PC backups

Ah: repairs. We always need repairs. My 'new' PC fell over earlier this year, and - luckily - was repaired quickly by a friend with lots of hardware nous. The fan that came with the PC was far too small to deal with the heat. Simple: upgrade to a Swiss watch-style fan, and all is now ticketty boo.

I have always meticulously done backups, mirroring to an external HDD. However, I found a flaw in my back-up plans, when - post-repair - my friend suggested that we try dismounting the PC HDD and inserting my back up mirror. It sounded like a great idea.

Except when we tried it, it didn't work. Ah. After much to-ing and fro-ing, we discovered it was the fact that, although the PC would clone to an external HDD, it needed to be POWERED to be able to access the contents. That became a relatively easy fix: I bought a mains power plug and cable for my USB hub and now it works perfectly.

But it brings home to me the fact that not only do we need a back up, we need to rehearse how we will get that data back onto our system. We need to rehearse restoring from backup before the crisis so that we know it will work. At least now I know.

I also got a new piece of kit in the process. To back up my solid state HDD where I store my software, I am now using Seagate's DiscWizard to clone this drive. I love how QUICK it is, and how easy it is to use. The other piece of kit I use for my data files is FreeFileSync (here). This too runs quickly. My backups take less time than they used to each week: it used to be an all night process for my 4TB of data. I now run my backup procedure on a Tuesday night while watching a movie.

Whatever you do, rehearse a catastrophe. See if you can use your backups, before you need them in the wild.

And a last couple of points. Remember to store your backups off site. Not in your car: cars are more likely to be involved in an accident, get broken into, or be stolen more often than your office is! Schedule your backups regularly. Mine is in my diary. Time can slip by all too quickly, and once you realise that something horrible is going wrong, it will be too late. Even a day's work can be a flaming nuisance to have to redo, but a week's work will take a lot of weeks to recreate.

Keeping data safe takes planning. So plan :-D


Sam

read more "PC backups"

Newsletter Issue 29, August 2001

Sam Young Newsletter

Issue 29, August 2001

Hi guys,

This time we are onto the third and final part of our fixer-upper knowhow series for when your PC gets sick. Check out Emergency Recovery Procedures Part 3 below.

We are also looking some tips for managing all that reading that you know you SHOULD get to in  You CAN Take it With You. 

TLAs for SMEs        Short & Hot Keys        Hot Linx

Don't forget, if you want to be taken off my mailing list, click here to send me a reply e-mail and I will remove your name.

Emergency Recovery Procedures Part 3

Last time we talked about being proactive - looking at system maintenance. This time we are looking at the problems themselves. 

All the following problems are found on PCs running Windows 98 OS (operating system), surprisingly enough!

Hung Sessions

A hung session is an active window that is locked (screen is frozen or won't refresh), a programme that is locked, when the computer is completely locked, or when the mouse doesn't work.

This usually happens when there is a driver file conflict (two programmes trying to access the same file at the same time), or one of the thousands of lines of code that makes your programmes work fails to run correctly. 

Even if you have only one active window that has locked up, it pays to back out and come back in again. Otherwise, sure as eggs, that same driver conflict will arise in the middle of something else that is REALLY important and you will lose a couple of hours of work. So, to fix just one programme or one active window that's hung;

1. Exit the affected window (click the X at the top right) or Ctrl, Alt & Delete to bring up the Task Manager box, then highlight the programme (in the task list it should have "Not Responding" next to it) and select End Task
2. Wait until the pop up box appears (may take up to two minutes). Select End Task
3. Then close all other programmes normally
4. Select shut down from the Start menu 
5. Select Restart

When you get a more extensive hung session - the "gone to hell in a handcart" scenario ;

1. Shut down from the Start button using Ctrl & Esc to bring up the Start Menu 
2. Select Restart
3. NB: if cannot shut down using the menu, Ctrl, Alt & Del to bring up the Task Manager box, then Select Shut Down; or if that doesn't work Ctrl, Alt & Del twice; or if that doesn't work turn off the power at the wall, wait 30 seconds and turn it on again)
4. You will get a message stating "Windows wasn't properly shut down blah blah blah...". Let the PC run through scandisk, to look for drive errors
5. Once up, select shut down and restart again. This is in case on the first restart after the crash, driver files etc didn't run properly. Some problems may take a faultless shut down AND restart to correct. 

