Windows Vista, no thank you.

Recently there has been a growing reluctance with the adoption of Winows Vista onto Home and Business computers.  Microsoft really has the big multi-billion dollar computer manufacturers wrapped around their finger.

We here at QC Total Tech do not recommend using Windows Vista, it has performance, stability and compatbility issues.  While Windows Vista has some great  userinterface features, easier to use and looks very pretty it is not ideal for those of you interested in using your computer.  I personally operated with Windows Vista on both my laptop and my tower, my tower is more than adequate for a regular desktop.  Here's an example, when I first installed Windows Vista I loaded it on to my tower and remained with Windows XP on my laptop.  My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 700m, 1 GB of RAM, 60 GB Hard Disk, Intel Centrino 1.8 GHz running Windows XP Professional.  My tower is a Hewlett-Packard DX2200 Intel Pentium 4 3.8 GHz, 160 GB SATA Hard Disk, 2 GB of RAM and a 256 MB nVidia video card.  When I had Vista installed on my tower my laptop outperformed in almost every task.  Especially things that were network related, and in most scenarios my laptop was on wireless (which is slower) and my tower was on a cabled network.  Needless to say I have since converted both computers back to Windows XP Professional.  Windows Vista takes too much power to just run itself.  If you are bent on using Windows Vista I reccomend running with no less than 2GB of RAM, a SATA hard disk and a dual-core processor.  However, unless you have you an actual requirement for Windows Vista, even though it looks very pretty...we're suggesting function over form here...stick with Windows XP.

Note: Microsoft has released Service Pack 1, see this article on Microsoft's website for more information.

Windows Vista is obviously Microsoft's answer to Mac's growing popularity among those who enjoy using their computers and like stability with a pretty interface.  I have developed a theory on this, Microsoft sees consumers as users and Apple sees consumers as customers.  That is a big difference.  You can see it in every aspect of both interfaces, it is this reason that Microsoft has never put emphasis on user inteface customization.  They feel as though their multi-million dollar research is more trustworthy than their customers requests/demands.  To some extent, this is logic is probably true and worth utilizing.

For the record, QC Total Tech is partners with Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Dell...but not Apple...yet.

Earlier I mentioned that Microsoft has the computer manufacturers wrapped around their finger...try and order a brand new (not discontinued or refurbished) computer from the big boys that has Windows XP Professional loaded.  This is next to impossible.  Here is another example, recently we had a client purchase a new Dell XPS laptop with Windows Vista.  This laptop was a top of the line Dell M1330 which is reviewed on every tech news site right now.  Its the 3rd most popular in Notebook Reviewer amongst users.  After a short while of using their Dell XPS they started experiencing general instability issues, lags in performance and just overall dissatisfaction.  They had to reboot, certain devices would reappear for device discovery and some programs would crash at random.  This is all fairly standard for a Microsoft operating system pre-service pack 1.   They asked me about Windows XP, I checked on Dell's site and Dell provided all the drivers for the M1330 for Windows XP Professional, I compared their hardware and it was a perfect match.  I also checked a number of forums and there were people that were successful in this conversion.  So, I replied to my client and informed them that we should be able to downgrade to Windows XP.  I proceed with the conversion when low and behold Windows XP could not detect the SATA hard disks, after a few hours of fighting and trying everything we have in the QC Total Tech arsenal to no avail, I called our Dell partner support.  Dell informed me that while they do provide Windows XP software it is not guaranteed, they did not support it and that most likely it would not work.  Dell explained that the reasoning for them providing software and no support was because of Microsoft, their "tier 2" support said "you know how Microsoft is man, they pushed hard on Vista and we had no choice".   My client actually ended up returning their laptop and upgraded and optimized a current one.   Things are running fine now, but they are not using the product they are had gone to the length and trouble of purchasing and not to mention, the disappointment of having to return an anticipated purchase.  Microsoft has now cost another company a sale, I wonder how often this is happening, I for one am currently not recommending any new computer purchases unless the computer is proven to work with Windows XP.

As a small business owner, I've always embraced the idea of capitalism, survival for fittest, every man for themselves!  I used to knock the mere idea of calling Microsoft a monopoly and thought these people just do not accept capitalism.  You should not punish someone for being successful at what they do.  However, I have recently changed my mind.  Microsoft is a behemoth and their products are growing increasingly shoddy.  This is the most slowly adopted version of Windows yet.  I believe that with the growing popularity and quality of products from companies like Apple and Google, and Open Source technologies that Microsoft has finally "jumped the shark".  Their grip is slowly loosening. 

Technology ultimately exists to improve our lives, make us healthier, wiser, stay in communication and pass on our history for generations to come.  Does Microsoft really do that?  Where do you want to go today?

2008 Will Be An Interesting Year for Technology

Personalize Google

Did you know?

Did you know that you can create a personalized Google search page?  You can add news on entertainment, sports and humor, also widgets like weather and news information.

It's a feature called "iGoogle", visit www.google.com/ig to use this handy feature.

Google Pack

Check out the Google Pack, it includes Picasa Web, the Google Tool bar and much more.  Best of all, its free! Many applications are included that allow you to utilize Google's free services with software on your PC.

VIsit http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html?hl=en&gl=us to download this free software.

