Computers in Mablethorpe by Tiny Island Computers

Rate of change

2011-05-03T22:10:00.002+01:00

It's over a year since I regularly updated this blog (I got busy!) but looking at the last few posts I don't think you've missed much. HTML 5 still isn't really ready to be used and since IE9 isn't available for Windows XP most current PCs will never support it - although Windows XP is slowly moving over to Windows 7 in the home if not the office.

Flash is definitely on the way out though with most 'right thinking' web designers proffering open standards and semantic code though there are a few (ones who can't write code?) desperately hanging on. As yet it's still not supported on Apples iPod, iPhone or iPad. I notice my own (ancient) website still uses a bit of Flash - I'll get round to it one day......

Speaking of iPads I did get one and I'm using it right now. They really are an amazing bit of kit and perfect for the 'casual' user who just wants to surf the net and get email. Now that computers are a mainstream consumer product Windows is looking far too technical and temperamental for this new 'non geek' user base and this is where the iPad comes in. The problem is if everyone moves to devices that don't go wrong there will be a lot less work for IT professionals - at least in the home market.

Wordpress Websites

2011-02-09T09:06:00.003Z

I continue to use WordPress as a way of making a quick site that the user can update themselves. I firmly believe hand coding is the only path to website perfection but when the budget is limited and the site doesn't have to look amazing or have perfect SEO then you can't beat it for speed (and therefore cost).

Here's a few examples of my recent WordPress sites:

Mablethorpe Motorcycle Festival

Relate Lincs

East Lindsey CAB

Most relaxing day ever

2010-05-10T18:55:00.002+01:00

I've had a more relaxing (and less productive) day than I have at weekends and all becuase I was working with a BT engineer. Nice guy but wow - these big companies have such crazy systems setup that they just can't get anything done! We spent over 2 hours just waiting for a courier to bring a part from Grimsby that until recently the engineer would have had on his van - this way is more efficient apparantely....

I think in all the guy was onsite about 4 hours and had completed a 3 and a half hour round trip to do about 45mins work. I want his job!!

Still after 5 years of BT saying it's not their problem I finally managed to be there with the engineer and stand over him until he admitted it was their problem and fixed it. A great day for me and my customer and I'm the most refreshed I've felt since the xmas holidays!

Spam mail experiment

2010-04-06T22:27:00.003+01:00

Like everyone else I get so many emails that I often miss ones that are important because I can’t see the wood for the trees. 7 days ago I decided to use the unsubscribe options on all the unwanted marketing emails I received in the next week. I kept a list and in 7 days I've opted out of 27 mailing lists! It's made quite a difference which just goes to show how regular some of these emails were being sent.

I'd recommend it to anyone but remember never respond to scam mails as you are just proving your email address is valid making it a bigger target for spam.

Do I buy an iPad?

2010-03-29T21:37:00.005+01:00

I wouldn't buy an iPad because I think it is a cool toy or to be trendy becuase I’m not into gadgets or fashion.

What I like about the iPad is it's ergonomics. I do allot of research online and want something I can use whilst sat in a comfy chair or even in bed. I use my iPhone for quick eBay checks etc but the screens too small for much more. My netbook gets me away from the desk but I still have to be sat at a table which I don't find comfy.

If I could replace my netbook with an iPad I would but I need the netbook to take out on jobs to test networks etc.. If it was £150 I'd pre-order one right now but since I've already got internet access on my PC, netbook, iPhone and PS3, £300 is hard to justify.

Of course there will be copycat products, hopefully at lower price points but running what OS? Microsoft have dropped the ball on mobile operating systems... and when they tried to pick it up they accidentally kicked it even further away... and then a dog got it and ran off.

Well I'm no nearer to deciding whether I'll get one or not but I've fancied a tablet PC since they first appeared and Apples is the first that looks small enough to hold like a magazine. Hmm maybe I should just buy more magazines - £300 buys allot of magazines... Oh well - I'll let you know.

Just looking at that pic it's hard to believe that Star Trek Fans won’t buy it if no-one else!

IT Humour

2010-03-29T14:19:00.002+01:00

Wow Microsoft just sent an email that wasn’t incredibly boring - look a cartoon!

Flash in the pan?

2010-03-23T22:09:00.002Z

I've never been a big fan of Flash. I'm not impressed by shiny things and all too often Flash has been used for purely aesthetic reasons. It's also rubbish for SEO and a pain to update.

Thankfully you virtually never see websites entirely built in Flash these days, it's also been banished from site navigation. The main, and best, use of Flash is as a way of showing video without requiring an imbedded player to be present.

