Amazon.co.uk Review
Windows 2000 MCSE Study System is an odd book by MCSE standards, but if you like the concept you'll love the book. If you don't, this book may well confuse you.
The book isn't really a study guide for the exams but rather a study course explaining the various aspects of Windows 2000 networks and how they work together. By the time you get through this book you will have a very intense working knowledge of Windows 2000, which should serve you well in the real world. If you're very good at recalling vast amounts of details and want to know everything then this is for you. If not, then the sheer amount of information might overwhelm you.
The Study System's main strength lies in its detailed and comprehensive walk-throughs. Every MCSE book has hands-on exercises, but the sheer variety and depth of the tutorials in this book practically guarantee Win2K comprehension once you get through them all. Assuming that you have two Windows 2000 computers networked together you'll find a clearly written and memorable tutorial for pretty much every aspect of Windows 2000, from disc volumes to creating DNS zones to configuring network settings.
Unfortunately, the actual writing is long on detail and short on explanation--this is fine for post-MCSE candidates, but not for confused pre-testers who still don't quite understand 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 and everything you need to comprehend a particular topic might be scattered across two or three chapters.
On the plus side, however, there are many fine and detailed charts that will serve you well in your post-MCSE days
In short, this is not a book that focuses in on the exam, but on Windows 2000 itself. The advantage you'll get from this is gaining a much fuller knowledge than if you simply study for the narrowly scoped exams. The disadvantage is that Microsoft has been known to be pedantic in 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, however, then this book may well be right for you. --William Steinmetz
Product Description
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.
