About The World Of Computer Building
If you are having trouble with your computer and would like to have it up graded. Or if you would like to just upgrade your computer for better performance. For gaming or graphic solutions or for better multitasking endeavors.
If you have a computer a lot of the basic parts in that computer are reusable, and not necessary to change out. Basic components would be the CD/DVD Rom A-Drive, HDD, and a lot of times the memory. By using the computer parts that are reusable you can save yourself hundreds of dollars, and be able to have the perfect computer system for your needs.
A computer tech service can cost hundreds of dollars for the most simple of problems. Just to take the side off the computer will cost an individual no less then fifty dollars. Let’s say you are having a simple problem with your computer. Maybe one of your drives in the computer will not boot up. This can cause problems that will make the computer act very bad. So bad that you would think there was a major problem with your computer system. But because you don’t know or understand how the computer works, and that the computer components all work together, and are tied into the motherboard of the computer. Or mite be hooked on the same cable that is hooked to the computers motherboard. You could in turn end up with a four hundred to seven hundred dollar computer repair bill. For a simple five dollar computer cable, or a thirteen dollar A-drive or a thirty dollar cd-rom drive.
The bottom line is this I have seen and talked to people how have spent as much money to repair their computer as it would of coast to buy a new computer. Myself I can’t really understand that reasoning. Maybe it’s because there is information on the computer that you really don’t want to loss. Well let me just say this. If that’s the case then you need to know that there are ways to retrieve that information off that computers hard drive. You don’t have to loss that information. You just simply have to go after it. Unless the computers hard drive is shot, and then the information is lost any ways.
Building a computer is not hard you just have to know what the computer components are, and where the computer components go inside the computer. You don’t have to know in great detail of how each computer component works. You just need a basic simple understanding of what each computer component dose.
Robert Emler: If you would like to lean just how simple it is to partake in building, and repairing your own computer. Something that will in no doubt save you hundreds of dollars go to. http://pcextream.com If you still would rather not go down this rout of computer building. But you would like to save hundreds of dollars by simply upgrading your computer system. I would be more then happy to help you do this. For a fee way less then you local computer tech shop would charge you.
This is all you need to do. Provide me with the information. Including any parts that you have that are reusable. Along with the amount of money you are willing to spend to achieve this. I will then get back with you, and let you know what I can do for you. If I can’t save you at least two hundred dollars or more towards the purchase of a new computer then I will let you know of your options and benefits of going either way.
To contact me you can send me e-mail at bob29tie@neo.rr.com
Tags: building a computer, computer, computer building, how to build computers, learn computer building, pcStarting Your Own Computer Repair Business
You have a passion for working on a computer and you like fixing computer problems. Time to open your own computer repair business right? Well… Make sure you have good answers for the following questions.
How badly do you want it? Starting a business is not for the faint of heart. You’ll work lots of hours for lots of months before you’ll be making a good living. You’ll also have to go out and make lots of sales calls and endure some less than nice people in the process. If you have the stomach and the guts to push through that, you are on the right path, read on.
Once you’ve determined that you are serious about this business thing, you’ll need to make sure you have enough money to do it right. Remember that most people underestimate the amount of money it will take to run a business. It’s easy to think that you won’t need much but consider some basic costs. You’ll need some money for computer parts. You’ll most likely need either a cell phone and a landline phone or both. You’ll need to consider expenses like gas for your vehicle and some advertising expenses that will cover at least a basic form of advertising like flyers and the yellow pages.
Consider the tools you’ll need as well. Things like some screwdrivers, some extra parts like some extra computer cases, computer screws, magnifying glass, flashlight, duct tape, overalls, business cards, and a carrying case to name a few items. There is nothing worse than not having the tools you need to do business. Not only will you lose time, you could also potentially lose the respect of your customer. This in turn can lead to either loosing their business or at the very least making it less likely they’ll refer more business your way.
Joe Duchesne is webmaster of GreatComputerInfo.com which specializes in computer repair topics including computer repair business related info. Reprint freely as long as you keep the live keyword rich link in this resource box with this article.
