Friday, April 25, 2008
It looks like XP is going to be around awhile.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
5 easy steps to speed up your Windows XP computer
Monday, February 18, 2008
SwitchAssist :: The new ticket system is finished!
As many of you already know I have been working hard on launching the new Switch ticket system. This system is a great communication tool that helps make sure you have updated information regarding your computer network. All network configurations are posted in this system as well as records of previous support requests.
New Features Include:
* Improved way to create support tickets
* Access to technician notes and documents (An example of this would be your asset management spreadsheet or password list).
* Ability to turn off email notifications
* Updated “Forgot your password” page
* New design and improved user navigation
If you have forgot your password visit http://support.switchitsupport.com/forgotpassword.aspx to have it sent to your email address.
I am always looking for ways to improve the service Switch provides and welcome any feedback or ideas on possible improvements.
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Friday, January 11, 2008
New Year's Radio Spot
We have decided to run another spot this quarter. A special thanks to John Miller and Cathy Whitten.
Click here to hear our ad!
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Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Windows Security Updates :: Critical
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MS08-001: Critical
Titled “Vulnerabilities in Windows TCP/IP Could Allow Remote Code Execution (941644)”, this bulletin affects users of Microsoft Windows 2000, XP SP2, Server 2003, and Vista, and addresses the vulnerability detailed in CVE-2007-0069 and CVE-2007-0066. A vulnerability exists in Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) processing, and the patch modifies the way that the Windows kernel processes TCP/IP structures that contain multicast and ICMP requests. Microsoft says “an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.”
MS08-002: Important
Titled “Vulnerability in LSASS Could Allow Local Elevation of Privilege (943485)”, this bulletin affects users of Microsoft Windows 2000, XP SP2, Server 2003, but not Windows Vista. The update addresses the vulnerability detailed in CVE-2007-5352. If exploited, a vulnerability within Microsoft Windows Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) could allow an attacker to elevate privileges, take complete control of an affected system, then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
Both updates will be delivered via Windows Update.
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Tuesday, December 04, 2007
LED-backlit MacBooks on the way
"DigiTimes reports
today that two Taiwanese manufactures, Kenmos Technology and Taiwan
Nano Electro-Optical Technology (Nano-Op), have signed on to supply
Apple and Dell with LED-backlit displays."
These new LED-backlit displays are thinner and more energy efficient. So if you are about to buy a new MacBook or Dell laptop you might want to wait a couple months. Improving battery life is always a good thing.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Great Google Tips
If you search on Google 25+ times a day like I do you may want to commit these Google shortcuts to memory. They save me a lot of time and make it easier to find things.
site:URL and search term. As in, site:www.pcmag.com "wireless router." Insiders point out that this modifier is even stronger if you drop the www. You can also drop the domain name entirely and search, for example, only .gov sites.
define:word. This brings up definitions, related phrases, and offers to translate the word.
filetype:file extension and search term. It
may be obvious, but this lets you search for files with a certain
extension, such as PPT for a PowerPoint presentation on your topic.
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Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Security updates from Microsofts October 2007 Security Bulletin
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
A proactive approach: What does this mean?
Our company motto is “I.T. Support Made Simple”. We have an approach to I.T. support that improves your computer network stability and ensures that your data is safe. Simplifying your I.T. environment saves everyone money and time. Our approach involves smart proactive services along with other services that simplify the management of your network. These smart proactive services keep your network updated, protected, and backed-up. I will explain these three necessary measures and how they protect your company data and improve the productivity you get out of your invested technology.
Updated
Your software has all its necessary updates installed. We examine all published updates and examine their need in your network environment. These updates can be to prevent security vulnerabilities, software conflicts, software instabilities, etc. They can include windows updates, router firmware, updates to your major software applications, and Antivirus definitions. Basically when your software is correctly patched it runs better and keeps you safer.
Protected
Security threats exist both internally and externally. We monitor your network security to make sure it prevents unauthorized access and blocks your company network from the outside world. We then monitor internal risks and make sure your company I.T. policies are being followed. We build and document access rules to make sure only the necessary protocols are available and your data is protected. After configuration changes we test that your security is still intact. Implementing proper network security requires a constant effort and is not achieved form a one time configuration.
Backed-up
Our online backup service first encrypts your data and then uploads it to a secure remote server. Off-site backups are vital to successful protect company data from its local environment. An external hard drive successfully backs up your data but does it protect you from fire or theft? Our online backup solution keeps you data safe and simplifies you companies’ backup solution.
Although this is just part of our “IT Support Made Simple” program, it does explain what I mean when I speak of smart proactive services. To read more on our services visit our website at www.switchitsupport.com or call a sales representative at 806.798.2600.
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Thursday, September 20, 2007
Google is King
Hitwise released statistics yesterday that showed Google still has nearly 64 percent of the U.S. search market. Pretty interesting, take a look...
 (Credit: Hitwise) |
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Hear us on the radio!
Click here to listen to the commercial. It is in MP3 format so you might have to download the file if your browser doesn't have a proper plugin.
A special thanks to Cathy Whitten, she helped us create this commercial and has been great to work with. Her contact information is listed below:
Cathy Whitten
Lubbock's Radio Group
KLLL/KMMX/KONE/KBTE
806-762-3000 x112
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Sunday, September 16, 2007
A new project: www.texas-speed.com
Texas Speed and Performance wanted to update the look of their website,
texas-speed.com. This seemed like an easy task since their website had
not been updated in 3 years and was beginning to look outdated. Here
is a screenshot of their old site.
A
few observations were the scattered feeling you get when you visit the
site and the bland colors with a lack of contrast. We designed a site
with an easy to use menu with mouse-over images and a breadcrumb
navigation structure to make back tracking a little easier. My
designer came up with a great color scheme that made the site more
appealing (at least we thought so). So here it is, a simple redesign
to improve the visual appearance and site organization.
Texas Speed is a local business located on highway 82 just outside Lubbock.
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Friday, September 14, 2007
Slow loading websites
One of my pet peeves is slow loading websites. I
have been building websites for over 8 years so naturally I have built
a few browser-crashing sites myself, but overtime I have learned how to spot the factors that lead to this outcome. Slow loading websites start with the design and end
with an unnatural balance between HTML, flash, and images. I love fast
loading sites that are easy to read and navigate. Taking the time to
examine how fast your site is loading will increase your traffic and
lower your hosting costs.
I have built a list of tips that help control the size of a website.
- Design
a site that is easy to navigate and easy to read. Avoid small fonts
and fancy navigation. Website design should be simple and bring focus
to the content. My favorite site to look for cool designs is www.coolhomepages.com
- Minimize
the use of Flash. Flash has its place on the web but should be used
only when necessary and should be embedded into the html of a page.
- Use
as few images as possible. Images are great, but as a rule of thumb
for web development they should only be used when necessary. Many
times background colors and CSS can take the place of unnecessary
images.
- Optimize your images. Some
designers will upload images with 100% quality. This is usually what
creates slow loading websites. It is very easy to avoid. I use
programs with a batch process function (Photoshop, Fireworks, etc) to
reduce the quality of my images to 78% and rarely see a noticeable
difference. This one step can cut the size of you website in half.
- Clean your HTML, use CSS as much as possible, and check your pages for errors.
These
are a few steps I take to make sure my websites load within a few
seconds. I would love to hear more ideas. Feel free to add them in
the comments below. I will add to this list overtime…
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