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Technical Tips
Here are some of the questions we are regularly asked by our clients.
Email and Internet
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How dangerous is Internet Explorer? »
IE isn’t dangerous in itself, it’s the exploiting of security holes in the software that make it so. It is the single most targeted piece of software on most computers and the majority of spyware and adware gets onto your computer through it. However, if you regularly make sure your browser is up to date, and are vigilant when browsing websites, you should be fine.
The easiest way to make sure Internet Explorer is kept up to date, is to go to the
Microsoft Update Site and follow the onscreen instructions.
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My Internet is slower than usual, what could be the problem? »
There are a number of reasons why your internet can seem slow. Some of these include:
1) Microsoft updates downloading in the background.
2) Other users on your network downloading files.
3) Technical problems at your internet provider’s exchange.
4) Incorrect settings on your computer.
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I'm not receiving emails, but my colleagues are. Why? »
If you are using Microsoft Outlook and the mail server was temporarily unavailable for a time, Outlook might not have automatically reconnected. Check the message bar at the bottom right hand corner of the Outlook window - if it says 'Offline' or 'Disconnected', click the drop down box arrow and untick the 'Work Offline' option.
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Why can’t I connect to a wireless network? »
Provided you are in close enough proximity to a wireless access point, you will be required to provide a pre-shared key (PSK) which is just like a password before you can connect to the network. If you do not have access to this password, it is generally not possible to connect. Be warned, connecting to wireless networks that are insecure (do not require a password) could pose a security risk to your PC. Sometimes, there is a discreet button that can disable wireless access to preserve laptop battery life. If you are having problems, please ensure wireless is enabled.
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What is a firewall and why should I have one? »
A firewall sits between your company’s network and the internet. Its main purpose is to block intruders and attackers from accessing your network. You can also use a firewall to block unwanted internal applications such as chat or peer-to-peer (torrent) programs from accessing the internet. A firewall is a necessity in a modern network as without it, your sensitive documents and files can potentially be accessed by anybody on the internet.
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I receive lots of spam emails. How can I stop this? »
Anti-spam software (we recommend Mimecast) and a couple of simple precautions can significantly reduce the amount of spam you receive.
1. Do not ever reply to or click on any links in spam e-mails.
2. Avoid subscribing to mailing lists and give your email address only to trusted sites.
If you receive spam emails from specific address and you are using Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007, you can setup Outlook to automatically put these emails into your 'Junk Email' folder. Just right-click on the email and choose 'Junk Email’, then 'Add sender to blocked senders list'.
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I have a message in my inbox about my message being delayed. What does it mean? »
Your message has been sent, but the recipient is not accepting it, therefore it is being queued up on your mail server. Your server will continue trying to send it at given intervals and if it continues to fail, you should receive a message from your server notifying you.
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How do I redirect my emails to another email address? »
There are several different methods of redirecting email in a business environment. Options include setting up a forward on the server, using ‘Out of Office’ auto replies, or customising email rules. Some organisations restrict automatic forwarding or redirection of emails to prevent data loss.
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Microsoft Office
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How do I convert a Word document to PDF format? »
To create PDF documents you can use a free piece of software called PDF Creator. This will create a virtual printer on your computer, which can be selected from the print menu in applications such as Word, Excel & Internet Explorer, just like a standard printer. When printing to it you will be given the option to save the document as a PDF. To obtain the software
click here
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Why can’t I scroll between cells in Excel? I just seem to scroll around the page instead. »
It is most likely that the Scroll Lock key on the keyboard has been pressed. This can be corrected by pressing Scroll Lock again. You can check to see if this is the case, as Excel displays the characters "SCRL" in the lower right corner when the scroll lock is on.
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How do I share my Outlook calendar with somebody? »
This can only be done if you are using a Microsoft Exchange email account.
In the bottom left hand navigation panel in Outlook, click ‘Calendar’, then ‘Share My Calendar’, then enter the name of the person you wish to share it with.
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Can I open Office 2007 documents with Office 2003 or do I need to upgrade? »
You do not need to upgrade. You can install an additional piece of software for free called the Office 2007 compatibility pack from Microsoft. If you don’t have this already, it’s available for free from Microsoft
here.
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PC Speed
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Why does anti-virus software slow my PC’s processing speed? What can I do to speed it up? »
Anti-virus software scans each file that you access before it opens to prevent any infected files from being run on your computer. This also means that files and programs running in the background will be scanned, which will use some of your PC’s processing power. Depending on your anti-virus software you may be able to adjust the settings for this scan to try and speed your computer up. Speak to an IT professional for further details.
