While visiting my Mother over the weekend, she complained that her Laptop was painfully slow. I thought it was just my Mother, but she reminded me that it worked fine when I first set up the Laptop and that my brother, sister and nice had all been using it and installed various things. To cut a long story short, here are some of the things I discovered and how I fixed them.
- Automatic Updates were Turned Off. The system runs VISTA and had no updates for a year and a half. While VISTA can be very slow at the best of times, the updates (particularly the Service Packs) have a huge impact on speed and resources. So TURN ON AUTOMATIC UPDATES and install all updates form Microsoft when asked. It took me a day to apply all updates that have been released over the last year and a half.
- Three different versions of Microsoft Office were installed. When there was a problem with reading Word attachments at least two different people tried to reinstall Office without uninstalling previous versions. If you have a problem with a program, DO A COMPLETE UNINSTALL FIRST BEFORE YOU TRY TO REINSTALL.
- The Laptop had never been Defragemented. When I checked, the system was set up to run a Scheduled Defrag on a weekly basis (at 3:00am on a Wed morning) , but the problem was that my mother never left her Laptop on at night. So if you have an Automatic Schedule for Defragmentation, make sure you leave your PC on at night and that your Power Saving features don’t turn off the PC before it has a chance to do a Defrag.
The final point I would make, is that it is much easier to sort out a problem if three well meaning people, have not tried to fix the problem. Call in somebody in the computer business straight away. The good guys will have a quick look and let you know what the likely costs are before they do any work.
For my sins I help out with the Computers and IT at a few of the local National Schools in North Wexford and I recently got a panicked call from the secretary saying the that all printing had stopped working.
As I was in the area I called out at lunchtime. When I arrived I was told that a guy had been installing a broadband connection the previous day and had done something to stop the main printer working. I quickly established that the new broadband connection wasn’t linked to the network and assured her that this had nothing to do with the problem. I then discovered that the printer had lost it’s network address and working with the printer supplier, reallocated the printer address and the printer started to churn out the queued print jobs.
I thought, great, it’s all working and was about to head out the door when the secretary stopped me and asked what was the cause of the problem. I quickly checked with the printer supplier and explained that we didn’t know, but it was all working now. The secretary then quietly but forcefully insisted the problem was caused by the broadband installer as the last time somebody worked on the broadband the printer also stopped working and that we needed to find out or it would happen again.
Reluctantly I investigated further and low and behold discovered that the broadband installer had indeed disconnected one of the servers and not only was this the cause of the printer problem, but was also causing the backup to fail among other things.
Tail between my legs I headed back into the office to explain to the secretary that she was quite right and it was the installer that had caused the problem and it would have caused a lot more problems if we had not found the Root Cause of the problem.
While this was a relatively minor incident in a small school, if the same approach was taken in a larger organisation, there could have been much more serious consequences. No matter how small the problem is, it’s critical that you find out what caused the problem and put systems in place to insure it doesn’t happen again. Not just because it’s Good Practice but because it will save your business a lot of time effort and most of all money.
A wise man once told me that We have two ears and one mouth and they were designed to be used in those proportions. If I had listened to the secretary in the first place I could have saved everyone a lot of time and effort.
Came across this article at DIGITAL21, Irish businesses need to realise the digital economy is the ‘real’ economy.
It’s time for businesses to get technological
It’s time for businesses to get technological
In 1982 for the last “Big Snow” everybody, particularly school children spent most of their time outside enjoying the fantastic snowy conditions that are so rare Ireland. Mind you, at that time there were no XBox’s, PS3′s, WII’s or for that matter the Internet.
Today things are very different. While walking the dog twice a day over this last cold spell, I very rarely saw children playing in the snow. It was only when I was talking to a collegue in Alpha Broadband (a fixed wireless broadband provider in North Wexford), that I realised what they were all up to.
He proceded to show me the traffic graphs and the traffic rose by over 60% for the period of the cold snap. There was also a corresponding drop in traffic today when the kids went back to school. He did also note that based on his graphs most school children don’t get up until at least 12:00.
With the snow and ice causing havoc all over the country, the conditions are putting pressure on businesses that are already hard pressed during the current recession. People cannot get to work and are sitting at home doing nothing. Somebody said that there was no point in trying to get in to work as none of the customers or businesses they deal with would be in either. But there are always many admin and management tasks to do, that you don’t normally have time for, If you could get to the office or If you could get access to your computer systems.
Well you can very easily get remote access to your computer systems and indeed communicate with your work colleagues.
The only thing you require is a Broadband Internet Connection. To access your computer systems you can either;
- Access your existing computer systems using a secure remote connection such as GoToMyPC. This is a hosted implementation of Citrix, which is a well established system used by many larger businesses to access their systems remotely and can cost as little as €12 per month.
- The second option is to consider using Software As A Service (SAAS) for your main systems. SAAS means that your Integrated Accounts System / CRM systems are not installed on a computer in your office but are installed on a secure server in a Data Centre, which you access remotely using a secure connection. Examples in Ireland are Mamut and Eircom SAAS.
To keep in contact with your work colleagues all you require is Skype and you can talk, and if you have a webcam, have video calls for free.
So if you want to make sure that the next period of bad weather doesn’t bring you business to a halt why not contact me in Glasgorman Computer Services HERE.
P.S. There is also a very strong argument that a small business can dramatically reduce it’s recurring infrastructure costs, regardless of weather etc. , by using technology to implement Remote Working for employees.
