Windows 98 Exam Prep: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
Authors: Michael Jang, Ed Tittel
Venue:  (1999)

From the Book: INTRODUCTION Introduction Welcome to MCSE Windows 98 Exam Prep! This new book from Certification Insider Press offers you real-world examples, interactive activities, and numerous hands-on projects that reinforce key concepts and help you prepare for the exam. This book also features troubleshooting tips for solutions to common problems that you will encounter. The companion interactive CD-ROM features a unique test simulation environment with two complete practice exams that allow you to test your skills and knowledge, making this the perfect study guide for the Microsoft certification exam. The exam questions have been specially written based on the content of the book to reinforce what you have learned. These materials have been specifically designed to help individuals prepare for Microsoft Certification Exam 70-098, "Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows 98." Answers to end-of-chapter review questions and projects are also found on the CD-ROM. The big technology question for the 90s and beyond is, "Are you certified?" Certification is rapidly becoming the key to professional career enhancement for network engineers, technicians, software developers, Web designers, and even professional office workers. If youre ready to dig right in, skip to the "About The Book" section later in this introduction. Why Become A Microsoft Certified Professional? Becoming a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) can open many doors for you. Obtaining the appropriate Microsoft Certified Professional credentials can provide a formal record of your skills to potential employers. Certification can be equally effective in helping you secure a raise or promotion. The Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE) program is made up of a series of core and elective exams in several different tracks. Combinations of individual exams can lead to certification in a specific track. Most tracks require you to pass a combination of core and elective exams. (Exam 70-098, "Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows 98," is a core exam.) Your MCSE credentials tell a potential employer that you are an expert. Want To Know More About Microsoft Certification? There are many additional benefits to achieving Microsoft certified status. These benefits apply to you as well as to your potential employer. As a Microsoft Certified Professional, you will be recognized as an expert on Microsoft products, have access to ongoing technical information from Microsoft, and receive special invitations to Microsoft conferences and events. You can obtain a comprehensive, interactive tool that provides full details about the Microsoft Certified Professional Program online at www.microsoft.com/train_cert/cert. For more information on texts from Certification Insider Press that will help prepare you for certification exams, visit our site at www.certificationinsider.com. A Microsoft Certified Professional receives the following benefits: n Microsoft Certified Professional wall certificate. Also, within a few weeks after you have passed any exam, Microsoft sends you a Microsoft Certified Professional Transcript that shows which exams you have passed. n License to use the Microsoft Certified Professional logo. You are licensed to use the logo in your advertisements, promotions, proposals, and other materials, including business cards, letterheads, advertising circulars, brochures, yellow page advertisements, mailings, banners, resumes, and invitations. n Microsoft Certified Professional logo sheet. Before using the camera-ready logo, you must agree to the terms of the licensing agreement. n Access to technical and product information directly from Microsoft through a secured area of the MCP Web site. Dedicated forums on CompuServe (GO MECFORUM) and The Microsoft Network enable Microsoft Certified Professionals to communicate directly with Microsoft and one another. n One-year subscription to Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine, a career and professional development magazine created especially for Microsoft Certified Professionals. n Invitations to Microsoft conferences, technical training sessions, and special events. A Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer receives all the benefits mentioned above and the following additional benefits: n Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer logos and other materials to help you identify yourself as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer to colleagues or clients. n One-year subscription to the Microsoft TechNet Technical Information Network. n One-year subscription to the Microsoft Beta Evaluation program. This benefit provides you with up to 12 free monthly beta software CDs for many of Microsofts newest software products. This enables you to become familiar with new versions of Microsoft products before they are generally available. This benefit also includes access to a private CompuServe forum where you can exchange information with other program members and find information from Microsoft on current beta issues and product information. Certify Me! So you are ready to become a Microsoft Certified Professional. The examinations are administered through Sylvan Prometric (formerly Drake Prometric) and Virtual University