Featured Article: Duck!!! Here Comes Vista

This year brings the long awaited release of Microsoft Vista. I know many of you received new computers or components with a coupon to upgrade. But wait before you run out and put down your money. Vista might not be the best choice for you. Vista is indeed a big step forward, but notice, I say step and not leap. It is the first next generation operating system designed to make full use of all the changes in technology over the last 10 years. Vista is also heading toward the future with some very cool new features. Vista is such a step forward, it can be compared to the release of the Windows 95 operating system.

Vista is termed as a Technology Break. This means the OS is a redesign, not just a re-build of the OS before it. Though much of it will seem familiar, many features are brand new. It also means that many of your existing components, or their drivers and software, will not be compatible with Vista. In reality, most current machines will not run Vista comfortably without a serious upgrade. This is because of the resources needed. This is especially true if your system does not have a separate graphics card. If your computer has less than a 2 Gig processor and 1 Gig of RAM; don't consider Vista. In fact, the cost of upgrading will be so high Microsoft expects deployment of Vista to take 2 to 3 years while the hardware catches up.

Starting in January, most new systems will have Vista installed. Research before you buy because Vista may not be the best choice for your situation. Now do not panic, XP is going to be around for a while. It will still be for sale at least another year. So the recommendation is, if your system is running happily on XP, there is no reason to upgrade yet.

The following lists the five versions of Vista:1) For consumers: Vista Home Basic, $199.00 retail. No frills and will come pre-loaded on the commercial econo boxes like Dell.2) Vista Home Premium, $239.00 retail. This version will be for mid-range to hi-end and media systems.3) Vista Business, $299.00 retail, aimed at small business.4) Vista Enterprise, this version will not be commercially available, and is meant only for large enterprise situations.5) And finally, the Cadillac, Vista Ultimate,$399.00 retail (probably your best choice, if you can afford it). This version contains all the features of the above versions, plus a bundle of yet to be disclosed extras. This is for high end and business machines.So there you go, more to come as we look into Vista. Bottom line, Vista is good, not great, there are still a lot of bugs. Wait until service pack 1 comes out before you buy, and let others work out the bugs.

As mentioned above, Vista will come in 5 flavors, but only 4 will be available to the public. The Enterprise edition will only be available to large corporations. Everyone will benefit from some of the fundamental improvements in Vista like thesecurity and search capabilities. But that is where the similarities end. There are 2 versions for the home market; Vista Home Basic ($99.95 retail) and Vista Home Premium ($239.00 retail). Basic is really the bottom of the line. This version is so limited in features that some say it is an intentional marketing ploy to force the OEM manufactures,(Dell, HP, etc.), to upgrade to Premium so that they can still offer some value to their computers. Who knows? But this version is very feature short.

Home Basic does not include much of the new graphic interface or graphic capabilities of the other versions, none of the extras or bonus bells and whistles. You are better off with XP if you just surf the Internet or just check e-mail. Also, if you look at the price of Vista compared to XP Home ($199.00), which has all the features, XP is the better deal.

Vista Home Premium is where many of the new features surface. There is a new user interface (UI) called Aero Glass which is a very cool glass like effect. There are also new floating windows, translucent windows, the 3D scrolling called Windows Flip and a few other graphic goodies. With Premium, you also get the new Media Player 11, Windows Calendar, the new Media Center, Photo Gallery, DVD authoring, sound recording, Windows Movie Maker all aimed at making Vista your multi-media center.

Speaking of media, one of Microsoft's goals for Vista is to re-introduce the PC as a gaming platform. To achieve this, Vista introduces several new special gaming features. These include the new Game Explorer, peer-to-peer gaming, game related meta-data support and high end graphic, shadowing and 3D capabilities. Now, there is another price to be paid for all this graphic wonder and that is system resources. You will need a very strong video card, a fast processor, and a whole lot of RAM. Most current machines will need serious graphic and memory upgrades to take advantage of Vista.

