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Two Free Tools for Document Collaboration

On August 27, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin

Team work is often the cornerstone of a growing business. However collaborating on documents has never been easy and projects often get sent back and forth over email, inevitably leading to multiple copies and multiple head aches.

Two companies in particular, the web giant Google and a start up called Dropbox, make it easy to edit and collaborate on a document without the use of enterprise software like Microsoft Share Point.

Google Docs allows you to create documents online, in the browser or via upload, and you can then send a link to employees, team members, and anyone you’d want to share that document with. You can grant them access to edit the document and all edits will be shared and synced automatically. This can be a great tool as long as everyone is aware that it is a shared document and saved changes will overwrite the existing file.

Google Docs is a more interactive way to collaborate as you are all quite literally on the same page, allowing you will be able to see the “live edits”, which means collaborating more effectively than emailing attachments back and forth. But what if my browser crashes? Well just like MS Office, Google docs saves your document every few minutes automatically. They also offer this “cloud” service for spread sheets and calenders.

Drop Box is by far one of the most innovative products I’ve seen in the last 10 years and is a “cloud” document solution. However it does not “live” in the browser while your working on it. Rather, you download the Dropbox program on your PC or Mac, creating a Dropbox folder on your hard drive. If you copy all your documents into the new Dropbox Documents folder, you will never lose a document or any file again. Files saved in the Dropbox folder are simultaneously synced to the “cloud” which gives the user browser access, through the Dropbox website, in any location. Just make sure you remember to save into that Dropbox folder.In Dropbox you can also choose to share it folders with another Dropbox user. When they accept the “Shared” folder it will automatically sync the shared data from the “cloud” to the other users Dropbox folder.

Dropbox is free for up to 2 Gigabytes of storage and can be used to sync to multiple computers. However you may also refer people to Dropbox and in doing so receive an extra 250 megs per free sign up. Dropbox also offers a premium service of 50 Gigs for about $9.99/month or 100 Gigs for $19.99/month. But, for for text files you should be fine with the free version.

At Technology2Reality we recommend taking advantage of cloud services like these in order to achieve and maintain a more efficient and productive workplace. If there is any confusion on how to set these systems up or if you want to have the system implemented for you contact us at Marketing@technology2reality.comor through our Social Media.

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Skype vs. Google: How Calling has Changed

On August 27, 2010, In Productivity, Tips, Tricks and How-To, Uncategorized, By admin

Google is set to compete with Skype in the VOIP, (Voice Over Internet Protocal), market with their slow roll out of free calling in Gmail to the U.S. and Canada until the end of the year.

Skype is a VOIP client, (Voice Over Internet Protocol), which allows you to make voice calls using Skype’s software from computer to computer for free. In addition to the free instant messaging and audio/video chat, Skype also has two paid services: SkypeIn and SkypeOut, These services enable you to create a phone number that people can call and that you can dial out from so long as Skype is running.

I’ve paid $60 a year for the two services, with unlimited minutes, and it’s been a great plan B calling option when I’ve been in an areas with bad service and have a WiFi connection. With smart-phones, laptops and now free calling integrated into your standard Gmail web page, you can make calls from your browser’s email with a few clicks. Skype is mobile too, with Apps on the Blackberry, iPhone, and Android so you’re not tethered to your computer.

I’ve been a beta tester for Google Voice for over a year and am happy to see that it’s open to the public. I think in some ways it’s a little ahead of it’s time and that people should be able to have a lite version of Google Voice inside their Gmail web client. With this addition Gmail users can make unlimited calls (for the time being) to most of North America. Google talk/video calling is going to share the Google Voice call rates for international calls. Gmail already had rolled out some video and voice chat options that emulate Skype functionality some time ago. With this free calling incentive Skype may be feeling some pressure.

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Windows SP2 Installations at Risk

On July 12, 2010, In Security and Prevention, By admin

Microsoft announced that it will stop distributing updates and security fixes for computers running Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2). As related to a more recent post here on the T2R blog, Microsoft has begun actively phasing out Windows XP – this is just one more step in the eventual end of support for the Windows XP operating system.

Users who are currently running Windows XP at a Service Pack 2 level are now a target for hackers. These installations will no longer receive updates through the Automatic update utility and Microsoft will no longer release updates for pre-service pack 3 Windows XP installations.

Microsoft typically issues security fixes, called patches, for freshly discovered flaws on the second Tuesday of the month. The quickest and easiest solution is to install the Windows SP 3 update available through Automatic Updates or via the Microsoft Download website by clicking here.

