Breaking Down Microsoft Exam 70-270

By Author: yvonne
Total Articles: 482
Comment this article

Microsoft has raised the bar with the microsoft exams and is attempting to make its certifications much more

valuable in the industry. To pass exam 70-270, Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional, you must have an in-depth

understanding of the broad topics discussed in this Daily Drill Down.

To prepare for this exam, I highly recommend using one of the many practice exam products available, such as the Exam Essentials practice module. While

reading a book and getting hands-on experience will serve you well, actually being quizzed by the practice exam will definitely pay off when you're in the

testing room.

Exam 70-270 is on the upper end of the difficulty scale, and you must be well prepared to pass it. It's not an impossible task, though, so with a good deal

of studying and some experience, you'll soon be walking out of the testing center with a smile on your face because you have met the challenge and passed

this exam.

Given the length of this exam, you'll need to be well versed ...
... in every facet of Windows XP Professional. I'm going to break
MCP certification down into several broad categories, including installation, basic administration, hardware devices

and drivers, monitoring and optimizing, configuring the desktop environment, network configuration, and security. I'll cover each of these categories in

depth in the foll

owing sections.

Another type of installation is the unattended variety that employs an answer file created with either a text editor or the Setup Manager Wizard. Ensure that

you're familiar with the five levels of user interaction, as well as with creating a Uniqueness Database File (UDF). This file is used in conjunction with

the answer file, allowing you to perform many individual installations with a single answer file.

You'll be tested on installing Windows XP using the Remote Installation Services (RIS). You should also know the RIS client requirements and understand how

to create a Remote Installation Preparation (RIPrep) image.

The final type of automated installation that you'll be challenged on is the System Preparation Tool, Sysprep.exe. Know the four modes that have been added

under Windows XP and be very familiar with the Sysprep switches and their functions.

Other installation topics you might find covered by exam 70-270 include upgrading to Windows XP, uninstalling Windows XP, performing a dynamic update, and

configuring dual-boot workstations. Pay special attention to troubleshooting installations and upgrades. Microsoft seems to
free Cisco IT certification test questions along this line.