Reviews (20)

Good Resource for XML Editing
I have found "Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft VB.NET" an invaluable tool in XML editor development. It is quite detailed about accessing and manipulating XML data.

More confusing
I was reading it as first book for most of the topics, It was total waste of time to read it.
Very Poorly Written
Judging by the positive reviews, this book must have some merit but it is certainly not in the quality of its writing or its accuracy.Perhaps the editor was reassigned to Longhorn duties.Here are some examples of what you can expect in the first two chapters:
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Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - MCSD    3. Computer Books And Software    4. Computer Networks    5. Computers    6. Computers - Certification    7. Desktop Publishing    8. Electronic data processing per    9. Electronic data processing personnel    10. Examinations    11. Internet - General    12. Internet - World Wide Web    13. Microsoft .NET Framework    14. Microsoft software    15. Programming Languages - Visual BASIC    16. Programming Languages - XML    17. Study guides    18. Tests    19. Computer Programming    20. Computers / Database Management / General    21. World Wide Web (WWW)   

Reviews (40)

Review for Dummies
I have not had the opportunity to use this textbook as of yet, but I have seen of it, it looks Very Good.

Not geared for the CCNA exam
This book is good as a primer if you want consider achieving a CCNA.This book is not good as a study guide for the exam, due to its lack of granularity on most CCNA subjects.

Good primer
This book is a good overview, but do NOT count on it being your only study material for the CCNA exam.I looked at it this way, this book gave me the overview I needed to delve into a textbook-like monster of a text, and not be completely overwhelmed by the terms used and the logic presented.It is an excellent complement to the CCNA Study Guide by Todd Lammle. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - Cisco    3. Certification Guides - General    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computers    6. Computers - Certification    7. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    8. Electronic data processing per    9. Electronic data processing personnel    10. Examinations    11. Internetworking (Telecommunica    12. Internetworking (Telecommunication)    13. Networking - General    14. Networking - Network Protocols    15. Study guides    16. Computer Communications & Networking    17. Computers / Technical Skills   

Reviews (14)

Not perfect, but still a great study tool
Before you do anything, make sure you are looking at the 2nd Edition of this book.If the top of the book does not say "Updated For Windows Server 2003 R2", then this review will probably not be helpful.
Another good one from Sybex
This book is a very good guide if you are looking to take the 70-290 exam. The topics covered align with what is covered on the exam but as always, you should use several sources when preparing for an exam.

A great book, but you will need more references to pass the exam
Sybex books are usually my favourite books for the exam.
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Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - General    3. Certification Guides - MCSE    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computers    6. Computers - Certification    7. Computers - Communications / Networking    8. Electronic data processing personnel    9. Examinations    10. Microsoft Windows (Computer software)    11. Microsoft software    12. Networking - General    13. Study guides    14. Utilities    15. Computing and Information Technology    16. Operating systems & graphical user interfaces (GUIs)    17. Study Aids / Study Guides   

Editorial Review

Every partner company of Cisco Systems needs a number of Cisco-certified people on its staff. While the basic Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam will satisfy basic Cisco requirements, the Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) indicates more rigorous training and greater capability. Job applicants with CCDAs will outshine CCNAs every time. Read more

Reviews (20)

Good for reference but not passing the test (640-861)
Although it contains useful information but does not come close to covering the exam objectives.The new CCDA exam (640-861) tests extensively on design and other topics such as VoIP and IPv6.I read the book cover to cover, went through all the questions at the end, covered the scenarios, but all that prep just wans't enough to cut the mustard.
This book and the exam cover different material
There's a lot of interesting material in this book. It does a good job covering different LAN and WAN technologies, routing protocols and voice over IP technologies. The problem is that it doesn't cover the same material as the exam. I read this book cover to cover and studied until I knew the answers to all of the review questions in the book and on the CD. Then I went and took the test. I was very surprised by the material covered on the test, because it wasn't what I had studied at all.

