Introduction

This training kit is designed for information technology (IT) support personnel who support Windows Vista at the Tier 1 or Tier 2 level in a wide range of environments and who plan to take the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) exam 70-620. We assume that before you begin using this kit you have a solid foundation-level understanding of Microsoft Windows client operating systems and common Internet technologies.

By using this training kit, you will learn how to do the following:

• Install and upgrade Windows Vista

• Configure and troubleshoot post-installation system settings

• Configure Windows Vista security features

• Configure Windows Vista network connectivity

• Configure applications included with Windows Vista

• Maintain and optimize systems that run Windows Vista

• Configure and troubleshoot mobile computers and devices

Hardware Requirements

We recommend that you use an isolated network that is not part of your production network to do the practice exercises in this book. The computer that you use to perform practices requires Internet connectivity. It is possible to perform almost all of the practices in this training kit if you decide to use a virtual machine instead of standard computer hardware. Your computer or computers should meet (at a minimum) the following hardware specification:

• Personal computer with a 1-GHz or faster processor.

• 512 MB of RAM (1.5 GB if you plan to use virtual machine software).

• 40 GB of available hard disk space (80 GB if you plan to use virtual machine software).

• DVD-ROM drive.

• DirectX-capable graphics card with a Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) driver, Hardware Pixel Shader 2.0 support, and a minimum of 128 MB of graphics memory. Graphics cards with lower specifications might work, but it will not be possible to use Windows Aero.

• Keyboard and Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device.

• To complete the practice in Lesson 1, “Upgrading and Migrating to Windows Vista,” of Chapter 2, you should have access to a Windows XP computer with Service Pack 2 installed. The optional practice involves performing an upgrade of a Windows XP computer, but you should attempt this only under the circumstances outlined in the practice.

• The practices in Chapter 7, “Configuring Network Connectivity,” require a wireless router or wireless fidelity interface card.

• The practice in Lesson 3, “Configuring Windows Meeting Space,” of Chapter 9 requires a second computer with Windows Vista installed.

• Practices 1 and 2 in Lesson 1, “Configuring and Troubleshooting Media Applications,” of Chapter 10 require access to a TV tuner card or universal serial bus (USB) device.

• The practice in Lesson 1, “Troubleshooting Performance Issues,” of Chapter 11, requires a USB2 flash memory pen drive that supports ReadyBoost (almost all modern devices do) and a second flash drive that does not support ReadyBoost (less than 256 MB free).

• The practices in Chapter 13, “Configuring Mobile Devices,” require Windows Vista running on a mobile PC. You also need a second computer on your network that is acting as a network server (it does not need to be running Windows Vista).

• The practices in Lesson 1, “Configuring TabletPC,” of Chapter 14 require access to a Tablet PC that has Windows Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate installed.

Software Requirements

The following software is required to complete the practice exercises:

• Windows Vista Ultimate edition

Using the CD

The companion CD included with this training kit contains the following:

• Practice tests You can reinforce your understanding of how to configure Windows Vista by using electronic practice tests you customize to meet your needs from the pool of Lesson Review questions in this book. Or you can practice for the 70-620 certification exam by using tests created from a pool of 300 realistic exam questions, which give you many practice exams to ensure that you are prepared.

• An eBook An electronic version of this book (eBook) is included for when you do not want to carry the printed book with you. The eBook is in Portable Document Format (PDF), and you can view it by using Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.

How to Install the Practice Tests

To install the practice test software from the companion CD to your hard disk, do the following:

1.	Insert the companion CD into your CD drive, and accept the license agreement. A CD menu appears. Note: If the CD menu does not appear If the CD menu or the license agreement does not appear, AutoRun might be disabled on your computer. Refer to the Readme.txt file on the CD-ROM for alternate installation instructions.
2.	Click Practice Tests, and follow the instructions on the screen.

How to Use the Practice Tests

To start the practice test software, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start/All Programs/Microsoft Press Training Kit Exam Prep. A window appears that shows all the Microsoft Press training kit exam prep suites installed on your computer.
2.	Double-click the lesson review or practice test you want to use.

Lesson Review Options

When you start a lesson review, the Custom Mode dialog box appears so that you can configure your test. You can click OK to accept the defaults, or you can customize the number of questions you want, how the practice test software works, which exam objectives you want the questions to relate to, and whether you want your lesson review to be timed. If you are retaking a test, you can select whether you want to see all the questions again or only the questions you missed or did not answer.

After you click OK, your lesson review starts.

• To take the test, answer the questions and use the Next, Previous, and Go To buttons to move from question to question.

• After you answer an individual question, if you want to see which answers are correct—along with an explanation of each correct answer—click Explanation.

• If you prefer to wait until the end of the test to see how you did, answer all the questions and then click Score Test. You will see a summary of the exam objectives you chose and the percentage of questions you got right overall and per objective. You can print a copy of your test, review your answers, or retake the test.

Practice Test Options

When you start a practice test, you choose whether to take the test in Certification Mode, Study Mode, or Custom Mode:

• Certification Mode Closely resembles the experience of taking a certification exam. The test has a set number of questions. It is timed, and you cannot pause and restart the timer.

• Study Mode Creates an untimed test in which you can review the correct answers and the explanations after you answer each question.

• Custom Mode Gives you full control over the test options so that you can customize them as you like.

In all modes the user interface when you are taking the test is basically the same but with different options enabled or disabled depending on the mode. The main options are discussed in the previous section, “Lesson Review Options.”

When you review your answer to an individual practice test question, a “References” section is provided that lists where in the training kit you can find the information that relates to that question and provides links to other sources of information. After you click Test Results to score your entire practice test, you can click the Learning Plan tab to see a list of references for every objective.

How to Uninstall the Practice Tests

To uninstall the practice test software for a training kit, use the Add Or Remove Programs option (Windows XP) or the Program And Features option (Windows Vista) in Windows Control Panel.

Microsoft Certified Professional Program

The Microsoft certifications provide the best method to prove your command of current Microsoft products and technologies. The exams and corresponding certifications are developed to validate your mastery of critical competencies as you design and develop, or implement and support, solutions with Microsoft products and technologies. Computer professionals who become Microsoft-certified are recognized as experts and are sought after industry-wide. Certification brings a variety of benefits to the individual and to employers and organizations.

Technical Support

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this book and the contents of the companion CD. If you have comments, questions, or ideas regarding this book or the companion CD, please send them to Microsoft Press by using either of the following methods:

E-mail: tkinput@microsoft.com

Postal Mail:

Microsoft Press Attn: MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-620): Configuring Windows Vista Client, Editor One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052–6399

For additional support information regarding this book and the CD-ROM (including answers to commonly asked questions about installation and use), visit the Microsoft Press Technical Support website at www.microsoft.com/learning/support/books/. To connect directly to the Microsoft Knowledge Base and enter a query, visit http://support.microsoft.com/search/. For support information regarding Microsoft software, connect to http://support.microsoft.com.