When we first moved into our house we bought a new oven. It was a combined electric oven with gas hob. The electric bit was easy. So was hooking up the gas - B&Q had the right kind of hose out there on the shelf. Picked it up, plugged it in, all fine.
Until the gasman came to check the meter and condemned the cooker.
A little bit of some special grease around the connections and we wouldn't have been leaking gas everywhere, and we wouldn't have needed to get a Corgi engineer in to certify everything. But then, if we'd got him in in the first place, we wouldn't have had any of that trouble.
No, this isn't just about confessing to DIY disasters (although, with hindsight, if that collapsing bedroom cabinet *had* killed my ex-wife, I'd be a lot richer now). It is, instead, building up to an analogy.
Last week, I went to see a customer who was nervous about setting up their wireless router and had called me in. Their neighbour had scoffed at them - 'setting up wireless is easy, you're wasting your money'.
Well, the wireless was set up and a couple of other problems sorted all within the first hour, so not exactly expensive.
I then left a card for the neighbour. Their wireless had been so easy to set up that they'd managed to leave it completely open and share it with everyone else in the street.
I don't think they intended to be so generous. Sometimes a little money spent on getting in the expert can save a lot of embarrassment.
So, if you need help with your home network in Kent, you know where to come.
JAG.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Saturday, 7 June 2008
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
Or so they say. So I am indeed a little flattered that someone decided to 'steal' our website template. After all, if I'm trying to make a business out of website design in Kent, I should hope that people like my work. Besides, most of my template was inspired by the default template from CMSMS.
One tip if you're going to 'creative swipe' someone else's work - take out the bit of code that registers on their Google Analytics. Otherwise, it's a bit blooming obvious when your url appears on their web stats.
And no, I'm not giving them the pleasure of a link!
One tip if you're going to 'creative swipe' someone else's work - take out the bit of code that registers on their Google Analytics. Otherwise, it's a bit blooming obvious when your url appears on their web stats.
And no, I'm not giving them the pleasure of a link!
Thursday, 5 June 2008
The Dangers of Passive Smoking
No, not a public health announcement, this is the danger to your PC.
You can always tell a smoker's PC in the workshop. As soon as the lid comes off, the thick, brown fluff starts to drop out. Even when it has been completely cleaned inside, it will still pump out its own 'fag breath' when the fan is running.
And completely cleaned it needs to be. The fan doesn't do much good when the heatsink underneath it is completely clogged. A hot processor, RAM or PSU is not going to do your PC much good in the long run, eventually you will start to suffer from the random reboots.
So, my tip is, if you're a smoker, or a pet owner, the occasional clean out will do wonders for your PC's longevity. I use compressed air to blast the fluff out, with the hoover nozzle positioned to catch it. If you're careful, you can just do it with a hoover though.
Every machine that comes through my PC repair workshop in Whitstable gets this treatment, it's like the valet when you get your car serviced in a posh dealership.
You can always tell a smoker's PC in the workshop. As soon as the lid comes off, the thick, brown fluff starts to drop out. Even when it has been completely cleaned inside, it will still pump out its own 'fag breath' when the fan is running.
And completely cleaned it needs to be. The fan doesn't do much good when the heatsink underneath it is completely clogged. A hot processor, RAM or PSU is not going to do your PC much good in the long run, eventually you will start to suffer from the random reboots.
So, my tip is, if you're a smoker, or a pet owner, the occasional clean out will do wonders for your PC's longevity. I use compressed air to blast the fluff out, with the hoover nozzle positioned to catch it. If you're careful, you can just do it with a hoover though.
Every machine that comes through my PC repair workshop in Whitstable gets this treatment, it's like the valet when you get your car serviced in a posh dealership.
Thursday, 22 May 2008
Do as I say...
...not necessarily as I do.
It's everyone's worst (PC) nightmare - machine crash. A couple of days ago I suffered a corruption in the networking section of my XP install. My main, cannot live without, most important machine. It started off with a BSOD (blue screen of death) when changing network settings, then a loss of all network connectivity.
My own fault really. I was trying out some configurations for a client, in a hurry. So rather than be sensible and use a development machine, or even a virtual PC, I was using mine.
Fortunately, though, there are a few lessons I have learned in the past that make such events easier to overcome.
1) Backups
My data is stored on a server, so even if my machine is completely dead, I know I have a backup of all my latest files. This is always kept up-to-date.
I also have the luxury of full hard drive images, which I take weekly, so I don't need to rebuild my machine. This time though, as XP Service Pack 3 came out recently, I thought it would be good to do a complete rebuild, which is why number 2 is so important...
2) Notes and copies
I keep a note of everything I install on my machine, in one safe place. This includes details of every licence key and software location. More and more software is sold as a download only, which is convenient for purchase. Just remember to make a backup copy of the file and keep the licence key in a safe place.
You should also keep notes of things like broadband usernames and passwords. It's not much use keeping copies of emails if your email system gets corrupted.
Sometimes, taking that hour out to create the recovery CD you've always meant to create can make a very big difference.
It's everyone's worst (PC) nightmare - machine crash. A couple of days ago I suffered a corruption in the networking section of my XP install. My main, cannot live without, most important machine. It started off with a BSOD (blue screen of death) when changing network settings, then a loss of all network connectivity.
My own fault really. I was trying out some configurations for a client, in a hurry. So rather than be sensible and use a development machine, or even a virtual PC, I was using mine.
Fortunately, though, there are a few lessons I have learned in the past that make such events easier to overcome.