Completely outdated
The exam has been significantly updated while the resources for it have not. This book is seriously out-of-date compared to the exam, and the exam is the reason you are looking at this book, right?
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Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - Cisco    2. Certification Guides - General    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Computers - Certification    6. Data Processing - General    7. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    8. Electronic Data Processing    9. Networking - General    10. Networking - Network Protocols    11. Computer Communications & Networking    12. Computers / Technical Skills    13. Computing and Information Technology    14. Study guides, home study & revision notes   

Reviews (2)

Average, not more. Cut and paste from 2000 Pro?
I teach at a small college and just gave a course on XP from this book. My impression is that this is a repackaged Windows 2000 Pro book, updated with XP Pro screen shots. Since the two systems are so similiar, this approach works most of the time.
Kibble and bits, no real meat.
With so many unclear and shallow explanations and very little effort in actually teaching, and instead packaging a scrambled mess of facts and information; this book has left me disappointed and unsatisfied.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Operating Systems    4. Networking - General    5. Operating Systems - General    6. Microsoft Windows   

Reviews (68)

Not very technical
This book does not go into the real technical issues.
Textbook is dated, but it'll still help
To begin, let me just say that I recently took my A+ exams and passed using this as my primary study guide. However, it would be important to mention that my scores could have definitely been better. On hardware I got about a 590/900 & OS I got about a 560/900. Passing scores are currently 515 and 505 respectively.
I passed and this book helped a lot!
Even though I have been doing PC Support for the last 4 or 5 years, this year my employers decided I needed to be certified. I bought this book even though it was not the current edition it helped alot. It was a lot of reading but the author inserted some comic relief to help. I studied this book for two weeks and passed my certification tests. It doesn't go into Windows XP enough but it gives you a lot on DOS which believe it or not, I still have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. I would recommend this book to anyone getting started in the pc repair industry. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - General    3. Computer Architecture - Repair & Maintenance    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Science    6. Computer Science (General)    7. Computer technicians    8. Computers    9. Computers - Certification    10. Computing Technology Industry Association    11. Examinations    12. Hardware - General    13. Maintenance and repair    14. Microcomputers    15. Study guides    16. Computer Hardware & Operating Systems    17. Computers / Technical Skills    18. Computing and Information Technology    19. General Theory of Computing   

Reviews (17)

MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD, MCAD Training Guide
The book met the requirements of the course it was being used for... it was how ever a little bit lax on the code portion...when it came to doing the project it left a bit to be desired in clarity of how to build a data base in SQL...

Horrible!!
Why can't authors ever flow through a book in an ordely manner?What is the point of jumping from chapter to chapter?For example, many times through out this book references are being made to up coming chapters about specific topics in chapters that don't belong there.Why do you tell the reader about an up coming topic in a chapter that doesn't belong there and then ask a question about it in the chapter test.Why even make a chapter about that specific topic if your going to include it in a chapter that doesn't belong there?Thats a little redundent!!Also the author likes to give you examples on how to do certain things the right way, and then tests you on something he never covered in the chapter.If the topic has nothing to do with the chapter, do not include in the chapter.If you do include it into a chapter in which it doesn' belong, don't include it into the chapter test.How do you expect the reader to completely understand and answer the question if he or she knows nothing about it?Unless, your wanting the reader to stop what there doing, flip to the chapter and read it, then go back to the previous chapter your testing on just for that one little question that doesn't belong.Rediculous!!

Good, but not as dead on as others in the series
I just passed the 70-229 exam this morning with an 862. My study strategy involved reading this book cover to cover over a 2 week period and taking some uCertify practice exams.
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Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - General    3. Certification Guides - MCSE    4. Computer Books: Database    5. Computers    6. Computers - Certification    7. Database Management - General    8. Database Management - SQL Server    9. Database design    10. Electronic data processing per    11. Electronic data processing personnel    12. Examinations    13. Microsoft software    14. Relational Databases    15. Study Guides    16. Computers / Technical Skills    17. Database software    18. Databases & data structures    19. SQL   

Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - MCSE    2. Computer Bks - Certification    3. Computer Books: Web Programming    4. Computers - Certification    5. Database Management - SQL Server    6. Computers / Networking / General    7. Education   

Reviews (12)

Don't understand all the negative reviews
First off, I purchased this book as I am taking a course in Relational Database Design using Oracle 9i. I had labs to do that involved setting up user accounts, giving/revoking permissions to tables, etc. THe "Complete Reference" didn't have the necessary information--some but not all. This book--the DBA Handbook--had more complete information that quickly gave me me the information that I needed to answer the questions. I must admit that I shyed away from it at the beginning of the course because I read all the negative comments here. But I am glad that my desperation (because the Oracle product documentation was absolutely no help) pushed me to go to nearest Borders to check it out before purchasing it. I am happy with it.