Up and coming web standards promise to let us achive some of what we would have previously turned to Flash for. Mobile devices demand plain, fast to download content. Best of all the iPhone, iTouch and iPad don't support flash content.

So is Flash a technological dead end? Ultimately if Apple doesn't adopt it soon sites that need to perform (as opposed to just look good) will be stripping it out. For myself if HTML5 improvements can help me achieve the same effect then I know which I'd rather use.

My predication is that Flash will continue to slowly fade away save for embedded videos and misguided and obtrusive advertising.

(Then again I was once convinced that Javascript was dead since it was so badly supported and could often be replaced with rock solid server side scripting. Improved browser compatibility and AJAX has made Javascript an essential web technology.)

Network Job In Scunthorpe

2010-03-22T17:56:00.004Z

Wired networking in offices seems to be back as everyone decides that wireless isn't really up to the job. That’s what happened in this office in Scunthorpe anyway, sadly they didn’t know me when they wired the whole building but I have just added a further 21 points for a mixture of phone and computer use. The rack isn't quite up to my standards but save for the empty patch bay I put in (labelled C) I can honestly say 'it was like that when I got here' :o)

As Scunthorpe is an hour and half's drive away we tried to fit allot of work into one day to avoid a return trip - end result we got back to Mablethorpe just before midnight. Phew...

CPC - Good customer service

2010-03-17T22:24:00.002Z

It's only fair to point out that CPC have sent a very apologetic email and corrected the issue with my account so I can have goods delivered straight to the customer. Since they sorted it I apologised for calling them 'idiots'...

CPC - Bad customer service

2010-03-11T15:25:00.005Z

I've realised I only write two types of blog entry. There’s the "Here's an interesting thing I did" entry and there's the bitter rant. Tighten your seat belts...

I have a networking job on Saturday so as usual I ordered wire, trunking and faceplates from CPC about a week in advance but, uniquely, I told CPC to deliver them straight to the customer as I have no easy way of transporting 3m lengths of trunking down a motorway.

I checked the order status today expecting it to have been delivered and was amazed to see it had been marked 'cancelled'. To quote my letter to CPC 'what sort of idiot cancels a customer’s order without contacting the customer first to resolve the issue?'. Even worse they didn’t even contact me afterwards to say they had done it. Crazy.

I rang, gave my account number and was told the order was cancelled because I had specified a delivery address different to that on my Credit Card - which you can’t do without and account. I pointed out that I had just given them my account number. I'm informed that my account is just the temporary one that's used for the first order - which doesn’t qualify as an account. I pointed out that I had been making regular orders since February 2007.

The long and short of it is their systems gone wrong - they can’t fix it - they couldn't sort the order out for me and I was left to go back to the website and go through the whole process again only this time paying extra for the next day delivery that is now required - and having it delivered to my own address.

If it doesn’t arrive tomorrow I'll do a charge back on the credit card to cancel the order.... But I won't tell them.

Amazon80 - Amazon with an 80% discount!

2010-02-21T23:06:00.002Z

That's two websites in one evening - not bad.

Amazon80 consists of a link to each of Amazons categories that only shows products with a discount of 80% or more. It sounds interesting doesn't it?! You can visit it now at www.amazon80.co.uk.

Amazon's Hottest Products

2010-02-21T20:45:00.004Z

Amazons Hottest Products is another free market research tool to go alongside my existing Google's Hottest Products website. These sites are just quirky learning exercises for me but the next one is the one you will all want to use - watch this space...

Surf Tuition Website

2010-02-15T16:51:00.003Z

This website was almost really, really pretty. The customer had his own ideas though and, to my mind, the header clashes with the rest of the site. Still I was working for 2 times European Surf Champion Grishka Roberts so I wasn't going to argue with him.

Check out Pro Surf Tuition website and see what you think.

Mablethorpe Marathon

2010-02-12T14:54:00.002Z

I've helped out the Marathon Committee with a temporary home page for the Mablethorpe Marathon while the full site is put being together by a volunteer. It's a new domain so the more links to it the better it's Google page rank and in that spirit:

Visit the Mablethorpe Marathon website.

Spot the phone point

2010-02-05T21:47:00.003Z

Here's a fun game just like spot the ball!

I'm helping a business in Louth move office and last week installed the data cabinet and wiring for the network and phone points. Below the cabinet you can see I have left a big sign asking BT to install the fax line in the place we need it to be.

So the game is to print off the pic and put some crosses where you think BT will actually install the point!

