Microsoft Urges Users to Patch Internet Explorer Flaw

The company says a vulnerability in its Web browser could allow hackers to take control of a PC. The patch will give Microsoft time to develop a more complete repair.

Microsoft is urging users of its Internet Explorer Web browser to download a temporary patch to prevent hackers from possibly taking control of their PCs.

The company posted a security advisory late in the day Sept. 17 advising users to download the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) if their browser is Internet Explorer versions 6 through 9. IE 10, which will be included in the coming Windows 8 operating system, is not affected. Microsoft provides step-by-step instructions on how to download the tool and deploy it.

However, a Reuters news report quotes some computer security experts as saying that the patch might be too difficult for the average computer user to configure and that an easier alternative is to simply download another browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Opera Software’s Opera browser.

A researcher in Luxembourg discovered the flaw Sept. 14 when his PC was infected by a piece of malicious software known as “Poison Ivy” that hackers use to steal data or take remote control of PCs, Reuters reported.

Microsoft MCTS Certification, MCITP Certification and over 3000+
Exams with Life Time Access Membership at http://www.actualkey.com

The threat is described as a “zero-day vulnerability,” which is computer-speak for a vulnerability that was previously unknown. If a user with a vulnerable browser visits a Website and clicks on a link, malicious code could be downloaded onto their computer.

“We have received reports of only a small number of targeted attacks and are working to develop a security update to address this issue,” read a blog post by Yunsun Wee, director of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group. Wee described the EMET as a “workaround” that will protect a user’s computer until a more permanent fix is developed.

Besides deploying EMET, Microsoft also advises users to set Internet and local intranet security zone settings to "High" to block ActiveX Controls and Active Scripting in these zones. These settings can be found in the control panel of the Windows XP, Vista or 7 operating systems. However, it notes that while taking that step will help prevent exploitation, it may affect usability. Microsoft, therefore, says that trusted sites should be added to the Internet Explorer Trusted Sites zone to minimize disruption.

The most recent Microsoft Patch Tuesday, the once-a-month announcement of the latest security updates, was Sept. 11.

Internet Explorer is the most used Web browser with a 53.9 percent share of the market globally, according to NetApplications.com.

Microsoft took the opportunity to remind consumers of the steps they should always take when accessing the Internet on their computers: enable a firewall, apply all software updates and install antivirus and anti-spyware software.

Free Microsoft MB3-861 Study Kit

With the mushroom growth of many related softwares, it has almost become impossible to find out a study material which deepens your knowledge and guides you properly. The Certkingdom MB3-861 immediately convinces you and you start depending on it as a reliable instrument for your success. The feedback by our customers who have already been benefited with Certkingdom MB3-861 provides us reason to be confident on our product.

Success is not far if you shun the Microsoft MB3-861 braindumps and adopt Certkingdom Microsoft MB3-861 brain dumps for Engineering Microsoft study pack as your companion. Certkingdom Certified Specialist MB3-861 Braindumps for Microsoft MB3-861 study guides will facilitate you to score a 100% against all those latest Microsoft MB3-861 dumps users. With Certkingdom, Microsoft Certification MB3-861 certification will be achieved without any help from Microsoft MB3-861 braindumps.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification,
Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Our Microsoft certification MB3-861 exam is always updated to provide you the most actual information and this is done with the help of our Certkingdom professionals team of certification experts, technical staff, and comprehensive language masters who are always in-touch with the changes in the MB3-861 exam. So the true way for passing the MB3-861 exam is log on to the MB3-861 Certkingdom and download the MB3-861 test questions to do Microsoft MB3-861 practice exam to obtain your MB3-861 exam certification.

Certkingdom has updated the newest Microsoft MB3-861 practice test, which is published by our experienced IT experts and specialists. I know it is inevitable for you to spend lots of time and hard work on IT certification. Although there are several categories of Certification in Certkingdom, the ways towards them are similar. You only have to read our product carefully.

Certkingdom is maintained and run by a team of IT experts who administer and give a diversity of useful material, which will help the students to achieve the success. is famous for the study materials it offers for MB3-861. You can also download MB3-861 actual exam questions.

IT tests and certifications are becoming more important than ever in today’s highly competitive world. These can mean a world of difference to ones future. MB3-861 exam can be a milestone in your professional career and may open many new avenues for you and opportunities to tap into which were not available previously. But how do you pass the dreaded MB3-861 exam? Worry not! Help is at hand. Certkingdom are pioneers in MB3-861 exam preparation.

If you are new to certification you can easily read an MB3-861 exam review and get to know about it with in no time from Certkingdom. IT professionals have put their effort together and have gained a lot of information about certification. Certkingdom is equipped with all of this information.

Certkingdom provides free Microsoft MB3-861 training ensuring that you fully understand the questions and the concept behind the questions. All you need to study the whole Certkingdom MB3-861 practice test, it should be possible to easily complete the exam and pass the certification.

At Certkingdom, you will find the best possible certification preparation materials. These preparation materials includes Q&A with explanations, study guide, practice exam which are prepared by I.T. experts which gives you a chance to practice questions to ultimate achieve your goal MB3-861 certification.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification,
Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

The Best Microsoft 70-640 Exam learning materials

In just a few years, Microsoft 70-640 certification has had a visible impact on the daily lives of many persons. But a key question for the future is: How to pass Microsoft Certification 70-640 exam on first try? The answer to this problem can be resolved any time soon with Certkingdom.

Certkingdom will make sure that you pass the examination in first attempt, acquiring that Certified Specialist certification. It will stand with you through thick and thin. Could you think of a better answer to your problems? Certkingdom Microsoft Certification 70-640 exam contains the real Microsoft 70-640 Certified Specialist exam training, 70-640 test question, 70-640 study guide. All these study materials will ensure your 100% pass the exam more easily.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Provided in PDF format, it contains 70-640 exam question and answers that you may encounter in real 70-640 exam. These questions are a perfect and proven way to get success in any Microsoft Certification certification exams. This 70-640 pdf comprehensively covers all syllabus areas and contains explanations for complicated problems. 70-640 questions and answers pdf is essential to polish your skills and mind set for real exam challenges.

Our Microsoft certification 70-640 exam is always updated to provide you the most actual information and this is done with the help of our Certkingdom professionals team of certification experts, technical staff, and comprehensive language masters who are always in-touch with the changes in the 70-640 exam. So the true way for passing the 70-640 exam is log on to the 70-640 Certkingdom and download the 70-640 test questions to do Microsoft 70-640 practice exam to obtain your 70-640 exam certification.

When you need a 70-640 study guide, and you know you do – try the brand that's been trusted by thousands of other professionals using 70-640 pdf downloads. While your study aids will not be 70-640 audio exams, your Microsoft Certification 70-640 study materials will be the perfect 70-640 tutorial to guarantee that you pass. So download 70-640 exam materials today and be ready to pass your test as soon as tomorrow! The power of testing and maintaining your marketability as an IT professional – are in your own hands.

Certkingdom 70-640 is your best choice for Microsoft Certification 70-640 Exam because of its high quality. It provides full-scale braindump for the 70-640 test, including the questions, answers and pinpoint explanations supplied by a group of IT experts.

Certkingdom Microsoft 70-640 practice and study questions are composed by current and active Information Technology experts, who use their experience in preparing you for Certkingdom future in IT. At Certkingdom we are committed to you ongoing success.

Certkingdom is an excellent source of information on IT Certifications. At Certkingdom, you can find study tips as well as study materials for your preparation of certification exam. Certkingdom 70-640 study materials has been prepared for you by the skilled and experienced team of IT professionals who have a long experience of students’ problems and their requirements of the said certification. Certkingdom 70-640 exam can add your confidence in achieving your goal.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Top 5 cities for big data jobs

San Francisco tops Modis list, followed by McLean, Va., Boston, St. Louis and Toronto

Corporate data stores are growing exponentially, nearly every tech vendor is positioning their products to help handle the influx of data, and IT departments are scrambling to find the right people to collect, analyze and interpret data in a way that's meaningful to the business. On the employment front, the big data deluge is creating a hiring boom across North America. Modis, an IT staffing firm, identified five cities in particular where big data is driving job growth.