If you are still not getting a faultless restart, run your virus checker or do an online scan at your provider's website in case you have a virus that is interfering with your PC.

Blue Screen of Death

The Blue Screen of Death is that blue DOS-type screen that pops up every now and again saying that you have had "A fatal exception has occurred..."  blah blah blah. Treat the same as for a hung session. 

This can be from a driver file conflict or any of the following;

• HEAT: your computer may just be too hot. Ideally the tower should be low to the floor in a ventilated position, and the room temperature should not exceed 30oC. If the computer is in a dusty place, exposed to cigarette smoke or pet hair, it may need cleaning. Remove the case and gently blow dust out, or use a small air pump. Be careful not to touch anything inside 
• FAULTY RAM: If you recently added some new RAM, try removing it 
• NEED PATCHES: Patching software and drivers may fix BSODs that are happening regularly 

If blue screens occur more than once a week the problem needs more expert attention. 

General Protection Faults

General Protection Faults are minor Blue Screens of Death. They are Windows pop-up message boxes that say that Kernel32.dll has caused an illegal operation or a general protection error in blah blah blah. 

The usual cause is software conflicts, which are easily fixed. Treat the same as for a hung session.

However, if you keep getting illegal operation messages, click on the Details button and; 

• Take a screen dump by holding down the Alt key and clicking the keyboard print screen button
• Open Word and click the paste tool. An image of the message box will be pasted into Word
• Save the document
• Keep notes in the document on what programs are running when the problem occurs (this information may help any support person you contact for advice, or you can use the keywords in the screen dump to search for problems on the Microsoft website)

Now you have a record of what is going wrong. Fixes to try;

1. If you've recently installed new software, uninstall it
2. Uninstall the programme that keeps glitching and reinstall it
3. Patch the programme
4. Patch Windows (see windowsupdate.microsoft.com)
5. Call a technician!

You may have to upgrade Windows (Windows ME is the latest version). If you do, ensure that you get SR-2 (Service Release 2) NOT SR-1.

Internet Connection Problems

You click There are a number of reasons why you may not be able to connect to the internet;

• The connections to the modem, the PC or the phone socket may be loose
• Your ISP may not have the capacity to cope with demand at the time you are calling
• Your anti-virus may have changed your internet user (mailbox) name during an auto update
• Your password may be incorrect
• Your dial-up profile may have corrupted
• Your web browser or email profile may be corrupted

So, these are the things that you need to do to check, detect and repair the problem

1. Try redialling outside peak hours (8 am & 5 pm)
2. Check that the phone jack is secure at both the computer end and the wall socket
3. If you have an external modem, check it is connected properly and is switched on 
4. Check your password and user name are correct in Start | Settings | Control Panel | Internet | Connections, highlight the connection you are trying to connect to and click the Settings button 
5. Check your dial-up settings by opening windows Explorer | Dial-up Networking| [Your ISP connection] icon. Right-click the icon and select properties from the pop-up menu. Make sure the phone number, user name and password entered here are correct
6. Dial up BEFORE opening your email or web browser software, by using the Dial-up Networking connection icon Windows Explorer | Dial-up Networking | [Your ISP Connection] icon. Then once connected open your software 
7. Delete your existing connection in Dial-up Networking and create a new one; and try connecting as per item 5 again
8. Ring your ISP for step-by-step instructions about how to check advanced dial-up settings, line faults (they will organise line tests for you) or identifying operating system faults

Internet Disconnects

There is nothing more frustrating than being on the internet and getting disconnects happening all the time. This is usually caused by;

• Poor line conditions ("noise" causing the connection to fail)
• Trouble with the ISP's network
• Call waiting with no answering service
• Persistent incoming phone calls 
• Internet Properties settings (eg disconnect after 20 minutes or disconnect after checking email) 

For all phone issues, ask your phone provider how to get round this. Your ISP may get the line checked for noise, or get you to enter a line of code in advanced properties to slow your modem speed down.

If you get disconnected after checking email with Outlook or Outlook Express, go to the Tools menu: Tools | Options | Mail Delivery or Connections and ensure the "Hang up after sending, receiving or updating" checkbox is NOT ticked. 

