Archive for October, 2009

Upgrading Windows XP to Windows 7

Friday, October 30th, 2009

If you currently have Windows XP, and you want to upgrade to Windows 7, you may be disappointed to find that there really isn’t an “upgrade” option… and the option that is available is going to include some work!  Users all across the nation are reporting problems related to the install of Microsoft’s new OS, but the majority of the complaints and problems are related to Windows XP to 7 upgrades.

Here is the catch – there is no true upgrade from XP.  In order to move from Windows XP to Windows 7, you have to do a full install (also known as a “clean” install).  During the “upgrade” process your Windows XP installation is renamed to windows.old, and then Windows 7 is installed in the windows directory.  This moving of the folders does away with the existing registry which is not transitioned over to the new install, which will cause all user settings, application settings, and system wide settings to disappear.

What does all of this mean to you, the end user? It means that after “upgrading” from XP to Windows 7, you’ll have to re-install all of your applications! As well as move your data, documents, and pictures back over into your new user account.  It is a daunting task for anyone wanting to undertake it… if you are a business, you can of course call us and we’ll be glad to do the install for you.  For the others, see below for some best practice steps for the upgrade.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Windows | 5 Comments »

Windows 7 – Should I Upgrade?

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

If you are someone who works on a computer a lot, or maybe you’re a techie “nerd”, then the question in your mind right now is should I upgrade to Windows 7?

The answer may be simple… if you are currently running Windows Vista, then my suggestion is YES!  I’ve always been one of these people that go out and get the new operating system within a few days of it’s release.  I just like it, I love new technology, being on the “cutting edge” – just jumping in and experiencing new stuff.  I did the same thing when Windows Vista came out, in fact, I went the day of the release.  What a disappointment!

I tried to give it time to improve – I blamed it on the built in search indexing, etc. – but it never got any better.  You undoubtedly know about the security pop-ups, so many that most people disabled the “User Account Control” all together, thus defeating a lot of the security benefits of the upgrade.  Then there was the software incompatibility issue.  Software that was essential to do business was not compatible, now I know that most of you will say that is what you will get when you are an early adopter, so I’ll let that one slide.

(more…)

Posted in Windows | 1 Comment »

Great Coda Plugin Improved

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

Almost all modern software packages have the ability to be extended using plugins – Coda, which is my favorite coding editor, is one such program.  One of the rules I try to stick to when writing code is to always document it, adding comments inside the code so that whoever come behind me will know what is going on, and that I myself will be able to figure out my own coding later!  It’s hard to remember what you were trying to accomplish on a project when you come back to it later, especially if you have worked on several big projects in between.

 
One of the plugins I came across was a comment banner creator.  Here is the deal, inside of Coda, write the text for your comment banner and then hit the keyboard shortcut (control-shift-B) and it turns it into a comment banner.  The problem that I found with the plugin is that it could not handle multiple lines.  For example, the following sample three lines:
(more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in PHP Development, Tools | 1 Comment »

New Site Launch

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

We are happy to launch our new site and new site design today! 

 

You’ll notice our new service offerings, such as our networking and tech support services.  Small and medium size business are feeling the crunch of the economy, most are looking for places to cut back in order to save.  That is where we can step in.  We can replace or supplement your IT department functions by providing network support and repair, PC support, and security services (firewalls, intrusion prevention and detection, and more).

 

Although we have specialized in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for several years, we never had plans and services catered just to SEO, that has now changed.  Our new SEO plans will allow us to focus solely on your website’s search engine rankings!  We also offer custom software development services.  That idea of "if I only had software to do that…" or "this software could be so much better" can become a true software product!

 
Don’t worry though, we are still the professional web designers that you have come to depend upon.  Web design, hosting, and PHP programing.  We are PHP experts that specialize in e-commerce sites, custom inventory and sales systems, shopping cart systems, and anything else you can dream up – if you have a vision, we can make it a reality!

Posted in General | 1 Comment »