Enterprises, or VUE (a division of National Computer Systems, Inc.) and are offered at more than 1,000 authorized testing centers around the world. Microsoft evaluates certification status based on current exam records. Your current exam record is the set of exams you have passed. To maintain Microsoft Certified Professional status, you must remain current on all the requirements for your certification. Registering for an exam is easy. To register to take an exam with Sylvan Prometric, contact them at (800) 755-EXAM (3926). Dial (612) 896-7000 or (612) 820-5707 if you cannot place a call to an 800 number from your location. To register with VUE, contact them at (888) 837-8616 or online at their Web site at www.vue.com/ms. You must schedule the exam at least one day before the day you want to take the exam. Taking the exam automatically enrolls you in the Microsoft Certified Professional program; you do not need to submit an application to Microsoft Corporation. When you call to register, have the following information ready: n Your name, organization (if any), mailing address, and phone number. n A unique ID number (e.g., your Social Security number). n The number of the exam you wish to take (70-098 for the Windows 98 exam). n A method of payment (e.g., credit card number). If you pay by check, payment is due before the examination can be scheduled. The fee to take each exam is currently $100. Additional Resources One of the best sources of information about Microsoft certification tests comes from Microsoft itself. Because its products and technologiesand the tests that go with themchange frequently, the best place to go for exam-related information is online. If you havent already visited the Microsoft Certified Professional or Training and Certification pages, do so right now. As of this writing, the Microsoft Training and Certification page resides at www.microsoft.com/train_cert and the Microsoft Certified Professional page is at www.microsoft.com/mcp. Note that it may not be there by the time you read this, or it may have been replaced by something new, because the Microsoft site changes regularly. If this happens, please read the next section, "Coping With Change On The Web." The menu options in the home pages left-hand column point to important sources of information in the Training and Certification pages. Heres what to check out: n Train_Cert Summaries/By Product Use this to jump to product-based summaries of all classroom education, training materials, study guides, and other information for specific products. In the Back Office section, under the heading "Windows 98," youll find an entire page of information about Windows 98 training and certification, including links to the specific 70-098 test. This tells you a lot about your training and preparation options, and mentions all the tests that relate to Windows 98. n Search/Find an Exam Pulls up a search tool that lets you list all Microsoft exams and locate all exams pertinent to any Microsoft certification (MCP, MCSD, MCSE, MCT, and so on), or those exams that cover a particular product. This tool is quite useful not only to examine the options, but also to obtain specific test preparation information, because each exam has its own associated preparation guide. n Downloads Here, youll find a list of the files and practice tests that Microsoft makes available to the public. These include several items worth downloading, especially the Certification Update, the Personal Exam Prep (PEP) tests, various assessment exams, and a general Exam Study Guide. Try to peruse these materials before taking your first test. Of course, these are just the high points of whats available in the Microsoft Training and Certification pages. As you browse through themand we strongly recommend that you doyoull probably find other information we didnt mention here that is every bit as interesting and compelling. Coping With Change On The Web Sooner or later, all the specifics weve shared with you about the Microsoft Training and Certification pages, and all the other Web-based resources we mention throughout the rest of this book, will go stale or be replaced by newer information. In some cases, the URLs you find here may lead you to their replacements; in other cases, the URLs will go nowhere, leaving you with the dreaded 404 error message, "File not found." When that happens, please dont give up! Theres always a way to find what you want on the Web, if youre willing to invest some time and energy. To begin with, most large or complex Web sitesand Microsofts qualifies on both countsoffer a search engine. As long as you can get to the site itself, you can use this tool to help you find what you need. The more particular or focused you can make a search request, the more likely it is that the results will include information you can use. For instance, you can search for "Training and Certification" to produce a lot of data about the subject in general, but if youre specifically looking for, for example, the Preparation Guide for Exam 70-098, "Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows 98," youll be more likely to get there quickly if you use a search string such as: "Exam 70-098" AND "Preparation Guide". Likewise, if you want to find the Training and Certification downloads, try a search string such as: "Training and Certification" AND "download page". Finally, dont be afraid to use general search tools