CLEVER TECH

Technology Advice for Small Businesses | Feb 2014 | produced by Computer Troubleshooters of Anderson (864) 225-1888

Frustrated INSIDE With Your Computer?

Also In This Issue:
New Faces at CT-Anderson The Last Days of Windows XP
Lets just start with this - there is NOTHING more frustrating than technology that misbehaves. Slow computers. Confusing phones. Lost Data. At CT-Anderson weve made it our mission to eliminate technology frustration! So here are five tips that can help you reduce the biggest causes of IT frustration with your computers: Tip #1: Reboot Often. Theres a TV comedy about guys who work in an IT department, and one of the running jokes is they answer their phone with Hello, IT, have you tried switching it off and back on again?. Its funny because its true. Modern computers are great, but they arent perfect, and the longer they run little bits of programs and processes get forgotten and wind up taking up space in the computers brain. Rebooting wipes that slate clean, and gives your computer back the memory and speed that may be otherwise wasted. As a general rule, rebooting at least once a week is a good idea for most computers, and at least once a month for servers. (We do this automatically for our service plan clients servers) Tip #2: Backup Often. Computer failures can be delayed, reduced, minimized - but never elminated. Every hard drive will die, and so will every flash drive, usb drive, dvd, and tape. Its essential that when your device dies, youve got your most precious files, photos, and documents safely backed up on a second device. Tip #3: Update Often. I know, I know, everyone has used a computer has had a problem with an update at some point. BUT... those updates are there for a reason, and nowadays that reason is often security. When a company like Microsoft or Adobe or Apple sees a malicious virus exploiting a weakness in their software, they issue an update to stop it. Not installing those updates is much more likely to lead to frustrating virus & security problems so make sure your computer software is always up to date. (We do this automatically for service plan clients also). Tip #4: Avoid Windows 8. I like Windows 8, I really do. But it takes some getting used to - its very different from previous versions. We generally recommend people stick with Windows 7 as a result, and almost all the computers we sell include Windows 7. If you do get Windows 8, or are considering it, check out the free Windows 8 training video on our website. Tip #5: Knowledge is Power! Dedicate a little time each week - say, 10 minutes - to learning something new about using your computer or programs. Our online training courses from BiggerBrains let you watch a 10-minute training video on Microsoft Office, Windows 8, Quickbooks and more anytime, anywhere. Knowing more about how to use your computer will build confidence and reduce frustration

The Last Days of Windows XP

On April 8, Microsoft ends support for the most popular operating system of all time.

Windows XP, born 13 years ago in 2001, is old. In technology terms, its ancient. Think about this, in 2001:
America Online and dial-up modems were the most popular way to access the internet. George Bush was sworn in as the US President. 3000 people were killed in the terrorist attacks on 9/11 PC Magazines Computer of the Year featured a 1.5GHz single-core CPU, 128MB of memroy, and an 80GB hard drive, and cost $2700. Today most cell phones are 10x faster for 1/10 the price! There was no iPod, no iPhone, no YouTube, no Facebook.

estimated 20% of the worlds computers still use Windows XP, which means millions of computers will become increasinly unsafe to use after April 8.
We made a video to illustrate the danger - check it out online at www.XPdanger.com.

At CT-Anderson, weve been helping our customers migrate off of Windows XP since early last year. We became a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher which gives us access to tools and discounts to upgrade used computers to Windows 7 - we like Windows 7 for this because its much newer and safer than Windows XP, but still looks mostly the same (as compared to Windows 8, which has its benefits but takes some getting used to). In partnership with Dell and othesr we also stock a variety of off-lease corporate computers which we refuribsh, test, adn sell with Windows 7, at prices ranging from $199 to $399. If your computer is still running Windows XP, call us today for a customized recommendation on how to safely upgrade before April 8.

The world has changed, and though Windows XP has kept up relatively well, its currently six to twelve times more susceptible to virus and spyware issues than either Windows 7 or Windows 8 - even with monthly security updates from Microsoft. On April 8 those security updates will end (though some limited anti-virus support will still be working). An

For more information, call us at 864-225-1888 or email us at support@ct-anderson.com.

Spring Specials
Dell Latitude E6410
We are able to buy 5-10 of these off corporate leases every month. Theyve been extremely popular with all our clients and usually sell out within a few days. Nick is maintaining a waiting list for folks who want to reserve one (or who need particular specs). Let him know what you need and well find it for you! nick@ct-anderson.com Business-Grade Core 2 Duo or i5 2GB+ RAM 160GB hard drive Windows 7 90 day warranty (refurbished)

CT-Anderson.com 864-225-1888

$249-399!
from

NEW! Dell Optiplex 7010

i5 CPU (3rd gen) Desktop case 4GB RAM 250GB hard drive Windows 7 Pro 2 year warranty

$199 refurbished

with Windows 7

CT-Anderson is a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher and ONLY sells legal, genuine Microsoft Windows to protect our clients.