Can't Read Discs

If you can't read the contents of a disc or open a file that you know is on there, there are a number of things it could be;

• FLOPPY: scratched, dusty or corrupted. Check another disc to see if you can read that. If you can, the problem is with the disc. If you can't, the problem is with the drive
• FLOPPY: Apple Mac formatted rather than IBM. Check another disc 
• FLOPPY: Not have the appropriate software on the PC. Check another disc
• FLOPPY: Can't save the file or save to disc. Lock tab on the disc is closed. Reopen & try saving again. If still won't work, go to Windows Explorer | A:drive | [File Name] and right click. Select Properties from the pop-up menu and ensure "Read Only" is unticked
• FLOPPY: Drive letter not present. Go to  Start | Settings | Control Panel | System | Device Manager | Disc Drives and click the +. Highlight the appropriate drive and click the Properties Button. Check that it doesn't say disabled in this profile. If it does, seek expert advice from your supplier 
• CD-RW: Wrong formatting type for your CD Drive. Go back to the original PC and write to CD-R
• CD-R: Corrupted or mis-written CD. Chuck it out & start again
• CD-R: Can't read any CD. Drive needs professional diagnosis
• CD-R: Drive letter not present. Go to Start | Settings | Control Panel | System | Device Manager | Disc Drives and click the +. Highlight the appropriate drive and click the Properties Button. Check that it doesn't say disabled in this profile. If it does, reinstall the software that was supplied with it

Software Won't Install 

Make sure that;

• The version of Windows that you are running is compatible with the software you are trying to install (check the minimum requirements on the box or in the help files)
• Your computer has enough free HD space, and
• Check the company's website in case there are patches that you need to install before installing the full programme

If you suspect the installation files are corrupted, ask the vendor for another CD or a later version of the software. If you downloaded the program from the Net try again from a different download site. 

Software Won't Run

When you have just installed new software try the following;

• Ensure you have a "Clean" install by 
  • Closing all active windows
  • Closing any background running programmes (including Task Scheduler & your internet connection)
  • Disabling your antivirus (right click on your antivirus System Try icon and select Disable from the pop-up menu) 
  • Ctrl, Alt & Del to bring up the Task Manager box. End task on EVERYTHING except Systray & Explorer
• Reinstalling over the top
• Uninstalling then reinstalling
• Reading the instructions (!) and make sure your computer is set to any specified graphics resolution (screen area) and colour-mode. Right-click on the desktop, select Properties | Settings tab to change colour and resolution. 
• Checking the website and see if there's a fixer "patch" you can download 

If nothing works, take it back for a replacement or refund. Unfortunately anomalies exist - some programs just won't work on some systems, and it may be beyond you and the trader to find out why. 

Windows Won't Start Up

If you get a "Non system disk" message when you turn the computer on on the DOS screen, it usually means there's a floppy disk in the A:\drive. Eject the floppy and press any keyboard button for Windows to continue to load.

Windows failure could indicate an unstable hard drive or corrupted Windows file. To attempt a fix;

• Use your startup disk to boot to DOS. Remove the disc once you have booted up
• Key dir C: then Enter, to see if the computer can read the hard drive. If it won't, chances are the hard drive has failed. Get professional help. 
• If You can access the C:\drive, take the opportunity to copy important files that you have not backed up yet (check out newsletter 27 for those old DOS commands!). You MAY be able to access your other drives (zips or CD-RWs) to do your backup, but don't count on it
• After backing up, reinsert your startup disk and try diagnosing and repairing the problem using the tools 
  • Run ScanDisk to check for errors (type scandisk). If a particular file is corrupted it will tell you, so you know what to replace (get a copy from a friend or find it on your install disc)
• Get a professional if this doesn't work, OR
• You can reformat your hard drive and reinstall the operating system and all your software from your installation CDs. This will annihilate ALL your not-backed-up files, registration numbers, downloaded software, MP3s, emails, email addresses, favourites/bookmarks and Desktop shortcuts though, so beware...