Tags: computer repair business, computer repair shop, starting a computer repair businessComputer Viruses an Over View
Computer security is a vitally important issue in today’s society, a lot of the most critical aspects of our lives require computers, and keeping those computers secure is critical. The popularity of the Internet and the amount of time we spend making use of it has made it very simple to spread computer viruses.
Computer viruses have become such a problem that they are now frequently mentioned in both the newspapers television news bulletins as well as in the online media. It is absolutely critical that you take steps to protect yourself against viruses, and you must be really vigilant if you spend a lot of time online.
Virus can be transmitted through e-mail, or a file you download even if you do not install it, but they can also be present in the files on a floppy disk especially if it is being passed from friend to friend. Lots of computers get infected every day, and if you do not take precautions yours may be next, you may lose all of your data on your machine. Once gone, it will be irretrievable unless of course you had the good sense to take a regular back up!
A computer virus is a small program that has the ability to duplicate itself, just like a real virus hence the name, also just like a biological virus it must have a host to exist. The virus payload, the end product of the computer virus, can be something harmless it can be as simple as displaying a message, or something very serious it could fully reformat your hard drive. Recent computer virus attacks have resulted in major disruption to both home computers and the networks of governments and multi national companies.
The advance of the Internet has been the most essential issue in the increase of computer viruses. Originally viruses were spread when people swapped disks with their friends, by its very nature this tended to restrict the spread of the computer virus but today most people do not tend to use external media like disks to store data in the same way, This has resulted, most viruses being spread via the use of e-mail and file sharing on the Internet. All that is required is for you to open an e-mail attachment or download a dangerous program and this can give your computer a virus. There are by now, about fifty thousand viruses in existence, but there are several hundred new threats produced each month.
There are a number of motives that encourage people to write computer viruses. The earliest virus programs were by and large written as pranks or experiments. However as some programmers began to learn their way about systems and the Internet, they wrote viruses just to see what they can do with them. For example, a programmer might write a computer virus code just to see how far it would spread. Unfortunately it did not stop there, other more malicious individuals, have far more hostile intentions and they took great delight writing computer viruses to harm websites or damage people’s computers.
An additional reason a computer virus gets produced is to blackmail large corporations with the threat of setting off a loss of data on their systems. There have been lots of viruses written for revenge. Employees who are about to lose their jobs can sometimes leave viruses behind on the company system to do damage to their former employer’s ability to do business.
Also lots of viruses are written for profit. The computer viruses may be used to send e-mail spam (so the original sender is disguised), causing your computer to serve as a host to illegal data, or engage in other illegal activities. Also, viruses can be used to spy on users, display pop-ups while the user is not on the internet, and acquire user data like bank accounts or credit card numbers.
Viruses tend to fall into two major types, Worms or Trojan horses, but just to complicate things Trojan horses, can be a type of worm.
A Computer Worm is a self replicating program, the first worm to gain wide attention was the Morris Worm this infected a large number of computers and earned its writer 400 hours of community service and over $10000 in fines!
Trojan horses as the name implies are hidden viruses. This helps the program to get installed in the first place. They then quietly run in the background, while disseminating its malicious code. This code can do any amount of things. It can begin right away or it may simply install a program that won’t start for sometime. Once it does start, it can delete all of the files on the computer or it can infect the computer and try to infect other computers on the network.
There are a number of ways viruses are delivered, and as a Trojan horse is the most common. It generally comes with other pieces of software that a user might find interesting. This software is usually shared through a file-sharing network or downloadable off of the Internet. Once the user installs the software, the virus also gets installed.
It is vital that you cover yourself against viruses, this can done very simply by installing a good anti-virus program and keeping it up to date. There are both free and expensive software applications around that can be set to self-update to protect from viruses.
You can also help defend yourself by being cautious where you download files from; only use a reputable well-known source. You should also not to open any e-mail attachments unless you know the sender. Making these safety precautions will help to protect you from computer viruses.
