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Windows XP and Office 2003 end-of-life support

5/4/2013

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Many companies and businesses around the world, have not yet upgraded from Windows XP and Office 2003. Businesses did not feel the need to upgrade their systems because they have put tremendous pressure on Microsoft to continue supporting an already aged operating system.

However, within the next year, Microsoft will cease to support its longest ever supported operating system (over 12 years). Microsoft has recently released a statement inviting companies to take a leap towards Windows 8 and Office 2013.

As such, it is important for companies to begin the process of transitioning into a more secure operating system as quickly and smoothly as possible. Newer operating systems offer a much more efficient alternative for businesses. Over the past decade, these operating systems have considerably improved the ease of use by employees and IT managers, increasing companies’ productivity. They also have the important advantage of being supported by Microsoft, such as the one Windows 7 or 8 has over Windows XP.

But what do we really mean by saying that an operating system is supported by Microsoft? Well, it basically means that your business will miss out on important updates to its security systems leaving your company unprotected against new threats and threatening its productivity and the company's and employees' sensitive information.

In addition, Windows 8 has an easy-to-use “User Access Control” feature that allows you to control user access and to determine who gets to be a system administrator. In the short term, you will still be able to run Microsoft XP applications as Windows 8 tricks your system into believing that the operating system is still Microsoft XP. However, any newly designed Windows 8 application and will require the newer operating system to be installed.    

Some of the benefits that Windows 8 offer include a much faster system than Windows XP which can in turn maximize productivity and allow for more high-end programs to run smoothly, if we consider that these programs are problematic when they run on older operating systems. Windows 8 has a much quicker power-off speed than any Windows XP machine.

By upgrading to the newer operating systems you will not only protect your company and your employees, but you will also boost productivity. Microsoft’s early announcement of such a decision is actually meant to assist companies begin and successfully complete the transition process with minimal interruption to businesses.

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Find Emails Easily with Search (in Outlook 2010)

7/22/2011

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In Office 2010, the navigation pane replaced the old Find window. And Outlook has as well received an updated search function, and an even more detailed one at that.
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You can begin searching by typing into the text box located over your email previews. As expected, typing in a word or phrase will narrow down the list of results to those that include what you’re looking for. The real magic is found in Tab that now appears in the Ribbon interface.

Using the Search tab you can narrow down your search. You can search only emails from a specific contact, only the subject line, only emails with attachments, only emails sent within a certain time frame, only emails that are unread, only emails that are categorized, and more. You can also open recent searches!

Give it a go!

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How to Avoid Malware

7/20/2011

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Here are some tips to ensure malware is not given access to your computer:
  • Keep your computer up to date.
  • Keep your browser up to date.
  • Install a good antimalware program (Like Microsoft's own Security Essentials)
  • Download free software only from sites you know and trust.
  • Avoid clicking links inside pop-up windows.
  • If you are offered antimalware programs while browsing, don’t install them.
Following these rules, you’ll protect yourself and decrease the chances of getting malware on your system.

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Home Computing Tip-of-the-Month: "Troubleshooting Common Software Problems"

7/5/2011

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When Windows 7 or Windows Vista programs won’t run right, there are some things you can do to get them working. Programs that won’t load quickly, don’t function correctly, freeze, won’t show up on your desktop or don’t install properly can all be fixed.

Here are some tips on how to troubleshoot Windows software problems.

  1. Obviously, first make sure the program you have installed is compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista or whatever version you are running.
  2. Second, make sure your computer meets the software’s minimum system requirements. You will need to upgrade your equipment to run software that exceeds your system’s capacity. Computers that barely comply with minimum requirements may perform unreliably or slowly when their capacity is being maxed out.

  3. Some software works better when few other programs are running, so close windows and programs you aren’t using. Try the program in question again after you close everything else.

  4. Make sure at least 5 to 10 percent of your total hard drive space is free to get the best performance from your Windows 7 or Windows Vista machine. This makes programs run faster and prevents annoying crashes. Use a disk cleanup utility to free some space if you’re running short.

  5. Visit your software maker’s website for updates and notes about frequent issues. If it’s a Microsoft program, run Windows Update and let it load all patches. Once you’ve installed all available updates for your system, restart the computer before you try your software again.

  6. Improve your system’s overall performance by deleting or uninstalling any unwanted programs. Windows 7 and Windows Vista work best when they’re not cluttered, so this may improve your software’s performance.

  7. Check your Startup folder and disable any Windows 7 or Windows Vista programs that load automatically when you start the computer. Once again, restart after making these changes.

  8. Next, further improve the performance of your machine by running its defragmenting utility to optimize your hard drive.

  9. If your new software still isn’t working correctly, scan for spyware and viruses. Both Windows 7 and Windows Vista can use Windows Defender, which can help eliminate threats and reduce pop-ups that claim system resources.

When everything else fails, you have two more options.

  1. After uninstalling the software and rebooting the computer, try loading the program again. Something may have gone wrong the first time.

  2. Finally, go for help from either Microsoft or the software company’s technical support, but be aware that these services may charge a fee. They may also be able to help you finally solve your problem.

Following these steps should get any piece of software up and running. Software can be finicky, and so can many computer systems. Every problem, however, has a solution.


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Business Computing Tip-of-the-Month: "Solving the 'Low Virtual Memory' Message"

7/5/2011

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Low Memory
Has this happened to you? Your computer’s performance gets slower and slower. Applications take a little longer to open each time. Web pages time out before they’ve fully loaded.

Then, something dramatic happens. You get a worrying message that your virtual memory is too low.

It’s not as bad as it seems, however. You can fix the problem of low virtual memory.

Simply put, your computer’s virtual memory is the hard drive space your machine uses when it is running short of random access memory, called RAM. Common programs like Microsoft Office PowerPoint and Microsoft Office Word can be real memory hogs, sometimes using all of your computer’s free RAM.

What can you do about a “virtual memory low” message?

If you get a warning that says your virtual memory minimum is too low or something similar, there are two things you can do to correct the situation.

The simplest solution is to increase the virtual memory size on your hard drive, if space allows. To do that, simply go to your control panel and increase the size in the System section. The exact location varies depending on whether you’re using Windows 7, Windows Vista or another version of the operating system.

A somewhat more complicated solution is to add more RAM to your computer. If you continue to get messages that say things like “your computer is running low on virtual memory” even after you increase the virtual memory size on your hard drive, adding more RAM is your only option. That requires opening the case, but the new RAM simply clips into place.

Here are some general guidelines for how much RAM average systems need:
  • Windows 7 requires 1 GB of RAM to work properly.
  • Windows Vista requires 512 MB of RAM or more to work well, but some applications, especially gaming software, need twice that much.
  • Windows XP can manage with only 256 MB of RAM, but like all systems, it will work better with more.
For a work computer, ask your company’s IT administrator to add more RAM for you. It’s a simple process. For your own computer, buy additional RAM at a computer store and ask them to install it for you. You can buy more RAM online if you prefer.

A low virtual memory message isn’t really as terrible as it sounds. It indicates a problem you can easily solve.

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