I'll post the results when there in.....

Acer v's HP/Compaq

2010-02-05T21:33:00.003Z

Here's a pic of the 8 PC's I setup in Skegness on Monday and it reminded me of a small but significant difference between Acer and HP/Compaq PC's - or at least the ones I've been setting up lately.

You see all these PC's all have a Windows 7 license and XP Pro 'downgrades'. You'll note the 5 HP desktops have booted straight into the later part of the XP setup but the 3 Acer laptops are going through the 'Put disk 1 in - now put disk 2 in - reboot - now put disk 1 back in....' XP restore process as they actually came with Windows 7 pre-installed.

Microsoft must be going crazy that HP are actually pre-installing XP but when you have 8 PC's to setup onsite it’s a time saving worth having. The bottom line is next time I'll hopefully remember and keep sure we get HP machines instead of Acer.

Google's Hottest Products

2010-02-01T19:55:00.003Z

Keen to buy or setup a webshop I have spent allot of time on the web researching the market and looking for niches. It's surprising what information is available but it takes a bit of finding.

For non boffins I decided to stick the most important info into one place and, just to prove to myself that these things don't work, I've sprinkled it in adverts like a proper internet Del-Boy.

The site shows the most searched for phrases on Google Products in the last 7, 30 and 90 days - valuable info for retailers and anyone wanting to study business trends. Check it out at www.googleshottestproducts.com

What PC should I buy?

2010-02-01T19:20:00.004Z

I get asked this so many times I have decided to make a blog entry to refer people to. The below assumes you are after an everyday PC for surfing, emails word processing etc..

Brand: HP/Compaq, Acer, Toshiba(laptops), Dell

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (i7 is better but expensive)

RAM (memory): Not less than 2GB - more if you into photo / video editing

Hard Disk Drive (storage): Not less than 120GB - more if you are into photo's and as much as possible if you into video editing.

Operating system: Windows XP Pro 32bit for business, Windows 7 64bit for home (check you existing software and peripherals are compatible)

AntiVirus: Home - AVG Free & MalwareBytes Free. Business - depends on setup.

Other Software: Do you need Microsoft Office? Home and Student 2007 gives Word, Excel and Power Point licensed for 3 PC's at around £80. 2007 Pro is for business at about £320 - discounted licensing options are available for multiple copies.

Where to buy: ebuyer.com - dabs.com - pcwb.co.uk - if you prefer to buy in a shop go to PC World but don't let them sell you extras! Sorry, I don't want to sell you one as there's no margin in it anymore and I don't want to pass the VAT threshold!

Second Hand: In my opinion second hand is never worth it as new is now so cheap and certain PC components do wear out.

Independent Shops: Support them if you can but make sure you have a genuine Windows license sticker on the case with a product key on - without this you do not have a legal copy of Windows and I see this allot! Also be aware that with a home built PC you cannot just go to hp.com etc.. to download drivers/software in the future - this is also true of many of the more 'Mickey mouse' brands.

The only other considerations are some PC's will have firewire (aka iLink aka IEEE1394) which you may want to connect your video camera to your PC with. Do you need a wireless network connection? Laptops will have them, desktops generally won’t but if you can use the wired connection it's much better.

You may find a media card reader handy for digital camera memory cards and most PC's have them now. With laptops 15" screen is the norm and is a good compromise between ease of use and portability - 17" makes for a big machine but well suited if it's going to stay on your desk. If you'd like to make video calls then a laptop with a built in webcam is a neat solution. Don't forget to buy a decent case with your laptop if you'll be carrying it around.

When you've bought it don't forget to give me a call to set it up for you!

iPod in Ford Focus gives no sound

2010-01-27T21:33:00.005Z

I'm on a roll but this is the last entry - probably for months!

Earlier this week I went to see a retired chap in Alford who had a brand new Ford Focus and an iPod that wouldn't get along. The Focus has a USB port into which the standard iPod wire connects giving the head unit control of the iPod. So far so good but no sound.

The customer had taken it to the Ford dealer (NOT THE ONE IN MABLETHORPE I HASTEN TO ADD!) who didn't seem to know much about it but tried the iPod in a couple of new cars with the same results and declared the iPod was probably at fault.

With this knowledge I arrived armed with my iPhone and my cable but it behaved just as the customers had suggesting it was either the car or we were missing something simple. The something simple turned out to be Fords special cable pictured above - available from your dealer (if they have heard of it) or from eBay at around £20 (just type in ford ipod cable).

I hope this post helps somebody as well as illustrating the wide array of challanges my customers like to set me!