For further vital information and news about Computer Viruses pay a visit to
http://www.antiviruseye.com
You may reproduce this article provided you maintain an active link back to
http://www.antiviruseye.com
The Computer Consulting Business Communicating the Benefit of Using Your Services
In the computer consulting business, dead-end solutions can be very expensive mistakes for your prospects or clients. So, start by pointing out how scalable your proposed network will be.
Communicate the Options
Discuss server hardware and OS/NOS selection and detail how, as you add more RAM, faster processors, SCSI or RAID hard drive controllers and multiple processors, performance continues to scale up. Explain how your computer consulting business’ prospects and clients can get a tremendous power boost with relatively low cost, by doing incremental hardware upgrades on servers running the solution you’ve proposed.
Then talk up available options for your prospects or clients down the road. Small business owners, as entrepreneurs, are a pretty optimistic group. So they’ll want to make sure their IT investments are in sync with their visions of future company growth.
The Growth Path
Highlight how your computer consulting business’ proposed network solution provides a very well defined growth path to more application-rich platforms. Then, reiterate how a Microsoft Windows 9x/Me/XP “server”, on the other hand, severely limits your networking options.
A Microsoft Windows 9x/Me/XP “server” may be adequate for some very limited file and printer sharing, but it’s definitely not a great platform for adding high-performance relational database or messaging applications.
As company IT needs evolve, the amount of files can really spiral out of control if the networking solution can’t keep up. So always highlight how the proposed networking solution and centralizing data helps to protect IT investments by maintaining version control.
A Networking Solution Can Reduce Confusion
With a decentralized peer-to-peer network, there may be multiple, conflicting versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel data files for example. Whether these files are passed around on disk or distributed on different users’ “servers”, a well-designed client/server network, with consistent naming conventions and a coherent share and folder structure goes a long way toward preventing confusion.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultants get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua’s free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.
Tag: computer consulting businessComputer Help for Customizing the Start Button Text of the Windows XP Desktop
Most computer users who have long been utilizing the Windows XP Home and Professional operating system suite versions are so sick and tired of that green conventional button on the bottom left-most portion of their desktop. The perpetual “Start” has been on this button since time immemorial or since Microsoft released the first of the Windows operating system suite version.
This is why most intermediate to highly skilled Windows XP users are tweaking the system registry so as to fully customize the look and feel of the Windows XP desktop that they have on their computers. Some people turn to the familiar faces for computer help, while other people turn to experts and technical support professionals for their computer issues. Among the concerns, the deemed most troubling thing to do is to actually change the unblinking and equally unchanging “Start.”
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to impose a different kind of change in this area on your Windows desktop. But do take note of the fact that the computer help steps that follow below are applicable only to the Windows XP desktop, both Professional and Home versions, and not the prior and latest versions from the Windows Operating System suite.
These steps may not require professional computer help or technical support. The first thing you should undertake is to identify and determine a program, which could decompile and modify 32bit Windows EXE files. Such a program should also have the function to compile and save Windows executable files, which all have the .exe extension. This is because in order for you to change the information on the Windows XP Start button, you need to decompile and modify the explorer.exe file. It is in the C:Windows folder that the executable file is located. Use the program to enhance the Start button of your computer. This is achieved by compiling and saving the changed explorer.exe file.
You can do a search on Google or any search engine for such a program. But if ever you have difficulty searching, one recommendation is to utilize The Resource Hacker
Tags: computer help, technical supportSouped Up Computer Cases
The computer case is just the box that the computer stuff is housed in. For all intents and purposes it does very little. It doesn’t have to spin around, open or close too often or do many other things.
However a well made and designed case can make very obvious and pleasant differences for your computing experience. Although most cases will do for the very run of the mill, everyday computer, a better case can benefit you in many ways.
Looks are probably the first thing that you would look for. At the very least you will have to look at your case, so it should look good. Many cases, even really cheap ones can come in many different colors and styles. Of course looks are important, but that is an easier thing to decide than the more unseen details that can effect the design. We will look at those in details, so that apart from a good looking case, it will be functionally good too.
