70-687 Configuring Windows 8.1 Exam Guide
Exam 70-687, Configuring Windows 8.1, validates practical knowledge of preparing, installing, upgrading, configuring, and protecting Windows 8.1 devices. It is most relevant to administrators and technical professionals who worked with Windows desktop deployment, hardware, applications, user data, and device access. This guide helps you make a realistic decision: whether the historical objectives match your experience closely enough to justify studying the exam material, or whether you should verify Microsoft’s current credential catalogue and choose a newer certification instead.
What did 70-687 validate?
70-687 focused on configuring Windows 8.1 in an organizational environment rather than learning isolated operating-system features. The official objective update covers installation and upgrade decisions, hardware and application configuration, user-data migration, drivers, application controls, Windows Store access, and device restrictions.
The objective document was updated in January 2014 to incorporate Windows 8.1 tasks and terminology. That matters when selecting study material: resources written only for an earlier Windows release may explain related concepts but still miss the Windows 8.1-specific objectives identified by Microsoft.
The exam’s subject matter is best understood as a chain of administrative decisions. You assess a device, select an installation path and edition, configure hardware and applications, protect access, and preserve or migrate the user’s working environment. Preparation should follow that chain instead of treating every objective as an unrelated vocabulary list.
Who was the intended candidate?
The strongest fit is a Windows desktop administrator or support professional responsible for preparing and maintaining Windows 8.1 devices. The objectives assume more than casual desktop use because they include deployment choices, driver troubleshooting, profiles, application restriction, removable-device access, and feature prerequisites.
A candidate with experience supporting Windows clients can use the objectives as a gap analysis. Someone without hands-on Windows administration experience should first build the underlying skills in a safe practice environment, because memorizing product names will not substitute for understanding why one configuration is appropriate in a given scenario.
What decision should a current candidate make?
Before investing in 70-687-specific material, check Microsoft’s current certification and retired-exam information. The supplied official retirement guidance says retired exams cannot be taken and associated credentials cannot be earned after retirement; the current pages do not provide a verified 70-687 scheduling status in the supplied facts.
Microsoft also states that already-earned certifications remain on a learner’s transcript, subject to transcript and expiration rules. Therefore, a former candidate may use this guide to interpret an existing credential, while a new candidate should confirm availability and any current replacement path through Microsoft Learn before planning an exam appointment.
Which skills appear in the official objectives?
The official objective update provides the most useful study boundary for 70-687. It explicitly covers installing and upgrading Windows 8.1, configuring hardware and applications, choosing editions and feature requirements, managing user data, handling drivers, installing applications, and enforcing restrictions on software and removable devices.
Do not treat the objective list as a set of definitions to recite. Turn each item into a task: determine what a computer supports, select an installation approach, configure the result, test the user experience, and troubleshoot the failure that follows. That approach exposes gaps more reliably than reading headings repeatedly.
How should installation and upgrade be studied?
The first named domain is “Install and upgrade to Windows 8.1,” and the official January 2014 objective document assigns Install and upgrade to Windows 8.1 14 percent. Study this domain as a decision process involving readiness, compatibility, edition selection, installation method, and user-data handling.
The objectives include evaluating hardware readiness and compatibility, then choosing between an upgrade and a clean installation. Build a comparison sheet that records the starting operating system, applications and data that must remain available, hardware constraints, and the reason an upgrade or clean installation is preferable.
The domain also includes installing Windows 8.1 as Windows To Go and upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 8.1. These are different deployment situations, so write down the purpose, prerequisites, and expected user-data implications for each rather than grouping them under a generic “installation” heading.
Edition selection is part of the objective boundary. Microsoft identifies determining the Windows SKU to install, including Windows RT, and determining requirements for Hyper-V, Miracast Display, pervasive device encryption, virtual smart cards, and Secure Boot. For each feature, practice identifying which device or edition characteristics must be checked before deployment.
What belongs to hardware and applications?
The second named domain is “Configure hardware and applications,” and the official update document assigns Configure hardware and applications 14 percent. Its scope spans driver lifecycle management, desktop and Windows Store applications, Windows Store access, software restriction, AppLocker, and removable-device installation and access.
