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Test your readiness for MCSE/MCSA Exam 70-270 by answering randomly generated practice questions from an exam-simulation tool on CD. Book offers helpful explanations for all questions and answers, plus additional test-prep suggestions.

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• Read an Excerpt
• Read a Sample Chapter

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Objective Domain 4: Monitoring and Optimizing System Performance and Reliability

Computers, like cars, require regular maintenance. However, manually performing maintenance on hundreds of systems is incredibly time-consuming. Windows XP provides the Task Scheduler to automate system maintenance and reduce the total cost of ownership. This graphical utility facilitates scheduling any type of task, and can even ensure that a user's session isn't affected.

Administrators also have the ability to carefully monitor and tune system performance. Tools such as the Task Manager, the Performance utility, and a suite of command-line utilities allow for both real-time and historical performance data analysis. Trace logs function very similarly, and are used to troubleshoot system problems and debug applications. Tuning the performance of portable computers is more complicated than tuning desktop systems because administrators must balance battery life with performance. Windows XP provides power schemes to allow users to quickly change a system's power consumption. Power schemes, combined with standby and hibernation features, dramatically increase battery life when a system is not in use.

Portable computers also have more complex hardware, and may boot in both docked and undocked configurations. Plug and Play (PnP) standards have dramatically simplified hardware configuration, but some legacy computers still require hardware profiles. Hardware profiles allow a single instance of Windows XP to boot to one of several different hardware configurations, each with a different set of enabled drivers. PnP computers rarely require the use of hardware profiles, but the functionality is available if needed.

Sometimes, problems are unavoidable. Windows XP provides a full set of troubleshooting tools to resolve these problems when they arise. The System Restore tool captures system configuration information, and can reapply a working configuration if the system later becomes unreliable. Functionality such as the Last Known Good Configuration can allow Windows XP to boot even if a faulty driver was installed. Safe Mode and the Recovery Console provide administrators with the ability to repair even the most damaged Windows XP installations.

Tested Skills and Suggested Practices

• Performing preventative maintenance and backing up critical data.
• Practice 1: Perform a complete system backup using the Backup Utility.
• Practice 2: Save the current system configuration using the System Restore tool.
• Practice 3: Install the Recovery Console as an option on the boot menu.
• Practice 4: Prepare a system for Automated System Recovery (ASR).

• Troubleshooting system problems and restoring data.
• Practice 1: Boot the computer using the Last Known Good Configuration.
• Practice 2: Boot the computer using Safe Mode.
• Practice 3: Launch the Recovery Console using the Windows XP Professional CD and examine the available commands by executing the HELP command. Examine each command in detail by typing the name of each command followed by /?.
• Practice 4: Replace the BOOT.INI system file using the Recovery Console.
• Practice 5: Restore the system configuration to a previous state using the System Restore tool.
• Practice 6: Perform a complete system restoration using the Backup Utility.

• Scheduling tasks.
• Practice 1: Configure Task Scheduler to perform a complete disk defragmentation weekly.
• Practice 2: Schedule a task to run daily using the AT command. Execute the AT command without any parameters to view scheduled tasks.
• Practice 3: Use Task Scheduler to modify a task created with the AT. Execute the AT command without any parameters to view scheduled tasks, and make note of how modifying a task with Task Scheduler affects the ability of AT to view that task.
• Practice 4: Configure a task to run weekly, but only if the computer is idle. Modify that task to wake the computer if available.

• Tuning a system for a mobile user.
• Practice 1: On a portable computer, manually set the hardware profile for both docked and undocked configurations.
• Practice 2: Create a new hardware profile, and disable noncritical drivers for that profile.
• Practice 3: Adjust the power scheme on a computer to a variety of different settings, and observe how the computer's behavior is changed. Create a custom power scheme.

• Monitoring system performance.
• Practice 1: Use the Task Manager to determine which process is currently consuming the most processor time.
• Practice 2: Change the fields on the Processes tab of the Task Manager so that every possible field is visible.
• Practice 3: Change the priority of an application so that it runs at high priority.
• Practice 4: Use the Performance administrative tool to monitor real-time performance information about several different counters simultaneously.
• Practice 5: Create and analyze counter logs with processor utilization information gathered over several hours.
• Practice 6: Use the RELOG.EXE command-line utility to reduce the total amount of information in a counter log.
• Practice 7: Create a trace log, and use the TRACERPT.EXE utility to create a trace analysis report.

Further Reading

Objective 4.1

Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit Documentation. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read sections covering Task Manager, Performance Monitor and Disk Defragmenter in Appendix D, "Tools for Troubleshooting."

Microsoft Corporation. MCSE Training Kit: Microsoft Windows XP Professional. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read and complete Lessons 4, 5, and 6 in Chapter 15, "Monitoring, Managing, and Maintaining Network Resources." These lessons cover scheduling tasks and using the performance console.

Objective 4.2

Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit Documentation. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read Chapter 7, "Supporting Mobile Users," for information about power schemes, standby mode, and hibernation.

Microsoft Corporation. MCSE Training Kit: Microsoft Windows XP Professional. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read and complete all lessons in Chapter 11, "Configuring Windows XP Professional."

Objective 4.3

Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit Documentation. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read Chapter 4, "Supporting Installations," Chapter 7, "Supporting Mobile Users," and Chapter 14, "Backup and Restore."

Microsoft Corporation. MCSE Training Kit: Microsoft Windows XP Professional. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read and complete all lessons in Chapter 16, "Backing Up and Restoring Data." This chapter explains every aspect of how to use the Backup utility, including restoring data and the use of the Automated System Recovery Wizard.

Objective 4.1   Monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot performance of the Windows XP Professional desktop.

There are also times when an administrator who has a detailed understanding of system performance monitoring and tuning can improve a system's performance. For these administrators, Windows XP provides a suite of tools useful for monitoring, analyzing, and tuning system performance characteristics.

The most commonly used tool is the Task Manager. The Windows XP Task Manager provides more detail than previous versions of Windows; it now displays real-time information about network utilization and users in addition to monitoring applications, processes, and performance. The Task Manager can be started by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete, or by right-clicking the task bar and selecting Task Manager.

The Performance tool is a more powerful utility for analyzing system performance. This tool can provide real-time information about hundreds of detailed aspects of the system's performance, including memory utilization, shared folders, and network errors. This same tool can also be used to log data for later analysis. To launch the Performance tool, open Control Panel, select Performance And Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and double-click Performance shortcut. Alternatively, you can execute the command PERFMON.