Construction of the case will mean the difference in how much of a beating the case can take, how sturdy it is and how easy parts are to put in. Most cases utilise aluminum of thin steel. Very cheap cases that use aluminum are often very flimsy because the aluminum is more expensive and so they keep costs down by making it thin. Under $50 don’t expect much. Might be fine if it’s never transported or knocked. More expensive cases for $150 and up are aluminum. They are constructed from tough, thick aluminum, because of this, they are heavy, which is an easy way to tell if its strong or not. Avoid aluminum, except for more expensive cases.
Fans on the case keep air flowing through the computer, pushing cooler air into it and sucking the warmer air created by the CPU and other parts out. Modern computers have become hotter as they’ve become more powerful so they need more air passing through. Unfortunately the answer of more fans makes more noise. Cases can often take up to 4 80mm fans. This will provide enough air going through. Sometimes you can use less, if not none, for underclocked or light load computers. An option that I like is 120mm fans. They move twice as much air as 80mm fans, but with the same noise, to 2 120mm fans will move as much air as 4 80mm ones, but produce half the noise. Cases need to be made to take 120mm fans or modified yourself.
Thumb screws instead of screws that need a screwdriver are a cheap extra, but can make the opening of the computer that much less hassle, requiring one less screwdriver to be used.
Another extra to be considered are mounting brackets for hard drives and optical drives. Instead of having to open the case to take out the drives, brackets are included. The brackets are attached to the drives with the normal screws and then the drives can be slotted in and taken out without tools. Useful if you take them out a lot, I don’t, so it’s not high on my priority list.
Something that effects convenience is the positioning of the USB ports and sound plugs. There are always the standard ones on the back of the computer, but the other ones on the case can be just about anywhere. Most common is on the front, but there are some that position them under a flap on the top. On the top is okay, but if your case is in a closed area with something over its top they will be inaccessable. See if the position in convenient for where you will keep your computer.
So in summary, look for…
- Looks
- Construction quality (aluminum or steel)
- Fans, both size and positioning
- Thumb screws
- Mounting brackets for drives
- USB, sound, firewire plug positioning
Peter Stewart is a computer enthusiast, his interest in computers and focus on practical down to earth advice inspired his two websites.
http://computer-buying-guide.com - Practical buying tips
http://computer-reviews.net - Fair and honest reviews and opinions
Taking Care of Your Computer - 7 Useful Tips
There are many reasons why you should take care of your computer. Number one, is that it’s a major investment for most people and you would probably like to keep it running for as long as possible.
There are various things that you can do to help prolong the life of your PC, both hardware and software wise. It’s always a good idea to keep your computer clean. A clean computer runs faster and lasts longer.
Here are some ways to clean and maintain the software (your operating system) on your pc.
1. Run the defragmenter utility, at least once every month or two. In Windows XP this can be done by going to your Start menu, then All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then select Disk Defragmenter. The defragmenter will help ensure that your files are located at the right place on the hard drive and should boost the overall speed of your computer.
2. Clean up old files. When you install/uninstall software frequently it can leave many unwanted files in temporary and system folders. In Windows XP, you should run the Disk Cleanup utility once and a while to clean things up. This utility can be found by clicking the Start menu, then All Programs Accessories, System Tools, then select Disk Cleanup
3. Scan for viruses. Viruses can cause your computer to be slow or not work at all. You should always have a good virus scanner installed and keep it up to date. Some well known virus scanners are Norton, McAfee, and AVG.
4. Scan for other malware. Other malware can include spyware, adware, key loggers, and Trojan horses. These pieces of software can get installed without your knowledge when you install another program or visit a website. They can cause your PC to slow down considerably. Spybot Search & Destroy and Adaware are two well known malware scanners.
Here are some ways you can keep your hardware running smoothly.
1. Clean out the dust. Computers are notorious for accumulating dust. Every once and a while you should open it up and clean it out. This can be done with a vacuum cleaner or a can of dust remover.
2. Keep your PC cool. You should always make sure that you keep your computer in a well ventilated area. By doing this you help keep the PC cool and, therefore, will prolong the life of your hardware.