For drivers, practice the full lifecycle: install, update, disable, roll back, resolve a driver issue, and manage driver packages. A useful exercise is to distinguish a bad driver installation from a device that is unsupported, misconfigured, or blocked by policy. Record the symptom, the evidence you would collect, the least disruptive corrective action, and the recovery step.
Application preparation should cover both desktop applications and Windows Store apps. Include installation and configuration, then add access management for the Windows Store. Your notes should explain how the application type affects deployment and control, rather than simply listing both types as interchangeable.
The objectives also include application restrictions through Software Restriction Policies and AppLocker, as well as managing removable-device installation and access. Practice mapping a business requirement to the narrowest control that meets it, then consider how an overly broad restriction could prevent legitimate support tools or device use.
How important is user-data migration?
User-data work is a separate practical thread even where the objective document does not supply a separate percentage in the verified facts. The objectives include migrating and configuring local, roaming, and mandatory profiles, so preparation must cover how profile behavior affects user settings, control, and the move to a new device.
Create a three-column study note for local, roaming, and mandatory profiles. For each, describe where the user’s settings are expected to operate, whether the user can change them, and what an administrator must preserve or configure during migration. Keep the focus on behavior and administrative consequences.
A common mistake is to equate migrating a profile with copying every file from one computer to another. Instead, separate user data, profile settings, application state, permissions, and policy. When you work through a scenario, identify what the user needs immediately, what can be rebuilt, and what must be retained for a consistent desktop experience.
What official learning material is available?
Microsoft’s official download listing includes a preparation package named “Preparing for the Configuring Windows 81 Exam (70-687).zip.” The listing identifies the file size as 5.6 GB and describes the download as online-learning material for Windows technologies. Treat it as a historical resource to inspect, not as proof that the exam is currently offered.
The download page says each training module is in a separate .zip file and should be downloaded and extracted to view. It lists Windows 8.1 as a supported operating system for the online-learning courses. Check the page directly before relying on the package, because download availability and platform support can change.
Use the package selectively. Start with the official objectives, then open only the modules that address a gap or support a lab task. Watching every resource in sequence without applying the concepts can create a false sense of readiness, especially for driver recovery, profile configuration, policy restrictions, and installation-path decisions.
How can Microsoft material be used efficiently?
Use the objective document as the index and the Microsoft download as supporting instruction. For each objective, mark whether you can explain the decision, perform the task, troubleshoot a failure, and describe the effect on the user. Study time should go first to items that lack both explanation and practical execution.
The Microsoft Learn credentials site also describes practice assessments as a preparation resource. That general statement does not establish that a current 70-687 assessment exists, so verify the credential catalogue before searching for one. Do not substitute unofficial question collections for a documented skills gap analysis.
What should a hands-on lab contain?
A useful lab should reproduce the decisions in the objective document without depending on real production devices. Build a disposable Windows 8.1 practice environment if you have lawful access to the required software, and snapshot it before driver, application, profile, or policy changes. If that environment is unavailable, use Microsoft documentation and diagrams to reason through the same tasks without claiming practical completion.
Begin with installation planning. For a sample device, document hardware readiness, compatibility checks, the Windows SKU, required features, and whether the scenario calls for an upgrade, clean installation, or Windows To Go. Then write the rollback or recovery plan before making changes.
Add a driver station to the lab. Install a driver, update it, disable it, roll it back, and investigate a deliberately introduced fault where the environment permits. Keep a change log with the device, driver package, observed symptom, corrective action, and verification step.
Create application exercises for a desktop application and a Windows Store app. Configure each, decide how Store access should be managed, and test the resulting user experience. Follow that with a software restriction or AppLocker exercise and a removable-device policy exercise. The important output is not a screenshot; it is an explanation of scope, precedence, and expected effect.
Finish with profiles and migration. Compare local, roaming, and mandatory profile behavior, then design a migration checklist that separates user data from profile settings and application requirements. A lab is complete only when you can explain what changed, how you verified it, and how you would reverse it.
How should lab notes be written?
Write notes as troubleshooting records rather than commands copied from a tutorial. Each record should state the starting condition, the administrative goal, the selected method, the evidence that supports the choice, the result, and the next action if the result is wrong. This format trains the reasoning needed for scenario-based questions.
Avoid recording unsupported assumptions such as a universal upgrade path, a feature being available on every SKU, or a policy affecting every user in the same way. Mark assumptions explicitly and verify them against the relevant Windows 8.1 documentation or objective wording.
