Torian Group Times “Technology with Integrity”

Vista Service pack 1 will be out in mid March, and become an automatic download in April. There are known compatibility problems with several antivirus programs. The current (2008) Trend version is compatible.  A complete list of known software compatibility issues is here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/935796/en-us . Some problems, such as endlessly repeating reboots, have been reported with installing SP1 on laptops. You can avoid them by manually installing the updates one at a time listed in KB article 937287

If new drivers are installed, you may be prompted to activate Vista again.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947519/en-us

More SP1 help http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947366/en-us

 

Trend AntiVirus recommends updating to the latest version before upgrading to Vista SP1 or XP sp3 (which is also coming soon) www.trendmicro.com/download

If you have a Trend maintenance agreement, you are eligible for the latest version.

 

Just a reminder, Windows XP will stop shipping with new computers after June of this year. Some new computers, particularly laptops, that come with Vista have no hardware drivers for XP.  Microsoft's current plans call for security-related patches and updates for XP to be available until 2014. See the documents Microsoft Support Lifecycle and Microsoft Support Lifecycle for XP.)

 

Office 2003 SP3 is now showing up as an automatic update. At 117 MB, I recommend downloading it once and manually installing it on the computers that need it. Some macros and older file formats will no longer work after the service pack is installed. This is to improve security. It cannot be uninstalled.  Details are on the manual download link here: www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=E25B7049-3E13-433B-B9D2-5E3C1132F206&displaylang=en .

If you have both Office 2003 and 2007 installed, be sure to apply the 2003 SP3 update first, then office 2007 updates, then Office 2007 SP1.

 

There are no Windows critical updates this month. There are 4 critical updates for Office.

www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-mar.mspx (advance notification)

www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms07-mar.mspx (use this link after March 11)

 

There is yet another update for Java www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

 

Blu-Ray has won the HD DVD war. There are several versions of the Blu-Ray standard, so you may want to hold off your purchase just a little longer.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080118-new-nlu-ray-2-0-spec-makes-ps3-the-most-future-proof-player.html

http://blogs.computerworld.com/toshiba_refund_hd_dvd_owners_money?source=NLT_BLOG

www.techwarelabs.com/articles/hardware/blu-ray-decision

 

How to stop using AOL and keep your email and contacts. We recommend against installing AOL on computers because of performance and compatibility problems.

www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2261258,00.asp

 

Backup tools - synchronize your files with another copy on an external drive or 2nd computer.  www.goodsync.com  www.centered.com

 

How to hack a computer in minutes. Requires physical access to the computer, but no password. Do you know who has physical access to your computers? http://storm.net.nz/projects/16

Free copy of Paragon Disk Manager: www.computeractive.co.uk/hdmanager8/index Registration link: http://kb.paragon-software.com/paragon/scripts/freelink/en/index.jsp?product_id=2745

More computer news than you could ever want:  www.megaleecher.net

 

Sell your old cell phone for cash www.cellforcash.com/Main/phones.asp

 

Screen Print and Capture software – great for documenting computer procedures or capturing error messages – free : www.download.com/Screen-Print-Capture-32/3000-2384_4-10135610.html?tag=lst-1

You can also copy a screen image to the clipboard by pressing alt-printscreen.

 

If you are using Microsoft MapPoint, be sure to download the construction update for 2007:

www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4782C1C0-649B-48DD-8384-C80549DE76BE&displaylang=en

 

Free trial of Audible audio books, including 1 free audio book. A great way to use your driving time.

www.audible.com/adbl/site/LandingPages/goldtrial14.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

 

Jason Staley is our new technical concierge and help desk support person. He will be in the office full time to answer questions, and make sure we are meeting your needs effectively. He worked on the help desk at Dell and ATT previously.

 

My favorite book recently: Built to Serve by Dan Sanders. It reflects my belief that business should put people first, and profit will follow.  He has some good practical insights on management.

www.amazon.com/Built-Serve-Bottom-People-First-Practices/dp/0071497927/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205171864&sr=1-1

 

Tim Torian was awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year – Creative” in 2008 by the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation. This is an award which recognizes “An Entrepreneur who has created and not imitated a new idea or product and who’s risk has resulted in market success”. Many thanks to the SBDC for nominating us.  www.sequoiavalley.com

 

Tim Torian

Torian, Group, Inc.

http://www.toriangroup.com