Computer » GLASGORMAN Computer Services

What is the difference between a Laptop, a Notebook and a Netbook Computer?

Buying Computers, Uncategorized No Responses »

Dec 102009

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.

The Martians have Landed! (Allien Irish Banks P.L.C , Your ABI CODE CARD is about to expire.)

Email, Internet, Phishing, Security, Spam/Junk Emails No Responses »

Dec 042009

For all you Extra Terrestrials out there that have an account with Allien Irish Banks please do not respond to emails form the following;

From: Allien Irish Banks P.L.C <account@AllienIrishBanks.ie>

Subject: Your ABI CODE CARD is about to expire.

It is a Phishing attack. ( Note the misspellings.) As we get closer to Christmas these type of scams and phishing attacks are going to increase so beware.

Are you Paying Too Much for your Recurring IT, Telecommunication and Maintenance Charges?

Business Advice, IT Audit, Maintenance, Software, Uncategorized No Responses »

Dec 032009

As we get closer to the end of a very challenging and turbulent year, most businesses will be reviewing their business plans, budgets and forecasts for the coming year and no doubt IT, Computers and Telecommunications will form part of those reviews. But before you finalise those plans I would strongly advise you to do an audit of your recurring IT, Telecommunications and Maintenance Charges.

We have already come across several situations where companies have reduced their staff and have not reduced their corresponding recurring costs.

Are you in a contract with your Mobile Phone provider that is designed for 10 phones and now only have 5 reps on the road.
Are you paying annual Software Licenses, Software Maintenance and Hardware Maintenance for systems are no longer used.
Do you still need the highest speed Broadband Connection when you have half the number of people using the connection?

So before you finalise those budgets take the time to review those costs, and if you feel that you are out of your depth, then talk to your Computer Services provider and they can conduct a Business Technology or IT Audit for you.

How to Compress Videos for uploading to YouTube using MediaCoder

A How to Guide, Uncategorized, Video Conversion No Responses »

Dec 022009

A lot of people discover that when they try and upload their Camcorder Videos to YouTube that the files are huge and that it will take hours to upload using their broadband connection. Here is a simple to use, FREE conversion and compression utility called MediaCoder, that will convert your videos to MPEG-4 format.

Converting to MPEG-4 format will dramatically reduce the size of the video files while still maintaining the quality for the purposes of viewing on the computer or YouTube.

This video describes the process in more detail.

How to compress videos for uploading to YouTube

Data Security and Storage in Small Businesses.

Business Advice, Data Protection, Maintenance, Network, Online Backup, Security, Uncategorized No Responses »

Nov 272009

With all this talk about floods and Disaster Recovery, it has only highlighted one of the key issues facing SME Businesses and that is where and and how securely is your companies data stored. Time and again we come across companies who are only backing up a small proportion of their data and that is not because they are not doing their daily backups, it is because they are unaware of where their data is being stored.

Most small businesses do not have a full time IT person, instead the function is covered as a secondary part of somebodies job description or by their IT Provider who is usually only called when when there is a problem and doesn’t have time to look at the overall systems. As a result for most small businesses, their computer systems have evolved in a haphazard way rather than grown in a planned structured and documented way.

This is not necessarily a problem when you are dealing with a small number of computers, small quantities of data and everything is going fine, however when something goes wrong or a computer breaks down then this can be a real issue. In a well structured small business network, all business data will be stored centrally on a server (or at least on one desktop that is designated as a server). With all the data in one location it is easy to backup and if it comes to it, restore. If one of the desktops gives up the ghost then that’s not a major problem, just go to another PC and access the centrally stored data.

If on the other hand everyone is storing their data on their local hard disk, then it becomes very difficult to co-ordinate backups and make sure that critical data is not lost if there is a failure on an individual PC. It is relatively easy to fix or replace computer hardware and software but nothing can be done if there is no backup for the data.

The second issue when it comes to these unstructured networks is that there is probably very little security for the data and that means that you are failing to meet your obligations under the Data Protection Act.

In the vast majority of cases the solution does not usually cost very much and generally does not require the purchase of new computers. A good computer services company should be able to organise the network using the existing equipment and put an Online Backup solution in place to ensure your data is backed up securely.

If you can establish a relationship with a local Computer Services company who understands your business and can document your systems and some simple procedures, then the time taken to recover from major system failures can be greatly reduced, which can save you money and give you peace of mind.

The final point is that you should view your computer systems the way you view your car. If your car does not get serviced at least once a year then things go wrong a lot more often and you can dramatically reduce it’s life span. Your computer systems are no different. An annual Preventative Maintenance visit can eliminate the majority of issues before the arise.

Online Backups and Computers Don’t Float

Online Backup No Responses »

Nov 232009

I’ve had my first call from a friend of mine who unfortunately is a victim of the recent flooding. When he started off the conversation by explaining how he knew that computers definitely did not float, I knew that things were not good.

I then asked the key question, “Do you have your backups?” and luckily he had kept his backup tapes stored off site and only lost one days data. However when I started to go through what he needed to do to get himself back up and running, I realised it wouldn’t be straight forward.

His backup tape drive and software were over four years old and the software CD was also damaged in the flood. So after much researching on the Internet and several phone calls we established that the new software would restore the old backup, but it was going to take a couple of days to get hold of a new tape drive. So we still have yet to see how good his backups are as he has never tried a test restore since he installed the tape drive.