How should the study time be sequenced?
Study in dependency order: installation decisions first, then hardware and drivers, applications and restrictions, and finally profiles and migration. This sequence mirrors the way a desktop is prepared and makes troubleshooting easier because later configuration depends on a sound operating-system and hardware foundation.
Do not allocate time solely by the two verified domain percentages. The official facts identify 14 percent for Install and upgrade to Windows 8.1 and 14 percent for Configure hardware and applications, but they do not supply verified percentages for every objective area in the material provided. Use your diagnostic results to distribute the remaining effort.
A practical first study cycle
Start by reading the official objective update once without trying to memorize it. Highlight every action verb—evaluate, choose, determine, install, configure, migrate, resolve, manage, and restrict. These verbs tell you what evidence of competence to produce and prevent your notes from becoming a list of product terms.
Next, create a skills inventory with four ratings: can explain, can perform, can troubleshoot, and needs research. Rate each objective honestly. A candidate who can describe AppLocker but cannot reason about a blocked application has a practical gap, even if the terminology feels familiar.
A practical middle cycle
Use labs or structured case studies to close the highest-risk gaps. Work through an installation case, a driver failure, an application-control case, and a profile-migration case. After each case, explain why the rejected alternatives were unsuitable. This is more valuable than completing several nearly identical configuration walkthroughs.
Pair every technical task with a verification task. After an installation, verify the selected edition and required feature readiness. After a driver change, verify device behavior and recovery options. After a policy change, test both an intended allowed action and an intended blocked action. After profile migration, verify the user’s data and settings separately.
A practical final cycle
In the final review, return to the objective verbs and attempt a closed-book explanation of each one. Use official material to correct gaps, then repeat only the tasks that still produce uncertainty. Avoid learning new, unrelated Windows topics at the last moment; concentrate on the documented 70-687 boundary and on distinguishing similar administrative choices.
Before scheduling, verify the exam’s current status, name, and registration information through Microsoft’s official credential resources. The supplied research does not establish current delivery method, appointment availability, duration, language options, question count, scoring, or price for 70-687, so those details should not be inferred from older guides or third-party listings.
Which mistakes waste preparation time?
The most damaging mistake is studying a retired or unavailable exam without first checking Microsoft’s current information. The official retirement guidance says that candidates cannot take a retired exam or earn its associated credential after the retirement date. Confirm the status before purchasing material, booking travel, or committing to a fixed study schedule.
A second mistake is relying on dumps or memorized question wording. They do not demonstrate the ability to select an installation path, diagnose a driver problem, configure a profile, or choose an appropriately scoped restriction. They also create a risk of studying inaccurate, outdated, or unauthorized content.
A third mistake is treating the objective percentages as a complete timetable. The verified document assigns 14 percent to Install and upgrade to Windows 8.1 and 14 percent to Configure hardware and applications, but the supplied evidence does not provide a full weighted blueprint. Use the available labels and your own diagnostic results rather than inventing missing weights.
Another mistake is confusing a feature name with a requirement analysis. Hyper-V, Miracast Display, pervasive device encryption, virtual smart cards, and Secure Boot appear in the objectives because the candidate must determine requirements for them. Memorize less; practice identifying the hardware, edition, and security conditions that make a feature appropriate.
Finally, do not skip recovery. A candidate may know how to install or update a driver but still be unprepared to disable or roll it back. For each change, ask how you would recognize failure, preserve evidence, restore service, and confirm that the correction did not create a second problem.
How can weak answers be diagnosed?
If your answer begins with a command before identifying the business or technical constraint, you are probably guessing. Rework the scenario by extracting the starting state, desired outcome, compatibility issue, user-data requirement, security boundary, and verification condition. Then compare the available actions against those constraints.
If two options both appear plausible, write one reason each could be selected and one fact that would distinguish them. This is especially useful for upgrade versus clean installation, driver update versus rollback, and broad versus narrow application or removable-device restrictions.
How should exam logistics be verified?
Use Microsoft’s official credential pages for live logistics rather than relying on historical preparation guides. The supplied official sources do not verify a current 70-687 exam appointment, delivery method, duration, languages, question count, passing score, or price. Those details can change and should be confirmed directly before scheduling.
