Customer Reviews

MCSE Training Kit: Microsoft Windows 2000 Core Requirements (IT-Training Kits)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The only reason I bought this Microsoft set was because, at this point in time, it's the only game in town. I've read the Server and Professional books, and am pleased and disappointed. My first thoughts were that these books were very well done. Now, after fighting with errors and omissions, I'm less optimistic.

Error Example: At one point the book says: "By default, permissions assigned to the parent folder are inherited and propagate to subfolders and files contained within the parent folder."

Several sentences later it says: "By default, this option [Allow Inheritable Permissions From Parent To Propagate To This Object] is not selected for folders, which means subfolders do not inherit permissions assigned to their parent folder. Files are assigned this option, which means that files within a folder automatically receive the permissions assigned to their parent folder."

In reality, by default, the option is selected for both files and folders.

Ommision Example: No mention is made regarding Group Policy application order. I had to find it in the Windows 2000 help file. IMO, the entire Group Policy section is not very well done.

A one-stop technical resource for passing the tests? I don't think so. It's going to require a lot of digging in other places. All-in-all, though, it's a pretty decent framework (at this point in time) for getting a grip on one complex OS. It's chock full of useful little tidbits, and it does cover a lot of material. I would probably give it a 4-star rating, except for its meager CD support (only comes with Server demo; no Professional; no tests). All 4 books on CD, though, is nice.

Time will tell if this set pays off. Meanwhile, dig, dig, dig...

Might be useful for people who don't need to complete certification requirements. Lots of errors, ommissions & largely incomplete in terms of the exam materials. I failed the Infrastructure exam based on this coursework & only after buying the Sybex materials, did I find the relevant study material. Seriously, the books are MISSING whole areas which you will NEED to cover for the exam. They're just not enough. Don't bother unless you need a large paperweight.

This is a pretty good study resource, but using this alone will not help you get that very much desired certification.

If you really want to pass this exam I recommend that you at the least have 2 PC networked together one with 2000 Server/NT workstation dual-boot and the other one with 2000 Server/2000 Professional dual-boot. That way you can really test thing like replication, RIS, sites and so forth.

Also it is a good move to get the Windows 2000 Resource kit (also available on Amazon), it will help you allot with preparing for the exam and help you in *the real world*.

If you still got cash spare it might be an idea to invest in VMware so you can run multiple OS's on your machine at the same time, allowing you to test NAT, subnetting and the like.

Good Luck on becoming an MCSE!

I just took the 070-210 test this morning and I passed, but not because I bought this kit. The advantages of the kit is that you get a 120 day evaluation copy of WIN 2K Server (not with service pack 2, but you can download that) which should help a lot on the other 3 parts of the core 4. The exercises are mostly good in the WIN2K Pro book. (I don't know about the other 3 yet.) There is lots of good information contained in these manuals. The disadvantages of this kit are that you do not get a copy of WIN2K Pro. You really need that WIN2K Pro to complete several critical excercices. Some passages are a little murky and there are some errors. The glossary needs some serious additions and the Index needs even more attention (i.e. try to look up HAL).

The 070-210 test is tough. You won't pass it by reading this manual alone. Exam Cram offers some serious help on the exams but only if you order their "Core Four" and get the CD-ROM. You really need this "Training Kit" or something else to get the principles down. And if you are doing this at home you'll need a lot more information (not to mention hardware) than is in these books just to get started.

I bought this training kit for MCSE exam preparation. It turned out just like a manual to Windows2000 and the contents have little related to the real exams. It's a waste of your money if you are targeting for the exam preparation.

I used a number of study guides for the MSCE core exams, those I purchased and those I borrowed. After each exam I reviewed the materials agin to try to find out where those often obscure and arcane test questions came from only to discover that the answers were ALL in these books. Either the questions were developed from these books, or the books were developed from the exams, but it is an exact one-to-one match. Unfortunately, despite the MS Press laudable but incomplete attempt to be user friendly, these things are horrible to plow through and difficult to stay awake reading. You must have a W2K network at your fingertips at all times to make sense of the exercises. There is no warning of what among the immense volume of material is the more important (i.e., likely to show up on the exam). Its all just shoveled out in the same dry, boring manner and left to the reader to sort out. Hint - the more obscure, the more unimportant seeming, the smaller the detail, the more likely it is to be important to passing the exam.
I rate these with 5 stars, not because they are good, but because they are necessary.

Another great Microsoft Product! I purchased this kit to learn Microsoft Windows 2000 and enhance my career. This book is intended for people who have prior knowledge of computers and operating systems and is much more technical than most other training manuals. I found this kit to be extremely informative and detailed. There are several books within the kit, each concentrate on a specific area of certification. I personally prefer the Microsoft training kits because they contain evaluation copies of the program that allow you to interact with the software as you're studying. Another reason I prefer this product, is because at this stage of development, Microsoft is in the best position to evaluate the Windows 2000 program and thus help with the training and certification process. I definately reccommend this Training Kit to anyone who is seriously interrested in becomming certified in Microsoft Windows 2000.

Yes, the reviews you might have read that indicate the page numbers in the index are not on target with the pages in the 2nd edition books is accurate. This isn't the tragedy you might think. For one thing, it's not rocket science to go forward or backward a few pages, and the set comes with fully text searchable CD versions of the books. This means that if you need to look something up by keyword, the search feature of the eBooks is the fast, simple way to go. This also makes studying on the go SOOO much easier. On top of that, the information has proven accurate so far, and this is rather important for certification testing. I'm glad I purchased this set, ..., this set of 4 books with CDs is less expensive than 3 books without CDs from MS Press or any other reputable Cert Press, like New Rider, SAM, O'Reilly, etc. Good Luck Certifying!

Along with purchasing the 70-218 book, I used this kit, hands-on experience, and a commercial assessment tool and attained MCSA status. It's Microsoft who offers the certifications, why not use their books? Know your stuff + know what they want you to know = PASS !! For the price of the bundle and the accuracy of the information, you can't go wrong.

This book has all the imformation that you require with some hands on experience for the 70-210 exam. This book has most of the information you require for the 70-215 exam with a lot of hand on. The only problem is that I am now busy with 70-216 and have found the book badly lacking in content. As an ex Network engineer and MCSE NT4 1998 (Passed all exams first time all from self study) I feel that I was awnsering more questions in the exam from my experience than from the content of this book and that the book was a waste of time and money. I have looked at the 217 book and have now purchased other books to cover 216 and 217. Sorry Microsoft but this is not upto your normal standard even if your normal books are rather unexciting they are normally complete.