San Francisco tops the Modis list, followed by McLean, Va., Boston, St. Louis and Toronto. The roles that companies in these cities are fighting to fill include data scientist, data analyst, business intelligence professional and data modeling/data modeler.

PAYDAY: Who are tech's highest paid CEOs?

IT JOB SPOTTING: Top 20 metro areas for tech jobs

Business intelligence and data analysis have been core enterprise disciplines for a long time, but they're becoming more important to businesses as data volumes rise, says Laura Kelley, a Modis vice president in Houston. "We're in a new era in terms of how large the databases are, the amount of data we're collecting, and how we're using it. It's much more strategic than it's ever been."

Big data professionals can be particularly difficult to find since many roles require a complicated blend of business, analytic, statistical and computer skills -- which is not something a candidate acquires overnight. In addition, "clients are looking for people with a certain level of experience, who have worked in a big data environment. There aren't a lot of them in the market," Kelley says.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Looking at recruiting trends across its offices, Modis finds there's not one industry that's doing the most big-data hiring. Rather, the cities have in common a concentration of large enterprises across myriad industries.

San Francisco, for instance, is home to large companies in the retail, insurance, healthcare, and e-commerce sectors.

McLean, Va., has both a strong commercial sector and government presence. "There are many data center operations in this area, both commercial and government related, that require talent to support the high volume of that data," Modis explains in its report. "In addition, there is no larger consumer of IT products and services in the world than the US federal government."

Banking and bio/pharmaceutical industries helped put Boston on the big data hiring map. "Both industries deal with large amounts of data that are detailed and complex in nature. That data then needs to be analyzed and placed in reports, dashboards and spreadsheets by data scientist and analysts," Modis writes.

In St. Louis, universities and healthcare companies lead the big data hiring boom, followed by pharmaceutical and bioresearch firms that need to fill data analyst and scientist roles.

Lastly, in Toronto, financial institutions are fueling a need for business intelligence pros who can help organizations get a more precise and complete picture of the business and customers, Modis finds.

In the big picture, companies often have to compromise and prioritize their wish list -- technical expertise, industry experience or quantitative statistical analysis skills, for experience -- to find available big-data candidates.

"What is this person going to be doing? Do you need the technical skills? Or is the quantitative/statistical expertise more important? Is this person going to be doing data modeling or making business decisions?" Kelley says. "In an ideal world, companies want all of it. But it's not an ideal world."

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Microsoft Rolls Dice Hopes For (Windows) 7 And (IE) 8

After taking a lot of flak for Windows Vista, Microsoft has recently released beta versions of two of its most popular products–Windows and Internet Explorer–in an attempt to recover lost ground.

The past few years have not been easy for Microsoft. The company that’s been synonymous with operating systems on computers has had to take a fair deal of flak from critics, users and has even been at the receiving end of a European Union (EU) adverse judgement. Added to that are the woes of the ongoing recession. And on the mobile front, its OS, Windows Mobile, is struggling against newcomers like the mobile versions of Mac OS and Google’s Android (very rashly dismissed as a ‘press release’ by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer). Perhaps it would be fair to say that the Redmond giant is not short of challenges at the moment.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

The Vista albatross
There are many who feel that Microsoft’s problems began with Windows Vista. Launched a couple of years ago amidst a lot of hype, the OS has become a burden to the company. While tech experts might point to flaws in the structure of the OS and its security issues, the biggest reason for its relative lack of success (Microsoft will roll out reams of information to claim that it is in fact a huge success) is that the operating system was a pain to use for mainstream users who were more than content with its predecessor, Windows XP.

Redemption through Win 7 and IE 8?
But if there is one thing we know about Microsoft, it is that for such a big company, it moves incredibly fast to address problems. The immensely successful Windows XP had in fact come hot on the heels of the less-than-impressive Windows Me and had promptly made people forget the problems posed by the latter. In what seems to be a similar move, the company has released betas of its next version of Windows, Windows 7 and its browser, Internet Explorer (IE) 8. While we have given neither product a really extended trial yet, the little we have seen of both seems to indicate that they are significant improvements over their predecessors.

The improvement in Windows 7, in particular, is stark. While the dazzling exterior of Vista has been maintained (and some might even say, made to look better), resource hoggers such as the Windows Taskbar have been removed. Microsoft has also added its Ribbon interface (seen in Office 2007) to its staple Paint and Word Pad applications, making them much more user-friendly. Those concerned about security might like the Action Center, which displays a number of security and maintenance features in a single menu–saving time and making them far simpler to manage. While its system requirements seem to be on the same lines as Vista’s on paper, a number of people have told me that it actually runs perfectly well on systems that struggled with Vista.

IE 8 is equally impressive in terms of features and functions, but is likely to face an uphill task in the face of competition from the likes of Opera, Firefox, Safari and now, Google’s Chrome, all of which update versions far more frequently than Microsoft does. Our brief look at IE 8 showed it to be a capable browser, if a trifle too stacked with features, resulting in making it less than intuitive to use. But it allows you to do pretty much everything that every other browser lets you do, from smoothly accessing your favourites to easy bookmarking. And there are some features that others do not have, such as Accelerators (which let you get stacks of information without having to key in URLs) and Web Slices (that allow you to get regular updates from specific sites without your having to go to them). Also, the fact that it will come bundled with Windows 7 (no, we have no intention of stirring up that controversy here) means that it will have a fair degree of popularity among users, who will use it as their default Internet browsing option.

But the real challenge for Microsoft will be to convince users to move up not just from Vista but from XP. How it does this is going to be interesting. We are sure the overall approach will be a lot more subtle than Steve Ballmer’s warning that users expect the latest operating systems in their work environment, and might be dissatisfied if asked to work on older systems (see ‘They Said IT’ on Page 12). Whatever happens, 2009 is going to be an interesting year for Microsoft, with the company also readying a new version of its Windows Mobile OS, version 6.5. Will these products get the Redmond giant back on track? Or will they accelerate its (perceived, we hasten to add) decline? Stay tuned

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Atom-powered smartphone will run Windows 7 or 8

In Technology has announced a smartphone that will run Windows 7 or Windows 8 on a 1.6GHz x86 processor. The "xpPhone 2" has a 4.3-inch screen, 2GB of RAM, up to 112G of SSD (solid state disk storage), and 18.5 hours' talk time, the company says.
In Technology should be familiar to loyal readers, because the Chinese company previously offered an xpPhone device that ran Windows Embedded Standard 2009 on an AMD processor. This handset was said to have begun shipping last November, but we've never seen one in the wild or read a review.

Now, in a rambling press release that touts itself as "China Apple," In Technology has provided images and brief specifications of a successor. The xpPhone 2 will feature an unspecified 1.6GHz processor -- an Engadget report claims it's an Intel Atom Z530 -- and be capable of running either Windows 7 or Windows 8, the company claims.

As well as being a phone, the xpPhone 2 will essentially be the "smallest notebook PC in the world," measuring 5.5 x 2.9 x 0.68 inches, In Technology claims. Indeed, that's smaller than the Loox F-07C, a similarly Atom-powered phone Fujitsu shipped in July.

Like the Fujitsu phone, the xpPhone 2 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. As pictured below, it can be used -- with a suitable forest of cable adapters -- as a desktop PC.

The xpPhone 2 being used as a desktop PC

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

According to In Technology, the xpPhone 2 will feature 2GB of RAM and up to 112GB of SSD storage. Resolution of the 4.3-inch screen wasn't specified, but we're guessing it won't reach as high as 1024 x 768 pixels (which is the minimum required to run Windows 8 Metro-style apps, according to Microsoft).

In Technology pictured the xpPhone 2 being used as an in-car navigation device, suggesting that it will include a GPS receiver in addition to its cellular radio. We could not find a claim regarding the phone's weight or battery size, but the company says the device will provide 18.5 hours of talk time and 46 days of standby.