The Performance administrative utility has the ability to create both counter logs and trace logs. Counter logs function by polling various performance counters at a specific interval, and logging that data to a file. Trace logs operate very differently—each time a specified event occurs, information about that event is added to a trace log. Administrators typically use counter logs to tune system performance. Trace logs are more likely to be used by developers to troubleshoot problems.

There are four command-line utilities designed to complement these graphical tools. The LOGMAN utility is used to start, stop, and schedule the gathering of performance and trace data. The RELOG tool processes and summarizes performance logs. The TRACERPT utility processes transaction-based trace event logs and produces a trace analysis report. Finally, the TYPEPERF command echoes raw performance data to the command window or a text file.

Windows XP Professional provides the Task Scheduler to allow tasks to be executed when the computer is not being actively used. The Task Scheduler provides a graphical, intuitive user interface for configuring any type of task to run at a specific time or at regular intervals. To further reduce the chances that scheduled maintenance tasks interfere with users, you can configure the tasks to execute only if the computer is idle. Task Scheduler can even stop processes that have already started if a user begins actively working with a computer.

The AT command-line utility is available for created scheduled tasks when a graphical user interface is not available. The AT command provides most, but not all, of the Task Scheduler's capabilities. For example, the AT command can schedule a weekly disk defragmentation process, but it cannot stipulate that the process begins only when the computer has been idle for a specific amount of time. The Task Scheduler graphical user interface can be used to edit tasks created with the AT command, but the AT command cannot see tasks created or modified by Task Scheduler.

MCS

70-270.04.01.001

C

You are a systems administrator, and your responsibilities were recently increased to include a group of users at a remote office who have, up until now, been forced to maintain their own Windows XP computers. One of your users is complaining that his computer has grown slower over the past year. In particular, he notes that it takes Microsoft Word longer to open documents that have been recently created. Which of the following actions improve the performance of this user's desktop?

A.   Decrease the size of the paging file.

Incorrect

A.   Windows XP Professional uses the paging file to temporarily store data from the computer's memory. Decreasing the size of the paging file increases the free space on the system's hard disk, but it does not improve the system's performance.

B.   Enable NTFS compression.

Incorrect

B.   NTFS allows files and directories to be compressed at the file system level. This allows compressible files to consume less space on the hard disk. Although compressing files increases the free space on the hard disk, it does not improve the system's performance.

C.   Run Disk Defragmenter on the system's hard disk.

Correct

C.   Hard disks perform best when file data is written in contiguous blocks. Over time, however, file data can become broken into discontiguous fragments. Although the hard disk is still able to access fragmented files, they take longer to load. Because the user's performance problem was most noticeable when accessing files, and no maintenance had been done in at least a year, the cause of the problem is most likely disk fragmentation. Running the Disk Defragmenter utility resolves this problem and drastically improves disk performance on affected systems.

D.   Set the Performance Logs and Alerts service to start automatically.

Incorrect

D.   The Performance Logs and Alerts service is used when logging data for performance analysis. Although it is necessary for logging performance data, simply starting the service does not improve system performance.

MCM

70-270.04.01.002

A, B, and E

Which of the following pieces of information can be gathered from the Windows Task Manager? (Choose three.)

A.   CPU utilization

Correct

A.   CPU utilization is shown both numerically and graphically on the Performance tab of the Windows Task Manager.

B.   Network utilization

Correct

B.   Network utilization is shown both numerically and graphically on the Networking tab of the Windows Task Manager.

C.   Page file utilization

Incorrect

C.   Page file utilization information is not available from the Windows Task Manager.

D.   Packet loss

Incorrect

D.   Packet loss cannot be viewed from the Windows Task Manager. However, executing the command NETSTAT -S -P TCP from the command line shows the Segments Retransmitted statistic, which is very similar to overall packet loss.

E.   Memory usage

Correct

E.   Memory usage is shown both numerically and graphically on the Performance tab of the Windows Task Manager.

F.   Open files

Incorrect

F.   Open files cannot be viewed from the Windows Task Manager.

MCM

70-270.04.01.003

A and D

A user is complaining of performance problems with his Windows XP Professional system, but he is not sure whether the problems are caused by an underpowered processor, a shortage of memory for the applications he uses, or a slow disk drive. To upgrade the system component that is limiting the system's performance, you need to log performance data over a period of several days while the user is working with the computer. Which of the following procedures begins the process of gathering performance data? (Choose two.)

A.   Log on to the user's computer. Launch the Computer Management console, expand System Tools, and then expand Performance Logs And Alerts. Select Counter Logs in the left pane. In the right pane, right-click System Overview and click Start.

Correct

A.   The Performance Logs and Alerts MMC snap-in, available through the Computer Management console, is the correct graphical tool for creating performance logs.

B.   Log on to the user's computer. Launch Control Panel and select Performance And Maintenance. Click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Performance. Select System Monitor in the left pane. In the right pane, right-click System Overview and click Start.

Incorrect

B.   The System Monitor MMC snap-in is useful for monitoring real-time performance data, but it cannot log performance data.

C.   Log on to the user's computer. Launch Windows Task Manager. From the File menu, select Log Data, and provide a filename.

Incorrect

C.   The Windows Task Manager is useful for viewing a real-time snapshot of a system's performance. However, it cannot be used to log performance data.

D.   Log on to the user's computer. From a command prompt, type LOGMAN START `System Overview'.

Correct

D.   Using the LOGMAN utility is the correct way to start logging of performance data from the command line.

E.   Log on to the user's computer. From a command prompt, type RELOG System_Overview.BLG -q -o System_Overview.TXT.

Incorrect

E.   RELOG is useful for analyzing logged data, but it is not used for starting the logging process. RELOG is used to resample logged data at a longer interval in order to reduce the amount of data being analyzed.

MCS

70-270.04.01.004

D

Which of the following tools can be used to set the priority of a process?

A.   System Monitor

Incorrect

A.   The System Monitor is useful for viewing the processor utilization of a given process, but it cannot change a process' priority.

B.   Performance Logs and Alerts

Incorrect

B.   The Performance Logs and Alerts snap-in is useful for logging performance data, and allows you to record a given process' processor utilization. However, it cannot be used to change the priority of a process.

C.   Computer Manager

Incorrect

C.   The Computer Manager provides access to both the System Monitor and the Performance Logs and Alerts snap-ins, but none of these tools can be used to change the priority of a process.

D.   Task Manager

Correct

D.   The Processes tab of the Task Manager is used to change the priority of a process. Right-click the name of a process, choose Set Priority, and select the desired level.

