Microsoft Cert. Exams.

[Arcana]

Has anyone done any of the Microsoft Cert Exams, specifically Windows XP & Server 2005, im looking for some good material to study up on for these exams, preferably free. almost starting my 3rd year of a Uni degree in networking and these would come in really handy towards getting my MCSA or MCSE.

[Guyverarmor]

I do I have access to the Micro soft cert. books, but for ITT virtual library...I'll see what I can do to save it as a .pdf and send it to you maybe, or atleast in multiple parts lol

[levish]

You'll have a hard time finding books on windows 2005 server, doesn't exist.

I personally started with MS Press books, which were good and came with training exams.

[Killgannon]

if you torrent, you can find brain dump practice tests which are really close to the real thing

beware of ms tests, they are notorious for throwing in random crap that is completely unrelated to the question

[Myst]

Server 2003 is the latest cert you can get at the moment. 2008 certs will be available VERY soon. server 2005 doesnt exist lol.

not to be a dick or anything, but it sounds like you have a lot to learn about windows server. it's not exactly easy. good luck.

edit: to answer your question, my dad just got 2003 certified. he paid 100$ for an online study guide that let him take tests and actually review WHY the answers are they way they are. it's designed for MCSE, meaning 4+ tests, not just one. he says that he "absolutely could not have passed" with out studying using THAT tool, and we've taken two seperate semesters together specifically for server 2003.

short answer: pay the money.

[Arcana]

Oh its not that i havnt done the courses, ive had atleast two years of semi experience with windows server families, i just find it strange how my college somehow has server 2005 running, may just be a UK thing, im not sure, but im positive 2005 exists its possibly just a virtualisation thing.

ive taken & have the material books for 70-270, 70-29x's all im really looking for its more material to what may not have been covered in those books, since the material they do provide is very basic to say the least, and ive had to basically do shit off my own back to get anywhere near decent servers running.

i also know about microsofts certification levels im aiming to get MCSE which is the 8 tests, MCSA is only the 4. my college lecturers are willing to provide me with additional materials if or when they have them, but in the mean time im forced to be looking at the internet for possible sources of reliable microsoft materials beyond what i already have.

basically im trying to find a way out of having to do the CCNA/P exams at the moment and im more competent with the server side of networking.

[levish]

Maybe you are thinking about MS SQL Server 2005? (not required for the exams you are talking about)

best to start out here and see what your reqs are for the cert you want to pursue

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/c ... fault.mspx

[Mizango]

You'll have a hard time finding books on windows 2005 server, doesn't exist.

I personally started with MS Press books, which were good and came with training exams.

QFT. I used these very same books when Preparing for my MCSE, MCSA and my MCDBA exams. The training exams and labs proved to be VERY helpful to me. I was interning at Microsoft at the time and the books were dead on the spot in regards to real life scenarios and troubleshooting that I still encounter until this very day. I took the XP one obviously a few when it was released (Again working for MS this is mandatory) and it was not that difficult, the only part I had slight trouble with is because at the time it was new, is the fact that XP supported hand held devices and such. All in all it was not that bad, but its been out for so long now it should be much much easier1

When I got my Cisco certifications out of the way I used the "Black Book" and the CCNA exam study guide book to study with and read up on them and those were also equally as good. And again the simulated labs and practice exams proved invaluable. O'Reily also makes a wide array of books that you may want to look into. I don't know how far you have gotten into UNIX or in dealing with Linux bases systems but you will eventually need to fill that aspect of the Networking field as well and for that I would have to recommend O'Reilly "Unix in a nutshell" and "Linux in a nutshell". just keep in mind that some of these books can cost anywhere from 50-100 bucks but think of it as an investment into your future. It will come back tenfold in time.

Good luck with everything and feel free to let me know if you need anything as far as assistance or questions. I still have shit tons of practice exams from my books but through the mandatory updated training they gave only to employees. Not sure that is what you are looking for but if it is you know where to look. Again, Good Luck and it seems I got carried away again!

