Know the differences between Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) and Advanced Power Management (APM) when installing Windows XP, as well as the ramifications if Setup installs the incorrect power management interface.

Know all the following options for unattended and Remote Installation Services (RIS) installations:

• winnt.sif automates CD-ROM-based installs.

• sysprep.inf is the name of the answer file for System Preparation (sysprep) installs.

• winnt.exe with the /u, /s, and /udf options is used for unattended installations in 16-bit environments.

• winnt32.exe and unattend.txt automate Windows XP installations in 32-bit environments.

• winnt32.exe with the /unattend option automates Windows XP upgrade installations.

• Requirements for RIS are Active Directory, Domain Name System (DNS), and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

winnt32.exe with the checkupgradeonly option verifies hardware and software compatibility before installation.

rbfg.exe creates remote boot disks for RIS clients if computers don't have network adapters with Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) boot ROM.

riprep.exe creates images of Windows XP Professional and applications for upload to an RIS server.

risetup.exe configures RIS servers.

update.exe –s:<folder path> or xpsp#.exe –s:<folder path> applies a Service Pack (SP) to a distribution share in slipstream mode.

Remember that you can roll back to the previous operating system (OS) after Windows XP is installed as an upgrade to Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), and Windows Me.

Know the details about dynamic update for downloading the latest security patches and drivers during Windows XP Setup and its various command-line options: dudisable, dushare, and duprepare.

Understand the sysprep tool and the essential options that are available, such nosidgen and reseal.

Know the two important commands used with the User State Migration Tool (USMT): scanstate and loadstate.

Know the different Microsoft update options that are available:

• Automatic Updates— Used with the Windows update feature and Web site to automatically download and offer critical fixes and drivers for the OS.

• Software Update Services (SUS)— Free download from Microsoft that supports centralized authorization and control for the deployment of Windows updates within an organization.

• Windows Update— Microsoft Web site (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com) that offers to download and install the latest critical fixes and drivers for individual computers.

Hidden and administrative shares are share names with dollar signs ($) appended to their names and do not appear in the network browse list. Administrative shares are created automatically for the root of each drive letter and can only be accessed by members of the Administrators group. Hidden shares can be created by any user and accessed by any user who has been granted permission to the hidden shares.

The default permission for new shares is Everyone:Allow Read. If share permissions conflict with NT File System (NTFS) permissions, the permissions that apply are the ones in common with both sets of permissions. Often, this means that the most restrictive permissions take precedence.

When you combine NTFS permissions based on users and their group memberships, the least restrictive permissions take precedence. However, Deny entries always override Allow entries.

By default, NTFS permissions are inherited from the parent folder. Permissions that are not inherited are referred to as explicit. Explicit permissions always override inherited permissions: an explicit Allow will even override an inherited Deny permission.

To change NTFS permissions on a file or folder, you must be the owner or have the Change Permissions permission, which is also included as part of the Full Control permission.

NTFS supports data encryption via the Encrypting File System (EFS) as well as file compression. You can compress or encrypt a file, but not both.

A Windows XP basic disk is a physical disk that contains primary and/or extended partitions. You can create up to three primary partitions and one extended partition containing logical drives on a basic disk or up to four primary partitions.

You cannot extend a partition on a basic disk using the Disk Management console; however, you can extend one using the diskpart.exe command-line utility when the file system is NTFS and when there is contiguous nonallocated space available on the same physical disk.

A Windows XP dynamic disk is a physical disk that does not use partitions or logical drives. You can extend a volume on a dynamic disk. Dynamic disks can contain an unlimited number of volumes. Only computers running Windows XP Professional (or later versions) can directly access local dynamic volumes. Windows 9x and Windows NT computers can access shared folders on dynamic volumes over the network.

If you need to revert a dynamic disk to a basic disk, first back up your data, convert the disk to basic, and then restore your data.

Mounted drives, also known as mount points or mounted volumes, are useful for increasing a drive's size without disturbing it. Mount points also enable you to access multiple local storage devices through empty NTFS folders without assigning drive letters. Mounted NTFS drives can be either basic partitions or dynamic volumes.

Windows XP offers File Allocation Table (FAT) (also known as FAT16) and FAT32 file system support with the following conditions or specifications:

• Pre-existing FAT32 partitions up to 2 terabytes (TB) can be accessed under Windows XP.

• Windows XP allows you to create new FAT32 volumes of only 32GB or fewer.