like www.search.com, www.altavista.com, or www.excite.com to find related information. Although Microsoft offers the best information about its certification exams online, there are plenty of third-party sources of information, training, and assistance in this area that do not have to follow a party line like Microsoft does. The bottom line is: If you cant find something where the book says it lives, start looking around. About The Book Windows 98 is a feature-rich operating system designed to work well alone or on a network. In this book, you learn about a broad variety of tools to install, configure, manage, monitor, and troubleshoot this operating system. You also learn the tools that you need to prepare for the Microsoft Windows 98 certification exam, 70-098, "Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows 98." When you pass this exam, you become certified as a Microsoft Certified Professional. It is also one of the exams that youll need on the road toward becoming a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). One bonus you receive when you learn Windows 98 is that it is effectively an introduction to the Windows 2000 Server and Workstation operating systems. Microsoft has designed the structure and format of Windows 98 to be as compatible as possible with Windows 2000. When you learn Windows 98, you learn the structure of the operating system that could very well be at the center of computing for the foreseeable future. As you go through this book, you will learn concepts and practice them on your computer in a broad variety of hands-on projects. The projects are designed to make what you learn come alive through actually performing the tasks. In addition to the hands-on projects, each chapter offers case projects that put you in the shoes of a consultant who works in all kinds of situations fulfilling the needs of clients. Also, every chapter includes a range of practice questions to help prepare you for the Microsoft certification exam. All of these features are offered to reinforce your learning, so youll feel confident in the knowledge you have gained from each chapter. In Chapter 1, "Introduction to Windows 98," you learn the basics of what Microsoft Windows 98 can do, as a system and as a client on a Network. In Chapter 2, "Planning and Installing Windows 98," you get a chance to plan and install Windows 98 as a new system or as an upgrade. In Chapter 3, "The Windows 98 Registry," you learn about the Registry and its role as the central configuration database for Windows 98. In Chapter 4, "Managing Windows 98 Users, Profiles, and Policies," you learn to control what different users can do with their Windows 98 computers, whether they are standalone or part of a Windows NT or Novell NetWare network. To simplify your introduction to Windows 98 networking, you learn about TCP/IP in the context of connecting to an Internet Service Provider in Chapter 5, "Networking and the Internet." Although Chapter 6, "Windows 98 Communications and Mobile Computing," is focused on the Windows 98 tools to help you manage a laptop computer, it is written to allow anyone with a modem to learn the techniques. In Chapter 7, "Windows 98 Server Services," you learn how to create a Web site with Personal Web Server, as well as how to set up your Windows 98 computer as a Remote Access Server. Now that you have set up Windows 98 and made it useful with network connections, you are ready for Chapter 8, "Managing Windows 98 System Resources." In this chapter, you learn to manage a variety of resources: Windows NT or Novell NetWare networks, hard disks, and multimedia applications. In Chapter 9, "Managing Windows 98 Applications," you learn about how Windows 98 actually works, and how it manages different programs. In Chapter 10, "Monitoring, Tuning, and Optimizing Windows 98," you use the System Monitor to measure the behavior of your computer. In Chapter 11, "Security, Access Controls, and Fault Tolerance," you begin to manage your computer with tools such as ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter. Now that you have learned how to install Windows 98 and what it can do, you learn how to automate and customize the process for different configurations in Chapter 12, "Advanced Windows 98 Installation Options." With what you know by the time you reach Chapter 13, "Advanced Windows 98 Networking Topics," you learn how Windows 98 can be integrated on a network. Although you learn about troubleshooting various components throughout the book, you can learn to solve many common problems in Chapter 14, "Troubleshooting." This book is intended to be just the beginning of your study. Appendix A, "Online Resources and Bibliography," includes a number of books and Web sites where you can learn more about Windows 98. Appendix B, "The Windows 98 Command-Line Environment," provides a list of the more common commands that you can use to call up Windows 98 utilities, as well as some of the more common MS-DOS commands. It also lists some of the options that you can use to set up Windows 98. Features To aid you in fully understanding Windows 98 concepts, there are many features in this book designed to improve its value: n Chapter objectives Each chapter in this book begins with a detailed list of the concepts to be mastered within that chapter. This list provides you with a quick reference to the contents of that chapter, as well as a useful study aid. n