Out-of-date, but good when first published
This book is now 7+ years old. It is no longer valuable for the purpose for which it was published, preparing for the MCSE core exams.
Vague enough to be useless
I just didn't see the point of this book. It was so short and vague on the details that I really didn't understand what the point of the book was. It was of no use in helping to get me certified. I regretted purchasing it. It is the only O'reilly book I have ever gotten that was not worth reading.
Still great, but the target audience has changed
February 28th, 2001. A day which shall live in infamy... the day when Microsoft retired the Windows NT MCSE exams, making hundreds of certification prep books obsolete.But not this one.
The core exams may be gone, but the products they taught and tested - NT Server, NT Workstation, Windows 95 - are still omnipresent on corporate networks and technician's workbenches. If you are responsible for the care and feeding of older versions of Windows, and most Win2k MCSEs are, then you need to understand everything in this book. Additionally, much of this material has been added to CompTIA's revised A+ exam, so this book remains an excellent certification study guide (just for a different certification!).
Forget the title - if you need a quick reference or refresher on Windows NT networking, this is still one of the best on the shelf.
[Note: in the second edition of this book, the Windows 95 section has been replaced by an equivalent section on Windows 98. They are otherwise identical].
This book rocks- but you'll need additional information
True to Nutshell form, this book provides clear, concise, easy-to-read information about NT targetted to helping you pass the certification exams. My only complaint was that there was substantial information on some of the tests that wasn't contained in the book. In all fairness, I was working from the first edition, so the tests (and the book) may have changed- but I found this to be the case with the Nutshell NT4.0 electives book as well, of which I do posses the current edition.Use this book as a foundation for studying, but without additional aids, don't count on passing all of the exams the first time. That said, I'm anxiously awaiting the 2000 Nutshell book.
The Best Book for Quick and Dirty Exam Prep
If you have Windows NT experience and just want the facts to prepare for the exams, this is the book. Anything by O'reilly press is usually pretty good. Even if you are do not have experience, this is an excellent companion to a more indepth study guide, like Alan Carter's Windows NT 4.0 MCSE Study Guide. Great for day of exam cramming.
(80 reviews)