Windows 2000 MCSE Study System (with CD-ROM) [Hardcover]

Alan R. Carter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764547011 | ISBN-13: 978-0764547010 | Publication Date: July 2000

Microsoft Certified Trainer Alan Carter has been teaching the Microsoft Official Curriculum for more than a decade, and his previous MCSE books have more than 160,000 copies in print. His newly designed, two-color study system--which features fully integrated test-prep software on CD-ROM--is just what you need to master the material and pass all of the "Core Four" required exams on the Windows 2000 MCSE track. It also boasts a special section for those upgrading from the NT4 exam, making this 5-in-1 title an incredible value.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Windows 2000 MCSE Study System is an odd book by MCSE standards, and the simplest way to put it is this: If you like the concept, you'll love the book; if you don't, this book might well confuse you.

Why? Because the Windows 2000 MCSE Study System isn't really a study guide for the exams; the exams themselves are segmented, and focus on various aspects of Windows 2000. The guide is actually a study course that explains the various aspects of Windows 2000 networks and how they work together, the Microsoft curriculum be damned. By the time you get through this book, you will have an intense working knowledge of Windows 2000 that should serve you well in the real world. If you're the sort of person who is good at recalling vast amounts of details and wants to know everything (because the topics that come up on Microsoft exams are not necessarily always the topics that are important in real life), this is for you; if you're not, the sheer amount of information might flood you under.

The Study System's main strength lies in its detailed and comprehensive walk-throughs. Every MCSE book has hands-on exercises, of course, but the sheer variety and depth of the tutorials in this book practically guarantee Windows 2000 comprehension once you get through them all. Assuming that you have two Windows 2000 computers that are networked together (which, given the relative cheapness of low-end PCs and the easy availability of trial copies of Windows 2000, is probably not a bad idea for any MCSE candidate nowadays), you'll find a clearly written and memorable tutorial for most every aspect of Windows 2000, from disk volumes to creating DNS zones to configuring network settings. Go through every walk-through in the Study System, and you'll have a wealth of actual hands-on experience to use in future systems. Simply put, you will not find a better resource if you like to tinker with live systems.

Unfortunately, the writing itself is long on detail, but short on explanation; this works fine as a reference for post-MCSE candidates, but sells it short for confused pre-testers who still don't quite get critical MCSE concepts. You'll find some excellent walk-throughs for creating DNS zones; but, if you're unclear on exactly what a DNS zone is or why someone might need one, you won't find much hand-holding here. To confuse concepts for the neophyte further, the book doesn't necessarily explain things in order. Again, taking DNS as an example, you'll find "Installing and Configuring DNS" in chapter 7, but won't get a full explanation of what is TCP/IP (the protocol on which DNS is based) until chapter 16. If you're willing to read through the entire book, you'll get all of the detail that you need. But everything that you need to know to comprehend a particular topic might be scattered across two or three chapters, which possibly necessitates two or three reads to nail everything down in a coherent whole.

On the plus side, however, there are many fine and detailed charts that will serve you well in your post-MCSE days. As stated, this book works fine as an on-the-job reference, which is far more than can be said for most MCSE books.

The quizzes at the end of each chapter are well thought through, and give you two question types: Assessment, which comprise multiple-choice questions that measure raw knowledge ("Which tool should you use to create VPNs?") and Scenarios, which are open-ended questions that focus on troubleshooting and problem-solving. Between the two question types, you'll get a good idea of what might appear on the test; but, for a book of this size, the questions are fairly scant (perhaps 8 to 10 per chapter). Still, the CD adds more questions, and the quiz-oriented lab exercises add critical depth.

