Mcse

Hi guys... As i have been reading a bit in this forum i have come to understand that there are quite a few really talented ppl here. And there are also a lot of not so talented ppl (like y self that really are greatful for the help that you guys bring us).

This question that I have concerns the MCSE.

Me and a friend are about to ebark on the journey of learning the insights of Microsoft products and becoming Certified Engeneers. Now, I've been looking around on some websites (like McMCSE, MCSE Directory, Microsofts own databese, etc. And there is a lot of information available, but you know how it is... Too many brands of cereals, and you just stand there infront of the shelf having trouble choosing, and end up eating bred for breakfast instead...

So. If anyone of you guys want to recommend anything I am more than happy.

A little bit about what I know maby good to say, so you know where I stand.

I have learnt almoast everything about Win2K by myself or from friends. I can setup a LAN, I can hanlde Regedit a little and thats about it. So Im newbie in the big bussines.

I was thinking of choosing TCP/IP aswell as something else (dunno what yet) as a supplement. And e and my friend are going to study at home (no $10000 course).

What material do you guys think I should use? (books, CDs) Is there a forum that I should look in to maby? How many computers shall i use? (right now im planning on using 2 but maby 3 is better? I need 1 server and m,aby 2 clients?)

Well anyone with a suggestion is welcome to participate in helping me find the best way, the best stuff to become a MCSE.

And maby also a poll of how many ppl in this forum are MCSE?

HAve a nice day and

I am MCSE and MCP+I, and I can say that the course I went to sucked. But, the MS curriculum books are awesome (I still use them as reference books). Sybex makes some awesome manuals as well, and work well in tandem with a good lab setting. Idealy, you would like to have at least 5 active accounts to manage, and 2 DCs to play with AD. As for TCP/IP, there is no separate course in that anymore, and the topic is integrated throughout all the core exams. If you have anymore questions on this topic, just reply or simply email me.

This is really great you guys... When I was talking about the guys that know alot, i really was reffering to you two

I will check out the different book alternatives, many of them also have different hands on CDs with excercises that are useful. I hope that I'm not alone in being happy 'bout getting this information. I hope that there are more ppl out there whanting to kow alittle more about this issue. And a vast issue it is... Thx again... and if anyone else has anything to say.. plz do!

One main suggestion that I would make, is to decide what course you would like to take. APK talks of learning VB and such, which is fine if you want to go a development route. While having knowledge of a broad number of topics is good, you should focus on what you want to get out of this certification and where you think your career path may lie.

I started off as desktop support and basic network administration in a Win9x/Novell environment, and slowly started working with NT. As I came to get more familiar with (and fond of) NT, I started using it more and more. I left that position, and eventually made my way to my current job where I am the sole admin of a full NT (NT4/2K) network. I now work with Exchange 5.5, SMS 2.0, Progress (DB software), QAD (ERP system), MS SQL 2K, various McAfee Products, Access, etc. on a daily basis. This has proven to be quite fun, and very educational. However, while I have enjoyed being a sysadmin, I would like to move on to web development. This was kicked off by my more recent interest in databasing, and was then fueled by working with ASP. I had a very strong background in IIS, so basic site structure and optimization wasn't an issue.

The reason why I bring this up, is that APK is suggesting more of a admin/developer hybrid in the subject matter he wrote about. You can become a very skilled network admin and not know anything about VB, Java, C++, etc (I didn't, and I am just now dragging on through VBScript/ASP) while performing your job at a top-tier level. Programming is as simple as executing a series of commands in a desired order, such as a batch file. But I would have to draw the line there, as opposed to APK's notion of the future sysadmin needing to be a programmer as well. In smaller organizations, that would make more sense as they can't afford to bring in multiple personnel. However, those same companies might not be able to afford someone that is good at both professions anyway, and will probably stick with someone who is more focused on administration rather than programming. As for larger companies, the division between both IT types can be so great as to make them almost invisible to each other, even if they are in the same building.

Remember, don't be concerned about the money while laying out your certification track; try to focus on what you enjoy, and envision yourself doing in 10-15 years. If you keep working at what you like, the money will come eventually. There are so many options available in the current Microsoft Certification program (along with many other certifying bodies such as Cisco and the A+ programs), that you should be able to tailor an education best suited to your goals. Also, DO NOT FOCUS ON JUST PASSING THE TESTS. Try to think of it as an education, and the tests are merely for YOUR benefit to gauge how you are understanding and retaining the material. Too many people think of just passing the exams, and wind up putting so much pressure on themselves that they are doomed to fail.

