MCSE Windows 2000 Professional: Exam 70-210, Training Guide [With CDROM]

I'm amending my original review. Much of it still stands, but, of the 3 books I purchased, it was the most used reference, particularly the electronic copy of the book on the CD. In fact I've upped my rating from 3 to 4 stars. WooHoo!My original review:This book is authoritative but humorless and dry, as if it was written by Microsoft. What is and what isn't important for the test is rarely stated. Too often a new term is introduced without any explanation and no reference in the index, although the searchable electronic copy of the book is a BIG plus. It's like the authors dumped their brains but never went back to tie it all together. For example, in the section on "Configuring the TCP/IP Protocol," it discussess DHCP and DNS, but nowhere does it come out and say that the easiest and most common way to configure TCP/IP is simply to select the "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain the DNS server address automatically" options. Language was clumsy at times, but I must admit that I didn't notice any spelling or grammatical errors. (Actually, the last statement isn't true. There were more than the usual editing oversights, including contradictory statements within pages of one another.) The practice test on the CD is excellent but don't be misled - it's a preview edition, included in order to get you to buy the full edition. At 19 bucks there's nothing to complain about there. I ordered a "used" copy (of the book) which then paid for the test.

In the world of the MCSE 2000 the first step to certification success is the 70-210 exam. With everything out there it is hard to decide what is good and what is not so good. Having spent three days reading this book I think you'll find that it certainly does its intended job. Overall this 730 page manual covers every objective in detail. The author(s) have made certain they give you enough work to do with an abundance of hands-on step-by-step exercises. They have also included exam review questions and "Apply Your Knowledge" sections at the end of each chapter. Part I is the exam prep, which like I said covers each objective in a clear yet detail manner. I like the fact that the authors have kept the technical language to level that allows everyone to comprehend the material. Part II is the final review, which allows the reader to prepare for the actual exam. Included with the book is a cd with practice questions, engineered by Prep Logic. I found this software to both refreshing; in that QUE has sought to bring a new player to the certification table, and also to be very challenging. Also you can purchase more exams from the Prep Logic website which has several other MCSE exams. Overall the book is good, the software if excellent and I think you'll find that QUE Publishing is certainly making headway in the production of high quality certification manuals - well done.