DO give up the day job

2010-01-27T20:53:00.005Z

Firstly I'll stress that this job came to me while out of the county so no locals are implicated!

For whatever reason a computer shop decided the customers laptop needed a new motherboard and duly did the swap. However the customer found he now had no wi-fi. Not to happy with the shops work he took it to his regular IT guy who had a look and said Windows needed to be removed and re-installed.

Not wanting to boast but after 2 mins in Windows it was clear to me that the PC simply wasn’t seeing the Wifi card and half a dozen screws later I was looking at the answer as shown in the pic. The Wifi cards gold contacts on the top edge should be IN that socket - not lying on top of it. And connecting the black and white aerial wires would also be a pretty good idea.

Where to begin?

The computer shop who fitted the new motherboard - how could they do the rest of the job correctly and mess up something as simple as this? How come they didn't spot it in testing? A real cynic (guilty) would almost wonder if it was done on purpose to be fixed at a later date and at additional cost?

And the IT guy who was going to carry out an expensive format that would have achived absolutely nothing - well we all miss things from time to time but knowing that the motherboard had just been changed it wasn’t rocket science to check the WiFi card was present and correctly seated.

What concerns me is that businesses and individuals rely on PC's massively. Internet connectivity is almost now considered a human right (no really!). And yet ANYONE can call themselves an IT expert and come into people’s homes and businesses to charge good money to potentially do more harm than good.

I won’t bang on again about my qualifications and certificates.. diplomas... training courses and years of experience.... and I’m insured... AND I give receipts and pay tax.... Sorry... But it upsets me to see people being ripped off and my industry being so full of cowboys – surely something akin to CORGI registration is required.

Don't you just love Telecoms Engineers?

2010-01-27T20:39:00.006Z

I have previously posted the 'before' picture of this rack installed over Easter 09 in Grimsby but I never got around to posting the other pic which shows what the telecoms guys did to it. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry but they sure made the standard of my work look good.

Always check the basics

2010-01-27T20:28:00.004Z

Shortly after the lightening strike job (previous entry) a business in Mablethorpe asked me to come and see why their network was down - another quick diagnosis as there router's powers supply had expired and actually melted a hole in the casing.

Not a common failure but you have to wonder how close it was to catching fire?

Lightening Strike

2010-01-27T20:20:00.005Z

A while ago I helped a chap in Sutton on Sea after his house got struck by lightening taking out his computer and, in fact, almost every electrical item he owned.

After installing the new PC and router the ADSL failed to connect to the exchange. It didn’t take long to realise that although BT had been there 'for hours' they hadn’t actually tested, or even inspected, half of the telephone system. What I found was melted cables and two blown faceplates (the 'best' one is pictured above).

Thanks to Robert Watson's Home Hardware we were soon up and running once more and the customer kept the faceplate as a souvenir.

Computer networking in Skegness

2010-01-27T20:11:00.004Z

I never get around to blogging anymore so here's something I could have posted last summer when I actually did the job. A customer in Skegness was having some alterations to the building and decided it was a good time to do a proper job with the network.

What makes this job stand out was that it was the first time a customer agreed to go completely Gigabit which has made browsing on the file server almost as fast as browsing on local machines.

6 months on I'm pleased to say there hasn’t being a single fault.

Closing for Christmas

2009-12-17T16:56:00.002Z

After a very busy period I’m pleased to be closing the offices a little earlier than usual this year and will re-open on January 4th

A quick note to anyone disappointed not to have received a Tiny Island Computers Christmas card this year – I didn’t get time to organise the printing so please don’t take it personally!

2009 has been a very strong year but, as many of my customers know, I have now reached the point were I am often booked a full week ahead which is causing problems when customers have urgent issues. I’m not sure where the answer lies but will be considering the situation at length during the holidays.

Flash links are broken

2009-12-02T19:34:00.003Z

While I'm ranting lets go for the hat trick!

Due to security Flash animations can't link to outside domains. So I have a flash banner which scrolls links that take you to other pages on the site, if you are looking at the site via the domain http://www.mysite.com it's fine, if you are on http://mysite.com it thinks that’s an external domain and refuses to link to it. Dumb.

I have tried using both absolute and relative paths but it makes no difference, probably because I have to use a baseref tag which may be allowing the relative paths to act as absolute.

The answer in the user groups is to build a file called crosssdomain.xml and put it in the websites root. Doesn't work.

