I'm still trying to get through the first book 2 years later. But what's the hurry? I can always start my training tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow...

Seriously, though, these books look a lot like the ones I used to study for my first MCSE, on NT4. Full of most of what you need to pass the exam, plus a lot of junk you don't. I think they're an attempt to trick/force you into learning enough to be more than a paper MCSE while soaking up enough info to pass the test.

The "knowledge" contained herein is no substitute for real world experience, but is daunting to tackle even for a seasoned professional. If you really know computers, and just want test info, I'd recommend something like the Transcender exams instead.

I have just gone through the 70-291 and 70-298 books, and went through this one ..... and was gravely dissapointed.. I felt like I was reading the same material as I just finished.. So with that said, I believe if you are going for tests, and you already own 70-291 and 70-298 there is no reason to go out and get the MSPress of 70-293 since the material would have already been covered...

I got a copy of the MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit: Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Core Requirements, Exams 70-290, 70-291, 70-293, 70-294.I was very upset when I noticed that one of the books had a huge tear on the back cover. When you pay $200.00 for brand new books, in a sealed state they should be new when you take them out of the box , not dirty and beat up. Get it together Amazon.

I got a copy of the MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit: Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Core Requirements, Exams 70-290, 70-291, 70-293, 70-294.I was very upset when I noticed that one of the books had a huge tear on the back cover. When you pay $200.00 for brand new books, in a sealed state they should be new when you take them out of the box , not dirty and beat up. Get it together Amazon.

All you need to know to sort out the 90% of the Administration issues in the every day administrator's life. Must have.

All you need to know to sort out the 90% of the Administration issues in the every day administrator's life. Must have.

One would think that a Microsoft Press book would be better edited; more technically detailed and have more thogrough explanations. But one would be wrong if they thought so. Microsoft, it seems to this reader, slapped together this study guide to make a couple of extra bucks or to just keep the writers busy. The level of user experience listed in the guides as a prerequisite for taking the MCSE exams is greater than the level that the books are geared for. If one has the prerequisite level of experience recommended in the guides then these books will be well below your experience level. However if you are very new to Active Directory and server environments this study guide will give you a fair introduction.
I will say this about Planning and Maintaining Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure by Craig Zacker, Mr. Zacker does not have any MS certifications which does not induce a lot of confidence of the author, and omits lots of really important technical information that is very relevant to planning a network, especially his descriptions of TCP/IP planning and sub netting. I noticed several typos and even some incorrect lab answers in each of the books.
All of the labs and diagnostic procedures are done the Microsoft way, which occasionally is not the way that things are done in the real world.
Trancender tests are ok, but Testking prep tests are way better.

One would think that a Microsoft Press book would be better edited; more technically detailed and have more thogrough explanations. But one would be wrong if they thought so. Microsoft, it seems to this reader, slapped together this study guide to make a couple of extra bucks or to just keep the writers busy. The level of user experience listed in the guides as a prerequisite for taking the MCSE exams is greater than the level that the books are geared for. If one has the prerequisite level of experience recommended in the guides then these books will be well below your experience level. However if you are very new to Active Directory and server environments this study guide will give you a fair introduction.
I will say this about Planning and Maintaining Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure by Craig Zacker, Mr. Zacker does not have any MS certifications which does not induce a lot of confidence of the author, and omits lots of really important technical information that is very relevant to planning a network, especially his descriptions of TCP/IP planning and sub netting. I noticed several typos and even some incorrect lab answers in each of the books.
All of the labs and diagnostic procedures are done the Microsoft way, which occasionally is not the way that things are done in the real world.
Trancender tests are ok, but Testking prep tests are way better.

Great book set for learning Windows 2003 technology and preapring for the MS Certification. It has a lot of details and pictures for each module. I also like the exericises.

