New Year’s Resolutions For Problem Free Computing

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.

Even though we’re a few weeks into the new year, it’s not  too late to take a look at your company’s network and make a few resolutions for better computing in 2012. Here are a few suggestions.

Better backups - now!

Implement a better, more reliable backup system to ensure your critical business data is properly protected. If you’re still using tape drives or not employing the latest professional-grade backup software, there’s no bigger New Year’s resolution that you should have.

You should have both an onsite and offsite backup of your data that allows you to restore files fast. Your backup  should also be image-based, not just file-based. 

Data loss can happen from human error, hardware/software  failure, fire, flood, theft or other disaster. Every hour that you’re without your critical business information could cost you thousands of dollars.

Check out the cloud

Is cloud computing is right for you? In many cases, parts of your IT infrastructure can easily be put in the cloud to save you money and give you better service. It is important  to talk to someone who can honestly assess your situation and tell you the pros and cons of making the switch to the Cloud. It’s not for every business but it’s worth exploring closely.

Dump the old PCs

I know that no one really likes spending money on new  computers but think about how much unproductive time your staff spends waiting for their slow machines. 

You can get an entry-level business desktop now for as little as $600, and speed upgrades to newer machines are very reasonably priced. What’s the cost of staff sitting

around waiting for their computer or dealing with computer problems?

Upgrade your server

New servers are light years ahead of the ones made three, four and five years ago. Your company is less productive and less profitable with a server that slows everyone down.

Change your passwords

Most businesses regularly have employees leave, including those who were involved with supporting the computer network. Changing passwords regularly will improve security and protect your valuable customer and business data.

Perform a security review

We’re seeing all sorts of increased threats from hackers these days and you need to make sure your security approach is up to date. There are many parts to your security that you should examine including password strength; anti-virus software; and getting a strong firewall that will prevent intrusions, attacks and other malicious activity.

Keep up with your preventive maintenance

Downtime and annoying IT problems can be prevented with  regular maintenance on your computers and network. If you’re not doing this now, it’s time to start! 

Start the year right with a full audit of your network to  develop your IT plan for the year. 

Our top of the line network audit is a 27-point review of the security, performance and reliability of your network, and includes a full hardware and software inventory, plus checks on the health of your server, firewall, and network backup.

Saying Goodbye To An Old Friend... Would A New Workstation Boost Your Productivity?

Many people find it hard to let go of that old workstation that seems to be “working just fine.” But, ask yourself: Is it really?

Most people recognize that, as their machine ages, it seems to get slower and slower. 

A fresh install of Windows generally makes the computer speed back up to it’s “like new” speed.

But as we rely more and more on our computers, laptops, phones, and tablets to be productive in our work, does working at that original speed still make sense?

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it?

Why is it a bad idea to have the “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” mentality when it comes to your computer?

For starters, you’re wasting your money doing so. If a computer is past its normal lifecycle then it really doesn’t make any sense spending the money to continuously bring it  back to a like new state as far as the software goes because the hardware is still very outdated. 

In general a desktop computer’s useful life span is roughly three to five years providing you purchased a mid-range computer and not the bottom of the line model. 

For laptops you get slightly less useful life span out of  them due to the fact that a mid-range laptop is generally not as good of hardware as a mid-range desktop. 

The other reason a laptop doesn’t tend to last as long is the fact that it is constantly being moved around. 

This constant movement, shaking, vibrating, dropping, etc. causes a lot more stress on the hardware in comparison to a desktop.

Due to the different factors involved in a laptop’s life cycle, a laptop’s useful life is roughly two to three years - perhaps slightly longer if it is well cared for.

Software updates may require PC upgrades 

Another reason to think about workstation replacement has to do with the software you run on your machine.

Many different software companies offer updates to their  software. 

Some updates offer fixes to problems or security issues, but many updates also offer new features or updates to old features.

These updates sometimes include a better graphical interface that makes a program easier to use. 

Generally, these types of updates have higher computing and speed requirements. Many industry specific software companies put out these types of updates, and they’re great! 

Who wouldn’t want a more attractive user interface that  functions better and offers more options?

The problem: Updating/ upgrading software requires more system resources  almost one hundred percent of the time.

If you’re the kind of person that likes to hold on to your workstation forever and never update it, but wants those nice software updates, you might see performance problems.

While your software is updating it needs more RAM, more CPU oower, and in some cases, more graphical capacity to run to the new software properly. A lot of times, users don’t realize that with new features come new requirements. 

In short, if your computer is over five years old, consider  replacing it, particularly if it’s a laptop. A faster workstation will help you with updated software, and keep up with your busy workload.