Can Oracle DBAs work with these types of Handbooks?
It is a good compilation of Oracle DBA 9i functionality. When it comes to using for real DBA work, I find it nearly impractical. One can not cover every little detail in a book like this to call it a handbook. With information available from software provider, books need to be written in much simpler manner rather than regrugitating what already exists.
This is NOT a DBA handbook
This book falls far short of being a DBA handbook. It is more useful to someone who needs to "get by" for a few weeks while their DBA is away.
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Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - General    2. Computer Books: Database    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Database Management - General    6. Database Management - Oracle    7. Oracle (Computer file)    8. Relational Databases    9. Computers / Technical Skills    10. Oracle   

Reviews (22)

Good for certification and great for on the job Reference!
My objective in going to the exam was to learn the basics of database and passing the exam was secondary ( i have a fairly well settled job where certification does not matter much).Anyway, No review on certification books is complete without giving a background of your experiences on the subject :
Very good test preperation
To pass those Oracle Exams is hard for a newbie anyways because the hand on experience is missing. I am one of these candidates but I have to say that this book is very helpful to get ready for the test. 95% of the topics needed for the exam are completely in this book and explained in a good understandable way. For the other 5% I have used the original Oracle training documents. After you have passed the exam this book is an awesome reference because topics are divided in a very usefully way and all topics have examples of the SQL commands and dictionary views.

Good Reference
I used this book and ILT Oracle's manual for my preparation.
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Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - General    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Computers - Certification    6. Database Management - General    7. Database Management - Oracle    8. Database management    9. Electronic data processing per    10. Electronic data processing personnel    11. Examinations    12. Professional - General    13. Relational Databases    14. Study Guides    15. Computers / Technical Skills    16. Oracle   

Reviews (10)

Very Helpful
This is the 3rd book I used to help me pass the Exam.First, I bought a big thick one, then a smaller one, and finally this one.The main reason I bought this book was for the questions: 650 practice questions!All the other training books just give you 10 questions per chapter; no way near enough to test someone.However, my suggestion is to not even use the book.Just use the CD that comes with it, becuase it has all the questions from the book, and you can grade your answer instantly instead of having to turn to all different pages.
Frustrating
I'd say about 70% of the book's content is okay. Not an excellent measure of your networking knowledge, but a start. The other 30% is purely fluff. But when you add it all together, this book is 100% frustrating.
Do Not Buy This Book!
I was highly disappointed at the inaccuracy of the questions (min 4/per chapter as another reviewer wrote). I had taken a Net+ class about a year ago and worked 5 yrs in Techsupport so I wanted this to be a refresher. ExamCram test prep showed I was scoring 95 - 98% so I felt confident on taking the exam. When I read the questions on the exam, my heart sank. The book did NOT prepare me for the exam. There were items on there the practice questions didn't cover. Needless to say I didn't pass, am very disappointed in this product and it's going in the trash. Don't make the same mistake I did! Buy another book!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - General    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer networks    5. Computers    6. Computers - Certification    7. Electronic data processing personnel    8. Examinations    9. Microcomputer Networks    10. Networking - General    11. Study guides    12. Tests    13. Computer Communications & Networking    14. Computers / Technical Skills    15. Computing and Information Technology    16. Study guides, home study & revision notes   

Reviews (11)

Awsome Prep Book
All you need to pass the C.N.A. exam 50-653 is the patience to read this book and an understanding of the concepts presented therein.I easily passed the test with a greater than 700 score.I read the book twice and set up my own Novell test network so I could do all the labs, which is probably more than most people need to do. Lots of filler, but all you need to easily pass the test
I passed the 50-653 Netware 5.1 Admin test yesterday with a score of 714/800.Passing was 568/800.This is the only book I used to study, and I can tell you that all of the exam questions referenced things I had learned/remembered from this book.It took me 3 weeks of hard studying, I read it carefully once then reviewed it a second time.