3. Buy quality hardware. When you buy new components for your PC try and get good quality parts. If you get components from respected manufacturers you can be sure that you will get good technical support and the parts will be well made and not cause problems with other hardware.
Theses are just a few little tips to help you keep your computer running for a long time. There are many other things that can be done but by following these few tips you can be sure that you will reduce future computer problems.
Dennis d’Entremont is the operator of
SaveLoad Video Game Directory and
Computers-Made-Easy.com.
Computer Repair
Whether it is virtual reality, urban planning, restoration of ancient arts, communication on a global basis, defense strategies, watching programs or carrying on with daily business, the computer has become an indispensable part of our daily life.
However, when our computer suffers from technical problems, whether it is viral or any other hardware or software issues, we face a total breakdown in computer communications.
Repairing computer might be a perennial activity. Upgrading your computer on a regular and systematic basis is a very important factor to maintain the efficiency of the machine and to make your computer provide you with the best of services.
Repairing computers has become a big business. It has become a flourishing career for many technicians who offer services for both the hardware and software devices of the machine. At the same time, it is good for an owner to know the intricacies of their machine and have the knowledge to do some repairs on their own. Not only will you save a lot of money should your computer fail and need repair, but knowing just what must be done to get your computer up and running again is a wonderful feeling, and a great advantage over the competition if you are a businessman or a serious user.
One can get all the necessary information from numerous books available in the market as well as online. There are a thousand of websites who render support and information about computer repair. These services are worth the money because one can gather practical application.
Still, if you are not inclined to learn the basics or intricacies of your computer, there are many technicians who offer computer repair for various fees and services.
Computer Repair provides detailed information on Computer Network Repair, Computer Repair, Computer Repair Services, Computer Repair Software and more. Computer Repair is affiliated with Computer Part Supplies.
Tags: Computer Network Repair, Computer Repair, Computer Repair Services, Computer Repair SoftwareAn Overview Of Computer Networks
My second degree, or should I say my second go through inside the education system was in networking. I’m a certified Novell and Microsoft engineer, not that I’m all that excited about the fact. Networking is actually pretty mindless work once you learn it. It’s pretty much do it by the numbers based on what the customer wants. After you hook everything up the software installation is pretty straight forward. My 16 year old daughter could do it or as GEICO would say, a caveman could do it.
In this article I’m just going to cover the basics of what a network is and the types of networks. I’ll go into more detail in later articles.
A network is simply a means for computers to speak to each other, or communicate with each other. With a network, computers can receive emails from each other, send files to each other, instant message each other and a variety of other things. This is something that we take for granted today but there was a time when networks were not so sophisticated and not all that efficient either.
There are basically two types of networks.
The simplest network is a LAN or Local Area Network. This is where all the computers in the network are located in one place such as an office building. Within this type of network you have 2 ways to connect.
The simplest way is peer to peer. This is where 2 or more computers are hooked up directly to each other. In other words if you have 5 computers you would have computer 1 hooked into computer 2 which would be hooked into computer 3 and so on. In this type of connection each computer is dependent on the other. So if computer 3 would go down then computers 1 and 2 would not be able to communicate or exchange information with computers 4 and 5 and visa versa. That is the main problem with a peer to peer network. Also in peer to peer networks the write process between computers leads to data corruption problems. This is not something they teach you in school but something you learn from experience.
The more common type of LAN connection is client server. This is where all the computers in the network are connected to each other via a central computer. This kind of connection does require more work in set up but is more efficient, carries data better and if one computer goes down the others aren’t affected. However, should the server go down then all the computers on the network would be affected as far as their ability to get information from the other computers and the server itself. They, however, would still be able to do work locally on their own such as with a word processing program, unless the word processing program was located on the server. Then it would not be available. Usually, however, most applications are installed on each computer. What is most commonly lost when a server goes down is the ability to retrieve data that is common to everyone in the network, say an in house database of all employees.
