Category Archives: Upgrades

Speed up a slow machine

Many people come to me, frustrated that their PC or laptop seems to have slowed down over time.

While that is a symptom of system ‘bloat’ – people don’t realize just how many programs and applications they install over time, there are measures that can be taken to add some pep to their machine.

First and foremost, if you are still using Microsoft Windows XP, and many are, as it is still a worthy, stable and useful operating system, do yourself a favor: at a convenient time, when you don’t intend to use the computer for a time, let the machine run a full defrag (short for defragmentation). Hard disk fragmentation happens naturally over time and using the defrag utility can speed up a slow machine noticeably – particularly when you have a large hard drive capacity. It could be advisable to run the CHKDSK (checkdisk) utility also. Both tools can be found by clicking My Computer, then right-clicking on the hard drive (C: drive), choose Properties, then click on the Tools tab, and there you’ll find the tools labeled: Defragmentation and Error Checking. Note, however, that  sometimes, when a machine is really dragging, that can be a sign of a failing hard drive.  Note also that in Windows Vista and Windows 7, defragmentation is conveniently automatically scheduled for periods of computer inactivity.

Second, check to see how much memory your machine has installed. The minimum system requirements specified by Microsoft are often inadequate when you consider the programs that you are running on top of the operating system – think anti-virus, among other things. A memory upgrade can be a very economical way to add life to slowing PC. Memory prices decline over time. The older the machine, the cheaper this upgrade becomes.

Lastly, consider installing an SSD hard drive. SSD refers to a Solid State Drive. SSD hard drives of the same storage technology as portable ‘flash’ or ‘thumb’ or ‘usb’ drives with higher capacities. SSD hard drive capacities have increased over time which reduce prices on lower capacity models. This can be the most expensive upgrade option, but it usually pays the highest dividend. Why? Because the most commonly used hard disk drives (HDD) have moving parts, similar to a record player (remember those?) where in order to read or write the required information, the HDD platters must spin (like the record) and a magnetic head must move (like the needle) to the appropriate area of the platter to read or write the information. If the HDD is fragmented, as mentioned above, the head has to move to multiple locations on the platter to find the required information – that really slows things down! None of this occurs with an SSD. There are no moving parts.  This upgrade can be particularly useful in a laptop because it is also far more energy efficient.

When I built my first Windows 7 machine. I originally did so using an traditional HDD. Windows 7 has a built in rating utility (the Windows Experience Index) that will indicate which parts of the machine are the slowest and rank the system on a scale of 1.0 to 7.9, with 7.9 being the fastest. My original build indicated a 2.9. The slowest part? The HDD. I quickly decided that that would not do! I installed the operating system to a newly purchased SSD and relegated my general storage to the traditional HDD. The revised speed rating of my machine? 6.6!  The slowest part now is the video adapter – I can live with that!

Again, an SSD is not an inexpensive proposition. But in terms of return on investment, replacing an older platter HDD with an SSD makes a hugely noticeable difference.

Is your computer running slow?  You may want to consider these things.

Synology server – a robust solution for centralized, secure storage and computer backups

Synology Disk Station

Synology makes a terrific home and small business server, sometimes referred to as an NAS (network attached storage).

I have installed Synology servers at over 8 client locations and, in addition, run one myself.

The Synology server is an economical yet robust and secure piece of hardware for centralized file storage, computer backup storage and more!

I’ve recommended the Synology server to clients for many reasons. It runs on a linux platform, has an easy to use web based management system and it ships with more features than most people will use. I won’t go into all of the features here. They can be found in detail at the Synology web site. But I will go through some of what I’ve found to be the most important.

The Synology servers I employ feature a RAID disk array. What that means is that your data is replicated on two, mirrored, identical, hard disk drives. If one drive should fail, your data is safely stored on the second, for redundancy. Is that fail safe assurance that your data is safe and secure? Well no, there is still the possibility of catastrophic failure including fire, theft and natural disaster – for that reason, your Synology server can be backed up as well. But the chances of two hard drives failing at the same time are remote and the entire device is small and light enough that it can be taken with you in an emergency.

Unlike Windows (and other) servers which require license purchases per user, the Synology server’s linux operating server won’t cost you per user. While there are physical limitations to the number of users, the target consumer for this type of system will never come close to that limit.

You can utilize the Synology server as the destination repository for manual or scheduled backups of the data stored on individual PCs. Synology includes an application named Synology Data Replicator which will run attended or unattended backups scheduled when it is convenient for you. All data stored on the Synology server is password protected and secure.

You can also configure your Synology server to store shared files and folders. Your server can be configured in a workgroup or domain environment for shared, centralized, file storage and conveniently mapped as drives on your Windows workstations.

Of the many more features, your server can be configured for remote access. You can retrieve files from home or when traveling. It includes a fully functional web and email server for web and email hosting. It includes a security/surveillance application for the recording and storage of video from security cameras, which can also be viewed live and captured remotely (this feature does require the purchase of additional camera licenses as well as cameras). You can stream music, and create your own photo galleries of digital pictures.

In addition to remote access of the features mentioned above, Synology includes mobile device applications which allow the full remote access functionality right from your Apple or Android device!

This hardware is well worth considering. Call or email me for more information. I can also provide a demonstration. I haven’t even mentioned the low cost!!