Old Computers – Revived!

Many clients have a need to use more than one computer at home. But spending the money on a couple of new machines can be an unnecessary expense. Menlo Technical offers the service of setting up an existing machine with basic access to the Internet, mail, and file creation / editing for a miniml fee. Please contact us today to find out how we may do this for you!

XP Shipments Extended

When Microsoft released Vista, a lot of people wanted it to be a welcome change. The unfortunate aspect of it is that it is so different and did not work with a LOT of existing printers, cameras, and other attachable devices, that it became a blunder. Soon after the release, they announced a stop date to selling Windows XP and most places like Best Buy, Circuit City and others began selling ONLY Windows Vista loaded machines. Businesses began to complain about this since they had many other ‘new’ considerations which would be very costly.

Microsoft decided to not kill off XP as quickly as they once hoped because the pressure they received from their bigger customers – like Dell.  So Microsoft recently emphasized the June 30 end of manufacturing date, when suddenly:

HP, Lenovo join Dell in extending Windows XP by ZDNet’s John Morris — Rumors of Windows XP’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. I wrote about Dell’s downgrade program in a post earlier this week. Now HP and Lenovo also plan to offer Windows XP to business customers after Microsoft’s official cut-off date of June 30.

DTV Transition – IF you are NOT using Digital TV

I have had a lot of people as me about this, so I this is inserted in my blog in order to help people get prepared for this change. In less than one year, digital TV will replace analog TV. That means that it has been passed under federal law that TV is to br browadcast for some kind of fee through Comcast, Verizon, ATT Uverse, Wowway, etc. I found this article I believe from DTV Transition’s website, explaining what you need to do.

On February 17, 2009 our nation’s broadcasters will terminate their analog television signals as part of the digital television (DTV) transition. If you have an analog television set you may need to purchase additional equipment to continue to receive a signal.

The DTV Transition will provide viewers a better television experience including a clearer picture and better sound quality. In broader ways it will benefit the public because digital television signals are more efficient than analog signals. The DTV transition will free up major portions of the airwaves for public safety communications such as police, fire and emergency rescue, as well as new wireless broadband services.

The DTV transition will only affect television sets that are receiving over-the-air broadcasters. It will not affect televisions that are connected to satellite or cable. If your television is connected to an over-the-air antenna (rabbit ears) you will need to attach a small digital-to-analog converter box to continue to receive a signal. If you have an analog television set which is connected to cable or satellite, they as service providers will make sure that your television set receives a viewable image. If you have a digital television set, your television is ready for the DTV Transition.

Converter boxes are available for purchase at some retail stores. The converter boxes are expected to cost between $50 and $70 each. Every household may receive up to two $40 coupons to apply toward the purchase of up to two converter boxes. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a federal government agency, is in charge of the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. To request a coupon, consumers can apply online at https://www.dtv2009.gov There is also a 24-hour hotline to take requests at 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).

For additional information about the DTV Transition and what you may need to do to prepare for it, you can visit the Federal Communications Commission’s website http://www.dtv.gov/ or call the Federal Communications Commission at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322).

Vista Considerations…

Most of the consumer world is going to buy a new computer and will have to experience Windows Vista. My personal thoughts on Vista are mixed. Regardless of your needs, Vista has clearly been designed to be more graphically pleasing. In layman’s terms, it looks nicer. The downside of this is it looks different and feels different than all the older versions of Microsoft operating systems, like Windows 98 and Windows XP, etc.

There are newer features like a stronger security format and different designs under the hood which make products like older printers, camera software, other software for older versions of Windows, to not work. In short, these factors are disorienting to many. Because the end-user will have to deal with a change of what they are used to, it provides a terrific opportunity to consider other operating systems, outside of Microsoft Vista.

In general, when I speak to clients, they are mostly interested in getting email, and not worrying about spyware, virus software, and the reasons why there are general system “slowdowns.”  Some people are willing to make a few behavioral changes when they use the Internet, to avoid future infections and problems. But some bearly understand the computer, and will never feel comfortable with it.

Apple, Linux and Vista all look different than Microsoft’s past operating system designs. The advantage Apple and Linux have over Microsoft is that they are both less exploited by viruses, Trojan’s, worms, spyware, ActiveX problems and spyware.

Apple is available on line, and at retail locations. Both have price fixing, yet the Apple stores offer educational discounts for students and teachers. I would consider buying directly from the Apple store for these discounts. I also suggest to purchase Apple Care along with any of their machines in case something goes wrong within the next three years of ownership. They do make great machines.

I have been running the Linux operating for years. These machines can run for 100’s of days without requireing a reboot.  If power goes out, the computer will recover without any kind of damage or loss – unless a lightenin bolt travels a surge up to the computer, itself! Linux is available several different ways. Dell and Lenovo are both offering these machines, and I HIGHLY suggest this alternative.   I also offer the service of refurbishing machines, that my clients already own, to run Linux.

To see a video explaining Dell’s Linux effort, please watch this four minute video.

More to come on this….