When you perform an upgrade installation of Windows XP from Windows NT Workstation 4, existing NTFS volumes are upgraded to NTFS 5 automatically.

Disk quotas track and control disk usage on a per-user, per-volume basis. You can apply disk quotas only to NTFS drives. To enable disk quotas, open the Properties dialog box for a disk, select the Quota tab, and configure the options.

To convert a drive letter from FAT or FAT32 to NTFS, use the command convert x: /fs:ntfs, where x represents the letter to be converted. This command is one way and is not reversible.

Encrypted files that are moved or copied to another NTFS folder remain encrypted. If users (other than the one who encrypted the file) attempt to move an encrypted file to a different folder located on the same NTFS volume, the file is moved. Encrypted files that are moved or copied to a FAT or FAT32 drive volume become unencrypted. If users (other than the one who encrypted the file or a user with shared access) attempt to move an encrypted file to a different NTFS volume, or to a FAT or FAT32 drive volume, they receive an Access Is Denied error message.

You can share access to encrypted files under EFS. Users must have previously encrypted at least one folder or file (or they must be issued an EFS certificate) to be granted shared access.

The Offline Files feature caches copies of network files locally. It is enabled by default on Windows XP. On Windows servers, Manual Caching of Documents is the default for shared folders. You can Encrypt Offline Files to Secure Data from the Offline Files tab of the Folder Options dialog box.

Windows XP can control whether users can install unsigned device drivers via the Driver Signing setting, configured through group policy or local policy. The three options for Unsigned Driver Installation Behavior are Silently Succeed (Ignore), Warn but Allow Installation (Warn), or Do Not Allow Installation (Block).

You can specify a different location for the print spooler folder from the Advanced tab of the Print Server Properties dialog box. Right-click a blank area in the Printers and Faxes window and select Server Properties to display the dialog box.

To use the multimonitor feature, you must use Peripheral Connection Interface (PCI) or Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) port devices. Configure multiple video displays with the Display applet in Control Panel.

Power Options in Control Panel lets you customize your power scheme settings. Standby does not save your desktop state to disk; if a power failure occurs while the computer is on standby, you can lose unsaved information. The hibernate feature saves everything in memory to disk, turns off your monitor and hard disk, and then turns off your computer.

Windows XP Professional supports a maximum of two processors (CPUs); Windows XP Home Edition supports only one processor.

DVD-ROM is supported, but DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM are not natively supported: these media types require third-party software for writing data onto these types of discs. CD-ROM, CDR, and CD-RW features are natively supported.

Know the purpose and configuration of all the accessibility features: StickyKeys, FilterKeys, Narrator, Magnifier, and On-Screen Keyboard.

Use the MSCONFIG utility to change system startup settings, enable and disable services, and modify BOOT.ini file settings.

The Regional and Language Options applet in Control Panel specifies user and input locales. You can also use it to add new input languages. Use this applet to combine input locales with a specific keyboard layout when a user needs to work with different languages.

Use the Fax console to configure the fax modem to receive faxes. By default, only an administrator can configure the fax service options.

Transfer data files and program settings from Windows XP and pre–Windows XP computers using either the USMT or the File Settings and Transfer (FAST) Wizard. The USMT requires a connection to a Windows domain controller.

Applications can be deployed to users via a group policy setting. Applications can be either published or assigned. Published applications appear in Add and Remove Programs in Control Panel. Assigned applications appear on the Start menu and install upon first use.

Typically, only application programs that ship with an .msi file can be deployed via a group policy setting. However, non–.msi applications can use a ZAW down-level applications package (ZAP) file to tell Group Policy how to install the application.

To enable roaming user profiles, enter the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path to the user's profile in the user's account properties dialog box.

To configure mandatory user profiles, rename ntuser.dat to ntuser.man.

ClearType is an advanced display option that improves the visual clarity and readability for LCD flat-panel monitors and is accessed via the Display applet in Control panel.

DualView is an advanced display option that enables a mobile computer to extend the Windows XP desktop onto both its built-in LCD display and onto an external monitor. It also supports desktop PCs that have one video adapter installed with two video output ports. You enable DualView via the Display applet in Control panel.

Use the Program Compatibility Wizard to run legacy applications in Compatibility Mode for Windows 95, Windows 98/Me, Windows NT 4 SP5, or Windows 2000. No other modes are available.

Local user and group accounts can be granted privileges and permissions to resources on the same system only. They cannot access resources on other systems.

