This exam is the TS: Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client. The applicants for this exam must have at least 1 year experience in the IT field. The applicants usually give phone support at the tier 1 or tier 2 level in a wide range of environments. These may include retail stores and medium-sized business or enterprise environment. The qualified applicants must also have experience resolving issues that concern network connectivity, applications, security, and desktop operating systems. They should also have experience in addressing logon problems, performing password resets, and resolving usual matters with desktop applications.

If the applicants pass this exam, they will earn credit certification towards MCTS: Windows Vista, Configuration. They may also earn credit towards the following certifications: MCITP: Consumer Support Technician; MCITP: Enterprise Support Technician; MCSA on Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000; MCSE on Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Server; and MCITP: Enterprise Administrator.

To help the applicants prepare for this exam, aside from their hands-on experience with the product, they must also take other training resources that are related to this exam. They can take courses such as course 5116 and course 5115. Applicants can also take Microsoft E-Learning collections such as collection 5354BE, collection 5347BE, and collection 5103BE.

This exam will assess the skill of the applicants to complete the following tasks:
Installing and upgrading Windows Vista – the applicants must identify hardware requirements; perform a clean installation; upgrade to Windows Vista from previous version of Windows; upgrade from one edition of Windows Vista to another edition; troubleshoot Windows Vista installation issues; and install and configure Windows Vista drivers.

Configuring and troubleshooting Post-installation system settings – applicants should troubleshoot post-installation configuration issues; configure and troubleshoot windows Aero; configure and troubleshoot parental controls; and configure Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Configuring Windows security features – applicants must configure and troubleshoot User Account Control; configure Windows Defender; configure Dynamic Security for Microsoft Internet Explorer 7; and configure security settings in Windows Firewall.

Configuring network connectivity – the applicants must configure the networking using the Network and Sharing Center; troubleshoot connectivity issues; and configure remote access.

Configuring applications included with Windows Vista – the applicants should configure and troubleshoot media applications; configure Windows Mail; configure Windows Meeting Space; configure Windows Calendar; configure Windows Fax and Scan; and configure Windows Sidebar.

Maintaining and optimizing systems that run Windows Vista – the applicants must do the following: troubleshoot performance issues; troubleshoot reliability issues by using built-in diagnostic tools; configure Windows Update; and configure data protection.

Configuring and troubleshooting mobile computing – the applicants must configure the following: mobile display settings; mobile device; tablet PC software; power options.