The second type of network is a WAN or wide area network. This is where several LAN networks or even single computers are connected to a much larger network. A perfect example of a WAN is the Internet. This is where users from all over the world can interact with each other through email, chat rooms and instant messaging. WANs are enormous to say the least and are very intricate in their design, requiring hubs from all over the world to stay connected. One hub goes down and it can affect connections for millions of people though there are protocols instituted to reroute connections if a hub does go down.
The above is a very simplified overview of computer networks. In future articles I’ll go into detail on the hardware and software required to set up these networks and some of the finer points. Stay tuned.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Networking
Here Are Four Common Steps to Auto Fix It For Me Computer Software Programs
1. You turn the PC on, it loads through and then reports it cannot find the C Drive
This sounds like a fault hard disk, swap it with another from a working PC, if the problem resolves this way then your drive is bad.
The hard drive is found inside the case, it will have a ribbon attached to the mainboard and one of the power leads from the PSU. It is fixed with screws into the case, undo these, whip out the cables and get yourself a new disk.
Sometimes a reboot will give your disk a little more life, if a reboot does help, then make sure you backup your data straight away and get a new disk in there! This is a best case scenario, normally if the C Drive dies you lose all your data, if you can save it this way then you were lucky!
2. No activity when turning the computer on
You hear nothing, no lights start frantically flashing at you, nothing appears on the screen? First things first, check that it is plugged in!!!
Okay enough of the sillyness, the thing is plugged in, it now seems like the PSU (Power Supply Unit) has died a horrible death! The PSU is a box normally at the back of your computer held into the case by 4 screws and has a fan blowing bad air out of the back! There is also a wiring loom that comes from this dreaded box into the main board of the pc. It is this wire that feeds electricity to all of the components inside your PC! Unplug all these power wires and unscrew the PSU, you can now take it to the PC Store and show the guys there, they will then get you a new one!
3. Regular Blue Screen Errors, sounds like a memory problem to me!
You are using your PC, happily writing documents or surfing the Internet, when BAM, Blue Screen of Death is telling you there was a fatal error and your computer needs to be put into the retirement home. Fear not, 9 out of 10 times this is just unfortunate and unavoidable, but a restart will cure it. However, if you keep getting this regularly then you may have a RAM (Random Access Memory) problem. This is again easily fixable using other memory sticks. If you have a PC that works fine, try swapping the memory sticks to see if this remedies your problem. You can get memory testers that can tell you if your RAM is bad, try running one of these. If you do end up with a bad RAM stick, then nip down to the store and buy a new one!
RAM sticks fit into the main board normally not far from the processor. Just flip the little switches at either and and pull the old one out, line up the new one with the slots and push down. Once you hear a click at both ends, you’re ready to go!
4. The computer starts up, but the monitor is blacker than the black hole of calcutta!
Basically this means your monitor has had it. Again check it is plugged in etc. If you have a different monitor lying around you can use, try plugging that in. If it works then it’s a safe bet the first one is ready for the scrap heap. Monitors store electricity inside them using capacitors, don’t every try to repair one!!! This stored electricity has the potential to kill you!!!
If the monitor does come on (Power Light is shining bright) but the screen is black, then it could be a Video Card problem. Firstly identify the Video Card in your PC, should be pretty easy, it has the monitor plugged into it. If it is part of the main board then you can’t do much about it buster, however if it is seperate be sure it is firmly pushed into it’s little slot, if this does no good, then remove the card and get yourself a new one. They are fairly inexpensive unless you are a serious gamer, then you could be looking at the hundreds and thousands!
For vital information on all things concerned with Auto Fixing Computer Software Programs Auto Fix It For Me Computer Software Programs
Tag: Auto Fix It For Me Computer Software ProgramsComputer Risks Unauthorized Access and Use
One type of computer security risk is unauthorized access and use.
Unauthorized access is the use of a computer or network without permission. Hackers typically break into a computer by connecting to it and then logging in as a legitimate user. Some intruders do no damage but they merely access data, valuable information or programs on the computer.
Unauthorized use is the use of a computer or its data for unapproved or illegal activities. It includes a variety of activies such as gaining access to a bank computer and performing an unauthorized bank transfer etc.
