| Welcome to the N-Tech Solutions Customer Newsletter for December 2009!
by Nathan Woodcock
As part of our commitment to providing an IT service that is professional, straight-talking and enjoyable we publish this newsletter every one or two months to keep in touch, have some fun and maybe even point out a few handy computer related things you didn't know. If you'd prefer not to receive this email simply click the unsubscribe link at the bottom on this newsletter. Merry Christmas! What a December its been so far, hot enough for you? Things haven't let up for us here at N-Tech, we're running around trying to get to everyone as fast as we can and we seem to be just about coping. Our three boys are growing great guns, the twins are just over 6 months old now and there are lots of smiles and gooing and giggling going on at the moment. Those of you who read last months newsletter would have seen our ad for an additional contractor. Well, we found one this month: 
Noah, who is two and a half now, loves unscrewing things. We've also got two new staff in training, here they are in class last week: 
That's Dylan on the left and Zachary on the right. It's a bumper Christmas newsletter this month with lots to tell you about, and keep your eye out for our Christmas Deals mailout coming soon. Outlook Data File Corruption
If you are one of the many people still using Outlook 2000 from the now very old Office 2000 Suite, you need to be extremely careful about your mailbox size. This version of Outlook has a 2 gigabyte size limit on the data file, and with no warning you are approaching the limit, if you hit the limit you will corrupt your Outlook data file and be completely unable to access anything in it. Microsoft released a tool to try and fix a corrupt PST file but the tool only works occasionally, with many data files unable to be repaired and the only option paying for expensive software to recover the data. Luckily we have done that for you, purchasing a tool which so far has recovered even the most corrupt mailbox that the MS tools couldn't fix. Give us a call if you need a Outlook file recovered. However, prevention is better than cure - so the easiest thing to do if you are running Office 2000 is to simply upgrade to Office 2007, which has a much higher data file size limit (18GB). Be warned! Notebook Reliability
Warranty provider Squaretrade recently analysed failure rates for over 30,000 new laptop computers covered by SquareTrade Laptop Warranty plans and found that one-third of all laptops will fail within 3 years. SquareTrade also found that netbooks are 20% more unreliable than other laptops, and that Asus and Toshiba are the most reliable laptop brands.
I've always known Toshiba's are good and they are the laptops I like to sell the most after seeing a live product demonstration in Maroochydore where a Toshiba Tecra notebook was dropped onto concrete from four foot high and not only was undamaged, didn't even turn itself off. I'm more surprised about the positive result for Asus, in my experience their build quality hasn't been great with the units seeming a bit flimsy and plasticky. Maybe things have changed. You can read more here and see how other brands fared. Hosted Exchange Now Available We are now offering Hosted Exchange Email solutions for clients. Hosted Exchange provides for business clients all the functionality of Microsoft Exchange Server and Outlook without the need to purchase, configure, manage and maintain a Windows Server. Anytime access to email, calendar and tasks from virtually anywhere.
Benefits include:
• Use Microsoft Outlook to access your email, calendar, contacts and tasks
• Access Outlook data (email, contacts, calendar and tasks) from any computer using Outlook Web Access
• Access Outlook data from any Windows Mobile Smartphone or iPhone
• Your Outlook data is always identical on every PC and device – items in the inbox or sent items on one PC are instantly synchronized amongst every other PC
• Share any Outlook data amongst other Hosted Exchange users to make your calendar, email etc available to other users and allow them to update entries
• All data is centrally stored on the secure Managed Exchange server on the internet which is automatically backed up every day
• Reduce the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of your IT infrastructure and pay a low monthly fee per user/mailbox rather than a large outlay on a Microsoft server and save upfront costs and ongoing maintenance/IT support.
• Signup as few as 1 person to as many as you like
Example 1. Suppose you have staff members who work from home, or travel around to various customers or sites during the day. Your receptionist needs to update their calendar with new appointments or changes to appointments during the day, and get important information and documents to them in the field. With Hosted Exchange, the receptionist simply accesses their shared calendar and makes the modifications, sends them an email with the document, then instantly those updates are visible to the mobile or home worker in Outlook on their laptop, PC or their Windows mobile phone or iPhone. Likewise, remote staff can update an entry on their phone or laptop and its instantly visible to staff in the office.
Example 2. You run a small business and you are the only staff member, but you use a desktop PC in your home office and a laptop when you visit customers. In the past you have been frustrated that sending an email from your home PC doesn’t appear in the Sent Items on your laptop, and changing a calendar entry on your laptop doesn’t automatically update your office PC. With a single user Hosted Exchange account all Outlook data appears on every device the instant it is modified.
Services are provided via Emantra, an Australian owned data solution provider, using two redundant data centres with backup re-routable internet links, on-site diesel generators and manned security. Your data is secure and access is reliable.
From just $15 per month per mailbox, as opposed to a Exchange Server worth thousands of dollars and the IT expertise to manage it, it makes great sense and value.
. Notebook, Computers and Server Specials Keep an eye out for our December Specials email, which should be arriving in your inbox soon after this newsletter. We have some great pre-Christmas deals available. | Government Small Business Tax Incentive 50% and valid until December 31st 2009:
The 50% deduction on capital purchases over $1000 for eligible businesses is still in place. Make those business purchases before the end of the year!
Local Business Focus...
In this new side column each month we mention local businesses that we have had personal experience with and can recommend as good quality, good value, and ethical. Looking for a photographer for that special occasion, or for some unique photos of the kids? Try Phill Jackson at Phill Jackson Photography. Phill worked in London for many years before moving to the coast, taking photos of luminaries like Ewan Macgregor and Michael Parkinson as well as corporate, conference, industrial and kids to name just a few. Phill did our wedding photos last year and they are wonderful. Ask to see the shots he has taken of his own children and you won't hesitate to use him. Phill won travel industry photographer of the year in 2007 as well. Down to earth, ethical, reliable and friendly, call Phill on 0416 88 88 68.
Preventing Virus Transfer One common way viruses are spread are by the use of USB memory sticks, especially if you or your kids use them at friends places and copy a lot of music, games etc with them. It is the auto-run feature of these sticks that is compromised by viruses so the virus is spread simply by plugging the stick in. Avoid this by installing Panda USB Vaccine. It will vaccinate your USB stick, preventing auto-running any software in anyone's PC. Grab it here. Windows 7 Update So far so good with Windows 7. No huge dramas so far, easy to use, devices all seem happy with it so far, and its nice and fast and also pretty. I'd recommend it. Outlook won't open? A recent Windows patch appears to be causing some problems with Outlook. If you cannot open Outlook anymore and get an error message, trying running this command from a command prompt: outlook.exe /resetnavpane To get a command prompt, click Start (or the round button) and type "cmd" (without the "") then press enter. |
