70-271: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System

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QUESTION 1
You work as a technician at ABC.com. The ABC.com network only has workgroups. All client
computers are configured to run Windows XP Professional. All ABC.com employees have
administrative privileges on their own computer. ABC.com does not want file encryption to be used.
You use a computer named ABC-WS25. You are promoted to a new position and have been
replaced by a new employee named Mia Hamm. You are worried that Mia Hamm will be able to open your files.
How can you prevent Mia Hamm from opening your files and folders on ABC-WS25?

A. The data should be compressed in a folder.
B. The user should be removed from the ACL of the folder.
C. The operating system should be reinstalled with Windows XP Professional.
D. Your user account should be deleted from ABC-WS25.

Answer: D

Explanation: Your best option in this scenario would be to delete your user account from ABCWS25.

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QUESTION 2
You are the newly appointed technician at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a domain named
ABC.com. The client computers are configured to run Windows XP Professional.
Employees search the Web using Internet Explorer. To accomplish their tasks employees log onto
the ABC.com Web site. You implement a digital certificate to enhance the security of the ABC.com
Web site. The next day an employee of ABC.com, Ally Wagner, informs you that she is having
problems connecting to the Web site when she enters the URL for ABC.com in her browser.
Which action should you execute to resolve this problem?

A. Ally Wagner should add the www.ABC.com Web site to the approved Web sites in Content Advisor.
B. Ally Wagner should access the Web site using the HTTPS for opening the URL..
C. Ally Wagner should set the Privacy setting to Medium in the Internet Option in the Control Panel.
D. Ally Wagner should add the Web site URL to the trusted sites in the security zone.

Answer: B

Explanation: Your best option would be to select Option B. The scenario states that digital
certificates are used by ABC.com to secure the information on the website and in order to
establish a secure communication channel you have to use https instead of http. Https is http over SSL.

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QUESTION 3
You work as a graphics designer at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a domain named
ABC.com. The client computers on the corporate network are configured to run Windows XP
Professional. You use a computer named ABC-WS271.
You want to increase the display size of your screen. However, you get an error message stating
that the Display menu on the control panel has been disabled.
How can you have the resolution of your screen increased?

A. You should set the hardware acceleration to full.
B. You should enable Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) support in the system
BIOS on the computer.
C. You should configure the display settings to work in dual-monitor mode.
D. You should request that the Remove Display option in Control Panel be disabled.

Answer: D

Explanation: Your best option in this scenario would be to select Option D. The Deny Access to
the Display Settings option will disable the display settings control panel icon as well as stopping
users from accessing any display settings. This setting can be applied either by a GPO or by
modifying the registry.

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QUESTION 4
You work as a technician at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a domain named ABC.com. All
client computers on the network are configured to run Windows XP Professional.
You bring your personal laptop computer to work and attempts to logon to the domain from your
laptop. However, you are not able to log on. Your laptop computer is configured to run Windows
XP Home Edition.
How do you ensure access to the domain using your laptop? (Choose TWO. Each answer forms
part of the solution.)

A. By joining your laptop to the domain.
B. By installing Service Pack 3 on your laptop.
C. By logging on as a member of the Power Users group.
D. by changing the Custom settings in the Setup Wizard.
E. By uABCrading to Windows XP Professional.

Answer: A,E

Explanation: Your best option in this scenario would be to have ABC-WS25 uABCraded to
Windows XP Professional and join it to the domain. Microsoft has crippled the Home version of
Windows XP and made it impossible to join it to domains. It thus forced the majority of companies
to invest in the slightly more expensive Windows XP Pro.

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Microsoft launches security bounty programs for Windows 8.1 and IE 11 Preview

The company aims to fill the gaps in the vulnerability market and strengthen exploit defenses in Windows

Microsoft will pay security researchers for finding and reporting vulnerabilities in the preview version of its Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11) browser, for finding novel techniques to bypass exploit mitigations present in Windows 8.1 or later versions and for coming up with new ideas to defend against exploits.

The monetary rewards will be paid through three bounty programs the company launched Wednesday.

