Microsoft has unveiled Direct Access for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008, remotely connecting users to their office as if they were right there. Establishing bi-directional connectivity with the user?s enterprise network, this solution keeps them connected to their office, forging a link each time the user?s computer ? provided it?s enabled by DirectAccess ? is connected to the internet.
As the workforce transforms, with the information age evolving at a rapid pace, the needs of an organization adapt accordingly. Increasingly, employees are working from remote locations, the advances in internet technology affording them the ability to work from an off-site location ? home, business meeting abroad, etc.
The mobility of our workforce has contributed to the success of those companies driving our economy, with new technologies facilitating the uninterrupted productivity of employees whose presence in the office is no longer a necessary component in the operations of an efficient and profitable enterprise. By 2011, the number of mobile employees is expected to have increased by 30.4 percent (IDC, ?Worldwide Mobile Worker Population 2007-2011 Forecast,? Doc #209813, Dec 2007).
While technology has contributed to an outgrowth of wireless communication, with the internet providing the backbone for those gains, corporate security ? namely, firewalls ? obstruct the accessibility of those resources which are native to an office. This poses a number of problems, not the least of which being access to the network from those IT professionals tasked with managing the corporation?s network.
In the past, VPN (Virtual Private Network) has been the solution employed for that purpose. However, as any IT professional will tell you, the use of a VPN can prove challenging. VPN requires users to wait for authentication, a process that can see the end user waiting for what has commonly amounted to several minutes. If internet connectivity is lost, the VPN connection will be severed, requiring the user to repeat the authentication process. With alternatives providing even less functionality and additional hurdles to overcome, VPN has become the de facto solution, its problems notwithstanding.
Surmounting the challenges inherent to VPN, DirectAccess immediately establishes a bi-directional connection between the user?s computer and office?s network. Using Windows 7, the DirectAccess client detects its connection to a network. The DirectAccess client will then connect to an intranet website designated during the initial configuration of DirectAccess. The process is seamless and automatic. Unlike VPN, which requires authentication with each use, DirectAccess authenticates the computer before the user even attempts to access the network.
Easier to use than VPN, the efficiency of DirectAccess is a boon to the productivity of an enterprise?s workforce. With a transparent connection to their corporate network, employees will no longer find themselves enduring the cumbersome process that has soured many? on the use of VPN. Using DirectAccess, the information on a company?s network ? intranet, applications, file-shares ? is accessible wherever the employee finds an internet connection for their portable computer.
Computer Geeks, a leader in on-site technical assistance, prides itself on educating the public about those advances that are relevant to the industry within which we continue to grow. If you have any questions about DirectAccess, never hesitate to call us.? Our technicians are here to assist you.
With the release of Microsoft?s Windows 7 operating system, many of the performance issues present in past installments of this PC mainstay have been addressed, showing a measurable improvement in areas that were once headaches for even the most capable machines. Still, despite what would appear to be Microsoft?s welcome response to the chorus of complaints about XP and Vista, the onset of problems is to be expected for even the latest release. No operating system is immune from the kind of error that results from any number of issues: viruses, spyware, negligence, etc.
Despite how it?s presently running, tomorrow could usher in a set of unanticipated problems, which is to be expected with even new machines. ??Windows 7 (Vista, too) includes a robust set of tools ? all included within one easily accessible menu — that the frustrated user can utilize when attempting to diagnose the source of a problem.
Accessing these tools is as easy as entering a command in the search box that?s located in the Start menu. Once you?ve entered “performance info,” you?ll be greeted by a window from where you can select Advanced tools.
After those tools are available, it becomes apparent that you have at your disposal an impressive assortment of diagnostic options that will ? at the very least — aid you towards determining what lies at the source of your ailing system:
Clear all Windows Experience Index scores and re-rate system
View performance details in Event log
Open Performance Monitor
Open Resource Monitor
Open Task Manager
View advanced system details in System Information
Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows
Open Disk Defragmenter
Generate a system health report
One of the most informative tools you can use is Open Resource Monitor. Like Task Manager, Resource Monitor provides an overview of your system?s resources, allowing you to manage the available resources (RAM, storage, bandwidth) your system has to work with. Unlike Task Manager, which is somewhat vague in its detail, Resource Monitor works at the micro level ? meaning, you?re given a degree of specificity that illuminates how an individual process or application figures into the overall allocation of resources.
Another helpful aid is the Generate a system health report. Akin to having a physical at the physician?s office, this will assess your system?s health, generating an analysis that may enlighten you on what areas you should address when experiencing issues with your computer?s performance.Taking just a few moments, the system analysis will return a report that details every critical facet of your system. Using this diagnostic analysis, you will be left with a clearer picture of how your computer is faring. For example, if there is a driver that?s hindering your ability to listen to sound, this report will highlight that conflict.
