CST News

Here we are for the last newsletter of 2013. Where has the year gone? I am sure that the years go faster as one gets older!! I turned the big six oh this year and have seemed to be going faster rather than slower. However holidays coming up will mean that the rivers might get lightened of some of their fish load and the garden might at last get some time spent in it.

As well I have some painting to do here at work and a bit of pruning here to remove some of the height from the taller shrubs. It will be good to do these things at my own pace rather than have to work to a timetable.

Sue and I are hoping for a quiet family Christmas – with as many of the family as we can get here over the period. However we will all be meeting up again in early January for a family wedding, so Christmas will be a quiet time – a time for Sue and me to recharge batteries.

Kelly has settled into life at CST and is hopefully enjoying her work and the contact with our customers. A big thanks to her for the way she has just “gotten on with it”. It is so good to know that with two amazing technicians out the back and a great office manager, Sue and I are a bit superfluous at times. Kelly will be taking over our Facebook page from the new year – young, switched on and capable – she will do it so much better than me.

Go here and Like the page. I try to use it for “current” stuff like the Yahoo problems.

Which reminds me that the Yahoo (xtra) problems deserve a mention again. Those with Xtra accounts must be getting sick of the problems. Obviously earlier this month, Yahoo was hacked causing lots of customers to email random spam. Then Xtra forced a password change on their customers but when we helped a couple, there was a 2 hour wait. Really good customer service LOL.

Improving Your Wireless Signal

You know you’d be lying if you told us that you’ve never had a problem with a wireless signal, whether it be the Wi-Fi in your own home, at work, or at Starbucks. Being on the constant move means that we want to be able to download our emails, load our newsfeed, and stream our favourite songs without having to deal with our Wi-Fi dropping out or taking an age to connect and load. We have compiled a list of solutions that can help extend your Wi-Fi signal so you can load up that all-important Facebook game anywhere in the house.

1. Starting simple: Location!

Walls, metal, mirrors, concrete, even other wireless signals. Nearly anything can affect the signal your router is transmitting, so it’s essential that you find the best position in the building to house your router. First, try to set your router up in a room which is closest to the centre of the house. Wedging your router between exterior walls may be welcomed by your neighbours, but is probably going to give you nightmares. Secondly, get it away from clutter. Whether this means tidying up your messy office or moving the router higher up off the ground, either way, giving your router more breathing room means its signal will have fewer obstructions, thus producing a better signal for you.

2. Switch Channels

Wireless routers operate through the use of radio waves which can be disrupted by cordless phones and other Wi-Fi routers in the area. To avoid the disruption, try changing the signal channel your router is using. There is not one specific method to do this, so go through your routers manual or ‘Google’ the router model for specific instructions. This solution is particularly useful for those living in an apartment complex, where there are radio waves flying left, right and centre!

3. Try a Wireless Booster

Another alternative solution (which does include opening your wallet) is purchasing a wireless booster. A wireless booster is a great alternative to setting up an access or relay point, which require a bit of wiring and manual labour. Instead, a wireless booster is simply plugged straight into a power socket, removing the hassle of dealing with wires and cords. They are great for extending the existing Wi-Fi signal to ‘dead’ spots in the household. Ask us about wireless signal boosters.

4. Find a Replacement

There comes a time in every router’s life, when it has to accept that you need to move on. Recycling the old router and replacing it with a new one may be the best option to boost your Wi-Fi signal. There are hundreds of options to choose from, and it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll find a new router that will produce signals strong enough for your liking. Come in and see us or chat to one of our super clever techies to find something to replace your old one.

 

Phone Support

We have just been forced into purchase of phone support software (we were using the free stuff too often and have been cut out of the free version!!). Those who complain at the cost of Microsoft software can talk to me sometime about how much we pay for remote access software!

We have therefore had to instigate a minimum charge of $30 for telephone remote support. This will give you about 15 minutes of technician time, then the normal clock starts ticking over.

For those who have not used or heard of this, what this software allows us to do is take over your computer at home and fix many of the problems we see in the workshop while the computer is still at your home or workplace.