Security studies conducted by various groups across various markets have found that 8 out of 10 businesses still run Windows XP at SP2 even though the Windows OS life-cycle is already two generations ahead. This is particularly disturbing as these companies are taking a big risk in exposing their data, or their customer’s data, to hackers, virus’s and malware that will quite easily exploit out-dated OS vulnerabilities.

Typically, Technology2Reality recommends that all Windows operating system users perform regular maintenance and updating of their OS which includes Service Pack updating. In light of this recent news from Microsoft, we are urging our customers and all Windows XP users to check their machines to ensure that they are at the current minimum patch level of SP2. If not, download and install it today!

To learn if Windows XP SP3 is already installed:

Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties
If Service Pack 3 is listed in the System section, SP3 is already installed on your computer and you don’t need to install the update

Cisco Survey Results Indicate Consumers Influence Data Loss and Security Breaches

On June 24, 2010, In Commentary, Security and Prevention, By quigongren

This is not really a new problem, but I thought I would share a new report announced by Cisco corporation on network and data security.

Cisco announced the results of a survey exploring the security implications of social networking and the use of personal devices in the enterprise. One of the most striking findings was that employees are consistently working around information technology security policies to use unsupported devices and applications.

Read the full article at HelpNet Security: http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=9470&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HelpNetSecurity+%28Help+Net+Security%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher.

Goodnight BIOS – A PC Bedtime Story

On June 8, 2010, In Commentary, General Discussion, By quigongren

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…but those times may soon pass. As PCs and technology go, it seems change is not only inevitable but a given. The evolution of one technology is the death of another…BIOS, or basic input/out system, is the software that is written to a special microchip on PC motherboards that allow them to actually start up and do all of the amazing things that PCs are capable of.

BIOS is the first building block, the core building block, of a PC that provides higher-level software such as operating systems the ability to communicate with PC devices such as CD-ROM drives and network cards. The BIOS has been the standard firmware interface on PCs for many, many years.

Enter the “universal extensible firmware interface”, or UEFI. Originally started as a project by Intel to phase out the BIOS on certain chip-sets, the move to UEFI has picked up pace because of the benefits it provides over BIOS and EFI, especially for storage above the 2TB level. According to a THINK.co.uk exclusive interview with MSI, (Microstar International) the manufacturer of computer components and motherboards will begin to phase out the familiar BIOS and begin to “phase in UEFI starting from the end of this year, and we expect it will be widely adopted after three years.”

But does this really mean the death of BIOS? Hardly. At least not in the sense that BIOS will disappear from the landscape. BIOS will go where all other obsolete technologies go, to the digital “nethersphere” (my word, I claim I.P.R. if it’s never been used before). BIOS will continue to be used by hardware manufacturers, developers, designers and programmers in other task-specific devices for some time to come. At the very least, like all “retro” curiosities, BIOS may eventually end-up on Facebook. Oh the horror.

Although it appears that the PC landscape will once again be shaken up by these developments, it will take some time for the rest of the manufacturing and development world to catch up. Switching from one method of development to another is never a small task and requires quite an effort. Like USB, Fire-wire, 64Bit computing, and other evolutions of the consumer PC, things will not change overnight.

Where the cycle of consumer technology lurches forward, more capable PCs are soon to follow….Read the full text of the THINQ exclusive article or learn more about what the heck BIOS actually is.

How to Create a Full System Restore Image of a Windows Computer with Acronis True Image Software

On June 3, 2010, In Tips, Tricks and How-To, By quigongren

Frustrations will quickly mount when your computer crashes, fails or otherwise prevents you from booting up and getting to work. There are many reasons for computer failure, ranging from an operating system bug to a faulty piece of hardware.

It could take a long time and hundreds of dollars in repair before the problem is resolved, and even then, most repair shops will not preserve (backup or restore) your data, operating system or applications. This is why it is so very important to perform backups of all of your important data on a regular basis. But even then, you will still have to reinstall your applications and operating system before you can restore any of the personal data you may have backed up. In the end, you spend a lot of money and time – but there is a better way!

Use a cloning program such as Acronis True Image to create a fully restorable system image backup of your PC. Then, if your PC crashes, has a failed piece of hardware, or otherwise needs to be repaired, you won’t have to worry about losing all of your files, pictures, applications and operating system, or the configurations and personal settings you have set up over time. You will be able to use that system image to put everything right back the way it was before you had to send the system out for repair. Of course, you will need to create a new system image every so often to keep it up-to-date.

