Jane Holcombe (A+, Network+, MCSE, MCT, CTT+, and CNA) is a pioneer in the field of PC support training. In 1983, she installed a LAN for her employer, a financial planning company. Since 1984, she has been an independent trainer, consultant, and course content author, creating and presenting courses on PC operating systems. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, these courses were taught nationwide. She also co-authored a set of networking courses for the consulting staff of a large network vendor. In the early 1990s, she worked with both Novell and Microsoft server operating systems, finally focusing on the Microsoft operating system and achieving her MCSE certification for Windows NT 3.x, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000.

Charles Holcombe has a high-tech background in the use of computers in the nuclear and aerospace fields. In his 15 years at Control Data Corporation, he was successively a programmer, technical sales analyst, salesman, and sales manager in the field marketing force. He ran the Executive Seminar program and was the Control Data's liaison to the worldwide university community, and he was a market development manager for Plato, Control Data's computer-based education system.

For the past 23 years, he has been an independent trainer and consultant. He has authored and delivered many training courses; is a skilled writer and editor, and is used to creating complex written materials. For a while, he claimed he was semi-retired, but writing books like this one is too much work for him to be able to say that any more.

The Holcombes have authored the MCSE Guide to Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure (Course Technology) and both the A+ Certification Press Lab Manual and the MCSE Certification Press Windows 2000 Professional Lab Manual (McGraw-Hill/Osborne). They also contributed to Windows 2000 Administration (McGraw-Hill/Osborne).