Preparation Guide for Exam 70-270

Installing, Configuring, and Administering Windows XP Professional

Updated: April 11, 2008

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Exam newsExam news
Audience profileAudience profile
Credit toward certificationCredit toward certification
Preparation tools and resourcesPreparation tools and resources
Skills being measuredSkills being measured

Exam news

Exam 70-270 became available on March 4, 2002.

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Audience profile

Candidates for this exam operate in medium to very large computing environments that use Windows XP Professional as a desktop operating system. They have a minimum of one year of experience implementing and administering any desktop operating system in a network environment.

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Credit toward certification

When you pass the Installing, Configuring, and Administering Windows XP Professional exam, you achieve Microsoft Certified Professional status. You also earn credit toward the following certifications:

Core credit toward Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer on Windows Server 2003 certification

Core credit toward Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator on Windows Server 2003 certification

Core credit toward Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer on Microsoft Windows 2000 certification

Core credit toward Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator on Microsoft Windows 2000 certification

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Preparation tools and resources

In addition to your hands-on experience working with the product, we recommend that you use the following tools and training to help you prepare for this exam.

Classroom trainingMicrosoft E-LearningMicrosoft Press booksPractice tests

Course 2272: Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows XP Professional (five days)

Course 2285: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional (two days)

There is no Microsoft E-Learning training currently available.

MCSE Training Kit: (Exam 70-270): Microsoft Windows XP Professional

MeasureUp (Measureup.com)

Self Test Software (Selftestsoftware.com)

Microsoft online resources

Learning Plan: Get started by creating a step-by-step study guide that is based on recommended resources for this exam.

Microsoft Learning Community: Join newsgroups and visit community forums to connect with your peers for suggestions on training resources and advice on your certification path and studies.

TechNet: Designed for IT professionals, this site includes how-to instructions, best practices, downloads, technical resources, newsgroups, and chats.

MSDN: Designed for developers, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) features code samples, technical articles, downloads, newsgroups, and chats.

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Skills being measured

This certification exam measures your ability to implement, administer, and troubleshoot information systems that incorporate Microsoft Windows XP Professional. Before taking the exam, you should be proficient in the job skills listed in the following table. The table lists Official Microsoft Learning Products to help you reach competency in the skills being tested in the exam.

KEY:The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work. = The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.    The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work. = The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.    The course includes material to prepare you for this task. = The course includes material to prepare you for this task.
Skills measured by Exam 70-270Course 2272
Installing Windows XP Professional  

Perform and troubleshoot an attended installation of Windows XP Professional.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Perform and troubleshoot an unattended installation of Windows XP Professional.

Install Windows XP Professional by using Remote Installation Services (RIS).

Install Windows XP Professional by using the System Preparation Tool.

Create unattended answer files by using Setup Manager to automate the installation of Windows XP Professional.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Upgrade from a previous version of Windows to Windows XP Professional.

Prepare a computer to meet upgrade requirements.

Migrate existing user environments to a new installation.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Perform post-installation updates and product activation.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Troubleshoot failed installations.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Implementing and Conducting Administration of Resources  

Monitor, manage, and troubleshoot access to files and folders.

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot file compression.

Control access to files and folders by using permissions.

Optimize access to files and folders.

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Manage and troubleshoot access to shared folders.

Create and remove shared folders.

Control access to shared folders by using permissions.

Manage and troubleshoot Web server resources.


Connect to local and network print devices.

Manage printers and print jobs.

Control access to printers by using permissions.

Connect to an Internet printer.

Connect to a local print device.


Configure and manage file systems.

Convert from one file system to another file system.

Configure NTFS, FAT32, or FAT file systems.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Manage and troubleshoot access to and synchronization of offline files.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Implementing, Managing, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting Hardware Devices and Drivers  

Implement, manage, and troubleshoot disk devices.

Install, configure, and manage DVD and CD-ROM devices.

Monitor and configure disks.

Monitor, configure, and troubleshoot volumes.

Monitor and configure removable media, such as tape devices.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Implement, manage, and troubleshoot display devices.

Configure multiple-display support.

Install, configure, and troubleshoot a video adapter.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Configure Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI).

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Implement, manage, and troubleshoot input and output (I/O) devices.

Monitor, configure, and troubleshoot I/O devices, such as printers, scanners, multimedia devices, mouse, keyboard, and smart card reader.

Monitor, configure, and troubleshoot multimedia hardware, such as cameras.

Install, configure, and manage modems.

Install, configure, and manage Infrared Data Association (IrDA) devices.

Install, configure, and manage wireless devices.

Install, configure, and manage USB devices.

Install, configure, and manage hand held devices.

Install, configure, and manage network adapters.

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Manage and troubleshoot drivers and driver signing.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Monitor and configure multiprocessor computers.


Monitoring and Optimizing System Performance and Reliability  

Monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot performance of the Windows XP Professional desktop.

Optimize and troubleshoot memory performance.

Optimize and troubleshoot processor utilization.

Optimize and troubleshoot disk performance.

Optimize and troubleshoot application performance.

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Scheduled Tasks.

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Manage, monitor, and optimize system performance for mobile users.

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Restore and back up the operating system, System State data, and user data.

Recover System State data and user data by using Windows Backup.

Troubleshoot system restoration by starting in safe mode.

Recover System State data and user data by using the Recovery console.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Configuring and Troubleshooting the Desktop Environment  

Configure and manage user profiles and desktop settings.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Configure support for multiple languages or multiple locations.

Enable multiple-language support.

Configure multiple-language support for users.

Configure local settings.

Configure Windows XP Professional for multiple locations.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Manage applications by using Windows Installer packages.


Implementing, Managing, and Troubleshooting Network Protocols and Services 

Configure and troubleshoot the TCP/IP protocol.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Connect to computers by using dial-up networking.

Connect to computers by using a virtual private network (VPN) connection.

Create a dial-up connection to connect to a remote access server.

Connect to the Internet by using dial-up networking.

Configure and troubleshoot Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Connect to resources by using Internet Explorer.


Configure, manage, and implement Internet Information Services (IIS).


Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot an Internet Connection Firewall (ICF).

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Configuring, Managing, and Troubleshooting Security  

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Encrypting File System (EFS).

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot a security configuration and local security policy.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot local user and group accounts.

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot auditing.

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot account settings.

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot account policy.

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot user and group rights.

Troubleshoot cache credentials.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.

Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Internet Explorer security settings.


Note This preparation guide is subject to change at any time without prior notice and at the sole discretion of Microsoft. Microsoft exams might include adaptive testing technology and simulation items. Microsoft does not identify the format in which exams are presented. Please use this preparation guide to prepare for the exam, regardless of its format.


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