I bought this set a few years back. It consists of four books, one for each of the exams, and a resource cd. While this is an okay set, I was surprised by how little actual information there is with so many books and so many pages. Ultimately, this is not what I ended up using regularly for studying. What I use regularly for studying is Stanek's MCSE Core Exams and Stanek's Windows Server 2003 Inside Out. I use the core exams book for studying and when I have a question or need more indepth, I refer to the other one. Either way, I don't see how this could be used as an only resource (I don't think any single resource could prepare one for the exams either.) At any rate, a combination of resources is what is getting me through: 70-290 done, now I've got 70-291, 70-293 and 70-294 to go.

great certification tool!!!
but u will need also transcenders for exam preparation. contact me on my gmail account (certstuff). i will send u a list of transcenders i can sell u, 10$ each one. thnks

It is a very usefull package, I recommended for all who wants to bye specialy through Amazon

It is a very usefull package, I recommended for all who wants to bye specialy through Amazon

I was not really surprized by the quality of the products , because Amazon.com have been always doing the best to deliver good products to thier customers. i was really surprized by the delivering time, because i expected it will be later than the expected schedule. the products came in a good shape to the specified P.O Box address with no difficulties.

thank you and i hope i can buy again from Amazon.com

When it comes to certification preparation books, the Microsoft Press series are the worst (with the exception of the 70-298 exam guide by Roberta Bragg, it was really great). This set is filled with useless information and step-by-steps that you can get free through the whitepapers at Microsoft's website. If I were you, I'd go with the Sybex or McGraw-Hill (Osborne) study guides for most of your Microsoft exams.

-Tom Carpenter, Author: Wireless# Certification Official Study Guide and CWSP Certification Official Study Guide

I own several MCSE books that i purchase as a supplement to an instructer led course. I found the books very dry and hard to follow compared to a few other highly rated books like the ones from Mark Minasi. Also there were several typos and several inaccuracies. Some what surpriseing seeing as the book comes from MS itself.

After goin through the books and then takeing the test i found that there were several things that the books either didnt go into detail about or were non existant.

The practice tests are "ok" at best, but like the books, numerous inaccuracies were found once again as well as missing pieces of the questions. If you want great practice tests and are willing to pay, Testking has some of the best.

Bottom line, dont depend on just these books to pass the test if you have little to no experience with MS OS's.

I'm frustrated with the labs. Like the previous legit review said, these books are setup in a way that forces you to attend the classes. As for all the bogus 5 star reviews and their thousands of other reviews, thanks for selling me a lemon.

this product is awesome,but ull need extra help to get cert.
you can get more help in this link
(getcert's POST)

http://www.mcse.ms/message2132798.html

thanks

I ordered in the Self-Paced Training Kit from Amazon.com and according to Amazon's guidelines and shipping information, there was no hidden costs, and the product arrived exactly when it was supposed to. I was very pleased with the order and will be ordering more products as well.

I ordered in the Self-Paced Training Kit from Amazon.com and according to Amazon's guidelines and shipping information, there was no hidden costs, and the product arrived exactly when it was supposed to. I was very pleased with the order and will be ordering more products as well.

this product is awesome,but ull need extra help to get cert.
you can get more help in this link
(getcert's POST)

http://www.mcse.ms/message2132798.html

thanks

As with all weighty tomes that sit on your desk in order to impress those around you that you are either learning new stuff or an expert this package doesn't disappoint. It's my first Microsoft 'course' - purchased because I was fed up with the incompetence of those around me, and motivated enough to find out how to setup and fix things myself. Would the books deliver?
Naturally, I don't have a network of PC's laying around on which I can perform the practicals, and I'm not prepared to jeopardise my kit with a 180 day licence for a sub functional version of the product - why the exercises can't be 'simulated' I don't know. So there are gaps where one's imagination has to be quite determined, but the content of the material is very good and already I am feeling more confident in an area where I had little to no experience (I do SAS). So if you like me are fed up with calling helpdesks and never getting things sorted - take the plunge and go for these. I've no intention of taking the exams - well they are a bit of a rip off, I let my CV take care of that but these books provide a clear set of knowledge and information well worth the over priced contribution to messrs. Gates and Co.

One of two texts I used to study for Exams 70-290 and 70-291. The text is well written with good practices and questions. For the more indepth learning I used Windows Server 2003 Inside Out. I did very well on my exams and now have my MCSA. Next I am working toward MCSE and plan to take 70-293 in a few months.