Sorry but there is no Morning After Pill for PC’s. So for all those people who receive computers as presents for Christmas, if your PC gets infected with a Computer Virus it is not necessarily an easy job to get rid of the virus and clean up your PC (not to mention the cost of getting somebody to do it for you).
So as they say Prevention is Better than Cure. If your new PC comes with Anti Virus software, then make sure to enable it. If the computer has no Anti Virus software then the VERY FIRST THING you should do when you connect to the Internet is to install Anti Virus software.
Here is a site reviewing the most popular Anti Virus Programs. I personally use Nod32 from ESET but any of the top 10 reviewed would be fine.
Have a great and safe computing time over the holidays.
While Glasgorman Computer Services primarily deal with business users, I often get asked questions about how safe the Internet is and as the father of three teenagers I am always very conscious of the risks that the Internet can pose to our children.
One of the biggest risks children face is the approach to and lack of knowledge of parents to the real dangers of the internet. Now don’t get me wrong, I am one of the biggest fans of the internet and all my children go online daily. When used correctly the Internet is a fantastic resource and represents tremendous opportunities for our children into the future, but there are risks and by taking a few simple, common sense steps, we can eliminate a lot of the risks.
For a lot of parents they think their children are safe and secure when they are in the house as opposed to when they are out on the streets, but they fail to realise that via the broadband connection in the house they can potentially be exposed to many more dangers.
Here are some simple precautions that you can take to protect your children;
- Don’t let your children use the Internet in their bedrooms. If the computer is located in a public space then your children are much less likely to try and access questionable sites.
- If you have young children, then I would recommended using some parental control software such as Net Nanny. It’s not that ten year olds are going to look up porn on Google, but sometimes an innocent search can produce questionable results.
- Educate yourself about the Internet. If you feel that all this computer stuff is too complicated then do a course. There are evening computer courses in every town and ECDL courses are widely available.
- Talk to your children, ask them about BEBO, Facebook, MSN etc.. and get them to show you how it works. Better still get an account for yourself and see first hand how it works.
There are also some good guides and programs in secondary schools that give some Good practical advice like Teen Safe Computing and childwatch.ie
I also came across an article in the Irish Examiner which said that primary way kids are being bullied is not face to face but is through social networks such as BEBO and Facebook, so it’s in your interest to find out more.
We all know how it goes, Christmas Day – Eat and Drink way too much. Stephen’s Day – Recover with Turkey Curry. Sunday – Get real energetic and climb Croghan Mountain. So on Monday instead of watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or The Sound Of Music for the 150th time, why not do little bit of housekeeping on computer systems in preparation for 2010.
- Have a look at the data you are storing and get rid of the rubbish. At least 50% (often 80%) of the data stored on your business computers is useless, out-of-date, drafts or duplicates. Remember you are paying good money to store and backup this data. If you haven’t looked for it in six months, then archive it.
- Do a little bit of reorganisation of your files and data. A huge amount of time is wasted trying to find files, having multiple versions of files or reediting files because you couldn’t find the latest version. Like a manual file system it doesn’t really matter what system you use, just that there is a system and everyone sticks to it.
- Finally before you head into 2010 with all guns blazing, please take a master backup of your main systems (accounts, payroll or whatever your key system is) BEFORE you do your Year-End Routines. It’s so much easier to deal with problems if you have a backup from before you hit the Submit Button.
It’s so much easier to get these things done when the phone is not ringing and you’ll be heading into 2010 with your desk and systems cleared of the rubbish from 2009. “Onwards and Upwards” as they say, whoever they are.
The dishwasher finally put up the white flag and after a sustained and relentless attack from three teenagers, finally surrendered after 10 years. While in Gorey shopping for a replacement I came across some fantastic deals for Laptops and Netbooks in Dominic Smith Electrical. Not that I wasn’t enthusiastic about the the new dishwasher, and lets face it, it costs a hell of a lot more than a Netbook Computer, it’s just that height adjustable trays don’t quite do it for me!
As we get closer to Christmas and people are looking at buying computers as presents, we are being asked this question a lot. To a certain extent it’s like asking “What is the difference between a Jeep, an SUV and a People Carrier?”, there are a lot of similarities and crossover but each is really designed for a different purpose.
Well it’s the same when it comes to portable computers. Originally Notebook computers were the first slim computers to come on the market and were designed to have all the same features as the equivalent desktop computer. As a consequence the used to be very expensive (twice the price of an equivalent desktop). Then the next generation of of portable computers came out that were smaller and lighter and because they could be used anywhere, they were called Laptops. These days people use the term Notebook and Laptop interchangeably. If someone uses the term Notebook or Laptop, they mean a slimline portable PC with a screen between 14″ and 17″ and similar processors, memory, hard disks and DVD drives that you would find in a desktop computer. Currently there is very little difference in price between Laptops and desktops, so you would really be crazy to buy a Desktop when a Laptop has all the same features and gives much greater flexibility.
With the greater penetration or broadband in the last couple of years and the increase in the use of social networking like MySpace, Facebook and Bebo, the computer manufacturers recognised that there was a market for a less powerful PC that would be primarily used to access the Internet and for personal use. As a consequence this type of PC did not need all the bells and whistles, but did need to be very portable. Enter the Netbook PC. Netbooks tend to have less powerful processors, less memory, smaller hard disks and no DVD drives. The also tend to be smaller, usually 10″ or 11″ displays and as a result Netbooks are cheaper than Laptops.
So if you want a powerful, flexible PC with all the features then buy a Laptop. If on the other hand you really just want a PC to access the Internet and do the odd bit of Word Processing and Spreadsheet then buy a Netbook, they will be much more portable and also cheaper.
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