Feature article written by: Frank Wright

Networking Equipment: What’s It All Do?

There are many times when explaining to clients what piece of hardware needs rebooted or reset that they do not know what we are talking about when we reference the piece of networking equipment by name. 

Even if you do know what is meant by router, modem, switch, hub, etc., you might not know what the equipment does, and why you need it. 

Today is your lucky day! Below is a brief explanation of what the various types of networking equipment is, what it does, and why you need it.

Let’s start from your Internet service providers (ISP) main line into your house or business and work our way up to your computer. It all begins with your modem - this is how you initially connect to your ISP’s main line into your building. 

The modem is what connects you to your Internet provider, and secures an IP address for your computer or network to connect to the Internet. 

The next piece of hardware in line is normally your router. 

Some network installations don’t have a router, usually because the modem supplied by the Internet provider has one built in, or the computer connects directly to  the modem. 

A router allows you to have your own network IP scheme and communicate from your network to your ISP’s network. 

Routers allow you to expand your network beyond the one device that most ISP’s modems allow by creating a larger subset of IP addresses for your computers to connect to which is then “routed” to your ISP’s IP address and out to the Internet. 

This is why they are called routers, they route network traffic. Some routers also offer the ability to connect wirelessly to your network. 

These connections act exactly the same way except for the fact that they do not have an Ethernet cable plugged into the computer you are using to connect with and there is increased security on the wireless connection to prevent unauthorized connections to your network. Some routers also offer a high grade built in firewall. 

So as you can see routers can come in many different flavors and configurations.

The final piece of hardware in the chain of networking hardware is your switch. 

In general switches are designed to be connected to your router and offer more Ethernet ports for you to connect devices to your network. 

Most routers offer on average five Ethernet ports - a switch gives you the ability to expand on the number of available Ethernet ports that can connect to your router.

If you want to have multiple devices connected to your Internet connection while keeping your network secure give us a call and we can guide you on selecting the proper equipment as well as getting it setup properly for you. 

If this kind of equipment is not configured properly you may not be able to connect to the Internet at all.

 

Featured Article Written By:

Frank Wright

5 Things You Need To Know If You Buy A New PC

Desktop or Laptop? What To Consider When Choosing

Will Alston is a PC hardware technician with Tech Experts.

Key Features To Keep In Mind For A New LCD Monitor

Will Alston is a PC hardware technician with Tech Experts.

If you’re looking to upgrade your computer monitor, you want to make sure that you get the most  bang for your buck, and buy the best monitor in your price range.

There are literally hundreds of monitors on the market, each with different features and specifications. You’ll want to keep these in mind when going over your options.

Response Times

The response time refers to how fast the monitor’s pixels can change colors.

Faster is obviously better because it reduces the ghosting effect when an image moves across the screen. The lower the response time is, the less you are going to see a faint trail in applications such as video games, streaming videos, or even Internet Explorer.

The response time is measured in milliseconds (MS). So the lower response time you get with your monitor the better performance you’ll receive.

Viewing Angle

Have you ever looked at a computer monitor from an angle and noticed that the image became dimmer or even disappeared. To compensate for this problem, LCD manufacturers have designed wider viewing angles. Don’t confuse this with a widescreen display, which means the display is physically wider.

Manufacturers give a measure of viewing angle in degrees (a greater number of degrees is better).

In general, when you’re choosing a new monitor, make sure it’s rated between 120 and 170 degrees.

Manufacturers measure viewing angles differently, so the only best way to really evaluate it is by testing the display yourself. Look at it from the top, bottom, side to side, and also keep in mind how you will have the monitor positioned on your desk.

HDMI Inputs

HDMI is becoming the future of video input devices. The top of the line computer monitors provide at least one HDMI input on them.

The HDMI input is on there so you can use a high-definition source such as a Blue-Ray player or even a high-definition camcorder.

You might also want to consider HDMI outputs in case you need to run a monitor to another highdefinition video source, such as a high-definition television or another HD monitor.

If you do decide to go with the HDMI, ensure that the ports are HDMI 1.3 compatible so that you are ready for any future upgrades to the HDMI standard.

Resolution and Contrast Ratio

Many manufacturers will try to sell you on resolution and contrast ratio as the two most important considerations when buying a new computer monitor.

While these features are important, they’re less of a consideration among the best monitors.

Contrast ratio numbers are way too easily manipulated to be an indicator of a good monitor, so don’t just rely on this number to tell you whether a monitor is good or not.

All of the best monitors have a ton of flexibility in resolution and support all of the most common resolution formats.

If you are running video editing software you might want to double check to see if you need something specific that meets your needs.

