Welcome to the N-Tech Solutions Customer Newsletter for May 2008!
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. Resizing Pictures the Easy Way!
by Nathan Woodcock
Often we need to resize the very large photos that we get from our digital cameras, especially if you have a recent model and it's set to the highest quality. It's not unusual to have file sizes of six, seven or even ten megabytes which are much too large to email to anyone else, and unless you are planning on printing your photos out to cover your living room wall, all that extra size is of no use. Generally speaking a file size of 3-4MB is plenty large enough to do even A4 prints should you want to, and about as large as you should send in a single email. Files can also be made much smaller than this for emailing if you just want the receiver to see the photo on their screen.
If you're using Windows XP, a great way to resize photos is with the Image Resizer Powertoy, which you can download from http://tinyurl.com/2meyw . This tool adds a new "Resize Images" option when you right click on an image or a selection of images and lets you select a new size for the images. If you are looking for something a bit more powerful and with more features, I highly recommend the free image editing software Paint.NET which you can download from http://www.getpaint.net/ . It works with Vista and XP and has many features you only get in commercial image editing programs.
A Couple of Handy XP Tips
by Nathan Woodcock
Program Shortcuts - create your own shortcut-key combinations to your favourite applications by right-clicking the application of choice and selecting Properties. Under the Shortcut tab, enter your own key combination, such as Ctrl+6, in the "Shortcut key" field. If the combination you choose is already taken, Windows selects something similar.
Shortcut to Desktop - For instant access to your desktop, hold down the Windows key and hit D. Runout on IBM/Lenovo Business PC Systems
by Nathan Woodcock
I've managed to get my hands on some brand new IBM/Lenovo Thinkcentre desktop computer systems at a cut rate price. These small form factor business computer systems are fast and extremely reliable and come with a three year warranty. They are my first choice for installing in business environments as they just keep on keeping on. Of course they are equally suited at home too!
Six months ago I sold these systems for $1400 each. The limited number of units I have now are only $899! This includes PC, 19" widescreen display, keyboard, mouse and three year warranty. For a full core2duo based system of this speed and quality this is outstanding value. Full specs are:
Lenovo Thinkcentre M55 Business Desktop
Intel Core2Duo E6300 CPU
80GB HDD
1GB DDR2 Memory
DVD/CDRW
Vista Business or XP Professional
Lenovo 19" Widescreen LCD display
 Second-Hand PC Systems
by Nathan Woodcock
After the popularity of second hand systems I mentioned in the last newsletter I thought I'd let you know I can get second hand systems at pretty much any time. The cost is around $425 which includes a branded Pentium 4 PC (ie HP, Compaq, Dell etc), 17" LCD display, keyboard, mouse and Windows XP. Of course if you can afford to buy new you should as with any electrical components the older a system is the more likely it is to have an issue sooner rather than later (second hand systems only come with a 30 day warranty) but nonetheless they are still great value at the price.
.
| Referral Bonus Promotion:
Our referral promotion provides a 25% discount to you and to the customer you refer, on the first hours labour.
More Good Deals: The fastest, most amazing value mono laser printer under $100. The Samsung ML-2010 for just $99 with print speeds of printers five times that price - up to 20 pages per minute A4. Unbeatable value. . 
Real-Life Helpdesk Calls #4367726:
Customer: "I can't get my email to load."
Tech Support: "OK, are you running it under Windows?"
Customer: "No, my desk is next to the door. But that is a good point. The man sitting in the cubicle next to me is under a window, and his is working fine."
Security Watch...
Another phishing email claiming to be from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) is circulating through inboxes under the guise of offering a tax refund. The subject line reads “Notification-Please Read This!” and the email is headed with what appears to be the official ATO logo. It goes on to inform the reader they have received a delayed tax refund and asks them claim their money by filling out a tax form from a link in the email. Once clicking on the link, users go to what looks to be the legitimate ATO website and are asked to provide personal information, including their address and credit card details.
The ATO reported similar scams several times last year, and stresses that people should be very suspicious of any bank or government department email asking for private details. |