Cloning tools provide users and administrators a pretty good option for correcting and recovering from just about any PC or server failure quickly and conveniently. Acronis True Image is a Retail Windows specific software, but there are many other great alternatives available for any platform. Clonezilla is another similar software that handles Linux and Windows, is open source and best of all, is free!

Cloning a system does not require a PhD, anyone can do it. A walk-through or how to is always helpful though!

Note: The following process includes a step that includes enabling the use of the Volume Shadow Copy Service. It is very important to enable this option on Windows domain controllers and Microsoft Exchange servers otherwise the restoration of the image file will fail.

Assuming Acronis True Image and Acronis True Image Agent have already been installed on your computer or server:

1) Start the Acronis True Image Enterprise application Pictured Below)

2) We want to make an exact image of the hard drive.
Click on the Backup option on the program interface.

3) The Create New Backup Wizard will begin, click next.

4) Then choose the “My Computer” option on the following screen.

5) Acronis True Image will analyze the configuration and have you choose which partition to make a backup image of. Choose your main partition to image.

6) Then you will be asked where you want to store the image. Choose an external hard drive (preferably) and give the file a name, for example, DC-1.tib.

7) On the next screen, select to create a new full backup archive. Click next.

8) Choose Set the Options Manually on the next screen. Click next.

9) * VERY IMPORTANT for Domain Controllers * – Select Database Support, Volume Shadow Copy Service from the left pane tree. Then choose the Enable VSS Support option and click next.

10) You can ignore the next screen (it is for entering notes) by clicking next and then you will see the summary screen.

11) Double check this screen to make sure that all the backup options are correct and then click Proceed.

12) You then will see a progress indicator of the operation in progress.

13) When the image has been successfully created, you will see the following prompt.

Use imaging programs like this regularly to ensure that you will always be able to quickly and easily return your system to the way you want it

Wouldn’t it be great to have two of everything important to us just in case we lost one of them? OK, in many cases this may not be such a great idea, like if we lost one of these adorable puppies. However, frustrations will quickly mount if you lose your computer due to a crash, hardware failure or other issue that prevents you from booting up and getting to work. In those cases, a second exact duplicate is exactly what you would want.

There are many reasons for computer failure, ranging from an operating system bug to a faulty piece of hardware. It could take a long time and hundreds of dollars in repair before the problem is resolved, and even then, most repair shops will not preserve (backup or restore) your data, operating system or applications. This is why it is so very important to perform backups of all of your important data on a regular basis. But even then, you will still have to reinstall your applications and operating system before you can restore any of the personal data you may have backed up. In the end, you spend a lot of money and time – but there is a better way!

Get Your Head in the Cloud and Watch Your Business Grow

On May 19, 2010, In Announcements & PR, By quigongren

Technology2Reality
PO Box 272043
Boca Raton, FL 33427-2043
Tel: 561 247 0419
Email: info@technology2reality.com

Boca Raton, FLORIDA- Thursday, May 20, 2010: A dynamic company has finally captured the essence of business fluidity.

Technology2Reality just released their new and improved, completely redesigned web presence. The site is full of free tools and resources including RSS feeds of T2R blogs with a wealth of information for business owners. There is now a Free Quote option where you can request a quote instantly for your company needs. Clients love the new feature called “Scope” which is a virtual window that allows them to see the development of their web sites in real time, any time.

Technology2Reality transcends other IT companies by offering full service customized business support solutions. The key to success is the integration of infrastructure, operations, and marketing. Creating a business without boundaries, a new space of “doing business anywhere” that makes life easier on business owners and managers.

T2R provides organizations with marketing, security, portability, and collaboration tools that create a safe, reliable and enjoyable work environment while reducing IT budgets and increasing accessibility.

Don’t Miss Out – T2R is offering a VIP special for the first 50 customers to respond!

