Bits & Bytes; An occasional newsletter from MCS

January, 2007

In this issue:

  1. Electrifying your network
  3. Tech Survey - The Good, the Bad...
  4. Windows Vista - ...The Ugly

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Another way to plug your PC in

Networking PCs is very hot today.  It's a given at the office, but even in the
home, connecting two or more computers allows you to share files and, more
importantly, to share a broadband Internet connection (like cable or DSL).

There are two ways to set up a network: wired -- literally running a cable from
one PC to another -- or wireless, in which the signal is broadcast through the
air like radio.  A wired network offers a more consistent and secure signal,
but running cables isn't always practical.  Wireless is more flexible, but
tends to have have areas where the signal is weak or nonexistent.

Now a third option brings together the best of both.  A "powerline adapter"
actually uses the electrical wiring in your walls to connect PCs together.
It's an old technology -- first used with modems -- that has been brought up to
date and improved upon.  If you already have a router or a network switch,
setting up a powerline adapter is a snap.

Want more info on this cool device?  Holler at us.


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Shameless Promotion:

MCS can set up a wired or wireless network in your home or office quickly and
easily.  We'll bring the hardware, software and the expertise right to your
door, we'll connect any number of your computers to each other and to the
Internet and we'll ensure that everything runs great.  Call or e-mail us today!
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Computer for Sale

If you're looking for a second (third or fourth) computer for your home or
office, we've got a great deal for you: a completely refurbished machine that
runs like new.  Here are the tech specs:

  Processor:  2.53 GHz Intel Pentium 4
  Memory:  512 Megabytes RD RAM
  Hard disk drive:  80GB Maxtor
  Other drives:  CD-writer and floppy disk drive
  Video adapter:  NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 400 (64 MB)
  Installed software:  Windows XP, full office suite (including word processor,
spreadsheet, etc.), antivirus and more

The price -- $299 -- includes a 90-day hardware warranty on parts & labor as
well as delivery within our regular service area (Brentwood, Franklin and
Spring Hill).  A monitor is not included, but can easily be arranged.

Holler at us if you're interested or if you have any questions.

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...And the Survey Says

Each year, PC Magazine polls its readers on the state of personal technology --
what they like and how much they like it.  The results of their most recent
survey indicate that, believe it or not, computer reliability has slowly risen.
  And that's a good thing because they also say that the quality of tech support
is at an all-time low.

The reported increase in stability may reflect the fact that the problems faced
by the average user today are more likely to be software related -- like
spyware and viruses -- which has nothing to do with PC hardware, which has
indeed gotten better.  But the results were very clear that, when a call to
tech support is required, the big boys just don't cut it.  As editor Michael J.
Miller said, "...when you need to get a real person on the phone, it's hard to
get through and even harder to get a simple, correct answer."  And according to
our own clients, it can be just as difficult to get a person on the line whose
accent doesn't get in the way of resolving the problem.

One bright spot is that local support remains high on the satisfaction scale.
Most of those who worked with small local companies (like ours) were very happy
with the support they received.  We're pleased to say that every one of our
clients who ordered a new PC this past year declined the extended warranty
offered by the manufacturer saying they planned to call us if they had any
problems.  That's high praise and we don't take it lightly.

We plan to make your continued satisfaction and trust our number one priority in
2007 (just in case you ever take part in a survey ;-) .

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Vista Watch

In case you missed it in your local paper, even before Microsoft's new operating
system, Windows Vista, was in wide release, an Internet security company had
already found a major flaw that could afford a hacker access to computers
running it.  If that's not enough, a similar flaw was found in the company's
newly updated web browser, Internet Explorer 7.   And, as we've said before,
technology news of this type that makes it to the newspaper is probably just
the tip of the iceberg.

So what can you do?  Not to sound like a broken record (raise your hand if
you're old enough to understand that analogy), but if you feel you absolutely,
unequivocally, must have Windows Vista right now today... Take a pill!

Remember how bug-ridden Windows XP was when it was first released (or Windows 95
or Windows 98...)?  It took two service packs -- containing hundreds of
thousands of patches -- to make it a pretty stable operating system.  Well,
Vista was created by those same folks, so there's no reason to believe that it
will be any different.  Somewhere down the road, it'll be a good program, but
between here and there, that road is going to be pretty bumpy.  For that
reason, we strongly recommend that you allow some time for some of the bigger
potholes to be found and patched.

Of course, if you're all out of “chill pills,” we'll be here to help you with
whatever new and exciting problems Vista throws your way.

As for Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft made the dubious decision to push its new
browser on all Windows XP users as part of an automatic update.  You can
decline it if you like -- by opting for the Custom update instead of Express --
and, if you don't know how to do that, the program is easy to remove (you'll
find it in the Add/Remove Programs list in Control Panel).  Security issues
aside, we've been testing it for a while and have found it to be pretty clunky
compared to the free Mozilla Firefox browser (http://www.mozilla.com).

Also, users of Intuit's Quicken and Quickbooks should be aware that these
programs utilize Internet Explorer (in the background) to display their
information on your screen.  We've heard from two clients so far who updated to
I.E.7 and found that their financial programs no longer worked -- a big problem
for a small business.  A patch is available from the software maker
(http://www.intuit.com)) and, of course, uninstalling I.E. 7 will get you back
up and running.

You might think that, knowing how important Internet Explorer is to programs
like these, Microsoft would have shipped an advance copy to Intuit so they
could be ready for it.  Then again, the main -- and virtually sole --
competition for these programs is...

Wait for it...

Microsoft Money!

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As always, feel free to pass this newsletter along to others with no fear of
copyright infringement issues from us.  After all, who in their right mind
would steal this stuff?  ;-)

Happy computing!