One of the most interesting programs, which has just made a discovery using spare computers whose owners donated their downtime, is attempting to prove Einstein’s theory that celestial events, like exploding stars or black hole collisions, create waves which then alter space and time.  These computers didn’t quite prove that, but they did discover a rare celestial object.

This project is run by the University of California Berkeley, is called BOINC, and you can participate in many other programs as well.  As long as you own your PC, the software is free to download here, and you can contribute to a vast number of science projects.  You might use your computer’s downtime to help cure cancer, detect earthquakes, or look out for aliens.

The search for aliens was the initial project for the BOINC program and has been going for almost eleven years.  The project, called Seti@Home, uses spare computers to more quickly analyse data from radio telescopes looking for signals of alien life.  They’re searching primarily for narrow-bandwidth radio signals, which as far as we know do not occur in nature, and as such would imply that there is some life out there.

You’re only permitted to use the program on computers you own, however, so while you might choose to install the software on your home computer, ask permission from your IT support before placing it on your work or school PC.

1. Back up to an external location.  The best way is to buy either a second hard drive or an external hard drive.  If you keep duplicate copies of every important document, even if one fails you’ll still have the other one to recover from.  You can do this manually, which is probably the most reliable way as then you can firmly ensure you have each and every file that is important to you.  It’s also quite simple.  Open up two windows, one for each hard drive, and simply copy over the files that you want to keep so you have two versions of each file.  Just remember to update them both whenever you make important changes.
2. Burn your important files to a DVD or CD.  Rewriteable DVDs are the best choice because you can fix any problems that arise in the initial copying.  You can also then reuse the DVDs if your old files become irrelevant, unnecessary, or are stored more securely somewhere else.  DVD storage is perhaps the least effective of any type of backup, as the DVDs require physical storage space and overall hold quite a small amount of data in comparison to hard drives, but they can be reassuring for the person who likes physical evidence of his/her files and cost effective for the individual who doesn’t have much that needs saving.
3. You can also use Window’s built in backup and restore feature.  Each version of Windows from XP on has this feature, though it has been improved regularly over the years, with Windows 7 currently boasting the best incarnation.  The feature is very easy to use and is accessible from the control panel.  You can choose whichever folders, libraries, or drives you’d like to back up.  Ordinary Windows 7 users can back up to another drive or a DVD, just like the first two choices I’ve provided.  Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate have the ability to back data up to another computer on the network, central server, or network attached storage; for most people, however, the first two will be just fine and will certainly solve the problem. Windows 7 also provides easy ways for you to recover those backed up documents in case of accidental deletion or individual file corruption.

If you’ve failed to backup your machine, it is sometimes possible to restore it to an earlier condition.  This can be done using the System Restore option in Windows.  It’s not particularly reliable for restoring documents, though, just for massive system changes, so it is always a good idea to back up everything you think is important or might be important in the future.

If you’re really trying to cut costs, it’s possible to get by using just Google’s free Apps suite.  These require no hardware or software and can be accessed through any Google account.  For increased support and storage capabilities, however, it’s best to sign up for Google’s own service which is available at a cost of £30 per person.  Everything is then hosted on Google’s servers, so you won’t have to worry about downtime or maintenance – Google guarantees a 99.9% uptime.

Google’s docs offer quality functionality at a bargain price.  They can’t do quite everything that Microsoft Office can, but you’ll find that many of your most used features are present.  It all depends on the need of your individual business; most people are unable to do the most advanced aspects of Office programs anyway, and if you’re never going to need it, why waste the money on it?

Google Docs also have the potential to save you thousands of dollars.  To begin with, you needn’t purchase or set up your own server.  Everything is hosted on Google’s servers, so you don’t have to worry about losing your information due to any fault of your own, though you may choose to save a copy of important documents on your own PC.  You also may find yourself without the need for an IT professional in house or even an external IT support company because Google will provide you with much of the support you need for their software.  If your hardware breaks down, that’s another issue, and you may wish to contract with an external company for that purpose, but overall your maintenance costs are still lower.

When you choose to go with Google Apps, it’s important to remember that your documents will be in the cloud and potentially accessible by Google employees.  This, however, is highly unlikely, and Google has invested in the top security firms and experts to ensure that hackers cannot access your information no matter how hard they try.  The cloud also means that you and any relevant employees can access documents at the same time and edit them together in real time.  This makes collaboration easier than ever, regardless of where you happen to be.  You can work from home, from work, or on a trip somewhere as long as you have access to the internet.

Businesses also have access to more in depth tools than free users.  In particular, they have more advanced custom spam email filtering tools, both inbound and outbound, information sharing rules to ensure that employees don’t release personal documents by accident, password guidance, SSL connections, and email archiving up to ten years.  You can also connect Google Apps to your current domain and email address, so the transition is virtually seamless.

