Technibble

Windows 7 – iPhone Sync

Lee — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:59:51 +0000

A fix has been released for the synching problem between Windows 7 and iPhone that occurs on Intel P55 motherboards.

It affects 64-bit versions of Windows 7. Both iTunes 9 and Windows detect the iPhone but it refuse to sync.

Microsoft has not made a comment about the issue.

Users can upgrade their BIOS and chipset drivers to fix the problem. They could also use compatibility mode in Windows when they set it to Vista SP2.

Source: Macnn.com

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Windows 7 – iPhone Sync

No Exchange Server 2007 Support

Lee — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:58:41 +0000

Exchange Server 2007 will no longer be supported on the latest Windows Server. The company’s decision may force users to upgrade to the 2010 version of Exchange Server.

Today, at Berlin Germany, Microsoft delivered Exchange Server in a conference. This version has a universal inbox and an improved productivity of 20 percent as well as 70 percent of “cost savings”.

“If we cannot meet our mandate of using the same OS for all servers and a standard collaborative mail server architecture from Microsoft, then we will have to look at other offerings,” wrote Derek who is a customer of Exchange 2007.

Source: Channel Register

How You Are Losing Clients

Bryce Whitty — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:47:09 +0000

There are many articles on Technibble are about gaining more clients. However, you need to make sure you keep them once you have them. In this article, I’ll show you 5 ways you might be losing clients.

Clients losing your contact information
One of the most common ways for you to lose customers is because your clients simply lose your details. They like you, they are happy with the work you do and would love to call you again, if only they could find your phone number.

To help prevent this, consider getting some small stickers made that you can stick onto their computer case with their permission. It won’t get lost like a business card and the number is right there when they need it.

Is your answering machine message up to date?
It’s easy to forget what your answering machine message says because you simply don’t call yourself. It’s quite possible you changed it before you went on holidays to let your clients know you will be unavailable and forgot to change it back. Make sure your answering machine message is up to date.

Do you return calls quick enough?
Most of your clients should have some sort of loyalty towards you. They have met you; they trust you and know you are competent. They would rather not try out another technician because they have fears of getting someone that doesn’t know what they are doing. However, if you don’t answer the phone immediately they will only wait for so long. Try to return calls as soon as possible. The same day is ideal but the next morning should be the very latest. Don’t give them a chance to try out another technician and possibly replace you forever.

Do you “close” phone call enquiries?
When someone calls you and asks how much will it cost to have a wireless network setup, do you just say “$200 for parts and labor” or do you say “That will cost $XXX for parts and labor. I am available to go onsite tomorrow. Would you like to book in a time?”

The first way just encourages them to call around for the best price. The second way helps you “close the sale”.
This is what the marketing world calls a “call to action” and it gives the customer a way to take it further. It is easier for them to say yes to you and be done with it rather than continue calling around for the next hour.

Do you always provide value?
Just this week I went to a repair job that was about an hour away from my location and I fixed the problem within 10 minutes. I asked the client if there was anything else they wanted me to do and he said that I had fixed everything that he needed. I could get paid and go home then and there but I felt like I didn’t provide value. I noticed he was asking me a lot of questions about basic word processing. I told him that because of the distance I have traveled, I have to charge my full hourly rate regardless of whether I am here for 10 minutes or the full hour, so if he likes I can fill the rest of the rest of the hour and teach him some basic word processing, which I did.
After the hour he got his computer fixed, learned a lot and felt like I delivered value for money.

If the client feels they are not getting value for money, they will simply replace you with someone cheaper.

Security Improvements in Windows 7

Lee — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:49:57 +0000

Techtree.com has posted an article about seven security improvements for Microsoft’s latest operating system.

First is the Action Center which can be configured for security reasons as well as administrative task options. Second is the updated User Account Control (UAC). It was introduced first in Vista.

Next is the AppLocker which prevents some users access on certain applications. Biometric Security is next on the list.

