A close up of a computers motherboard showing the resistors and capcitors

Computer Maintenance – Time for a Spring Clean?

After what has seemed like an eternal winter here in the UK, spring is finally upon us!

Along with the arrival of the first flowers of the season and (for some at least) the annual ritual of cleaning their homes from top to bottom is inevitable. Why not ensure that ALL your computers (both at work and at home) get a “spring clean” too, starting with basic computer maintenance? Read more

A disk drive open on the side of computer. There is a disk in the drive.

Windows Server Licensing

When it comes to Windows server licensing, Microsoft has never made things easy.

Choosing the correct licensing for a windows server is a minefield. Do you need a CAL (client access license)? If you do, is that a user or device CAL per server or perhaps per seat mode? It’s already getting complicated and we haven’t even touched on server applications

Read more

Multiple rounded squares of various densities floating around together. An open hand sits below.

Computer repair or replace?

Disaster strikes, that trusty laptop has stopped working, now what to do? You’ve seen all the TV advertisements with all latest all singing, all dancing laptops and you’re tempted, but would getting a computer repair make better economic sense?

Read more

A computer user sat at a desk with one hand on a mouse another on the keyboard.

Make Time to Schedule Computer Maintenance

Do you remember taking that brand new computer out the box? Remember how fast it was, how clean and tidy its desktop looked? A few months/ years on, it may be starting to look tired and it’s probably time to schedule computer maintenance. Read more

A close up of a computers motherboard showing the resistors and capcitors

IT Birmingham: Computer Upgrades – Is now the time?

Taking the decision to upgrade your computer system is always a difficult one. Most business owners are quite rightly focussed on whether or not an upgrade will be a valid business investment. At the other end of the scale, money that might have been better spent elsewhere. Even setting aside the current economic climate, computer upgrades can be a very tortuous process.

Read more

Multiple rounded squares of various densities floating around together. An open hand sits below.

Computer Viruses and Other “Nasties”.

We are all aware of the threat of viruses to our computers, but what are the differences between the three main types which are generally described as, worms, Trojan horses and blended threats? Many people group them altogether under the title ‘computer viruses’ and it’s true they are all malicious programmes that can cause varying amounts of harm to your computer, but the truth is viruses, worms and Trojan horses are significantly different to each other. Understanding these differences can help you protect your computer against them. Read more

A disk drive open on the side of computer. There is a disk in the drive.

Google Chromebook – A Different Kind of Laptop

With the world going tablet crazy over the arrival of the Google Chromebook has gone somewhat unnoticed. Launched just over a year ago, Chromebook takes the form of a laptop computer running Google’s Chrome operating system (“OS”). However with a pre-Christmas advertising campaign the previously dormant Chromebook has shot to the top of the best sellers list. Amazon announced the latest Chromebook to be its best selling laptop in the US over the Christmas period and the second best seller in the UK.

Read more

Multiple chip boards lined up together on a mother board

Server Installation for businesses and home offices

It’s fair to say that most small businesses aim to become bigger businesses. As your business grows, if you haven’t already got one, you’ll need a server. Unless you’re a technical whiz kid, you’ll probably need a little help with the server installation. For most of us, the journey starts with a few office PC’s and ends with a server based system can be a culture shock to say the least. In this article, we will briefly explore some of the options available so you can start thinking through the process of planning your server installation. Read more

A disk drive open on the side of computer. There is a disk in the drive.

Microsoft Surface, a laptop replacement?

Recent development on Microsoft’s technology into the world of tablet computing is the release of the “Surface’. Looking at its slim form, and comparing it favourably to the more chunky looking laptops, we pose the question, “Is the Microsoft Surface (“the Surface”) a laptop alternative”? Read more

A computer user sat at a desk with one hand on a mouse another on the keyboard.

Information Technology Services

In life there are some things that everyone else seems to understand to the extent that you feel rather foolish asking about them. We’re going to try to explain one of them, namely IT (Information Technology) services, so here we go. Read more