IT Certification and Training Blog

2.7.2 AppLocker (part 2)

By Val Bakh

In last month’s blog post about AppLocker, we covered the basics of using AppLocker. Now let’s consider a few examples of AppLocker use that might help you avoid unexpected and sometimes unpleasant situations.

2.7.1 AppLocker (part 1)

By Val Bakh

AppLocker is a new type of Group Policy; it has been introduced in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and supersedes legacy software restriction policies (SRPs). In the Group Policy object (GPO) namespace, Applocker is located in a folder named Application Control Policies (ACPs). There is nothing else in that folder. Perhaps Microsoft is planning to add other types of ACPs in future versions of Windows, but for now, AppLocker is the one and only ACP.

2.6 Upgrading to Windows 7

By Val Bakh

Although replacing an older operating system with a newer version is commonly referred to as an upgrade, the exact, technical definition of the term upgrade is more specific. When you are performing a clean installation (that is, when you choose the option to perform a custom installation) on a volume that contains an older operating system, the existing operating system and all installed software and personal data are either completely removed or disabled and a new operating system is installed instead. All applications have to be reinstalled, and personal data can be restored from a backup. If you choose the option to perform an upgrade, the new operating system gracefully replaces the existing operating system while preserving the installed applications and personal data. Not all upgrade paths are supported. For example, an x86 (32-bit) edition of any Windows operating system cannot be upgraded to an x64 (64-bit) edition and vice versa. To perform an upgrade, you always need to initiate it from within the existing installation. For example, to upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 7, you need to boot the computer into Windows Vista, insert a Windows 7 DVD, and click Install now. This means you can never perform a true upgrade if you boot the computer from a Windows 7 DVD into Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE).

By Val Bakh

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 support a feature called native boot. Native boot refers to a situation where a physical computer boots from a physical disk into an operating system that is installed on a virtual hard disk (VHD). Let’s take a look at how a blank, or bare-metal, computer can be configured for a native boot.

By Val Bakh

Previously, we introduced the concept of virtual hard disks (VHDs) and discussed their possible uses. We mentioned the idea of a virtual computer lab as an attractive alternative to a lab filled with “real,” physical computers. Now we’ll discuss how this new lab can be organized.

2.5.1 A virtual lab (part 1)

By Val Bakh

2.4.3 How to Load Drivers in WinPE

One of the great enhancements that comes with Windows 7 is Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE). The first version of WinPE was released with Windows Vista; the version that comes with Windows 7 is version 3.0. WinPE is a small starter operating system that can be loaded from a removable medium or device, such as a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive (UFD), and can run entirely from RAM. This means you can breathe some vital signs into a blank computer or try to bring back to life a computer with a dysfunctional, corrupted installation of Windows.

By Val Bakh

2.4.2 Drive Letters (part 2)

In the first part of this article, we discussed the drive letter assignment basics and the changes that Windows Vista and Windows 7 have brought in this area. Now let’s try a few tricks.

By Val Bakh

2.4.1 Drive Letters (part 1)

Disk drives are referred to by using alphabet letters. Drives A and B were commonly used for floppy disk drives, which are now ancient history; virtually no new computers have them anymore. Now drive C is usually the first drive on almost any computer. But what exactly is drive C?

By Val Bakh

2.3.3 Using ImageX

ImageX is a command-line tool that can create, apply, and manage WIM images. Three architecture-specific versions of ImageX—for 32-bit computers (x86), for regular 64-bit computers (x64 or amd64), and for Itanium-based computers (ia64)—are available in Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK). In previous blog posts, we have discussed how you can use ImageX to capture a generalized image of a Windows 7 installation on a reference computer. Now let’s talk about deploying that image to a target computer.