MCS

70-270.04.01.005

B

A user complains about slow system performance. You decide to improve performance by adjusting the Performance Options tool. You launch this tool by opening Control Panel, selecting Performance And Maintenance, and clicking Adjust Visual Effects task. Which of the following changes that can be applied to the Performance Options tool improves the system's responsiveness?

A.   At the Visual Effects tab, click the Adjust For Best Appearance option.

Incorrect

A.   The Adjust For Best Appearance option enables every visual feature of the Windows XP Professional operating system. This provides the best user experience on systems that have sufficient processing capability. However, it reduces system responsiveness, and must not be used on systems experiencing performance problems.

B.   At the Visual Effects tab, click the Adjust For Best Performance option.

Correct

B.   The Adjust For Best Performance option disables all unnecessary visual effects. This reduces the amount of work Windows XP needs to do to display the user's graphical interface, thereby improving system responsiveness. Changing this setting is the best way to make the computer seem faster.

C.   At the Advanced tab, under Processor Scheduling, select optimization for Background Services.

Incorrect

C.   Optimizing processor scheduling for background services is useful on servers because it ensures interactive applications do not reduce the performance of a server's primary tasks. However, it does reduce system responsiveness for users working interactively with the computer because background services receive higher priority than interactive applications.

D.   At the Advanced tab, under Memory Usage, select optimization for System Cache.

Incorrect

D.   Optimizing memory usage for system cache improves the performance of file sharing and Web services. However, when you allocate more of the system RAM to these services, interactive applications suffer.

E.   At the Advanced tab, under Virtual Memory, reduce the paging file size by half.

Incorrect

E.   Windows XP uses virtual memory as an extension of the system's physical RAM. It is a slow process to page data from the physical memory to the virtual memory located on the system's hard disk, but decreasing the size of the paging file does not improve system performance.

MCM

70-270.04.01.006

A and B

You are the system administrator of a small network of end users who have both desktop and laptop Windows XP Professional systems. All systems participate in a Windows XP domain. You want to avoid the reduced performance that fragmented file systems cause by scheduling the disk defragmenter utility to run on all systems every Sunday at 1 A.M. This task is important enough that systems must be brought out of power-savings mode if necessary. However, you do not want the disk defragmentation to interfere with the users, nor do you want it to consume the batteries on laptop systems.

The proposed solution is as follows: Launch the Scheduled Tasks administrative utility, and choose New Scheduled Task from the File menu. Name the task File Defragmentation, and then right-click the new task and select Properties. From the Task tab of the Properties dialog box, type defrag C: in the Run field. In the Run As field, type the user name of a Domain Admin account that has local Administrator rights on all systems in the domain, and set the password using the Set Password button. From the Schedule tab, at the Schedule Task drop-down list, select Weekly. Set the Start Time to 1:00 AM, and select only Sunday from the Schedule Task Weekly section. Create this task to all Windows XP Professional systems.

Which of your desired results does the proposed solution accomplish? (Choose two.)

A.   Schedule the Disk Defragmenter to run on Sundays at 1 A.M....

Read a Sample Chapter

Objective Domain 4.
Monitoring and Optimizing System Performance and Reliability

• Tested Skills and Suggested Practices
• Further Reading
• Objective 4.1   Monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot performance of the Windows XP Professional desktop.
• Objective 4.2   Manage, monitor, and optimize system performance for mobile users.
• Objective 4.3   Restore and back up the operating system, system state data, and user data.

Objective Domain 4   Monitoring and Optimizing System Performance and Reliability

Computers, like cars, require regular maintenance. However, manually performing maintenance on hundreds of systems is incredibly time-consuming. Windows XP provides the Task Scheduler to automate system maintenance and reduce the total cost of ownership. This graphical utility facilitates scheduling any type of task, and can even ensure that a user's session isn't affected.

Administrators also have the ability to carefully monitor and tune system performance. Tools such as the Task Manager, the Performance utility, and a suite of command-line utilities allow for both real-time and historical performance data analysis. Trace logs function very similarly, and are used to troubleshoot system problems and debug applications. Tuning the performance of portable computers is more complicated than tuning desktop systems because administrators must balance battery life with performance. Windows XP provides power schemes to allow users to quickly change a system's power consumption. Power schemes, combined with standby and hibernation features, dramatically increase battery life when a system is not in use.

Portable computers also have more complex hardware, and may boot in both docked and undocked configurations. Plug and Play (PnP) standards have dramatically simplified hardware configuration, but some legacy computers still require hardware profiles. Hardware profiles allow a single instance of Windows XP to boot to one of several different hardware configurations, each with a different set of enabled drivers. PnP computers rarely require the use of hardware profiles, but the functionality is available if needed.

Sometimes, problems are unavoidable. Windows XP provides a full set of troubleshooting tools to resolve these problems when they arise. The System Restore tool captures system configuration information, and can reapply a working configuration if the system later becomes unreliable. Functionality such as the Last Known Good Configuration can allow Windows XP to boot even if a faulty driver was installed. Safe Mode and the Recovery Console provide administrators with the ability to repair even the most damaged Windows XP installations.

Tested Skills and Suggested Practices

• Performing preventative maintenance and backing up critical data.
• Practice 1: Perform a complete system backup using the Backup Utility.
• Practice 2: Save the current system configuration using the System Restore tool.
• Practice 3: Install the Recovery Console as an option on the boot menu.
• Practice 4: Prepare a system for Automated System Recovery (ASR).

• Troubleshooting system problems and restoring data.
• Practice 1: Boot the computer using the Last Known Good Configuration.
• Practice 2: Boot the computer using Safe Mode.
• Practice 3: Launch the Recovery Console using the Windows XP Professional CD and examine the available commands by executing the HELP command. Examine each command in detail by typing the name of each command followed by /?.
• Practice 4: Replace the BOOT.INI system file using the Recovery Console.
• Practice 5: Restore the system configuration to a previous state using the System Restore tool.
• Practice 6: Perform a complete system restoration using the Backup Utility.

• Scheduling tasks.
• Practice 1: Configure Task Scheduler to perform a complete disk defragmentation weekly.
• Practice 2: Schedule a task to run daily using the AT command. Execute the AT command without any parameters to view scheduled tasks.
• Practice 3: Use Task Scheduler to modify a task created with the AT. Execute the AT command without any parameters to view scheduled tasks, and make note of how modifying a task with Task Scheduler affects the ability of AT to view that task.
• Practice 4: Configure a task to run weekly, but only if the computer is idle. Modify that task to wake the computer if available.

