70-620 Exam Study Notes

70-620: Microsoft Windows Vista, Configuring

About These Notes

These are notes that I took while studying for the 70-620 exam. I've boiled them down to what you need to know when you take the exam.

I hope that these notes prove helpful to you and good luck on the exam!

General Advice

This is an easy exam. In fact, it's a laughably-easy exam if you have a lot of Windows experience and certifications. If you don't, you still shouldn't have much problem at all. I can't imagine someone failing if they read a good book and study my notes here.

I used the Sybex study guide to study for this exam. It did the job (again, the exam is easy), though I found that it covered a lot of material that the exam doesn't cover. Those topics end up being covered in the 70-622 exam (Vista, Enterprise Support). If you intend on taking 70-622 next, then the Sybex guide practically kills two birds with one stone. If, on the other hand, you don't intend on taking 70-622 next, you might be better off with the Microsoft study guide, which appears to better-address the 70-620 and not much more. Both are very good and recommended guides; pick the one that better suits your plans for after 70-620.

This exam is an easy one, but you shouldn't take it too lightly. My main pieces of advice are:

See if Microsoft is offering their "Second Shot" (free re-take) promotion and take advantage of it (even if you think that you'll pass. There's no reason not to, since you can use it more than once. You must sign up with Microsoft and use the special promotion code when scheduling your first sitting in order to be eligible to re-take it free (should you fail).
Consider taking your own notes while studying. Writing things down helps the memorization process. Besides, it's possible that a topic that I know well and didn't think to include is one that you may not be so strong in.
Print these notes out and carry them with you (along with your own notes) on the day of the exam. Go over them on breaks, in the car and, most importantly, immediately before walking into the exam room (leave them outside, of course). For the most part, I've designed them to be succint and memorizable.
Bring a pen with you and, should you fail the exam, as soon as you leave the testing center, write down (on the back of the printout or paper that you brought with you) everything from the exam that you can remember, especially questions and answers that you weren't sure of. Spend a good 15-30 minutes. You won't recall much even a few hours later, unless you have a better memory than I do. It really, really helps if you made good use of the "Select for Review" checkboxes while taking the test, since it means that all of the questions and answers that you weren't sure of are the freshest things in your mind when you leave the testing center. Use everything that you wrote down as the basis for your re-take studying.

Exam Format

Format: Multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, hotspot, etc.

Questions: 64

Time Limit: 210 minutes (+30 minutes for comments and reading the pre-exam disclaimers)

Passing score: 700

Resources

Microsoft Preparation Guide for 70-620 -- List of exam objectives.

Techexams.net - Exam Quick Tips - Excellent notes. Definitely check these out.

MCPMag.com - Exam Review

Proprofs.com - Quiz - a 29-question quiz that I recommend that you take and study the right/wrong answers for.

Free (or demo) 70-620 practice exams:

Retail 70-620 practice exams:

MeasureUp ($55-99)
SelfTest Software ($109)
Transcender ($109-149)

Forums and newsgroups that cover 70-620:

Study Notes

Know the minimum hardware requirements for "Vista Capable" and "Vista Premium Ready" PCs:
Vista Capable: 800MHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 20GB HD with 15GB free, DX9 video card at 800x600, CD or DVD drive
Vista Premium Ready: 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, 40GB HD with 15GB free, DX9 video card with a WDDM driver and Pixel Shader 2.0, DVD drive
Note: I've highlighted the most critical requirements to know (though still know them all). You're more likely to be asked about whether Vista will run on a certain configuration (i.e. does it meet "Vista Capable" level) than you are to be asked about Vista Premium Ready.

XP (non-x64) is the only OS that can upgrade directly to Vista. Previous versions (like 2000) must first be upgraded to XP and then can be upgraded to Vista. I'll say it again: Windows 2000 cannot be upgraded to Vista without going through XP first! Tell me more

An in-place upgrade from XP to Vista requires only 11GB of free space. Note that this is, understandably, lower than the 15GB required for a clean installation.

Microsoft often won't use the terms "upgrade" or "clean install" on the exam. For example, they'll be a little trickier and say "Tom wants to install Vista, but keep his existing applications" when an upgrade is indicated or "Tom wants to dual-boot with XP" when a clean install is indicated. It's not at all hard to figure out; just pay close attention to the requirements of the question.

Know the differences between the Vista editions. The most important are:

Home Basic does not support Aero.
Home Premium adds digital entertainment features (such as Media Center) and Tablet PC services.
Enterprise adds BitLocker.
Ultimate includes everything.

