Welcome to the first N-Tech Solutions Customer Newsletter!
by Nathan Woodcock
As part of our commitment to providing an IT service that is professional, honest and enjoyable we've decided to publish this newsletter every couple of 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. Accessing Your PC Remotely
by Nathan Woodcock
One of the clever things I can do to provide technical support to you is to remotely connect to your PC and see exactly what you are seeing on the screen (as long as your broadband connection is working of course!). I can only do this with your permission, but did you know there is no trick or money or special skills required for you to be able to do this yourself? You can easily access your home or work PC when away from it as well. Once set up (which is the only part you may need a hand with) no other ongoing work is required. There are a number of commercial and free tools to do this such as PC Anywhere, GoToMyPC, VNC and Windows Remote Desktop. The first two are commercial products, the last two are free. Windows Remote Desktop is built into XP Pro and Vista Business and is very effective, even allowing you to use the hard drives and printers where you are situated when connected into your own PC (so you could look up an email at home and print it to the printer at the office). If you don't have XP Pro or Vista Business, then VNC is the way to go. There's a Storm a'Coming...
by Nathan Woodcock
We've well and truly hit the storm season again, so how can you protect your home and office computer systems from power surges, lightning strikes and the like? The very best way is to simply pull the plugs out of the wall sockets, but this isn't always practical, especially in an office or home office environment where you can't afford to be out for an hour. What you need is one or both of the following: a proper surge protected power-board, and a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). Forget the power-boards you get at the local hardware store or the supermarket; even if they say surge protected they are next to useless. You need to spend $40-$50 to get a reliable, quality power-board that will actually protect you in a storm. It seems like a lot of money for a power-board but you will rarely if ever need to replace it and if you consider the cost of the equipment it's protecting, its a very worthwhile investment. A UPS, as well as providing surge protection, also give you battery backup (to cover short power outages or momentary "brown-outs") and some do voltage regulation, providing steady power to your electronic equipment, prolonging its life. A good UPS to cover one PC and related broadband equipment will only cost around $140. In business environments and at home I use a surge-protected power-board plugged into a UPS for maximum protection. In my line of work, if my system goes out I am crippled. How about yours? | Referral Bonus Promotion:
Our referral promotion is still running and provides a 50% discount to you and to the customer you refer, on the first hours labour. Simply pass on the contact details of friends or business associates to Nathan or have them call us direct and both of you get the discount on your next job.
Good Deals this Month:
Buy any participating Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printer and receive free 2 year warranty extension and a free black toner cartridge. Buy any great value MSI notebook and receive two years warranty and a free TV tuner card. MSI notebooks built to your specifications and include the PR200: a small, mobile notebook under 2kg's with 12.1" widescreen and core2duo processor for under $2000. Real-Life Helpdesk Calls #5695479:
Tech Support: "I need you to right-click on the Desktop."
Customer: "Ok."
Tech Support: "Did you get a pop-up menu?"
Customer: "No."
Tech Support: "Ok. Right click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?"
Customer: "No."
Tech Support:: "Ok, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?"
Customer: "Sure, you told me to write 'click' and I wrote 'click'." 24% of Workers Play Online Games at Work...
...according to a recent US study sampling 7000 people. Here's the good news: According to The New York Times, that game of Hold 'Em might not be slacking off. In fact, says Kathleen Hall, CEO of the Stress Institute, you might be playing to recharge, and those recharge periods viewed as "rewards" may be "a great way to motivate and get things done." Hmmm. |
