Rating: 
Summary: This book was just ok; CD was not...!
Review: I would recommend this as a 3rd or 4th source but not as an only source for 70-270 exam preparation...CD was substandard...first of all, PrepLogic was only demo version without any provisions to discount the full version upgrade and the book pdf is a very poor image copy without any index so it is semi-useless. For me eBooks have become my main way of using reference material and this one is very poorly done to the extent of forcing me to the hard copy. Here's the real test...after close examination, would I still buy this book? NO I would not but if you prefer to read hardcopy, maybe it's for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Great one stop shop
Review: Lays out a clear roadmap for test preparation providing helpfull tips, real world examples and many external tools and informational sources. Self assessment section spells out the ideal baseline of knowledge and strategies to achieve this and successfully pass the 70-270.
Rating:
Summary: WinXP Pro for Pros!
Review: Okay, I'll admit it, I bought this book mostly 'cause I wanted to maybe brush up here and there just to make sure I got a decent score on the test. I really thought I was the man where WinXP was concerned. I do registry tweaking how-tos for a PC site, I've done troubleshooting and repair for MS products since the 80s. I've gone well past the realms of the new user... I picked up this book, and after getting through the standard stuff about what to expect from the test, the book then got deep into the kind of things you can expect as a network administrator. Stuff I haven't really had to deal with since the company I worked for went under (back in the days when Win NT servers and 98 terminals were all the rage). Trust me, if you haven't had to spend a lot of time SERIOUSLY networking WindowsXP, get this book. It probably saved me over 100 bucks for the retest as it is. Oh, and by "Seriously Networking" Windows XP, I don't mean a home network with a DSL setup, or maybe a small office with a 5-port Router. I mean stuff like what authentication should be used on a VPN running L2TP/IPSEC. It'll be a few before I head down to take the test. I've had pretty good luck with Exam Cram's books for my last couple certifications. I also recently added another Exam Cram book for my Server+ studies, and it's already covered a lot of ground my more expensive MS-press guide did not. As for the benefits of this test, an O/S certification is almost a requirement these days. My Comptia certifications alone wouldn't have gotten me hired at my last job, if it hadn't been for my previous experience, I'd have been up the proverbial creek. Also, Microsoft lets you "in" as a MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional), and you get access to more Windows Info. In this day and age, the more knowledge you have, the better off you are.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is pretty good
Review: Overall, this book is pretty damn good, and I learned a lot more about Windows XP than I knew before preparing for the exam, but the book could use some improvement.
1. The book covers many topics, but leaves some details out in specific cases. Some of these details were on the exam, and I only got them right because I had experience with them. One of the questions on the exam, (wasn't coverered in the book), but I had read an article in Windows & .NET magazine, and implemented it at our site.
2. The Prep-logic practice exam that came on the CD kind of sucked. It asked three questions about running a telnet server on your Windows XP machine??? I was kind of freaking out since I waited until the last minute to take the practice test. So like an idiot, I went online and purchased the full thing from Prep-Logic website. After taking another practice test, I felt a lot better, but I would doubt that any official MS exam has anything on it about running a telnet server. Also on the REAL exam, the questions are much more complicated than the Prep-Logic ones.
3. The book and the Prep-Logic Exam seem to conflict on a couple of ideas. Everyone seems to have their own theory of the correct page file size. I was always taught that Inital Size = 1.5 x Physical RAM and Maximum Size = 3 x Physical RAM. The book claims that the initial and the max should be the same. The prep-logic exam doesn't really say, but it did say that the max should never be over 2.5 x. I found a page on Microsoft that also claims the correct is what I was originally taught. Who knows??? The good news is I passed the test and with some room to spare, and I probably wouldn't have been able to without this book, hands-on-experience, and some extra exams. Although, next time I won't be purchasing Prep-Logic.
Rating:
Summary: I passed!!.......but
Review: Overall, this book is pretty damn good, and I learned a lot more about Windows XP than I knew before preparing for the exam, but the book could use some improvement.