Computer Won't Turn On 

In general, this is most likely to be a failed power supply. It shouldn't mean the data on your hard drive is lost. You'll need to get your power supply repaired or replaced. However, you should first check the following;

• Check for a loose power cord/connection
• Check that another appliance works in the power socket
• If you have a friend with the same computer, borrow their power cord to check that it's not the cord that's spat the dummy
• Then get professional help. If the computer is still under warranty ask the retailer to diagnose and repair it (sometimes they will help even if your warranty has expired). Make sure you give your techie full details of what went wrong, and when. Do screen dumps. Provide all the information that you can and it will save you money.

Excessive CPU Noise

This is most likely caused by;

• The hard drive being continually accessed by a programme that has locked up. Shut down and restart, shut down and restart.
• Problem with cooling fan bearings. If you're not confident about opening up your computer, or can't because it's under warranty, take it to your repair agent. Of you want to have a crack at it yourself, unscrew the case and examine the "case" fans. If any look full of crap or rattle when you try to turn them, you probably need to replace them. A new fan doesn't cost much and is pretty easy to fit. NB:  disconnect the power FIRST, and wear a static strap. Power supply fans (contained within a separate case inside the computer) should not be touched AT ALL. Only qualified techies should work with the power supply. 

Hope this lot helps!

You CAN Take It With You

Is your reading pile getting so high that you can barely see over it? If so, it's time to conquer that pile. Here are 10 simple ways to do so: 

1. CREATE A 'TO READ' BOX. Create a TO READ box or folder to store all of your inwards reading material. It's much easier to see how much you have to read, when everything is stored in one place. It also makes your intray a lot less intimidating!
2. SCHEDULE TIME TO READ. Schedule a specific day and time to read... maybe 15 minutes a day, scheduled as an appointment in your calendar. Keep that appointment, just like any other work commitment. Then reading will become part of your automatic daily routine
3. TAKE IT WITH YOU. If you're spending your day out, put some of your reading into your appointment folder.  Then whenever you have the opportunity during the day... while waiting to see someone, for an appointment, in traffic or in the check out line... your reading material is right there for you
4. BE REALISTIC. If your TO READ box is beginning to look like a mountain, then you may be trying to bite off more than you can chew. Don't allow your reading pile to go over the edge of your TO READ box. If it does, then it's time to weed it out. 
5. HIGHLIGHT IT. When reading newspapers and magazines, read with a highlighter. Quickly skim through the publication, scanning each page and highlighting all headlines that are of interest to you. Then, go back and read only those highlighted articles. 
6. TEAR IT OUT. If you don't have time right now to read those highlighted articles,  tear out the pages, put them in your TO READ box and schedule a time to read them later on. This way, you don't have to go back through the entire publication again to find that one article that you wanted to read
7. AVOID JUNK. Since newspapers contain current events, those that are more than a day or two old contain OLD news. Get rid of the old stuff. Tear out the articles you still want to read and put put them in your TO READ box
8. USE POSTIT NOTES. When reading a book, use Postit Notes to tag sections for later reference  or that you want to share with someone else. On your postit, write one or two words to help you remember what it was that interested you. This saves search time. 
9. SPEED READ. If you have a large volume of information that you have to keep up with, consider speed reading. Check with your local learning providers, check the web or pick up a book (buying or borrowing one from your library)
10. SET GOALS. If you're trying to get through a book, determine the date you'd like to finish by, then work backwards to determine how many pages you must read per day in order to meet your deadline. And then the tricky bit - stick to it..

TLAs for SMEs

Here are this newsletter's TLAs for you;

• GPF, General Protection Fault. Runtime error in Windows or Office
• BSOD, Blue Screen of Death
• CPU, Central Processing Unit. Really the chip-set, but effectively taken to mean the desktop or tower box containing your Hard Drive
• dl, or d/l, Download
• lol, lots of laughs
• asl, age, sex, location?

Please feel free to email me with any TLAs that you want to get the bottom (meaning!) of.

Short+Hot Keys... and now tips

Another Function key for you - this time it's all you can do in MS programmes with a straight F9

• F9 in Access refreshes the contents of a Lookup field list box or combo box, or recalculates the fields in the active window
• In Excel, F9 will calculate all sheets in all open workbooks
• F9 in Publisher will move between the current page view and actual size view
• In Word, it will Update all Fields in the active document. Useful for Q1 users wanting to update fields to check before printing.

Bit of a mixed bag, F9, as you can see.

