Having started in IT back in the DOS days I can tell you that this book is a great everyday reference for anyone working as a systems admin in a server environment like I do. And for those of you working on certifications or just wanting to experiment with command line usage its indispensable. And as others have said about this authors books he does a great job laying everything out for you.

This book is good for Support Staff working with Windows XP Professional systems and MS Server 2003, assuming that you have basic Windows and networking skills already, don't look for chapters on installing Windows and it's architecture here.

Learning Command Line Fundamentals Tools on how to schedule task, manage accounts and administering network services, etc. was a real world experience for me on the job, making me much more productive for the company.

Also you may wonder what command-line scripting has to offer that MS Windows point-and-click dialog boxes can't accomplish, to my surprise, a lot more than I realize, learning how to automate repetitive task, finding misplaced resources and many other useful time saving activities.

The ability of calling up utilities like Windows Support Tools and Resource Kit Tools, gave me the confidence to even work at the server level performing basic system administration task and most importantly managing Active Directory Users and Groups.

Overall a work in progress for me to grasp it all, great resource for support staff, Help desk personnel, and senior admins alike will benefit greatly from this book, I can't recommend something more advance than this as it is quite sufficient for my experience level as a PC Support Tech, This is a big jump in experience for an A+ Technician like myself.

I Hope This Review Helps, Good Luck.

This is a book that every Windows system administrator and every Windows power user should have.

Stanek is widely and justifiably known as an expert in Windows administration. In this terse volume, he shows just how powerful the commnd line is in Windows and how to take maximum advantage of that power through direct commands and scripting. He does, in fact, provide a short and very effective "course" in command-line scripting.

In 25 chapters, Stanek walks through every major area of system administration and shows how powerful the command-line can be.

Stanek truly knows his business and his style is admirably concise. One of the must-have books for anyone who really wants to become a Windows virtuoso.

Jerry

Every so often, you may need to do something in command line form, and this book will help you remember what you know you can do, but can't quite remember how.

I bought this book because it was put out through the same publisher that makes the Windows xxxx Administrator Pocket consultant. I hadn't formed any opinion until I sat down and actually read it. It's well written, interesting and very informative. It has many syntactically correct working examples of how to do admin work on some section of a Windows Server or Workstation. A good reference source also.