Windows Learning Snacks

Microsoft Learning Snacks The Microsoft Learning site has some great resources to help you get trained and certified on Microsoft technologies.  It has a series of what the call Learning Snacks that are

‘…short, interactive presentations about popular topics created by Microsoft Learning experts. Each Snack is delivered by using innovative Microsoft Silverlight technology and includes various media, such as animations and recorded demos. At the end of each free presentation, you can view more Snacks, learn more about the topic, or visit a related Web site.

Included in the series are some useful resources for Windows Family products including Windows 7 and Windows Vista:

Note you will need Silverlight to see the snacks…

 

Windows 7

  • Introducing Windows 7 (26 minutes)

    The Windows 7 client operating system offers innovative technologies that improve performance, reliability, security, and compatibility. It also offers new capabilities that help organizations improve user productivity, enhance security, and reduce operating costs. Because Windows 7 is built on the same platform as Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, the investments you make in Windows Vista readiness—application testing and hardware assessment—will help speed the adoption of Windows 7 in your environment.

  • Implementing User Account Control in Windows 7 (16 minutes)

    The User Account Control (UAC) feature was first implemented in the Windows Vista operating system to protect computers from malicious software and unauthorized system changes. Based on feedback from users and administrators, the Windows team significantly enhanced UAC in Windows 7 to give users greater control of their computers and provide administrators with more granular configuration settings. This Learning Snack explains how UAC works and shows you how to configure UAC security settings. It also describes the key UAC enhancements in Windows 7.

  • Introducing BitLocker and AppLocker in Windows 7 (20 minutes)

    Every organization needs to keep its business-critical data secure and impervious to theft. This Learning Snack describes the BitLocker and AppLocker features in Windows 7, which give you more control over sensitive data. It demonstrates how BitLocker protects hard drives and the data on laptops, and how BitLocker to Go secures removable storage devices. This Learning Snack also shows you how to implement application control policies with AppLocker to protect the computers on your network from unlicensed and malicious software.

  • Desktop Experience in Windows 7 (15 minutes)

    This Learning Snack describes the new desktop and taskbar features in Windows 7 that help you effortlessly manage your applications, folders, and windows. It also demonstrates how to use features such as Aero Peek and Aero Shake to manage open windows. This Learning Snack shows you how to create taskbar icons to easily access frequently used applications and Jump Lists to save files on your desktop without the clutter.

  • Setting Up a Home Network in Windows 7 (7 minutes)

    If you have more than one computer in your home, you can create a home network so that you can easily share and access files and printers across the network. This Learning Snack describes the HomeGroup feature in Windows 7, which will help you create a home network quickly and easily.

  • Introducing the Troubleshooting Platform in Windows 7 (14 minutes)

    Typically, when users have computer issues, they call Help desk to resolve them. But if users have Windows 7, they can take advantage of its new tools to solve their computer problems without calling Help desk. This Learning Snack explores new ways to manage and troubleshoot common computer problems in Windows 7 by using the troubleshooting platform, which includes Action Center and Problem Steps Recorder.

  • Using the Deployment Image Servicing and Management Tool for Servicing Windows 7 Images (11 minutes)

    Windows 7 includes several tools that simplify desktop deployment, including Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM). DISM combines the functionality of several image-management tools that were available in Windows Vista. With the help of DISM, IT professionals and desktop configuration administrators can deploy Windows images to computer systems efficiently and quickly. This Learning Snack describes the DISM tool and demonstrates some of the commands that administrators can use while preparing and servicing Windows images offline.

Windows Vista

  • Windows Vista Essentials (11 minutes)

    This Snack describes some of the innovative new features in Windows Vista, including a sidebar that provides information at a glance. It showcases the Windows Aero technology and demonstrates the improved file organization techniques. In addition, this Snack walks you through the various ways you can search for information on your computer or on the Internet.

  • The Business Value of Windows Vista (17 minutes)

    The Windows Vista operating system offers several benefits over its predecessors. It provides improved performance, administration, and security. This Snack highlights the enhanced features of Windows Vista, including improved support for mobile users, which can help organizations improve their IT infrastructure and reduce the cost of ownership. This Snack also describes various performance-enhancement features that can help businesses improve productivity and reduce administration and support costs.

  • Planning for Windows Vista (15 minutes)

    Successfully upgrading a desktop operating system across an organization takes careful planning. To simplify the process of migrating desktops to Windows Vista, Microsoft provides a three-step desktop migration process. This Snack takes you through a step-by-step guide for assessing an organization’s existing hardware and software and creating a detailed plan for deploying Windows Vista. It also describes download tools offered free by Microsoft; these tools can help you automate the hardware and software assessment of the IT infrastructure and the deployment of Windows Vista.

  • Deploying Windows Vista (15 minutes)

    Microsoft provides a range of tools and utilities that can help organizations successfully deploy Windows Vista. This Learning Snack describes how to deploy Windows Vista across a network and demonstrates how to create Windows Vista installation images and deploy them on desktops on a network. It also provides guidelines and best practices for deploying Windows Vista in an organization.

  • Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (14 minutes)

    The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) is a suite of products that can help organizations implement the Core Infrastructure Optimization (Core IO) model. This Learning Snack explains how the MDOP facilitates Infrastructure Optimization (IO). It also demonstrates procedures for recovering lost files and managing Group Policy objects (GPOs) by using products in the MDOP suite.

Hope you find them useful

Rob

Technorati Tags: Windows Vista,Windows 7