You cannot do an in-place upgrade to Vista editions that have fewer features than your current XP version. For example, you cannot upgrade from XP Pro to Vista Home Basic or Home Premium. Microsoft.com - Vista upgrade paths

Windows Anytime Upgrade is the tool to use to upgrade from one edition of Vista to another (ex. from Home Premium to Ultimate).

If dual-booting with an earlier version of Windows, install the earlier version first and Vista second. This is necessary because, although you're installing each version to a different partition, there's only one boot loader and Vista won't load if its own boot loader is overwritten with a pre-Vista one.

If dual-booting with Win98, disable disk compression in 98 so that Vista can read the partition and keep in mind that 98 won't be able to read the Vista partition if its formatted with NTFS.

Windows Easy Transfer (migwiz.exe) is the friendly, GUI utility for migrating user accounts, user files and program settings from one edition of Windows to Vista. The User State Migration Tool is the scriptable, command-line tool that administrators can use to automate the migration process, and it consists of ScanState.exe and LoadState.exe.

The grace period to activate Vista is 30 days. Failing to activate during this time results in users being unable to write to files.

Know what each of the alert icons in Device Manager indicates: black exclamation point (problem with the device), black down arrow (device disabled), and blue i (resources set manually).

ReadyBoost is a technology that makes use of USB flash drives to speed up the computer. It isn't a substitute for adding RAM, but can be a temporary solution.

Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Packs may be installed from the "Keyboards and Languages" tab of the "Regional and Language Options" Control Panel applet. MUI packs require Vista Enterprise or Vista Ultimate.

Know the following keyboard accessibility options:
Sticky Keys - allows keyboard shortcut combinations (ex. Ctrl+A) to be performed separately, rather than simultaneously.
Filter Keys - helps prevent repeated keystrokes by slowing the repeat rate.
Toggle Keys - sends an audio alert when the Caps Lock, Num Lock or Scroll Lock keys are pressed.

Administrator & Standard User Accounts

The principle of least privilege is an important one to remember, especially for the exam. Never give a user more permissions than he or she needs. Usually, this means creating standard user accounts instead of administrator accounts. Standard user accounts prevent users from making unauthorized changes to the operating system.

To run an executable one time as an administrator, right-click it and choose Run as Administrator. To always run it as an administrator, set it on the Compatibility tab in the executable's properties. Use the latter if a standard user needs to run a particular program as an administrator (again, principle of least privilege).

With User Account Control (UAC) enabled, standard users are prompted for administrator credentials when they try to make changes to the system; administrators are merely prompted for consent.

Know the following two UAC security options:
User Account Control: Behavior of the Elevation Prompt for Administrators in Admin Approval Mode - determines UAC's behavior under an administrator account ("prompt for consent" by default).
User Account Control: Behavior of the Elevation Prompt for Standard Users - determines UAC's behavior under a standard user account ("prompt for credentials" by default).
Note: You might make changes to these if, for example, you want administrators to be prompted for credentials (just like standard users) or standard users to be automatically denied privilege elevation without ever seeing a prompt.

The built-in Administrator and Guest accounts are disabled by default.

Windows Firewall

A port exception in Windows Firewall blocks traffic through a specific port, regardless of the program. A program exception blocks traffic by a specific program, regardless of the port (or ports). In general, use a port exception if the port is fixed and singular; use a program exception if the port varies or many are used.

The "Block All Incoming Connections" option in Windows Firewall ignores exceptions.

Network Connectivity

Know the three classes of IPv4 addresses and their default subnet masks:
Class A: 1-126.x.x.x - Subnet mask: 255.0.0.0
Class B: 128-191.x.x.x - Subnet mask: 255.255.0.0
Class C: 192-223.x.x.x - Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Tip: The easy way to remember where the classes start and end is to think of the loopback address, 127.0.0.1, and the default private network address, 192.168.0.1.

To determine the default gateway (the "EXIT" sign for the local network), replace the numbers in the address with zeros whereever its subnet mask has zeros, then add a one at the end. For example, the default gateway for a node with address 12.34.56.78 would be 12.0.0.1.

Know the relationship between the IPv4 address, the subnet mask and the gateway so that you know how to resolve connectivity issues. For example, if a PC with an address of 192.168.1.104 can't communicate with any network devices on its subnet, check that its subnet mask is set to 255.255.255.0. If the same PC can communicate with network devices on its own subnet, but not with those on other subnets or the internet, check that its gateway is set to 192.168.1.1.

