Product Description

The new Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) credential proves that you have the skills to successfully support end users and successfully troubleshoot desktop environments running on Windows XP. MCDST candidates must pass two core exams (70-271 and 70-272). The 70-271 exam, when combined with the 70-272 (the application exam for desktop support technicians), validates that a candidate can successfully answer (or escalate) all calls from end users. Co-written by best-selling author Dan Balter, the MCDST 70-271 Exam Cram 2 gives readers the essential information they need to know to pass this exam, focusing on exactly what they need to know. This book can be used as a sole study guide for those experienced with Windows XP or it is the perfect supplement guide for more comprehensive training materials, instructor-led classes, and/or computer-based training.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #239868 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 504 pages

About the Author

Dan Balter is the Chief Technology Officer for InfoTechnology Partners, Inc., a Microsoft Certified Partner company. He works as an IT consultant and trainer for both corporate and government clients and has worked with several different network operating systems throughout his 20-year career. Dan takes pride in turning complex, technical topics into easy-to-understand concepts. Dan is a Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST), a Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) on Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003, and a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) on Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003. He specializes in Microsoft networking technologies, firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), and other security solutions in addition to designing and implementing messaging and business solutions for large and small organizations.

Dan is the author of Exam Cram 2: Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment and a co-author for the best-selling books Exam Cram 2: Windows XP Professional and Exam Cram 2: Windows 2000 Professional, all published by Que Publishing. Dan frequently speaks at conferences across North America, including Advisor DevCon conferences and Windows & .NET Magazine Connections conferences. A graduate of USC's School of Business in 1983, Dan has authored more than 300 video-based and CD-ROM¿based computer training courses, including instructional titles on installing, configuring, and administering Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. He is also a featured video trainer for courses on Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Outlook, and Intuit's QuickBooks small business accounting software. Dan is the video trainer for ExamBlast¿Windows XP Professional and for the QuickBooks Pro training series on video and CD-ROM from BlastThroughLearning.com.

Dan and his family live in the Santa Rosa Valley area in Southern California, near the city of Camarillo. Dan lives with his lovely wife, Alison; their 8-year-old daughter, Alexis; their 5-year-old son, Brendan; and their golden retriever, Brandy. When he's not writing, researching, or consulting, Dan enjoys traveling with his family, swimming, playing racquetball and basketball, rooting for the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team and the L.A. Lakers, going for long walks, listening to music, and exploring new age spirituality. Dan can be contacted via email at Dan@TechPartners.info.

Philip Wiest is a nationally known professional technical trainer who has presented more than 1,200 Cisco and Microsoft seminars to more than 37,000 students throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia since 1989 for Skillpath Seminars, CompuMaster Seminars, Prime Learning International, and Dun & Bradstreet. He has earned several prominent certifications, including the MCSE; CCNP; CCDA; Network+; Server+; Security+; A+; and, most recently, the new MCDST designation.

He delights audiences by crashing (often with little effort) and then resurrecting (often with much effort) unsuspecting software programs and network applications. His unique, irreverent, solutions-oriented style is at once humorous and insightful.

Philip's clients include The Walt Disney Company, the FBI, American Express, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, ARCO, Bank of America, KPMG, Sony, EMI Records Group N.A., the National Association of Realtors, Warner Bros., and on and on.

Since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, he has published more than 200 newspaper and magazine articles, received dozens of national training awards, and completed 15 marathons. He resides in Santa Monica, California, never more than a stone's throw from a keyboard or a microphone.

Customer Reviews

Don't use this book as a primary study guide
There's a lot of unnecessary info in this book that you won't even see on the exam. The practice questions in the book are way too wordy and confusing. Exam Cram has helped me in the past, but not this time.

Don't buy this book, it's awful.
I believe my email to the editor explains it all. I have copied and pasted it below.

Mr. Tittel,

I have been a huge fan of your Exam Cram books for the last few years and they have helped me pass my A+, Network+, and CCNA certifications. Currently I am working of my MCDST certification and bought your books expecting the same standards your other books hold. Unfortunately, your Exam 70-271 Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Windows XP operating System is not only a disgrace to your line of books, but to you as the editor. I have to ask; did you even read the book or edit it? There are too many spelling and grammatical errors to even list in this book. Many times it should say drive, and instead it says driver or vice versa. You have many of the wizards name's wrong, such as on page 200 first line under Migrating User Settings with the File Settings and Transfer Wizard it says "The File Settings and Transfer (FAST) Wizard." The funny thing is it's the File and Settings Transfer Wizard, otherwise FAST makes no sense the way it is printed and if that's not bad enough on page 201 you have a screenshot of the wizard showing it's correct name. The questions you ask in this book also are horrendous because they contradict what is true or just make no sense. Here is an example of a contradiction. Earlier in the book it says Windows XP can't be upgraded from Windows 95, this is true, but then in question 6 on page 213 it says "After upgrading a group of computers running Windows 95 to Windows XP Professional." See something wrong there? Here is an example of a question making no sense. Look at question 23 on page 336. The question asks for the Power User group and the Administrator group, so logically and correctly the answer should be A, but no you have it as answer C which is the same exact thing as A but leaves out the Administrator group so it would be wrong. In conclusion I must say this was one of the most poorly written and poorly edited books I have ever read. So please, revise this book immediately and get any remaining ones of the shelves because most people are furious about this, you should check out the reviews on Amazon.com and elsewhere.

Good, but problematic....
I just passed my 70-271 exam and I do believe this book was an important factor in my score. However this book is problematic.

1.) The MeasureUp practice exam questions are 50 of the same questions found in the Microsoft Press book for the same exam. But that book has 261 more questions than this one.
2.) The questions in the book are far more difficult than necessary and many are more appropriate for the MCSA/MCSE exam 70-270.
3.) There are too many typographic errors to name. The major ones have been mentioned by other reviewers.
4.) There is no information on service pack 2.

I intend on using my MCDST credentials as an elective exam for the MCSA, so I appreciate the difficulty of the questions but by attempting to attain an 85% to 90% on the practice exams in the back of this book I had thoroughly convinced myself that I would fail the test and was very close to rescheduling it. I did not, and I passed my test with more than 200 point over the minimum score.

To this books credit I have found the information very useful in my job. I have received several calls from users with processor affinity problems or with 16 bit program errors that I know how to solve immediately because of the high standards set by the questions in this book. I am, therefore, very satisfied with my purchase.

Edit to original review: Having achieved my MCDST credentials and completed my MCSE Security I believe that what I have written concerning this book is correct. Many of the questions in the book are much better suited for the MCSA/MCSE track. I found the extra knowledge useful, but the objective should be to help you prepare for the 70-271 NOT to stress you out with topics you will never see covered on the exam.