Questions and Answers | MCDST Self-Paced Training Exam 70-271(c) Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Micro[... ]ystem

Lesson 1 Review

What are the minimum requirements for installing Windows XP?

Windows XP requires a 233 MHz Pentium-compatible processor, 64 MB of RAM, 800 x 600 SVGA display capabilities, a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, and a 2 GB disk with 1.5 GB free.
A Windows XP Professional volume that is formatted with FAT32 cannot support which of the following? (Choose all that apply.)
1. Disk quotas
2. Disk compression
3. File encryption
4. Drives larger than 2 GB
a, b, c are correct. FAT32 does not support disk quotas, disk compression, or file encryption. d is incorrect because FAT32 does support drives larger than 2GB.
What are the two files that are created by Setup Manager that you can use to automate the Windows XP installation process? (Choose two.)
1. Standard answer files
2. Remote installation files
3. Uniqueness database files
4. System information files
a and c are correct. Setup Manager creates standard answer files and UDFs. b is not correct because this is not a valid type of file. d is not correct because System Information files are reports generated by the System Information utility.
From which of the following versions of Windows can you upgrade directly to Windows XP Professional?
1. Windows 95 OSR2
2. Windows 98
3. Windows NT 4.0 Workstation (with Service Pack 3)
4. Windows NT 4.0 Workstation (with Service Pack 5)
5. Windows 2000 Professional
b, d, and e are correct. Each of these versions of Windows can be upgraded to Windows XP Professional directly. a is not correct because you must first upgrade Windows 95 to Windows 98 and then upgrade to Windows XP. c is not correct because you must first apply Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5 before you can upgrade to Windows XP.
List the tools that are available for copying files and settings from an old computer running a previous version of Windows to a new computer running Windows XP. What are the differences between the tools?

The Files And Settings Transfer Wizard and the USMT can both be used to transfer files and settings. The Files And Settings Transfer Wizard is intended for home and small business users and provides a simple wizard interface. USMT is intended for users on larger networks.

Lesson 2 Review

A user calls and tells you that she is trying to install Windows XP Professional by using the installation CD-ROM. However, she cannot get the computer to start using the CD-ROM. What steps should you take?

The first thing you should do is check the computer’s BIOS settings to verify that the CD-ROM drive is configured as a bootable device and that it is configured to boot before the hard drive. If the user still cannot boot using the CD, you should verify that the CD-ROM drive is working and that she has a working installation CD. You should also clean the installation CD.
You are helping a user perform a remote installation from a RIS server on his notebook computer. He has a boot disk that his administrator told him will force the computer to boot from the network and start the installation. However, when he tries to start the computer by using the boot disk, he receives an error stating that a supported network card could not be found. You verify that the user’s network adapter is functional by installing it on another computer and connecting to the network. What is likely to be the problem?

The boot disk probably does not have drivers for the user’s network adapter. To solve this problem, the best course of action is to use a PXE-compliant network adapter in the computer and start the computer from the network.

Lesson 3 Review

List the types of updates that are available from the Windows Update site and explain the differences between them.

The Windows Update site provides access to critical, Windows, and driver updates. Critical updates include patches that fix problems that compromise the security or stability of a computer, as well as service packs. Windows updates are less-critical operating system updates. Driver updates include new hardware drivers that have been submitted for certification to Microsoft from hardware vendors after the release of Windows XP.
What is the recommended way to configure the Automatic Updates feature in Windows XP?

Microsoft recommends that you configure Automatic Updates to download and install updates automatically according to a preset schedule.
How many days will Windows XP function if you do not activate Windows or are not part of a volume licensing agreement?
1. 10 days
2. 14 days
3. 30 days
4. 60 days
5. 120 days
c is the correct answer. Windows will function normally for 30 days following installation. If you do not activate Windows within 30 days of installation, you cannot start Windows until you activate it.

Lesson 4 Review

You believe that you have installed a faulty device driver and want to start up Windows XP to remove it. What mode should you start in to accomplish this?

You should start the computer in safe mode so that the driver is not loaded. You should then be able to remove the driver and restart Windows normally.
A user reports to you that his computer running Windows XP Professional displays a series of errors on startup, stating that certain drivers are not loading. How could you have the user start the computer and easily send you a record of the startup process so that you can identify the problem drivers?

Have the user start the computer using the Enable Boot Logging option to create a log of the drivers that load during startup. The user should then start the computer in safe mode, locate the log file (named ntbtlog.txt) in the root directory of the system partition, and send you a copy of the file.
Which of the following advanced boot options loads only the basic devices and drivers required to start the computer and access the network?
1. Safe Mode
2. Safe Mode With Networking
3. Last Known Good Configuration
4. Safe Mode With Command Prompt
b is correct. The Safe Mode With Networking option loads basic devices and drivers required to start the computer and access the network. a is not correct because the Safe Mode option does not support network access. c is not correct because the Last Known Good Configuration option starts windows normally using the configuration that was in effect the last time the user successfully logged on. d is not correct because this option does not support network access.

Case Scenario Exercises: Scenario 2.1

You have been given a computer with the following hardware installed:

233 MHz Pentium II processor
64 MB of RAM
4 GB hard disk, 500 MB free
48x CD-ROM drive
Floppy drive, mouse, keyboard
SVGA monitor and video card
10 Mbps Ethernet network card

You will reformat the hard disk and install Windows XP Professional. What additional hardware do you need to install onto the computer prior to installing Windows XP?

If you were to stick strictly to the stated hardware requirements, you do not need to add any additional hardware to the computer. However, 128 MB of RAM is recommended for adequate performance, so you may consider adding an additional 64 MB of RAM. In addition, the hardware described is low on available disk space. However, the overall size of the hard disk is adequate for a Windows XP Professional installation. Because you will be formatting the hard disk and installing from the beginning, the lack of available disk space will not be a problem.

Case Scenario Exercises: Scenario 2.2

You install a new device into a Windows XP computer and restart the computer because the device installation procedure prompted you to do so. When the computer restarts, you can log on, but the computer stops responding shortly thereafter. You suspect that the newly installed device is causing the problem, and you want to remove it. How do you accomplish this?

Start the computer in safe mode, and disable or remove the device that was just installed. Using the Last Known Good Configuration is not an option in this scenario because when you logged on, Windows updated the Last Known Good control set to reflect the newly installed device that is now causing the computer to fail.

Case Scenario Exercises: Scenario 2.3

You are helping a user who is trying to perform an automatic installation of Windows XP on a network that has a RIS server. The RIS server contains the CD-based image and several other images that have been prepared. None of your client computers contain PXE-compliant network cards. What do you have to do to enable these clients to connect to the RIS server?

Client computers that do not contain PXE-compliant network cards do not have the capability to automatically connect to a RIS server at startup. Provided that the client computer contains a network adapter card that is supported by RIS (most PCI network cards are supported), you can ask an administrator to create a RIS boot disk to solve the problem. You can use this floppy disk to boot the computer and connect to a RIS server.

Troubleshooting Lab

Using your knowledge of the setup process and the Knowledge Base, determine what the problem could be and how you might solve it.

Because Setup fails when trying to copy an installation file, it is a good guess that something may be wrong with the installation CD or the CD-ROM drive. You should verify that both are working properly. One great way to find information when you have a specific error message like this is to enter the actual text of the error message as keywords into the Knowledge Base. In this case, the search should return only one article (plus a link to the Windows XP Support Center). The article, which is titled “HOW TO: Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation When You Upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Me,” discusses possible causes of the error and gives proposed solutions. The link to the article is http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310064.