Re launch Promotion

For Each Web Site Design Project Purchased* choose one of the following:

1. Free Year of Hosting, domain registration or transfer, and 50 email accounts with web design purchase

2. Free customized logo- a professionally designed, web-ready business graphic for your new web presence, includes up to 3 draft reviews. A value of $300-600

*Web site must be $1000+

Services Include:

Managed Services
- Traditional Technical Support
- Annual End-User Support Agreements
- Equipment Maintenance Plans
- NetREACH™ Remote Systems Management
- Infrastructure Consulting & PM
- VPN & Remote Access Solutions
Cloud Services
- Web Hosting
- Business and Enterprise Server Clouds
- Internet Mail Services
- SOHO and Personal Cloud Desktops
- Dedicated Server Co-location
Web & Creative Design Services
- Total Domain Management (Registration, Transfers, DNS)
- Web Development
- Mobile App Development
- Logo and Graphic Design
- Branding and Identity Development
- Search Engine Optimization
Marketing Development Services
- Webinar Set Up & Branding
- Social Media Campaigns
- Pre-Recorded Media Post-Editing
- Live Webinar Production
- Traditional and Online Marketing

Email: info@technology2reality.com or visit www.technology2reality.com

Locked Yourself Out of Windows?

On May 17, 2010, In Tips, Tricks and How-To, By quigongren

The security features built into the Windows XP operating system prevent unauthorized users from accessing the desktop or files on your computer without a password. If you have found yourself locked out of your Windows computer because you forgot the password, or the password was changed and you don’t know what it is, there are several options available to help you “unlock your windows” and get back in.

Tech Note: On Windows XP Home Edition, the Administrator account isn’t usually visible on the Welcome login screen. Users will need to press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys twice in a row to make it visible.

If you have access to another user account with administrator rights, you can use that account to change the password of the account that is locked out. You can also use the default Administrator account that is built into Windows XP.

Windows Safe Mode Boot Screen

First you need to boot the system into Safe Mode

Restart your system
After the initial BIOS screen comes up, but before the Windows Screen appears, begin pressing the ( F8 ) key repeatedly until the “Windows Startup Menu” appears
Use the Up or Down arrow keys to highlight SafeMode
Press the enter key to choose Safe Mode
Press the Enter key again on the highlighted Windows XP installation
The system will now boot into Safe Mode

Once you are at the Account Log on Screen, click on the icon for the user account with administrator rights, or click on the icon for the administrators account. Remember, in Windows Home Edition, you may need to press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys twice in a row to make the Administrator account become visible

Once the system has booted to the desktop, change the password

Click Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools
Click Computer Management
Double click Local Users and Groups, double click the folder Users
Right click on the account name that is locked out, and click on Set Password
You may get a warning message about changing the password, simply click proceed
Leave the New Password box blank, also leave the Confirm Password box blank
Click OK, and OK again
Then close all Windows, reboot the system and try to log in to the affected account

Windows Computer Management - Local Users and Groups

Once you are able to log in to the affected account, go to Control Panel, User Accounts to set a new password for your account.

If you are unable to correct the problem or otherwise gain access to your system after trying these steps and need additional assistance, contact Technology2Reality. We provide Lost or Forgotten Password Recovery Service, as well as a range of other PC and technology support services that will get you back in, and back to work in no time!

Enabling Adobe Acrobat to Allow Reader to Save Completed Forms

On May 4, 2010, In Tips, Tricks and How-To, By quigongren

Users of Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 8 or higher may experience problems when attempting to save a completed form. This is attributed to security changes in the PDF system but you can now allow users who are completing your form using Acrobat Reader to save their completed form.

In Acrobat 8 (not reader) or later, open the form

From the Advanced menu, select Enable User Rights in Adobe Reader… (or Extend Features in Adobe Reader). The Enable Usage Rights in Adobe Reader dialog box appears.

Enable Usage Rights dialog box

This allows users viewing the document in Adobe Reader to be able to save the form data (fill-able PDF form only).

Click SAVE NOW

The Save As dialog box appears.

Save As dialog box

Using the Save in pull-down list, navigate to and select a save location

In the File name text box, type a name for the form

Click SAVE

Enabling this feature also allows access to commenting and drawing mark up tools. This setting must be made individually to each form.

This tip should help Adobe users and form creators save a lot of time and headache.

