Computer Support

A computer support consultant is a seasoned consulting role which involves contract programming and system administration. Quite a tedious job, a computer support consultant is basically hired on a contract basis and usually the consultants are experts in computer administration and dealing.

Functions

The basic concept behind hiring computer consultants is to fit into the role of the expert and get services which are otherwise not found in the employees of the company. This skill of the consultant is hired by the companies to fill in the gap and ensure smoother functioning of the company.

The computer support consultants are required to train the employees in the company who have been hired on a permanent basis. The whole idea is to train the permanent employees in such a way that they will take over the services rendered by the consultant after the training process is over.

After the underlying issues are resolved by the computer consultant, the contract usually expires. The contract can be renewed if there are other areas or department in the company which have similar issues. Otherwise the consultant leaves the company.

Prospects

While this whole process is also a learning curve experience for the computer support consultant, the consultant can earn more money in the process. The difference between a permanent employee and a consultant is that while the former has a job wherein years might be spend on a single project.

It is a reliable and less-demanding job as compared to a consultant's. Because the latter have contracts of up to 3 months or even lesser and will have to apply for jobs every few months. The chief criteria to be qualified as a computer support consultant are to possess good and specialized skills which qualify the person to be a hired giving expert advice to companies.

Computer Data Backup

Losing data is becoming more and more common as all work and activity regarding businesses, projects, networking, communication etc. has been totally dependable on computers. There are a host of causes for losing data; it includes virus infections, hardware & software failures, accidental loss of data when deleting the wrong files, power failures and so on.

One has to be always well-equipped to encounter such problems, and so it is most important to enable a data backup so that everything can be restored when required for. For the Vista Operating System one can use Windows Vista’s Backup and Restore center to backup your personal files or the entire system. There is also a provision to create a manual backup or even schedule automated backups that can aid in adding new files or the modified files into an original snapshot.

The purpose of this article is to come up with innovative ways for a computer data backup. However as a word of caution, it should be kept in mind that the Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore is not included in Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium. To start with the proceedings, one will firstly, have to go to the search field of the Start Menu and type the word "backup". Next, click on the Backup and Restore Center shortcut. Alternatively, you can go to Control Panel -> System and Maintenance -> Backup and Restore Center.

It is interesting, that inspite of all this, the data backup section also offers two more options: Back up files and Back up computer. Back up files will create a backup of all personal files and folders while back up computer will create a complete backup of the whole computer. It is strongly indicated to create a full data back up of your computer after the computer has been setup for the first time. Windows Vista will take a snapshot of all the programs, settings and files. This snapshot can be deployed even in the event when your computer stops working and then it will restore it to the original state.

Computer Tech Support Issues

With new advancements in technology and computer tech support services are available for all computer related problems , users and customers have also become wiser and more aware. Before making a purchase for a new computer, everyone makes sure that they have set their eyes on a good computer tech support service which can provide good tech support as well.

This makes more sense when a user is on the look-out for computer systems which can serve businesses, since the machines will be the best tool for administrative needs. Choosing and selecting for the best tech support services is trciky and needs careful analysis before a user zeroes in on one. Most companies with tech support usually subscribe to a single product and there is always the chance of having to purchase an additional product when assistance is asked for. This makes the user bear some extra cost.

There is the need for good tech support services created by leading computer tech support individuals who are experts in the field. The experts should have good knowledge of what goes into many different types of computers and should have a thorough understanding of the way that all models of these computers will function. Technical glitches, irrespective of what computer you have, should be fixed quickly and efficiently by tech support specialists.

These experts should have complete understanding of the most complex of issues releated to computers in order to give you the computer tech support that a user or a customer will need. They should be referred to in order to find the best method to ensure that all technical issues are dealt with at the right time. When running a business, one cannot afford to have a computer which has been lying dormant for a long time.

Computers are vulnerable to technical glitches and so getting the right computer tech support to fix the issue without putting the computer into any further risk is very essential.

Email Account in Outlook Express

A host of email clients these days give out software and applications to enable a user to create an email account apart from the regular web-based browsers. These email clients are supported by a host of software companies. Prominent among them is Microsoft. The software gaints has been developing excellent email clients and still continuous to do so. Its latest offering is the Windows Live Mail.

The Outlook Express was the email client created before the present one, but it still goes down well with a lot of companies. A lot of companies still deploy the Outlook Express to carry out the functioning of their companies and to enable smooth and unparallelled communication among its employees. The Outlook Express also serves the same purpose like all email clients, to send and receive emails. Creating a personal or a business email account is simple in the Outlook Express and can be created with no issues. There are some things to keep in mind while creating the email account and if these steps are kept in mind, it should be a smooth ride.

Firstly, one will need to create an email account. An old email account will also do. Next go to Start and choose Outlook Express from All Programs and select Accounts. At this point, choose the "Mail" tab in the Internet Accounts window. Now click Add and then click Mail from the side menu. Next up, the user will have to enter a lot of information. Enter name in the Internet Connection wizard, email that one wishes to use and the sever information (contact ISP for information if unsure). Click Next as you endure all these three points. Finally, enter the email account name and password in the next window, this can also be accessed through the ISP or the control panel. Click Next for the final time and then on Finish.