The retail price for Premium will be around $239.00. If you are running XP Home or XP Media Center and you do not need to be on the bleeding edge of technology, then just download IE 7 for the security up-grades and browsing features and keep XP. For those of you who want to have the latest operating system, be prepared to purchase the latest hardware upgrades.

Now for the Vista Business version. This new edition is where you can really see and take advantage of the many new features Vista offers. To take full advantage of these new features, you will need a pretty strong machine. This is especially true in the graphics department.

First, are the security improvements. On top of that, they have improved integration with other office technologies such as: phone, fax, wireless, and hand held devices. There are improved network capabilities, and new search and collaboration tools. The goal for Vista was to greatly improve the ways a business can search, create, store and share its data. There is a new file sharing wizard that allows you to assign access privileges to other users on the same computer.

One of my personal favorites is the collaboration tool, Windows Meeting Space. Meeting Space allows you to connect up to 10 people in the same workgroup. You can share desktops, applications, and files in a common work space, while allowing everyone to jointly edit those files. Another new feature is the way Vista will integrate with the new Windows Office 2007. Office 2007 is also brand new and has many new features a small to mid-sized business would appreciate

As mentioned, there will be two business versions, Vista Business, $199 for the up-grade and $299 for the full version. You get all the new features except the new Media Center.

The second is Vista Enterprise which will not be available to us mere mortals and only available to larger organizations. Overall, if you are a small business and have security issues, Vista would be a good choice but pricey. You will have the cost of the OS plus the cost of the hardware up-grades and the cost of the learning curve. If you are starting out brand new, you may want to look into Vista. For the rest of us, if everything is running fine on XP then it wont hurt for you to wait awhile..

Protect Your Computer Data

Computer data can be very important to us, especially those of us who make a living on the computer. Over the last several years, the computer has grown on all of us, making our lives so much easier. For that very reason, it's easy to tell that if we lost our computer data, it would completely destroy a majority of us.

Losing data can be an overwhelming thought to say the least. Computers store data, although machines have been known to fail. Even though the computer has become a lot more reliable over the years, it is virtually impossible to prevent computers from losing data.

You don't need to take this lying down through, as you can indeed fight back. The ideal way to ensure that you never lose your precious data, is to back it up and keep backing it up. You should back up your computer data at least once a week, with once per day being the recommended way to do it.

In the past, and even some today, the floppy disc is the main method used to back up computer data. Even though they store a small amount of data, they are easy to access, easy to use, and nearly every computer has one.

Those of you who are looking to take things to the next level should look into backing up your entire hard drive. Backing up your entire hard drive is something that everyone should do, as it is indeed one of the best and most reliable ways to backup your computer.

When you create a backup of your entire hard drive, it will copy all of your information, so if something happens you'll always have your data. Doing a full backup of your hard drive is great, although it can be very time consuming. To make matters worse, it is recommended that you create a backup at least once a week. On the other hand, if what you have on your computer is very important, you'll find it more than worth the effort and time needed to back things up.

Another way you can back up your data, programs, and files, is to burn them directly to a data CD or DVD. This way, you can select which files or folders you want to keep. If you use CD/RW or DVD/RW disks, you can continue to add information to them when you create a backup. If you don't use the RW (re-writable) media, then you won't be able to go back and add more information to the disc.

Burning data directly to discs are the method of backup that most people are using these days, although backing up the entire hard drive is the preferred way of backing up your data. If you plan to use discs, you'll need either a CD or DVD burner, which you can get for a great price these days. The discs are cheap as well, which only makes this method of backing things up that much better.

Whether it's for your business or for personal reasons, you can't go wrong backing up your data. You should always strive to back things up properly, as this will ensure that the data will always be there when you need it. This way, if you computer happens to crash or you lose everything on your hard drive, you'll always have your backup files to go back to. This in itself can save you a lot of time, effort, and quite possibly even money - just for the simple fact that the files are all but a copy away to restore.

Ink Cartridges, Toner Cartridges: Never Run Out Of Office Supplies

Have you ever been working on a really important presentation only to learn that your ink, toner, paper supply or other crucial office supplies are all used up? It happens to everyone that works from a home office and many people who work in small businesses every single day. And, there are times that it can make the difference between landing a contract and missing out on an important job.

