft Office suite and shows how to use the new features so they fit the way you work. Chapter 1, "Welcome to Office 2010," introduces the new features. Chapter 2, "Express Yourself Effectively and Efficiently," details the great new enhancements and visual effects. Chapter 3, "Work Anywhere with Office 2010," shows the flexibility of Microsoft Office 2010 and explains how you can do your work no matter where your path takes you.

Part II, "Hit the Ground Running," spotlights the new features of each program and shows how they relate to the whole. These chapters provide a how-to guide for features that you are most likely to use, and they offer inspiring ideas on how to get the most from your favorite programs.

Part III, "Next Steps with Office 2010," helps you think through interoperability and provides ways to integrate programs. How often do you use Office programs together? Research shows that people often do not realize how well the programs work together as a complete system. This section also explores Microsoft Office security and training opportunities.

Cross linked from http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/training/office.aspx

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Office,e-book,2010,free

NAP Time With Windows Server 2008 [70-680 Direct Access and VPN Connections]

2010-02-07T16:31:00.001-05:00

Emma Nelson recently posted an article over on the Windows Server HQ website regarding Network Access Protection. I would recommend review the article in it’s entirety.

As part of the Windows 7, Configuring Exam (70-680) you’re going to need to have a good understanding of now NAP works and how it affects users that are connecting via Direct Access or via traditional VPN connections. NAP can also be used on the LAN as well.

Windows Server 2008 uses NAP to restrict network access based on a system by system basis by performing a health assessment check on each computer that connects to the corporate network.

If the client system meets the health benchmark by passing the health assessment check it is granted access the network.

If the computer is in noncompliance, NAP is generally configured to block those systems from accessing the network until they can be made compliant with the health policy.

For the most part there is a set of criteria that is set through the Windows Security Health Validator (WSHV) that can be used to verify that a system meets the health benchmark for a given network which can include the following:

Verifying that Windows Update is enabled
Verifying the state of approved software updates and whether they have been installed
Verifying the state of the firewall client, if it is enabled
Verifying the state of the anti-virus client and if it is running and the most recent approved definitions are installed
Verifying the state of the anti-spyware client, if it is running and the most recent approved definitions are installed

You can find out more about NAP from the Network Access Protection TechCenter

Technorati Tags: 70-680,70-680 Windows 7,Windows 7,NAP,MCITP,MCP,MCSE,MCSA,MCTS,Windows Server 2008

Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certification [GENERAL CERTIFICATION NEWS]

2010-02-06T17:55:00.001-05:00

The Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certification is one of the certifications available from the legacy MCP / MCSA / MCSE tracks.

As part of the other topics I am writing about here on the site I thought it was important to take a look back at some of the history of the Microsoft Certification Program.

I have a new article titled Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certification on the Toolbox for IT website.

It references some of the history of the program back to the MCP days.

Technorati Tags: certification,Microsoft,MCP,MCSA,MCSE,MCITP,MCTS