Frank has asked me for a recommendation about new computers for his business. His question is, “I would like some basic workstations to handle word processing and accounting. What do you suggest for computers?” The most basic computers will handle most office tasks. If all you’re doing is entering data and typing letters then you don’t need extremely fast computers; all you really need are computers fast enough to handle the software and a centralized location to store files.
Forget what you already know about having computers with large processors and substantial hard drive capacities. Office computers don’t need to be fast, nor do they need to have massive storage capacity. I suggest many small business owners purchase box store machines and have them customized to meet their needs. In other words, strip them of the consumer grade trial software and install office utilities like Microsoft Office and QuickBooks.
Big box store computers include Windows 7 Home Premium which is a pretty robust operating system for offices. In fact, Home Premium is the most popular version of Windows 7. For offices with a small number of workstations this version of Windows can be tailored to meet most demands. I suggest removing all of the trial software (including antivirus) and installing only those titles which your office will need.
Data storage can be tricky, but not impossible. I’m going to use the word “server” but don’t be scared. In this context a server is simply a centralized location to store files across a network. The generic name is network attached storage device (NAS). This should be large enough to store all your files. Redundancy can be built in so if one NAS hard drive fails your data won’t be permanently lost. Many companies supply NAS systems adequate for home and small offices.
Behind every good network is good networking equipment. My suggestion is to spend some money on commercial grade networking equipment such as a router and switch. I would not rely on inexpensive residential class routers to connect a network. They are simply unreliable. Furthermore, they do not offer the flexibility a commercial grade router does. For the few dollars difference you’ll make it up in headache.
Kelly has a question about her new netbook purchase. She asks, “I bought the laptop because of the size; however, how do you suggest I install CD based software?” Kelly, the easiest way of installing CD based software on your netbook is to simply connect up to a USB CD drive. I recently purchased an external USB drive for under $60.00.
The most basic external drives will connect to the laptop using the supplied USB cable and shouldn’t require an external power source. Many modern drives are very thin and are extremely portable. I found that I don’t need to carry the drive with me every day and simply use it at home or at the office to install software as needed.
If you’re low on money and have access to another computer and a USB flash drive you can copy the contents of the CD to the flash drive. Once the data is copied it’s a simple matter of installing your software title from the flash drive to the laptop. You may run into difficulty if the software title requires the CD be in the drive when running. Good luck and don’t get too frustrated.
Tip of the week: If you have an Android based phone or iPhone you can easily share data with other users with a free app called Bump. Install, bump and transfer data. It’s that easy.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can e-mail him at remoquin@gmail.com or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)