Background

In Technology's original xpPhone (pictured) had an extended gestation period. The device was first revealed in July 2009, and the company started accepting unpriced pre-orders in September of the same year.

In an apparent attempt to allay suspicions that the phone was merely vaporware, In Technology emailed WindowsForDevices.com in December 2009 with a video showing the device booting Windows XP. The company contacted us again in May 2010 with new photos (plus the videos embedded at the end of this story), noting that the device had been switched from the originally mooted Windows XP to Windows Embedded Standard 2009.

In Technology's website claimed last November that the xpPhone was on sale at last. With Windows Embedded Standard 2009 but "without 3G," it went for a not-inconsiderable $732, while a 3G version was $798. (Oddly, a version with only DOS was also cited, priced at $666.)

The xpPhone shown with a Motorola Droid smartphone
(Click either to enlarge)

The device wasn't exactly pocket-size, as the photo above discloses. The phone measured 6.88 x 3.3 x 1 inches (175 x 84 x 25.5mm) and weighs 12.1 ounces (345g), In Technology says.

According to In Technology, the xpPhone offered an AMD processor described only as a "Super Mobile" CPU, with 512MB of RAM, plus 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of SSD (solid state disk) storage. The company claimed that its patented technology allows incoming phone calls or SMS messages to bring the operating system out of standby, though no word was provided on whether the xpPhone is compatible with push e-mail.

According to In Technology, the xpPhone included 802.11b/g wireless networking and Bluetooth, while its cellular radio was capable of supporting both GSM and CDMA networks. Users could download data using either HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access), HSUPA (high speed uplink packet access), or EVDO, the company added, listing AT&T, Orange, and Vodafone as networks the device is compatible with.

The xpPhone has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard
(Click to enlarge)

A removable, 2150mAh lithium-ion battery was claimed to power the xpPhone for about five hours of talk time, about seven hours of typical application usage, and a maximum of 12 hours. Meanwhile, the device has a 4.8-inch, 800 x 480 touchscreen display and a slideout QWERTY keyboard.


Ports on the xpPhone
(Click to enlarge)

Features and specifications listed by In Technology for the xpPhone included the following:

Processor -- AMD "Super Mobile"
Memory -- 512MB of RAM
Storage -- 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB SSD
Display -- 4.8-inch touchscreen display with 800 x 480 resolution
Cameras -- VGA-resolution for videoconferencing, and 1.3 megapixel main camera
Keyboard -- Slide-out QWERTY keyboard with separate numeric keypad
Wireless:
WAN -- GSM/GRPS/EDGE/WCDMA, CDMA/EV-DO, TD-SCDMA
LAN -- 802.11b/g
PAN -- Bluetooth
GPS
Other I/O:
1 x USB 2.0 host
1 x USB device
Microphone and earphone jacks
Docking connector with VGA output
Expansion -- SIM slot
Battery life:
Talk time -- 5 hours
Standby time -- about 5 days
Windows XP application usage -- from 7 to 12 hours
Dimensions -- 6.88 x 3.3 x 1 inches (175 x 84 x 25.5mm)
Weight -- 12.1 ounces (345g).

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Windows 8 Update: OS gets friendly with Linux

Microsoft works out rift with Linux community over dual boot issue; video efficiency; latest on Windows RT

s initial boot security for Windows 8 made it hard to start other operating systems on Win8 machines, but the company has worked out a way for Linux and other OSes to clear the secure boot sequence on such devices.

The secure boot, called Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), requires a key for the boot firmware to hand off to the operating system, the idea being to make sure the operating system isn't corrupt.

Microsoft's initial UEFI implementation was restrictive by making it difficult for non-Windows operating systems to get their keys included in the firmware, says Tim Burke, vice president of Linux engineering for Red Hat, in a blog. But that's all been cleared up with some cooperation among interested parties, he says.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Linus Torvalds
Now the keys can be registered via Microsoft key signing and registry services for $99. That way participating vendors can get their keys accepted by the machines so their OSes will boot. "I'm certainly not a huge UEFI fan, but at the same time I see why you might want to have signed bootup etc," Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds (pictured) is quoted as saying in the ZDNet Linux and Open Source blog. "And if it's only $99 to get a key for Fedora, I don't see what the huge deal is."
Power sipping video hardware

Windows 8-certified hardware will offload video decoding to a hardware subsystem, according to the Building Windows 8 blog.

"This allows us to significantly lower CPU usage, resulting in smoother video playback and a longer battery life, as the dedicated media hardware is much more efficient than the CPU at media decoding," Scott Manchester, group program manager for Microsoft's Media Platform and Technologies team, writes in the blog. "This improves all scenarios that require video decoding, including playback, transcoding, encoding, and capture scenarios."

A chart in the blog (below) indicates the hardware will call for a half to a third of the CPUs needed by Windows 7 for the same video tasks.

Chrome for Metro
Google's Chrome browser is getting tuned up to support Windows 8 in both desktop and Metro modes. Presumably, it won't be much challenge to get the browser to run in desktop mode since Microsoft says any app that run on Windows 7 runs on Windows 8.

But it's a little more challenging to fit it out to handle Metro and all its touch features. The company has been working on it since March, and says, "Over the next few months, we'll be smoothing out the UI on Metro and improving touch support, so please feel free to file bugs."

Samples of the browser will be available with the next Chrome Dev channel release, but the company doesn't say when that is. It also takes the opportunity to restate it's complaint that Chrome is banned from Windows RT, the ARM version of Windows 8 "Chrome won't run in WinRT, i.e. Windows 8 on ARM processors, as Microsoft is not allowing browsers other than Internet Explorer on the platform," Google says.

Qualcomm is down with Windows RT
Qaulcomm says it is making ARM chips designed for Windows RT devices -- the Windows 8 combo of operating system, limited Microsoft Office and hardware that won't run x86 applications. The chips are called Snapdragon S4 Pro.

MCITP: Enterprise Administrator

Earning a MCITP Enterprise Administrator certification in Windows 2008 is a definite step up for your career in the IT industry. This well recognised MCITP certification is held in high regard and will provide to your current and future employers that you have the skills and knowledge to implement and maintain a Windows Server 2008 network infrastructure. People who hold a MCITP Enterprise Administrator certification have one of the highest salaries on average compared to other MCITP certifications, if you wish you can view our comparison of the average MCITP salaries.

To gain MCITP: EA status you will need to gain a pass mark in 5 exams. Four of these are core exams and the last one is an elective which you get to choose.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

MCITP Enterprise Administrator core exams: (you need to pass all 4 these)
Exam 70-640 TS: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory
Exam 70-642 TS: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure
Exam 70-643 TS: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure
Exam 70-647 Pro: Enterprise Administrator, Windows Server 2008

MCITP Enterprise Administrator Elective exams: (you need to choose and pass 1 of these)
Exam 70-680 TS: Configuring Windows 7
Exam 70-681 TS: Deploying Windows 7 and Office 2010
Exam 70-620 TS: Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client
Exam 70-624 TS: Deploying and Maintaining Windows Vista Client and 2007 Microsoft Office System Desktops (retired)

The best place to start when studying to become a MCITP Enterprise Administrator is by getting yourself a copy of MCITP Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator Self-Paced Training Kit. This package below contains all the study material you need to pass all 4 core exams 70-640, 70-642, 70-643, and 70-647..

Windows 7 Upgrade: Isolated Problems, Not Disaster

Speed Up Windows XP With System Mechanic 10.8

System Mechanic 10.8 Put Through The Test

We've all seen those annoying television commercials that promise to speed up a slow computer, but do such solutions really work? The CRN Test Center put Iolo's System Mechanic 10.8 through its paces and was impressed with the results.

Our test subject was an old Pentium III-era PC running Windows XP so slowly that the machine was completely unusable. Just opening the Start menu easily took 20 seconds, opening an app required about a minute, and we could fix a steak-and-egg breakfast in the time it took to reboot this dinosaur.