With the completion of the last step and after the task following it, the Outlook Express email account has been created. Remember to follow the above manual with absolute accuracy and stick to the basics listed in it. A user should have no problem creating the email account for further use.

Features in Kaspersky Anti- Virus support

A lot of features have been incorporated in the antivirus support software rolled out by Kaspersky. One of them is the Startup Scan. It comes along with an updateable database.It allows instant automatic updates. This is enabled through the Kaspersky Security Network.

There is further reduction of the Anti-Virus support database update size available in the Differential update which comes along with the package. Another feature in the antivirus support is the Script-Checker with Internet Explorer GUI plug-in. There is a way to identify and clean-up Critical areas which is made available to the user through the Scan Critical Areas Task.

It falls under the category of a "New Scan Hope". It also has the Scan Starup Objects. And as the name suggests, the user can have a full control of the task execution. Another important feature is the Ban-list of blocked computers by IDS subsystem. It comes with the un-block feature.

The features of Kaspersky Anti-Virus support is to basically help in facilitating identification of security breaches and also to keep a check on time reduction when it comes to protecting the computer from new security risks. It is a good anti-virus support pack and can also shield itself from malware,which has the ability to disable it, when a user information is not available and Kaspersky utilizes the lab to promote and further its security products. This keeps a check on the computer from corrupt and malicious threats.

Set up Outlook Express - Setting up new email accounts

Outlook Express is one of the better email clients that are available to the user, and it is a product of Microsoft. To have an email account in Outlook Express is easy. It serves the same purpose like all email clients, to send and receive emails. Creating a personal or a business email account in Outlook Express is not a tough task. One needs to keep these steps in mind.

One will need to create an email account. For this purpose even an old email account will do. Go to Start and choose Outlook Express from All Programs and select Accounts. Now choose the "Mail" tab in the Internet Accounts window. Follow this step up by clicking on Add and then click Mail from the side menu.

Next up, the user will now have to undertake a bigger task of entering a lot of personal information in order to create his email account in Outlook Express. Enter name in the Internet Connection wizard, email the one that the user wishes to use and also the sever information (contact ISP for information if unsure). Simply click on Next after the aforementioned steps have been completed.

Finally, enter the email account name and password in the next window that pops-up. This window can be accessed through the ISP or the control panel. Click Next for the final time and then on Finish. The Outlook Express email account has been set up and is now ready to use to make things a lot simpler for you in terms of communicating and keeping in touch with family, friends or workmates.

Windows 7 update references application compatibility issues

Microsoft has launched a minor update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 that references compatibility issues for some applications. It’s the first update for new Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 since the availability of the release-to-manufacturing versions of the operating systems. The update will either improve the functioning of a particular application or block it from executing. The update implements a hard block to avoid an application from running or a soft block to just warn the user that the application executing is incompatible with the operating system.

Microsoft’s Knowledge Base explains that the update is planned to address problems typically encountered when executing legacy games or other applications on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. However, the article lists a fair amount of security software, including Trend Micro Internet Security, PGP Desktop and Trend Micro VirusBuster 2008. Even Window Live Photo Gallery made the list. The update package can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center in x86 and x64 editions for Windows 7. It’s available in x64 and Itanium versions for Windows Server 2008 R2. The update needs a restart to take effect.

Users not helped by Microsoft’s update can try to execute incompatible applications by using Windows 7 desktop virtualization features. Microsoft recommends Windows 7 XP Mode desktop virtualization feature for small-to-medium firms. For larger organizations that needs centralized management control over multiple PCs, Microsoft rather recommends using Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V). MED-V is a element of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, available via Software Assurance licensing.

MED-V permits users to run XP or Windows 2000 virtual desktops in Vista. However, Microsoft plans to add support for new Windows 7 hosts when MED-V 1.0 Service Pack 1 is launched in the first quarter of next year, according to a Microsoft blog. MED-V doesn’t needs special hardware virtualization facilities for execution. In contrast, users of XP Mode have to first assure that the PC uses processors with built-in virtualization capabilities, such as Intel VT and AMD-V technologies.

For those facing scaring application compatibility issues and willing to pay for support, Microsoft currently rolled out a new support line for the purpose. The company also gives a free downloadable Application Compatibility Toolkit to help diagnose such problems. Microsoft partner-based support is available through the Windows 7 Application Compatibility Factory Program.

In another development, Home users doing clean installs to Windows 7 can use a cable device and Windows Easy Transfer software to facilitate migrating files and settings from an old computer to a new one. The Windows Easy Transfer software is present for both 32-bit and 64-bit machines. From a technical standpoint, Microsoft only supports upgrades from Vista to Windows 7. Upgrades from Windows XP 7 are not supported. Rather, XP users need to do a custom installation of Windows 7. A custom installation is important a clean install that needs backing up settings and options and then restoring them after installing Windows 7.

When XP users run the custom installation option in the Windows 7 setup program, it offers two options. Either the user wipes the hard disk, destroying data and settings, or they can install Windows 7 using the existing XP-partitioned drive on the PC. However, users need to have enough disk space to carry it out. Using the existing partitioned drive doesn’t pass over the user data but instead stores the data in a directory called “windows.old.” After the installation, users can move the data over to Windows 7 folders from the windows.old directory.