Microsoft’s retirement guidance recommends taking an exam before its retirement date when a candidate is preparing for an exam scheduled to retire. It also says that an earned certification remains on the learner’s transcript, subject to Microsoft’s transcript and expiration rules. These are planning considerations, not evidence that 70-687 is currently available.
What if the exam is no longer available?
If Microsoft confirms that 70-687 is retired, stop treating it as a new certification target. Use the historical objectives to identify transferable Windows administration skills, then compare those skills with current credentials in Microsoft’s browse and certification pages. The 2019 mapping article is historical context and should not be assumed to describe the current replacement structure.
Microsoft’s mapping article showed that older 70-xxx exams were being aligned with newer role-based certifications, including a Windows desktop path associated at that time with 70-697, 70-698, and 70-695. Because certification programs change, use that article as background only and verify any present-day alternative in the current catalogue.
What if I already earned the credential?
If you already earned the certification associated with 70-687, Microsoft’s retirement guidance says the earned certification remains on your transcript, subject to Microsoft’s transcript and expiration rules. Check your Microsoft Learn profile for the authoritative record and review any applicable renewal information rather than assuming the credential’s current validity.
The practical next step is to separate transcript value from current skill relevance. Keep the credential record for its historical verification, but update your technical knowledge through current Microsoft learning and credential options if your work now involves newer Windows, cloud, security, or endpoint-management technologies.
What should be done in the final review?
The final review should produce decisions, not a larger notebook. Revisit the official objective wording, test the installation and configuration sequence, and confirm that you can explain the reason for each action. If a topic cannot be practiced, use a written scenario and state the evidence you would seek before changing a production device.
Use this final checklist: evaluate hardware readiness; choose upgrade or clean installation; determine the appropriate Windows SKU and feature requirements; understand Windows To Go and supported upgrade starting points; distinguish local, roaming, and mandatory profiles; manage driver changes and recovery; configure desktop and Windows Store applications; manage Store access; apply software restrictions; and control removable-device installation and access.
Then verify logistics through Microsoft. Do not assume an old exam guide’s appointment process or numerical details remain accurate. If the current catalogue does not offer 70-687, redirect the effort toward a current credential that reflects your target job and use the 70-687 objectives only as a Windows 8.1 skills reference.
What are the next actions?
First, open the official retirement and credential-browse pages and establish whether 70-687 can still be scheduled. Second, download or inspect the official objective document and mark your knowledge gaps. Third, choose a lawful practice environment or written case-study method. Fourth, complete one installation decision exercise, one driver exercise, one application-control exercise, and one profile-migration exercise before deciding whether further 70-687-specific study is sensible.
If the exam is available, confirm the official registration details and build your schedule around the actual appointment information. If it is unavailable, document the skills you have developed and map them to a current Microsoft credential after checking its official requirements. Either path gives your preparation a concrete outcome instead of leaving it tied to an uncertain historical exam.
How should this guide be used with career planning?
Treat 70-687 as evidence of a Windows 8.1 administration skill set, not as a substitute for current role requirements. Microsoft describes its current certification program as covering skills and responsibilities associated with job roles, while older exam mappings provide historical context. Choose your next credential based on the technologies and responsibilities you actually need to perform.
A credential can support a broader development plan, but the supplied Microsoft credentials page does not prove a particular employment result for 70-687. Use the exam objectives to improve concrete capabilities—deployment decisions, troubleshooting, application control, and profile management—and keep a record of the labs or work products that demonstrate those capabilities.
How can older knowledge remain useful?
The operating-system version is historical, but several preparation habits remain useful: read objective verbs carefully, separate prerequisites from configuration, test both success and failure paths, document rollback, and verify user impact. These habits transfer better than memorizing Windows 8.1 interface details or relying on static question wording.
When moving to a newer endpoint or role-based credential, retain the decision framework and replace the product-specific procedures. Recheck every feature, policy name, deployment method, and support boundary against current Microsoft documentation before applying the knowledge in a live environment.
Conclusion
70-687 is best approached as a historical Windows 8.1 administration objective set centered on installation choices, hardware and applications, drivers, profiles, and access controls. Start with status verification, then use the official objectives to build a gap-based lab plan. Do not schedule from an old page or prepare from dumps. If Microsoft confirms the exam is unavailable, carry the practical skills forward into a current credential whose requirements and technology scope you verify through Microsoft Learn.