• Tuning a system for a mobile user.
• Practice 1: On a portable computer, manually set the hardware profile for both docked and undocked configurations.
• Practice 2: Create a new hardware profile, and disable noncritical drivers for that profile.
• Practice 3: Adjust the power scheme on a computer to a variety of different settings, and observe how the computer's behavior is changed. Create a custom power scheme.

• Monitoring system performance.
• Practice 1: Use the Task Manager to determine which process is currently consuming the most processor time.
• Practice 2: Change the fields on the Processes tab of the Task Manager so that every possible field is visible.
• Practice 3: Change the priority of an application so that it runs at high priority.
• Practice 4: Use the Performance administrative tool to monitor real-time performance information about several different counters simultaneously.
• Practice 5: Create and analyze counter logs with processor utilization information gathered over several hours.
• Practice 6: Use the RELOG.EXE command-line utility to reduce the total amount of information in a counter log.
• Practice 7: Create a trace log, and use the TRACERPT.EXE utility to create a trace analysis report.

Further Reading

Objective 4.1

Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit Documentation. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read sections covering Task Manager, Performance Monitor and Disk Defragmenter in Appendix D, "Tools for Troubleshooting."

Microsoft Corporation. MCSE Training Kit: Microsoft Windows XP Professional. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read and complete Lessons 4, 5, and 6 in Chapter 15, "Monitoring, Managing, and Maintaining Network Resources." These lessons cover scheduling tasks and using the performance console.

Objective 4.2

Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit Documentation. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read Chapter 7, "Supporting Mobile Users," for information about power schemes, standby mode, and hibernation.

Microsoft Corporation. MCSE Training Kit: Microsoft Windows XP Professional. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read and complete all lessons in Chapter 11, "Configuring Windows XP Professional."

Objective 4.3

Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit Documentation. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read Chapter 4, "Supporting Installations," Chapter 7, "Supporting Mobile Users," and Chapter 14, "Backup and Restore."

Microsoft Corporation. MCSE Training Kit: Microsoft Windows XP Professional. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press, 2001. Read and complete all lessons in Chapter 16, "Backing Up and Restoring Data." This chapter explains every aspect of how to use the Backup utility, including restoring data and the use of the Automated System Recovery Wizard.

Objective 4.1   Monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot performance of the Windows XP Professional desktop.

There are also times when an administrator who has a detailed understanding of system performance monitoring and tuning can improve a system's performance. For these administrators, Windows XP provides a suite of tools useful for monitoring, analyzing, and tuning system performance characteristics.

The most commonly used tool is the Task Manager. The Windows XP Task Manager provides more detail than previous versions of Windows; it now displays real-time information about network utilization and users in addition to monitoring applications, processes, and performance. The Task Manager can be started by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete, or by right-clicking the task bar and selecting Task Manager.

The Performance tool is a more powerful utility for analyzing system performance. This tool can provide real-time information about hundreds of detailed aspects of the system's performance, including memory utilization, shared folders, and network errors. This same tool can also be used to log data for later analysis. To launch the Performance tool, open Control Panel, select Performance And Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and double-click Performance shortcut. Alternatively, you can execute the command PERFMON.

The Performance administrative utility has the ability to create both counter logs and trace logs. Counter logs function by polling various performance counters at a specific interval, and logging that data to a file. Trace logs operate very differently—each time a specified event occurs, information about that event is added to a trace log. Administrators typically use counter logs to tune system performance. Trace logs are more likely to be used by developers to troubleshoot problems.

There are four command-line utilities designed to complement these graphical tools. The LOGMAN utility is used to start, stop, and schedule the gathering of performance and trace data. The RELOG tool processes and summarizes performance logs. The TRACERPT utility processes transaction-based trace event logs and produces a trace analysis report. Finally, the TYPEPERF command echoes raw performance data to the command window or a text file.

Windows XP Professional provides the Task Scheduler to allow tasks to be executed when the computer is not being actively used. The Task Scheduler provides a graphical, intuitive user interface for configuring any type of task to run at a specific time or at regular intervals. To further reduce the chances that scheduled maintenance tasks interfere with users, you can configure the tasks to execute only if the computer is idle. Task Scheduler can even stop processes that have already started if a user begins actively working with a computer.

The AT command-line utility is available for created scheduled tasks when a graphical user interface is not available. The AT command provides most, but not all, of the Task Scheduler's capabilities. For example, the AT command can schedule a weekly disk defragmentation process, but it cannot stipulate that the process begins only when the computer has been idle for a specific amount of time. The Task Scheduler graphical user interface can be used to edit tasks created with the AT command, but the AT command cannot see tasks created or modified by Task Scheduler.

MCS

70-270.04.01.001

C

You are a systems administrator, and your responsibilities were recently increased to include a group of users at a remote office who have, up until now, been forced to maintain their own Windows XP computers. One of your users is complaining that his computer has grown slower over the past year. In particular, he notes that it takes Microsoft Word longer to open documents that have been recently created. Which of the following actions improve the performance of this user's desktop?

A.   Decrease the size of the paging file.

Incorrect

A.   Windows XP Professional uses the paging file to temporarily store data from the computer's memory. Decreasing the size of the paging file increases the free space on the system's hard disk, but it does not improve the system's performance.

B.   Enable NTFS compression.

Incorrect

B.   NTFS allows files and directories to be compressed at the file system level. This allows compressible files to consume less space on the hard disk. Although compressing files increases the free space on the hard disk, it does not improve the system's performance.

C.   Run Disk Defragmenter on the system's hard disk.

Correct

C.   Hard disks perform best when file data is written in contiguous blocks. Over time, however, file data can become broken into discontiguous fragments. Although the hard disk is still able to access fragmented files, they take longer to load. Because the user's performance problem was most noticeable when accessing files, and no maintenance had been done in at least a year, the cause of the problem is most likely disk fragmentation. Running the Disk Defragmenter utility resolves this problem and drastically improves disk performance on affected systems.

D.   Set the Performance Logs and Alerts service to start automatically.

Incorrect

D.   The Performance Logs and Alerts service is used when logging data for performance analysis. Although it is necessary for logging performance data, simply starting the service does not improve system performance.

MCM

70-270.04.01.002

A, B, and E

Which of the following pieces of information can be gathered from the Windows Task Manager? (Choose three.)