Blogger doesnt understand HTML entity names

2009-12-02T15:44:00.004Z

I say I say I say - what's a free web service owned by Google that can't handle the basic html entity names in its templates? Blogger! Well it seems like a joke to me.

Forget spaces, ampersands, copyright signs, bullet point etc... The validation just says it can’t understand the code but doesn’t say why. Half an hour on the forums and I find someone being told to use the numeric equivalents (here's a table). I assume that works but haven’t the energy left to try right now.

I know all you web programmers think Microsoft is rubbish but coming from an MS background where the standards where set by a single company, training, certification and support where all available, programming languages came with debugging tools and development environments... well... I have to say all this open source and free stuff is pathetic by comparison.

With MS tools you can quote a job and make a profit - with this web stuff it's pot luck depending on wether what worked yesterday works today. I hope one day things move on because at the moment it's amateur hour and these tools aren’t fit for business use.

Free webservices are costing me a fortune

2009-12-02T13:52:00.003Z

I havent blogged for months but wouldnt you know Im here as thearpy to complain about yet another free webservice that doesnt work.

Today it's feedburner that's wasted hours of my day as I try and create a simple banner for a website that will cycle through the last 5 headlines on the related sites blog. This is all inbuilt into feedburner using the publicise function but sadly it cant handle the idea of making the headline a single line in a wide box - you can set the width to be wide but the text will still wrap way before the edge of the box. There is a wrap text tick box - but the text wraps regardless of the setting. Best of all when its finished it just shows the most recent headline and entirely fails to animate.

The Google FeedBurner Help pages feature basic instructions based on the assumption that everything works and also feature many missing graphics. No way to report the fault, no way to get in touch.

As a final note by logging into blogger to make this post I have inadvertantly logged into feedburner too and its giving me the helpfull page title 'My feeds think the rotation doesn't look like much after all'. Make up your own mind...

Vista - it gets worse

2009-09-16T11:04:00.002+01:00

I've been playing musical routers this morning, testing a few and swapping my backup one for my regular one which I had lent to a customer. All of this has meant my Vista PC, which uses DHCP, has had to move between several different IP ranges. And guess what? It couldn’t do it. Not automatically, not even using ipconfig /renew. Every time I needed it to talk to a new IP range I had to reboot the PC.

Thankfully Windows 7 is nearly here. MS will be sending me a free copy of the release version very soon and I can't wait. I will continue running a machine with XP on as that's what 99% of my clients use but as far as Vista is concerned - it'll never darken my hard drive again!

Mablethorpe Boatshed

2009-08-10T09:02:00.004+01:00

I am pleased to announce that I have been invited onto the Mablethorpe Boatshed's committee as their technical adviser now that they are a UK online centre.

New Tiny Island Computers Website

2009-07-04T13:36:00.004+01:00

I've been playing with a new website for the business for almost a year but have never got around to finishing it but I recently realised how out of date the old one was and swiftly put up what I've got at www.tinyislandcomputers.co.uk.

An old boss of mine used to recite 'the cobblers boy always has broken shoes' when we complained our own IT systems weren’t as good as those we installed for our customers and I can see his point. There's just not much fun in designing you own website when you know you could be doing the same work for someone else an being paid for it!

Vista - About to be put out of its misery

2009-06-15T17:39:00.002+01:00

Vista has been a massive flop for and with Microsoft realeasing Windows 7 in October it's clear they want to move on.  MS will tell you that they have sold over 200 million copies of Vista - and while that might be true it's very misleading.  Take the 3 laptops in the picture right, they were sold running Vista but with an XP 'downgrade' option which I am exercising here whilst preparing them for an office that remains standardised on Windows XP.

So why was Vista a flop?  Well everyone has an opinion but here are a few of mine.
1) Business don’t replace their PC's as often as MS would like and often skip an OS as a result.  Many offices went straight from NT4 to XP without ever buying a copy of Windows 2000.
2) When Vista came out I predicted it's biggest problem was that XP worked so well no one would want to upgrade - I think I was right!
3) Users are very quickly irritated when the interface is changed.  I hear people say they 'hate' Vista - and I couldn’t even publish what they say about Office 2007!  If you’re going to change things you had better make the new system massively better than the old one or I'll keep on hearing the phrases 'if it isn’t broke don’t fix it' and 'why couldn’t they have just left it as it was?’ being bandied around offices.

So will Windows 7 be any better?  Well the previews are all very positive - but - all the new features seem like incredibly minor additions / changes / fixes.  It really sounds like the finished version of Vista and, if it is stable and compatible then I’m sure people will start to buy new PC's with it on (I bet we never see a 'Vista Downgrade!').  I’m sure enthusiasts will love it but for people who just want to get their work done.... well I just hope they haven’t moved things around too much!