FireFox Restart

Tired of FireFox taking up resources and then having to shutdown and pick back up where you left off?

So were we, we found this great add-on.  It installs a "Restart FireFox" option on the File menu, when you click it it will Restart FireFox and take you back with the same tabs, page positions and everything!

Visit https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1249 to download.

802.11n Wireless...is it worth it?

802.11n is the next Wi-Fi standard set, 802.11 is a set of regulations that manufacturers follow to design and produce wireless (Wi-Fi) computer networking hardware.  You can learn more about wireless standards on Wikipedia by visting this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11.  802.11n is to be released in June of 2009, so while many products are currently available they are actually using a "draft" version, we generally don't reccomend purchasing draft versions, this is essentially the same as "beta" software.  A draft version is not finalized and could be changed, so eventually you may have trouble using the hardware with software as updates are released and new versions come out.  Apple is already pushing the 802.11n standard, their website explains their view and how they are already implementing it in many new AirPort devices and Linksys has one wireless access point already supporting the draft version as described on C|NET.com.

So, whats all the hype with 802.11n?  802.11n has a lot of excitement mainly due to the speed increase.  So far with the current standard, 802.11g Wi-Fi has always been subpar compared to the hardwired networks, who have been running 100mbps for at least 10 years now.    802.11g has a speed of 54Mbps, now keep in mind with Wi-Fi thats the max speed, depending on the quality of signal, distance and network saturation (how many people are using the same wireless network as you) your speed can vary quite a bit.  802.11n is going to be offering 250Mbps, yes you heard us right 250Mbps...this over 2x that of the current hardwired standard.  For the first time Wi-Fi would be outperforming hardwired networks.  Most hardwired systems do support 1000Mbps (1gbps) speeds the switches (the stuff that connects your computer to the other computers on the network) that support the faster speeds are quite expensive.  Most of the time 100Mbps is OK, especially considering the vast majority of network use is web access which is usually in the 1Mbps to 5Mbps speed and far less for dial-up.  The other advantage with the new 802.11n standard is the range, the current standard allows a maxium range of around 120 feet inside an average building, 802.11n is doubling that.

802.11n still operates in the 2.4Ghz range, which is the same as most consumer cordless and wireless devices (such as cordless phones, wireless headsets and cell phones). This is disappointing, 2.4Ghz is relatively low in the range of frequencies available in the spectrum.  The core problem with 2.4Ghz is that there are only 11 channels available, only one device per channel, this means that within your 240 feet radius only 10 other wireless devices can be operating without conflict.  This could be a real problem in a standard neighborhood.  So what does that mean?   When a computer device transmits data across a network, whether its cable or wireless, it segments the data into smaller chunks known as packets.  When there are conflicts on the channel the device either moves to another channel or waits for the channel to become available again, this causes the packets to get out of order or "lost", when that happens the communication has to resync and send the packets again, this slows down the communication resulting in a slower speed.  That means while the new standard can handle more data and process it at a higher rate, you are also opening yourself up to more conflicts.   In densely populated areas such as dorms and apartment buildings this could be a real problem.  There is a new technology known as MIMO, which stands for multiple input multiple output, basically 802.11n devices have multiple antennas working together capturing the waves bouncing around the room.  Traditional 2.4Ghz devices use only one or two antennas, there is a lot of skepticism in the industry as to whether or not this actually works or is an improvement.  Research we've seen has not proven this to be much of an improvement.   So, we're not talking major crashes and serious problems, but the advantage that 802.11n provides may not necessarily be worth the upfront cash. 

In conclusion, the changes are dramatic with this new standard and if you're watching budget then make this purchase carefully and we always reccomend waiting until any software or hardware has been released in its final edition.  Spending money on a beta version is not always the most cost effective solution.  For all you technophiles who have to have the latest and greatest, you've probably already bought your draft n wireless cards and access points!

10% off hardware for January 2008

Now through January 31st, 2008: all hardware purchased through our online store is 10% off!

Enter a discount code of NEWYEAR08 to take advantage of this great offer.

FireFox Mobile?

Mozilla recently announced that they are releasing FireFox for the mobile platform...yes that's right FireFox for mobile phones and PDAs. This is great news considering the only two browsers available for PDAs are the mobile version of Internet Explorer, Opera and Minimo. Opera is not free and the others show a limited version of the web. With Apple's recent launch of the iPhone and its stellar view of web sites with their Safari browser.

The Safari "mobile" web browser available exclusively on the iPhone and it displays websites just as it would on a standard workstation (laptop or desktop) PC.

We're assuming we'll see news on first alpha and beta versions in the new few months. Stay Tuned to Total Tech for more information

Wallpaper Now Available

Get the smooth stylings of Total Tech on your desktop!

Click here to go our wallpaper download page

Trend Micro Partnership

DAVENPORT, IA February 01, 2007. Total Tech, a local information technology consulting company, today announced a partnership with Trend Micro. Trend Micro is an industry leader in anti-virus, anti-spyware and malicious software removal products.

"We forged this partnership with Trend Micro to better serve our clients in providing the best in secure technology." says Jason Howell, President of Total Tech.

Total Tech is a privately held company headquartered in Davenport, IA and is a member of the DavenportOne, Bettendorf and Illinois Quad City Chambers of Commerce.