A.   CPU utilization

Correct

A.   CPU utilization is shown both numerically and graphically on the Performance tab of the Windows Task Manager.

B.   Network utilization

Correct

B.   Network utilization is shown both numerically and graphically on the Networking tab of the Windows Task Manager.

C.   Page file utilization

Incorrect

C.   Page file utilization information is not available from the Windows Task Manager.

D.   Packet loss

Incorrect

D.   Packet loss cannot be viewed from the Windows Task Manager. However, executing the command NETSTAT -S -P TCP from the command line shows the Segments Retransmitted statistic, which is very similar to overall packet loss.

E.   Memory usage

Correct

E.   Memory usage is shown both numerically and graphically on the Performance tab of the Windows Task Manager.

F.   Open files

Incorrect

F.   Open files cannot be viewed from the Windows Task Manager.

MCM

70-270.04.01.003

A and D

A user is complaining of performance problems with his Windows XP Professional system, but he is not sure whether the problems are caused by an underpowered processor, a shortage of memory for the applications he uses, or a slow disk drive. To upgrade the system component that is limiting the system's performance, you need to log performance data over a period of several days while the user is working with the computer. Which of the following procedures begins the process of gathering performance data? (Choose two.)

A.   Log on to the user's computer. Launch the Computer Management console, expand System Tools, and then expand Performance Logs And Alerts. Select Counter Logs in the left pane. In the right pane, right-click System Overview and click Start.

Correct

A.   The Performance Logs and Alerts MMC snap-in, available through the Computer Management console, is the correct graphical tool for creating performance logs.

B.   Log on to the user's computer. Launch Control Panel and select Performance And Maintenance. Click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Performance. Select System Monitor in the left pane. In the right pane, right-click System Overview and click Start.

Incorrect

B.   The System Monitor MMC snap-in is useful for monitoring real-time performance data, but it cannot log performance data.

C.   Log on to the user's computer. Launch Windows Task Manager. From the File menu, select Log Data, and provide a filename.

Incorrect

C.   The Windows Task Manager is useful for viewing a real-time snapshot of a system's performance. However, it cannot be used to log performance data.

D.   Log on to the user's computer. From a command prompt, type LOGMAN START ‘System Overview'.

Correct

D.   Using the LOGMAN utility is the correct way to start logging of performance data from the command line.

E.   Log on to the user's computer. From a command prompt, type RELOG System_Overview.BLG -q -o System_Overview.TXT.

Incorrect

E.   RELOG is useful for analyzing logged data, but it is not used for starting the logging process. RELOG is used to resample logged data at a longer interval in order to reduce the amount of data being analyzed.

MCS

70-270.04.01.004

D

Which of the following tools can be used to set the priority of a process?

A.   System Monitor

Incorrect

A.   The System Monitor is useful for viewing the processor utilization of a given process, but it cannot change a process' priority.

B.   Performance Logs and Alerts

Incorrect

B.   The Performance Logs and Alerts snap-in is useful for logging performance data, and allows you to record a given process' processor utilization. However, it cannot be used to change the priority of a process.

C.   Computer Manager

Incorrect

C.   The Computer Manager provides access to both the System Monitor and the Performance Logs and Alerts snap-ins, but none of these tools can be used to change the priority of a process.

D.   Task Manager

Correct

D.   The Processes tab of the Task Manager is used to change the priority of a process. Right-click the name of a process, choose Set Priority, and select the desired level.

MCS

70-270.04.01.005

B

A user complains about slow system performance. You decide to improve performance by adjusting the Performance Options tool. You launch this tool by opening Control Panel, selecting Performance And Maintenance, and clicking Adjust Visual Effects task. Which of the following changes that can be applied to the Performance Options tool improves the system's responsiveness?

A.   At the Visual Effects tab, click the Adjust For Best Appearance option.

Incorrect

A.   The Adjust For Best Appearance option enables every visual feature of the Windows XP Professional operating system. This provides the best user experience on systems that have sufficient processing capability. However, it reduces system responsiveness, and must not be used on systems experiencing performance problems.

B.   At the Visual Effects tab, click the Adjust For Best Performance option.

Correct

B.   The Adjust For Best Performance option disables all unnecessary visual effects. This reduces the amount of work Windows XP needs to do to display the user's graphical interface, thereby improving system responsiveness. Changing this setting is the best way to make the computer seem faster.

C.   At the Advanced tab, under Processor Scheduling, select optimization for Background Services.

Incorrect

C.   Optimizing processor scheduling for background services is useful on servers because it ensures interactive applications do not reduce the performance of a server's primary tasks. However, it does reduce system responsiveness for users working interactively with the computer because background services receive higher priority than interactive applications.

D.   At the Advanced tab, under Memory Usage, select optimization for System Cache.

Incorrect

D.   Optimizing memory usage for system cache improves the performance of file sharing and Web services. However, when you allocate more of the system RAM to these services, interactive applications suffer.

E.   At the Advanced tab, under Virtual Memory, reduce the paging file size by half.

Incorrect

E.   Windows XP uses virtual memory as an extension of the system's physical RAM. It is a slow process to page data from the physical memory to the virtual memory located on the system's hard disk, but decreasing the size of the paging file does not improve system performance.

MCM

70-270.04.01.006

A and B

You are the system administrator of a small network of end users who have both desktop and laptop Windows XP Professional systems. All systems participate in a Windows XP domain. You want to avoid the reduced performance that fragmented file systems cause by scheduling the disk defragmenter utility to run on all systems every Sunday at 1 A.M. This task is important enough that systems must be brought out of power-savings mode if necessary. However, you do not want the disk defragmentation to interfere with the users, nor do you want it to consume the batteries on laptop systems.

The proposed solution is as follows: Launch the Scheduled Tasks administrative utility, and choose New Scheduled Task from the File menu. Name the task File Defragmentation, and then right-click the new task and select Properties. From the Task tab of the Properties dialog box, type defrag C: in the Run field. In the Run As field, type the user name of a Domain Admin account that has local Administrator rights on all systems in the domain, and set the password using the Set Password button. From the Schedule tab, at the Schedule Task drop-down list, select Weekly. Set the Start Time to 1:00 AM, and select only Sunday from the Schedule Task Weekly section. Create this task to all Windows XP Professional systems.

Which of your desired results does the proposed solution accomplish? (Choose two.)

A.   Schedule the Disk Defragmenter to run on Sundays at 1 A.M.

Correct

A.   The settings selected on the Schedule tab are correct to launch the task every Sunday at 1 A.M.

B.   Execute the Disk Defragmenter with an account that has proper privileges on all systems.

Correct

B.   Selecting a Domain Admin account is the best way to ensure a scheduled task copied to many different systems has local Administrator rights on all systems. If a Domain Admin account is not used, a local Administrator account must be selected for each individual system— and account names and passwords might vary.

