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:

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Install and upgrade Windows Vista

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Configure and troubleshoot post-installation system settings

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Configure Windows Vista security features

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Configure Windows Vista network connectivity

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Configure applications included with Windows Vista

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Maintain and optimize systems that run Windows Vista

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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 train-

ing 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.

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

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

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DVD-ROM drive.

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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.

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