Exam 70-687 Configuring Windows 8.1

sferg410

Hello All
I will get straight to the point. What hardware/resources do I need to study for and pass the Windows 8.1 MCSA? Considering it involves remote access, remote installations etc. will I need access to more than 1 computer as I only have 1 laptop??

Also how long to study and pass each exam for a home Windows user with good general computer experience? Been using Windows since version 3.1 but only in a home environment. I am hoping I could do it quick enough to qualify for the free Windows 10 upgrade exam.

Thanks
Stewart

stryder144

You can download and install VMware Player, download and install demo versions of Windows 8.1 Enterprise as well as Windows Server 2012r2, and can set up a virtual network connection between the OSes for remote admin/access/install scenarios. Having said all of that, I would verify that you have enough memory (8GB, minimum), a large enough HDD (500GB, minimum), and a CPU that has built-in virtualization acceleration. The last piece of the puzzle is a decent enough book or website(s) that can walk you through setting up a virtual test lab and creating lab scenarios that will walk you through the exam objectives.

sferg410

i7 chip, 20GB memory on my laptop. SSD is only 128GB though, although i have several non-SSD laptop drives in a drawer of various sizes.

stryder144

Sounds like your system is more than adequate. If you have USB 3.0, I'd just put the VMs on an external USB HDD.