Category Archives: Computer Advice

Save Money on Your Software

Posted on May 18, 2011 by David Rier

When you set up a personal computer, you have two main areas of cost: hardware and software.  Hardware costs can be run from $100’s up to many $1,000s (depending on your needs for speed, RAM, storage, monitor sizes, game controllers, … Continue reading →

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Shredders and Data Security

Posted on May 10, 2011 by David Rier

What do you do when you have to throw away paper documents, either at home or in the office?  Do you just bundle them up in a plastic bag and send them off to the landfill?  If so, you are … Continue reading →

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Backup Your Data

Posted on May 3, 2011 by David Rier

It doesn’t matter whether you are a IT support professional or a home computer user.  The most important thing you can do for your peace of mind is backup your data! Unless you have money to burn (at this time), … Continue reading →

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How to Safeguard Your Personal Data

Posted on April 26, 2011 by David Rier

Would you give a stranger your social security card or a blank check?  Of course not!  You want to protect yourself, your money and your identity. You need to protect yourself while you use your phone, PC, the Internet, etc.  … Continue reading →

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RAID and “Hot Swappable” Drives

Posted on April 19, 2011 by David Rier

In previous posts, I’ve introduced the concept of RAID and how it can help to safeguard your data.  There can be one “fly in the ointment” related to a RAID implementation.  That problem is the time that is needed to … Continue reading →

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MicroGoose

Posted on April 15, 2011 by David Rier

One summer weekend, the air conditioning unit for our server room “died”.  When we came in on Monday morning, the temperature in the server room was over 110 degrees!  By sheer luck, we did not lose any of our hardware … Continue reading →

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Common RAID Strategies

Posted on April 5, 2011 by David Rier

There are two common ways to implement RAID on your PC or server. They are called RAID 1 and RAID 5. RAID 1: RAID 1 is sometimes called “mirroring”.  It is more commonly used on PCs than servers.  The drives … Continue reading →

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RAID – Protect Your Data

Posted on March 29, 2011 by David Rier

It’s always a good idea to protect your computer-based data.  The first line of defense for data protection is backing up your data.  See my earlier posts (http://www.davidrier.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=121 and http://www.davidrier.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=123 ) for advice in that area. Another way to protect … Continue reading →

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Have a Backup Active Directory (AD) on Your Windows Network

Posted on March 22, 2011 by David Rier

If your have a Windows network in your business, it is most likely that it is set with an Active Directory (AD).  The AD keeps track of all the devices and users on your network.  It also acts as the … Continue reading →

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Personalize Your Browser

Posted on March 16, 2011 by David Rier

If you’re like me, you spend a fair amount of time on the Internet.  As I have said before, my default browser is Mozilla Firefox. One of the reasons that I prefer Firefox is that it allows me to personalize … Continue reading →

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