With hundreds of training options to choose from, there’s no excuse to stay ignorant about Windows 2000. In fact, the sheer number of choices is a bit daunting. To help keep you from being overwhelmed by the prospect of finding a Windows 2000 training provider, we’ve compiled a list of reliable resources that should narrow the field somewhat. Now all you have to do is learn.
Microsoft maintains a searchable list of “authorized” workshops, online seminars, and books. This list includes CTECs (certified technical education centers). It is the mother lode of resources, encompassing a full spectrum of delivery channels, both online and in the classroom.
If you’re looking for traditional instructor-led classroom training and the Microsoft master list leaves you wanting more, you might check out New Horizons Computer Learning Centers Inc., Santa Ana, Calif., or Learning Tree International, Reston, Va.. Wave Technologies International, a subsidiary of the Thomson Corporation, Stamford, Conn., offers a range of options, including instructor-led training, self-study kits, and boot camps (a rigorous combination of self-study, classroom, and Web-based training).
Windows 2000 U, part of Element K, Rochester, N.Y., is essentially a portal for providers of online Windows 2000 training. Various sections of the site are sponsored by separate vendors. You can choose from a significant selection of free courses, although some require payment. Their formats vary.
If flexible scheduling is your top priority and you don’t feel the need for instructor assistance, you can choose from a number of self-guided options. You might start with LearnKey, St. George, Utah, which offers Windows 2000 training on video and CD-ROM. Or, consider Specialized Solutions, Tarpon Springs, Fla., a provider of training kits that include video and/or CD, practice exams, and study guides. If e-learning is what you’re after, the online training offered by KnowledgeNet, Scottsdale, Arizona, in conjunction with our sister-site CCPrep.com, is hard to beat. The Express version allows you to listen to a pre-recorded class 24 hours a day as many times as you wish.
Readers can also find articles on specific Windows 2000 topics, such as Backing Up and Restoring Active Directory , or Windows 2000 Introduction and Installation by using the search function on any EarthWeb site.