Disk Cleanup

October 26th, 2011 by admin

Disk Cleanup utility is part of every windows operating system to help the system run faster, free hard drive space and clean the computer from unnecessary clutter. It can be accessed by opening My Computer in Windows XP or the computer icon Computer in Windows 7 (Keyboard Shortcut “Windows logo + E”) and by right clicking the properties of the local hard disk. “Disk Cleanup” will be on the lower right side disk properties screen. It will run a scan of the drive and a window will come up with the selection of which categories to clean. After the categories are chosen, clicking the "OK" button will start the Disk Cleanup Utility.

How does disk cleanup work? The utility first searches and analyzes the hard drive for files that are no longer of any use, and then removes the unnecessary files after the user confirms. There are a number of different file categories that Disk Cleanup targets when performing the initial disk analysis. These are the most common;
 

  • Compression of old files – Files which are compressed and they have not been opened for a while
  • Temporary Internet files – Internet browsing history
  • Temporary Windows file – Windows browsing history
  • Recycle Bin – Recycle Bin files if it’s not empty
  • Setup Log files – Logs of any software that has been installed on the local computer


Posted in Cleanup, Servers, Shortcuts | No Comments »



Top Keyboard shortcuts to keep in mind

October 25th, 2011 by admin

Using keyboard shortcuts can make your life easier, save time and help keep you focused while you are working on a computer. Not having to move the mouse every time you need to perform certain task can eliminate a lot of wasteful time. For example, lets say you need to leave the computer for about 30 minutes. It is good practice to lock your computer when you walk away from it. If you logoff, then all the documents and open programs have to be saved and closed. When you return to the computer, opening all the programs and files can be another long process. Instead of logging off, you can quickly lock the computer by pressing: Windows Logo+L. and all of the files and the programs will still be running when you unlock the computer. Try it out!!!


ALT+F4:
Quit program or close the current window

SHIFT+DELETE:
Delete item permanently (Warning: item may be impossible to recover after using this command)

Windows Logo+L:
Lock the computer (without using CTRL+ALT+DELETE)

CTRL+A:
Select all

CTRL+C:
Copy

CTRL+X:
Cut

CTRL+V:
Paste

CTRL+Z:
Undo

CTRL+Y:
Redo

CTRL+S:
Save

CTRL+P:
Print

F5:
Refreshes the current window.

Windows Logo:
Start menu

ALT+TAB:
Switch to another running program (hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to view the task-switching window)

Windows Logo+D:
Minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop (great key to remember to hide facebook page from the BOSS)

Hold down CTRL key and clicking with a mouse on a file/folder will allow you to select multiple selections.

Hold down SHIFT key will select the range of files/folders


Posted in Shortcuts | No Comments »



Configuring & Running Auto Archive in Outlook 2007

November 30th, 2010 by admin

Why should I Archive and what does Auto Archive do?

Your Microsoft Exchange Server manages and stores your company emails. As more and more emails are sent and received the Exchange Server has to work harder and longer to processes your requests. After a certain point the email store can become huge and unmanageable and cause the Microsoft Exchange Server to become unstable.

Auto Archiving is a process of moving older emails off of the server and onto your local computer. This frees up resources on the Exchange Server to run smoother and faster. Your Archived emails are still accessible to you on your local computer when you need them.

For the few of you that do not regularly use the same computer but instead use a different company computer every day, this process will be a little different for you and will require assistance for an IT professional. Give us a call and we will be happy to explain and configure your Exchange Server.

For the rest of us, lets begin by opening Outlook.

To Configure or Enable AutoArchive settings in Outlook:


1. From the Tools menu click Options

Microsoft Office 2007 Auto Archive


2. Select the Other tab.

Microsoft Outlook 2007 Auto Archive


3. Click AutoArchive.

Microsoft Outlook 2007 Auto Archive


4. Select and change the options you want for AutoArchive.

HINT: We recommend setting Archiving to run every 7-20 days and cleaning out items older than 6 months. Your settings may vary depending on how many emails you get.


5. Click Apply these settings to all folders now to apply the new options to all folders (This overrides any custom archive settings applied to individual folders). Now click OK.

WARNING: Make sure that you do NOT check the Permanently delete old items doing so will DELETE your old emails instead of Archiving them.


That is it, you are now configured to auto archive. You will now be prompted every 7-20 days (depending on what you set) to Auto Archive your emails. If you have been a while since you Archived your email you may want to manually start the Archive process.



Lets MANUALLY start Auto Archiving in Outlook 2007:


1. From the Tools menu click the Mailbox Cleanup menu option.


2. Click the AutoArchive button to archive older items and emails from the server to your computer.


3. After archiving, you will now find archived emails under the Archive Folders underneath the Mailbox folder section.


Feel free to leave comments or contact us for help with your Microsoft Exchange Server needs.

(206) 915 - 8324


Tags: ,
Posted in Email Server, Uncategorized | No Comments »



SERVER VIRTUALIZATION BENEFITS

October 21st, 2010 by admin

THE BENEFITS OF SERVER VIRTUALIZATION

First, a quick summery of server virtualization for the uninitiated.
Server virtualization is a way of running multiple servers on a single physical machine. Each virtual server or virtual machine thinks it is running on its own physical machine while in reality it is just using resources allocated to it by the host. Wikipedia
Now on to the list:

  • Cuts Hardware Infrastructure Costs

Server virtualization enables businesses to reduce the number of servers and hardware devices they need. This in turn reduces the infrastructure and maintenance costs, as well as the cost of power consumption and space needed to house physical machines.

  • Better Utilization of Infrastructure

Server virtualization permits a business to consolidate workloads of underutilized server machines onto a smaller number of fully utilized machines. Some virtualization solutions allow for automatic expansion of storage capacity if a server is running out of space, enabling more efficient use of hard drive space.

  • Reduced Outages and Downtime With Fast Disaster Recovery

Virtual machines are hardware-independent, making possible easy migration from one physical machine to another and for new and different hardware to be used during recovery. In the event of a disaster a virtual machine backup snapshot or a virtual machine image can be reloaded quickly without operating system installations, upgrades, patches and reconfigurations.

  • Improved IT Staff Productivity

Virtualization requires fewer physical servers to be maintained by IT staff and most maintenance can now be done remotely from a central common console. Consolidation and central management offers additional benefits to companies with regulatory compliance requirements like SOX, HIPAA, GLBA, and PCI.

  • Speed Up Deployments of Servers and Applications

Virtualization allows the development of a standard virtual server build that can be easily duplicated; this speeds up server deployment and pre-production testing. Actual production servers can be replicated to test against new application in non production environments, during testing snapshots allow for quick undo of changes and settings.

  • Maintaining Legacy Applications

Older applications that have compatibility issues with newer software or must run on a certain version of an operating system can be run on a single dedicated virtual machine. This gives you the benefits of using next-generation hardware without having to maintain separate older and slower servers with proprietary software or systems that are no longer supported.

  • Multiple Environment Support

Virtualization tolerates multiple types of operating systems to coexist on a single hardware platform. All of the virtual servers run can be rebooted independently of the host and or other virtual machines.

Feel free to contact BCT to discuss how this technology can benefit your business. Even if it turns out that your business does not have an immediate need for server virtualization, knowing the many benefits of this technology can help you plan for the future and weigh in on upcoming buying decisions.

(206) 915-TECH (8324)


Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Server Virtualization | 1 Comment »





© 2004-2010 Business Computer Technicians Corp.
ABOUT  |  CAREERS  |  BLOG  |  PRIVACY STATEMENT  |  REFERRAL REWARDS  |  LINKS  |  CLIENT LOGIN