Remember if you need any assistance in choosing a new monitor, or comparing options, give us a call
at (734)-457-5000. We’ll be happy to help.

Is There A New Computer In Your Future? Here’s A Tip To Help You Transfer Your Important Information!

Robert Saylors is a senior network technician and hardware specialist with Tech Experts.

It eventually has to happen, we need a new computer. You can buy one from the “BIG BOX” stores, or order online or worse yet buy one from “Freddie” on the corner, but the time will come that you need a new computer.
 
The technology advances so fast it is hard to grasp what you need, what the kids need, and what should you buy that will give you the most bang for your buck.

A bigger concern is: “What will you lose?” When you upgrade your computer, it’s important to preserve the “my documents” and “my photos” folders.

How can you transfer them to your new computer and not lose them?

If you are running Microsoft Windows XP, you are in luck. Not only does Windows provide you with a file transfer wizard, they have a feature called profiles.

Each person who has logged in to a Windows computer had created a profile that has all of  their favorites, documents, music, and photos stored in an easy to transfer directory structure.

The secret is in knowing how to move them to the new computer.  It is very easy. I mentioned thumb drives and external storage in my last article.  Using your external storage, it’s relatively simple to transfer things over. Since each person who uses the computer has their own profile, all of their information is stored separately - all you need to do is find your profile, which is under your user name and then copy the folder which is named after your login name. 

For example, if I created a user called “BigBob” then a profile folder called BigBob would also be created. This folder will contain all of my documents, Internet favorites and music if I have saved them to the default location.

Once you find the user’s profile folder, you’d just copy the folder to your external storage or thumb drive. Then, on your new computer, you’d copy the folder back to the same place. I know this gets confusing, but it isn’t that difficult.

Microsoft has developed a way to keep all of your information stored in one central location, and keep each user’s information separate from each other.

This makes it so easy to do the transfer to a new computer.  But to play it safe! If you have very important information, or you haven’t made a recent backup, you may want to use Tech Experts to transfer your data, photos and music to you new system.

We do it every day, and we realize the importance of your data. Give us a call at (734) 457-5000, or e-mail support@mytechexperts.com.

Expert Advice On Choosing A New Computer

Corey Bogedain is a network technician and web developer with Tech Experts.

Picking out a new computer can be challenging. Questions you might want to ask yourself include: What is my budget, what do I need to use it for, and where do I plan to use it?

After you answer those questions, you need to think of more specific questions like should I get a laptop or desktop, how fast does it need to be, and how much memory or drive space do I need? All these will help get you an idea of what you are going to look for.

When looking for a computer the form factor is one of the biggest decisions. What I mean by that is the size of the computer, whether you want it to be a portable computer or a desktop computer.

The two most common sizes are a regular tower case (the kind that usually sits on the floor) or a laptop. Deciding on one of those will help eliminate half of the choices right away.

Next, ask yourself if your needs will pretty much stay the same, or is there a chance of needing upgrades as your needs and computer use change?

You’ll probably not be able to predict when you’ll need to upgrade your computer, but it’s something to keep in mind. Laptops are generally more expensive than tower computers, and can’t be upgraded as easily.
Most laptops can only have ram and hard drive upgrades. Tower computers have pretty much inlimited upgrade potential. From a new motherboard to just a simple RAM upgrade.

Be careful, though: Some major computer manufacturers like Dell make it so that you can only upgrade your computer with manufacturer parts - limiting choices and making upgrades much more expensive than on standard computers.

When reviewing the specs for your new computer, consider the kind of work you do and how fast you need to get it done. Two of the biggest factors to consider are hard drive space and the physical RAM.

Think of hard drive space like a file cabinet - this is where the computer stores all of your programs, files, pictures, music and so on. You can think of RAM memory as the computer’s working memory - where it does all of the different calculations you ask it to do.

If you do a lot of tasks that have very large files like video editing or pictures you would want to make sure you have a bigger hard drive so that don’t run out of space right away. Hard drive space is very inexpensive - less than $1/gigabyte - so it makes sense to buy as large a hard drive as is practical.

 For the speed on the computer you need to look at the CPU type and speed, and the RAM.

CPU type will typically be single or dual core - without getting too technical, you’ll probably want to go with dual core, which makes the computer (in general) able to process twice as much information at the same time. The faster the speed, usually measured in gigahertz, the faster the computer can process information.

RAM is also a determining factor in the processing speed of the computer - the more RAM, the more the computer can process without accessing the hard drive. I recommend at least 2gb, and preferrably 4gb.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when buying a new computer. We’re very proud to offer IBM and Lenovo laptop and dektop computers at Tech Experts, so if you’re in the market for a new machine, give me a call!