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My PC is running slowly. What can I do to speed it up? »
Often the reason for a computer being slow is that it is running a lot of programs. Some of these programs run in the background without you knowing. One of the first things to do when working on a slow machine is to check in “Add/Remove Programs” in the Control Panel to see whether there is anything installed that is not required. From here you have the option to remove software you don’t need.
Other potential causes include the possibility of a virus or spyware infection or the need for a memory upgrade. It is good practice to reboot your PC regularly (once a week), have a good, up-to-date anti-virus/spyware scanner and apply critical Windows updates frequently. Your hard disk might also benefit from being defragmented.
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I have just installed Google desktop and now my PC is slow. Why? »
Google Desktop is a particular drag on a system’s resources as it reads every file on your system to build an index. If you are sure you want to run Google Desktop, you can wait until the indexing is complete and your computer will speed up again, however, periodically Google Desktop will re-index and your computer will be slow during this process.
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Blackberry
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I have just bought a Blackberry. Do I need to buy Blackberry Enterprise Server to get email on it? »
Not necessarily. RIM (the makers of Blackberry devices) have two offerings for data connectivity: Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) and Blackberry Internet Service (BIS). Both of these options deliver email (and data) to your handheld device, but do so in different ways. BES securely connects the device to a Server that is managed by your IT department. BIS, on the other hand, connects your device through a server managed by your Phone Network Provider. If you choose BIS, your email account is managed by yourself, and can be set-up on the device, or through a webpage on your provider’s site. Often you just need to provide your email address and password, and the connection will be made.
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What is the difference between Blackberry Enterprise Server and Blackberry Internet Service? »
BES is a corporate offering, whilst BIS can be thought of as a personal offering. BES allows for realtime synchronization of all Personal Information Management (PIM) features such as Email, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks, between supported programs and Blackberry Devices. With BIS, email will be checked every fifteen minutes rather than in realtime. The features that are provided with BIS depend on your Network Provider. The ability to receive email is the only guaranteed one. One further item to note is that a BES enabled device can also have up to 10 BIS accounts setup on it as well, so you could have both your work and personal email on the same device.
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General
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Why am I asked to change my password every few weeks? »
One of the best ways of minimizing risks to your network is making sure your password is secure. By changing your password you are maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of your data. The safest passwords include a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols.
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Why is my PC screen not the right way up? »
Alternate views are a feature provided with many of the leading graphics card vendors. To correct a rotated view, you will need to right click on your computer desktop, select ‘properties’, click the ‘settings’ tab, and then click the ‘advanced’ button. On the resulting window you should see a tab that is named in accordance with the graphics card installed in your pc (For Example GeForce 6600). One of the options you should then be presented with is the ability to rotate or modify back to the correct orientation.
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My PC screen is blue with numbers on it. Why? »
What you have just experienced is a computer crash. The only thing you can do is to restart your computer. This problem occurs because your operating system is having problems communicating with your computer hardware. This may have happened because you have updated drivers on your computer, or because something is interfering with those drivers. Another more severe possibility is that there is actually a fault with your hardware. If this problem continues to occur you will need to seek help from a computer specialist.
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Why is my PC not recognizing my USB device? »
Using a USB port is the most popular way of connecting a device to your computer. Here are a few things you can try if your USB device is not being recognised.
1. Try changing the port the device is connected to.
2. If it is a USB storage device like a pen drive or external hard drive, try changing the drive letter. To do this, right click on my computer in your start menu, then select ‘Manage’ then ‘Disk Management’. You should now be able to see your drive in the right hand side of the window (it most likely says ‘Disk’, with ‘Removable’ underneath it). Right click on the drive and select ‘Change Drive Letter’, then select a drive letter that is not in use.
3. As a last resort, you could try uninstalling and then reinstalling the relevant drivers. This can be a complicated process, so the best option is probably to speak to your systems administrator/an IT specialist.
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Why can't I install new software on my PC? It keeps asking for administrator details. »
Your user account does not give you rights to install software. User rights are limited to avoid the installation of malicious and non-work-related software. You should contact your IT administrator, who should be able to help you with software installation.
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How often should I backup my data? »
The simple answer is as often as possible. On your home PC, do a backup to an external device (USB hard drive) weekly, or whenever you have made any important changes to a file, and keep it in a safe place. For business, a daily backup of the company’s data is essential, and should be done to a tape or an online facility.
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