But it was perfect for our purposes. We installed System Mechanic 10.8 and, after running a scan, the tool reported that the overall system status was poor and health and security were at alarming levels.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

As expected, the floodgates were opened last week on Windows 7 upgrades. From some of the histrionics on the blogosphere, one would almost surmise that an upgrade to Windows 7 was nothing short of a painful, abysmal failure. Much of the spotlight focused on upgrade problems with the Windows 7 Student edition -- one of the more understandable gripes about the upgrade process. Accusations about a host of glitches, such as endless loops of Windows 7 startup, abounded.

However, some of the outrages over Windows 7 upgrades are dubious, at best. As Channelweb.com's Kevin McLaughlin reported, many users are complaining that that they cannot do clean installs with Windows 7 upgrade media.

Say what? When has Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) ever made it an option for a user to do a from-scratch install with an upgrade CD? Legitimately, that is, without any workarounds?

It became a bit hard, during the course of last week, to separate justifiable gripes about the Windows 7 upgrade process from the lone freak incidents and overall general biases against Microsoft. However, upon a deeper dig into a disparate sampling of users all over the Internet recording their Windows 7 upgrade experiences, our verdict is that most problems were more incidental with third-party hardware drivers, line-of-business applications, and just random quirkiness.

We conducted our own independent tests on the upgrade process. What we found were very specific, yet irritating incidents that don't significantly undermine Microsoft's promise that "if it works in Vista, it will work in Windows 7." Furthermore, we did not find any issues in our testing that should render a business system inoperable. Note, all upgrades were done using 32-bit software.

In our initial test, we upgraded a Toshiba Portege 500 laptop from Vista SP2 to Windows 7 Ultimate. The full-blown version of Ultimate, and not an upgrade version, was used for the test. We first attempted to do a clean install over an upgrade, but Toshiba's native hard disk drive software prevented a complete wipe-out of the system. So, we moved on, doing just a plain old upgrade. The upgrade process was successful. There were no issues with drivers or any other preinstalled software.

One nuisance we noticed after upgrading to Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8 was a persistence of IE8 to open new IE sessions and tabs at 150 percent zoom. Somewhere during the upgrade process, the previous settings for IE were adjusted, but that is probably more of an issue with the upgrade from IE7 to version 8.

Next, we upgraded a year-old Dell (NSDQ:Dell) XPS laptop, again, with Vista SP2 to Windows 7. There also were no issues with the upgrade process, save for a broken link to a shortcut we had on the Vista OS desktop to wireless networking.

An upgrade of a Dell Vostro 220 mini-tower also gave no problems. All shortcuts and drivers transitioned over to Windows 7 without incident.

This should be of some comfort to home users. From our testing, all of the major OEMs seem to really have prepared for the final release of Windows 7. For business users and those in the channel, it appears that the biggest headaches will be caused by incompatibility issues with LOB software and any other proprietary software or unique hardware. Of course, a solid testing plan along with backing up of mission-critical data and system registries should alleviate any major issues with a Windows 7 upgrade.

Our expectation is that most businesses will opt for clean installs anyway, or replace dated machines with preinstalled Windows 7 ones. It would seem that so far, the Windows 7 upgrade process is a relatively painless one and does not merit the drama it has seemed to attract.

.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Microsoft announces 7 bulletins for May 2012 Patch Tuesday, closes book on MAPP data leak

In addition to its advance notification for Patch Tuesday, Microsoft uncovers the party responsible for leaking security information and exposing customers to attacks against RDP


Just hours after releasing the advance notification for May's Patch Tuesday release, which consists of seven bulletins, Microsoft brought some closure to its biggest security threat of the year.

RELATED: Microsoft's MAPP reportedly hacked, RDP exploits coming sooner than expected

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

In a post on its TechNet blog, Microsoft blamed March's information leak in the Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) that led to several threats against a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) vulnerability on Chinese partner company Hangzhou DPTech Technologies.

"During our investigation into the disclosure of confidential data shared with our Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) partners, we determined that a member of the MAPP program, Hangzhou DPTech Technologies Co., Ltd., had breached our non-disclosure agreement (NDA)," Yunsun Wee, director of Microsoft Trustworthy Computing, wrote in the blog post. "Microsoft takes breaches of our NDAs very seriously and has removed this partner from the MAPP Program."

The breach, which came at the hands of hackers in China, granted the cybercrime community access to information to attack the RDP vulnerability before Microsoft customers were given the information needed to patch it. Wee added that Microsoft "took actions to better protect our information," while senior program manager Maarten Van Horenbeeck provided more visibility into the inner workings of MAPP.

Given the relatively light load of security bulletins, Microsoft chose an opportune time to close the book on March's security scare. Three of the seven bulletins were rated critical, the most interesting of which was Bulletin 1's critical patch for Office, Qualys CTO Wolfgang Kandek says.

Threats against Office typically require the user to open a file containing a malicious program, Kandek says. Microsoft has traditionally been more prone to issue the "important" rating to threats that involve user interaction, he added, making this month's critical bulletin "kind of interesting."

Marcus Carey, security researcher at Rapid7, speculated that the Office vulnerability patched with Bulletin 1 "is an underlying issue on how it processes data." Citing the recent phishing attacks against Mac systems, Carey says threats coming through Microsoft productivity software are "becoming a recurring theme for organizations and end users because it's primed for phishing attacks."

Beyond that, the remaining two critical patches will attract the most attention, primarily because they address vulnerabilities in Windows versions XP through 7, Carey says.

"This means that all organizations and the entire user base will be affected by these critical bulletins," Carey says.

The other four bulletins were all rated important. Bulletins 4 and 5 address remote code execution vulnerabilities in Office, while bulletins 6 and 7 address elevation of privilege in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

With seven bulletins in April, Microsoft's total bulletins for 2012 rises to 35, compared to the 36 issued by the same point last year. Interestingly, Microsoft's release schedule has been far more consistent than in years past. From January through May 2012, the total number of Patch Tuesday bulletins issued in a single month has dipped as low as six and risen only as high as nine. In the same period last year, those totals ranged from two in both January and May to 12 in February and 17 in April.

This trend shows a sign of stability in Microsoft research and makes the jobs of systems administrators much easier, Kandek says.

"I'm not sure how they do this internally in terms of planning, but it seems to me going to a more steady stream is a sign of maturity, and from my systems administration perspective I prefer that than every two months getting something bigger," Kandek says. "I personally prefer a steady stream coming out. I can deal with that better, rather than things where suddenly my capacity is stretched more."

Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle, also took note of Microsoft's continued move away from the "feast and famine" approach of last year. However, the number of bulletins is less relevant than the number of common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs), Storms says, and the security community should put more focus on Microsoft's increase in that area this year.

"Bulletin numbers don't tell the whole patch story," Storms says. "CVEs correspond to the number of bugs fixed, and this year Microsoft is on a CVE streak. With the 23 CVEs in May's patch, Microsoft's CVE count has already reached 70 for 2012. This time last year Microsoft issued just 59 CVEs."

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Will Windows Phone feel any pain after getting dumped by LG?

Claiming sales are too weak, did LG make a valid point in dumping Windows Phone, or an excuse to avoid competing with Nokia? How about both?

Ahead of a meeting between their CEOs, Korea's LG Electronics has decided to shun any more Windows Phone products because there have yet to be "meaningful" sales.

That should get the meeting off to a good start.

The electronics manufacturer told the Korean Herald this week that Windows Phone devices are just not selling well enough worldwide to warrant continued manufacturing WP phones. Instead, LG will turn its focus to the Android platform.

RELATED: Expected Windows Phone 8 features justify Samsung’s decision to hold out

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

"The total unit of Windows Phone sold in the global market is not a meaningful figure," a LG spokesman told the Herald, adding that the company currently has no plans of rolling out another LG-manufactured Windows Phone soon.

The company will "continue research and development efforts" on Windows Phones. Translation: we give up, unless it takes off in the marketplace.

