Easy Backup Solutions

Today I would like to discuss easy backup solutions. These solutions are really geared toward laptop and desktop computers but in some circumstances they may be used for servers etc. Today the question is:

 

What is the best and easiest way to backup the data on my laptop or desktop computer?

 

There is more than one way to accomplish this task and I will discuss a few of them.

 

1) External Disk - a hard drive that can be attached to a USB port or other available ports such as eSATA, fire wire etc. .  You can then run the built in backup program in Windows or use the software that comes with many of these devices such as the Western Digital My Passport Elite  the drive is packaged with WD Smart Ware which is a great program that will scan your computer and backup all of your personal data including email. WD Smart Ware will know when you have created a new file or saved a new version of an existing file and automatically back it up. This is my first choice for inexpensive easy backup solution for a few reasons. 1 the hard drive is portable, 2 the WD brand is  good stable / reliable hardware, 3 the software is free with the purchase of the hardware, 4 the software is intuitive and easy to use even for the novice.

 

2) Offsite backup - a software program that will automate the process of backing up the files and folders you choose to an offsite location. My choice here is Carbonite www.carbonite.com. The Carbonite product is about $55 a year and allows you to backup an unlimited amount of data. It is a good idea to keep a backup offsite to prevent loss due to theft or fire etc. . . The price is good and the software is free. The down side to this method is that you must have a working internet connection, and if you backup a lot of data this could severely reduce the speed of your internet temporarily, additionally if you want to run the backup at night etc. . . you must leave the computer turned on. But all in all a great price for a great product and lower upfront cost of purchasing a hard drive, also there is no hardware that could wear out.

 

3) Backup CD - by periodically burning a CD with the information you want to keep is an easy and cost effective way to archive your information for backup purposes. This method is very inexpensive but there are several negatives to this. 1) in the event of system failure you will lose any information that you have not backed up, for example if you made a backup CD a week ago and today your system failed you would lose all the information you saved from last week until today. 2) this is a very time consuming process 3) CD's can be scratched easly

 

There are several ways to backup your system and the important question to ask yourself is : What is my data worth? If your answer is more than $120 then the first option is best, for the optimal solution combine both the first and second solutions.

 

MDH

 

Matthew D. Hunn

-Consultant-

MDH Technologies

( (972) 800-9011

* matt@mdhtech.com

i www.mdhtech.com

Best Online Computer Retailers

When it comes to computers and technology there is such a variety available. Today I am specifically addressing online computer retailers. It's easy enough to go to your local Best Buy or Staples or other national brand named computer retailer to purchase computers and parts, but the variety and price are not always the best. Let's face it, the stores have a lot of overhead and marketing expenses and as a result they stock product that has a higher profit margin or otherwise less variety. I completely understand that tech retail is a tuff business, after all if you buy a part today for $100 tomorrow it's only worth $80!

That is one of the main reasons I choose to purchase most of my items online. The .com's have less overhead typically and they can reflect that in their prices. When choosing an online retailer it's important to think about price, cost of shipping, security, taxes and reputation.

There are two online retailers that I have evaluated and seem to be a top notch choice. My first choice is http://www.newegg.com/

Newegg- or http://www.newegg.com/ has been online for many years and carries a fantastic variety of product. They allow feedback and ratings for their product by the customers and don't charge sales tax in most states!

The other online retailer is http://www.tigerdirect.com/

Tigerdirect or www.tigerdirect.com is a great online retailer although they do have some physical "brick and mortar" locations they also have a good variety or product.

Both retailers seem to run a very secure checkout process taking care to keep your credit card information secure. I have received better shipping rates and times from Newegg but I'm sure this will depend on where you are in relation the warehouse. Since Tigerdirect has "brick and mortar" locations you may very well be charged tax on your order depending where you live. Both websites run specials and package deals and from time to time there are some real deals to be found. The one thing I like about Tigerdirect over Newegg is their generic server selection. Generic meaning not a nation brand like Dell or HP. I have actually purchased a few servers from them and they hold up very well.

The next time you are looking to make a technology purchase give online retailers a chance to win your business I think you will be happy what you find there! As always if MDH Technologies can be of assistance please drop us a line at matt@mdhtech.com or give us a call (972) 800-9011.

MDH

Matthew D. Hunn

-Consultant-

MDH Technologies

( (972) 800-9011

* matt@mdhtech.com

i www.mdhtech.com

Best Freeware / Software & Links

Once a year I create an "MDH Technologies Freeware CD" to hand out to my clients. This year I have evaluated several free software products and made a determination as to what I will suggest to my clients in the areas of Document Management, Security, Entertainment, as well as some of my favorite website links.

