Rating: 
Summary: not for beginners
Review: I found the book more like a user manual. The book does not discuss or gives examples like the sybex book I used for my NT 4.0. However, if you have the patience, the book teaches you all about Windows 2000 Pro.Another thing I like about the book is that there is no mention of NT 4.0. Some Windows 2000 books in the market are face lift of their NT 4.0 editions. But not this one. This book was written from ground up. But this lack of NT 4.0 Coverage can be another hurdle for new NT specialist. You will try in vain to look up the Windows 2000 equivalent of an NT 4.0 feature. NO CD-ROM with the book ! I found the book helpful, but if you can, wait for the other publishers who are famous for their self study guides.
Rating: 
Summary: Adequate Training Manual
Review: I have not used the Microsoft Press training books since studying for the NT 3.51 and SMS 1.2 tests. (I used the study guides from other publishers (Sybex and IDG Books) to study for most of the tests in the course of getting my MCSE.) Quite frankly, I only bought the MS Press Win2K books because there were no other alternatives at the time. Note that Microsoft has changed the content of the Win2K tests to try to weed out the so-called "paper MCSEs". In doing so, a number of items on the test are network troubleshooting questions and the like that are more easily answered by the IT engineer with some actual experience under his/her belt. These kinds of questions are not covered in the MS Press Win2K Professional training kit. It does, however, present most of the Win2K Pro information you might be asked about during the test. There are areas that I feel the training kit brushes over too briefly such as Infra red and other wireless devices, but you're expected to supplement the info from the training kit with product help files, TechNet, the Resource Kit and experience with the product. I have started reading the MS Press Win2K Server training kit and have discovered that it covers some of the same material as the Win2K Pro kit in more detail, so you may want to get and read both Pro and Server kits before taking the 70-210 test. Aside from the dry "put-you-to-sleep" writing style that is common with many of these types of books (not exclusively MS Press, either) the only other quibble I have is that (with the exception of the chapter on RAS) there is no or very little mention of or comparison with the Win NT4 Workstation product. There is some new terminology and new ways of doing old tasks in Win2K Pro, and I think such comparisons would help those readers who are already familiar with the NT4 WS product. Finally, this is a book geared towards preparing you to pass the 70-210 test. I would not use this book as a reference on Win2K Pro because of the lack of in-depth coverage on some features and concepts. If you're looking for a reference book, try the MS Press Win2K Pro Resource Kit or any of a number of books from other publishers that should be cropping up like weeds over the coming months. Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Hope you found it useful.
Rating:
Summary: Good book for MCSE candidate, not so good for learning Win2k
Review: I like the book, but it was not the right book for me. I am new to Win2K and wanted to dive in. This book really did not do that for me. It is good, though because the chapters are consise, the exercises are good, and it is an easy read. However, I think I would have been happier buying Mark Minasi's or Peter Norton's books.
Rating: 
Summary: MCSE Training Kit Windows 2000 Professional
Review: I passed the certification test with no problem. This is a very good book and covers all the material you need to pass. It is however written on a college level. If you are not a good reader this is not the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money unless your not serious.
Review: I'd have to disagree with the reviewers that have stated that reading this book alone is inadequate to pass the exam. I read it over the course of the day before I took the exam and did fine -- this was my only study source. I had never taken a Microsoft test before the WIN2K Pro exam, but I have been working with Windows 2000 (mostly with Server/IIS) for a little over a year. Truthfully, either this book nailed everything I needed to know in a format that was easy to understand and remember or I ought to be a bit disappointed with the simplicity of Microsoft's Windows 2000 MCP certification exams. The book presupposes some basic I.T. and networking knowledge and acronyms, but I did not find it to be utterly hostile to novices, as some other readers have implied. I would insist that the material presented here is relevant -- at least 90% of the questions that I got on the exam were covered in adequate detail in this book.
Rating:
Summary: This will get you by...
Review: I'd have to disagree with the reviewers that have stated that reading this book alone is inadequate to pass the exam. I read it over the course of the day before I took the exam and did fine -- this was my only study source. I had never taken a Microsoft test before the WIN2K Pro exam, but I have been working with Windows 2000 (mostly with Server/IIS) for a little over a year. Truthfully, either this book nailed everything I needed to know in a format that was easy to understand and remember or I ought to be a bit disappointed with the simplicity of Microsoft's Windows 2000 MCP certification exams. The book presupposes some basic I.T. and networking knowledge and acronyms, but I did not find it to be utterly hostile to novices, as some other readers have implied. I would insist that the material presented here is relevant -- at least 90% of the questions that I got on the exam were covered in adequate detail in this book.
Rating:
Summary: 25 Chapters, 25 Authors
Review: I'm convinced that MSPress comissioned 25 authors to each write a chapter and then come together for the book. The chapters show little (if any) continuity and the layout is questionable at best. For instance - Installation is covered in Chapter 2, but deployment (network and unattended installs) aren't covered until Chapter 23. Hardware is covered in Chapter 4 but you need to wait until Chapter 25 for the Device Manager! HUH? What were they thinking? The material is also too verbose for basic concepts, and way too high level for the more technical concepts. If this is your only study guide, then I weep for your future. In the end - don't do it. Yes, it's MS. Yes, it's from the mouths of babes. But just because it comes from the same company as the OS doesn't mean it's the definitive guide. This book just isn't worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutly Worthless
Review: If your buying this book in order to study for MCSE test 70-210, don't bother. I read this book through and through, and although the information contained therein is relevant to day to day activities, it misses almost all subjects on the test by a long shot. I had everything in this book memorized, and have failed the test twice. I'd wait to buy the exam cram (Coriolis) and the exam notes (sybex) books.
Rating:
Summary: Microsoft books and Certification Track
Review: In Windows NT exams I tried to read some of the preparing materials that were released by MS press but at that time I found them so complicated to be a source for taking an exam. With the new windows 2000 I picked up this book and found that it is much focused on the exam objectives. One thing you should know and keep in mind "I passed it today" this books is not enough as the only resource to pass the exam but it would be a very good point to start studying.
Rating:
Summary: Good start-up but real experienced is needed...
Review: Just passed 070-210 with 660 (620 required) , new test is not easy . Each question is intended to measure if your understanding of win2k pro concept is accurate or not. For example ,in the test , there will be many question that your need to relocate your server to enable your win2k pro installation to succeed . This book covers all topic in the test . BUT what this book describe for only a paragraph or less will appear in the 70-210 test, for example Smartcard , authentication protocol for dial-in , etc. I found some error in this book : - description for mmc user/author mode does not match with mmc real screen.
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