Certification Prep – The 20 Minute Workout

CompTIA backtracks on their plans to make changes to their certification policy originally announced on January 11, 2010 through a new message from Todd Thibodeaux the President and CEO of CompTIA CompTIA Certification Renewal Policy To Our Customers, I am very appreciative of the honest feedback you have provided us regarding our recent announcement concerning CompTIA certifications. We’ve listened to what you have told us and we’ve changed the policy announced on January 11, 2010. CompTIA will not require recertification for any current holders of CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+ certification. You are not required to retest to maintain your valid CompTIA certification. Regardless of when you became certified in CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+, you are certified for life. For candidates currently preparing to sit for a CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+ exam, if you pass an exam and become certified by December 31, 2010, you...

Kasia Grabowska recently posted a new article over on http://www.trainsignaltraining.com/ outlining the end of the “certified for life” program at CompTIA. Her original article indicated that as of January 1, 2010 the A+, Network+ and Security+ certifications will expire three years from the date they’re issued and you will be required to renew your credentials in order to stay current. This was going to apply to everyone including individuals who have obtained the certifications in the past and those who plan on completing them in the future. She’s posted an update as CompTIA released some new information. CompTIA has heard  the voices of millions of of certified technicians and changed their plans through a press release on the website . The details provided there are: Press Releases Jan 26, 2010 CompTIA Certification Renewal Policy Clarified Current certificate holders remain certified for life; renewal requirement applies only to certifications earned on or ...

Pros - Bundled with 1GB of online storage; adequate design Cons - Very slow read and write times; wireless connectivity is unstable; extremely high cost per gigabyte Key Specs Capacity: 1.5TB Interface: Wireless USB 2.0 Spin Rate: 7,200rpm Buffer Memory: 32MB Dimensions: 7.1x1.8x5 inches Weight: 2.7 pounds Imation ProWX 1.5TB Wireless USB Hard Drive Review Reviewed by: Konrad Krawczyk Review Date: January 2010 Technorati Tags: Wireless , USB , Hard Drive

Daniel P. Dern is an independent technology writer who has his own technology blog at http://www.TryingTechnologyBlog . He recently published an article titled Are Windows 7 Certifications Worthwhile? on the IT EXPERT VOICE website. The article really does a nice job outlining the new series of exams being released with respect to Windows 7 and it provides some perspective with regards to the time and money spent trying to learn the material and pass the certification exams. I recommend reviewing the entire article which can be found at Are Windows 7 Certifications Worthwhile? Technorati Tags: certification , general , windows 7 , 70-680

Kasia Grabowska recently posted a new article over on http://www.trainsignaltraining.com/ outlining the end of the “certified for life” program at CompTIA. As she points out in her article, you used to visit the FAQ at CompTIA and see: Question: Will I ever need to renew my certifications? Answer: No, CompTIA certifications are lifetime certifications. As of January 1, 2010 this is no longer the case. The A+, Network+ and Security+ certifications will expire three years from the date they’re issued and you will be required to renew your credentials in order to stay current. This applies to everyone — individuals who have obtained the certifications in the past and those who plan on completing them in the future. So now the question is: Why has CompTIA decided now, after all these years to change their policy? And more importantly, is this a good thing or a bad thing?   I offered the following comments at the end of her article: Updating your skills every thr...

This is a brief tutorial on the information originally posted at Windows 7 Themes that shows the steps to enable a folder on your Windows 7 system that will allow you to quickly access many Windows 7 administrative functions and configuration settings all from one place. The steps to do this are pretty straightforward; you create a new folder by right clicking wherever you want to create it and choose the NEW FOLDER option from the context menu. From there you would right-click on the newly created folder and select the RENAME option and copy and paste the following (exactly as is) as the new name for the folder. GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} The properties of the folder show that it is still a file folder once the folder is renamed as listed above. Once the renaming action is complete you will be able to access the full list of items as shown below, all from this single folder. Action Center Change Customer Experience Improvement Program settings Change User Account...

by Jason Zandri Image-based deployments of Windows 7 and prior desktop operating systems like XP Profession and Windows Vista are done to streamline the roll out process and to better allow small to large businesses as well as OEM manufactures the ability to quickly build and deploy their systems in an assembly line fashion. After installing an operating system on reference system and setting it up with specific settings and configuring other applications they would leverage an imaging solution to capture an image based on a sector-by-sector copy of the reference computer. Sector-by-sector copying can be effective in only so many scenarios and has a number of limitations. Imaging systems with tools available in Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7 that leverage image-based installations allow for easier initial setup, overall system deployment, and an improvement to image storage and management. Read my entire article online at the Petri IT Knowledgebase Technorati Tags: 70-68...

A MUST READ for anyone that uses Facebook, Twitter and / or LinkedIn. These sites are without a doubt very popular and very useful when used with care and thoughtfulness with respect to computer system security and data / information confidentiality. The popularity of social networking sites has increased at astonishing levels. There is no arguing the usefulness of sites such as Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn .  They can be used for professional networking and job searches, as a means to increase sales revenue, as a tool to keep the public informed of safety and other issues or as a way to reconnect with friends from way-back-when. However, as with any new tool or application, it is always important to keep a close watch on its security implications.  Each of these tools comes with its own set of security concerns which can put your information systems and/or personal data at risk. This white paper will look at some of these risks and identify possible solutions to hel...