Alexander’s Blog

Microsoft is offering several upgrade exams for those of us who hold current certifications, such as MCDST, MCSA, and MCSE. This is not a complete list by any means. Microsoft is still in the process of developing new courseware and exams.

Upgrading MCSA 2003 to MCSA 2008
To upgrade your MCSA on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, you need to pass:

Exam 70-648: TS: Upgrading Your MCSA on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, Technology Specialist

Upgrading MCSA 2003 to MCSE 2008
To upgrade your MCSE on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, you need to pass:

Exam 70-649: TS: Upgrading Your MCSE on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, Technology Specialist

Upgrading MCDST to MCTS and MCITP
If you are an MCDST, you only need to pass the following exam to earn the MCTS and MCITP: Enterprise Support Technician certifications for Windows Vista:

Exam 70-621: PRO: Upgrading Your MCDST Certification to MCITP Enterprise Support

For information on all recently released exams from Microsoft, click here.

You may have seen the computer information displayed on the trainer’s computer during a class or on virtual machine demos at TechNet events. The small utility that allows you to display the information such as, IP address(es), domain/workgroup, CPU, RAM, and logged on user information is called BackInfo.exe. Some other similar utilities also display this information as a screen saver which can be a security risk, especially on servers where you could be displaying the Administrator’s login name, along with the other information.

For some reason Microsoft doesn’t make it easy for you to download this free utility. They have made it a part of Windows Server System Reference Architecture (WSSRA), which is a whopping 97.2MB package. However, you can download it at filewatcher.com here.

The tool works great but you will notice that it reports Windows Vista as Microsoft Windows NT version 6.0 Professional (Build 6000) and Windows Server 2003 as Microsoft Windows NT version 5.2 Advanced Server.

Swiss IT security company Dreamlab Technologies AG has shown that it is possible to capture and decrypt keystrokes, meaning that user names, passwords, bank details
or confidential correspondence can be very easily eavesdropped. Although the trend in wireless communication in peripheral devices such as keyboards and mice is moving
towards Bluetooth, market leaders such as Logitech and Microsoft rely on cost-efficient, tried-and-tested 27 MHz radio technology. Using just a simple radio receiver, a soundcard and suitable software, Dreamlab Technologies has managed to tap and decode the radio frequencies transmitted between the keyboard and PC/notebook computer. Although manufacturers of wireless keyboards partially prevent data from being tapped by using cryptography, unfortunately the encryption is weak and thus does not offer real protection. Max Moser from Dreamlab Technologies states: “Wireless communication is only as secure as the encryption technology used. Due to its nature, it can be tapped with little effort.”

Dreamlab Technologies tested and successfully cracked the encryption key used within Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 1000/2000 keyboards. As most products in Microsoft’s Wireless Desktop range are based on the same technology, Dreamlab Technologies does not consider them to be secure either. During the test, Max Moser and Phillipp Schrödel of Dreamlab Technologies succeeded in eavesdropping traffic from a distance of up to ten meters using a simple radio receiver. With the appropriate technical equipment, larger distances are possible.

For more information, you can read Dreamlab’s whitepaper and watch their video demonstration.

Finding information on Microsoft’s Web site is not always an easy thing. Unfortunately, Microsoft’s search engine is not very reliable so if you are trying to locate a Knowledge Base article or a certain document, use Google’s special search engine for Microsoft, rather than relying on Microsoft’s search which will often fail to locate documents on Microsoft’s own Web site.

The following contact information may be useful to you if you are looking for Microsoft’s support contact information in US or Canada.

Contact a support professional by phone or e-mail for help if you purchased the product separately
Online Assisted Support Options
Professional Support Options and Phone Numbers
Support for software that was supplied with your PC (OEM)
Self Support Solution Center
Search the Support Knowledge Base
Microsoft Public Newsgroups
Microsoft Online Technical Chats
Support Options for Home Users with Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office system
Note: This support option for Home Users is only good for 90-days after you activate the product.