MCSE/MCSA Windows XP Professional Study Guide (Exam 70-270)

Microsoft is in the process of migrating its Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification to the Windows XP and .NET environment, which means you need to be prepared for the new material if you're coming up for renewal or want to earn your MCSE ab initio. Curt Simmons, the author of MCSE Windows XP Professional Study Guide, has applied his well-known tutorial skills--he wrote a couple of this book's predecessors--to the latest material (exam 70-270, specifically). As is typical of books in the Osborne-McGraw Hill Study Guide series, this one has headings that correspond to sections on the Microsoft outline of tested subjects. It'll be reassuring to test-preppers that the author has covered the complete set of requirements.

As for the coverage itself, it tends to go into more detail than do the actual exam questions. This is commendable, both because it makes the test go easier (unless you tend to "think too much" and interpret questions as more complicated than intended) and because it makes the book a useful reference after you've passed the test. Explanatory material combines conceptual prose with a lot of illustrations and quite a few procedures. Almost every page has at least one graphic, though they're almost exclusively screen shots. Conceptual diagrams would help clarify subjects like Active Directory. --David Wall

Topics covered: Everything Microsoft says you need to know in order to pass its Windows XP Professional exam (70-270) on your way to an MCSE or another company certification. This includes installation, hardware management, disk and file administration, networking (including remote networking and routing), and troubleshooting. There's also a CD-ROM containing exam-simulation software and some instructional video segments.