C.   Ensure the Disk Defragmenter does not interfere with user sessions.

Incorrect

C.   The proper method for ensuring that scheduled tasks do not interfere with user sessions is to select the Only Start The Task If The Computer Has Been Idle For At Least check box from the Settings tab of the Task Properties dialog box.

D.   Wake the computers from power-savings mode to run the Disk Defragmenter, if possible.

Incorrect

D.   The Wake The Computer To Run This Task check box was not selected while the task was being configured. This check box is located on the Settings tab of the Task Properties dialog box.

E.   Ensure the Disk Defragmenter does not consume the battery on laptop computers.

Incorrect

E.   This desired result was not accomplished. To ensure the scheduled task doesn't consume the system's battery, select both the Don't Start The Task If The Computer Is Running On Batteries and Stop The Task If Battery Mode Begins check boxes from the Settings tab of the Task Properties dialog box.

MCS

70-270.04.01.007

D

Using the AT command-line utility, you schedule a task to run nightly on your Windows XP Professional system. Immediately afterward, you decide that the task must run only weekly, so you launch the Scheduled Tasks administrative utility and modify the task properties. The next time you execute the AT command from the command-line, what does it display about your scheduled task?

A.   The scheduled task appears, and is scheduled to run daily.

Incorrect

A.   The Task Scheduler graphical administrative utility is capable of modifying tasks created with the AT command. Further, AT is not able to display the task because tasks that have been modified by the Task Scheduler are not visible to AT.

B.   The scheduled task appears, and is scheduled to run weekly.

Incorrect

B.   The Task Scheduler graphical administrative utility can update tasks created with the AT command, but makes the tasks invisible to the AT command-line utility after they have been modified.

C.   The scheduled task appears twice, and is scheduled to run both daily and weekly.

Incorrect

C.   The Task Scheduler does not duplicate tasks when making a modification, but it does make them invisible to AT.

D.   The scheduled task does not appear.

Correct

D.   The Task Scheduler and the AT command maintain entirely separate lists of scheduled tasks. Although the Task Scheduler can display tasks created with the AT command, it cannot directly modify those tasks. To modify a task created with the AT command, Task Scheduler removes the task from the AT command's list and adds the task to its own list. Therefore, tasks created with AT become invisible to AT after being modified with the Task Scheduler.

Objective 4.2   Manage, monitor, and optimize system performance for mobile users.

Power schemes provide a simple way to adjust the balance between power consumption and performance. Windows XP Professional includes six default power schemes: Home/Office Desk, Portable/Laptop, Presentation, Always On, Minimal Power Management, and Max Battery. You must understand how each of these affects system performance to complete this domain. Additionally, you must understand how to add and modify power schemes.

Standby and hibernation features work together to maximize battery life when a portable computer is used intermittently. Both features reduce power consumption when the system is not in use, but they function very differently. Standby turns off the display, hard disk, and other system components but draws small amounts of power to maintain the system's memory. Hibernation copies the contents of the system's memory to the hard disk, and then shuts down all components. Hibernation does not use any power, but takes longer than standby to restart.

Windows XP Professional has been designed to support PnP standards. PnP standards provide the operating system with a tremendous amount of information about the underlying hardware, and even allow the operating system to adjust to dynamically varying configurations. For example, Windows XP can automatically detect a printer the first time it is connected to the computer. If that printer is removed from the system, Windows XP detects this change and adapts to it. Although PnP makes managing computer hardware painless, not all hardware fully supports PnP standards. To accommodate this, Windows XP Professional can be configured to use hardware profiles.

Hardware profiles allow the user to select a subset of drivers to load. If hardware profiles are enabled, the user might be prompted to select from those hardware profiles before Windows XP Professional boots. Hardware profiles define a set of drivers that are enabled or disabled, and are useful only on computer systems that lack PnP support and have changing hardware configurations. For example, if Windows XP is installed on a legacy computer that is occasionally used with a modem that Windows XP cannot detect, it might be necessary to create different hardware profiles that enable and disable the modem driver.

To create a hardware profile, open Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance, and click System. From the System Properties dialog box, select the Hardware tab, and click the Hardware Profiles button. This launches the Hardware Profiles tool, which allows you to specify that a computer will be used with a docking station or to manually create additional profiles.

The Device Manager is used to specify which devices will be enabled in a given hardware profile. To change the enabled drivers for a profile, first boot the computer using the profile you want to modify. Then, launch Device Manager. Right-click the driver you want to enable or disable, select Properties, and select the desired behavior at the Device Usage drop-down list.

MCS

70-270.04.02.001

A

You are configuring a new, fully PnP-compatible laptop for a user who will use the laptop both in a docking station and separate from the docking station. After installing Windows XP Professional, how must you configure the hardware profiles?

A.   Make no changes to the hardware profiles.

Correct

A.   Hardware profiles are designed for computers that are not fully PnP-compatible. Computers with full PnP compatibility do not require hardware profiles to be configured.

B.   Insert the laptop into the docking station and boot the computer. View the current hardware profile properties, select the This Is A Portable Computer check box, and select the option labeled The Computer Is Docked.

Incorrect

B.   Hardware profiles do not need to be configured for laptops that are fully PnP-compatible. This is the correct procedure, however, if the computer were not PnP-compatible.

C.   Create two new hardware profiles. Name the profiles Docked and Undocked.

Incorrect

C.   Hardware profiles do not need to be configured for laptops that are fully PnP-compatible.

D.   Insert the laptop into the docking station and boot the computer. Create a copy of the current profile and name it Undocked.

Incorrect

D.   Hardware profiles do not need to be configured for laptops that are fully PnP-compatible.

MCS

70-270.04.02.002

B

Which is the correct tool for specifying which drivers will be loaded in a given hardware profile?

A.   Task Manager

Incorrect

A.   The Task Manager is used to set process priorities and monitor processor performance, among other things. It cannot be used to specify which drivers are loaded in a given hardware profile.

B.   Device Manager

Correct

B.   The Device Manager is used to disable drivers for the current profile. To disable a driver for the current profile, start Windows XP using the profile that you want to configure. Then, launch Device Manager to view the properties of a driver. From the Device Usage drop-down list, select Do Not Use This Device In The Current Hardware Profile (Disable).

C.   Computer Manager

Incorrect

C.   The Computer Manager is a set of snap-ins used to manage many aspects of a Windows XP Professional computer. However, it cannot be used to specify which drivers are loaded in a given hardware profile.