The payouts will range between US$500 and $11,000 for vulnerabilities found in IE 11 Preview, depending on the type of vulnerability and quality of the report, and up to $100,000 for mitigation bypasses in Windows 8.1 and later versions.

There is also a defense bonus of up to $50,000, the BlueHat Bonus for Defense. Participants must submit a technical paper that describes an idea that could be used to block an exploitation technique that bypasses the latest Windows platform mitigations. The reward will depend on the quality and uniqueness of the idea, Microsoft said in the program's guidelines.

In order to be eligible for the Mitigation Bypass Bounty program, submissions will have to include an exploit for a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in a user mode application that uses a novel way to bypass Windows platform stack corruption, heap corruption and code execution mitigations.

These mitigations are discussed in a Microsoft white paper called Mitigating Software Vulnerabilities and include DEP (Data Execution Prevention) and ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) among others.

The new exploitation method must not be one that Microsoft already knows or that has been described in prior works and the submission must also include a white paper explaining the method.

The mitigation bypass and defense bonus programs will run on an ongoing basis starting with Windows 8.1 Preview version, which is expected to be released this month at Microsoft's Build developers conference.

However, the IE 11 Preview bug bounty program will only run for 30 days, between June 26 and July 26. The goal of this particular program is to find and patch vulnerabilities at the best possible time, during the beta period, said Mike Reavey, the senior director of the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC).

Google and Mozilla also have bug bounty programs for their respective browsers, Chrome and Firefox, but those programs have been running on an ongoing basis for several years.

The IE 11 program will reward individual vulnerability reports with different payouts depending on the criticality of the reported issue and quality of the report.

For example, remote code execution vulnerabilities can fall into the Tier 0, Tier 1 or Tier 2 payout categories. A Tier 1 report will receive a maximum payout of $11,000 and needs to be accompanied by a proof-of-concept and a functioning exploit, while a Tier 0 report can be rewarded with over $11,000, at Microsoft's discretion, but also requires a white paper and possibly a sandbox escape.

Important or high-severity design-level vulnerabilities, security bugs with privacy implications and sandbox escape vulnerabilities fall into the Tier 2 category and are rewarded with a minimum of $1,100. ASLR information disclosure vulnerabilities fall into the Tier 3 category and are rewarded with a minimum of $500.

Microsoft has paid for defensive techniques before as part of its BlueHat Prize contest and has also contracted researchers to pen-test their products internally. However, this is its first public bug bounty program.

Microsoft has always received vulnerability reports from outside researchers and continues to do so, Reavey said. However, the company also noticed a market shift, where many reports come from researchers through vulnerability brokers that buy vulnerability information through their own programs, he said.

That's great, because those are high quality reports, but there is a market gap that Microsoft's newly announced bounty programs will attempt to fill, Reavey said. "We don't see many brokers that pay for mitigation bypasses because those are top dollar and we also don't see brokers paying for vulnerabilities found before a product is released, while still in the beta period."

The beta testing period is the most optimal time to receive this information because it allows the developer to release a more secure final product and have as many issues as possible addressed before they can impact customers, Reavey said.

As for mitigation bypasses, Microsoft would traditionally receive those after they're found being used in attacks, or once a year or so as the result of contests run at security conferences, he said. "What we want to do is make sure we can get those year-round, as early as possible, so we can protect customers."

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Microsoft's BYOD game plan is surprisingly impartial

Behind every endpoint device is a connection to the network, and Microsoft appears to be working hard to improve that.

Microsoft has wrapped up its annual TechEd North America conference in New Orleans, which means those unfortunate enough to have gone should be finished wringing the sweat out of their clothes by now.

Among the many developments at the show was Microsoft’s clear support for the whole bring your own device (BYOD) trend. I'm actually surprised, because BYOD was born out of a rebellion against Microsoft products. Many of the people bringing their own laptops to work were bringing in Macs instead of Windows PCs, alongside their iPhones.

RELATED: Gauging Windows Phone's chances against the iPhone

How will IT react to annual Server 2012 updates?

No matter, Microsoft is set to introduce a slew of client and server technologies to support BYOD, both Microsoft and non-Microsoft devices.