RELATED: The Nokia Lumia 900: Pros and cons compared to the iPhone 4s

It's not exactly a huge loss for Microsoft. LG is getting its you-know-what handed to it by Samsung. The Herald notes that the mobile business unit's performance has consistently failed to meet expectations, with operating losses for seven consecutive quarters. It was only when the company focused on LTE Android phones that it got back into the black

It's not like Windows Phone will suffer as a result of this decision, either. Microsoft still has HTC, Nokia and Samsung, all of which are clobbering LG. And with all the hoopla around the Nokia Lumia 900, including raves from Steve Wozniak, it's easy to see why LG would get its feelings hurt.

Still, it's embarrassing PR for Microsoft to lose a mobile partner, especially one that had previously gone all in for the Windows Phone OS. Back in 2009, Microsoft and LG signed a partnership in which LG chose Microsoft's mobile OS as its main phone platform, committing to manufacturing up to 26 Windows Phones for 2012.

So, if nothing else, the lawyers might get involved, which will do nothing to help sell phones..

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Learning Microsoft MCTS 70-516 Exam

Microsoft certification exams are a great way to build your resume and let the world know about your level of expertise. Certification exams validate your on-the-job experience and product knowledge. While there is no substitution for on-the-job experience, preparation through study and hands-on practice can help you prepare for the exam. We recommend that you round out your exam preparation plan by using a combination of available study materials and courses. For example, you might use the Training kit and another study guide

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com
for your “at home” preparation, and take a Microsoft Official Curriculum course for the classroom experience. Choose the combination that you think works best for you.

This article will let you understand the core developers who write or support applications that access
data written in C# or Visual Basic using Visual Studio 2012 and the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 and who also plan to take the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) exam 70-516. Before you begin using this kit, you must have a solid foundation-level understanding of Microsoft C# or Microsoft Visual Basic and be familiar with Visual Studio 2012..

Topics to know in C# or Visual Basic using Visual Studio 2012
ADO.NET Disconnected Classes
ADO.NET Connected Classes
Introducing LINQ
LINQ to SQL
LINQ to XML
ADO.NET Entity Framework
WCF Data Services
Developing Reliable Applications
Deploying Your Application

Most of the examples in the article could run very well on a single server running both the Active Directory and Exchange Server 2010, if you do not have the time or resources to set up a fully functional lab. (Keep in mind that it is highly recommended that the Active Directory Domain Controller and the Exchange Server do not coexist on the same physical or virtual machine in the real world for a variety of reasons.)

Make use of the Testing Engines that are available, as well as the free Webcasts. Practice test material is just for that... PRACTICE. It may help you pass the test but believe me you will only last one day in a job if you don't know what you are doing, so if you use practice material, read the question and if you don't know the answer, research it and learn it, don't just memorize the answer....I will tell you right now that their answers are not always right.

If your ready for career change and looking for Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training or any other Microsoft Certification preparation get the best online training from Certkingdom.com they offer all Microsoft, Cisco, Comptia certification exams training in just one Unlimited Life Time Access Pack, included self study training kits including, Q&A, Study Guides, Testing Engines, Videos, Audio, Preparation Labs for over 2000+ exams, save your money on boot camps, training institutes, It's also save your traveling and time. All training materials are "Guaranteed" to pass your exams and get you certified on the fist attempt, due to best training they become no1 site 2012.

About The Author
Hi I educated in the U.K. with working experienced for 5 years in multinational companies, As an IT Manager and IT Instructor, I am attached with certkingdom.com here they provide IT exams study material, the study materials included exams Q&A with Explanation, Testing Engine, Study Guides, Training Labs, Exams Simulations, Training Videos, Audio Exams Training, etc. for certification like MCTS Training, MCITP MCTS, MCSD, MCSA, MCSE Training, CCNA exams preparation, CompTIA A+ Training, and more Certkingdom.com provide you the best training 100% guarantee. “Best Material Great Results”

My Specialties
I’ve worked with a lot of technologies, but these are where my focus has been in recent years:
* Microsoft SQL Server (particularly high availability and disaster recovery)
* VMWare Virtualization
* Oracle (yes, Oracle, I’ve worked on 7-11)
* Microsoft Clustering
* Red Hat Linux (I can still write shell scripts)

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Over View Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 : MCTS 70-662 and MCITP 70-663

A number of articles have been published on Windows PowerShell, but very few of these are dedicated to Exchange Server 2012. I am an Exchange administrator. I am not a developer. Yet, I have found an increasing need to improve my development skills in order to be an effective administrator—first with Exchange Server 2007, then with Windows Server 2008, and now with Exchange Server 2010. Fortunately, with Windows
PowerShell and Exchange Management Shell, I can do so without having to learn a complicated language and extensive developmental concepts—something I really have no desire to do as an administrator. With just a simple verb-noun combination, I can achieve fantastic things in the Exchange organization and still be able to sleep at night without pieces of code swirling around in my head as I dream.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

What’s New in PowerShell 2.0
Microsoft Windows PowerShell is a combined command-line shell and scripting language designed primarily for administrators, not developers. Prior to the introduction of Windows PowerShell into operating systems, administrators were forced to learn a programming language such as Visual Basic to fully manipulate objects in the Active Directory and Exchange environment if the graphical user interface (GUI) did not provide
an easy means for administration. Mainly, an administrator found the need for additional tools, such as custom VB scripts, when he or she wanted to manage objects in bulk. PowerShell 2.0 includes significant changes from the original version.

Topics To Understand Exchange Server 2010 Portable Command:
An Overview of Windows PowerShell 2.0 for Exchange 2010
New Features and the Exchange Management Shell
Basic Techniques
Achieving a Comfort Level with PowerShell
Advanced Techniques
Customizing the PowerShell Environment
PowerShell and the Exchange 2010 Deployment Process
Standard Deployments
Disaster Recovery Deployments
PowerShell and Recipient Objects
Working with Recipient Objects
Bulk Management of Recipients
PowerShell and the Transport Roles Message Routing
The Hub Transport Role
The Edge Transport Role
Configuring Rules and Agents on Transport Servers
PowerShell and the Client Access Server Role
CAS Services
Working with Certificates
PowerShell and the Mailbox Role
Mailbox Servers and Databases
Working with Mailboxes
Using the Recovery Database (RDB)
PowerShell and the Unified Messaging Role
Working with Unified Messaging (UM) Role Objects
Managing Unified Messaging (UM) Users
PowerShell and Message Routing
Exchange Server 2010 Message Routing
Integrating Exchange Server 2010 into an Existing Exchange
Server 2003 Environment
PowerShell and High Availability in Exchange 2010
Database Availability Groups (DAGs)
Mailbox Database Copies
Using DAG to Mitigate Failures
Monitoring Highly Available Databases
PowerShell and Public Folders
Public Folder Database Management
Managing Public Folders
Public Folder Permissions
Troubleshoot Exchange Server 2010 Using PowerShell
Troubleshooting with the Test Cmdlets
Event Logging with PowerShell
PowerShell and Automating Exchange Server 2010 Administration
Using and Finding Scripts to Automate
Monitoring Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) Permissions,
Mailbox Audit Logging, and Reporting with PowerShell in Exchange Server 2010
Configuring Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) Permissions
Using Mailbox Audit Logging to Monitor Exchange Server
Reporting and Other Useful Cmdlets

Most of the examples in the article could run very well on a single server running both the Active Directory and Exchange Server 2010, if you do not have the time or resources to set up a fully functional lab. (Keep in mind that it is highly recommended that the Active Directory Domain Controller and the Exchange Server do not coexist on the same physical or virtual machine in the real world for a variety of reasons.)

Make use of the Testing Engines that are available, as well as the free Webcasts. Practice test material is just for that... PRACTICE. It may help you pass the test but believe me you will only last one day in a job if you don't know what you are doing, so if you use practice material, read the question and if you don't know the answer, research it and learn it, don't just memorize the answer....I will tell you right now that their answers are not always right.

