Last night I got Windows 7 Release Candidate up and running in VMWare on my Macbook Pro.  So far so good, I have Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 Express installed and they seem to working fine.

I used Disk Utility to delete my existing FAT32 partition where I was running Windows XP, and then create a new partition. I then ran Boot Camp to create a new FAT32 partition (32GB), but once the Windows 7 installer kicked in it informed me that Windows 7 only runs on NTFS.  At that point you can just format and continue.  Once Windows 7 is installed, Boot Camp kicks in (Windows 7 warns you that it doesn't think the software is compatible - I ignored the warning).  All the Boot Camp drivers installed without incident.

I then attempted to connect VMWare to my new Windows 7 partition, but I found I had to first delete the /Library/Application Support/VMWare Fusion/Virtual Machines/%2Fdev%2Fdisk0/Boot Camp partition.vmwarevm and then create a new virtual Machine .

I found these instructions to be helpful.

Yesterday I passed Microsoft exam 70-562, which covers .NET Framework 3.5 and ASP.NET Application Development.  It was a bit of a relief to finally get this done, since completing the base exam 70-562 almost two years ago.  Now I actually have something to show for all this work: I'm officially a MCTS.

I have mixed feelings on these exams.  On the one hand, I feel that its important for developers to stay on top of their field.  Often we go through cycles where we are only using a small subset of our knowledge on the problems at hand, so its important to keep up with advances in other areas should the need arise to make use of them.  There is also the broader issue of the lack of standards for software designers and developers.  Our field is riddled with bad programmers who are only in this for the money and are ultimately making life difficult for the rest of us who love technology and would do this stuff even if it paid a fraction of what it does.  One potential way of eliminating these people from our lives is by ensuring that there is some common measure of commitment.  In theory, if all the good companies who are doing all the cool stuff require you to have up-to-date certs, then they will hire less of baddies, who will go work for crappy companies that don't require it.  Obviously there are holes in this logic, and I don't think certs are the ultimate answer to the problem, but its a start.

On the other hand, its easy to make the argument that the tests are ineffective in truly gauging our abilities.  Indeed, you can guess or infer the answers to some of the questions with knowledge of how Microsoft structures its APIs (see one of my hints below).  I would also say that Microsoft's training related website is overcomplicated, and the materials (books, free online tutorials) available for training are not very sufficient or effective (I can't comment on pay-per-use or in-person training sessions however, as I have never attended any).

Philosophical analysis aside, for those of you looking to do an exam, here are some hints

• 70-562 is actually an augmentation of 70-528, covering whats in ASP.NET 2.0. I would say the mix on the exam was about 70/30 old stuff to new.  The MCTS 70-528 training kit is still very relivant, and I actually found it more helpful and less full of fluff then Esposito's newer ASP.NET 3.5 book.
• While an understanding of the language (C#/VB) you intend to write you exam in is required, knowing the latest language features (annonymous types, linq, extension methods, etc.) doesn't seem to be needed for this exam.  Way more emphasis is put on knowing how the ASP.NET Framework and IIS work rather then unique language constructs.
• Some of the new stuff you should know includes new controls like the ListView , MultiView , ScriptManager , and UpdatePanel controls. In particular, really know how UpdatePanel works, how nested UpdatePanels work, how to make sure of the ChildrenAsTriggers property and so on.
• Know how ASP.NET AJAX Javascript libraries work.
• Know the difference between Bind and Eval.
• Know page lifecycle -- which events (Init, Load, etc.) are handled by a page, in which order they are handled, and what is possible when each event fires. This is a lot harder to guess if you don't know, but if you do know its an easy hit.
• You are bound to get a question which boils down to, "Here's some code. What should you insert at line X" and the choices vary by a single property, none of which you're familier with.  Take a deep breath, read the question two more times, and then look at each property and think about which one looks the most right to you and go with that. Look at how the properties are named -- property names are generally self descriptive, so you should be able to infer what each property does by its name.  Insert each at line X in your mind and think about which one seems the most right.
• I bought the MeasureUp materials; I am terrible at taking tests, so being able to practice taking a test was really helpful to me.  If you have a photographic memory, you might not need this as much.
• Once you purchase your exam from Prometric, set a reasonable date and stick to it.  I kept pushing the date, always finding excuses not to write this week, which was really about not commiting to a schedule for getting through the material.
• During the exam, use all your time, and don't rush.  Take a break half way through and get some water.  These are of course obvious general test taking practices which people tend to ignore or forget.
• Microsoft has a second shot promotion so if you do screw up, you get um... a second shot!

My friends held an engagement party for me and Jenni, complete with a Japanese theme and custom fortune cookies.

I proposed at the Japan Pavillion in Epcot Center, Florida.