Customer Reviews

Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 Technical Support Training

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This book is mainly of benefit only to absolute novice IE4 users who are totally wet with the comprehensive package and all its components. For example, if you are the kind of Internet user/surfer who only cruises around with IE and does not do anything fancy, or if you use no components other than basic send/receive mail with Outlook Express, then the book is possibly useful as an introduction to the numerous programs comprising the package (Netmeeting, etc). As far as preparation for the IEAK MCP exam, forget it. As stated previously herein, the book barely touches the surface with most of the Microsoft-stated objectives. In sum, go with this for an intro if not already acquainted, then hit Exam Cram (Coriolis) or others (maybe even the Resource Kit) to adequately prepare for the exam. Poor show, Redmond....

Comeon MSPress, this is a terrible book.

MSPress decides to make a quick buck by ripping off the Microsoft Official Curriculum, and failing to remove references to "Instructor" and other obvious classroom-only sections. MSPress then fails to proofread, let alone, have ANYONE competent read this book prior to publishing it..

Unbeknownst to MSPress the IEAK MOC (which is what this book was ripped off from) is also the worst exam-prep class material Microsoft has ever written. The people responsible for this piece of garbage should hang their heads in shame as they walk out of the MSPress offices with their pink-slips. As for any other MCP's out there, I would feel insulted by the mentality of MSPress to try and pull this on us.

What I want to know is who wrote the exam-matrix for the book. They MUST have been on drugs as it doesn't line up in the slightest to what is actually covered in the book. Almost nothing on the exam is covered in this book.

If you want to fail the exam, or any IEAK setup in the future, then this book is for you.

I've read many of Microsoft's official study guides and this one is by far the pits. I don't want to take it any further than some of the other reviewers on this page, but after having read chapter 4 and ATTEMPTED to complete the labs and excercises, I had to jump online to see if anyone else had the same problems.

My specific gripe is that this material seems to be ripped directly from Microsoft's instructor-led course, as seen in some examples telling you to ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR for information. Or, how about logging onto the INSTRUCTOR news server?

Does Microsoft actually hire editors, or do they just let people type at will?

I purchased this book mainly because it is by MSPress, but also because it claims on the front cover that it is the Official MCSE Exam Training for exam 70-079. It also claims that it is the "most complete preparation for the MCP exam." Anything could be further from the truth.

The style of the book is good. It is well written (several errors, but nothing to terrible), contains good graphic content and like most MSPress books is well laid out. However, the content leaves a lot to be desired. The majority of the book is a VERY cursory overview of the topics presented. Internet Mail, for instance, is summed up in 15 lines of text and one very useless graphic. IEAK is given two rather weak chapters at the end. The chapters are well written but merely describe each screen with very little supplemental information... in sum you have a mere 240 pages or so worth of text, of which actual useful content could be fit on about 10.

Toward the front of the book is a "skills" matrix, outlining the exam objectives and where relevant information can be found within the text. The following is a few examples of how misleading this is:

*************************************** "In corporate administrator mode, develop appropriate strategies for ... Public kiosks, End-user sites, Business Sites." Reference to Chapter 1, Lesson 2. Lesson 2 covers installation and does not even mention Public Kiosks, strategies, or sites.

"Develop strategies for replacing other Internet browsers [including] IE3 and Netscape Navigator." Reference to Chapter 1, Lesson 2. Again, this lesson covers installation but upgrades are not even mentioned.

"Develop strategies for replacing other Internet mail clients [including] Internet Mail and News, Netscape Mail, Eudora." Reference to Chapter 1, Lesson 3 and Chapter 7, Lesson 2. Chapter 1, Lesson 3 covers IE configuration. The only portion even remotely related is the tab in which you specify the default mail client. Chapter 7, Lesson 2 discusses how to add accounts within Outlook Express. In neither reference is thery any mention of replacing other Internet mail clients.

"Develop strategies for using the Internet Connection Wizard in Internet service provider mode. [Including] Modem detection, stack installation, Configuration of dial-up connections.". Reference to Chapter 9, Lesson 4. This section deals with Preparing to Install and Run IEAK. Modem detection, stack installation, dial-up connections or the Internet Connection Wizard are not even mentioned.

Shall we continue...

"Replace other Internet mail clients [including] .... " Reference this time to Chapter 7, Lesson 3. Again, not covered.

"Optimize caching and performance" Reference to Chapter 1, Lesson 3. This chapter deals with configuration, and yes it does mention the temporary internet files but does not mention "cache" anywhere nor how to optimize it. Referene to Chapter 6, Lesson 5 which deals with web-site subscriptions. There is a mention that subscriptions are "cached"... again, no mention of performance. This hardly meets the exam objective.

"Diagnose and resolve the deployment failure ... " Reference to Chapter 1, Lesson 2. This section, nor any other, make any mention of problem resolution.

"Diagnose and resolve .... " Several other similar references, all bogus.

"Choose appriate tools for troubleshooting network connection failures [using] IP configuration, PING, Trace Route, Network Monitor, NSLOOKUP. Reference to Chapter 10, Lesson 1. This Lesson covers installing IEAK 4 and running the Configuration Wizard. You will find no mention of any of these tools, or even general mention of network troubleshooting.

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I bought this book a month ago, and I`m very disappointed with it. I pretend to pass the exam 70-079 which I failed using this book. Questions on the exam is much more detailed!!! I strongly recommend you read the IE Resource Kit.

This book is really pathetic! BE CAREFUL! DON'T BUY IT!

Out of all the Microsoft "official" material out there this one was by far the most off base.

Overall, don't waste your money, I purchased this books because it said it was the official training book for 70-079 and was from MS Press. The first 5 of 10 chapters have nothing to do with the exam. The only chapter that was somewhat useful for me was IEAK. The training CD-ROM provided was missing files some lab files. There just wasn't enough detail in this book. Dissapointment.

I bought this book to prepare for the IEAK exam. What a joke! This book just touches the surface of what you need to know to pass the exam. Save your money.

This book is a complete dissapointment. Even though the "For Exam 70-079" is printed on the cover, according to the table in pp.xviii-xxii, the chapter 2 to 5 (out of 10 chapters in the book) has nothing to do with exam 70-079. As other reviewer have already written, the other chapter simply touches to the very sufrace of topic. For any practical purposes, the Internet Explorer Resource kit is hundered (or probably thousand) times more informative at the same price.

Overall, I am very disappointed this book as an exam preparation tool for the MS exam 70-079. It is little more than a cursory overview of IEAK and its components and provides little in the way of exam preparation.