This is a major step in your career, so try to enjoy it, ok?

Thx again. We (me and my friend) have decided that we will begin our studying after new years. So the time leading up to that date, I'm spending on getting as much info as possible, so I can get the ost out of it.

And like you said, the really important part is what I want. Don't we all remember sitting in school just goofying around because tha lesson was so dull, and then endup getting really bad grades? You can't ofcourse always learn stuff that you find really intresting. But the importance in studying towards something that you really wanna become/work with is what matters. Like you said clutch.

And I'd like to quote Carter from Spin City here (the episode where Charlie Sheen and the major had to work in a burger bar)
"If you can imagine it, you can become it"
(ok the guy he said it to said "but if I drop it I can eat it" and thats another story )

Thx again guys!

No, nobody said anybody had to be a "MASTER" at programming, but I just wanted them to understand that they should stay focused on the task at hand. It's very easy to become distracted when learning something new, so I wanted them to remember that they shouldn't feel the need to expend resources in all directions at the same time. And yes, basic knowledge of scripting is helpful (and easy to pick up anyway) in general administration.

Also, with mention of resource kits, note that there are SEVERAL from which to choose. I am more familiar with the WinNT 4.0 Server, SMS 2.0, Office 2K, and IE 5.x kits. MS has a reskit for just about everything they make, so keep an eye out for one pertaining to your area of study.

thx for all the good advice again. Another question is. I'm living in the now, and so I'm planning on learning Win 2000. (+ what ever XP stuff is being thrown at me) But many companies will still be using NT 4 (like ericsson where I work).

*How much do I need to know about NT 4? Am I missing alot of really vital information in skipping NT 4?

*How much has really changed between 2000 and XP? Ok, i know that it's not the sae, but the difference between NT 4 and 2000 must be biger that the one between 2000 and XP right?

And I also want to say another thing. Knowing DOS and Batch language may not be something that the everyday user knows today. But I'm one of the happy guys that started using computers (PCs) when there was only DOS so that part is clean for me. Although, they have limited dos alot (ok, ok i know that it isn't dos but a mere cmd prompt) I mean, you can't use undelete. I liked that command.

-I'm eager to learn!:p

Well, NT4 will be around for a while to come, but you would be wise to not devote a large amount of time to it. I found NT4 quite easy to work with, and Win2K was a logical step forward from NT4. From the workstation perspective, there isn't a lot of difference, but from the server/network admin perspective, they are worlds apart. Win2k server is much easier to administer than NT4 server was out of the box. And the domain models are completely different as well.

As for differences between XP and 2K, I would have to say that the major ones will be slight changes in group policy options, and the remote desktop function of WinXP.

No, I know... but the fact that they took it out is a bummer i think... There should be a built in Undelete for every OS.
Thats all.

Man U sure know alot about DOS. Well i have the three installation discs of 6.22 lying next to me right now... But they are no good no that i have NTFS lol

Anyhow, I liked DossHell ( ) too. I can even remember ppl using norton comander instead of explorer in win 95. Wich brings me to another subject:

I live in sweden. And our native language is.... the 5 million dollar question.... YES swedish and so all the programs (or 90% atleast) are translated into swedish. This goes for the Oss as well. Now, I use an english/US only OS setting and all the programs that I install are in english. This I do because I have heard that maybe the translations can post a problem. I'm reffering to in-OS linking probbs, OS - program compability, program - program compability, ect.

(all this is besides the fact that swedish is a really lame a** language that just looks plain silly)

Do you think I'm overreacting in this matter? Or may this be the case? Can there be such issues?

PS. I wont ever change to using a swedish OS and I will never recommend anyone to do it either! What better way to learn a language than read it all day every day?

Oops.. forgot something...

About using eg. Norton commander instead of explorer.

XP has built in support for a lot of things ie.:

*MP3 playback
*DivX playback
*CD burning software (ok that pretty much suxx, but it's there)
*with MSN Messenger -> Voice/video via internet
*Remote assistance

Just to name a few. And now that all these things are present. Will there be major copability issues using other software for these things?

Like WinAmp. Is that nessesary now? will I only fill my HD for nothing by installing it? (that was only an example)