For minor tweaks, Office now offers the ability to sharpen or blur images.  Their new layout is incredibly convenient if you’re pressed for time or not really that fussed with perfection.  When you choose the option to edit your photo from the pop-up toolbar, only accessible once you’ve actually imported the image, you’re presented with a range of thumbnails with your image sharpened or blurred to varying degrees.  You can preview these to find the right one or choose to go in a little bit deeper and adjust a variety of sliders yourself to achieve precisely the correct level of effect.

Office also newly includes a variety of artistic and picture effects.  You can apply surprisingly good looking sketch effects to your photos, for example, with a simple click of the mouse.  Again, Office will pop up a range of choices, allowing you to choose which thumbnail suits you best, or allows you to fine tune the details yourself either from the original picture or the slightly edited version.  You can also look at all the effects at once, deciding at a glance which best fits your document.

You’re even able to correct picture colouring or just play with the saturation and tone.  If you’ve taken a picture of a particular shade of flower, you can use the recolouring tool to change it to another one.  You can then go even further by using the background removal tool to get rid of the now improperly coloured background and import your new image back onto your old one – changing the colour of the flowers without disturbing any grass or sky that might surround it.

Office’s new photo editing features clearly enhance their bid to get everyone using Office – and Office only.  These in no way surpass the capabilities of Adobe’s Photoshop, which has a price tag to match what it can do, but if these abilities prove popular, Microsoft could easily drive out lower cost software with less functionality.  After all, most people have Microsoft Office somewhere, whether it be at work or home or both, and these features make it much easier to perform tasks frequently done elsewhere in the past.

Have you used Office 2010’s photo editing features?  What did you think?  Let us know in the comments.

First of all, it’s best not to purchase the newest model of anything.  While you don’t want to purchase outdated equipment, you’ll find that with new hardware, you’re often paying a premium for something which may not be much better than the last model.  Moreover, you don’t need employees to have particularly powerful PCs.  High end computers are often truly only necessary for gaming, which you certainly don’t want your employees to be doing.  Most mid-range PCs can run the business software you’ll need quickly and easily, which is ideal.  When you upgrade, keep this important caveat in mind and consider what you really need to purchase to keep productivity high and cut costs.

In order to figure out what type of PC you need, check the requirements on your software.  Find the most demanding one and ensure the PCs you’re buying meet that standard.  If you’re looking to save some money, there isn’t a need to go too much higher.

When buying software, it’s similarly best to wait until it’s been out for a few months, unless it’s absolutely essential for business operations.  That’s because you’ll not only pay a premium for new software, but it might have bugs or missing functionality which will be resolved with patches in future.  Rather than call your IT support, it’s best to wait until such problems have been ironed out before purchasing, and you might end up with some cash left over as well.

If, however, you have employees who truly need intensive software, you may need to reconsider what type of hardware they’ll need.  If you have a team of graphic designers or programmers, their computers may well need a lot more resource-hogging software than a normal administrative worker.  It’s all about judging what you need for which employee.  Keep in mind that if you do have to purchase a large number of expensive PCs for your high-end employees, when the time comes for an upgrade in a few years they can be passed down in a few years to employees with fewer demands, essentially recycling hardware efficiently and cost-effectively.

Buying laptops is often an even more difficult decision.  Consider carefully what your employees are going to need to do outside of the office – if they already have a desktop PC that they will continue to use, this consideration is even more important.  If they largely just need to check their email or use a word processor, though, why not outfit them with a cost-effective netbook?  They’ll have all the functionality they need at an incredibly low price, and you’ll even be able to make more employees feel important and valued by giving out a few more than you could have planned for with a high end laptop.

What are your company’s rules for purchasing new hardware?

Microsoft seem to have taken a page out of Apple’s book, with a slide devoted to precisely what appeals to consumers about them.  Apple’s products look good, work well, and encourage brand loyalty through those two factors.  They’ve also included an Apple-esque design for a new PC, with all the hardware behind the screen.

They also have a few plans for the new features included.  One of the most exciting is the ability to recognise users based on their appearance; Microsoft assumes that most Windows 8 users will have webcams by 2012, otherwise they would not be able to access the functionality.  When you’re at your computer, it will automatically recognise your presence and log you in.  Their goal is to make it easier to switch between user accounts; the accounts may also carry the ability to be attached to the cloud and seamlessly transfer information from the PC to the internet.  You’ll also have the ability to carry your user account with you as you go, so you’ll be able to save your settings and take them with you to public or friends’ computers.