Obviously it cannot be used to fix connection problems (because we need the internet connection!) and it cannot be used to fix spyware problems because these scans can take a couple of hours, but often a diagnosis can be performed or a few simple setup changes made. We may not be able to do the remote support at the time you call, but we will make a time and call you back at the pre-arranged time.

 

Recycling Of OLD IT Stuff

This is one of my pet hobby horses. I hate the thought of Mt Cooee, or any landfill for that matter, filling up with electronic gear. Some of the nasties in the equipment must eventually leach into our river. We are able to recycle all your old IT equipment using the recycle centre at Green Island. You can also drop off stuff there too. However we will ensure that your hard drive is completely secure – no possible way anyone can find your old data – 100% security guaranteed.

Unfortunately the recyclers have just increased charges and we must pass these on. I think however we are past the days when we can just bin it and hope it goes away. Dumping down a hole at the back of the farm is just not an option today!

Desktop or laptop computer	$5.00
CRT Monitor	$30.00
LCD Monitor	$20.00
Inkjet Printer	$10.00
Laser Printer	$15.00
Fax Machine	$10.00

 

Powerstick

An idea for Christmas. How often are you caught away from the power when your phone runs out of go. Using the 8 GB powerstick you can charge a whole range of phones from a single device.

• Palm Treo
• Nokia
• Samsung S20
• LG
• Sony
• iPod and iPhone

As well it will charge PDAs and MP3 players.

Look at the website here.

Oops

Collecting firewood for the winter in South Otago??

 

He Must Pay

Thanks to our previous office manager Kelly for this story. It is only short but it is good.

Husband and wife had a tiff. Wife called up her mum and said, “He fought with me again, I am coming to live with you.”

Mum said, “No darling, he must pay for his mistake. I am coming to live with you”.

 

Interesting Oddity 

I had a system crash recently (yes – even computer shops have these things!) and when I reopened Word to continue this newsletter, I was confronted with the Document Recovery Pane below. Look closely and find the error.

 

Explanation

As chance would have it, when I showed this to Blake next morning, he said he had just been reading about it the night before. How odd is that?

Microsoft picked 1 January 1601 as the date for the original datestamp – ie the date from which all other dates are calculated. I cannot explain why it should appear on my document, but there is a reason why that date was picked in my system crash.

If you want to give yourself a headache, read this article from Microsoft.

Windows 7 Laptops

If you have had a look at Windows 8 and do not like the look of it or if you want Windows 7 to run games etc, we can still get Windows 7 laptops. These are business grade laptops rather than home user grade laptops and as such have better quality components than the standard laptop. To reflect this, they come with an “on-site” warranty rather than “return to base” warranty. This means that a technician comes here from Dunedin to repair a warranty, rather than sending away the laptop.

 

This week HP have just announced an extra giveaway with the purchase of a business level laptop as well.

Customers can choose which of the following summer bonuses they would like to receive when they purchase an eligible product:

• A free docking station
• A free 23” Elite display
• A free Officejet 8600 Plus printer, scanner, copier and fax
• A free HP Action Cam ac200w video camera with waterproof case

 

Even In England

Thanks to Malcom who sent this all the way from England.

 

Website Of The Month

A great YouTube movie of a Mars trip – many thanks Isabel.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/XRCIzZHpFtY?rel=0

Canon Printers

Canon are also running a special on some printers and cameras until 19 January.

The Canon MG5460

Print, Scan, Copy

Print on CDs – see the one in the shop for quality

Duplex (= print on both sides of the paper automatically)

3 separate colour cartridges

This is a quality printer at $199.00 but Canon have a $75 customer cashback or claim an IXUS 132IS digital camera (RRP $189.95) until 19 January

Canon MX456

Print, Scan, Copy and Fax

Duplex printing

3 separate colour cartridges

$30 cashback

Check out all the bargains at this site.

Finally

May the coming festive season bring peace and happiness to all our customers. The team here at CST look forward to working with you again in 2014 after we have all recharged our batteries.