M&PC Computing Services - The adventure begins !!

To backup or not to backup, that is the question

kramwc — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:06:33 +0000

This unseasonably wet and wacky weather (at least in my neck of the woods) may have put a damper on enjoying the great outdoors but it certainly hasn’t diminished users
from updating their latest adventures on Facebook, Twitter and
MySpace. That’s the fun part of the whole connected experience. The
not so fun part takes place when the computer does something you’re
not expecting, a system crash. Nine times out of ten the computer
will restart and be right as rain. That one time though, the system
shows the “Blue Screen of Death”. Years of hard work
stored on the computer can be gone in a flash and I’m not talking
flashdrive.

The unenviable task that most computer
users put off is to establish a backup routine before its too late.
A passing storm strong enough to cause brownouts can overload house
circuitry and fry delicate hardware, namely your computer. So what
to do????

Most users are computing with Windows
XP as their choice of operating systems. That’s good news!!!!
Microsoft XP has a built-in backup and restore utility natively
available. The user simply needs to click on the start menu, select
run, and type Ntbackup.exe.

A menu appears asking whether to perform a backup or restore. Chose backup and click next.

I suggest clicking the last option on the menu ” let me
choose what to back up” Select what files or folders to backup.

I would stick to critical data.
Programs can always be re-installed if necessary. The following
screen asks where to save the backup. It’s critical to pick either
another partition on the drive but even better, a separate media
storage device.

I recommend buying an external usb hard-drive. They’re inexpensive, large storage capacity, and
portable. That’s the easiest solution. If you’re on a network with
3 or more machines, or a small to medium business scenario, then it
might be worth thinking about commercially available 3rd party
software/hardware package that should provide better reliability.

The next window displays the final
settings as to how the backup is to be performed but you’re not done
yet. Onto the advanced settings. Determine what type of
backup is to be performed. There are four options to choose from and
a description of what each does is displayed, so its up to the user’s
discretion. The next few windows ask if the system should check for
integrity and compression. I recommend skipping those windows.

The most important step is the scheduling aspect. Pick a day and
time when the computer is not in use. Please note — The computer
will only run the backup when the machine is on. Third party
software can give you the option of turning the computer on and off

to make the backup. It’s up to the user as to what works best. Hopefully you have the settings to your liking, jus like Ron Popeil says “set it and forget it”. It’s a good idea to confirm that a backup has been created. Run ntbackup.exe again to restore the data for a sanity check. Good luck and happy automated backup’s to you!!!!!!

Why I love Technology!!!! — a little rambling –

kramwc — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:28:20 +0000

Sometime ago I had the opportunity to acquire a media extender. Most people relate a media extender to Tivo, Slingbox, or Sony DVR but mine is a little different. This is an audio-only device, way ahead of its time. Optical outputs, great feature-sets and total independence from other PC hardware, apart from storage of the media. Called the AudioTron. It’s function is to scour your computers/network, generate a music database from which it can access and stream. It was one of the first Hi-Fi components to stream digital music files and internet radio over your home network. It was manufactured by Turtle Beach who is well known for high end audio cards. This component replaced a hulking computer I had parked next to my home entertainment system.

I’m a big audio buff and prefer to listen to music then to sit in front of the tube. A few months back the audio channel on my computer inexplicably died. All the software drivers seem to be in place. WindowsXP wasn’t complaining about any unidentified hardware not properly functioning. The machine is a reliable hand-me-down and serves its purpose well. I figured I’d live with the loss of audio, plug in a usb headset and merrily bebop away. headphones are great for short-term use but I’d forget I’m wearing it, get up and just about rip my head off. I’d miss numerous phonecalls (sorry Paty) and was completely isolated from my surroundings. Headphones were not cutting it anymore. Audiotron saves the day!!!! I relocated the media device back near my working computer, patched my 2.0 surround system and violia!!!! I’m back in business.

As technology caught up with Audiotron, its popularity waned. There are numerous competitors on the market that now do what the Audiotron did and alot more. Anyone hear of Ipod??? One of the cool features that was offered by Turtle Beach was access to a ton of internet radio stations, similar to what you would find on your car stereo. All were free, with broadcasts from all over the world. The only catch was you needed to connect to Turtle Beach’s servers to snag the internet stations directory. Turtle Beach disscontinued its connection service around 2007. Boo!!! The engineers who developed the AudioTron had the foresight to circumvent this TINY issue. A couple of tweaks to the Audiotron settings and now I can directly access any internet radio station I desire. I took it one step further and created my own internet broadcast station using a shoutcast server. I’m my only and biggest fan.

I have a detached garage and while working in there, I craved a little background music to whistle while I work. I opened a port on my wifi enabled router, fired up my shoutcast server, cued up my favorite tunes from Chevelle, Tool, Static-X, and many others and interfaced my wifi enabled PocketPc to my boombox. I found a program that I can run on my PocketPc to act as a shoutcast remote control. The play button was pressed on the miniscule screen and beautifully loud, headbanging music filled my garage. I sure hope my neighbors appreciate my musical tastes.

Without technology I’d be forced to listen to my thoughts. Or maybe the birds, not such a bad thing either.

tweet.

My little Startup

kramwc — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:59:59 +0000

Hi Everybody,

I’m starting a new endeavor, It’s M&PC computers. Many of you are well aware that due to our current economic slowdown, my employer decided to downsize its workforce. I’m one of many casualties who’s suffered from that downturn and have been left to my own demise. But wait, this is not necessarily all doom and gloom.

I have a passion for cutting edge technology!!!! In the back of my mind I’ve always wanted to run my very own computer/technology consulting and repair business. I’ve spent the last 20 years in the telecommunications field, defining what’s cutting edge and honing my knowledge and skills along the way. I specifically spent the last four years pursuing a bachelors degree in Computer Science and Information Technology from Roosevelt University. I want to put these newly learned skillsets to good use.

Allow me to make technology work for you the way its supposed to. I’ll provide a comprehensive solution to resolve your headaches. Here are a few of the services offered:

Personalized training and consultation
software and hardware installation
computer optimization
computer repair
virus and spyware removal
bloatware removal
data backup & recovery
networking
software upgrades
software design
web design
IPod, mp3, smart-device, pda integration
multimedia services
much much more……..

FREE estimates and highly competitive pricing. Feel free to contact me anytime day or night.

M&PC Computers
(630) 440 5097
kramwc@gmail.com
kramwc@comcast.net

Best Regards,
Mark C.

Hello world!

kramwc — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:43:09 +0000

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