mbarrett-it-blog

Anti-virus

2011-09-10T07:30:00.000-04:00

One major concern of computer ownership is which anti-virus product to use. It's a must have item and the first thing you should do before you actually start using your computer on the Internet.

Over the years I have had the opportunity to install many different products in home and small business environments, products either chosen by me or the customer. As anti-virus products offer a range of services to the user (anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall) each offer wide differences in user experience and their ability to play well with others.

At MBS we have made the decision to be an Avast partner/reseller. It is common for Avast to be ranked in the top 5 of product reviews, usually in the top 3. We like this product because it provides good protection, an understandable user interface, and negligible negative impact on system performance.

Purchase Avast at MBS, installed in our shop for free.

3 days with an Android

2010-09-18T08:07:00.000-04:00

Having come due for my free upgrade I swapped my Blackberry Curve in for a new one. I then returned it just before the 30 day limit and opted to swap to an Android2.

To me BlackBerry went in the wrong direction, reducing the number of apps you can have on the home screen, my Android on the other hand is extremely flexible and it provides multiple (easily accessed) screens.

Naturally it takes a day to get all your apps in line, e-mail accounts set up, and the look and feel that works best for you. As I like access to multiple e-mail accounts, configuring this was at the top of my list. Android allows you to place a notification area and define what accounts are linked to it, one email, two email, email and text; add all to one or create a separate spot for each.

An unexpected plus was discovering the SmrtGuard app, which provides for remote wiping if your phone is lost.
https://www.smrtguard.com/

The only thing I think they could streamline a bit is the adding of items to a screen, to do this you have to sort through whether you want to add a shortcut, a Motorola Widget, or an Android Widget; I should not have to think that hard, why can't they be in one place?

In the end I am happy I made the move. From what I have read the New BlackBerry OS, while more flexible, is still playing catch-up.

The best free Anti-virus 1.2

2010-09-16T21:12:00.000-04:00

My opinion of MS Security essentials has wavered a bit. I have had some issues with it missing malware, on the other hand I recently had the opportunity to see it in action as consecutive e-mails were reviewed in Outlook, Security Essentials performed very well picking up suspicious content.

I have to mention Avast Free has been gone up in my opinion. This has become my defacto install when I need it and I have begun using Avast Pro in business environments.

Included in a Managed Services contract with MBS Network Support Services I provide free virus/malware removal if it should happen, so what I install I have to have faith in.

Optimal Air Teperature

2010-03-27T11:12:00.002-04:00

A 2009 study by American Power Conversion takes an in depth look at server room temperatures and how it impacts overall power consumption. The study takes into account three distinct server types ranging from the elaborate to the small boxed server in use at small businesses.

While semiconductor leakage is attributed for some increase in power draw by servers, increased fan speed/operation is the largest factor, in one case contributing an 80 watt increase in power consumption between 62 and 95 (F) degrees.

To arrive at the optimal server room temperature the study also considered the cost of the cooling.

The study concluded that an air temperature between 76 and 81 degrees (F) provided the best overall energy savings, a balance on how cool to keep the room and when the server starts to pull extra energy.

The most popular desktop UPS in the world!

The Back-UPS ES offers our best value for protecting your home and home office computer systems. Completely redesigned to use less power during normal operation, the Back-UPS ES provides enough backup power for you to work through short and medium length power outages. It also safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility and data lines.

XP Sp2 support coming to a close

2010-03-16T17:14:00.001-04:00

As Microsoft winds down XP some dates are getting close and your computer(s) may need attention.

First check your operating system properties:

Right click on My Computer and select Properties, review the General tab.

Microsoft has announced support for XP Service pack 2 will expire July 13, 2010.
If you have SP2 upgrade to SP3 before the July 13 date.

Support for 64 bit (Sp2) versions will continue till April 8, 2014, there is no SP3 for 64 bit.

Read more here.

If you have had automatic updates enabled you would have received service pack three as an update. If you do any telecommuting or office collaboration check with your partners and make sure your apps work with Internet Explorer 8. IE8 will be part of the update process but you will be afforded the opportunity to skip this if you think it will be a problem.

Need help? visit my web site for contact information.

Windows 7

2010-03-13T13:47:00.000-05:00

With the introduction of Windows 7 Microsoft has announced both XP and Vista will be phased out by mid 2014. For the time being you can count on Microsoft issuing the necessary critical and security updates but neither will be improved upon. Given this scenario it is doubtful hardware or software manufactures will devote time and effort into building on support for these two operating systems.

If you want to review your current hardware for a possible upgrade to Windows 7 Microsoft offers a free analysis tool; the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will provide you with a detailed report of your current system.

Windows XP cannot be upgraded to Windows 7. This requires a clean install. If you have important data on your system to preserve you will have to transfer that to another location, install Windows 7 on your computer, and then bring your information back. Use the link below to buy your full install disk and call me for a quote on data preservation and transfers if it is something you are not comfortable with.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium DVD English

With Vista you can do an in-place upgrade. I would still download and run the Upgrade Advisor, and personally, I would still backup "critical data" for safety's sake, but all should go well.
Windows 7 Home Premium - Upgrade with Free 4gb USB

Windows 7 is a great operating system. Use the Home Premium Version for home and the "Pro" Version for Office/Business.
Microsoft Windows Pro 7 UPGRADE Version - DVD

The best free anti-virus

2010-03-11T20:16:00.002-05:00

Microsoft Security Essentials is by far the best performing free anti-virus I have seen. Please don't get a negative impression from the word free....this is a solid product which outperforms paid products.

Many times malware infections can be confused or generalized as a virus, I see more malware infections day to day than viruses and Security Essentials shines with it's malware detection abilities.

Get it here.

PNY OPTIMA 512MB DDR 400 MHz PC3200 Desktop DIMM Memory Module MD0512SD1-400

A better PDF reader

2010-03-10T06:59:00.000-05:00

Nuance PDF reader offers features not found in other free offerings. The ability to add comments, underline, and highlight text are great features and using the comments navigation pane allows you to quick jump back to that spot.

Nuance offers a free conversion service over the web as well, converting a PDF to word processing and spreadsheet formats!

http://www.nuance.com/imaging/products/pdf-reader.asp

deleting temporary internet files for all users

2010-03-09T19:18:00.000-05:00

Found a great utility toady for cleaning the temporary internet files for multiple users on a workstation or server. ICSweep is a command line utility which will clean all profiles except the one currently in use and works on a wide range of Windows OS.

http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com.au/CAD_TSUtils.htm