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Welcome to another edition of our monthly newsletter.
After 12 months of full time development, Calido is proud to see our production management software in full operation. This could not have been accomplished without the invaluable assistance by Gumnut Furniture in Brendale - manufacturers of quality outdoor furniture using kwila timber.
Development on Comet will continue throughout the coming years to further enhance the tools available to production managers.
On a side note, the release of the hangout.com.au web portal has been delayed until further notice.
Yours sincerely,
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| Important Security Updates |
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In the past few weeks, Microsoft have release some important CRITICAL updates to the majority of their operating system range of products. It is possible for users to take control of a system across the internet - more information can be found at Microsoft's Security website.
To ensure you are running the latest Microsoft updates, point your browser to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/.
I cannot emphasise strongly enough the importance of maintaining regular data backups.
Think for a second, what would happen if your office building caught fire and you lost everything? What would happen if thieves broke in to your building and stole your computers? Would you have a backup plan?
More regularly than fires, computers and servers do break down. Hard disks do fail, and operating systems do crash.
Backups should contain enough information to restore your system from BRAND NEW. The obvious information such as application data, documents, and emails are often backed up, but don't forget your internet favourites, desktop settings, 'My Documents', and 'My pictures'.
A good data backup plan should include the following key elements:
- Organise a plan: Identify how you are going to backup, what you are going to store the backup on, where you will store the on-site and off-site backups, and most importantly what types of data you will backup
- What to backup:
a) Backup everything - this method can be costly, however it will provide the most reliable and complete method of backup.
b) Selected Files - this method will not require as much backup space, however you must ensure that you backup all files required to bring your machine back to a usable stage.
In particular, all files that are not easily replaceable should be considered essential to your backup plan. These files will include: all custom made documents (such as word processing files, databases, spreadsheets, etc) email storage files, custom address books, accounting files, internet bookmarks, files downloaded from the internet, custom applications that you don't have installation packages for (and the registry entries if applicable), and any other files applicable to your line of work.
- Frequency of backup: You should backup as frequently as the important data on your computer changes. This may be hourly in some case, daily, or even weekly.
- Number of Copies: There should always be 2 copies of each backup made, and they should be rotated periodically. For example, a good system would include 2 backups for each day of the week. Every Friday's backup is stored away for a period of 1 month, and each monthly backup is stored away for a period of 1 year. In this instance, you will need storage mediums for around 36 backups (x 2 for multiple sites).
- Backup Locations: You should always maintain backups at multiple sites. In the event that one location is destroyed (eg. by fire), you will have another set of backups you can rely on.
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| Windows XP - Using restore points |
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Windows XP has revolutionised the problem of registry corruptions, and system file errors that occur at the most in-opportune moments.
I recently had an experience where all of my computers system sounds were not being played. MP3 files played perfectly, and games played fine. Many hours were spent trying to find a solution as to why my system sounds were not playing.
...enter the Windows XP system restore points.
Using the System Restore functionality of Windows XP, I was able to roll my system configuration back to a prior point in time where my sounds were all working. All of my data was still in tact, and no system settings where lost. It was a miracle (or so I though :)
If you would like more information on how to better use the standard XP restore points, there is an excellent article on using them at Microsoft's BCentral website.
Do you have an idea for a article that you would like to see included in the monthly Calido newsletter? Send me an email with your suggestions.
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| Performance of Manufacturing Index |
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The Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index dropped back to Neutral (50.2) for the month of June. Production of Wood products rose slightly after the May decline, however employment rose slightly with finished stocks and deliveries dropping to around 49 points.
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| Looking for a new monitor... |
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What about a Benq P992, 19" monitor?
I own one - but don't let that sway you. The Australia Personal Computer magazine has just voted the BENQ P992 19" monitor as the monitor of the month (August, 2003). This monitor is exceptional value for a 19" monitor and has fantastic colour intensity and constant display across the spectrums.
The P992 19 Flat CRT (18" viewable) delivers precision in a demanding graphic environment without the footprint of a larger monitor. The P992 offers ultra-fine 0.25dpi for photo-realistic images, and a refresh rate of up to 1600x1200@78hz.
- 19" Flat Shadow Mask (18" viewable),
- OSD full function controls
- One-touch "i key" auto calibration
- Ultra-fine 0.25mm AG pitch
- Both D-Sub and BNC connectors
This month, Calido is offering the Benq 992 for $389 inc, RRP $499.
(This monitor carries a 3 year onsite warranty.)
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128Mb Kingston PC 133 SD RAM (limited qty) |
$40 |
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Benq 15" FP581S LCD monitor |
$499 |
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Benq DX650 Projector |
$3399 |
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Prolink GeForce FX5200 128MB DDR Video Card |
$139 |
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Sound Blaster Live Vibra 128 Sound Card - 128Bit |
$30 |
* Prices subject to change/availability. Includes GST.
If you have any positive or negative feedback you would like to share with us, you can now do so anonymously online at: http://www.calido.com.au/.
We value your custom and appreciate any comments you would like to share on our service, products or even pricing.
The questionnaire will only take a minute and you can rest assured that your opinions will be read and taken on board to further improve our service to you.
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