In short, this is not a book that focuses on the exam, but on Windows 2000 itself--which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that you gain a fuller knowledge than if you simply had studied for the narrowly scoped exams. The disadvantage is that Microsoft has been known to be pedantic on their exams, and a large book that doesn't focus your attention on heavily tested topics might cause you to flunk a section that seemed of little importance at the time. If you're a searcher for knowledge and an experimenter, this book might well be right for you. --William Steinmetz

From the Publisher

CD-ROM included with an exam simulation developed exclusively for IDG Books. The software allows users to customize exam scenarios or to default to a practice exam that simulates the Microsoft exam experience. Other software will include an electronic version of the book, AVI files of step-by-step activities and lab exercises, Micro House Technical Library, and more!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1512 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764547011
• ISBN-13: 978-0764547010
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.7 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,967,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear, logical, and complete treatment of Server/Pro, November 28, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windows 2000 MCSE Study System (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

My full-time job for the past 3 years as a Microsoft Certified Trainer has been to prepare high school and college students to pass the Windows NT 4 (and now Windows 2000) MCP exams. I evaluated a dozen books before settling on Alan Carter's "NT4 MCSE Core Study System" to supplement the Microsoft Official Curriculum. My 80% student first-time passage rate on certification exams is now in serious jeopardy with the coming of the much more difficult MCSE 2000 exam track.

I have read through Carter's "Windows 2000 MCSE Study System", as well as the Sybex and Microsoft Official Curriculum courses covering the four 2000 Core exams. I am once again impressed at how clearly, logically, and completely Carter has treated the materials needed for the first two exams, W2K Pro and W2K Server MCP. These two exams assume that you have a broad understanding of 2000, including materials that you would expect to find only on the Network Infrastructure and Directory Services exams. If you carefully read through Carter's book , work through the dozens of step-by-step and lab exercises, skim the book a second time, and use Transcender exams for practice, you should have no trouble passing the Server and Pro exams with high scores AND have a solid foundation on which to complete your Network Infrastructure and Directory Services core exams.

As the best written "single" volume book on the market, Carter's 2000 book deserves 5 (or even 6) stars. However, for what it purported does, prepare you for all four 2000 core exams, it rates 4 stars because it does not sufficiently cover the materials for the Networking Infrastructure and Directory Services core exams. As always, Transcender exams will boost your score a 100+ points, but you would be well served to supplement Carter (and Transcender) with the two books from Sybex's MCSE Study Guide series that cover these exams. Also remember to bring an exorcist to the two Networking Infrastructure exams (Administering--core and Design--elective), because as one reviewer has remarked on a major certification website, they are "evil, evil, evil".

Bob Nordling MCSE, MCP+I, MCT, CTT, A+, Network+, i-Net+ and a worshipper at the altar of Cisco, i.e. a CCIE wannabe

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I like it., October 9, 2000

By 

Dave (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windows 2000 MCSE Study System (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

This is a pretty good book. Some errors, some omissions, but not too bad for 1500+ pages. A THOROUGH step-through of Windows 2000. Contains lots of insight that Microsoft Press nim-nim tech writers don't have a clue about or put in their books. I think Carter cares about his students, because he takes pains to explain in detail things tech writers usually leave out that can cause people's understanding to stumble. Seems like he learned the hard way, and wants to help others avoid what he went through. The Beachfront Quizzer test prep CD that comes with the book really sucks. It's the same pool of lousy test questions that Cramsession uses for their W2K Questions of the Day. It seems like a day doesn't go by that I find a Crammsession question that's wrong or just poorly done. I probably would rate it a five-star book without the Beachfront crap, but since IDG uses it to help market the book, the rating takes a hit - 4-star, no more.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this book, September 22, 2000

By 

T. W. Olzak (Toledo, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Windows 2000 MCSE Study System (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

I used this author's NT 4 book for my NT 4 MCSE exams. I was never disappointed in the results. This book promises to deliver the same high quality tools for passing the Windows 2000 core exams. This book wasn't available when I took 70-210. However, I used it for 70-215. I passed the first time. Carter's book covers information inadequately covered, or poorly explained, in the Microsoft materials. Although the exercises and the review questions are excellent preparation tools, you should still use a good third party practice test to augment the book.