Document Management

Everyone from time to time needs the ability to create a PDF document. With PrimoPDF you can do exactly that. (download)

"PrimoPDF converts just about any file type to a PDF, using the print command from the source program the file was created in. In the latest version, the program comes with desktop icon that you can drag and drop files onto for quick conversion, as well as performance improvements and minor changes throughout the program" -CNET editors' review Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on October 08, 2009

 Security Software

Why pay for antivirus on your home computer, when there are so many free antivirus software packages available? After using several free antivirus programs I have found Avira Antivir Free Personal Edition to be by far the best. It is important to note that the EULA prohibits using this free product for business purposes, and there is one minor catch. That is when the product automatically updates you will receive one ad after the update advertising their products for purchase. It has no adverse effect on your computer or otherwise annoyance after you close the ad, and in my opinion it's totally worth it. (download)

" Avira's AntiVir has been a player in the security world for some time; however, in 2008 its status boomed because of its remarkably strong detection rates. It still remains near the top of independent antivirus efficacy tests, but while the 2009 version more or less kept pace with the competition, the 2010 edition isn't quite as good as it could be." -CNET editors' review Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on March 22, 2010

 

There is a second piece of free software in this category that I have been using for some time now to aid in cleaning PC's that are infected with Malware or (malicious software) called Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. If you are getting those fake antivirus warnings etc. . this is the product for you, the paid version offers active protection and has very little impact on system performance. (download)

"Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a surprisingly effective freeware antimalware tool. It's a relatively speedy malware remover, with the quick scan taking about 8 minutes even with other high-resource programs running. The heuristics engine proved on multiple computers during empirical testing that it was capable of determining the difference between false positives and dangerous apps". -CNET editors' review Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on February 10, 2009

  

Entertainment

We all enjoy having fun on the internet and our computers, after all the computers are not just tools for work but capable of so much more. The first piece of free software in this category is called YouTube Downloader and it does just what the name implies. It will take the embedded video from www.youtube.com and allow you to download and save it  to your desktop. (download)

The last piece of free software I will discuss today is called VLC. VLC is a free open source program that will play DVD and other audio and video formats. They offer a version for MAC as well as PC and Linux! If you have ever reloaded Windows on your computer and later found out you couldn't watch DVD's without a DVD decoder this is the software for you. Usually companies want to charge you for the software but this little app does a fantastic job and there are several skins to choose from so you may customize the look and feel of your user interface. (download)

Some of my favorite LINKS

http://www.hulu.com                                                                 watch free TV and movies and at great quality, if you missed an episode of your favorite show of just found one you like watch the entire season FREE!

http://www.sharebuilder.com                                                a fantastic way to start investing in your future, there are no minimums and inexpensive trade fees stocks / mutual funds / etc . . . and its fun!

http://www.redbox.com                                                           rent a movie and for only $1 / day they will let you reserve movies and find where the box is located, best part is you can return to any location . . .

http://www.overstock.com                                                      great prices on all kinds of stuff and very reasonable shipping charges . .  check it out to see what I mean.

http:/www.travelzoo.com                                                       signup for their e-mail I have used this site soooooo many times to go everywhere, on a shoe-string budget just sign up for the email you will see!

http://www.mdhtech.com                                                       and. . . . of course the best on-call IT computer service and network company around . . . especially in the Frisco, TX area!

I hope you enjoyed the information and that you will find it useful, as always I am here to answer question or replies to my post so please feel free to contact me and let me know what you would liek me to write about or if you just have a question I can answer or otherwise have something to add.

MDH

Matthew D. Hunn

-Consultant-

MDH Technologies

( (972) 800-9011

* matt@mdhtech.com

i www.mdhtech.com

 

Search Engine Optimazation or SEO

As I am redesigning my website http://www.mdhtech.com/ I realize I need to seriously research how to better advertise it. I offer computer and technology services to local businesses who don't have an IT department or full time IT guy on staff in the Frisco, TX area.

The Problem:

When using a search engine like http://www.google.com/, http://www.bing.com/, or http://www.yahoo.com// etc. . . I am not being listed nearly high enough in the list of results.

The Solution:

There are several parts to this solution because there is a formula that the search engines use to list results after a search

1) Keywords

In my case one of the popular search terms would be "computer repair". Essentially any search term is a keyword you should list within your website. For example if you want people to find you under the search term "computer repair" then you would need to use that as a keyword within your website. There are 2 main places you can do this within what's called meta tags :( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_element ) and within the text of your website or the content. It is also important to find synonyms or alternate keywords that have the same meaning and use those as well, for example if you are using the keyword "computer repair" you may also want to use the keyword "PC repair".

2) Backlinks

It's great to have a solid list of keywords on your website but that's only part of the equation. It is absolutely necessary to have other websites link to your website. This is referred to as a backlink(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backlink ) This tells the search engines that you have useful information and that your website is being referenced as a good source of information from a third party not affiliated with you.
It is important to note that the more popular the site is who is linking to you the better. As a matter of fact in some cases a link to your site from another site that is not being indexed or that is poorly designed will not
get you any credit for the link. Here is a list of places where you can get a free link to your website: (there are more but this is a solid place to start)

http://www.facebook.com/

http://www.twitter.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/

http://www.local.yahoo.com/

http://www.switchboard.com/

http://www.alexa.com/

3) Content

There are two types of content static and dynamic. Static content stays the same this may be something like your contact information, your about us pages etc. . . but is important to create new content from time to time or dynamic content so that the search engines don't think your site is "stale". Recently one of the more popular ways to do this is via blog. There are free blog service out there such as http://www.blogger.com/ that will allow you to embed or link to your blog post to your website. Spelling is an equally important factor, especially your keywords. Misspelled words will be improperly indexed.