Preventing Unauthorized Access and Use
1. Have a written acceptable use policy (AUP) that outlines the computer activities for which the computer and the network may and may not be used.
2. The use of firewall
3. Access Controls
4. Intrusion detection software
5. Audit trails
Intrusion detection software = analyzes network traffic, asssesses vulnerability, identifies unauthorized access and notifies network administrators of suspicious behaviour patterns or system breaches.
Access controls = defines who can and cannot access a computer, when they can access it and what actions they can take. Includes a user name and password, a possessed object, a biometric device and a callback system.
Audit trail = records in a file both successful and unsuccessful access attempts.
For more on PC security, please visit http://www.for-the-touchdown.com/pc_security_new.htm.
Tags: computer risk, computer security, pc help, pc risk, pc security, pc threatsComputer Consulting Diversify Your Clients
Make sure that you never get to the point that any one computer consulting client has control over you. None of them should have such supreme leverage over you that you couldn’t afford to either lose them because of something that’s either out of your control or because you want to let them go.
Spread Out Your Risk Among Your Computer Consulting Clients
This is all about diversifying. Think about building your client portfolio like a mutual fund portfolio. It’s very similar with marketing where you’re using a couple different vehicles to give yourself some balance and lessen the risk a little bit.
If you have one particular computer consulting client that is your bread and butter, meaning that that’s the one who’s actually paying the bills, what you probably have is a part-time job. You don’t have a business. If they say jump, you really have to jump.
The Magic Number of Computer Consulting Clients
For a solo practitioner computer consultant, you don’t want to have a couple dozen or a couple hundred clients because it’s really hard to give tremendous service to them and be able to be as responsive to them as you need to be.
The ideal number is usually 10 to 20 at the most. It should never be below 8 because then individual clients will have too much leverage on you.
How Do You Find More Ideal Clients?
If you find that you do have one client, you need to ask yourself a couple of questions. How unique are their needs? Could you cookie cutter this and could you find other clients that are just like them?
Take a long, hard look at what you’ve done for this one client. What are their biggest problems that you’ve solved? What are the biggest problems that you haven’t yet solved? Figure out where you’re going to find other businesses that are just like them. Then you won’t be caught in a losing power struggle.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Joshua Feinberg can help you get more steady, high-paying computer consulting clients. You can learn how too. Sign-up now for Joshua’s free audio training program on the Computer Consulting Blog.
Tags: computer consulting, IT consulting, small business computer consultingCTRL + ALT + DEL, The $100 Handcranked Computer
U.S. + computers + helping developing nations + big opportunity = No Microsoft. Now how could that equation possibly be? Try Negroponte who is in the news again with his One Laptop Per Child Non-Profit that is going to help decrease the Digital Divide between first and third world nations. He is the guy who co-founded the MIT Media Lab in 1985 with his well-practiced commentary on how the laboratory, spending $25 million a year (reaching $40 million by 2003), is engineering the merger of newspapers, television, entertainment, learning, and computers. (Wired 3.08 1995). Mr. Negroponte is the man touting a $100 computer for the masses. If his work over the last 10 years at MIT is to be reality and the world of consumerism is to continue to permeate every nook and cranny of even the poorest reaches of the earth then he better damn well be ready to get $100 computers in the hands of all those potential consumers, uh I mean children, in third world nations who wake up every morning with their first priority finding enough food to eat to survive just one more day.
Negroponte, not to be confused with his early 1980’s Nicaraguan Contra orchestrating, despot corrupt government backing, illegal arms for contras directing and international drug traffic ignoring brother John (though he crashes at his place from time to time), Nicholas, also the son of Dimitri, the Greek Shipping Magnate, has had a respectable academic career in technology. He has successfully leveraged his elite upbringing and spent nearly 4 decades at MIT where he founded and ran MIT Media Lab, a large technology department in one of America’s elite education institutions until 2000. His inside contacts have put him in the position of being able to capitalize on some very interesting start up companies including including Zagats, Wired Ambient Devices, and Skype (the latter having just been purchased for a cool $2.6 Billion in a deal worth potentially $4 Billion over time). He also has managed to form some very interesting alliances in his new quest to get the merging of newspapers, television, entertainment, learning & computers. His One Laptop Per Child partners include Google, Advanced Micro Devices, News Corp., Red Hat and Brightstar? Anyway, does this lineup look like anything familiar? Perhaps you could call it 21st Century Global Domination the Negroponte way. Or perhaps you could say, having developing world governments purchase $100 computers for their children who currently receive about $24 per year in health care or $45 per year in education is a good thing. Well for some reason the World Bank or UN don’t think this a top priority. The Bank puts Education, Health and Water on top.
