Upgrade or Not Upgrade

Windows Vista is here. Our customers have been asking us almost every day whether they should upgrade. The opinions differ wildly.

Preston Gralla tells us in PC World article:

To anyone who has been sitting on the fence over whether to upgrade to Microsoft's new operating system, I'll say it loud and clear: It's time to make the jump. There are plenty of reasons to leave Windows XP and install Vista, and below are my top 15 favorites.

In another PC World article, Mike Elgan begs to differ:

This article is key reading for those of you who are about to download or purchase Windows Vista and install it on a PC. I'm here to talk you out of it. Just say no to LeBron James and Windows Vista--for now. Here's why.

In the small business environment, the question that must be asked, when deciding to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista, is “does it increase the business "bottom line"? The answer, at the moment is “Not Yet.”

What does it mean in practical terms? If you have existing equipment that happily runs Windows XP then we suggest you leave as is. If you’re about to purchase new computer then the answer depends on your needs. You can pick up a computer perfectly capable of running Windows XP which is not, Vista-ready. This computer will be a bargain. On the other hand, if you are after the latest and greatest laptop there is no reason why you should not buy Vista-certified laptop from a well known manufacturer.

How we can help

We recommend, however, that before buying new software you speak to us here at Alexanders. If your business has more than 5 users, chances are that you are qualified for one of the Microsoft Volume Licensing programs. By signing up for the correct licensing program and purchasing your licenses (and that includes Windows Vista) in bulk you can not only save hundreds of dollars but to also guarantee that your software is always up to date.

If you have licensing or any other technology questions please call us on (02) 9438 3233 or email George Doubinski.

Tips & Tricks

Quick email

Imagine you are working on Excel spreadsheet and you realise that you need to send an email. Before you forget, you switch to Outlook if it’s running, or start it if it’s not, then click File->New->Mail Message menu item. After you’re done you switch back to Excel. There is, however, much more efficient way to achieve the same:

• Right-mouse click an empty space on your Desktop then click
  New->Shortcut. Cannot see any empty space? Just press Window key+M on your keyboard – that will minimise all running programs.
• Type (or copy and paste) the following location for the item (keep the double quotes around the program name):
  
  "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\OUTLOOK.EXE" /c ipm.note
  
  
• The shortcut above works for Outlook 2003. If you have different version of Outlook then instead of typing click Browse button and find your Outlook program. Then simply add /c ipm.note after the program name.
• Click Next, type New Email as a shortcut name and click Finish

When you double-click on the shortcut, it will simply open a new email Outlook window (and start Outlook if it’s not running). You can drag and drop this shortcut to your Quick Launch toolbar and creating new mail will become a single click exercise. Happy emailing!

Work, work, work

Our next tip is about the under-used and under-documented Work menu in Microsoft Word. Imagine yourself creating numerous Word documents each day. There are several you know you will want to return to, but by that time they have filtered through your 'recent' documents and are now in some default location. Typically you go looking for them. The Work menu in Word can save a lot of time.

• On the Tools menu, click Customize and then click the Commands tab.
• Under Categories, click Built-in menus, and then from under Commands, drag the Work menu to your toolbar.
• To add a file to the Work menu, open the file, click the Work menu, and then click Add to Work Menu.
• To access a file you've already added, click the Work menu and then click the file name.
• To delete a file from that menu, press Ctrl+Alt+-, and when your mouse cursor turns into a minus sign, click the Work menu and then click the file you want to delete. Happy Wording!