Hot Linx

Want to get the latest & greatest on what is happening in the world of science & technology? Then you can't go past the New Scientist site. Check it out at http://www.newscientist.com/

And once you are up with science, perhaps you might want to get the latest & greatest on business and politics? The Economist is ready and waiting at http://www.economist.co.uk/

If you want to find out what building a knowledge economy really means, check out Knowledge Wave information at: http://www.knowledgewave.org.nz/ 

Want a full list of Windows shortcuts? Then go check out http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q126/4/49.asp 

Having problems with HD space, full cache or running out of RAM? Then dl FreeMem Standard from http://www.meikel.com/en/products/freemem/PD33046D6-581F-4A19-93C2-4BB45C325FD6.php3  

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                                Catch you again soon!! E-mail your suggestions to me here

read more "Newsletter Issue 29, August 2001"

Newsletter Issue 28, July 2001

Sam Young Newsletter

Issue 28, July 2001

Hi guys,

This time we are onto the second part of our fixer-upper knowhow series for when your PC gets sick. Check out Emergency Recovery Procedures Part 2 below.

We are also looking at a couple of time management reminders in  Smart Scheduling Tips. 

To Web or Not To web   TLAs for SMEs        Short & Hot Keys        Hot Linx

Don't forget, if you want to be taken off my mailing list, click here to send me a reply e-mail and I will remove your name.

Emergency Recovery Procedures Part 2

Last time we talked about the things to do BEFORE your PC went belly up. This time we are still being proactive - but looking at system maintenance. As you know, techies see a lot of problems that could have been easily fixed by the user, if the user had known some basic maintenance. 

All the following maintenance items are for PCs running Windows 98 OS (operating system). 

While Windows 95, NT, 2000 and Millennium Edition have similar functions, the steps may be different. Use help (F1 from the desktop) to guide you with the other OS versions.

As well as being prepared for disasters, it's a good idea to keep things tidy. Computers get full of junk - file fragments, temp files that haven't been deleted, corruptions and zips. All this stuff gobbles up valuable processing speed.

Clearing Out Temp Files

When you create and/or open files, temp files are created for holding your data between formal saves, or are created when opening email attachments. Then when you close out of a programme, the temp file is erased. Normally.

However, when you crash, the temp file is not deleted… and the tmp files build up quite fast. You can end where the combined load of system tmp files can cause crashes or lock up your software. Consumer magazine has recently recommended that your system have fewer than 10 tmp files. 

So to keep everything manageable, we have to go to our cache of temp files and physically clear it out. This tmp storage is located in C:\Windows\Temp. The procedure;

• Go to C:\Windows\Temp 
• Select all files (Ctrl & A) and key delete. 
• We then use the Find function to locate and delete the other temp files lost in the remainder of our system;

1.  Close all open programmes (including the office toolbar, Outlook, antivirus and log off the net) 
2. Right-click on the Start button on your taskbar. Select Find from the pop-up menu (or "Search" if you are using Windows 2000/Me) 
3. Ensure you are on the Name & Location tab (the default tab). In the "Named" field, enter *.tmp (asterisk dot t m p). Tmp is the suffix associated with temp files. 
4. In the results window, select all files (Click on first file, hold the Shift key down & click on the last file in the list) and key delete. If some of the files wont delete, it is because they locked and are still being used by a programme (even if the programme is closed - the PC thinks they are still in use). Ignore those ones and try again next time you clean up. 
5. Repeat the search for *.bak, *.old, *.log, *.prv, *.shs, *.gid, *.fts, *.chk and *.wbk. 

Defrag 

Fragmentation occurs when files are copied then deleted, leaving gaps of data. After a while the hard drive starts to resemble a punch-card with holes everywhere. In order to access one program or file the computer might have to read "bits" of it from many different places on the spinning discs which make up the hard drive. 

Defragging rearranges the data for more convenient access. You should definitely  defrag after removing any large programmes. 

• Close everything running (including your anti-virus program)
• Disable your screen-saver (right click on the desktop, select Properties then the Screen Saver tab & select "None" & click Apply, then OK) 
• Disable low-power standby (Start | Settings | Control Panel | Power. Change all power savings to "Never" & click Apply, then OK)
• Click on Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter. 