D.   System Monitor

Incorrect

D.   The System Monitor is used to monitor hundreds of performance counters, but it cannot be used to specify which drivers are loaded in a given hardware profile.

MCS

70-270.04.02.003

C

Which power scheme is the correct choice for a mobile user who wants to maximize the lifetime of the battery, but needs the display to remain on at all times?

A.   Home/Office Desk

Incorrect

A.   This power scheme does not meet the requirements. The Home/Office Desk scheme maintains constant power when the system is plugged in, but may turn off the display while on battery power.

B.   Portable/Laptop

Incorrect

B.   This power scheme does not meet the requirements. The Portable/Laptop scheme turns off all system components after a short period of inactivity. This causes the display to shut down.

C.   Presentation

Correct

C.   The Presentation power scheme maximizes battery life by allowing any component except for the display to be turned off when not in use. When the system is plugged in, the Presentation power scheme maintains constant power to the hard disk and system.

D.   Always On

Incorrect

D.   This scheme does not meet the requirements. The Always On scheme disables all power-saving features, ensuring optimum performance at the cost of battery life.

E.   Minimal Power Management

Incorrect

E.   This scheme does not meet the requirements. The Minimal Power Management scheme maintains constant power when the system is plugged in, but may turn off the display while on battery power.

F.   Max Battery

Incorrect

F.   This scheme does not meet the requirements. The Max Battery scheme is excellent for conserving battery power, but may turn off the display.

MCM

70-270.04.02.004

A and E

Which of these are advantages of standby mode over hibernation? (Choose two.)

A.   Shorter wake-up period

Correct

A.   Standby mode has a shorter wake-up period than hibernation mode. Waking from hibernation requires reading the contents of the system's memory from the hard disk.

B.   Provides compliance with airline regulations regarding the use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing

Incorrect

B.   A mobile computer running Windows XP Professional may wake up from standby mode to execute a scheduled task or switch to hibernation mode. This possibility restricts this mode from being used during the takeoff or landing of a commercial airplane.

C.   Lower power consumption

Incorrect

C.   Standby mode minimizes battery usage by shutting down as many components as possible. However, it maintains the state of the computer in the system's RAM, which requires small amounts of power. Hibernation writes the contents of the system's RAM to the hard disk, and shuts the system down completely. Therefore, hibernation has a lower power consumption than standby mode.

D.   No risk of data loss

Incorrect

D.   Standby mode maintains the state of the computer in the system's RAM, which requires small amounts of power. If power is lost suddenly, for example if the battery is removed, data is lost. Hibernation does not have this limitation because no power is required to maintain that state.

E.   Does not consume hard disk space

Correct

E.   Standby mode maintains the state of the computer in system's RAM—only hibernation mode writes the system's memory to the hard drive. As a result, you must have enough free disk space to store the contents of the system's memory to use hibernation mode.

Objective 4.3   Restore and back up the operating system, system state data, and user data.

The most fundamental of these tools is the Backup Utility. This tool is launched from the Start menu. Select All Programs, navigate through the Accessories and System Tools folders, and click Backup. Alternatively, you can execute the command NTBACKUP.EXE. The Backup Utility includes wizards to back up files, restore files, and prepare your system for Automated System Recovery (ASR).

The System Restore utility is launched from the same folder on the Start menu as the Backup Utility. Like the Last Known Good Configuration, the System Restore utility automatically creates a backup of vital system information. Unlike the Last Known Good Configuration, the System Restore utility keeps a history of system configurations and provides the user with the ability to restore the system state to a specific date. The System Restore utility, for example, allows a user to remove a set of drivers that were installed several days prior.

Windows XP includes several features to allow troubleshooting, even if the system has become so damaged that the operating system cannot successfully boot. The Last Known Good Configuration is a copy of critical system information that can be used if the computer cannot boot successfully. This backup of the system configuration is made after the user successfully logs on. As a result, if you were successful at logging into Windows XP since making the problematic configuration changes, using Last Known Good Configuration does not help. Press F8 at the operating system selection screen before booting to access the Last Known Good Configuration.

For problems that result in the inability to boot normally, but can't be resolved with the Last Known Good Configuration, use Safe Mode. Safe Mode boots a simplified version of Windows XP, and uses a minimal set of drivers and services. This often allows Safe Mode to operate when the system has been corrupted. To start Safe Mode, press F8 at the operating system selection screen and choose the desired option from the menu.

If Safe Mode doesn't work correctly, the Recovery Console provides a useful set of command-line utilities that can be used to troubleshoot problems. Recovery Console is similar to a command prompt, and allows you to view text files, and replace system files, among other tasks. This tool is not installed by default, but can be accessed by booting from a Windows XP Professional CD and starting the setup routine. Alternatively, you can add Recovery Console as an option on your system's boot menu by inserting the Windows XP Professional CD and executing the command \i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons.

MCS

70-270.04.03.001

C

Your Windows XP Professional system fails to boot after you add a new network card driver. Which feature of Windows XP Professional must you use to return the system to the state it was in prior to adding the driver?

A.   BOOT.INI

Incorrect

A.   The BOOT.INI file specifies the set of choices that are presented to the user before the operating system is loaded. The BOOT.INI file can be configured to allow for booting between several different instances of Windows, but it cannot be used to modify the configuration of Windows XP.

B.   System Restore

Incorrect

B.   The System Restore tool is used to roll back the configuration of a Windows XP system. However, it can be used only after the operating system has booted. In this case, the System Restore tool is inaccessible because the operating system is unbootable.

C.   Last Known Good Configuration

Correct

C.   The Last Known Good Configuration is a copy of the system state stored in HKLM\ System\CurrentControlSet registry key when a user last successfully logged on. You can revert to this backup configuration by rebooting the computer and pressing F8 when prompted to select the operating system from which to start. From the Windows XP Professional Advanced Options menu, select the Last Known Good Configuration option.

D.   Recovery Console

Incorrect

D.   The Recovery Console can be a useful tool for recovering a system that does not boot correctly, but it is not useful for restoring the last working configuration of a system. Use the Recovery Console only when all other methods have failed.

MCM

70-270.04.03.002

C, D, and E

After an unexpected power outage, a user's Windows XP Professional system fails to boot successfully. The boot process allows you to select an instance of Windows XP Professional to boot from, but fails partially through the startup routine. Which tools can you use to diagnose and resolve this problem? (Choose three.)

A.   System Restore

Incorrect

A.   The System Restore utility is useful for troubleshooting problems caused by system misconfigurations. However, it can be used only if the system is bootable.