First, I've JUST ordered this set but had the pleasure of already studying through a friend's and wanted my own for future reference.

There was one review where the reviewer claims that Microsoft expects you to have a certain amount of experience in the field in order to understand this material and before they certify you. That just doesn't hold water with me. The books aren't advertised as requiring 1 year hands on experience in order to make sense of the material. Nor does Microsoft expect everyone studying for MCSE to have such hands on experience. Not sure where that reviewer was coming from but it's simply not accurate and it's a poor excuse for some of the obvious mistakes and sometimes vague nature of some of the material.

However, overall I'd say the material will absolutely help you pass the exams if you work through some hands on and also research what you may not understand right away using other resources... especially the internet.

Don't rush through. Take your time...and be realistic about this. You're not going to skim through these books and go pass a bunch of very intense exams. If you expect it to be that simple then you really don't think very highly of those of us in Information Technology who do this for a living.

These books... mixed with patience and diligence will yield the desired results.

First off, these books are study material for certifications that Microsoft states (from the MCSE website):

An MCSE candidate should have at least one year of experience implementing and administering a network operating system in environments with the following characteristics:

* 200 to 26,000 supported users
* Five to 150 physical locations
* Typical network services and applications including file and print, database, messaging, proxy server or firewall, dial-in server, desktop management, and Web hosting
* Connectivity needs including connecting individual offices and users at remote locations to the corporate network and connecting corporate networks to the Internet

In addition, an MCSE candidate should have at least one year of experience in the following areas:

* Implementing and administering a desktop operating system
* Designing a network infrastructure


So, if you don't/can't understand many of the questions these books ask of you, it is because Microsoft assumes you have a fairly extensive background in networking before reading them. I am halfway to my MCSE right now, AND I have a pretty good background in this field and STILL the test questions throw curve balls at me. This is MS's way of making sure you know what you are doing before they certify you. Also, you will get questions that may give you multiple CORRECT answers to choose from. However, the questions will state, "Choose the one that has the least amount of administrative effort" or will assume that you remember a specific sentence that described the so-called "best practice" from the text.

All of this is clearly stated either in the introduction portions of the books or on Microsoft's website. So please... stop bashing these books.

got the books to help/work towards my MCSE. they don't offer much instructional material. there is absolutely no support (even contacting MicroSoft). hopefully i'll be able to get enough info from the books to pass the test.

This product is just what you need to study for the 2003 MCSE. Who better to learn from about Microsoft than Microsoft Press?

I am only just getting started with this Kit and am 5 Chapters into the 70-290 Exam book. The Server 2003 Evaluation copy is great and I used a WinXP machine and a roll over cable and I have the needed network to do all the Exercises. Then the problems start. There are MANY errors and typos in the Exercises. They constantly use ? instead of ". They also have you run command line scripts that DO NOT work that the chapter just got done explaining to you why they won't work (and knowing that it is not suppose to be part of the exercise). They also have you run commands from the command prompt and forget to tell you that you need to be in the Root of C:\

If you have experience you will troubleshoot your way through the exercises. If not, you will probably give up. I ordered the Sybase books for exams 70-290 and 70-291 before I finished chapter 2. I will continue to drudge through until they get here. There is very good information MOST of the time.

Come on Microsoft; Proof your text and Excercises for functionality before going to press.

I think the books are very good. I am an MCSE currently upgrading my certifications. I dont know why some people are bashing these books, they are detailed, contain labs, practice questions and even a copy of server 2003 Enterprise. I am using these books in addition to Selftest exam sims. If you can find a better self-paced training kit for less I want to know about it.

I am an MCT/MCSE/MCBDA and have read scores of technical books.

Don't let the fact that it's Microsoft Press fool you.
These books are shallow and do not offer the depth of information needed to pass these exams. There is no continuity between the books either. I read someone's comment posted below that said they had trouble with some of the technologies because the technologies are new to them. That is not the case; the fact is you are having trouble with the concepts because these books are horrible.

