FORENSICS 408

Computer Forensic Investigations - Windows In-Depth

!!IMPORTANT - BRING YOUR OWN LAPTOP CONFIGURED USING THESE DIRECTIONS!!

Download Laptop Requirements:

A properly configured computer system is required for each student participating in this course. Before coming to class, download the forensic installation document that will describe the steps in detail to follow to complete the installation. If you do not carefully read and follow these instructions exactly, you are guaranteed to leave the course unsatisfied since you will not be able to accomplish many of the in-class exercises.

You will use VMware with preconfigured virtual forensic workstation built in a Windows 7 Home Premium environment that will enable you to perform hands-on analysis during class. You must download and install VMware Workstation 7, VMware Fusion 4.0, or VMware Player 4.0 or higher versions on your system prior to class beginning. If you do not own a licensed copy of VMware Workstation or Fusion, you can download a free 30-day trial copy from VMware. VMware will send you a time-limited serial number if you register for the trial at their Web site. VMware Player is a free download.

MANDATORY LICENSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Very Important: Student must bring a Retail, OEM, or MSDN Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium License Key with them to class at the beginning of the first day.
• Do not bring a license key that is already in use on another system as it will likely not work.
• You can purchase licenses from http://www.microsoftstore.com
• The key will look like XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
• Corporate, Site, Volume, and Group Licenses are not acceptable as they will fail the Windows Genuine Advantage Test.

MANDATORY LAPTOP SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:

• Download and install VMware Workstation 7, VMware Fusion 4.0, or VMware Player 4.0 (higher versions are ok)
• Download and install Winzip or 7Zip

MANDATORY LAPTOP HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:

• CPU: 2.0 GHz or higher is recommended (Multi Core Preferred)
• DVD/CD Combo Drive
• Wireless 802.11 B/G/N Networking Capability
• 2 Gigabyte of RAM minimum (4GB or higher RAM is recommended)
• 100 Gigabyte Laptop Hard Drive minimum
• 60 Gigabytes of Free Space on your Laptop Hard Drive
• Microsoft Office (any version) w/Excel or OpenOffice w/Calc installed on your host
• The student should have the capability to have Local Administrator Access within their host operating system

MANDATORY ADDITIONAL ITEMS:

• One External USB 2.0 or Firewire Hard Drive (Formatted NTFS)
  • Large Capacity 150GB or larger preferred
• One USB Thumb Drive (2-4 GB in size)
• One new, old, used, or out-of-computer IDE, SATA, or laptop hard disk drive from:
  • Hard drive purchased from EBAY or craigslist
  • Hard drive from used PC at home/work
  • Local computer show
  • New/Old hard drive from any computer store
  • During an image acquisition exercise, we use the drive for imaging only

IN SUMMARY, BEFORE YOU BEGIN THE COURSE YOU SHOULD:

• Download Laptop Requirements:
• Write down and bring with you a MS Windows 7 Home Premium License Key (XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX)
• Bring the proper laptop hardware and software configuration
• Install VMware Workstation, Player, or Fusion
• Bring the proper mandatory additional items

FOR408 Laptop Setup F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. Can I use Win7 Professional or Ultimate for the class? No, only Win7 Home Premium will work.
2. Where can I purchase the license online without having to head to the store? Will any retail version of Win7 Home Premium work? You can also purchase or bring licenses from Microsoft Store, MSDN, or MS Tech Net. MS Tech Net is about the same cost of a single license of Win7 Home Premium. Overall, any retail or MSDN/TechNet version of Win7 Home Premium will work.
3. My company already has Win7 Professional Site license, can I use that license? Unfortunately, even though your organization might have a site license, we would still need you to bring a separate retail license. Retail licenses and Site/Enterprise licenses are incompatible.
4. Why don't you include the Win7 Home Premium license in the class even if it increased the price of the course? When we have asked previous classes, many students had a license already and did not want to spend money on another copy. It was overwhelming in favor that each student should bring his or her own version as a result. We are looking at ways in the future to have an optional purchase of the license. But in the meantime, you can purchase the Win7 Home Premium online at the Microsoft online store or at MS Tech Net
5. My company refuses to pay for Win7 Home Premium license because we have a site license, what options do I have? With a Site/Enterprise license each organization gets access to MSDN. I guarantee the Win7 Home Premium keys are probably not in use. I recommend calling your IT Support and asking to bring one of the MSDN Win7 Home Premium keys with you.
6. I have a workstation already installed with Win7 Home Premium; can I use the license key with two computers? No, it will not work.