Home Wireless Troubleshooting

Well, I had an interesting call recently. A DSL modem/wireless router was moved from one part of the house to another part. After the move the internet would no longer work on the wireless PC. It would not pick up an IP address via DHCP. First things first in a situation like this, always check the connections. Since I am 2 1/2 hours away from this house, I couldn't just hop in the car and head on over. So, I had the person verify the connections. I looked up the make and model of the unit online and was able to see which lights needed to be green and they were. I had the PC and modem both power cycled and no luck. I ran a release and renew of the IP address and no luck. I even tried putting in static entries just for the sake of trying something and still no luck. It would connect to the AP, but not get an IP. So, I had the connection disconnected and then reconnected. It then of course asked for a serial number. I said that it should have already had one in there when I was told that it was just entered manually a little while ago... BINGO!!! The wrong key was put in. Didn't think to ask if that was changed based upon the information that I had. Well, I should have asked what all steps had been taken to fix it. I still may not have been told that, but still should have asked.

USB Flash Drives

Storage has gotten a lot cheaper over the past few years. One piece of equipment that is still very useful is the USB flash drive. These devices fit in your pocket very well and store a large amount of data that the average person will probably not completely use.

In fact, I just saw one today online that was a 4GB stick for only $22 at Circuit City online. Just a few years ago I was in a bind and had to buy a 256MB and spent $35 for it. Imagine getting sixteen times more storage for almost 40% cheaper.

Imaging Software

Occasionally your computer may get to the point where it is so unstable that you need to wipe everything out and start over with your install/restore disks. In addition to making good routine backups, you may also find it a good idea to make an image of your PC. While a lot of businesses make this a common practice, it's not necessarily a bad idea for the home user... especially for those that build their own systems or do a lot of modifications after an initial setup.

Take some time getting your system the way you like it and then create an image. Make routine backups of your important data. When needed, you can get a full restore quickly instead of hours.

Faxing And Document Management Solution Review

The ability to fax from your PC has become easier lately with the use of a modern Fax Server. The one by Axacore comes with a lot of different features including unlimited users, fault tolerance and Outlook integration. It also has t.38 Fax support for faxing across IP networks. The unit can also redirect faxes to network printers and to a user’s email.

They also have a Document Management solution which keeps track of different versions. It is optimized to work with Windows Server 2003 and can integrate with SQL. It also has the ability to view images through a web browser.

Website Hosting

When it comes to finding a provider to host your website you need to take into consideration what your purpose for the website is. Is it for business or for personal? If it is personal, you may just want to look into something cheap... or FREE. If it is for business, you may you need to look into uptime, features and cost. Having a reliable provider would be the most important. Then look at features and plan for growth. Also, look at cost.

HTML Is Fun And Easy

Getting started in HTML does not have to be hard and difficult. Back in the old days you would use a text editor and start typing away code. Why this is a not a bad way to learn, it is more of a sink or swim approach. It is a lot easier to get frustrated this way.

An easy way to get started is by creating a web site at such places as Googlepages or here. You can create a nice web page without knowing the code. As you get more comfortable, you can look at the source code and then determine how things work.

You can also search Google for sites out there that have tutorials for HTML.

Last Known Good Config

I had a situation yesterday where a 2003 server was acting up. The database that was on there was no longer accessible and other programs on there would not work as well. So, I rebooted it. Then the fun began. The server rebooted and came back up fine... and then froze about 20 seconds later after it was replying. I had to cut the power and wait a few seconds (usually 10 is a good amount) and then power back on. I kept pressing F8 and then I was prompted how I wanted to start windows. I chose Last Known Good Configuration and that fixed it.

It is a good idea to do this right away instead of trying it after multiple reboots. If you don't, it might see the last boot up as the last known good configuration when it still wasn't fixed. Then you are out of luck for that option.