Another feature that was introduced in Vista and updated for 7 is BitLocker. The sixth feature in the list is PowerShell v2.

Lastly, a feature that allows secure connection called DirectAccess.

Source: Techtree

Firefox 3.5.5

Lee — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:48:35 +0000

Mozilla released a new version of Firefox which fixes a small number of “stability issues.” Unlike most updates, version 3.5.5 does not patch any security vulnerabilities.

The last version, 3.5.4 was released on October 27.

The main bug quashed is the GIF decoder in Firefox for the Windows systems. “We’re seeing lots of crashes in the GIF decoder,” noted Joe Drew of Mozilla. The role of GIF decoder is to parse .gif image files embedded in web pages.

“This bug was actually caused by bug 514776 which removed the check for null mImageFrame,” said a Firefox programmer.

Source: COMPUTERWORLD

UK2.net Emails – 1-Week Offline

Lee — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:53:50 +0000

Customers of UK2.net had experienced downtime since October 31. Today, the web host said that they could now send and receive emails normally.

“We apologise to all customers hit by this, we’re moving the emails across as quickly as we can and should be finished by Sunday evening,” said Martin Baker who is the managing director of UK2.

A storage array failure is the cause of the problem according to Baker.

No emails have been lost and the company will copy them from its current storage network to its new one.

Source: The Register

Default Windows 7 Malware Vulnerability

Lee — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:52:45 +0000

According to a test that was made by Sophos about running Windows 7 on a clean system, the operating system is vulnerable with malware.

Sophos said, “Unfortunately, despite Microsoft’s claims, Windows 7 disappointed just like earlier versions of Windows. The good news is that, of the freshest 10 samples that arrived, 2 would not operate correctly under Windows 7.”

The UAC only blocked one sample.

Chester Wisniewski of Sophos concludes that Windows 7 users still need an anti-virus software for their OS.

Source: The Tech Herald

Fix IE Utility – Repair Tool of the Week

Bryce Whitty — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:20:16 +0000

Fix IE Utility is a small, freeware and portable application designed to help fix Internet Explorer after a Malware attack. Fix IE Utility will re-register 89 DLL and OCX files that are often de-registered in a Malware attack and are required for Internet Explorer to run smoothly. You will still need to run your usual malware removal applications but if Internet Explorer still wont work correctly after the system as been cleaned, its possible the malware de-registered some files and this is where Fix IE Utility helps. Many people would just suggest that the client could just switch to Firefox. However, the core of Internet Explorer is still used inside many other programs so it needs to be operational, even if you don’t use Internet Explorer as a web browser

Fix IE Utility has been tested on IE7 and IE8 on both Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Screenshots:

Downloads:
Download from Official Site – 405kb

More Information

Special thanks to our forum member Methical for recommending this one.

Parallels Desktop 5 Performance Edge

Lee — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:04:10 +0000

The fifth version of Parallels’ x86 virtualization software called Desktop 5 is more faster than any other Win-on-Mac software.

Over 70 new features are included in the latest version including supports for 64-bit Snow Leopard and Windows variants. For graphic applications including games, users would notice about a 700 percent improvement over Desktop 4.

OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 9 Ex with Shader Model 3 are also supported.

Other new features including multi-touch gestures in Windows, “true” multi-monitor support, and a quick access to the Windows application folder.

Source: Ars Technica

Windows 7 Sales Results

Lee — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:03:15 +0000

Windows 7 sold more than three times compared to Vista’s launch according to a retail marketing research.

Stephen Baker of NDP Group said, “I would call it pretty good, but I wouldn’t call it great.”

“The fact of the matter is that prior to the launch, there were a lot of operating systems out there. When Vista launched, you didn’t see a lot of Windows Millennium PCs. Windows 7 will be more of a long haul,” he added.

The revenue of Windows 7 is only an 82% increase over Vista.

Source: COMPUTERWORLD