An IP address of 169.254.x.x (an APIPA address) indicates failure to obtain an address from a DHCP server. Configure a valid, unused address for the local network on the protocol's "Alternate Configuration" tab. It'll then use that address in the future, instead, when DHCP fails to provide one.

Know how to spot an IPv6 address. Example: 2e14:0db8:3c4d:0015:0000:0000:abcd:ef12

Each network connection in Vista has a network location that can be set to Domain, Private or Public. Know that Private is intended for secure home and non-domain work environments, while Public is for unsecured, public networks, such as wireless hotspots and internet cafes.

The taskbar network icon can be displayed with a globe (connected to a network with internet access), without a globe (connected to a network without internet access) or with a red X (not connected to any network).

To run IE7 without add-ons, click on Start->All Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Internet Explorer (No Add-ons).

When a pop-up is blocked, you can click on the information bar at the top of the window to get options to "Temporarily Allow Pop-ups" and "Always Allow Pop-ups from This Site." Choosing the latter will add the site to the Pop-up Blocker's "Allowed Sites" list. Sites may also be added manually to the list through the Tools menu.

The Phishing Filter checks for fraudulent websites and is turned off by default.

The Web Content Filter's High setting blocks everything that isn't approved for children and the Medium setting blocks unrated content and content unsuitable for children (drugs, alcohol, violence, etc.)

IE's Protected Mode (on by default for all sites but those in the Trusted Sites zone) prevents websites from writing outside of the Temporary Internet Files folder, stopping spyware from being installed without consent.

RSS Feeds allows subscriptions to sites with frequently-updated content and can be viewed and managed through the Favorites Center (accessible from the large star icon on the left of the IE toolbar).

By default, RSS Feeds update only once per day. To change the schedule (especially to decrease the interval in order to receive news closer to when it's posted), right-click the feed in Favorites Center and choose Properties.

Windows Meeting Space

Know all about Windows Meeting Space. Microsoft is keen on testing on it.

Windows Meeting Space allows up to 10 people to collaboratively edit documents (called handouts) and view/use applications or the entire desktop.

Windows Meeting Space requires Vista and IPv6 to be enabled, as well as peer networking and file replication services to be running.

You can be in only one meeting at a time. To join a new meeting, you must first exit your current one.

Only one participant at a time may edit a Meeting Space handout. If more than one person has a handout open and saves changes, only the first save is kept; the rest are discarded.

The Take Control button and Windows+Esc are the two ways to reclaim control of your desktop after giving control in a Meeting Space meeting.

Vista Home Basic allows you to join a meeting with Meeting Space, but not start one.

To add greater control over who may join a meeting, select the "Do not allow people near me to see this session" option and then send invitations to each desired participant.

People Near Me can be used only to join meetings on the local subnet. Joining a meeting on another subnet or network requires an invitation.

Other

Windows Mail features a Junk E-mail Filter that has a Blocked Senders List and a Safe Senders List. The two important filtering levels to remember are the "No Automatic Filtering" setting, which removes only messages from sources on the Blocked Senders List, and the "Safe List Only" setting, which removes every message not from a source on the Safe Senders List.

If a conflict arises in which a user's e-mail address is in either the Safe Senders list or the Blocked Senders list and his/her domain is in the other list, the one with the specific user's e-mail address takes precedence. That way, you can block a specific user without blocking the entire domain.

Windows Calendar allows you to e-mail your calendar in .ics format to other users or, ideally, publish it on the network for them. When publishing, choose "Automatically Publish Changes Made to This Calendar" or else you'll have to manually synchronize to update the published copy and subscribed users may not always see the most-updated version.

To send/receive faxes with Windows Fax and Scan, create a fax account, configure WFS to receive faxes, allow an exception under Windows Fireall and verify that the Fax Service is started.

To connect a Media Center Extender (MCE) to a Media Center computer, you will need to write down the MCE's 8-digit Setup Key and then provide it to the Media Center computer through the Add Extender wizard. The wizard will automatically open the right ports in Windows Firewall.

Windows CardSpace stores personal cards that you can create to send personal data to websites and stores managed cards given to you by online businesses, representing your business with them.

Windows Sidebar gadgets are added to the Sidebar by dragging them from the gallery. If a certain gadget that you want isn't in the galley, download it from the internet via the "Get more gadgets online" link.

If a gadget that you added isn't visible in Windows Sidebar, click on the arrow buttons to scroll through the added gadgets.