$699

Off-Lease Dell Optiplex

Mastering Excel 2010, 2013 Mastering Word 2010, 2013 Mastering PowerPoint 2010, 2013 Mastering Microsoft Outlook Office 365 Sharepoint Power Up PowerPoint! Whats New in Office 2013 Secrets of the Office Guru Quickbooks 2013 & 2014 Intro to Gmail Increase Your Listening Power Top Five Marketing Mistakes Businesses Make Online Marketing 101 and more!
Access all these courses for one great low rate:

Refurbished inventory changes daily, notebooks & desktops start at $199, call us for availability

Learn What You Want, When You Want

If we could give you skills that would make you 10% more productive at work, how much is that worth to you? Is it worth 10 minutes a day and $99 per year? Thats all it takes to get started with Bigger-Brains, the absolute BEST business training courses online. Your subscription lets you take unlimited courses for 12 months, from our growing library of courses including Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Gmail, Quickbooks, Presentation Skills, Communication Skills, Online Marketing, and more. Getting access to your courses is easy to - from any computer, iPad, or smartphone you just login to the Bigger-Brains website and choose the courses you want to watch. Jump ahead to the modules that interest you, or go through each course step by step to earn your certificate.

$99 for one year (reg. $189)

or included free with our Gold service plans

(good through 4-30-14, call us at 864-225-1888 to order)

We Support Our Clients!

Make an appointment with Dr Patrick Carter & his staff today at 864-760-1611. (Ask about their Grand Opening Whitening Special)

For the BEST deal on toner & ink, call Inksters at 864-716-0400

Upstate Staffing offers many staffing services to fit your needs. Here is a short list of how we can serve you: Staffing Temporary Staffing Payroll Recruiting Jobs in Anderson, SC Employment in Upstate, SC WorkKeys Job Profiles Assessments Licensed WorkKeys Solutions Provider www.upstatestaffingsc.com

We recommend Charter for Business Internet Solutions. Of all the options available in Anderson, Charter has been the easiest to work with, plus provides the fastest speeds at a very low price -Chip

Tommy Miller (864) 934-6276

Debby Shirley (864) 958-0649

Want to see your ad in our next newsletter? Send your ad to chip@ct-anderson.com by April 30.

New Faces at CT-Anderson

ick Nelson is joining CT-Anderson as our Customer Service Manager. Its Nicks job to keep our
clients happy, in particular by making sure were on the same page with the work that has to be done. Nick will be helping us make sure work is scheduled properly, parts are ordered promptly, and that our customers are kept up to date with everything thats going on. Nick comes to us from SunTrust bank where he was a Client Service Specialist, and he graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Business Management.

anice Mattress-Ramirez has joined our service center team as our intern. Janice assists Jim
& Kevin with computers on the bench and getting our refurbished machines ready to sell.

Janice is an 18-year military veteran who is currently working through a Certificate in Computer Repair at TriCounty, and comes to us through Military Transition Services.

Around Town & Around The Web

Chip Reaves (co-owner of CT-Anderson) has been a guest speaker recently at several technology and eLearning events around the country, including: Guest Presenter for Coggno.com eLearning webinars Guest Speaker at the SMB Online Conference Roundtable leader at the SMB Nation annual conference in Las Vegas Guest Speaker at the Association of Computer Repair Business Owners 2013 conference. Scott Smith (also co-owner of CT-Anderson) has been actively involved with the Anderson Chamber of Commerce, and this year serves as the Community Development Director on the Chambers Board of Directors. Scott is also actively involved in business networking in Anderson, participating in both the Leads Club of Anderson (as Treasurer) and the Networking Professionals of Anderson, and is about to finish the 10-month Leadership Anderson training program.

In addition to CT-Anderson Chip also owns BiggerBrains.com, an online training company based right here in Anderson.

Chip on a mission trip to Rwanda in 2009

Scott presents the Ambassador of the Year award to Susan Jackson from Legacy of Anderson at the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce 2014 Annual Meeting

Clever Tech
brought to you by Scott Smith, Chip Reaves, Jim Loftis, Kevin Brown, Nick Nelson, and Janice Ramirez at

IT News And Information for Small Business Serving Anderson County & Upstate South Carolina
Computer Troubleshooters of Anderson

www.ct-anderson.com

(864)225-1888

Frustrated With Your Computer?

$199, $299 and up, Online training For just $99!

Business Laptops

ALSO INSIDE:
CT-Anderson 1621 E. Greenville St Anderson, SC 29621