Craig Zacker - The author of two of these books is not even an MCP! This guy couldn't pass these exams if his life depended on it.

To sum up these books are shallow, plagued with inaccuracies, and have horrible explanations of many important concepts.

With these books you probably won't pass the exams, and you certainly won't be able to perform the job function of a systems engineer.

I am currently undertaking my MCSE 2003. I am using this set of books along with Transcender Practice Exams. So far, I have passed exams 70-290 and 70-294 using these books. They are sufficiently detailed and test your knowledge by end of chapter reviews/questions and a readiness review suite of questions at the end of the book. Along with this, there are also MeasureUp practice exams included on a CD that is included as well. Although I find these practice exams much more in depth and detailed as to what you will find in the actual exam (hence my recommendation to purchase the Transcender practice exams which are closer to the mark), they do ensure that you really do know your stuff. I managed to pass the 70-290 exam without any knowledge of Windows Server 2003 and studying for only three weeks using these books and Transcender.

I bought these books to prepare for the 2003 exams. I can't believe how shallow, and poorly written these books are. The practice exams are a joke, the material and the technical coverage of the books are for novices. If you don't know how to create a user or a group in AD, then these books are for you. But, don't expect to sit the exam and pass based on these books. If you think you can use these books as reference, then think again.

Earlier editions of the Microsoft Training Kits were not particularly thorough, well written, or real world. The three volumes I've used in these new editions, though, 290, 291, 294, are 100% IMPROVED. First, they are EXCELLENT as learning tools (I really wonder why others believe that they're too brief. And they include real-world case studies that did not exist in the earlier editions. But the best part of this new series is the extras, especially the exam practice and test prep information, READINESS REVEIW. This gives you the value of a "study guide" plus an entire "exam cram" type book. With the 10% exam discount vouchers and the eval software,this is a great package!

The only good thing about Microsoft Press is the trial software provided. It gives you the opportunity to get some hands on practice on your home computer.

The usfulness of this libary has beaten my expectations. As i ordered this libary, i thought that this books is extremely technical and that the topics are discussed more difficult that they really are, so that i would be more confused instead of trained after reading. I thought first that i therfore would use it only as a reference instead of a training kit in the case that i can't find the answer to a technical question in other books.

After i read a few pages in these books, i was suprised of the high quality as a training book. The different, rather difficult topics are explained in a very easy, good understandable and easy to follow manner. The learning process is very well-balanced. After i've realized that, i had used this books as my primary training kit and successfully passed the exams mainly with the help of this books.

I can highly recommend this libary to anyone who is learning for the MCSE Server 2003. Of course, to sucessfully pass the exams, there is also the need for a lot of practical experience. You cannot just read the books and then think that you can pass the exams without problems if you do not have the appropriate experience.

For me, this libary was one of the key parts to successfully pass the exams. And if i can do it - you can do it too.

After passing both Comptia criteria electives, MCSE was next in line. I chose these books for the 6 month evaluation copy of Server 2003 which is indubitably essential 'hands on' before the required examinations.

Unfortunately these books are full of intellectual goobledegook - not geekspeak. I believe this was a deliberate attempt to confuse the reader. 2003's nature is an intuitive NOS - not that complicated.

To be fair it is stated that you need over 12 months experience of installing maintaining Windows in order to start this course: yet from the start the authors fall short of any explanations of the "what's and why's" of 2003 environment; instead they compiled a short list of facts.

In comparison the previous Windows 2000 server manuals [by microsoft] demand the same credentials yet are packed with charts details and easy to understand explanations. I contrasted each chapter of Windows manuals, ONLY the 2000 manuals are self explanatory.

Note: 2003 is just a souped up version of 2000...

This is given 3 stars, for its evaluations cd - 6 months of hands on will prepare me for the Windows Server 2003 exams. Also its logical step by step instructions covering all areas from setup and advanced configurations.

I will need other books before taking the MCSE though...

Like all the other books from MS Press, they do their best to let you fail the exam. The topic covered in the book usually not well balanced or deep enough to gain knowledge.

Buy some publishedr book which is well target for certificate exam.