[Arcana]

where im studying right now there really isnt much *nix going around, only one lecturer knows how to do anything with it, and even at that his knowledge is not far reaching. basically he "taught" us how to set up webservers with it, not that hard but the virtualisation caused alot of problems for some people, which really limited the time & what he could teach us in that time, ill probably have to go out and do this on my own, as i seem to be doing with everything to keep ahead of my class.

we've been provided with some extra material outside the cisco academy course material, but nothing that to the extent really makes me want to persue CCNP, unless its at the security side of it, but then again, i dont think the current cisco academy director would set up this one thing just for myself, since no one else seems to be interested in the security aspect, he keeps quoting numbers like as a network technician with a CCNA you'll easily make £50,000PA, and the nerds are fapping away at unrealistic figures.

it does seem im more interested in the network security aspect of computer networking, while doing the whole, sleep all day as a network admin job is the sort of fall back thing im interested in, i know the route i really wanna step forward in, its just trying to get the lecturers to support me in providing access to somewhat decent material. i'll be looking into those books you've suggested, there might be a way i can get them through the college for free or atleast at a discount price, might even have them in the library if i even dared to check.

also the server 2005 im referring to is the virtual server. we have to work alot with virtualisation crap cause alot of chimps like to mess around with things, but when we do get access to proper equipment, we tend to try and set up a fully functioning domain infrastructure, which suprisingly works better than the colleges network (the DHCP server never works and they really dont know how to fix it either).

You can never get carried away with networking, cause we all love our interwebz.

[Dolmen]

MCSE is only 4 tests now? When I had it (NT4) I had to take 6 tests... Then again, when I took the test most of the correct answers were actually impossible (lots of theory of what NT4 could do, but real implementation was impossible). I've also noticed places charging $10,000+ for MCSE classes, when it was $1200 for NT4 MCSE classes (which lasted a lot longer too).

[Norellicus]

where im studying right now there really isnt much *nix going around, only one lecturer knows how to do anything with it, and even at that his knowledge is not far reaching. basically he "taught" us how to set up webservers with it, not that hard but the virtualisation caused alot of problems for some people, which really limited the time & what he could teach us in that time, ill probably have to go out and do this on my own, as i seem to be doing with everything to keep ahead of my class.

we've been provided with some extra material outside the cisco academy course material, but nothing that to the extent really makes me want to persue CCNP, unless its at the security side of it, but then again, i dont think the current cisco academy director would set up this one thing just for myself, since no one else seems to be interested in the security aspect, he keeps quoting numbers like as a network technician with a CCNA you'll easily make £50,000PA, and the nerds are fapping away at unrealistic figures.

it does seem im more interested in the network security aspect of computer networking, while doing the whole, sleep all day as a network admin job is the sort of fall back thing im interested in, i know the route i really wanna step forward in, its just trying to get the lecturers to support me in providing access to somewhat decent material. i'll be looking into those books you've suggested, there might be a way i can get them through the college for free or atleast at a discount price, might even have them in the library if i even dared to check.

also the server 2005 im referring to is the virtual server. we have to work alot with virtualisation crap cause alot of chimps like to mess around with things, but when we do get access to proper equipment, we tend to try and set up a fully functioning domain infrastructure, which suprisingly works better than the colleges network (the DHCP server never works and they really dont know how to fix it either).

You can never get carried away with networking, cause we all love our interwebz.

Microsoft VirtualPC runs normal MS software. Server 2005 doesn't exist, ergo a 'virtual' server 2005 doesn't exist...

And you can set up a "domain infrastructure" with two or three $500 systems if you wanted to, for lab use...you just can't put them under a heavy user load.

Edit: Oh, maybe you meant http://www.microsoft.com/windowsservers ... ualserver/ which is "2005"?

It's still running server 03 architecture, that being the case. They just update the virtualization to be better compatible with newer physical technologies.

[Dmitry]

if you torrent, you can find brain dump practice tests which are really close to the real thing

beware of ms tests, they are notorious for throwing in random crap that is completely unrelated to the question

You are the network administrator for a fruit wholesaler in Orlando, Florida...