Computer Networking

2009-04-27T20:59:00.006+01:00

Tiny Island Computers took advantage of the Easter weekend to install a 39 point network for a customer in Grimsby using some 630 metres of cable in the process.

Pictured is the data cabinet featuring a pair of 24 port Netgear smart switches and a Cisco router. IT professionals will recognise I take pride in a nice, tidy job here - not all data cabinets end up so organised!

I couldn’t impress the office staff with cabinet but they are happy that network browsing, printing and data transfers are so much faster and crucially that they are no longer loosing work due to the wireless network dropping out. This morning the CEO extended his person thanks saying he was 'delighted' with the results which is great to hear.

Mablethorpe Webcam

2009-04-20T14:06:00.005+01:00

Just a brief link to the Mablethorpe webcam (installed by Tiny Island Computers) which is back online after the last camera died. The camera is hosted by the Extreme Horizon online surf shop and can be found by scrolling down its homepage.

Blu-ray - coming to a PC near you soon?

2009-03-06T20:01:00.009Z

Now that HD-DVD is all but forgotten Blu-ray is quickly beginning to appear in PC's and laptops with internal BD (Blu-ray Disk) drives starting at £55 and writers around £130. Blank media remains pricey however with 25GB blanks costing around £25 for 10 - still that's 250GB of backup - around 53 DVD's or 357 CD's.

Another reason to buy a BD drive would be to watch HD movies on your PC but beware. Home movies aren't a problem but for commercial releases your setup has to support HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), a system aimed at preventing copying of HD content that applies to your BD drive, graphics card, software player and even monitor.

Luckily CyberLink has created the free CyberLink Blu-ray Disc Advisor utility which scans your PC and reports which items are compatible and which need replacing - don't even think of buying a BD drive without checking - even owners of fairly new systems are likely to be disappointed.

Those poor folk who bought HD-DVD movies will be cheered to know that LG do a drive combining a BD reader, HD-DVD reader and DVD read/writer for £80 which may help them make the switch to Blu-ray without losing the use of their existing movies.

Finally an obvious point that seems to be lost on many - remember for the true HD experience you need 1080 horizontal lines and that means a 24" screen or larger!

Mobile internet access - buyer beware!

2009-02-01T21:53:00.003Z

Mobile internet access has been around for a while but is finally going mainstream. You add a USB 'dongle' to your PC, pop a SIM card in it, and hey presto you can access the internet anywhere you can find a mobile signal.

All the providers are on board with pay as you go and contract deals and despite being a fairly new product prices are reasonable.

However! Tiny Island Computers urges you to decide exactly what you need to do with your dongle and be sure to buy the right one. I have several customers using Vodafone dongles (both pre-pay and contract) to access secure VPN's via Citrix but not all providers would allow this. Amazingly I have heard that the Virgin product doesn't even allow SMPT mail server access!

Back at work!

2009-01-12T17:18:00.003Z

I started back on the 5th and, on top of other urgent jobs, have managed almost 40 hours programming in seven days - so one week after returning to work and I'm ready for a break!

Now the programming is finished I'm running around catching up on the smaller jobs. Tomorrow I'll be seeing 3 customers in Alford, 1 in Burgh Le Marsh, 2 in Skegness and 1 in Sutton on Sea. And people keep asking me if business is slowing down...

Christmas Opening Hours

2008-12-23T20:47:00.002Z

After a particularly busy three months I've decided to close from now (Dec 23rd) until the 5th of January and have some time to relax. Happy Christmas!

Argos Conference

2008-11-20T16:17:00.004Z

I really have been too busy to blog lately but as things wind down for Christmas I hope to make amends and also (finally) launch the new Tiny Island Computers website.

One of the more interesting jobs of recent weeks was working at Mablethorpe’s 'Golden Sands' Haven Holiday park who were hosting two conferences for Argos.  I was called upon to prepare the wiring to link 2 projectors and a screen to a PC for power point presentations etc and to assist the 7 suppliers, each of which had their own laptop and projector setup.

In the event I also ended up in the sound both triggering presentations, working the stage lights, playing music and riding the microphone volumes.  A big thanks to Rick who assisted with the music.

This is the fourth conference I have looked after and by far the biggest with 500 people attending on the busiest day.  It's always quite stressful but I enjoyed working with both the Haven and Argos staff and doing something out of the ordinary.

