Archive for the ‘Equipment’ Category
Rain, Rain Go Away – How to keep your electronics safe in the storm
September 21st, 2009For those of you not in the southeast, the past few days have been nothing but rain. With well over a foot of rain in the past 3 days, a lot of people are getting worried about the flooding/lightning and the effect it might have on computer equipment. Here’s my advice to you:
If you don’t have a UPS (battery power) between the wall outlet and your computer – you should unplug your computer completely from the wall (don’t just turn it off) – this will stop the electrical surges and possible lightning strike from traveling across your power lines right into your computer.
If the room you are in is susceptible to flood or leaks, lift your computers and power strips off the floor to avoid eletrical shorts and shocks. Don’t just think about your computer – but anything electrical – TVs, DVD players, etc - as yourelf “What can get wet or struck by lightning?”
One thing to know – your power company is not liable for any damage caused to your electrical equipment. You MAY be able to file a claim with your home owner’s insurance but it depends on the size of your claim and what specific riders you have on your insurance. If you run your business from your home - don’t forget to check with your business insurance provider (general liability, etc) to see if they will cover any damages.
Most power strips you buy at the local stores don’t have any type of insurance or protection from surges or power spikes. There are a few and rather than recommending a specific brand, we’d rather discuss options with you in person to ensure you are receiving the correct protection for your equipment.
If you need help in gathering information for an insurance claim, call us and we can help get you current pricing, replacement pricing and any labor estimates for the claim. Our estimates are accepted by most insurance companies and we can work with your insurance company to determine the actual value of your equipment.
Hard Drive Crash
August 19th, 2009For those of you who have heard me preach about the possibility of a hard drive crash and the steps necessary to protect yourself, you can rest assured that hard drive crashes happen even to the technology guys. Earlier this year, I decided to upgrade my laptop with a removable memory card (like a jump drive/flash drive) to store all of my documents, web site code and other items. This helps me jump from computer to computer by allowing me to pull out the memory card, stick it in my netbook (has anyone not fallen in love with my Dell Mini ?) and away I go.
Well last night, while working on a problem for a customer of course the inevitable happened – my computer froze. When I rebooted windows, the memory card gave me an error mesage about it being corrupt (can you hear my screams – ARRRRRRRRGGGHHHHH!). Now for the positive:
Just like I tell you to do, my backups were up to date – the downside was backups run once a day at 1AM – so of course everything I did Tuesday wasn’t in the backup. So first things first, I got myself a new memory card and started restoring my files to it. This morning I have the crashed memory card in our lab attempting to recover yesterday’s work.
So what are the lessons learned from my experience? Here’s the quick list
- Backup, backup, backup (decide if you need twice a day backups even)
- Know your hardware
- Pay attention to little problems before they become big ones (I should have noticed the little things that were happening to the memory card)
- Have a plan (what would you do if your drive crashed – panic, or know that you are prepared).
If you want to talk about the possibility of your drive crashing (no one really wants to talk about it) or you want us to help you build a recovery plan – just drop us an e-mail or call us and I’d be more than happy to help. Here’s to a long hard drive life and no crashes!
Are NetBooks right for me?
July 12th, 2009Netbooks are all the rage this year. With smaller sizes, better battery life and wireless what’s not to love. But coupled with the smaller size comes a less powerful processor and less upgrade options. This presents an interesting decision to make: Can I make a NetBook my primary laptop?
The most common answer is: It depends. When someone asks this question of me, I usually ask a few questions:
- How do you normally use a computer?
- Do you have another computer?
- Is size the only reason you are considering a NetBook?
If the person is planning on using the computer for anything more than web surfing, web based email and some note taking – I typically recommend one of the smaller full-power laptops. These days, there are a number of manufacturers with 12 inch screen, powerful processors and room for expansion.
In our business, we use NetBooks to supplement our primary computer (desktop and laptop) – the NetBook lets us move from client to client with the information we need, plus gives us quick startup and long battery life. So it’s easy to see where even in the non-typical use NetBooks can be useful.
Recently some school districts are using NetBooks for classroom computing – with everything on the school’s intranet, the power savings and light weight make these ideal for educational use. Additionally, their use in military and police applications.
There are lots of options for small format laptops and NetBooks. Wether or not a NetBook is right for you depends on how you are going to use it. If you want more information or to compare a NetBook to a small-format laptop, call me to find out. Contact Us for more information.