The company also plans to focus on security and speed, goals that Microsoft has been aiming towards for a number of years.  They’re aiming to keep the speedy start up and shut down that Windows 7 boasts and make it even faster if possible.  They’re going to assume every computer is connected to the internet and thus provide a robust combined solution of online services and software to protect users and give them access to all the programs they might need in a variety of different ways.  This provides the potential for a Windows app store, which also seems to be part of their plans.

Microsoft similarly has specific goals to target both computing enthusiasts and ordinary users; at the moment it seems that evangelists (their term) target alternating operating systems, like Linux or Mac, to recommend to all of their friends.  They’d like to catapult Windows 8 into that sphere of must-have programs.

We think that Microsoft will have some trouble with this goal; too many users have very good long term memory, and Windows is moreover the default, less-than-cool choice simply because of its market dominance.  Regardless, their improvements look reasonably cool, and we can hardly doubt that we’ll still be using Windows 8 when it comes out, as will most London IT support.

What do you think about the proposed improvements to Microsoft Windows?

Internet Explorer is most frequently regarded as a bloated dinosaur that few people who have any knowledge about computers would use.  It has widely publicised security holes, loads far slower than any other browser, and seems to always be the last to offer the latest feature.  Its worst instalment, IE 6, well known for bugs and hacks, is finally fading from mainstream use.  IE8 offers a bevy of new features, including enhanced security, but it still lags behind other browsers on extendable functionality, speed, and site appearance.  Many websites that work just fine in Firefox or Chrome will break in IE8 for no particular reason.  At present, we don’t recommend that you stick with this browser, unless you don’t mind missing out on functionality or speed.

Firefox has been the most popular browser with geeks and the well-informed internet users for years now.  They were the first to offer tabbed browsing, which compared to IE6 was absolutely revolutionary; you could for the first time see everything you had open easily and quickly.  This is standard now, but Firefox still represents advanced features for many users.  The vast number of extensions available for the browser mean that it’s suitable for almost any task, whether you just want your music player in your browser or if you need to tweak source code to see how a website would look if you took away a margin.  Many have begun to complain that Firefox has slowed down and it has lately been hit by a few bugs, but by and large it’s a solid choice for functionality and design.

Chrome, Google’s first outing into the browser wars, is the up and coming choice for tech geeks and developers.  Chrome has been proven to be the fastest of all the choices and also natively has crash protection; if one tab crashes, the rest of the open tabs remain as they were.  Since it’s fairly new, some websites don’t yet work properly, but on the whole sites are less likely to break than they are in IE8.  Chrome also offers a Google search from the address bar and a smaller but growing library of extensions and themes for developers and ordinary people alike.

Safari is Apple’s standard browser on Macs.  Most people who own Macs do tend to choose Firefox instead because it typically functions much better and, as previously mentioned, has a huge library of extensions and themes for easy customisation.  Apple has done their part to change this perception with their latest offering, Safari 5.  Safari now has extensions, the highest level of compliance with websites (which means they’re unlikely to break or lose functionality) and increased security.  Safari currently has the smallest marketshare of all browsers listed, so if you don’t choose this browser, you’re not alone.

Which browser are you using?

1. Microsoft Windows.  Windows is the default choice for almost anyone purchasing a new computer.  Quite simply, it’s easier to use and generally more intuitive than the other two, if only because it’s likely you’ve had a Windows PC before and thus have a basic knowledge of how they work.  While Windows is a big target for spyware and viruses, any PC owner who is moderately vigilant about their security and unsafe downloads shouldn’t have much to worry about, and Windows 7 makes this easier than ever.

Plus, using widespread generally international standards for documents is vital if you’re using your PC for any business use.  Free software programs like OpenOffice are available and can generally read Microsoft Office documents, but they don’t achieve the level of professionalism that the latest incarnation of Office has.  There is also a level of freedom about using software that you won’t get elsewhere, simply because most of the world is using a Microsoft PC and thus most developers focus on programs and games for it.

2. Apple Macintosh. Apple is the buzzword on the street these days, but mostly for their mobile products.  Many people have had such a fantastic experience on their iPhones or iPods that they decide they want to buy a Mac as their next computer.  A few factors generally put buyers off; namely, Macs are typically more expensive for similar specs than Windows PCs and they’re a new experience, which may turn buyers off at the purchasing stage.

Macs are historically known for being better with design, so artists and musicians should by all means investigate the programs available for use on OSX, especially given that industries like graphic design virtually require employees to have familiarity with it.  For normal users, though, it seems like a selling point that you can dual boot Windows and have the best of both worlds; surely if it’s that important to run Windows you should just choose it in the first place.  Macs, however, will have less useless software pre-installed on their machines and are typically less likely to fall prey to viruses simply because they have yet to be targeted.  They have free customer support from the moment you buy to the moment the computer dies.

But if you know you need Windows software, is it worth paying more for an equally qualified system?

