IT NEWS, TIPS AND ADVICE
Latest Support Issues - Batteries Not Included!
The Problem
We must have all suffered at the hands of Iberdrola and from what I have seen recently things are not going to improve any time soon. The problems for many start before they even get electricity to their land but, from an IT support point of view, the problems start when the clients get their electricity. The supply suffers from irregular voltage input and power spikes; brief outages measured in seconds and total failure measured in hours.
My concern is how this affects the PC. The power supply takes the 240V power from the wall and provides the PC with the 12V, 5.5V and 3V that it needs to operate the different components. Any surge or spike from the wall socket will adversely affect the power supply. Sometimes the power supply will handle this ok but if it doesn't the problems can range from a blown fuse in the power supply to a 'burned out' PC.
The Consequences
A burned out PC will definitely need a new motherboard and probably the processor, power supply and maybe the memory. You will be particularly unlucky if it affects your hard disk but this does happen - you have done a backup (haven't you?). The typical cost of repair is between 150 and 400 Euros.
Prevention
So, what can we do about it? Move to somewhere where the electric is always on, provides a constant voltage and never fails?! No such place.
At the very least, your PC and monitor should be plugged into a power strip with a surge protector included. Please note that once these have experienced a power surge they should be replaced (although you are unlikely to know that they have!).
The best alternative is to use a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). These provide a constant voltage level and provide a battery backup in case of power failure. The UPS that I supply costs around 70 Euros and will typically provide 10 minutes of power - enough time to finish what you were doing and close your PC down gracefully. These are also available in the high street and are straightforward to install and configure. They also include protection from surges coming down the telephone or network cables.
Web Sites Worth Seeing {Insights on Sites}
Free and cheap phone calls anywhere in the world using your normal phone.
These are two of a number of sites that offer free and cheap phone calls using your phone. You need an email account, a phone number and a PC. You initiate the call on the PC but the call itself is over your normal telephone.
Free Software (Worth Every Penny)
Anyone who has had a visit from me is likely to have been told about the Firefox internet browser. The browser that most people use is Microsoft Internet Explorer - others include Netscape and Opera. I prefer Firefox because it is more stable, more secure and has better features. It is more secure (less likely to put your PC at risk of viruses and other malware) because, at the moment, most of this malware is targeted at IE.
Microsoft Update - Internet Explorer 7 Available to All
If you are unlucky enough not to have a validated copy of Windows you would not have been able to download IE7 which is Microsoft´s answer to Firefox - it has 'borrowed' many of its features from Firefox.
Well now Microsoft has removed this restriction and IE7 is available to all. This was announced by Microsoft's Steve Reynolds on the Microsoft Web Site:
“Because Microsoft takes its commitment to help protect the entire Windows ecosystem seriously, we’re updating the IE7 installation experience to make it available as broadly as possible to all Windows users. With today’s ‘Installation and Availability Update,’ Internet Explorer 7 installation will no longer require Windows Genuine Advantage validation and will be available to all Windows XP users.”
WGA is how Microsoft checks whether Windows is genuine or not before allowing downloads or not.
Please note my reservations about using IE but you may still need to use it for web sites that have not been adapted to work with Firefox (very few).
USB Flash Drive - Usage Instructions
Last month I told you about the USB Flash Disk and I have since realised that I should have given you some usage instructions to help you get the most of out of it and prevent data loss. Please click here for instructions. These are based on Vista but XP is similar.
Happy Birthday!
50 years ago this month (October), Sputnik was born - the first satellite to be successfully launched into space. It is the Space Race that we have to thank (or blame!) for the computers that make our lives so easy and enjoyable today!(?).
Final Word
This is my third article for The Inland Magazine and I have yet to complain about Telefonica. Don´t worry, this will change in future articles in which I will attempt to summarise the problems as they affect your PC and offer recommended solutions.
In the meantime, I encourage anyone with a comment, suggestion, question, idea, criticism or inspiration to contact me at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Please also see The Inland Magazine Computer Problems Forum if you have a specific IT problem.
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