Local user accounts can belong to local groups on the same system only. Domain user accounts can belong to global groups, universal groups, domain local groups, and machine local groups.

Renaming a user account maintains all group memberships, permissions, and privileges of that account. Copying a user account maintains group memberships, permissions, and privileges assigned to its groups, but doing so does not retain permissions associated with the original user account. Deleting and re-creating a user account with the same name loses all previous group memberships and permissions.

The most powerful group on a system is its local Administrators group. The Power Users group is an excellent group for most users who need to control the computer's resources but not the computer's administration.

You can remember the order in which group policies are applied as LSDOU—local, site, domain, OU. Local policy on a Windows XP computer is applied first, followed by site, domain, and finally OU group policy. The last policy applied overrides higher-level policies when a conflict occurs unless the No Override option is set on a higher-level policy.

The Resulting Set of Policies (RSoP) is the final set of policies that is applied to the user and computer. The gpresult tool can help determine this RSoP, as can the RSoP MMC snap-in. The gpupdate tool refreshes group policy settings to ensure that the most recently updated policies are applied.

You can back up and restore files and directories with Windows Backup (NTBackup.exe). Users can back up any files for which they have at least Read permissions, and they can restore files for which they have at least Write permissions. To back up or restore other files, users need to be members of the Backup Operators group or the Administrators group.

Backing up the System State allows you to back up the registry, COM+ objects, and system startup files.

Know the following options for troubleshooting a system:

• System Restore is the easiest way to return your computer to a previous state. Automatic restore points are set every 24 hours by default. You can also set your own manual restore points.

• The Recovery Console is a special command-prompt–only mode that you can boot the system into using the bootable Windows XP CD-ROM or by installing it using the winnt32 /cmdcons command before a failure occurs.

• Safe Mode is generally the most useful troubleshooting mode because it starts the operating system with minimal services and drivers. It is best for removing services or drivers that are causing blue-screen stop errors.

• Last Known Good Configuration starts the system with the ControlSet (a portion of the Registry) that was used the last time a user logged on successfully. If you install a driver or service that crashes before you restart and log on again successfully, you can restart the computer and select Last Known Good Configuration. Doing so effectively removes the driver or service from the Windows XP Registry.

• The Automated System Recovery (ASR) process is your last resort to recover the Windows XP operating system, the startup environment, and the Registry. To use it, boot a system with the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM and choose the Repair option. You also need your most recent ASR floppy disk and your most recent ASR backup media set. The Windows Backup program (ntbackup.exe) is required for creating and restoring ASR backup media sets.

Task Manager allows you to monitor specific performance measurements and to set the CPU priority for specific applications. You should not select Realtime priority, which can interfere with other applications. Task Manager is also used to set processor (CPU) affinity for applications, but only on dual-CPU systems.

Use the Performance MMC snap-in to monitor system performance and to establish baselines.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the default networking protocol and it cannot be uninstalled. Its default setting is to obtain an IP address automatically. All IP addresses must have a subnet mask.

The DHCP Server service runs on Windows Server computers to automatically assign (lease) dynamic IP addresses to client computers. Client computers run the DHCP Client service to obtain an IP address automatically; the DHCP Server service is not available under Windows XP.

DNS is required for Active Directory. DNS provides name resolution by mapping TCP/IP-based hostnames to IP addresses and vice versa.

Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) is not required for Active Directory. WINS offers name resolution by mapping NetBIOS computer names to IP addresses and vice versa.

To troubleshoot TCP/IP connectivity problems, use the ipconfig and ping command-line utilities. The ipconfig tool displays the local computer's IP configuration; ping tests connectivity to remote computers and can test the local configuration by pinging the computer's local loopback address of 127.0.0.1.

Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) takes effect on Windows XP Professional computers if no DHCP server can be contacted. APIPA assigns the computer an IP address within the range of 169.254.0.0 through 169.254.255.254 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 (Class B).

Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) is the built-in service that allows you to remotely access a session on a Windows XP Professional or on a Windows Server computer while you are working at different computer. RDC uses the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) over TCP/IP. On Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 computers, the server hosting the RDC sessions is referred to as a Terminal Server. The default TCP/IP port number for RDC is 3389.

Remote Assistance (RA) is the built-in service that allows another user, typically a help desk technician or an IT consultant, to remotely help the end user with an issue that he is experiencing on his Windows XP computer. RA allows an “expert” user to “shadow” the user's session so that the expert user can view and interact with the user's Windows desktop. The default TCP/IP port number for RA is also 3389.