So, how do you avoid running out of ink, toner or other important supplies at crucial times? Well, the answer is not the same for small business or home-based business as it is for large corporations. Large corporations purchase in bulk at wholesale prices and then build warehouses if necessary to hold the important supplies. You, however, probably only have a small closet or credenza to store your office supplies not in immediate use.

So, how can you as a small business owner manage to never run out of ink, toner, specialty paper, brochure stock and other critical items? It is really easy if you put a simple plan in place. Only the very smallest operation purchase paper one ream at the time. You probably purchase one case of paper stock so that you can save money. When you stack that paper stock into your credenza or storage closet, place one ream flat on the bottom and on top of that ream stick a brightly colored post-it type note on top of the ream that says in big black letters BUY MORE PAPER NOW. Now, here's the secret of including the word paper in your note. When you reach the ream above the one with the note, you simply pull the note off the unopened bottom ream and use it as a shopping list.

The same process goes for ink, toner, and any other office supply product that you purchase two or three or even a dozen at a time but you never want to run out of that item. The result is that, when you pick up the next-to-last inventory item of ink, toner, or other supply, you pull the note from the last one and use it as a reminder to buy the item now rather than waiting until the last item is in use.

Once you have reach the point of pulling a note from one item, before going shopping or sending someone from the staff to shop for supplies, review the quantity of other items on hand. If you are one ink or toner cartridge away from reaching the last one, it can be more efficient to go ahead and purchase additional ink, toner, or other supplies now rather than making multiple trips to shop. After all, time is money and you don't want to waste either.

When stocking items when you have not pulled the last item from the shelf to use, be sure to stock the oldest items in front rather than adding newer items to the front of the shelf. This will ensure that your stock is rotated properly and ink, toner, and other items with defined shelf-life will not go out of date. Just remember to place your handy sticker on the last one to remind you to buy more before you actually reach the end of your supply.

It's a simple system, but it will ensure that you never, ever run out of ink, toner, paper or other important office supplies at the moment you really need them to get the job done.

Information Overload and Your Home Business

A major complaint people have when trying to work on their home business is the sheer lack of time. There's so much to do, so much to learn, that you quickly run out of time.

It's easy to get run over by information. Most people are so connected to the outside world, with cell phones and email, along with all the online distractions, that it can be very hard to focus.

However, you do need to spend time regularly learning skills relevant to your home business. If you don't pay enough attention to what is going on in your industry you can quickly fall behind or be lacking in new skills.

It helps to set rules for yourself. With rare exceptions, only allow yourself to check your email at certain times. Believe it or not, many people can get away with checking it just once a day. Most things that go through email aren't so vital that it needs to be checked throughout the day. Your particular needs may sometimes dictate otherwise, but know the difference.

Demand respect for your working time. Don't allow people to call you all day when you need to be working. If you ask that your business be treated as seriously as a traditional job, people can be trained to let you work.Perhaps most importantly, don't overdo your time spent reading and participating in forums and blogs.

These are wonderful resources for information as well as networking, but they're also horrendous time sinks. If you figure out how long is reasonable to allocate to these, you can greatly increase your productivity while still learning.Go through the email newsletters you get and cut out the junk. It's easy to subscribe to far more than you can ever reasonably read, and sometimes one that sounds good turns out to be little more than ads and hype for the next hot product. Cut out the junk and only read the ones that are often worth your time.Know what you need to learn and what you will do better to hire someone else to do for you. You have certain skills that you need to keep up to date. But try to do it all and you are more likely to fall behind. Hire the right people to do the other things for you and keeping completely up to date is their problem.

Then you only need to be aware of general trends in that area.And of course, when you're researching something, try to stay focused on what you need to learn. It's very easy to get sidetracked and start reading everything that comes up in a sidebar to what you actually want to know, but that's a horrendous time waster.

If it looks that good, drop it into the bookmarks for a later read. Then, when you still haven't read it three months later you can feel good about deleting it from your bookmarks folder.