Rating: 
Summary: START HERE FOR THE BASICS
Review: There is a new edition to this series so I will not give this set an in-depth review. But I will tell you that I used this set as my core learning tools and that I am now an MCSE.All the basic Window 2000 information is here, but you will not become a MCSE just by reading or even memorizing the books. I recommend that you purchase the "Teach Yourself" series of cram books by Osbourne/Syngress that correspond to each core test as a way to cheaply determine your weak areas. Forget the Exam Crams series of books, they do add a little to the mix but not nearly enough to be worth the price. And lastly, purchase a good set of practice exams. Transcender is the best, Boson is a good too. If you have two computers to test the software on you are ahead of the game. You will need to set up a simulated environment to practice the more complex issues of 2000 administration like: Intellimirror technologies, Active Directory, Routing and Remote Access, DHCP, WINS and other protocols, security etc.... The Client exam is the only exam you will be able to pass without some serious hands-on work. The Server exam is mildly difficult. The AD exam is much harder. Last, and very least, the network exam is like putting you brain into a blender, you will feel and act like a zombie after it. Once you are done with all the core exams, take the MCSA 70-218 exam, as it is just a hybrid of the Network and AD exams. This will make you an MCSA and count as an option exam towards your MCSE. Just two exams left after that. What I like about this set: - All the basic information you will need to get your arms around the difficult task of becoming a MCSE. Use Books On-Line for more in-depth treatments.
- OS software that lets you study in hands on mode. Some addition study information is also available on the CD that could be helpful.
- Often very detailed on complex subject matter without going on a tangent.
- Some step-by-step examples that is often helpful to the process of learning.
- Could never have past without this set of books. What I did not like about this set: - These are not test study guides as suggested on the cover. These books are teaching guides that are not sufficient for test coverage.
- Example exercises are not complexed enough and do not build enough of a simulation world. Some exercises are required to do later exercises but the process never really amounts to anything.
- Material often comes across as stuff copied out of a white papers and not as someone trying to help you understand. Very little effort was put into trying to connect with the reader. Sometimes it is unbearably dry and wordy.
- No end of chapter exam type questions, just 5 to 10 essay questions. You never get a sense of what will experience during the exam. So why even try to identify the books with the MCSE? I hope the new version changes this very bad situation.
- No practice exams come with the set. Why? You are nearly as far away from passing the exams after you are finished reading these books than before you start, so testing material is essential to bridging the knowledge/testing gap. Again, why would MS even associate this set with the MCSE if they do not at least get you ready for said tests?
- Other smaller issues exist but I do not want to over emphasize what is wrong. Conclusion: A necessary set of books for the certification process. Take them for what they are and not for what the MS marketing group sells them as. Be sure to supplement with a set of testing engines and exam prep material like the ones describe above. Certification is difficult but doable. I did it, so can you.
Rating:
Summary: START HERE FOR THE BASICS
Review: There is a new edition to this series so I will not give this set an in-depth review. But I will tell you that I used this set as my core learning tools and that I am now an MCSE. All the basic Window 2000 information is here, but you will not become a MCSE just by reading or even memorizing the books. I recommend that you purchase the "Teach Yourself" series of cram books by Osbourne/Syngress that correspond to each core test as a way to cheaply determine your weak areas. Forget the Exam Crams series of books, they do add a little to the mix but not nearly enough to be worth the price. And lastly, purchase a good set of practice exams. Transcender is the best, Boson is a good too. If you have two computers to test the software on you are ahead of the game. You will need to set up a simulated environment to practice the more complex issues of 2000 administration like: Intellimirror technologies, Active Directory, Routing and Remote Access, DHCP, WINS and other protocols, security etc.... The Client exam is the only exam you will be able to pass without some serious hands-on work. The Server exam is mildly difficult. The AD exam is much harder. Last, and very least, the network exam is like putting you brain into a blender, you will feel and act like a zombie after it. Once you are done with all the core exams, take the MCSA 70-218 exam, as it is just a hybrid of the Network and AD exams. This will make you an MCSA and count as an option exam towards your MCSE. Just two exams left after that. What I like about this set: - All the basic information you will need to get your arms around the difficult task of becoming a MCSE. Use Books On-Line for more in-depth treatments.
- OS software that lets you study in hands on mode. Some addition study information is also available on the CD that could be helpful.
- Often very detailed on complex subject matter without going on a tangent.
- Some step-by-step examples that is often helpful to the process of learning.
- Could never have past without this set of books. What I did not like about this set: - These are not test study guides as suggested on the cover. These books are teaching guides that are not sufficient for test coverage.
- Example exercises are not complexed enough and do not build enough of a simulation world. Some exercises are required to do later exercises but the process never really amounts to anything.
- Material often comes across as stuff copied out of a white papers and not as someone trying to help you understand. Very little effort was put into trying to connect with the reader. Sometimes it is unbearably dry and wordy.
- No end of chapter exam type questions, just 5 to 10 essay questions. You never get a sense of what will experience during the exam. So why even try to identify the books with the MCSE? I hope the new version changes this very bad situation.
- No practice exams come with the set. Why? You are nearly as far away from passing the exams after you are finished reading these books than before you start, so testing material is essential to bridging the knowledge/testing gap. Again, why would MS even associate this set with the MCSE if they do not at least get you ready for said tests?
- Other smaller issues exist but I do not want to over emphasize what is wrong. Conclusion: A necessary set of books for the certification process. Take them for what they are and not for what the MS marketing group sells them as. Be sure to supplement with a set of testing engines and exam prep material like the ones describe above. Certification is difficult but doable. I did it, so can you.
Rating: 
Summary: Good and Bad
Review: These Books are good for learning an overview of of win2000. They do this well. But they will not prepare you to pass the exams! If this is the only series of books you buy you will have a hard time passing the exams.
Rating: 
Summary: Neither here nor there
Review: These MS books don't prepare you for tests well and they don't educate you about the products and technologies well. They *kinda* do both. If you want to learn about MS, buy their resource kits, which are excellent and inexpensive, and other references. If you want to pass the tests, go with some of those red cover books like exam cram.
Rating: 
Summary: A Mixed Lot OK for 210 and 215 but NO GOOD for 216 and 217
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book For The Advanced User
Review: This is a great book, but if you haven't used the MCSE Network Essentials from the NT 4.0 track, you may be missing critical information about topologies and architectures. Other than that, it is written by the people who are closest to the test writers, and offered me the greatest chance of passing.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good but.....
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Dry, Dry, Dry
Review: Unfortunately the Microsoft MCSE books are a true chore to plough through. The material is extremely dry and presented in a non-user friendly way. There are few graphics, no color, and no stories about how to apply concepts to real life. Furthermore, the books are very repetitious and they leave the user wondering what is the most important material for the exams. I think Microsoft Press should go back to the drawing board and make these books intersting to read and presented in a user-friendly manner.
Rating:
Summary: Dry, Dry, Dry
Review: Unfortunately the Microsoft MCSE books are a true chore to plough through. The material is extremely dry and presented in a non-user friendly way. There are few graphics, no color, and no stories about how to apply concepts to real life. Furthermore, the books are very repetitious and they leave the user wondering what is the most important material for the exams. I think Microsoft Press should go back to the drawing board and make these books intersting to read and presented in a user-friendly manner.
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