Big improvement in style over previous CNA guides
I give David a 5 on this book.1st off, it has what you need to pass the test, and then some.On top of that, the complaints you've seen about superheroes and long story lines and confusion arising when mixing these stories with Netware information really doesn't apply so much to the 5.1 version of this book.I read his 4.1 and 5.0 CNA versions previously, and that's where the reputation for filler was earned.I was very relieved that he kept it to a minimum in this book, earning him a 5-star from me.I got everything I expected from this book, including a 725 mark (584 to pass) for the test.Install the server from the companion cd and run through the excercises.Makes all the difference in the world.Thanks Dave. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - General    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computer Operating Systems    4. Computers    5. Computers - Certification    6. Local Area Networks (Lan)    7. NetWare    8. Networking - General    9. Networking - Local Area Networks (LANs)    10. Networking - Netware    11. Operating Systems - General    12. Operating systems (Computers)    13. Computers / Technical Skills   

Reviews (16)

Helpful but not comprehensive
I will be honest - I've got about 3 years on the job experience in tech support and I was required to pass A+ as a condition of my current employment.So, I got this book because it had the same goal: pass the test and be done with it.It does it make it quite clear that the authors do not expect this will be your only resource for taking the test.For me, it's all I used (in addition to my hands-on experience).I passed my tests last Friday by a decent margin, and I have to admit that a lot of the questions I saw were practically lifted from the book.My understanding is that those who wrote it have all taken the test and are familiar with the questions asked.
Here's the Latest Update on this book
Okay people, here's the latest information on this book. There is definitely enough information in this book for you to pass the 220-301, the hardware exam.But there is NOT enough info in this book for you to pass the 220-302, the operating system technologies half. Regarding the core hardware exam, this book will teach you everything you need to know to pass..so long as you read, remember and can obsorb the material...and of course it never hurts to supplement your knowledge with other books.
Good review, too long and many errors
Though the book is a good review, it seems to jog wildly off topic for a typical exam cram.My idea of an exam cram is just the information you need to pass the exam.I'm not interested in a history lesson of PC technologies or in-depth discussions of signalling that isn't covered on the exam and isn't used except by hardware engineers.
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Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - A+    3. Certification Guides - General    4. Computer Books And Software    5. Computer Science    6. Computer Science (General)    7. Computer technicians    8. Computers    9. Computers - Certification    10. Data processing    11. Electronic data processing personnel    12. Examinations    13. Study guides    14. Tests    15. Computers / Technical Skills    16. Computing and Information Technology    17. Systems management   

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Communications / Networking    4. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    5. Networking - General    6. Networking - Routers    7. Computer Communications & Networking    8. Computers / Networking / General    9. Computing and Information Technology   

Reviews (3)

I have to agree that this book is very poor
I, too, starting working on computers in 1991 and own dozens of computer review books. "A+ Certification Study Guide, Fifth Edition" by Michael Pastore needs to be removed from circulation.
For the love of God, don't buy this book!
I starting working on computers in 1991 and own over 40 computer review books and without a doubt, "A+ Certification Study Guide, Fifth Edition" by Michael Pastore is the worst I have ever read! This book has a definite potential
Over the past 15 years the one thing that I have noticed about the A+ exam books is that authors covered one section more than another. Another thing I have noticed is that in order to be a useful guide the book has to be written in a logical order and have plenty of exercises. This book is a good tool for the new A+ exams.Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - A+    3. Certification Guides - General    4. Computer Architecture - Repair & Maintenance    5. Computer Bks - General Information    6. Computer Books: Operating Systems    7. Computer Science    8. Computer Science (General)    9. Computer technicians    10. Computers    11. Computers - Certification    12. Data processing    13. Electronic data processing personnel    14. Examinations    15. Study Guides    16. Computer Hardware & Operating Systems    17. Computers / Technical Skills    18. Computing and Information Technology    19. General Theory of Computing   

Reviews (7)

Excellent book
I am a newbie to the IT field. I have no experience whatsoever with WIN2000 products. I am familiar with WIN98SE that is it. So I was a little worried about a self-paced program. I ordered the book. Best decision I could have made. If I find the book easy to follow then you will too. Do I recommend you use this book exclusively to take your test? Of course not. Instructor led classrooms wouldn't and neither should you. However, if you are planning to prepare for the certifications on your own and are willing to use the information available on the WWW or at the library to supplement your studies then I highly recommend this book. I have not taken the test yet. I'm still not ready, but I KNOW that I will do well with the help of this book. Good luck to you in your own studies. We'll be collegues soon enough!