3. Linux.  For the computer user that wants complete control over everything on their computer, Linux is clearly the option to choose, with Ubuntu as the most popular beginner installation.  It suffers from some of the same faults as the Mac does; mainly, it doesn’t run Windows programs and generally has poorer quality, if free, versions.  It is, however, very speedy, and if you install it yourself, comes with virtually nothing preloaded.  It is completely your decision to install various different kinds of software.  If you don’t use something, you don’t have it cluttering up your OS.  Generally, it’s easier to detect viruses and malware when they exist because you have easy access to all of your files, but if you aren’t an IT support expert it can be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate file and spyware.  You’ll rarely have to worry about it with Linux, though, because few spammers or hackers focus on it.

Linux, however, is only for those who feel comfortable with extensive amounts of modification and are willing to play with their computer. The system will let you know every time there are updates and you can choose whether to install them or not.  For ordinary users, though, the unfamiliar programs, requisite customisation and upgrades, and different interface is probably enough of a turn-off that they will return immediately to the comfort and relative convenience of Windows.

Which operating system would you go for?

First of all, it’s entirely likely that some processes are starting up with your computer, slowing it down from the minute you turn it on to the minute you turn it off, without producing any real benefit to you.  For example, if you have an iPod or iPhone, using iTunes will add to startup a little program called “iTunesHelper.exe”.  If you ditch the hardware or software, this file will still exist and run on startup, slowing your computer down significantly.

To find superfluous programs, open up Windows Task Manager and select Processes.  This will show you all the programs that are currently running on your PC.  If you click on memory, you’ll be able to see which programs are hogging up your physical memory and CPU usage.  If you don’t recognise a program (and you won’t recognise most of them) but the description doesn’t help, simply do a Google search on it.  You will almost always find a definition and that will help you decide whether or not you need it.

To stop a process from running, simply right click on its name and choose end process.  Be careful not to stop programs that are essential to your system, like taskmgr.exe.  You may discover an unpleasant surprise when your taskbar disappears or your graphics card stops working.  The good thing is that if you stop a process in the task manager, it will be restored if you restart your computer, but it’s best to avoid that circumstance.

You can also improve startup speed by preventing some of those unnecessary, bloating programs from starting in the first place.  To find your list of startup programs, type “msconfig” into your search bar on Vista and 7 and into the “run” box on XP.  Then choose the startup tab, where you’ll see all the programs that start with your PC.  Be a little more selective with this list as a restart won’t cure any problems you create for yourself.  For example, don’t uncheck the Windows operating system, or you may cause more problems than you solve!  But if you don’t need any instant messengers starting with your computer, for example, uncheck them and don’t look back.

Let us know if these tips help you speed up your computer!

So for small offices, it can seem a bit pointless to spend extra on a reliable router and have someone who can maintain it and fix it if or when it breaks.  There are, however, a few situations in which your business should consider hooking up a wireless router and ensuring it works.

First, you may want to have the wireless network for meetings with visitors.  Often, visitors will have their own computers and will want to connect them to the internet in your meeting room.  If you haven’t got an extra Ethernet connection for them, they can be left without valuable information that would enhance your meetings and end with the results you both want.

Secondly, your employees probably wouldn’t mind the extra flexibility that a wireless network would grant them.  Laptop users might relish the ability to work away from their desks once in a while; a change of scenery can, not surprisingly, do wonders for their work rate.  If your wireless router is good enough, your employees might even be able to work outside.  Heading out on a sunny day is the perfect boost to happiness and thus productivity.

If you do intend to purchase a router, there are a few important things to consider before you buy.  Placement of the router is an important consideration.  Routers have only a limited range, so don’t place one too far away from your board room.  It’s unlikely that you’ll find a router which will send out a signal throughout the entire building, especially if your office is particularly large, but aim for the one which is proven to project a fair distance.

It’s also worth having at least a couple of employees who understand how to operate it in case of problems.  It shouldn’t be a big job to maintain the router, but it is important to know how to reset it if it stops working and what connection goes where.  They should also be in charge of security, setting the passwords and keeping them safe for when your visitors do request internet access.  You don’t want people to steal your paid-for office internet access, especially important when your office is located in a city and people will have plenty of opportunity to do so.

The router can also free up your office.  If your employees have no need to hook their computers into ethernet ports, they can move about at will, say spending a day next to someone working on a project and the next day with someone else.  Laptops immediately become the useful, moveable tools they were designed to be.

Large offices may struggle more, as most routers are incapable of sending a signal further than the range of an average house.  These businesses may require external IT support to set up a wireless network that will cover the entire building and guarantee internet access for everyone.

If your office hasn’t set up a wireless network, even now that we’re ten years into the twenty-first century, it is time.