I have the 70-680 Configuring Windows 7 Training Kit, and there are some discrepancies within the book and Microsoft's web site regarding System Requirements. These discrepancies are on page xxiv, Page 5, and http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/system-requirements. On page xxiv, Table 1 is supposed to list the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for Windows 7, but Table 1 is subtitled, “Windows Server 2008 Minimum Hardware Requirementsâ€. This caused me to check Microsoft’s website for Windows 7 requirements, and I find yet a different set of criteria. The web site does not list the Minimum or Recommended requirements mentioned on page xxiv, but rather the “here’s what it takes†(HWIT) section and the “additional requirements to use certain featuresâ€. Unfortunately these don't corresponded to the Minimum and Recommended columns in the book. Between pages xxiv & 5 and the web site, there are five different references for disk space: 1. Page xxiv states for disk space 40 GB minimum requirement, and 60 GB recommended. 2. Page 5 for Starter and Basic says, “A 20GB (x64) or 16-GB (x86) hard disk drive, traditional or Solid State Disk (SSD), with at least 15 GB of available space. 3. Page 5 for Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise, mentions, “A 40-GB hard disk drive (traditional or SSD) with at least 15 GB of available space.†4. The web site’s HWIT section says “16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)â€. 5. The web site’s “additional requirements†section mentions an additional 15 GB for Windows XP Mode. The requirements for graphics components are different between the book on pages xxiv and 5 and the web site as well. The ultimate question this raises is, what will the correct answer be regarding system requirements on the test I am preparing for? The correct answer as listed on the web site, or one of the answers presented in the book? Is there an official Microsoft policy on what answer to expect on the test when the MS Press book information is incorrect or inconsistent? Regards, William
The correct answer is always the "Microsoft Official" information posted on microsoft.com You should consider certification training books as simply tools to organize the material into a cognizant approach to learning. This is also why it's recommended to never study only *one* source to prepare for a certification exam. Don't make the mistake of presuming that an MSPress book is any more authoritative (or correct) than any other publishers. Microsoft Press is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation. MSPress hires authors to write books. Authors are human. Authors, sometimes, fail to research questions as simple as Minimum System Requirements. Missing that particular point, though, does shed some concern on the Author and Technical Editor, and might make me take everything else in the book with a grain of salt as well. Note: It looks to me like the Hardware Requirements Table 1 on p xxiv is the Vista requirements with a Win2008 table title. -- Lawrence Garvin, M.S., MCITP:EA, MCDBA Principal/CTO, Onsite Technology Solutions, Houston, Texas Microsoft MVP - Software Distribution (2005-2009) My Blog: http://onsitechsolutions.spaces.live.com Microsoft WSUS Website: http://www.microsoft.com/wsus My MVP Profile: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Lawrence.Garvin
Thank you for this posting. I have started to read this book with a view to doing the 70-680 exam. I too am worried about the probable errors I have found in the book. Is there a Microsoft web page giving details of any errors and omissions in the book? The companion MS Press 70-620 book and the included tests on the CD suffer badly from serious errors that should have been picked up during editing. Cheers and thanks Bert
Errata for any MSPress book is normally posted on the MSPress website. From the Overview section of the 70-680 book: Note MORE INFO: FIND ADDITIONAL CONTENT ONLINE As new or updated material that complements your book becomes available, it will be posted on the Microsoft Press Online Windows Server and Client Web site. The type of material you might find includes updates to book content, articles, links to companion content, errata, sample chapters, and more. This Web site will is available at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/books/online/serverclient and will be updated periodically. From that page click on "Search for Corrections", which will instruct you to enter the book's 10-digit ISBN number as a search parameter on the Microsoft Help & Support page -- and of course, nothing comes up -- in which case you are encouraged to "...contact Microsoft Press Customer Support..." at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/training/format-books-support.aspx#tab1 -- Lawrence Garvin, M.S., MCITP:EA, MCDBA, MCSA Principal/CTO, Onsite Technology Solutions, Houston, Texas Microsoft MVP - Software Distribution (2005-2009) My Blog: http://onsitechsolutions.spaces.live.com Microsoft WSUS Website: http://www.microsoft.com/wsus My MVP Profile: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Lawrence.Garvin
I have put up an errata sheet at: http://www.amazon.com/70-680-Errata...d_ef_rt_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&asin=0735627088 Until one is officially poste. Good luck on your exam.