MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-290): Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server(TM) 2003 Environment [Hardcover]

Dan Holme (Author), Orin Thomas (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0735614377 | ISBN-13: 978-0735614376 | Publication Date: September 17, 2003

Ace your preparation for the skills measured by MCP Exam 70-290—and on the job—with this official Microsoft study guide. Work at your own pace through a system of lessons, hands-on exercises, troubleshooting labs, and review questions.

The Readiness Review Suite on CD, featuring advanced technology from MeasureUp, provides 425 challenging questions for in-depth self-assessment and practice. You can choose timed or untimed testing mode, generate random tests, or focus on specific objectives. You get detailed explanations for right and wrong answers—including a learning path that describes how and where to focus your studies.

You also get expert exam tips plus a full review section inside the book that covers all objectives and sub-objectives

Maximize your performance on Exam 70-290 by learning how to:

• Create and manage user, group, and computer accounts
• Manage file and share permissions
• Help control Web server access and manage sites with Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
• Manage hardware devices, disk storage, software, and print services
• Implement backup procedures and perform system recovery

Readiness Review Suite Includes 425 practice questions on CD

Your kit includes:

• NEW—Self-paced study guide with complete objective-by-objective review plus expert exam tips
• NEW—Readiness Review Suite featuring 425 questions and multiple testing options
• NEW—Case studies and troubleshooting scenarios for real-world expertise
• NEW—180-day evaluation version of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
• NEW—Windows Server 2003 Sampler, with excerpts from Microsoft Press reference books
• NEW—eBook in PDF format
• NEW—Microsoft Encyclopedia of Security eBook
• Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking, Second Edition, eBook

A Note Regarding the CD or DVD

The print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via O'Reilly Media's Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit O'Reilly's web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to [e-mail].

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dan Holme is a Microsoft MVP and a contributing editor for Windows IT Pro magazine. He has more than 10 years’ experience as an IT consultant and trainer.

Orin Thomas, MCITP, MCTS, MCSE, Microsoft MVP, is a consultant and writer whose books include the SELF-PACED TRAINING KITS for Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 / 2008 R2, Exchange Server, and SharePoint exams. He is also a contributing editor to Windows IT Pro magazine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 900 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (September 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735614377
• ISBN-13: 978-0735614376
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #971,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Studying for MCSE, September 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-290): Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server(TM) 2003 Environment (Hardcover)

If you have no experience with Windows 2000 or 2003 you will not pass the exam regardless of which text you buy. I am studying for the MSCE in Windows Server 2003. This text covers all of the objectives for the 70-290 exam. This book also includes a Prometric exam discount voucher and a set of practice questions on the CD in addition to those in the text.

The exam objectives listed on Microsoft's site are covered by this text. The coverage is not deep, but is adequate for those that are attempting the exam who have experience with the operating system. Unexperienced candidates are wasting their time on the new MS certifications and should get some hands on before heading off to the testing center.

The questions in the second part of the book appear well written. They mirror some of the lengthy questions on the actual exam and this aspect of the text was refreshing. Most certification textbooks skimp on the practice questions adding them as an afterthought rather than a feature. To many books ask questions like "what does DNS stand for" and "where would you use DHCP". The first time I tried many of them I got them wrong. When I was getting them right I tried the exam and passed. Until the Transcenders are released, finding good questions will be difficult. Resources like this text are quite valuable.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Use another book as well as this one., April 4, 2004

By 

C. Bailey "Maus des Mitternacht" (Ocala, FL.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-290): Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server(TM) 2003 Environment (Hardcover)

This is probably the tenth Microsoft Press book I've purchased, and it is no different than the rest of them. While the technical aspects of the material seem adequate, I think there needs to be more detail. The exams always seem to contain a few questions that only Technet can help you answer. An exeption to this was the Microsoft Press MCSE study guide for 70-216, which was very detailed. Another bad thing about this publication (70-290) is the CD, which contains a few typographical errors and what I believe to be wrong answers on a few of the Readiness Review questions; namely a claim that a RAID-5 array isn't fault tolerant, which it clearly is. If you are considering purchasing this book, please do yourself a favor and check it out first. Read through some of it, and verify its accuracy with other publications or online material. The 2003 Server Administrators Guide is much better written and contains more real world scenarios than this book. Use it as a backup. Hope this review helps, and good luck on the exam.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Without experience you are sunk, November 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-290): Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server(TM) 2003 Environment (Hardcover)

If you don't know the product, you will not pass. This book will help you pass. If your only experience with Windows Server 2003 is installing it twice and running a few applications then you WILL fail the 70-290 exam no matter what book you buy! The MCSE is not like it was back in the NT4 days when you could train your parrot to pass the exams. You need to know what you are doing. This book is reasonably good at building on the exam objectives, but in some cases you will need to look at Technet. If you buy this book and fail the exam, don't blame the book - have a good look at the amount of experience you had going into the exam with Windows Server 2003. I passed this exam and this book helped (though my experience with the product, and prior Microsoft server operating systems did as well).