71-680 Scheduling opens for Win7 Beta Exam! Sign up Today!

If you saw my previous post on this subject, the Win7 Beta exam is now available to be scheduled!

71-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring counts as credit towards the following certification(s). MCTS: Windows 7, Configuration

Registration begins: April 27, 2009

Beta exam period runs: May 5, 2009– May 18, 2009

Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: WIN7J

Due to the fact that I’ll be on the Bus from the 1st-11th, and at TechEd from the 11th-15th – I’m stuck taking it on the 18th! :)

So, take this opportunity to sign up for this beta exam, schedule and go take it! Focus more on the ‘schedule and take’ and less on the “where are my formal studying guides” :)

Register for April 16th’s Chicago Windows Users Group!

There’s still time to register!

Special location based events whether you’re in Chicago or Downers Grove!

Chicago: 7:45 p.m. System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Overview
Downers Grove: Resume and Job Interviewing tips

Event URL: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032413068&Culture=en-US
Event Title : CWUG: April Meeting – Chicago Loop
Event Date: Thursday, April 16th
Event Address : 200 E. Randolph, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60601

Event URL: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032413069&Culture=en-US
Event Title : CWUG: April Meeting – Downers Grove
Event Date: Thursday, April 16th
Event Address : 3025 Highland Pkwy. Suite 300, Downers Grove, IL 60515

5:00 – 5:30 p.m. Networking
5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Room Introductions
6:00 – 6:15 p.m. Meeting kick off
6:15 – 7:30 p.m. Windows Gone Mobile (Windows mobile, netbooks, and multitouch devices)
7:30 – 7:45 p.m. break
7:45 – 9:00 p.m. Hands On Lab (Bitlocker To Go – bring your own USB Stick)

Join our group on Facebook
Follow CWUG on Twitter
And don’t forget to visit the main site for the CWUG!

MCTS: Win7 Beta Exam! (71-680) starts April 27th!

Thanks Beta Exam blog! And otherwise, if you recall all of the beta exams I’d talk about in the past, this is no different!

Note: This exam will be available for testing during the time when TechEd is going on, so be sure to definitely plan accordingly!

Registration begins: April 27, 2009

You are invited to take beta exam 71-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration.
By participating in beta exams, you have the opportunity to provide the Microsoft Certification program with feedback about exam content, which is integral to development of exams in their released version. We depend on the contributions of experienced IT professionals and developers as we continually improve exam content and maintain the value of Microsoft certifications.

71-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring counts as credit towards the following certification(s).

· MCTS: Windows 7, Configuration


Availability

Registration begins: April 27, 2009

Beta exam period runs: May 5, 2009– May 18, 2009

Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately! Beta exams have limited availability and are operated under a first-come-first-served basis. Once all beta slots are filled, no additional seats will be offered.

Testing is held at Prometric testing centers worldwide, although this exam may not be available in all countries (see Regional Restrictions). All testing centers will have the capability to offer this exam in its live version.

Regional Restrictions: India, Pakistan, China


Registration Information

You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam.
Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: WIN7J
Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately.

To register in North America, please call:

•Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926)

Outside the U.S./Canada, please contact:

•Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp


Test Information and Support

You are invited to take this beta exam at no charge.
You will be given four hours to complete the beta exam. Please plan accordingly.

Where’s my upgrade path for Win7 betas? Oh, there it is

Our good friends over at Engineering Windows 7 have released this little gem!

Here’s what you can do to bypass the check for pre-release upgrade IF YOU REALLY REALLY NEED TO:

  1. Download the ISO as you did previously and burn the ISO to a DVD.
  2. Copy the whole image to a storage location you wish to run the upgrade from (a bootable flash drive or a directory on any partition on the machine running the pre-release build).
  3. Browse to the sources directory.
  4. Open the file cversion.ini in a text editor like Notepad.
  5. Modify the MinClient build number to a value lower than the down-level build. For example, change 7100 to 7000 (pictured below).
  6. Save the file in place with the same name.
  7. Run setup like you would normally from this modified copy of the image and the version check will be bypassed.

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These same steps will be required as we transition from the RC milestone to the RTM milestone.

Wait, what the hell is going on here?!

Are you seriously telling me that by going and modifying a file, I can upgrade from the Beta version, RC and eventually to the RTM release of Windows 7?    Wowza! Now all I need to do is boot from VHD, and I have myself an upgrade path which is viable for real hardened testing :)

Windows 7 – Most aggressive release of Windows ever!

Thanks to our friends at Windows 7 Center for this post

I’ll break it down for you!

Windows 7 RC2 scheduled for May 2009 release.

Windows 7 “scheduled” RTM/Release looks like November of 2009 (Whoa!?!)

Office 14 RTM is looking like March 2010 (Which means Exchange should be in alignment with that)