If your ready for career change and looking for Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training or any other Microsoft Certification preparation get the best online training from Certkingdom.com they offer all Microsoft, Cisco, Comptia certification exams training in just one Unlimited Life Time Access Pack, included self study training kits including, Q&A, Study Guides, Testing Engines, Videos, Audio, Preparation Labs for over 2000+ exams, save your money on boot camps, training institutes, It's also save your traveling and time. All training materials are "Guaranteed" to pass your exams and get you certified on the fist attempt, due to best training they become no1 site 2012.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Microsoft 70-640 Exam Quick Pass Tips (Windows Server 2008)

As the your know that getting good job you need pass Microsoft exams and get certified to eligible for the job. Some Microsoft exams are not as simple and easy to pass; you need get the core concept of the exam this article will help you to under stand Microsoft Server 2008 for the exams of 70-640, 70-642.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

WHAT IS WINDOWS SERVER 2008
Windows Server 2008 R2, or simply R2 for short, is the second release of Windows Server 2008 . It isn’t a completely new release, but rather adds additional features and refinements to the existing release . In this book, we focus on the new features and refinements in R2 . We assume you have at least a general knowledge of Windows Server, and that you have some familiarity with Windows Server 2008, although we don’t assume you’re actively running Windows Server 2008 . Where an R2 feature is a refinement of a feature that was new in Windows Server 2008, we provide background on the Windows Server 2008 feature to provide context .

THE ROLE OF SERVER ADMINISTRATOR
Windows server administrators who are responsible for hands-on deployment and day-to-day management of Windows-based servers for large organizations . Windows server administrators manage file and print servers, network infrastructure servers, Web servers, and IT application servers . They use graphical administration tools as their primary interface but also use Windows PowerShell commandlets and occasionally write Windows PowerShell scripts for routine tasks and bulk operations . They conduct most server management tasks remotely by using Terminal Server or administration tools installed on their local workstation .

9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WINDOWS SERVER 2008
1. What’s New in Windows Server R2
2. Installation and Configuration: Adding R2 to Your World
3. Hyper-V: Scaling and Migrating Virtual Machines
4. Remote Desktop Services and VDI: Centralizing Desktop and Application Management
5. Active Directory: Improving and Automating Identity and Access
6. The File Services Role
7. IIS 7.5: Improving the Web Application Platform
8. DirectAccess and Network Policy Server
9. Other Features and Enhancements

Make use of the Testing Engines that are available, as well as the free Webcasts. Practice test material is just for that... PRACTICE. It may help you pass the test but believe me you will only last one day in a job if you don't know what you are doing, so if you use practice material, read the question and if you don't know the answer, research it and learn it, don't just memorize the answer....I will tell you right now that their answers are not always right.

If your ready for career change and looking for Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training or any other Microsoft Certification preparation get the best online training from Certkingdom.com they offer all Microsoft, Cisco, Comptia certification exams training in just one Unlimited Life Time Access Pack, included self study training kits including, Q&A, Study Guides, Testing Engines, Videos, Audio, Preparation Labs for over 2000+ exams, save your money on boot camps, training institutes, It's also save your traveling and time. All training materials are "Guaranteed" to pass your exams and get you certified on the fist attempt, due to best training they become no1 site 2012.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Why Google should be allowed to 'harvest' your Wi-Fi data

The hysteria around the Google 'WiSpy' case is based on an irrational double standard

Computerworld - The Federal Communications Commission cleared Google of wrongdoing in the so-called "WiSpy" case. It was the right decision.

Why? Because Google didn't do anything wrong.

Two years ago, Google said its Street View cars had been "harvesting" information from Wi-Fi networks, including personal home networks, as a matter of course.

In some cases, data gathered included passwords, e-mail messages and browser information.

The data gathering was accidental. Google as an organization didn't mean to collect this information. But even if it had meant to, there would be nothing wrong with doing so. I'll tell you why later.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

The FCC did charge Google a pathetic $25,000 fine for taking too long to respond to requests for information during the investigation. But it didn't levy any fine for the actual data harvesting. Inconvenient truth: In a country ruled by law, you can't legally punish people or companies when they haven't in fact broken an actual law.

Still, critics are coming out of the woodwork to denounce both Google and the FCC.

"FCC's Ruling that Google's Wi-Fi Snooping is Legal Sets Horrible Precedent," said PC World's John P. Mello Jr. "Google Breaches Highlight Need for Regulation," said Jason Magder of the Montreal Gazette.

And as they tend to do in such cases, the pandering politicians are trying to get in front of the parade.

For example, U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) this week issued a statement that says "The circumstances surrounding Google's surreptitious siphoning of personal information leave many unanswered questions. I believe Congress should immediately hold a hearing to get to the bottom of this serious situation."

Other countries, including Germany, France and Australia, concluded (unlike the FCC) that Google was guilty of wrongdoing.

Australian Minister for Communications Stephen Conroy called the it the "largest privacy breach in the history across western democracies." The Australian government forced Google to publicly apologize.

France made Google pay a $142,000 fine.

The global consensus is that Google's so-called "snooping" was an invasion of privacy, accidental or otherwise.

Unfortunately, this consensus is based on emotion and knee-jerk populism, rather than facts and reason.

Let's try something different. Let's analyze what actually happened.
Wi-Fi is radio broadcast over the public airwaves

The hyperbolic accusations against Google imply that the company electronically reached into people's homes, breached their Wi-Fi systems, took data and stored it in a database.

That's not what happened.

Google did not harvest data from inside people's homes. Google plucked data from the public airwaves -- data that was voluntarily broadcast into those airwaves by the owners of that data.

In the U.S., the airwaves belong to the public.

Wi-Fi devices that people use for home networking have radios built in. And it's via radio waves that the miracle of wireless networking takes place.

A home Wi-Fi device generates radio waves that are sent out in 360 degrees, like the ripples that radiate across the surface of a pond when you throw a rock into it. These radio waves go right through the walls of the house, and out into the world at high speed.

At some point in their journey, Wi-Fi radio waves breach the private-public barrier. They wash over your privately owned lawn before continuing on over the publicly owned sidewalk and street.

A person walking or driving by is physically penetrated by these waves. (Some studies have suggested that the waves may increase the risk of cancer; they probably don't.) The radio waves enter people's bodies, are conveyed through their bodies, and then continue on their journey on the other side.

Wi-Fi radio waves also trespass onto other peoples' private property. If your laptop can see the name of your neighbor's Wi-Fi, that means he is broadcasting radio waves over your property line, through the walls of your house and into your home.

What's interesting about this broadcasting of electromagnetic radiation is that it's nothing new. People do it all the time with other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Shining light on Wi-Fi 'snooping'

Let's say you took your big-screen TV and put it in your home's front window facing out so that people could see the screen from the sidewalk or the street.

Then let's say you connected your laptop to it, then made a PowerPoint slide so that in large letters, the TV displayed the following phrase: "My password is bond007."

If anyone, whether Google or your neighbor, stood on the sidewalk and took a picture of your house, they would be recording your password. And this would be, and should be, perfectly legal.

There are two reasons why this is legal. First, the recording happened from a public space. And second, the recording was made with a device in general public use -- a camera.

Any outrage expressed by the person broadcasting his password via electromagnetic radiation (light) into the public space would be ludicrous.

In fact, there are many ways to use electromagnetic radiation to broadcast personal data into the public airwaves.

One could say "My password is bond007" into a walkie-talkie, a ham radio or a CB radio.

It's perfectly legal for a passerby or anyone else to listen to and record that audio signal, as long as he's in a public space or in his own home.

Even if the broadcaster is ignorant of the fact that speaking into a radio conveys his voice into the public space, it's still not illegal for someone else to listen to it or record it.

In each of these cases -- the TV in the window, the walkie-talkie, the ham radio or the CB radio -- the data is being broadcast via electromagnetic radiation out into the public airwaves and therefore it is not a violation of privacy for someone else to receive and record the data.

A Wi-Fi signal is exactly the same thing. It uses electromagnetic radiation to broadcast data into the public airwaves.

As in my thought-experiment, it's up to the owner of the equipment to determine whether and what data is broadcast publicly.

When someone sets up a Wi-Fi network and a Google Street View car drives by and captures the data, it's not that Google is invading the home. The Wi-Fi signal is invading the Street View car on a public road.

