BOB SHARE

I was bracing for the worst based on past rollouts from Microsoft. After experiencing the pain of Vista, I was quite apprehensive about the release of Windows 7. Even though there was good press (which I dont put a lot of faith in anyway) I knew there would be some serious bumps in the road to transition.

My first 4 or 5 installs went off without a hitch. Many of my customers were upgrading old Windows XP machines that were 6 years old. The new computers with Windows 7 had fast processors, more ram, and dedicated video cards, which helped a lot. The boot and shut down times were greatly reduced and the most popular software seemed to work right out of the box.

I didnt recommend upgrades to current equipment and most people went with the advice. Life was good and customers were happy. Since all of the installs were new computers and not Vista upgrades, none of the upgrade problems were an issue. There were quite a few problems found on the Vista upgrades, especially those who downloaded the Windows 7 install. The files wouldnt unpack properly, refused the new product keys, and had some rebooting problems. Then there were the unspecified errors and directory permissions problems. But all were confined to the upgrading Vista process, many due to reformatting the hard drive before the new install.

If you are upgrading a Vista machine, dont bother to reformat the hard drive before you upgrade. It appears that this is a problem. You should do a clean install and let Windows 7 format the hard drive in the process. That method appears to have few of the issues that the clean hard drive upgrades have and you still get a new clean system.

Then it happened, I found a nasty little problem on the new computers with Windows 7. Bringing in a new Windows 7 computer into an existing network worked fine as long as you stuck with the workgroup name of workgroup. But if you had a different name (which many clients do for multiple reasons), the Windows 7 computer was seen by the others in the workgroup but couldnt connect or see any of them.

I did a little research and talked to some other techs and they were experiencing the same problem. Not good, most clients didnt want to change their workgroup name. There was a work around by making every computer also a workgroup member and the original name. But it wasnt a great solution and might come back to haunt the client and me some day.
Another big issue with Windows 7 was the way it stored files. They went to a library system, which is a common method on the Macs and Linux machines. Once you get it, its probably a better method of organizing files. But when you introduce it to the user and a bunch of older Windows XP systems it can get confusing. When you change something as basic as how you view and store files, and you have a lot of shared files, users dont always adapt quickly.

Automated backup systems have to be changed around and tracking changed files gets a little more exciting but with a little training and automation you can over come the differences. Most users are over worked these days and some arent all that willing to change. So its both an operational and an attitude you get to deal with when bringing Windows 7 computers into an existing environment.

And, dont believe what you read about the Windows XP Mode. Many older computers arent compatible with the virtual machine methods used. About one in three of the computers Ive tried to set up XP mode couldnt do it for one reason or another. New machines often have all the necessary bios settings, chip sets, and other requirements but older computer may not. When it works, its great. But dont depend on it until you have tested it on the computer you want to run it.

Most of the other issues are basic configuration changes that default on a new Windows 7 install. For example the taskbar looks and acts different and many users are complaining they cant see whats open at a glance. There is a way to change the toolbar back to what it used to be by right clicking the toolbar and selecting properties. And make any changes in appearance you want.

All in all the Windows 7 transition and open issues are no where near what the Vista debacle was and most are easy to overcome. And if you dont like a particular feature or display method, most times you can change it back to what you want it to do or look like. The speed and faster boot times are more than worth the hassle of reconstructing your desktop like you want it.

A computer network that is wire free is called a wireless network. Wireless networks are those networks that are interlinked to one anther with some other wire free tools. These networks are generally associated with telecommunications and networking wherein two or more nodes are connected with one another such that the data can flow to and fro between them. These networks do not use wires and are generally implemented with a kind of remote information system which makes the use of electronic radio waves for connectivity. These networks can easily transmit data and other information to other nodes i.e. computers very easily.

A wireless network is again divided into four kinds, depending on their features and uses, they are:

• Wireless PAN: It stands for wireless personal area network; this is known as a personal area network as it covers only a small geographical area. One such example of the WPAN is the Bluetooth; it provides connectivity only to an area of 10mts and thus a wireless personal area connectivity provider.

• Wireless LAN: This is a sort of wireless network that supports local area connectivity. It stands for wireless local area network. The only difference is that it covers a larger area than pan.

• Wireless Wan: It stands for Wireless metropolitan area network. This wireless network is spread in a metropolitan area i.e. wide area than when compared to pan and LAN.

• Wireless WAN: It stands for wireless wide area network wherein a wide are is covered and the nodes are connected with one another perfectly.

• Mobile networks: This network came in to initiation with the development of mobile smart phones which are used to talk and at the same time can hold computer data with transferring abilities because they are often connected to GSM.

A wireless network eases the flow of information from one computer to the other. One can share real time information at a rapid speed and with an amazing efficiency. These networks are age old techniques to send information anywhere in the world without recognizing the geographical frontiers and language barriers. Wireless networks are in operation from a long time and are used to send, receive and communicate through radio electromagnetic signals. People are now sharing data, merging and exchanging files across borders breaking barriers. One can say that wireless networks have considerably changed the world and made it one big family.

These networks are inexpensive and a cost efficient way of communicating and sharing files, data and other info between groups of computers. These networks are used in business and other important areas where communication is important. Wireless networks offer a wide range of connectivity and that too without the hassles of wiring. All in all, wireless connectivity is reliable, superficial, fast, flexible and easy to get in. It involves a rapid speed and consumes very little time. It is an answer to all your connectivity needs and gives you instant access to the world behind your table.

Every person that uses a laptop understand how essential is it to keep it protected and the best way to achieve that is with computer laptop sleeves. What most people are unaware of is that your laptop sleeve offers protection, but is can also show your own unique personality.

There are so many different options for sleeves these days that finding one that fits who you are is not going to be a problem for anyone. Most people spruce up their laptops to fit their style, so why not do the same with your laptop sleeve.

You will find sleeves that are different designs, colors or there are some that are clear. The clean sleeve is very popular with many people because it lets your laptop show through.

This way you dont have to spend time searching for the correct sleeve that fits your personality. Since you laptop has already been transformed into your own style and design, why not let it show through?

Since the clear sleeve can be zipped up, it offers good protection for your computer. Plus, if you find the right one, you can get one that has air cushion technology. This is very effective for protecting your laptop.

Many of the sleeves give you different choices for providing protection for your computer, so this is definitely something that is smart to check into. Everyone knows that protection is the number one function of the sleeve, but that doesnt mean it cant reflect you also.

Now, the first thing you have to do is to decide if you want to get a sleeve that has a design, a specific color, a clear one to let your laptop show off your personality, or if you prefer a custom sleeve.

Once you make your choice, the next step is to start looking at all of your options. Be sure to take time to check out more than one. This way you will know what your choices are, which will make it much easier for you to locate the best one for you.

Just take your time and dont rush your decision because you have to be smart and find the one that gives your laptop the vital protection needed, while at the same time making a statement about you.

Computer laptop sleeves dont have to be boring, while offering protection for your computer. You can choose one that is as unique as you are, with all of the choices these days, so when people notice it, they will know immediately who the laptop and sleeve belong to. Start looking today to locate your perfect sleeve because you will be surprised at the number of choices available.