|
 After investing in a consulting solution, whether small or large, it makes sense to protect it. For a fraction of what it would cost to reinstall and reconfigure manually after a crash, you can take advantage of relatively inexpensive ‘off-the-shelf’ packages that will give you a second chance in the face of computer software or hardware failure.
This section points you to products that we use in our office and are confident in recommending them to you. DISCLAIMER: MIS, its employees and contractors are in no way liable or responsible for claims made related to the performance or lack thereof of any third party software or hardware products which we recommend or are contracted to support including, but not limited to the loss of data, company time, and prospective business. MIS does not warrant or guarantee products or services provided or performed by any third party vendor, including products for which we hold certifications. MIS is not responsible for any errors or omissions of the producers of any third party product.
|
|
Pre-Installation Preparation
|
|
(Freeware)  Prior to installing Act, especially on somewhat older computers, it is a good idea to take a look inside the computer. Belarc Advisor will allow you to see the hardware, what’s installed, if Windows is patched up to date and much more. This is a free utility that will help us best prepare for your Act installation and benefit you as a computer user in many other ways as well. |
|
|
Pre-Installation Preparation
|
|
 (Freeware) System optimization and cleanup tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. We have found it to provide an excellent cleanup/tuneup that prepares your PC for a smooth Act! installation.
|
|
Pre-Installation Preparation
|
|
(Freeware)  A very good utility that will help you quickly rid a crowded drive of unneeded files. Because of it's graphical nature, it helps you pinpoint bloated folders and easily delete them. Read more about Space Monger, including a review. |
|
Pre-Installation Preparation
|
 When you first purchase a Windows computer, you might notice that almost every possible option, service and startup program is turned on. Microsoft likes you to have all the options ready for you when you are ready to try them. The problem is, you won’t need everything and all of these extra services and feature ‘gum’ up your PC, use up memory and hinder performance. Enter TUT, The Ultimate Troubleshooter, which is a very well written little package that let’s us/you see into the computer, turn off unneeded options and keeps the user from making big errors in the process. How? TUT explains what each startup item and service is, warning you which ones not to touch and advising which ones to remove. You PC will run leaner and meaner and you will notice the difference. TUT can help you with inevitable software and widows issues that you will run into down the road |
|
System Maintenance & Backup
|
|
 Acronis True Image 10 will take a complete snap-shot (or Image) of your Laptop or PC hard drive and copy it to an external drive. In the event of a disk failure or Windows meltdown, the entire drive can be brought back in a matter of an hour or so rather than having to rebuild your hard drive from scratch (Reinstall Windows, all programs and then your data which might be 5-8 hours).
This product also does a data backup which all users need anyway. So, by doing a full image of your laptop and a daily backup of your changed data, you can recover your PC any time. Approximate Cost: $50 or less.
Another Option is Norton Ghost 10 |
|
System Maintenance & Backup
|
|
 (Freeware) Have you ever noticed how your computer always seems to run better after rebooting? Do you wish it could be that peppy all day? Well, now it can be with a little help from AnalogX MaxMem!
AnalogX MaxMem is a realtime physical memory management program that automatically ensures that you always have as much physical memory available as possible. It does this by allowing you to set minimum amounts of memory to be made available under certain circumstance, and then passively monitoring how much system resources are being used. It runs in the system tray, and also shows you exactly how much memory you have available, plus graphs how you've been using memory over the last 60 seconds!
|
|
System Maintenance & Backup
|
 In a small business environment, the free backup software that comes with Windows is not enough to protect you from issues like a full server crash. While the free Windows utility only backs up data, a product like Retrospect can rebuild the entire Windows operating system as well as the data. EMC Retrospect 7.5 is more than powerful enough for small to mid-sized businesses, but not so complex to setup (as for exampleVeritas, a good but very involved product). When I say ‘not so complex’ this is a relative term, but working with EMC tech support or a professional IT firm are the best ways to go. They can help you pick the correct backup hardware solutions such as tape, removable hard drive, or even an external hard drive as pictured above.
Why does everyone quote one of their parents as saying ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?’ Because it is TRUE. And in this context, painfully true. Losing laptops, crashing hard drives or losing key data can cost you thousands upon thousands on top of days of lost productivity and in extreme cases, loss of the entire business. |
|
System Maintenance & Backup
|
 This solution is a must for laptop and stand alone PC users. As I tell our clients, there are two kinds of computer users: ‘Those who have lost data and those who will.’
It is recommended that you purchase an external drive at least twice the size of your hard drive. External drives keep getting faster, cheaper and bigger by moment. Used drives can even be found on the Internet. Maxtor makes some good quality drives as do quite a few others. |
|
|
|
|
|