I really wonder if the people who have reviewed a few hundred books and wrote a review of this even read the books. I was shocked to go back after purchasing this bookset to reread the reviews that led me to purchase this set. When I read the reviews I also noticed how many other books some of these people read. I thought wow, they must read all day. Their reviews were nothing but glowing.
A friend of mine claims this book set is designed to force people into taking classes, I must agree with him. The chapter reviews contain questions that were not presented in the section. The companion CD has test questions that also contain questions that are not covered in these books. Every time I found these questions I had to question my own abilities. I asked others to prove me right. To further compound the difficulties were the format of the questions. In some questions the correct answer(s) was the "best practice(s)", this would exclude some answers as being not proper even though correct. Other questions had just the opposite and required any possible even though not a "best practice" response.
My point is that if you have only these books to help you pass the expensive tests then you might consider some classes. I don't feel that this set will allow you to pass the tests without a lot of other studying. I would hate to think that some people pass the test by learning the question pool instead of learning the subject matter. I claim to be no expert in any subject. I am sure I can get trained and certified despite the curves thrown to me with this set with a lot of extra effort and training matter. Thank you for your time.

They just can't call it self-preparement guides - maybe exam-review or something like that. I saw many self-prep guides, these are the worst. For example, 70-290 is ~350 pages long. Book is split onto two parts. Only half of the book has been dedicated to well structured but very brief concepts. Another half is just hardcopy of the same questions that included in the CD. This is what I cant understand. Seems like somebody was so lazy that day and just wanted to puff up the book's size, fill it with something. Although test quesions is ok and there are some nice case studies, the overall picture is poor.

The test if pretty hard and you'll never pass it only with this book - you'll have to buy something additional or spend time and tons of paper finding and printing appropriate topics from help and Technet - keep it in mind when buying these books.

You will need this kit. The Evaluation 2003 Server installation alone is critical to your success. The books themselves are quite long, have a technical tone, and aren't light reading. That being said, they are extremely valuable and filled with good information. If you are an entry level student, plan on spending many quiet hours with the study kit. Make sure you install the 2003 Server Eval. copy. Make sure you do all the exercises, whether you feel like it or not. When you are reading you will want to follow along on your test machine, even when you are not instructed to do so. I have found that the only reliable way to learn the material is by repetition of performing tasks, as much as necessary until it becomes second nature.

Read at least one more book from another author before taking the test. Using multiple books is a must in my opinion. Different books provide different points of view on the test material. Its the difference between seeing a statue, and taking a walk around a statue.

Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't pass your first test. I didn't pass my first test and I remember feeling pretty disappointed as well. Most people don't pass their first test, even the 'experts.' The Windows 2000 tests were harder than the NT tests, and from what I can tell the Windows 2003 tests seem to be harder than the 2000 tests. It should be some comfort to consider that the difficulty of test is going to have an effect on the number of people that get certified. Simply put, you are starting to realize how valuable the MCSE certification will be when you get it.

A warning; in the introduction you are told that these books and this certification are for IT Professionals with an extended period of on the job experience. Its easy to gloss over this, but they aren't kidding. You should probably have a CompTIA A+ level of PC knowledge or the equivalent. Without breaking my MS confidentiality agreement, I can say that you will be expected to have a strong foundation in networking and systems administration. You will need to be able to troubleshoot networked environments and you will need to have, at least in the beginning, an understanding of subnetting. Lets be honest, you can't talk about troubleshooting a networked environment for very long at all without touching some aspect of subnetting and routing.

Also, and this is important, the MS Books don't like to repeat themselves. If they tell you how to do something, they don't like to tell you again. You may find yourself in Chapter 10 and being told to perform a complex operation that you learned about in Chapter 2. Basically, if you don't have the prerequisite knowledge, they aren't going to help you find it. You won't have your hand held through the learning process. But keep in mind, these books have a target audience; experienced and employed Windows Technicians.

Its seems like I have been highly critical of the MS Press study kit, but really I'm just trying to convey that the target audience is very narrow. If you take the books for what they are, I think you will find them exceptionally usefull.