1. The book covers many topics, but leaves some details out in specific cases. Some of these details were on the exam, and I only got them right because I had experience with them. One of the questions on the exam, (wasn't coverered in the book), but I had read an article in Windows & .NET magazine, and implemented it at our site.
2. The Prep-logic practice exam that came on the CD kind of sucked. It asked three questions about running a telnet server on your Windows XP machine??? I was kind of freaking out since I waited until the last minute to take the practice test. So like an idiot, I went online and purchased the full thing from Prep-Logic website. After taking another practice test, I felt a lot better, but I would doubt that any official MS exam has anything on it about running a telnet server. Also on the REAL exam, the questions are much more complicated than the Prep-Logic ones.
3. The book and the Prep-Logic Exam seem to conflict on a couple of ideas. Everyone seems to have their own theory of the correct page file size. I was always taught that Inital Size = 1.5 x Physical RAM and Maximum Size = 3 x Physical RAM. The book claims that the initial and the max should be the same. The prep-logic exam doesn't really say, but it did say that the max should never be over 2.5 x. I found a page on Microsoft that also claims the correct is what I was originally taught. Who knows??? The good news is I passed the test and with some room to spare, and I probably wouldn't have been able to without this book, hands-on-experience, and some extra exams. Although, next time I won't be purchasing Prep-Logic.
Rating:
Summary: Balter and Melber Have Done It Again.
Review: The clarity of the writing and explanations is masterful. This book is a classic. Finally, all the newest Microsoft features explained coherently. (And all the not-so-new ones explained, too). This is the book that makes you say: "Oh, now I get it !"
Rating:
Summary: Vast coverage small lack of detial
Review: This book covers a lot of what you need to know to pass the exam, the reason I purchased this book was because I have purchased several exam cram 2 books recently and have enjoyed the wealth of advanced material found within those books and ive been using windows XP for a long time and didn't feel the need for a basic book. And typically exam cram books go into granular detail about some advanced topics and the reading is pretty much enjoyable. Sadly that is not the case with this book =\, this book is basically a dry read. Id guess half the book is just showing directions on how to open something up ( in insane step by step detail!!! ), and at the same time the book seems to cover all you need to know about TCP/IP in 2 full pages! Basically the exam wants you to know a lot about GPO / Active Directory / Shares / networking and so on which isn't given too much detail in this book. Luckily im going for my MCSE and have some windows 2003 server books ( MS press self training series ) to review some AD concepts. As im already network+ a+ ccna etc certified I could make do with this book easily. However if you are using this as your only book and this will be your first exam and you haven't taken a formal networking class or windows server class I would highly recommend getting an book on active directory and GPO ( any of the msce titles should suffice ) and for networking the exam cram network+ is an amazingly good read! And will help you breeze through the exam. But if you have taken windows server courses and networking classes at a college or self study then by all means just buy this book read it once take the practice tests in the back of the book ( and on CD ) and you will easily pass the test ( I studied for all of 1 week ).
Rating:
Summary: Another excellent Exam Cram 2 book
Review: This book does a great job preparing you for the 70-270 exam. It covers all objectives and does so in extensive detail. The writing is concise and easy to understand. If I had to pick a flaw, I would say there aren't enough practice questions. Get some extra practice exams from somewhere else and you can't fail.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book But Not Enough Alone
Review: This book was excellent as sort of a last week read quick and pick up the things that you forgot sort of thing. This book by no means covers every detail that you will need to know. I purchased this in a combo pack with the extra prep-logic questions which I found to be great. I think the key to any of these Microsoft Tests is a little bit of studying and of course some hands on work with their products. Passed with an 873.
Rating:
Summary: Packed with useful info
Review: This is my first Exam Cram book. It's packed with useful information, so much so that I read it twice. It's not only valuable for the taking the exam, I think it'll serve as a useful reference tool as well. The book starts out with some very useful info about the certification exam. The practice questions throughout the book are great for checking comprehension before moving on to the next section. And the sample test and CD work well for exam preparation. The only challenge is absorbing everything in the book. I haven't read any other exam preparation books on XP Pro to compare this to. I don't see any reason to.
| 