terrible
Common sense tells us that who would know more about a product then it's inventors. Who whould be better to teach us about that product then the inventors. Well Microsoft has not and does not believe in common sense. you rely on this book to pass the test or to know anything pratical about 2000 and buddy you're in for a world of hurt. It leaves out significant details and aspects of 2000 that are need for a complete understanding of 2000. Yes, what little detail and knowledge it prvides are accurate, but they are so few. Old Billy Gates again with a half attempt like everything he does. It seems their idea of common sense is: Well we charge $135 a test and sell the book for $45 and since they'll never pass the test on the first or second try then we'll make a bundle. Save your money and save your time. Buy the Sybex book for preparation for the test.

by FAR, the worst certification book i've ever read
this book is by far the worst certification book i have ever been through.it is not simply worse than the rest, it is orders of magnitude worse.concepts that are glanced over are covered in detail on the test.this happens multiple times.the only reason i passed the test is because of the study questions i practiced with.there is no excuse for not covering the information, since microsoft also wrote the test.they know what is going to be asked.they should cover it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - General    3. Certification Guides - MCSE    4. Certification Guides - Msce    5. Computer Books: Operating Systems    6. Computers    7. Computers - Certification    8. Electronic data processing per    9. Electronic data processing personnel    10. Examinations    11. Microcomputer Operating Environments    12. Microsoft Windows (Computer file)    13. Microsoft software    14. Operating Systems - Windows    15. Operating Systems - Windows 2000    16. Study guides    17. Tests    18. Computers / General    19. Microsoft Windows   

Reviews (3)

Out of touch
After finishing the 70-290 book in the set and taking the exam, I am shocked at how "out of touch" this book is with the actual exam.Topics that were barely touched upon in the book ended up being huge sections in the test and vice versa.I started buying Sybex cert books because of how well the CCNA book was done and how it actually related to the exam.I'm hoping the other books in this kit are a little more up to par.

Good, but you'll need more to pass the tests...
I'm pretty fond of the Sybex books--They're well written and tend to explain things fairly well, however these books are often lacking in detail.The books don't cover some topics at all (ie: Expect a visual basic question in 70-291, yet it's not covered at all in the book) and the upper level books really rehash some of the earlier topics by a copy and paste methodology.For instance, although some topics in 70-293 overlap 70-291, it focuses on planning, which rehashing the 70-291 material doesn't help with.New topics in 70-293 are barely covered (Just 30 pages for clustering, which deserves much more!)I've taken to reading these books first as an overview, then reading the MS-Press titles for the nitty gritty details.The included questions are weak, expect questions about 5 times as difficult on the actual exams...The 70-294 book is about 420 pages, while the MS Press title for 70-294 is almost twice as thick...Not that MS Press titles are good reading, the assume you already know what they're talking about.The point--I haven't found a silver bullet for these certs, but these are a good start.

Excellent!! A SOLID foundation for a BIG field.
I'm probably unusual, because I bought this kit AND the upgrade book. However, this kit was just indispensible, because there are sooo many topics you need to have understood and integrated in order to become an MCSE: Active Directory --sites, domains, users and computer, replication. IIS, remote desktop, resource management. TCP/IP, routing, DNS, DHCP, IPSec. Clustering, certificates, load balancing....You just can't get that kind of understanding casually, or even just by working with certain parts of the OS...you need a full course. Sybex was recommended to me by an instructor in my first class as having the best reputation and being the bestsellers, and I'm glad he told me. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - MCSE    2. Client-Server Computing - Windows    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Computers - Certification    6. Microcomputer Operating Environments    7. Operating Systems - Windows    8. Programming - Software Development    9. Software Engineering    10. Computers / Technical Skills    11. Computing and Information Technology    12. Microsoft Windows   

Reviews (5)

One of the best instructional books I�ve read!
If not for its minor typo errors in the text and code, I would have given this book 5 stars. Very well written
One of the best books I've purchased. Simple to understand, but I prefer a bit of complexity. . .
Most of my experience in network programming comes from W. Richard Stevens' "UNIX Network Programming", where there's lots of detail in the TCP/IP protocol, and using C to implement it. At the time, the professor teaching the course tried to provide us with comparable programs in Java, but not having a good Java networking book to consult from was a drawback to those segues.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Networks    4. Computer Programming Languages    5. Computers    6. Computers - Languages / Programming    7. Distributed processing    8. Electronic data processing    9. Internet programming    10. Java (Computer program languag    11. Java (Computer program language)    12. Networking - General    13. Programming Languages - Java    14. Computers / Programming Languages / Java    15. Java & variants   

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