These are just the tools that are fairly self-explanatory in their use and interpretation. The more advanced tools ? such as View performance details in Event log ? are just as beneficial, but they require a level of expertise that your average user may be without.
For even the most accomplished technician, the poor performance of a system will remain a problem that never permanently subsides. ?If you have questions about the use of these tools, or would like to know how to solve any problems they unearth, Computer Geeks Is always on hand to provide you that assistance.
For those of you familiar with Microsoft?s Windows Operating System, you?re well aware of how critical it is to keep your system updated with the latest patches released by Microsoft. In addition to steeling you against any security breaches, these updates have been shown to significantly improve the performance of the operating system.
Once a feature that many either ignored or reluctantly used, Windows Update has seen significant gains in its design since the transition to Windows Vista and the recently unveiled Windows 7.
This important feature is now accessible via the search bar located in the Start menu.
As you?ll see, the new Windows Update process has been streamlined, making it easier to manage and assign those updates where needed.
With this Windows Update manager, you can also view all of the updates for MS Products, saving you the time of checking them individually.
If you find yourself questioning just what you?re installing on your computer, you can click the link specified below, which will bring you to a more detailed explanation.
In the past, the installation of some updates has conflicted with the use of certain applications, which can lead to the instability of your system.? Should such a conflict occur, the incompatible update can be removed by simply selecting it from the Uninstall window.
For what you need, many of the updates will be unnecessary, yet you?ll still find them included in the list of updates to install. For those updates you consider needless, right-clicking on them will summon a window from which you?re able to select ?Hide updates.?
Keeping your Windows Updates current is just one of a number of ways for you to ensure that your system is properly functioning.
If you have any questions about what else can be done, feel free to give us a call.
Oftentimes, when arriving to a job with a client, our technicians find that the client has either misplaced or lost their Windows repair disc. While our technicians are? still equipped with the tools that a repair necessitates, it’s always helpful if the client has an extra disc lying around.
Though it?s considerably more stable than previous versions of Microsoft?s operating system, Windows 7 is still susceptible to the occasional crash, requiring the creation of a repair disc for those instances when an unanticipated problem is encountered.
Below, you?ll find the necessary steps to take if you wish to create one:
In the Start menu, bring up the search box and enter:
system repair disc
Once entered, this command will summon a window that allows you to select the drive in which the creation of this disc will occur. Taking up just a minimal amount of space, a CD ? rather than a DVD ? will suffice.
Upon its creation, you?ll have in your possession an invaluable tool that will ease the headache of a system crash.
Now, we?ll look at its use.
Again, Windows 7 has received high marks for its stability, but no operating system is immune to the unforeseen emergence of problems that are often the product of either user error or malware.
If a problem arises, insert your repair disc into your drive and boot Windows from it. Select Windows Setup [EMS Enabled]
Once the boot process has completed, you?ll be able to select various recovery tools or return the computer to a previous system image.
As you see, you?re given a list of options, all them different methods of achieving the same goal: recovery of your system.
While I hope the state of your computer never reaches this stage, having this disc at your disposal should make things easier if it does.
It certainly helps our technicians when they’re onsite.
Computer Geeks specializes in system recovery, and we?re here to help you along that process.
Windows 7 is upon us, ushering in the latest era of Microsoft?s Windows Operating System. Faster and more functional, with less bloat than previous iterations, Windows 7 has been introduced to a surprisingly receptive audience.
But all fanfare aside, the question of its compatibility with your system is of paramount concern. As has been the case with each version of Windows, successfully installing the package is contingent upon the present composition of your system.
To shed light on what requirements your system meets, Microsoft has released a helpful program that aids in highlighting what you?ll need before attempting to upgrade to Windows 7.
Called the Upgrade Advisor, this utility assesses your system, providing an analysis that will leave you with a clearer picture of your computer?s compatibility.
After launching the Upgrade Advisor, you?re met with a welcome screen that prompts you to begin.
Depending on the specifications of your system, the duration of the analysis varies, but it usually lasts just a few minutes.
Upon conclusion of the analysis, Upgrade Advisor produces a report that lists those areas which must be addressed before proceeding with the upgrade.
Without running the Upgrade Advisor, you should know that the minimum requirements for Windows 7 are:
1 Ghz CPU
1 GB of RAM
16 GB HDD
Seeing how well it?s been received, it?s understandable that you could be leaning towards upgrading to Windows 7. Before doing so, you might want to run the Upgrade Advisor.