Survival Tips For Life In The Post-XP World

On April 25, 2010, In Security and Prevention, Tips, Tricks and How-To, By quigongren

For those of you die-hard users still clinging to Windows XP, be fair warned; the rest of the computer world is moving on. Yes, it was a tried and true love affair but as the natural course of technical evolution takes hold, we must adapt. Very soon, Microsoft will officially drop consumer support for Windows XP completely, that means vendor support as well. In fact, it has been circulating that Microsoft will not provide an XP version of Internet Explorer 9 when it arrives. This is bad news considering Windows OS security is heavily dependent on Internet Explorer security updates and patches. Where there are no patches, security, compatibility and stability issues begin to develop with software, usability and functionality. Consider this your final warning J

In any case, some of you won’t give up XP until they pry it from your cold dead hands. Good for you! Way to fight the man, technological progress or just plain old change. Whatever your cause (and however misguided), when vendor support for XP disappears, you’ll know that Microsoft’s most popular OS is dead for good. When this happens, your PC will be on its own in the cyber-wilderness. As it’s guardian, you will need to know how to help your PC survive when threatened by the bits that go bump in the night.

Below are a handful of useful Post-XP survival-tips tips and tweaks for Windows XP that can help increase system performance and usability.

Use A Current, Mainstream Anti-Virus Software and Keep It Up-To-Date!

You must run anti-virus software and keep it up to date or else your PC will get infected, you’ll lose all your data, and you’ll incur the wrath of every e-mail buddy you unknowingly infect because of your carelessness. Beleive me, we see it all the time.

For one reason or another, you may not be running and anti-virus software or the one you are using is severely out of date. Maybe you turned off your virus scanner because it conflicted with another program. Maybe you got tired of upgrading after you bought Symantec Anti-virus 2008, 2009 and 2010. Or maybe your annual subscription of virus definitions recently expired, and you’ve put off renewing. These things happen, but chances are, either you’re infected right now, as we speak, or you will be very soon.

In a Post-XP world, this is tantamount to putting a “death-wish” on your computer, seriously. If any of these tips keep you safe, this one is numero-uno! It doesn’t take a lot of money these days to protect a computer from virus’s, malware, trojans and the like. In fact, many are free. Check out our other blog posts and Free Tools section for a few examples, links and details to some freely available anti-virus software.

Cut Down on Start-up Items

An exceptionally common computer problem occurs when Windows automatically loads a number of programs at start-up. This causes the computer to set aside RAM and virtual memory for programs which you may never use. The effect – especially on systems with minimal RAM – is a significant slowdown at start-up, and during use.

Only a few of these programs need to be started with the system – such as anti-virus or firewall – almost all others can be started and stopped as needed. For more information on specific start-up items look here, and here.

A tool included in Windows used to control these programs is the System Configuration Utility or Msconfig.

If you are comfortable editing the Windows Registry, simply delete the entree from the place specified in Msconfig under Location. Otherwise, read on.

To use this tool go to Start > Run type msconfig > click OK > Navigate to the Startup tab and uncheck any programs you wish to disable > click OK.
After you reboot you may receive a message saying “you have used the System Configuration Utility to make changes to your system….”. When you get this message check the box Do not show me this message again > click OK.

Reduce the Number of Running Services

There are a number of unused Services that can be disabled to free-up system resources.

Use the Services Management Tool for this purpose. The Services Management Tool (Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services or SERVICES.MSC if you would like to make a shortcut) shows all the available active and inactive services, including details about the purpose of each service listed:

Services Screenshot

Cut Back on Visual Effects

If you are comfortable with the plain “pre-XP” interface, you can disable the XP style interface and in doing so free-up some system resources and increase system speed.

To do this, go to Start > Control Panel > System. go to the Advanced tab and under Performance click Settings > select Adjust For Best Performance and click Apply > then recheck only the ones that you want.

TIP: for a quick way to bring up the System Properties dialog use the keyboard shortcut WinKey+Pause/Break.

Disable the Indexing Service

Indexing Service constantly scans and catalogs every file on the hard drive allowing you to search them quickly. For most users, however, this is completely unnecessary and uses large amounts of RAM.

To disable Indexing Service right click your main drive (usually C:) click Properties > un-check “Allow Indexing Service to Index This Disk for Fast File Searching.”
Then go to Start > Control Panel > Add and Remove Programs > Add or remove Windows Components > uncheck Indexing Service > click Next.

Reduce the Amount of Disk Space that System Restore Uses

If you are low on disk space you can free-up some space while maintaining the ability to use System Restore. If you have plenty of disk space though, just leave it high.

To lower the amount of disk space System restore uses press WinKey+Pause/Break > click the System Restore tab > drag the slider down to around 5% > click OK.

This is just a partial list f many tips, tricks and techniques for users who dare to tread where current technologies go to die. Stay tuned and check back often as we continue this series of posts, “Survival Tips For Life In The Post-XP World“.

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