Starting with Windows 8.1, Ms. Smith has already noted multiple new features for BYOD, such as improved native fingerprint-based biometrics, touch and swipe to authenticate Windows sign-in, remote access, and the ability to lock down specific folders. You'll also get remote wipe of business data and control over the layout of the Start menu.

A new release of the Windows Intune management platform and Server 2012 R2 will allow authenticated users to connect their devices to secure corporate resources. Intune was supposed to allow small businesses and organizations with branch offices an easy way to maintain their work computers with updates and bug fixes. Microsoft chose Intune because it figured companies will connect through the Internet and not private networks. So Intune won over VPNs.

Devices connected to the Workplace through Intune will require the user to explicitly agree to connect to a management server as an extra step, so management of devices is not automatic. That will come later this year. By the end of this year, organizations will be able to control the use of personal devices - including non-Windows mobile devices such as Apple’s iOS-based iPhone and iPads and Android devices - to access company data and applications.

Users will also be able to register their mobile devices with the workplace, which will provide them with the ability to download data and company apps written for their devices’ platforms. This will work on Windows 8.1, iOS and Android as well. When the employee leaves the company, all work-related assets are removed, but their personal apps and data remain untouched.

Much of these updates will come with future Microsoft products, like Windows 8.1 and Server 2012 R2.

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OMG KLP - Rumor outs purported details of Android 5.0

Plus, Samsung going heavy metal but light on the updates, Google Glass gets torn up

The Android world is in a weird place, as far as version 5.0 or (supposedly) Key Lime Pie is concerned. After whiffing mightily on our confident predictions that it would be rolled out during Google I/O, we've been antsy for new information but understandably gun-shy about prognosticating.

Fortunately, however, the indomitable people over at VR-Zone have stepped up to the plate, reporting that Android 5.0 is coming in October, which will coincide with the supposed release date for the Moto X and an unnamed Nexus device.

The other piece of information that publication reported is that Android 5.0 will be an “optimized” OS – meaning that it will run well even on older phones with as little as 512MB of RAM. (Hopefully, this will help carriers get it out the door and onto everyone's phone more quickly.)

While the fact that VR-Zone's report cites only anonymous sources – and doesn't really even give a sense of why they might be in a position to know anything, only that we’re talking about “insiders” - argues strongly for not taking it as gospel, an October launch makes as much sense as anything else, I suppose.

But I'm skeptical of the Moto X release window as supporting evidence – I haven't heard anything about the X being a Nexus device, so unless Google's going to shake up the way Motorola uses its operating system, I don't really get what one thing has to do with the other.

Still, whenever it comes out, the idea of Key Lime Pie being heavily optimized for performance is a pleasing one. While the underlying Android platform itself isn't generally guilty of this, vendor skins tend to focus on adding dumb new features, regardless of the performance cost. So a move in the direction of efficient, slimmed-down code from Google is very welcome, and could help offset some of the more egregiously clunky OEM software additions.

* Catwig has a really, really interesting teardown of Google Glass that I highly suggest you go and read.
image alt text

A 640x360 screen resolution doesn't sound very impressive until you remember that it's coming from a display the size of a rice grain. “The pixels are roughly 1/8th the physical width of those on the iPhone 5's retina display,” writes Catwig.

* A snippy online war between Samsung fanboys and detractors, centered on the company's continued use of all-plastic designs, has seen a major shift this week with rumors that the next Galaxy flagship phone will be made of aluminum instead of polycarbonate.

According to Android Geeks, they have a – wait for it – anonymous source telling them that the Galaxy S5 will be created under a new “Design 3.0” concept at Samsung – which apparently entails metal construction.

The sniping over Samsung's devotion to plastic is often intensely childish and stupid, but, for the sake of completenes, here it is in a nutshell: The haters say all Samsung's gear “feels” cheap and low-grade because it's all plastic, and metal and glass are superior materials in every way; ;he fans say there's absolutely no difference and actually Samsung's devices “feel” better than others anyway. The fact that this is at least partially a matter of preference seems to be totally lost on both sides.