Windows Defender scans your Vista system for spyware automatically, but can be used for manual scans, as well. Programs that are identified as spyware are automatically moved to a restricted folder called Quarantined Items. If a valid file was moved to Quarantined Items, you may recover it by restoring it.

Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance each have an exception that must be enabled in Windows Firewall. This allows you to enable one without enabling the other. The exceptions are called, conveniently enough, "Remote Desktop" and "Remote Assistance."

By default, only administrators can use Remote Desktop. Add non-administrators to the Remote Desktop Users group (or access the tab under System Properties) if they need permission.

Only one person at a time can use a workstation, whether locally or via Remote Desktop. If a remote user connects in, the local console will be locked; if someone then logs in locally, the remote user will be logged off.

To connect to a remote computer over the internet (without a VPN), you must use Remote Desktop Web Connection. To use it, open IE and browse to http://computer/tsweb/

Remote Assistance allows both the local and remote user to view the desktop, requires the local user to authorize access and is not supported on pre-XP clients.

Remote Assistance invitations expire after 6 hours, by default, or once the local user closes the connection window.

Administrators may offer assistance to Vista computers without an invitation; XP clients require one.

The new, default power-saving mode in Vista, Sleep mode, saves the user session to RAM and then goes into a low-power state. Waking up from Sleep is faster than Hibernation.

The three power plans in Vista are Power Saver, Balanced and High Performance. Use High Performance on desktops and laptops that are usually plugged into AC outlets. Use Power Saver for laptops that frequently run on batteries. When plugged into AC power, High Performance will never enter sleep mode or turn hard disks off. Balanced and Power Saver will both enter sleep mode and turn hard disks off, no matter the power source. All three modes will turn off the display.

When giving a presentation, turn on Presentation Settings from the Mobility Center. With Presentation Settings, you can temporarily disable system notifications, adjust the volume level, replace the desktop background, disable the screensaver and change display settings. These are all undone when Presentation Settings is turned off.

The "Target Specific Recognition Errors" tool on Tablet PCs can resolve cases in which you've taught the handwriting engine your writing style, but specific characters or words are still consistently being recognized incorrectly.

Wireless

Wireless devices can connect either to access points (infrastructure mode) or directly to one another (ad-hoc mode).

To create or modify a wireless network that all users can use, click the "Profile types" button under "Manage Wireless Networks" and choose "Use All-User Profiles Only."

Three things to increase security of a wireless network: disable SSID broadcast, create a MAC address filter list and enable WPA/WPA2/WEP encryption.

The Backup and Restore Center (in Control Panel and All Programs) allows backing up and restoring files, creating and restoring an image of your entire computer and creating and restoring restore points using System Restore.

The Backup Up Files option will backup only personal documents and media, as well as compressed/packaged files. It will not back up system files, program files, profile settings, EFS-encrypted files or files on FAT volumes.

To restore a complete PC image, boot to the Vista DVD and choose Repair Your Computer.

System Restore points contain system files and Registry information, not personal files.

Another way to restore files (other than backing them up) is to use the Previous Versions tab of a file's or folder's properties to roll the file back to an earlier version.

System Restore can be managed from the System Protection tab of System Properties in addition to the Backup and Restore Center. You can also restore from the repair menu after booting from the Vista DVD.

The Memory Diagnostic Tool may be run from the Control Panel or by booting from the Vista DVD, clicking on Repair Your Computer and choosing it from the menu.

The System Information utility is launched by running msinfo32.exe and lists verbose details about your hardware (especially resources in use) and software.

The System Configuration utility is launched by running msconfig.exe and allows you to choose which mode Windows will boot into, which boot options will be used, which services will start and which startup apps wil start. Making any changes will automatically switch the startup mode from Normal to Selective and choosing Normal will clear all changes.

Corrupted or missing system files can be repaired by booting from the Vista DVD, choosing Repair Your Computer and selecting Startup Repair.

Use the F8 key after system POST to access the Advanced Boot Options menu, which includes Safe Mode, Enable Boot Logging, Enable Low Resolution Video, Last Known Good Configuration and more.

Enable Boot Logging writes to \Windows\Ntbtlog.txt and appends each time.

Know the first step to take to undo a recent change that is causing problems with Windows:
If a recently-installed driver is the problem, use the Roll Back Driver button on the Driver tab of the device's properties.
If you can boot into Windows without problem (and it's not a driver issue), use System Restore (Start Menu->All Programs->Accessories->System Tools).
If you can't boot into Windows, use Last Known Good Configuration from the advanced boot menu.

Know the basics of the Reliability and Performance Monitor and how to identify problems with it.