One of the worst things that can happen to a business is a sudden lost of critical data only to discover there is no backup. I’ve been involved in a number of these situations over the years where a simple backup could have saved hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars not to mention lost time. And you can not put a price on the loss if it involves losing photos that have sentimental or historical value. Many times the primary reason of data loss is a hard drive that has quit or become corrupted. Other times it can be a result of a fire, theft, or simply user error. Regardless of the reason the first question is always the same.

Did you back it up?

Have you? When is the last time you made a backup? How much data would you lose if your computer’s hard drive would crash tonight? These are all good questions to consider before the catastrophe occurs not after.
If you haven’t been faithful at backing up your computer, there is no better time to start than right now. There is a number of different methods that you could use to do your backups.

1. Use a CD or DVD to burn your files onto.
2. Buy an External Hard Drive.
3. Use a Removable Flash Drive.
4. Backup to an Online Service.

Of course there is many other methods as well, but the one I’d like to highlight is the Online Backup option. With the increasingly faster internet connection speeds, online backup is becoming more and more a viable solution. Lately I’ve been using and recommending a  company called iDrive. Some of iDrive’s features include:

• 128-bit SSL encryption on transfers, 256-bit AES encryption on storage
• Time-Line Restore
• Performs reliable backups of open/locked files like Outlook files (.pst), QuickBooks, ABC Accounting, etc.
• Continuous Data Protection

The price is very reasonable as well. In fact, iDrive is free for up to 2 gigs of storage space! So if you have a high speed internet connection, my recommendation is to download iDrive and have it backup your data automatically and securely.

iDrive and Did you back it up? are trademarks of Pro Softnet Corporation.

One of the most common complaints that I hear from computer users is, “My computer is slow”. Fortunately, there is a number of methods to speed up your computer, and I’ll list a few of them here. 

1. Install Spybot Search & Destroy. Often times, a slow computer can be an indication of spyware or viruses. So the very first thing you should do is install Spybot and do a complete scan. There is several other anti-spyware programs available as well, like Windows Defender or Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware.
2. Do a complete virus scan. You must have an antivirus program installed on your computer, or you could be in big trouble. There is lots of options available including Norton Antivirus, AVG, Live Onecare, McAfee, Trend Micro, etc. Sometimes its good to do an online virus scan such as Symantec’s Security Scan just to be double safe.
3. Update Windows. Microsoft releases various updates and fixes at least once a month, so be sure you have all the latest service packs and security updates.
4. Install CCleaner. CCleaner is a system optimization and cleaning tool. It will remove unused files from your system, such as temporary internet files, cookies, windows log files, memory dumps, etc. It also includes a full featured registry cleaner that checks for registry problems and inconsistencies. And as a bonus, its FREE!
5. Remove start-up programs. A lot of programs have this extremely annoying habit of installing start-up programs that simply clog up memory and other system resources. There is a number of ways you remove these start-up entries. The simplest method I’ve found is to install Windows Defender. In Windows Defender, if you click on the Tools button and then select Software Explorer, it will give you a nice list of all the programs that are currently set to start when you log into Windows. Note: There is some start-up programs you don’t want to remove. Make sure you know what you are doing.
6. Add more memory. Sometimes your computer just needs more memory, and since memory is cheap nowadays its usually a worthwhile upgrade.

And there is lots more ways to optimize your computer, like disk defragmenting and increasing the page file size,  but this should give you a start. And, as always, if you have any questions or difficulties, give us a call.