Still, the anti-plastic crowd may have raised the volume enough to be heard in Seoul, if Android Geeks is to be believed. (For the record, this is a fairly sizeable “if” from where I sit.) There's no denying that the iPhone 5 and HTC One – both of which are made with metal and glass – are impressive feats of engineering, so perhaps Samsung feels it should give the luxury materials trend a spin.

* Sticking with Samsung for a moment, it's being Tweeted by the tireless folks at SamMobile that Android 4.2.2 updates for the Galaxy S3 and Note 2 are going to be delayed thanks to some issue related to TouchWiz.

While it's an unfortunate delay, it does happen all the time, though it seems to be the carrier's fault in most cases.
(Hat tip: Geeky Gadgets)

* Finally, a word about That Other Smartphone Platform – iOS 7 launched this week and provoked widespread jeering from Android fans, who see the update, essentially, as an admission that Apple's design principles were inferior to those of Android.

Android
“ Welcome to Android, iPhone,” snarked Redditor EvoBrah. Others ask whether Apple will be sued for ripping off Android design elements. (To be fair, these companies sue each other seemingly every week or two these days, so that might not be quite so crazy.) But really, this is just a small sampling of the Android smugness going around right now.

Don't get me wrong – the fanboys and fangirls have a point. Ever since the days of “we have a notification bar and Apple doesn't,” Android has added new and different features consistently, while Apple hasn't changed much. And a lot of the new features in iOS 7, like the flatter visual style, multi-tasking and heavily customizable interface really have been in Android for some time now.

But even if Apple's playing catch-up, as they undoubtedly are at this point, iOS 7 is still pretty impressive. Apple's attention to detail is excellent. They're still really, really serious competition. Simmer down, everyone.

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Retailers didn't do Windows 8 any favors

Retailers share part of the blame for poor Windows 8 sales and the ensuing decline of PC shipments, analysts contended today.

Microsoft's radical overhaul of Windows has been cited by some to explain plummeting PC shipments, but the very organizations whose best interest is served in selling those systems were at least partly at fault.

"Windows 8 brought a brand new UI [user interface] that had not fundamentally changed since DOS," said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, in a blog post Tuesday. "[So] how did big-box retail respond? The same way they have for the last 20 years."

Moorhead was critical of big retailers -- Best Buy is the largest in the U.S. -- for not modifying how they sold PCs when Windows 8 landed on their stores' shipping docks.

"There exists a massive disconnect between what consumers want to and need to know about the latest generation of PCs" and what retailers did, and continue to do, to sell those PCs," Moorhead argued, ticking off a list of retailing blunders, such as tying down devices so that they can't be hefted for weight, PCs that can't be turned off and on again to gauge boot speed, and a lack of touchscreen displays.

"The stores just do not provide, for many, the environment that meets the needs of someone trying to buy a new Windows 8 notebook," said Moorhead.

Stephen Baker of the NPD Group, and an expert in technology retailing, agreed. "Nothing happened at launch," Baker said of in-store changes when Windows 8 hit. "Everyone treated it as if was another Windows 7."

And the same old-same old was definitely not what was necessary. "Does the in-store experience need an upgrade [because of Windows 8]?" Baker asked. "Absolutely. Are the in-store mechanisms up to snuff? Absolutely not."

But Baker disputed the idea that retailers alone were to blame for how they sold Windows 8. The operating system was so different, he said, that retailers were either unprepared or unsure how to merchandise the goods.

And in some cases, they didn't even have the goods -- and largely still don't -- to sell.

"Part of the problem was driven by lack of product," said Baker. "There weren't very many high-quality products available. At launch maybe four out of 40 SKUs [stock-keeping units] in retail were touch. That's headed north. By back-to-school and the holidays, it'll be 15 out of 40. But we need to see an upgrade on that, too."

Microsoft must assume some of the blame for the poor retailing, Baker implied. But rather than directly criticize Microsoft, he simply noted, "They did not do anything different" at Windows 8's launch to prepare retailers or assist them. "But hindsight is really easy six months later."