Depending on the size and fragmentation of your drive the process may take anything from 10 minutes to 10 hours! It's best left overnight. 

Scandisc 

This scans your hard drive for lost clusters, invalid times/dates on files, and bad sectors (physical flaws on disc), and repairs what it can. To run;

• Click on Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools |ScanDisk. 

This also takes a while to run (about an hour).

Deleting Old Files  

Search for old documents, pictures and sound files in My Documents, My Music & My Downloads.

Don't send anything to the recycle bin unless you know what it is, and you are sure that you don't need it any more. 

When you're confident nothing vital has been ditched that shouldn't have been (you might want to wait a few days to decide this), right-click on the Recycle Bin icon on the destop, and select Empty Recycle Bin. 

Removing Old Programmes 

When you have software on your system that is now redundant, DON'T just delete the folder. This won't clear the registry data, shortcuts, and driver files installed into the Windows directory. 

To delete;

• select Start | Settings | Control Panel | Add/ Remove Programs
• On the Install/Uninstall tab, highlight the program you want uninstalled from the Automatic Removal field list, then click the Add/Remove button
• A message may appear saying there are shared driver files and do you want to delete them - ALWAYS say "No to All"
• There also may be a message stating that there were shortcuts that could not be removed. You will have to remove these manually from your desktop or wherever you put them initially. You may also have to manually remove folders 

If a program doesn't uninstall successfully, try reinstalling it again, then re-uninstalling. 

Clearing Internet Cache Files 

The cache is where recently visited websites are stored, to increase the page / site loading speed if you return there. 

This can cause a problem however, if the page you have loaded in your cache has a mistake in it. Each time you return to that page, it will load from your cache: complete with mistake.

You can delete the cache in Explorer by;

• clicking on Tools | Internet Options
• In the Temporary Internet files panel click Delete Files
• With Netscape Navigator click Edit| Preferences | Advanced | Cache | Clear Disk Cache. 

Deleting Cookies 

Some websites keep track of how often you've visited and your preferences, by saving a tiny file, called a cookie, on your hard drive. 

Cookies can be very useful. Cookies recognise "you" as "you" so that you get your personalised settings each time you return to the site. For example, if you set your Google preferences, next time you go to Google your search will run with your selected settings. 

You can purge some or all of your cookies occasionally by opening the folder C:\ Windows\Cookies. Select as many as you require and key delete. 

Managing Email 

Don't be afraid to dump messages in the deleted items box. Any good e-mail software will let you move messages to a deleted folder before they're permanently erased. 

Transfer messages to the deleted items folder whenever they're no longer pertinent, but don't delete them from your system until you're absolutely sure you won't need them again.

If something turns nasty with Outlook, and a reinstall doesn't work, you can recreate your mail folders by deleting the old one. The default location for Outlook is C:\Windows\Outlook.pst. NB This will delete ALL your preferences & email - inbox, outbox & sent mail.

You can also pull the old Outlook.pst off onto a CD if you think it is taking up too much system room and start again. My Outlook.pst file is currently about 100 meg.

Eudora attachment folders can get weighty, as attachments are not removed from the original email folders when they're saved elsewhere. Find the email folder and manually delete the contents. The default location for Eudora is C:\Program Files\Qualcomm Eudora\Attach.

If you are a Netscape user, you can compact your email folders. Open Netscape. Go to Message Centre. Go to the File Menu and select compact folders

• Also don't forget to empty your deleted items bin regularly in any email software. 

Revise Favourites / Bookmarks 

You should also tidy up your Internet Favourites/Bookmarks. 

Arrange them into folders, update links which have changed and remove sites you no longer visit.

Empty the Recycle Bin

And don't forget to empty the recycle bin!

Catch you next time when we look at problems.

Smart Scheduling Tips

Here are three very quick & very smart scheduling tips. Things that we all know we should do, but tend to forget about... 

DON'T OVERBOOK

There is a fine art to setting up an effective schedule, so that it is just full enough of the most useful activities. 

Too full and you're liable to exhaust yourself. 

Too loose and you're wasting precious time that can be used to work towards your goals. 

PAD YOUR TIME

If you think something is going to take you 15 minutes to complete, pad the time you schedule for that task by an additional 15 minutes. 