Illustrations and tables Numerous illustrations of Windows 98 screens and components aid you in the visualization of common setup steps, theories, and concepts. In addition, many tables provide details and comparisons of both practical and theoretical information. n Hands-on projects Although it is important to understand the theory behind operating system and networking technology, nothing can improve upon real-world experience. To this end, along with theoretical explanations, each chapter provides numerous hands-on projects aimed at providing you with real-world implementation experience. n Chapter summaries Each chapters text is followed by a summary of the concepts it has introduced. These summaries provide a helpful way to recap and revisit the ideas covered in each chapter. n Review questions End-of-chapter assessment begins with a set of review questions that reinforce the ideas introduced in each chapter. These questions not only ensure that you have mastered the concepts, but are written to help prepare you for the Microsoft certification examination. n Case projects Located at the end of each chapter is a section that proposes real-world situations. You are asked to evaluate each situation and decide upon the course of action to be taken to remedy the problem described. This valuable tool helps the reader sharpen decision-making and troubleshooting skills. Text And Graphic Conventions Wherever appropriate, additional information and exercises have been added to this book to help you better understand what is being discussed in the chapter. Icons throughout the text alert you to additional materials. The icons used in this book are described below. The Note icon is used to present additional helpful material related to the subject being described. Each hands-on activity in this book is preceded by the Hands-On Project icon and a description of the exercise that follows. Tips are included from the authors experience that provide extra information about how to attack a problem, how to set up Windows 98 for a particular need, or what to do to in certain real-world situations. The cautions are included to help you anticipate potential mistakes or problems so you can prevent them from happening. Case Project icons mark the case projects. These are more involved, scenario-based assignments. Where Should You Start? This book is intended to be read in sequence, from beginning to end. Each chapter builds upon those that precede it, to provide a solid understanding of Windows 98. After completing the chapters, you may find it useful to go back through the book and use the review questions and projects to prepare for the Microsoft certification test for Windows 98 (Exam 70-098). Readers are also encouraged to investigate the many pointers to online and printed sources of additional information that are cited throughout this book. System Requirements To complete the projects in the book, the following software and hardware configurations are recommended. Minimum Requirements n Access to a Windows 98 Installation CD-ROM n CD drive (double-speed or better) n VGA monitor n Mouse or other pointing device n A hard drive with at least 135MB free n 16MB of RAM n 486/66 Central Processing Unit (CPU) n Modem or ISDN adapter at 28.8Kbps or higher n 3.5-inch floppy drive (1.44MB or higher) n Internet Access via an ISP n A second computer with the above, or better, configuration (a friends computer with its own phone line is acceptable) n A printer on at least one of your two computers Preferred Configuration The features noted with an asterisk are required for a small number of projects. n 32MB of RAM n Pentium or better CPU n Network interface card with local or remote access to a local area network using a Windows NT or Novell NetWare Server setup for user-level security (two computers connected by "crossover cable" acceptable) n Super VGA monitor (SVGA) or better n A 3.5-inch boot disk with real-mode CD-ROM and network drivers n A hard drive with at least 400MB free * n A second Windows 98 computer with a PC card (PCMCIA) adapter (laptops preferred) n Null-modem cable (parallel or serial) * n An ISP other than AOL or MSN * System Requirements For Exam Prep Software n 8MB of RAM (16MB recommended) n VGA/256 color display or better n 6X CD-ROM drive n Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, or Windows 98 About The CD-ROM To become a Microsoft Certified Professional, you must pass rigorous certification exams that provide a valid and reliable measure of technical proficiency and expertise. The CD-ROM that comes with this book can be used in conjunction with the book to help you assess your progress in the event you choose to pursue Microsoft Professional Certification. The CD-ROM contains specially designed test simulation software that features two 59-question practice exams. These content-based questions were expertly prepared to test your readiness for the official Microsoft certification examination on Windows 98 (Exam 70-098). Practice Exam Features n 59 questions n 90-minute timed test to ensure exam readiness n Questions that can be marked and answered later n Graphical representation of your test grade Solutions To End-Of-Chapter Questions And Projects For further help in making sure you are prepared for the Windows 98 certification exam, we have included solutions for the end-of-chapter review questions, hands-on projects, and case projects on the CD-ROM.