1) Backups
My data is stored on a server, so even if my machine is completely dead, I know I have a backup of all my latest files. This is always kept up-to-date.
I also have the luxury of full hard drive images, which I take weekly, so I don't need to rebuild my machine. This time though, as XP Service Pack 3 came out recently, I thought it would be good to do a complete rebuild, which is why number 2 is so important...
2) Notes and copies
I keep a note of everything I install on my machine, in one safe place. This includes details of every licence key and software location. More and more software is sold as a download only, which is convenient for purchase. Just remember to make a backup copy of the file and keep the licence key in a safe place.
You should also keep notes of things like broadband usernames and passwords. It's not much use keeping copies of emails if your email system gets corrupted.
Sometimes, taking that hour out to create the recovery CD you've always meant to create can make a very big difference.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
It's like a car, really...
...so said my latest 'silver surfer' client. She was using the metaphor in the sense that using a computer is like learning to drive. At first, the gears, the pedals, all the dials seem overwhelming. After a while, you're blasting up the motorway at 70+, in the middle of the night without a second thought.
To extend the metaphor - it's also like a car when it comes to servicing and repairs.
Most of us have worked out how to fill up with petrol, or diesel, not mistaking the two 99.9% of the time. Some of us manage our own oil changes or little servicing jobs. On my 'toy' I try to do as much as possible. On the car I rely on for the business, I tend to entrust work to the experts.
Are you catching my drift yet?
You wouldn't hand your company car over to the 14 year-old boy down the road because he reads Auto Express every week. But it appears plenty of people are happy to let little Freddy loose on their PCs.
People are also 'happy' to pay £50+ per hour to the local mechanic (or £95+ per hour to the dealer) to have their car serviced or repaired. But to some, £35 per hour to have their PC rescued is a bit steep.
Granted, a new PC costs a few hundred pounds, a new car many thousands. But when you buy a new car, you don't need it to remember every journey your old car went on.
We need to consider the data stored on our PCs as being worth something. To me, it's my livelihood - every bit and byte is worth money.
How much is your computer worth?
When it comes to charging I know we're not the cheapest. However, I'd like to think we are the cheapest experts - I believe we offer very good value for money PC support.
To extend the metaphor - it's also like a car when it comes to servicing and repairs.
Most of us have worked out how to fill up with petrol, or diesel, not mistaking the two 99.9% of the time. Some of us manage our own oil changes or little servicing jobs. On my 'toy' I try to do as much as possible. On the car I rely on for the business, I tend to entrust work to the experts.
Are you catching my drift yet?
You wouldn't hand your company car over to the 14 year-old boy down the road because he reads Auto Express every week. But it appears plenty of people are happy to let little Freddy loose on their PCs.
People are also 'happy' to pay £50+ per hour to the local mechanic (or £95+ per hour to the dealer) to have their car serviced or repaired. But to some, £35 per hour to have their PC rescued is a bit steep.
Granted, a new PC costs a few hundred pounds, a new car many thousands. But when you buy a new car, you don't need it to remember every journey your old car went on.
We need to consider the data stored on our PCs as being worth something. To me, it's my livelihood - every bit and byte is worth money.
How much is your computer worth?
When it comes to charging I know we're not the cheapest. However, I'd like to think we are the cheapest experts - I believe we offer very good value for money PC support.
Friday, 18 April 2008
The top ten sins of business email?
Interesting little article on the Business Link site - the Top Ten Sins of Business Email.
I'll add a couple of my own, specifically aimed at those looking to run an e-commerce site...
11) Not reading email promptly.
If I send a query to a supplier, I will probably keep browsing other suppliers until I get a response. If I haven't had a reply within an hour at worst, a day at best, then I'll probably go elsewhere. Let us assume that regardless of how 'normal' I am, I am not unique!
12) Not replying promptly.
Believe it or not, this is not the same as number 11. You need to read your emails to prioritise them. The message may not require a reply instantly, but at least try to respond the same day.
13) Changing the channel.
If someone has emailed you, as a matter of course, reply to them by email, unless they specifically request a phone call. They may be a in a location or situation where the telephone is inconvenient, they may just want to have things in writing. If they wanted to speak to you, they would have picked up the phone too.
Ah, little personal note on this though - I often change the channel the other way. If I pick up a voicemail, and the query can either be better addressed by email or should have been sent by email in the first place, then I reply by email. As a small business we need to prioritise our resources.
14) Cannot think of 14 yet, but it would seem foolish to tempt fate by stopping at 13 on a Friday.
I'll add a couple of my own, specifically aimed at those looking to run an e-commerce site...
11) Not reading email promptly.
If I send a query to a supplier, I will probably keep browsing other suppliers until I get a response. If I haven't had a reply within an hour at worst, a day at best, then I'll probably go elsewhere. Let us assume that regardless of how 'normal' I am, I am not unique!
12) Not replying promptly.
Believe it or not, this is not the same as number 11. You need to read your emails to prioritise them. The message may not require a reply instantly, but at least try to respond the same day.
13) Changing the channel.
If someone has emailed you, as a matter of course, reply to them by email, unless they specifically request a phone call. They may be a in a location or situation where the telephone is inconvenient, they may just want to have things in writing. If they wanted to speak to you, they would have picked up the phone too.
Ah, little personal note on this though - I often change the channel the other way. If I pick up a voicemail, and the query can either be better addressed by email or should have been sent by email in the first place, then I reply by email. As a small business we need to prioritise our resources.
14) Cannot think of 14 yet, but it would seem foolish to tempt fate by stopping at 13 on a Friday.
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