Most people underestimate the time it takes to do things (pick me, pick me!!). If you earmark 15 minutes to get to your next meeting, and you run into traffic, (a) you're going to be late, and (b) you're going to throw the rest of your schedule off. 

Pad your time, and if you finish the task early, you're free to start something else. Or simply take a break. Or do what I do - and carry that reading that I want to get done in the back of my folder.

USE THE TIME OF DAY THAT WORKS BEST

Always schedule tasks that require your undivided attention at the time of day when you're most alert and energetic. 

For some of us, this is first thing in the morning. For others, it may be late afternoon. Or 1 am. Use your day to your best advantage to suit your personal energy levels.

On-Line Yet? No? Well Don't Panic

Not so long ago, the press were reporting more than one pundit as saying, "Any business which isn't on the Internet in two years will be out of business!" 

Do you believe that? Don't. It's crap.

The truth is much simpler. The World Wide Web is no more nor less useful than any other business tool that there is out there. It is another piece of business literature. It puts your brand out into the marketplace in another medium. Thats all.

There are a number of questions that you need to ask yourself BEFORE going onto the net. And they are:

• What things am I currently doing in business that I could IMPROVE on the web?
• How much will it cost to set up? Design work? Software? Hosting?
• What branding components need to go on line? What will work? What won't work? 
• Will my sales increase on line?
• Will my costs fall?
• Will my competitive position improve?
• Will my website open up new markets?
• If the web opens up new markets, what increase in demand can I meet?
• How responsive can I be to an increase in demand? 
• What do I have to do to get people to come & see my site? What costs are associated with that?
• What load will electronic brochures or e-commerce put on my existing business systems?
• What changes will I need to make to my existing systems?
• Can I make back the costs of setting up a website?
• Are my customers likely to use a website?
• What products of mine would they be likely to buy on the web?
• Can my staff adapt easily to the web environment? What training will they need?
• What extra security to I need to have?
• What legislative tangles might there be with the Fair Trading Act? The Consumer Guarantees Act? Overseas legislation? What about tax?
• What currency should I accept?
• How do I complete credit card transactions on line? How secure is it?
• How often can pages be updated? Can I learn to update it myself?
• Should I have an on line newsletter? (generally "No" to this one - most people read these off line: something like about 66% of people would rather have it emailed then read at their own leisure)
• Who do I need to see to get this information?

And no businesses are the same. Think through the issues and then don't rush. 

Check out a load of sites and make a list of what you LIKE before you start looking at design work. Go to a web designer with some clear outcomes in mind and an example of your branding.

It constantly amazes me how many sites look nothing like the rest of the company's literature. Be consistent and make your branding work for you.

TLAs for SMEs

There are no TLAs for you in this newsletter. Maybe next time!
Please feel free to email me with any TLAs that you want to get the bottom (meaning!) of.

Short+Hot Keys... and now tips

Another Function key for you - this time it's all you can do in MS programmes with a straight F10

• F10 to make the menu bar active in Windows (for all Windows programmes: Word, Access, Frontpage, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint). 
• What this means is by keying F10, the File menu is highlighted. By clicking the down arrow in the keyboard, the File menu will open. Clicking the right arrow button once will move the menu selection to the Edit menu, twice to the Format menu etc.
• VERY useful if the mouse "falls off".
• In Word, this active menu is called "Menu Mode" but is exactly the same thing as "Active Menu Bar".

Hot Linx

R U a culture-vulture? Then you MUST register at this online  classics site for opera, radio and instrumental recitals, plays and articles. Check it out at: http://www1.onlineclassics.com/Home.pasp 

Fancy yourself as a space cadet? Need to know where you are going or how to recognise the neighbourhood when you get to the Lagoon Nebula? Then the Hubble Space Telescope site is the place for you. Check it out at http://hubble.stsci.edu/  

Feeling a bit "under the weather"? Caught a virus along with that magnum of champers last night? Then you may need to check out http://www.hairytongue.com/ . Beware. This site is NOT for the faint hearted 

Interested in the faintly passé subject of Nostradamus? Check his prophecies out here at http://esoterism.com/nostradamus/bien2.htm 

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                                Catch you again soon!! E-mail your suggestions to me here

read more "Newsletter Issue 28, July 2001"