I believe the burden is on anyone who says Google's data harvesting is illegal to explain why recording data voluntarily broadcast into publicly owned airwaves over one part of the electromagnetic spectrum is legal, but doing so over another part of the spectrum is illegal.
What's the difference?

It's not as if the equipment that's needed to view and record such data is hard to find. You can buy it at Wal-Mart, and nearly everyone owns such equipment.

Look, Wi-Fi is no longer some new, mysterious and rare phenomenon. It's not witchcraft, or some unknown to be feared and confused about.

I think we can all agree that anyone who broadcasts unencrypted, un-password-protected data over public airwaves in a way that is readable by devices millions of people own has no reasonable expectation of privacy.

And anyone who views, records or "harvests" such publicly broadcast data has -- and should have -- every right to do so. The hysteria around the so-called Google "WiSpy" scandal represents an ignorant double standard about data voluntarily broadcast over public airspace.

Give it a rest. Google did nothing wrong.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Is an IT boot camp the way to shape up for Windows Vista?

Because we all know how well cramming for exams worked in college


Computerworld - The attractions of an accelerated tech training course are obvious. Why spend weeks or months reading boring computer books or lurching through online courseware when you can have high-energy instructors helping you to cram all that information in over a single long weekend?

Nicknamed boot camps for their abbreviated length and grueling methods -- 12 hours in class per day, along with assigned homework at night, is not unusual -- some even have students taking certification exams by weekend’s end -- and still boast a respectable pass rate.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Unsurprisingly, a number of boot camps aimed at training both system administrators and end users in Vista and Office 2007 are starting to spring up.

The courses aren't cheap. Prices typically start at more than $1,000 for a long weekend’s course, and the costs go up rapidly from. But some experts see value in these crash courses. IT boot camps "are very helpful to get a team up to speed prior to a software deployment," said Cushing Anderson, an analyst at Framingham, Mass.-based IDC.

A constellation of camps

Training Camp, the boot camp division of TechTrain, will begin offering Vista boot camps in June with a three-day course aimed at helping Microsoft Certified Technology Specialists (MCTS) pass the certification exam for configuring Vista.

Jeff Porch, director of educational services at Philadelphia-based Training Camp, says the $2,195 course is aimed at people who provide IT support, both in person and via call centers.

All of the instructors employed by Training Camp are Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCT). Classes are limited to 10 students, allowing them to get a lot of one-on-one attention, Porch said. They are also worked hard. "The camp will run from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with an hour for lunch and an hour for dinner," Porch said.

Training Camp is also developing courses for Office 2007 and Exchange that should be available by the end of the summer, Porch said.

Other providers include Vigilar Inc.'s Intense School, which is holding a series of five-day Vista-Office 2007 boot camps starting in August. The $2,495 course will prepare students for the Vista configuration exam. Intense School Chief Technology Officer Barry Kaufman said 97% of students in Intense’s MCSE classes pass their exams.

Atlanta-based CED Solutions’ six-day, $2,995 course claims to go one better by preparing students for two MCTS exams on configuring and deploying Vista and Office 2007.

Meanwhile, Houston-based ETEC is, until the end of this month, letting students who register for a 14-day, $5,990 course for Microsoft Certified System Engineering (MCSE) certification also attend a three-day Vista boot camp for free.

Learn IT is offering three-day Vista deployment courses for $1,400 in San Francisco and Santa Clara, Calif. Compared to Training Camp's courses, Learn IT's weekday classes run at a relatively light pace -- 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. -- and the company makes no mention of preparing students for passing certification tests.

Certifications less valuable today

One reason why not all training companies offer certification exam preparation may be because of the recent decrease in the prestige of technical certifications. The dot-com crash left many IT workers, even those with certifications and years of experience, unemployed for many years..

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Amazon Web Services launches CloudSearch

The service is based on Amazon's A9 technology and aims to simplify the use of search

IDG News Service - Amazon Web Services has introduced CloudSearch, which allows users of its cloud to integrate fully managed and highly scalable search functionality into their applications, the company said on Thursday.

CloudSearch is based on the same A9 technology that powers search for Amazon.com, the company said

To use the search functionality, IT staff start by creating a search domain and uploading the data they want searchable. CloudSearch then automatically provisions the technology resources required and the indexes needed, the company said.

To make data searchable, it first needs to be described in the Search Data Format, which can be done using JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) or XML text files, according to an FAQ.

Microsoft MCTS Certification, MCITP Certification and over 2000+
Exams with Life Time Access Membership at http://www.actualkey.com

CloudSearch automatically scales as the amount of searchable data increases or as the query rate changes, and enterprises can change search parameters, fine tune search relevance and apply new settings at any time without having to upload the data again.

Settings are changed using the AWS Management Console, which is also used to administer Amazon's other services.

As with its other cloud services, Amazon pitches the new addition as way to add search capabilities without needing a lot of expertise.

However, figuring out what the service will cost may not be as simple. Users are billed on a monthly basis for search instances, document batch uploads, IndexDocuments requests and data transfer.

As a managed service, CloudSearch determines the size and number of search instances required to deliver low latency, high throughput search performance. The service builds an index and picks the appropriate initial search instance type to ensure that the index can be stored in RAM.

Instance types come in small, large and extra large, which cost 12 cents, 48 cents and 68 cents per hour.

New IndexDocuments are created by CloudSearch when the IT staff make configuration changes to the index, for example by adding a field. The cost is 98 cents per gigabyte of data stored in the search domain.

Added to that is 10 cents per 1,000 batch upload requests, which each can be up to 5MB. The last part of the bill is a charge for the amount of data transferred out of CloudSearch. In the US East region, the first 10TB costs 12 cents per GB, according to Amazon.

On the CloudSearch website, Amazon details a cost example that includes 100MB of data and adds up to $86.94 per month.

Microsoft MCTS Certification, MCITP Certification and over 2000+
Exams with Life Time Access Membership at http://www.actualkey.com

Microsoft Says Recovery from Malware Becoming Impossible

A Microsoft security official recommends that big businesses invest in an automated process to wipe hard drives and reinstall malware-infested operating systems.
Microsoft Says Recovery from Malware Becoming Impossible
( Page 1 of 2 )

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—In a rare discussion about the severity of the Windows malware scourge, a Microsoft security official said businesses should consider investing in an automated process to wipe hard drives and reinstall operating systems as a practical way to recover from malware infestation.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

"When you are dealing with rootkits and some advanced spyware programs, the only solution is to rebuild from scratch. In some cases, there really is no way to recover without nuking the systems from orbit," Mike Danseglio, program manager in the Security Solutions group at Microsoft, said in a presentation at the InfoSec World conference here.

Offensive rootkits, which are used hide malware programs and maintain an undetectable presence on an infected machine, have become the weapon of choice for virus and spyware writers and, because they often use kernel hooks to avoid detection, Danseglio said IT administrators may never know if all traces of a rootkit have been successfully removed.

He cited a recent instance where an unnamed branch of the U.S. government struggled with malware infestations on more than 2,000 client machines. "In that case, it was so severe that trying to recover was meaningless. They did not have an automated process to wipe and rebuild the systems, so it became a burden. They had to design a process real fast," Danseglio added.

Danseglio, who delivered two separate presentations at the conference—one on threats and countermeasures to defend against malware infestations in Windows, and the other on the frightening world on Windows rootkits—said anti-virus software is getting better at detecting and removing the latest threats, but for some sophisticated forms of malware, he conceded that the cleanup process is "just way too hard."

Microsoft says stealth rootkits are bombarding Windows XP SP2 machines. Click here to read more.

"Weve seen the self-healing malware that actually detects that youre trying to get rid of it. You remove it, and the next time you look in that directory, its sitting there. It can simply reinstall itself," he said.

"Detection is difficult, and remediation is often impossible," Danseglio declared. "If it doesnt crash your system or cause your system to freeze, how do you know its there? The answer is you just dont know. Lots of times, you never see the infection occur in real time, and you dont see the malware lingering or running in the background."

