Network+ Virtual Lab (With CD-ROM)

Rating:
Summary: Great Idea but not worth the hassle!
Review: I bought this thing and after a week of getting the CD I still haven't being able to run it!

first you have to buy it, then you have to call cybex to activate your copy, that's a long distance call that's going to your phone bill, there's nobody there to pick up the phone so you get an answering machine, they tell you to send an email to cybexsuppor@ whatever.com and then they ask you to fax a copy of the receipt, that's another long distance call and so on...

I ended up paying too much money for this, I don't recommend you buy it unless you wanna die from a stroke or something.

Rating:
Summary: Network+ has real help on the way.
Review: I have always been a hands on type of learner, I need to practice and try things before becoming comfortable with them. Sybex has put together a virtual lab for Network+ that gives you the practice you need and allows you learn at your pace and redo any areas you need to.

Installation was a snap, I was able to get this up and running under Windows 95, 98, NT Workstation, 2000 and XP Professional and had no install problems at all. One thing you should have when working with this simulator is the Network+ Study Guide from Sybex.

There are over 25 labs in the manual and 8 more final labs to give you coverage of the Network+ exam. Topics like TCP/IP and utilities, OSI model, Operating Systems, WANs, Server and Desktops are but a few of the areas you have a chance to work with.

I can this being used in a classroom environment but it tailored to those wanting to self study. Overall an excellent tool for learning - well done.

Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware.......Sybex won't support this product
Review: I wish I had read more reviews before buying this. The product activation code on the jewel case didn't work. "There are no more activations left for this product". What I bought was a very thin paperback notebook and an as-yet worthless CD. This is JUNK. Yet another example how overzealous copy protection hurts those who actually pay for software.

Buyer beware.
UPDATE: I contacted Sybex, and they told me that this software, even though it was purchased new and was shrink-wrapped, was already licensed on another PC.

They told me I had to contact Amazon, and they would do nothing for me. This, despite the fact that a simple Google search reveals that this is a common problem with their software and overly aggressive antipiracy "technology." You're more likely to see Elvis than get any kind of tech support from this company. I've contacted Amazon and will update this to see what they do for me. I still believe that Sybex should support their softare. The same Google search shows that many customers have had the same issue, and the same headaches trying to get them to supply a valid registration code for *NEW* softare.

Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware.......Sybex won't support this product
Review: I wish I had read more reviews before buying this. The product activation code on the jewel case didn't work. "There are no more activations left for this product". What I bought was a very thin paperback notebook and an as-yet worthless CD. This is JUNK. Yet another example how overzealous copy protection hurts those who actually pay for software.

Buyer beware.
UPDATE: I contacted Sybex, and they told me that this software, even though it was purchased new and was shrink-wrapped, was already licensed on another PC.

They told me I had to contact Amazon, and they would do nothing for me. This, despite the fact that a simple Google search reveals that this is a common problem with their software and overly aggressive antipiracy "technology." You're more likely to see Elvis than get any kind of tech support from this company. I've contacted Amazon and will update this to see what they do for me. I still believe that Sybex should support their softare. The same Google search shows that many customers have had the same issue, and the same headaches trying to get them to supply a valid registration code for *NEW* softare.

Rating:
Summary: Save Your money Don't Buy This Junk!!!
Review: If you are thinking about buying A Sybex software product please read below......
.
Sybex Cert manual are very useful.... Don't assume the same of their software!!!! Sybex software is junk and useless!

I had problems with the activation code as some of the people leaving comments here. SYBEX encodes all their product with a over protective licensing scheme, the first several pages of their manual are dedicated to talking about how to install and deinstall your one license.

In order to use the software they require registration via web or phone. In my case, the registration number did not come in the factory sealed package and there was no customer support during the weekend. Then when I was able to contact Sybex, I was told they could do nothing for me.

I will not longer buy any of their software products. And if you do not want to lose your money do the same.


Rating:
Summary: Network+ complement? yes, but Overpriced!
Review: To be honest I was expecting more from this product for the price I paid. In my opinion it was overpriced and the content is helpful and nice structured but still, not worth [the price]... The exercises are different style like for example, you have to grab the term and drop it in its correspondent spot to the right side, in others you just select the answer for a certain question by clicking a button, and others are fill in the blanks style. One thing I noticed is that when you fill in the blanks the scoring engine is quite picky. If you enter a term such as NDS you will get it wrong because the engine wants you to type Novell Directory Services although the spaced provided is not that long, kind of stupid isn't it? There is no way of knowing how the program wants you to answer to its questions. Another thing I saw is that if you select the "Select only once per question" mode and go over the question suddenly, when you grab the question and drop it where it should go, a message will pop up and tell you that you can only select once per question in this mode in spite that it is in fact, your first try. This is just annoying and made me change the mode of the exercises. I think Sybex developers should've paid more attention to these details because not all users are equal and not all will be willing to put up with these things. To conclude this, the material found in these labs is good and because of it I gave it 3 stars but the price of the product plus these minor nuisance will only earn it a 2 star rating. I recommend this material only if you are in a hurry to pass the test or if you don't mind paying the advertised price plus the minor problems I mentioned, otherwise wait for an updated version of this program or go find another book to complement you preparation.

Take care people.

Rating:
Summary: Problems with product activation
Review: Today I received my copy of Network+ Virtual Lab. So far I'm not too pleased. It seems that Sybex in an over zealous attempt to copy protect their product has caused some real problems. Before I could use the program, I had to install the license and I was asked for a Product ID code. This is supposed to be on a sticker on the CD jewel case. However, Sybex has inadvertently left this off on many copies which they have already shipped. I called Sybex and eventually was given a phone number to call to get a product ID. I then had to prove my purchase and they emailed me a product ID code. I then used the code to activate the product and the activation process caused my very stable Windows 2000 computer to crash and crash hard. After several attempts(and reboots) I finally figured out that I could avoid a crash if I shutdown Zone Alarm first. Now I could proceed with the activation but I get a message that says my product ID is invalid. After another call and wait I was told by tech support that this product must be installed on drive C: and it must be run from the Desktop icon, not the Program menu. I had installed onto drive D: and I was using the Program Menu. Two big mistakes. Can you believe this? I uninstalled the Sybex program, rebooted, reinstalled it on drive C:, started the program from the Desktop Icon as I had been instructed and I had the exact same problem as before. "An invalid Product ID code was entered. Try again". For kicks, I installed the software on another computer and it also had the exact same problem. It appears that Sybex gave me an invalid product ID code. I called tech support again and they insisted that they tried the code on their server and it worked. We then tried a manual license install and that also resulted in a invalid code error message. By then it was closing time for Sybex tech support and they are going to contact me tomorrow and we'll try something else. I may or may not get this software to run. Regardless of that, I feel Sybex is making it to too hard for their honest customers to use their software. The software must be activated and one has to have web access or call Sybex to do this. If you want to put it on your laptop and your home computer, you have to uninstall the license and go through the activation process again on the other computer. Maybe this isn't too bad when it works. But in my case it doesn't. I've wasted more time on this then it's worth. I probably won't buy another Sybex CD trainer product.