Wireless Hot Spots

2008-10-22T12:28:00.003+01:00

Pubs, guesthouses, hotels, cafe's - everyone wants to provide free wireless internet access to their customers and I've seen many different solutions employed.

The most basic method is to remove the security from an existing wireless router to let your customers join your existing network. This is a very bad idea as not only can your customers interfere with your equipment, they can interfere with each others.

At the opposite end of the scale are providers like BT Openworld but they all seem to have draw backs, for example BT want to sell access by vouchers that expire after 24 hours - no good for a 10 minute email/eBay check each day whilst on holiday.

So what's the right solution for a typical Mablethorpe business? I recommend a wireless access point that provides an additional wireless network in which connecting computers can access the internet but not each other. This runs alongside your existing network and shares the same ADSL line so keeps costs down.

Why not give me a call if you would like to be able to offer free wireless broadband access for the next season?

Happy birthday Google

2008-09-04T12:06:00.002+01:00

Google is 10 years old today and has emerged as the 'daddy' of all search engines - in the UK 9 out of 10 searches are carried out on Google.

It's still not clear if Google is the friendly, cuddly organisation it claims to be or an evil empire in the making finding ever more ways to harvest our personal information, browsing and shopping habits (did you know that Google Mail scans your emails, picks out keywords and shows you relevant adverts while you read them)?

What is clear though is they want to compete with Microsoft and to that ends Google has just released their new new internet browser Chrome. It lets you look at web pages in tabs, has history and bookmarks and is free to download and install. Why create a free product that does exactly what several other free products already do? Some suggest it's just to annoy Microsoft but I wonder how closely Google is watching the pages you look at, the emails you send and the purchases you make using Chrome. With absolutely no reason to use Chrome I'll avoid it, at least until we find out if Google is cuddly or evil.

Acer Aspire One Mini Laptop

2008-08-24T11:27:00.006+01:00

When the ASUS Eee was launched I wanted one to carry in my toolbox. I held on for the upgraded models but they came upgraded prices. Knowing that some 25 similar machines were being produced I waited a little more and have just bought an Acer Apsire One for a little over £200.

Mine is an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor with 512MB RAM (which I'll upgrade to 1.5GB) a 120GB hard disk drive and 1040x600 9" screen. I saved a few pennies by buying a Linux equipped model and upgrading it with one of my copies of Windows XP using the Acer supplied XP drivers.

These new mini-laptops or 'netbooks' are taking the IT world by storm and I'm amazed how much I have got for my money.

EPROM Programming

2008-08-09T10:10:00.005+01:00

I’ve mentioned before that I sometimes get called on to repair PC based arcade machines and recently I’ve been duplicating the EPROM chips used by fruit machines to replace damaged units.

Firstly a set of good EPROMs are borrowed from a working machine and read using a programmer connected to a PC onto which the data is saved. The replacement EPROMs first need to be blanked using an EPROM eraser – a small box with an ultraviolet light at the exact frequency required to reset the chip.
Finally the new EPROMS are placed in the programmer and the data transferred from the laptop to the chip.

It sounds simple but there’s a few tricks you need to learn and since the equipment came without English instructions I had to learn by trial and error. So if you need and EPROMs copying or programming it’s yet another service that Tiny Island Computers can offer.

Remote IT support service based in Mablethorpe

2008-07-18T15:18:00.002+01:00

Mablethorpe is a challenging setting for any business with half of our catchment area being populated only by fish and the reminder mostly fields with a few small towns linked by very poor roads. I believe offering a remote service is the logical response allowing me to spend more time working and less driving.

Tiny Island Computers has made a significant investment in a remote support service allowing me to log into remote computers to troubleshoot problems without the need for a site visit. The service is very professional and used by big companies like Sage, Honda and O2. Many problems can now be fixed almost immediately with no need for a callout charge - it's even better for the environment!

At this stage remote support is only available for existing customers by prior arrangement (i.e. call first).

Amazon Merchant Transport Utility

2008-07-12T21:36:00.006+01:00

I haven't quite shook programming yet but at least I'm doing some interesting stuff at the moment.  A nationwide company has begun selling stock direct from its warehouse through a variety of online sales portals.  I have been tasked with writing some software to pick up the sales, print invoices and update the in house stock control systems.

I started with Amazon which proved to be a doddle thanks to the Amazon Merchant Transport Utility (AMTU).  The AMTU handles all the coms and all I have to do is pick up text files from a folder at regular intervals and process their contents.  As an added bonus I can drop appropriately formatted files into a second folder to send information back to Amazon e.g. when goods have been shipped.