If ever there was a case for Online Backups then this is it. If he had been backing up his data online, then the only thing he would have had to do would be to get hold of a suitable server, connect it to the Internet at any location, download the backup software and restore his programs and data. No messing with tape drives and tapes of unknown quality.

Needless to say I am actively trying to persuade him that one of our online backup solutions would make all our lives a lot easier.

Smoking could Void your Computers Warranty!

Uncategorized No Responses »

Nov 222009

I thought this was a joke at first when I came across it on THE CONSUMERIST blog, but on further reading it turns out to be true. At least two Apple customers in the US were told that their computers warranty was void because they smoked.

It makes me wonder what else could potentially void a computers warranty?

http://consumerist.com/5408885/smoking-near-apple-computers-creates-biohazard-voids-warranty

Concentrating on the “Day Job”

Blogs, Newsfeeds, Twitter No Responses »

Nov 182009

Recently I installed a couple of utilities (add-ons for Firefox) to help me keep up with the various Blogs, Newsfeeds, and Twitter accounts. Brief for the feeds and Echofon for Twitter and I have to say they are great at organising everything and preventing information overload.

But there is a problem, because the information is being presented to me in an organised, readable format and most importantly on a regular basis, I find myself being distracted by really interesting snippets of information and not concentrating on the task at hand. As a result I have had to dramatically reduce the number of times these utilities update each day.

Now don’t get me wrong keeping up-to-date with what’s going on in your business sector is really important, but you have to achieve the right balance.

Software as a Service (SaaS), How you can compete with the Big Boys, Without Big Costs

Business Advice, Business Startup, CRM, Internet, Networks, Online Software, Software as a Service 1 Response »

Nov 172009

I came across and advertisement today by eircom for their Online Software or Software as a Service. While I along with others may have issues with eircom’s monopoly position in the Irish Telecommunications Infrastructure Market, Software as a Service (SaaS) is something that SME Businesses should be evaluating.

When your business is small and you are starting off in business it is very easy to keep track of all your communications with your clients and for that matter communications between employees, but as you grow and start to expand your business that’s not so easy any more. That’s when some things start to fall through the cracks and you don’t keep in contact with your customers quite so often. Studies have shown that the main reason customers stop doing business with you is that they perceive that you don’t care or don’t value their business.

This is where a good CRM (Customer Relationship Marketing) system comes in. A good CRM system will allow everyone in your organisation too maintain those contacts with your customers and not only retain customers but grow the business.

Similarly in these recession times your employees can be spread much thinner on the ground and particularly if you have people on the road it’s difficult to work as a cohesive team and get that pool of knowledge and skills to be passed around between employees. That’s where good collaborative software can really help.

Unfortunately both CRM and Collaborative software systems can require significant amounts of IT and computer infrastructure to run effectively and apart from the capital costs to install them these systems, they require expertise in terms of IT Personnel to keep them running efficiently. That means extra recurring costs that your business can ill afford at this time.

But there is an potential answer, Software as a Service or to put it another way rent the software . That way all those complicated bits like servers, firewalls, networks, ups, databases, backups and the IT people to keep it all running smoothly are in a hi-tech data center and all you need is remote access via a broadband connection. From a business and budgeting point of view you don’t have any capital outlay and have predictable monthly costs.

It is these things that can give you the edge over your competitors in tough times.

For Business Broadband in Gorey and North Wexford check out Alpha Broadband

Four Simple ways to Speed up your PC

Uncategorized No Responses »

Nov 162009

I often come across PC and Laptops that appear to be good well specified computers and yet their performance is terrible. So here are some simple common sense things you can do to help speed up your computer.

Close Programs that you are not using. The most common thing I find when somebody complains about performance is that they have a massive number of windows/programs open at the same time and they are not using most of them. The maximum number of windows you should have open is 4 or 5. I regard myself as a fairly heavy user and most of the time I have 3 windows open, my email, my calendar and either my browser or office. I regularly come across people with 10 plus windows open and wonder why their computer is running slow. Remember even if you are not using an open program, a significant amount of resources are allocated to it anyway.
Clean Up and Organise your files. On most computers at least 50% of the files are either no longer required, temporary files, out of date or simply rubbish downloaded from the Internet. Each time you try and open a file the computer has to search through all those files. That’s why you will see your disk light going mad for ages when you open a file. So do a bit of spring cleaning and get rid of files you don’t use and if you haven’t accessed them in ages put them onto backup cd’s.
Defragment your Hard Disks. OK, sorry about this but I have to get a little bit technical here. When you first save files on the computer they are stored in a very logical sequence that best uses the hard disk space and allows them to be retrieved very quickly. As you use the computer and create more files, delete some and edit others the hard disk gets very disorganised and eventually the computer has to go around the world for sport just to open a simple file. The answer is to every now and then to reorganise the hard disk so the files are in a logical sequence again. The process of reorganising the hard disk is called Defragmenting. Here are some links to show you How to Defrag Windows XP and How to Defrag Windows Vista.
Upgrade your Memory/RAM. By far the most effective way of speeding up your computer is to increase the amount of memory or RAM. Memory is thousands of times quicker than the hard disk and if you have a lot of memory more files can be stored there which means the computer runs much quicker. Memory is relatively cheap these days but you will have to consult your local retailer unless you have somebody you can call on for computer expertise.

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