Having illiterate people who’s only “economy” is producing, finding or slaving for enough food to stay alive each day get their hands on a $100 PC seems a bit more of an intellectual feel good story than any kind of useful benefit. I mean I don’t want to get in the way of some coffee induced self contained intellectual mental orgasm of what the future looks like in their techno centric view of the world but a more practical view would be presented by Sadruddin Aga Khan in his article in AL-AHRAM, Cairo, “The fact remains, however, that 80 countries now have per capita incomes lower than they were a decade ago, and the number of people living in poverty (those who earn less than $1 a day) is stuck stubbornly at 1.2 billion, while those earning less than $2 per day number almost 3 billion.” Did I say 3 billion? Isn’t that like
Tags: computer, hand cranked computer, Media Lab, Proctor, Shonika, WiredComputer…Take A Letter… A Speech Recognition Update
Most of us are used to just shouting at our computers when they misbehave. We wish that there was an axe included as standard equipment along with our keyboard and mouse. What if you had something nice to say to your computer? Imagine if your computer actually listened to you and did what you told it to do? If you have not heard about it - it’s called speech recognition software.
If you’ve never seen speech recognition demonstrated by some who is trained to use it - you’re in for a surprise. A person speaks into a microphone in front of their computer and you see the words they are speaking pop up on the screen in real time. You might be tempted to look around for someone operating a keyboard around the corner. It is amazing to watch and to use. You can speak at our normal speaking speed (about 120 words per minute) and the computer “guesses” using mathematical algorithms what word you mean in that context from what it knows about the English language. (There are some other language models also available.)
Speech recognition has been useful for users with training for the past seven years. Training still makes a difference as it does for any major piece of software. We train people to use Word
Tags: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, dictation, Naturally Speaking, RSI, speech recognition, ViaVoiceChess Computers - Should You Get One
The chess computer is a tool, a skill builder if you will. For those that truly enjoy the game of chess, there is no better partner to play with. While many that enjoy playing chess would like to own one of these computers, it should be said that they are often costly and often are complicated to use to a beginner computer user. But, for others, these are the most excellent of tools for your chess career.
The Good
There are a number of benefits to owning your own chess computer. For example, you can play whenever the mood strikes you from early morning to the middle of the night. You don’t have to wait around for your friend to be in the mood. You also have the ability to use tutorials that can help you to learn to play or to increase your own playing abilities with these computers. They are designed to allow for all sorts of play, so you get to do what you feel is necessary. You can also restart a game that has gone bad 
The Bad
There are some disadvantages of owning these computers as well. A chess player that is not human can not make the mistakes that a human can make. Therefore, the computer is a much more difficult competitor. Not only that, but they also do not prepare you for the reactions of human play. And, of course, they can be quite an investment as well. You can find various options to choose from, though, from software programs to complete programs.
The Verdict
It’s important to weigh the advantages and the disadvantages when it comes to computers like these chess computers. For many, the goal of owning a chess computer is only a dream. You should realize that they are mainly for those who are advanced players who are playing chess at the club level. Then again, to get to this point, many will need a chess coach. The chess computer can be the chess coach that you need to take your game to the highest level it can be at. If you have the funds for a chess computer and a true love of the game, making that purchase can put you one step ahead of the rest.
Mike Singh is a successful webmaster and publisher of chess-made-ez.com . He provides the basic chess rules and excellent chess tips to take your game to the next level.
Tags: chess sets, computer, games, hobbies, indoor, moves, pieces, strategies, table Newer Posts »