4) Domain

There a just a few things to think about when it comes to domains, the first is the age of the domain, the older the better, the second is the number of domains the more the better. Additionally lets say you have a competitor that has a website http://www.mdhtech.com/ and the name of his business is MDH Technologies and you notice the domain http://www.mdhtechnologies.com/ is available why not purchase this domain and point it to your website. Or can try purchasing generic domains like computerrepair.com which in many cases will not be available but is worth the time to look up. There are more factors involved in getting your website ranked and indexed properly like including things like a sitemap within your website and

submitting your website to the search engines so they are aware you are out there, as well as other more technical task not included in this article. If you follow the basic guidelines included here you should notice results within 2 - 3 weeks.

MDH

Matthew D. Hunn

-Consultant-

MDH Technologies

( (972) 800-9011

* matt@mdhtech.com

i www.mdhtech.com

Buy vs. Build

Today I will discuss the question " Is it better to buy a PC or Build one?"

As you can imagine there are several factors in making such a decision.  Below are some questions you may use to help make an assessment:

What is your budget?

What will you use the computer for?

How long are you expecting your computer to last?

What kind of warranty do you expect?

Budget:

If your answer to this question was less than $600.00 then don't bother building. Although you can build a budget system on your own you won't really receive the benefit of the price break. Currently the price break vs. quality and speed, capacity etc. . . is typically around $800.00. Now the one exception to this rule is, if you are wanting to learn how to build a computer or need or want to the experience, it is wise to first build a few budget systems first to get your feet wet.

Uses:

If you will use the computer only for internet and email, the custom system may be overkill. However if you like to "game" or run several programs at the same time or do things that are graphically intensive or otherwise "stress" the machine you may want to consider going with a custom system.

Longevity:

I usually tell people to budget a new computer about every three years. One of the advantages of a custom system is that typically the technology will last longer because it is likely the machine was built with some of the latest parts / software available.

Warranty:

Usually when you buy a machine from HP or Dell etc. . . it comes with a standard 1 year warranty. When you purchase a gaming computer each part is warranted individually. Many of the part manufacturers will give you a limited lifetime warranty, however since there is not a single source of support this can be more frustrating.

All in all there are reason buy and reasons to build it really depends on what you're looking to do and what you expect out of your machine etc. For more information or if you are interested in purchasing a custom build system visit MDH Technologies at www.mdhtech.com

MDH

Matthew D. Hunn

-Consultant-

MDH Technologies

( (972) 800-9011

* matt@mdhtech.com

i www.mdhtech.com

Finding and Keeping a GOOD Computer / Network Tech

As always MDH Technologies would love to provide you with the Computer / Information Technology services your business needs, but we recognize that get the best possible results it is necessary to secure a knowledgeable, certified, computer tech who is capable of providing the tools your company needs to be successful in it’s mission.

- Step 1
Research several providers of computer related services, to do this you will need to check the internet try search engines like http://www.google.com and http://www.yahoo.com , but don’t stop there look in the local yellow pages, and finally work of mouth is also an important component to research. Gather contact information of a few companies that look good to you and get to step 2


-Step 2
Now that you have a list of potential providers meet with a team made up of your peers, taking careful steps to include personnel from several departments or roles within your organization. Put together a punch list of things that are important to your team and why.


-Step 3
Invite the techs or (consultants) to your facility and share with them the outcome of your brainstorming session in step 2. Now create a new list a “short list” of consultants who you feel comfortable with and invite them back to share their proposal with you. Don’t be afraid to show other bids to consultants in an effort to leverage a better price or additional work. Additionally don’t forget to really “grill” the consultant about your specific needs and wants. For example I called out an air conditioner guy not to long ago to test my A/C and all he said was it test out properly. . .so I asked him. . .if the A/C is working properly why is it so hot in the building. His response was I don’t know, you can replace the A/C. I equate this to a tech trying to replace a PC when it’s not necessary or re-formatting when it’s not necessary because he/she doesn’t really know what’s wrong and hasn’t a clue who to fix it.

- Conclusion
My point being there are many qualified techs/ consultants who will be able to fill your needs but in terms of maintaining a good working relationship with your tech, look for someone who not only looks good on paper but has the Emotional Quotient , social skill, or otherwise communication skills to effectively paint you a picture that translates technical jargon to plain o’l English. And of course we are avalable to help every step of the way. www.mdhtech.com or matt@mdhtech or give me a call @ (863) 838-1058.