B.   Last Known Good Configuration

Incorrect

B.   The Last Known Good Configuration is a quick way to resolve problems caused by misconfigurations and faulty drivers. Although the Last Known Good Configuration is available at the boot menu, and can therefore be used in this scenario, it does not resolve the problem. Failure to boot after a power failure is generally caused by corrupted files or a damaged hard disk—neither of which Last Known Good Configuration is capable of repairing.

C.   Safe Mode

Correct

C.   Safe Mode might or might not work in this scenario, but it is the first thing to try. Safe Mode loads a minimal set of drivers, and as such, has a higher chance of successfully booting than Windows XP Professional's standard boot mode. If Safe Mode does start successfully, you can use the graphical user interface to diagnose the hardware problems.

D.   Recovery Console

Correct

D.   The Recovery Console is a useful tool for recovering a system that does not boot correctly. If the system has the recovery console installed, it is an option on the boot menu. If it is not installed, insert the Windows XP Professional CD and boot from the CD—the Recovery Console is an option. Recovery Console is command-line only, so it is not as convenient for diagnosis and troubleshooting as safe mode. However, because it can be loaded from a CD, it starts even if the system's hard disk is completely destroyed. In this scenario, use the Recovery Console to diagnose the extent of the damage. If you determine that system files have been damaged, you can initiate a scan of the disk and, if necessary, restore files from the system CD.

E.   ASR

Correct

E.   You use ASR only after attempts to resolve the problem with Safe Mode and the Recovery Console have failed. If the hard disk is functional but files have been damaged, ASR is able to make the Windows XP Professional installation bootable. If the hard disk itself is damaged, you need to fix those errors or replace the hard disk before using ASR.

F.   Device Manager

Incorrect

F.   The Device Manager is a useful tool for diagnosing problems relating to hardware drivers. However, it is accessible only after the system has successfully booted. In this scenario, you are not able to get access to the Device Manager tool.

MCM

70-270.04.03.003

A, C, E, and F

Which of the following tasks can be accomplished from the Windows XP Professional recovery console? (Choose four.)

A.   Format a hard disk.

Correct

A.   The FORMAT recovery console command can be used to format a hard disk. This process erases all data on the hard disk, and must be used only when all other recovery methods fail.

B.   Boot to the Last Known Good Configuration.

Incorrect

B.   You cannot boot the computer directly from the Recovery Console. The system must be rebooted before Windows XP can be started in any configuration.

C.   Set services to be disabled or start automatically.

Correct

C.   The ENABLE and DISABLE Recovery Console can be used to set the startup value of services.

D.   Reinstall Windows XP.

Incorrect

D.   The Recovery Console cannot be used to launch the Windows XP setup routine.

E.   Restore damaged system files from a CD.

Correct

E.   The Recovery Console can copy files from floppy drives and CDs using the COPY command.

F.   Restore damaged system files from a network share.

Correct

F.   The Recovery Console can copy files across the network after a drive letter has been mapped using the NET USE command.

G.   Edit the BOOT.INI file.

Incorrect

G.   The Recovery Console lacks a utility to edit files. Instead, copy a valid BOOT.INI file from a floppy drive, CD, or network share.

MCM

70-270.04.03.004

A and C

Which of the following tasks must you do before installing a new application that might cause a Windows XP Professional system to become unstable? (Choose two.)

A.   Create a new Restore Point using System Restore.

Correct

A.   Creating a Restore Point is a quick, easy way to make a snapshot of a system's current configuration. Creating a restore point prior to installing a new application enables you to restore the system's configuration if the new application causes problems.

B.   Boot to the Last Known Good Configuration.

Incorrect

B.   Use the Last Known Good Configuration only if the system becomes unbootable. It might be a useful tool if the new application stops your system from starting successfully, but it must not be used prior to installing an application.

C.   Back up all files using the Backup Utility Wizard.

Correct

C.   The Backup Utility enables you to back up all files and configuration settings to removable media. Having a valid backup allows a Windows XP Professional system to be completely rebuilt in the event of a complete failure. Always create a backup of a system before installing a potentially troublesome application.

D.   Boot into Safe Mode.

Incorrect

D.   Safe Mode is a valuable tool for repairing a system that is having problems booting. However, only use it after the system has failed.

E.   Boot into the Recovery Console.

Incorrect

E.   The Recovery Console can salvage systems that are otherwise completely unbootable. Do not use it prior to installing an application, however, because it does not facilitate backing up files or configurations.

MCS

70-270.04.03.005

E

You are designing a backup strategy for your Windows XP Professional system. You cannot afford to lose more than a single day's work, so you must back up the system every night. You want to minimize the tape backup media used to store your backups, but you do not want to use more than two backup tapes to perform a complete system restore. Which of the following backup procedures meets your needs?

A.   Normal backup nightly

Incorrect

A.   Performing a normal backup every night enables you to restore the entire system using only a single night's backup tape. However, it uses more tape backup media than is necessary because every file on the system is backed up every night.

B.   Incremental backup nightly

Incorrect

B.   The incremental backup makes a copy of all files marked with the archive attribute. After each file has been backed up, the file's archive attribute is cleared. Therefore, the incremental backup copies only files that were modified since the last backup. Performing only incremental backups would require restoring every single backup ever made in the event of a hard disk failure.

C.   Differential backup nightly

Incorrect

C.   The differential backup makes a copy of all files marked with the archive attribute. Unlike the incremental backup, the differential backup does not modify the archive attribute of files after creating the backup. In this way, performing a differential backup every night ensures that every file modified since the last full backup can be restored. This is useful when combined with a Normal backup, but using only differential backup results in a backup set that grows larger every night. Therefore, the differential backup does not meet the criteria of minimizing the backup media used.

D.   Normal backup weekly, incremental backup nightly

Incorrect

D.   This is a common backup strategy, but it does not meet the requirement of only needing to restore two sets of backups for a complete system recovery. Each incremental backup copies only those files that were modified since the prior night's backup. Therefore, every single incremental backup since the last normal backup must be restored to ensure total data recovery. For example, if a Normal backup was performed on a Sunday and incremental backups thereafter, restoring the system on Thursday requires restoring Sunday's normal backup and Monday's, Tuesday's, and Wednesday's incremental backups.

E.   Normal backup weekly, differential backup nightly

Correct

E.   This backup strategy meets all the requirements. Differential backups copy all files modified since the last normal backup, enabling a maximum of two separate restores to completely rebuild a file system. For example, if a Normal backup was performed on a Sunday and differential backups thereafter, restoring the system on Thursday requires restoring only Sunday's normal backup and Wednesday's differential backup.