The Internet Archive shows us that the PC of Dr. Thomas Pabst, creator of Toms Hardware Guide - in December 1997 was the following beast of a machine:-
As we all know, in 10 years our 4Ghz quad-core CPU, 4Gb RAM, 1Tb HDD machines will look as ridiculous as this - which is a sobering thought. Happy computing!
To configure it for your own use you will need to edit the winscpscript.txt and change the following lines to your FTP details and the directory you want to back up if public_html isn't where your website is stored.
open ftp://username:password@ftp.sitename.com get public_html/* website-backup\*'
The default output is C:\WebsiteBackup but if you need to change it you can edit the websitebackup.bat and change 'c:\WebsiteBackup' in the following lines:
7za a c:\WebsiteBackup\backup-%dtt%.7z website-backup
For /f "Tokens=*" %%f in ('fi /A-d /b /gw">"30 C:\WebsiteBackup\*.*') do del /q
Adobe's annoying download manager bypassed.
After updates to the Exchange contacts, client reported not being able to see the updated version. All contacts are shown correctly when accessing webmail but not from within Outlook.
Outlook 2003 was in this instance configured to use the Exchange mailbox in cached mode, the OAB had not replicated to the local machine after 24 hours, so I followed the instructions in the Microsoft KnowledgeBase Article: Administering the offline address book in Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007
To Force Outlook to update it's OAB (Global Address List)
Useful website that gives the ability to dump any type of text (or code) to transmit it as a URL (can be very useful in IM and IRC applications)
Has a post expiry time-limit that can be set.
I get a few people ask me (usually in social situations where I'm trying to think about anything other than work!), what is the cheapest office setup they can do for their new small business. runPCrun are many things and while we are the best solution we happily admit we're not the cheapest which is important when starting a cash-starved first business. After all, engineer time costs money, and custom solutions can take time and work, especially when having to consider existing infrastructure, user ability, the budget for the coming year and so forth.
However, if you don't have an existing solution, you have the opportunity to start without having to worry about "legacy" issues or other issues about moving and migrating, which is the viewpoint I am addressing this article from. (migration is a whole other ball game). That, or you just do it yourself and get your hands dirty!
There are many cheap broadband solutions these days. Just remember that a lot of these cheap or free broadband offers are great when they work, but can cause grief when they don't. If price is your main criteria then great, but don't expect A1 service if/when there is a problem. We believe since broadband is important these days it's worth going with a quality supplier,and you can find them here at ISPreview.co.uk. (We personally recommend Andrews and Arnold*)
Broadband is very easy to install these days, a supplier will simply send you a pre-configured router which you just plug in. If you need to migrate suppliers remember to ask for a "MAC code" (a migration code that helps the move become quicker and easier)
Services like Skype and Gizmo give you the ability to send and receive calls from your PC, including extra features such as voicemail. VoIP providers like VoIPTalk or A&A will do the same service but can give even more options such as PBX 's when you have more than one employee or allow you to buy physical phones.
Something else we've found useful about all of these services is that small businesses often move several times in their early stages (they start in their house, then get a small office, then move to a bigger office etc). VoIP technologies prevent your phone number being tied to your physical location, thereby making such office moves much simpler.
Lastly, there are the normal phone suppliers and the dial-through comparison service - the International Call Checker for those using exisiting technology and trying keeping costs down.
There are plenty of Fax to Email services for that odd occasion you may need to send or receive one of these "pre-email era messages". Don't buy a fax machine, buy a scanner!
Buy your domain name through Google via Google Apps for Your Domain, and you can instantly have a domain name, calendar and simple website creator. This solution will fit most non-IT based small businesses extremely well. Also included is Google Docs and Spreadsheets, with which you can keep your documents with Google, negating the need for your own infrastructure for storing, backing up and accessing your documents on-site or remotely. All you need is a web browser and a broadband connection! (Recently I've also noticed Zoho appear on the scene, and seems well worth a look.)
Using Open Office instead of Microsoft Office can literally save you hundreds of pounds/dollars per PC. Just make sure you save in the Word Document format (or PDF) if you are sending documents to other people. Here are some training videos if you want to see how easy it is to use, and it's pretty similar to Microsoft Office in my opinion. Or use the aforementioned Google Docs and Spreadsheets which will ask which format you'd like when you send the document. For everything else there's usually an open source or free alternative.
You must not forget to backup - period. If you can't trust yourself to backup your vital data to CD or USB Flash, then subscribe to one of the many data backup services. Mozy/MozyPro seem to be a good company, as well as BackupDirect* and Data Deposit Box.
Get into the wise computing mindset as well as setting up your office well at the start (with guidelines such as these) and you will be enjoying productive computing for many years to come. Good luck!
* means there is some referral or partnership with these suppliers via the links given. Check out our stance on reviews and recommendations.
