MS 70-113 Free Paper

Microsoft recently introduced performance based testing exam. I recently took the 70-113 exam & loved it. It is an innovative way of knowing how someone would perform in real scenarios as oppose to selecting an answer from MCQ (multiple choice questions) format. The exam was divided into two performance labs, which requires you to perform series of tasks on a virtual server environment. The tasks were selected from a range of different topics on Windows 2008 Server including Active Directory, GPO, FSMO roles, DNS, DHCP, Certificate Services and other general topics. At the end of the two labs there were 37 questions in old MCQ format. There was no scoring or result for the paper as it was a promotional paper, so there is no pass/fail criteria.

 

The first 3000 test takers will be given three free vouchers for other exams. Microsoft have extended the offer till December 17th for the free 70-113 Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring exam. 70-113 covers the same topics as 70-640.

 

To perform well on this exam you should grasp ins & outs of windows 2008 Server, especially Active Directory. I see that the “..first 3000 takers getting three free vouchers..” statement has made lots of people to go for the paper even without knowing anything about Active Directory and finishing the paper in quick time – just to get 3 free vouchers. In my opinion this offer should have a catch like first 3000 free exam takers with certain % score rather than just the first 3000 takers. That way MS could have got the true value out of this free exam.

 

Check the links below for some more details about the exam

http://blogs.technet.com/betaexams/archive/2008/10/27/registration-for-pilot-70-113-extended-until-december-17th.aspx

http://mcpmag.com/reviews/exams/article.asp?editorialsid=122

 

Check the links below to prepare for the test or to see Win2008

TechNet Virtual Lab: Managing Active Directory – Directory Services

Windows Server 2008 – Learning Portal

 

Register for the paper at Prometric

Prometric Testing Site

 

Free Windows XP & Vista

Free, yes absolutely free VHD images of Windows XP with SP2, SP3 & IE6, IE7 & IE8 and also Win Vista with IE7 are available from Microsoft site as free downloads. It is a great way to test websites using different versions of IE.

 

Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC Image

 

Check the link below for other free VHD images of Microsoft products including Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, SharePoint Server 2007, ISA 2006 firewall, Exchange Server 2007, BizTalk Server 2006, Identity Lifecycle Manager 2006, forefront and system Center products.

 

Run IT on a Virtual Hard Disk

Free Updated AntiSpywares

LavaSoft Ad-Aware has released a new free version of their anti-spyware tool Ad-Aware 2007 Free.

 

The Ad-aware 2007 free detects and removes worms, Trojans, spywares, malicious items from your system. This new version removes the older version if you have it installed. The version is Microsoft Windows Vista compatible. This new version adds the program as a service for better protection from new threats.

 

Another good free anti-spyware tool is Spybot Search & Destroy. Their newer version sits in the system tray and actively monitors system for suspicious system behavior.

Technet Trial Software Center

Technet Trial Software Center offers a single place to use trial versions of MS software. Check the link for details.

 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/bb736012.aspx

 

LUA Least Privilege to User Accounts

Few years back, I was working in development center. Every developer wanted to have full system rights to install everything they want. End result was lots of system failures, viruses, Trojans & what not on the network.

 

Giving users limited access to system by making sure all application functionality work was a difficult task. At that time I read few articles on the topic. (Read my comments & input on the topic at the bottom of these articles)

 

1.       Keys to the Kingdom

2.       Local Admin Rights, Right or Wrong

 

Since then Microsoft has done a lot of development in making sure applications work with limited-user access. Least-Privilege to User Accounts (LUA) has benefits of increased security, manageability, productivity, reduced cost & reduced privacy.

 

Check these articles for more details on the topic.

 

1.       Applying the Principle of Least Privilege to User Accounts on Windows XP (Downloadable white paper)

2.       Using a Least-Privileged User Account

3.       Browsing the Web and Reading E-mail Safely as an Administrator

4.       Running with Special Privileges

5.       Aaron Margosis' Non-Admin Blog

6.       Elevating privileges for an administrator