He recommended using PepiMK Softwares SpyBot Search & Destroy, Mark Russinovichs RootkitRevealer and Microsofts own Windows Defender, all free utilities that help with malware detection and cleanup, and urged CIOs to take a defense-in-depth approach to preventing infestations.

Are virtual machine rootkits the next big threat? Click here to read more.

Danseglio said malicious hackers are conducting targeted attacks that are "stealthy and effective" and warned that the for-profit motive is much more serious than even the destructive network worms of the past. "In 2006, the attackers want to pay the rent. They dont want to write a worm that destroys your hardware. They want to assimilate your computers and use them to make money.

"At Microsoft, we are fielding 2,000 attacks per hour. We are a constant target, and you have to assume your Internet-facing service is also a big target," Danseglio said.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

70-630 Q&A / Study Guide / Testing Engine

Microsoft MCTS Certification, MCITP Certification and over 2000+
Exams with Life Time Access Membership at http://www.actualkey.com

---

QUESTION 1
You work as a SharePoint Server administrator at Certkingdom.com. You have just the completed the
insertion of new content in the root site. However, later that day the users complained that the new
content is not added in the search results when they run searches on the root site. You need to
make sure that the relevent content is included in query results.
What actions should you take to perform this task?

A. The best option is to set the Complete Through constraint.
B. The best option is to reset the crawled content and start a full crawl.
C. The best option is to set the Resource Center view.
D. The best option is to edit the CSS style sheet to include the new content.

Answer: B

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 2
You work as a SharePoint Server administrator at Certkingdom.com. One of Certkingdom.com branch offices
consists of a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory domain. You have received instructions from
the CIO to extend SharePoint user profiles to include the userID property from the users' domain accounts.
What actions should you take to perform this task?

A. The best option is to add a Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) server.
B. The best option is to create a custom Microsoft Management Console that can access the branch office.
C. The best option is to create a new user profile property that is configured with import mapping.
D. The best option is to run the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration.

Answer: C

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 3
You work as a SharePoint Server administrator at Certkingdom.com. The Certkingdom.com network contains a
SharePoint Portal Server 2003 server named Certkingdom-SR44. Certkingdom-SR44 hosts a SharePoint portal
that is accessed through a hyperlink on the users' client computers. The hyperlink points to
http://www.Certkingdom.com/ms/certifications.
You want to migrate Certkingdom-SR44 to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007. You need to
ensure that the SharePoint portal will be accessible after the migration.
What actions should you take to perform this task?

A. By running the stsadm command with the osearch operator.
B. By editing the hyperlink so it will point to the new URL of the migrated content.
C. By running the stsadm command with the enumsites operator.
D. By enabling the Shared Services Provider Synchronizing job.

Answer: B

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 4
You work as a SharePoint Server administrator at Certkingdom.com. Certkingdom.com contains a Microsoft
Content Management Server 2002 computer named Certkingdom-SR11. You have received instructions
from the CIO to uCertkingdomrade Certkingdom-SR11 to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007.
What actions should you take to perform this task?

A. The best option is to run the stsadm command with the addwppack operator.
B. The best option is to run the stsadm command with the installfeature operator.
C. The best option is to run the CMS Assessment utility on Certkingdom-SR11.
D. The best option is to run the Optimize HTML command in SharePoint Designer.

Answer: C

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 5
You work as a SharePoint Server administrator at Certkingdom.com. Certkingdom.com has a Development
department with a database server named Certkingdom-DB02. Certkingdom-DB02 hosts a database named
CkdProducts. Certkingdom.com has implemented a Web application in the SharePoint site that must
access data in CkdProducts.
What actions should you take?

A. The best option is to obtain and install an application definition file from the Development department.
B. The best option is to enable the Save for Sharing option, then save CkdProducts in the Development department.
C. The best option is to save CkdProducts as a Microsoft Excel 2007 worksheet.
D. The best option is to create a custom group in the Site Settings page to the trusted file locations list.

Answer: A

Explanation:

---

Microsoft MCTS Certification, MCITP Certification and over 2000+
Exams with Life Time Access Membership at http://www.actualkey.com

Google’s 2012 April Fools’ Day Pranks

From Nintendo Maps to YouTube DVD collections

April 1 is typically one of the most annoying days on the Internet, as just about everyone feels the need to subject us to their not-so-clever “OMG I JUST PWN3D U!” pranks. But fortunately, Google is a lot cleverer than most typical Internet denizens and routinely comes up with some of the more amusing pranks every year around this time. In this slideshow we’ll guide you through Google’s top April Fools’ Day pranks of 2012, including Nintendo-style Maps, Morse Code Gmail and multitasking Chrome (relive Google’s 2011 April Fools’ collection.)

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

8-Bit Google Maps for the original Nintendo
Google has worked hard over the years to make its Maps application the most detailed and up-to-date one anywhere on the Web. But what about users who haven’t bought a piece of electronics since getting a Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1988? Well for those users, Google created an 8-bit version of Maps that makes travelling throughout the world looks like playing “Zelda II.”

The complete YouTube on DVD
YouTube has brought us a lot of fond memories over the years, from Keyboard Cat to Rick Astley to Chris Crocker’s valiant defense of Britney Spears. And now, Google is offering you all your favorite YouTube moments on DVD. As in, all of them, sent to you in several large cardboard boxes. The best feature of this gag is the ability to snail-mail a cardboard thumbs-up symbol to the video creator’s home address.

Morse-Code Gmail
Yeah, touchscreen keyboards are still somewhat awkward to use. So why not switch to a system that gives you just two buttons to work with: A dot and a dash? Yes, Google is going really, really retro and bringing back Morse code for mobile Gmail. Siri is shaking in her boots, I bet.

Rotary Phone website optimization
Sure, smartphones are all the rage today and every business is working overtime to make sure that their website also delivers a top-notch mobile experience. But what about the .00001% of the population that still relies on rotary phones to make their calls? How will you reach this key market group of bitter misanthropic Luddite shut-ins? Google’s Mobile Ads team has the answer as it’s designed a program to “to help you prepare for the return of rotary,” whenever the heck that might happen.

Interplanetary Analytics
While most Google pranks utilize retro technology for laughs, the Analytics team has decided to launch us into the future with an Analytics system designed for interplanetary space travel. As a test example, Google asks you to imagine that you have “a chain of taco stands and [have] noticed many users visiting your website from the Mars outpost” meaning that you might want to “make a business case to begin expanding your business to serve Mars colonists.”

Self-driving racing cars
This certainly takes the human element out of your typical NASCAR race. The good news about this is that fiery race car crashes will no longer result in the tragic loss of human life. The bad news is that one of America’s most popular competitive events will be reduced to a driving version of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. Progress has its drawbacks...

Google Fiber bar
For the uninitiated, Google has been building out a high-speed fiber network in Kansas City that will deliver average download speeds of 100Mbps to area homes within the next year. The company has also apparently been building the Ultimate Fitness Bar that will help you win bicycle races and other feats of athletic glory.

Google Street ‘Roo
Google’s Aussie team decided to chip into the April Fools’ Day fun by creating the Google Street Kangaroo to provide you with real-time traffic updates via its mounted head camera. Of course, the ‘roo’s live updates aren’t for those with motion sickness since its camera work is best described as somewhat bouncy. At any rate, who doesn’t love looking at a cute marsupial with an oversized camera attached to its head?

Google Chrome two-mouse multitasking
Multitasking is a staple of modern life, so much so that we often have difficulty jus… oooo, I just got a new high score in “Angry Birds Space!”… uh, as I was saying, multitasking is pretty important to the modern work environment. As such, Google has given Google Chrome the ability to handle not just one, but two mice! Wow! Now you can try to do your work while… ooooo, I just finished downloading the new “Game of Thrones” episode on iTunes!

Jargon-Bot for Google Apps Communicate without the jargon
Help people navigate through complicated business speak with Jargon-Bot.

We want to hear from YOU!
Did Google tickle your funny bone again this year? Or do you long for the days of Flugelhorn Feline? Let us know in the comments!

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com