The bold direction of Windows 8, with its emphasis on touch as a selling point, presented retailers with problems they'd never encountered -- detachable displays for example -- a core feature of the so-called "convertible" devices that morph from a notebook into a tablet by swiveling the screen to a new position or removing it entirely. "That isn't the norm of what we've had in the market before," Baker said, referring to retailers' confusion over how to secure those detachable screens or show the mutating nature of the device in the absence of a salesperson.

Baker highlighted the end-cap -- one of those displays at the end of an aisle -- that Lenovo and Intel created for the former's IdeaPad Yoga as an example of a top-notch retail presentation for a Windows 8 device.

"You can't go to market with the same old stuff," he asserted.

Moorhead cited Apple's retail stores as the right way to promote and sell today's computers -- and other computing devices, like tablets. "Interestingly, I never see the [retail problems with Windows 8 notebooks] at an Apple store. Never, ever," Moorhead said. "I can sit at the Apple store there for hours and literally do a test drive like I would a car."

Microsoft, of course, has its own, albeit much smaller, chain of retail outlets, designed in Apple-esque fashion and staffed with many more salespeople than a big-box store. Even so, Baker downplayed their impact.

"They face the same challenges [with Windows 8] as most retail stores," Baker said of Microsoft's outlets. "They may have more people, but they have the same challenges. And they're not a unit volume driver."

He did have hope, however. "Anything Microsoft does learn about what can be successful, I expect they're trying to port as quickly as possible to the retail industry overall," Baker said.

And retail, while contributing to Windows 8's problems, perhaps even to the drop in PC sales, is the least of the industry's worries at the moment.

"I really don't think that [Windows 8's slow uptake] has had a lot do with merchandising," Baker said. "It's far more to do with the trajectory that the marketplace was already on."

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Dell announces XPS 11 hybrid, will ship with Windows 8.1

The device can be used as a tablet or laptop

Dell has expanded its range of hybrid devices with the XPS 11, which can transform from tablet to laptop with the flip of a screen.

The XPS 11 has a hinge that allows the panel holding its 11.6-inch screen to be folded almost 360 degrees so that the device can be used as a tablet. The design is similar to that of Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga hybrids, which are available with 11- and 13-inch screens.

Dell announced the hybrid on the sidelines of the Computex trade show being held in Taipei. It will ship later this year with Windows 8.1, code-named Blue. Pricing was not disclosed.

The XPS 11 keyboard is tightly integrated into the chassis, so the keyboard buttons don't stick out when the device is being used in a tablet mode. The 2560 x 1440 pixel display has a Gorilla Glass layer for durability. The device will ship with an Intel Core i5 processor code-named Haswell.

Dell is beefing up its laptop, tablet and hybrid offerings as it tries to keep its XPS line of computers relevant in a poor market for Windows 8 and PCs. The XPS 11 augments a product line that includes the XPS 10 tablet and XPS 12 and XPS 13 hybrids.

The size of the screen matters less than the functionality, portability and battery life, said Kirk Schell, vice president of computing products at Dell, in an interview.

"The thickness, weight and resolution are critical and all of that has to fit in the right package," Schell said.

Schell sees a diverse computing market ahead. Some consumers prefer tablets, while others will want hybrids with keyboards attached.

"Detachables, convertibles, two-in-ones will be part of the market," Schell said. "For us, one-size-fits-all is not an answer."

Dell is the third largest PC vendor in the world behind Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo, but its shipments have been falling. Dell started off as a PC maker in the 1980s, but refocused in 2007 to concentrate on the high-margin enterprise market. But the PC division has gained importance again, with the hybrid device market being an area of opportunity for the company.

Whether or not the current proposal to take the company private succeeds, Schell said Dell will continue to expand its client product offerings. Dell once said it would focus on high-margin PC offerings, but Schell said the company will compete at multiple price points as it tries to increase product shipments. The company will try to differentiate by offering more security and support features, and it will also expand in the client computing market through its Wyse thin client division.

Dell will also continue to invest in Windows 8, and evaluate Windows RT and different processor architectures for tablets and laptops, Schell said. Dell today offers XPS 10 with Windows RT and has said it was developing a successor to that tablet.

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