Reviews for MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-680): Configuring Windows 7 Book/CD Package

1. Not really good for the 70-680 exam

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 2010

   Firstly, you have to get past the severe grammatical mistakes, incorrectly scored practice exercises and poorly thought out content. Once you've done that and worked really hard towards the exam, you then have to get over the fact that you've just wasted a lot of time because this book does not cover most of what is in the exam!
   
   There are some good points about this book. It does explain some things well and tells you about the new features in Windows 7 (Branchcache, Direct Access, VPN reconnect). What this book fails to do (and in my opinion this is a really bad fail) is to prepare you for the exam. The exam is beyond the scope of this book. You will be in for a shock if you use this as your only study guide.
   
   There has been some serious false advertising here. The book should be advertised as nothing more than a beginners guide, but for beginners who have to look everything up on the internet anyway because the content is wrong in most cases.
   
   You're better off using the free technet website. Personally, I prefer to have a book as reference, but when it gets it so wrong, it kind of misses the point.
   
   If you don't believe what I'm saying, go to the micrsoft website. There is a whole page dedicated to the errors of this book! Amazing.
   http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978189

2. Good study guide, but too many errors..

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 2010

   Above all, i passed my exam after reading this book.
   
   There was just about enough information in the book to allow me to pass. Though the exam DEFINATELY asked lots of questions on subjects that the book didnt even touch, or at the very least glossed over vaguely.
   
   The book has so many spelling mistakes, erroneous characters (IN SYSTEM COMMANDS!!) which can set you back hours and days in troubleshooting until you find them. I have a whole questions/answers part printed in my book BACK TO FRONT! This leads to a fun experience trying to work out if you have studied the chapter or not.
   
   I cannot stress how much this book needs to be updated, some sections were laughable.
   
   On the other hand, alot of parts were in depth, accurate and on topic - which kept you interested.
   
   I passed every practice exam on the CD that i took, and i didnt see one single similar question in my exam - i was VERY worried.
   
   So, after i read my Windows Vista book by the same authors, i thought this was natural progression. It seems as though this was not proof read and was rushed out. How many other parts have i been taught wronly by this book?
   
   I have read lots of similar reviews to this, so be careful...
   
   Sorry guys!
   

3. Find another book.

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, February 12th, 2010

   Unfortunately I have to agree with an earlier poster; There are too many errors in this book for it to be a worthwhile read. If you've come here having bought the book, use the errata thread listed below. If you've come here to read a review before you buy, find another book.
   
   Firstly,I need to point out that clearly some of this book was written at a time where the operating system, and other additional programs, were still in beta phases. Particularly there is a whole section about Microsoft Deployment Toolkit which is completely wrong because MDT has changed so much.
   
   However, that aside, there are too many inexcusable mistakes in the book which are impossible to overlook. Missing out the word "not" in a factual sentence is easily done but it totally alters your understanding and it will cost you exam points.
   
   I also have to question why certain chapters cover simple concepts in precise detail and more difficult chapters such as IPv6 and WMI scripting are almost rushed through.
   
   My advice to anyone studying for the Windows 7 exam is that this book will be helpful if you read it alongside other study materials. However, this book misses too much of what you will be tested on in the exam to be recommended reading. You will pass your exam with this book, but you wont actually know a great deal about Windows.

4. The best book about Windows client OS ever

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, February 12th, 2010

   I am a Microsoft Certified Trainer and my job is to teach people new technologies. So I am not only reading books to prepare myself for a test, but also choose it for my students.
   
   I must confess, usually I don't like Microsoft Press books. Usually they are not good enough, they just don't give you enough knowledge to pass the test, usually they are no better then MOC (Microsoft Official Curriculum).
   
   But not this one. This book is awesome, it is so easy to read that my students, not native English speakers, simply forget that it is written in English. Needless to say, that every one of them, who got this book, passed the test, including myself.
   
   The enclosed DVD contains the electronic copy of the book in PDF form, various videos and chapters from other books, as well as custom testing engine. About 1Gb of extremely useful stuff.
   
   The book gives you more information than you need to pass the exam. Moreover, it gives you enough to really enjoy your new Windows 7. No matter what other materials you are using, I recommend to read this one completely.

5. You will NOT pass exam 70-680 without this book

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, February 12th, 2010

   The definitive guide, and a must if you want to pass. The layout and pace is well designed, while the end-of-chapter examples, summaries and case scenarious are inavaluable.
   
   Some advice: know your Local Computer Policy inside out (the book covers a lot of this), study your command line alternatives, and, most important of all, follow and study the further reading links suggested throughout the book.