The question is not whether or not you will need the Study Kit: you will certainly need it. The question is whether or not you are prepared to commit to the certification challenge.

I read every page of these books, the readiness review sections and all 430 practice questions. I felt very confident going in to the first test that I had a mastery of the concepts taught in the books. Problem is...the exam covers many topics which are not covered by these books. I cannot recall the exam verbatim but do remember the test included questions on subnetting, compostion of .vbs scripts, and webdav, NONE of which are covered in these books.

What the books do teach they teach in an easily comprehendable way. They do a good job of reinforcing the concepts they teach through the included readiness review section and practice questions on CD.

Just the sheer number of practice questions alone makes it worthwhile to buy this set from Microsoft but adding the 15% off exam fee discount voucher makes it really hard to resist buying this set. If you actually take all 4 exams and buy this set from Amazon, your cost is 60% off the list price! But after comparing the number of practice questions from other vendors, I found that it is definitely worth buying this set.

Even though these books are intended to train you in the Windows Server 2003 Operating System, I found that it is better to have either 'Windows Server 2003 Administrator's Companion' from Microsoft or 'Mastering Windows Server 2003' from Sybex as a reference guide and use this set mostly for review and exam preparation. After comparing the two reference books, I found the book from Sybex to be better as its coverage is more extensive than the book from Microsoft.

The four exams covered in this set are 'Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment', 'Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure', 'Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure', and 'Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure'. They are exams 70-290, 70-291, 70-293, and 70-294 respectively.

The books are made of very thin paper and are all paperback editions. This makes it easy to carry the individual books around. This is especially important considering that there are 4000 pages in the whole set and imagine what the hardcover editions with heavy paper would feel like! There are 2 CDs that come with the set. One has a 180 day trial version of Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition and the other has the 1500 practice exam questions and several good ebooks. All four books are in searchable and printable electronic formats that are supposed to be Pocket PC-ready. The extra ebooks are 'Microsoft Encyclopedia of Security', 'Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking, Second Edition', and 'Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Sampler'. This last ebook contains excerpts from other Microsoft reference books. But the first two are worth quite a few dollars if you purchase them separately! There are several white papers and miscellaneous software on the second CD-ROM on top of what I already described above.

This training kit assumes that the readers have a minimum of 12 to 18 months of administering Windows technologies in a networked environment and an understanding of Active Directory. I am still looking for a good book on Active Directory Infrastructure.

Each book has its own unique and specific hardware requirements but to illustrate, they recommend that you have two computers to learn from the 70-290 book. One computer needs to have the server installed with a specific name (Server01) and the domain controller in a specific domain. This may make it difficult to use a work computer for training purposes unless your boss lets you have a dedicated computer or these requirements don't affect what's already on the server. The other computer should ideally have a Windows XP client for the optional hands-on exercises.

Each book follows a lesson style format with each chapter having several lessons. Every lesson has an estimated time at the beginning that may not be that accurate depending on your level of experience. Each lesson has several tasks with the concepts and the step by step instructions explained in a easy to understand manner.

Beginners may be able to do okay with the 70-290 book but intermediate to advanced users will definitely be more comfortable with the other three books. I am finding the 70-291 and 70-293 the hardest probably due to my background.

Overall, I think this set is definitely worth purchasing as I haven't run into any good competing books yet. But the price and the number of questions included make it extremely WORTHWHILE to purchase this set. Not to mention the additional free ebooks that you would have to pay for otherwise! If you are planning on taking the MCSA/MCSE exams, definitely get this set. If you are just trying to learn Windows Server 2003 from this set, I believe that there are better books out there. Good luck with your training and exams!

There is a lot of material in these books, and they do a pretty good job at test preparation. They're not perfect however. If you don't plan on actually doing every "Lession" step by step, you probably won't learn everything you need. Personally, it wasn't my favorite way to learn the material. I'm hoping the ExamCram2 series does a better job of it, they always have in the past.

Also if you do not work with Server 2003 , you can learn all you need to use it and pass the 4 core exam. I use Wxp and with the book 275 I learned a lot of useful informations and I passed easily the exam. Now these books are on the same high quality level.