It's funny that in the age of online coms and data integration we've come back to moving text files around and parsing them but it's simple and it works a treat.

Now that the system is running smoothly I am integrating data from their own web shop which is held on an MS SQL server.  The next target will be eBay which, I'm told, has a system very much like Amazons.

Arcade Machines Running Windows

2008-06-19T20:01:00.006+01:00

Mablethorpe has many arcades and therefore a fair few arcade engineers who service and repair the machines.  However sometimes the engineers call Tiny Island Computers in because the majority of the machines today have a Windows PC inside!

Last week I fixed some data corruption on a unit that couldn’t boot to Windows.  The 'Let Me Dance' machine videos you and adds your image onto a pop video which it then burns to DVD.

It uses two screens, a camera, a DVD writer with an automatic feeder to insert and remove the DVD's, a printer for the DVD labels and a dispenser for the DVD case.  It's so complex I'm amazed it can get through a day without some form of attention but at least it's on XP - most of the other machines are still running Windows 98!

How will the slowing economy affect Tiny Island Computers?

2008-06-07T10:17:00.001+01:00

The hot topic with both suppliers and customers is that they are beginning to feel the start of the economic slowdown. One supplier of reconditioned PC’s this week sent a stock list of parts (rather than PC’s) stating that, in the face of slowing sales, repairs are keeping many of us going!

My business model is based on low overheads and steady growth serving a broad range of customers. I couldn’t be better placed to ride out a recession and I feel totally validated in choosing not to run a shop, hire staff or take on any debt. I did jobs in Chapel St Leonards, Skegness, Mawthorpe, and three locations in Alford yesterday so the perhaps the biggest change to my business, considering the rising cost of fuel, should be switching to a smaller engine car...

iBall

2008-05-24T10:41:00.002+01:00

I always intended to blog my more interesting and unusual jobs so here's proof that I really will tackle anything that connects to a PC.

The iBall is a plastic sphere with a vertical strip of LED's spinning around inside drawing pictures, text and even animations onto the surface of the ball. The software to configure the iBall is atrocious but where others had tried and failed Tiny Island Computers persevered and was able to install this eye catching device in Mablethorpe's The Fairway pub in time for the bank holiday weekend as the owner requested.

CompTIA A+ Certified IT Technician

2008-05-20T21:21:00.005+01:00

I'm pleased to announce that today I have passed the second of the two exams required for me to become a certified Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+ Technician.

CompTIA A+ certification validates the latest skills needed by today's computer support professionals. It is an international, vendor-neutral certification recognised by major hardware and software vendors, distributors and resellers. CompTIA A+ confirms a technician's ability to perform tasks such as installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking. The exams also cover domains such as security, safety and environmental issues and communication and professionalism.

This certification, along with my existing training from Microsoft, Netgear and BTEC, underlines the quality of service offered by Tiny Island Computers.

Further exams are already booked - watch this space...

Mablethorpe web cam back online

2008-05-16T20:07:00.002+01:00

I spent most of this morning laid on dusty concrete in the roof space of the lifeboat station replacing a dead router. Not the best working environment (although I've known worse) but the practical upshot is that the Mablethorpe Web Cam is now back on line after about a week of down time.

Fake emails

2008-05-07T11:09:00.002+01:00

It has become obvious that someone is sending emails out to local business in my name using the address christopherdrew.is@googlemail.com (not one I use). These emails appear to be designed to damage my excellent reputation. If you receive an email claiming to be from Christopher Drew and / or Tiny Island Software / Tiny Island Computers that you are suspicious of please do not reply but contact me using the details on www.tinyislandsoftware.com.

The police are investigating this and other, possibly related, incidents so it is important that we gather as much evidence as possible.

Website for Beverley Golf Club

2008-04-15T20:49:00.004+01:00

I have recently completed a website for the Beverley and East Riding Golf Club which uses a voice over on the course tour.

To record the audio I invested in a Zoom H2 which contains 4 microphones, records to an SDCARD and connects to a PC via USB. I think you'll agree the sound quality (even after compression) is excellent and it was allot easier than taking a microphone, amp, analogue to digital convertor and a laptop!

The only problem now is finding a use for this gadget. I might have to begin pod casting...

Another interactive gallery

2008-03-28T21:20:00.003Z

I'm really pleased with this interactive gallery for the Mablethorpe Visions project designed to get members of the community to upload pictures of the town.

Teenager + Limewire + Norton Antivirus = Disaster

2008-03-04T10:25:00.003Z

When I'm asked to look at a PC that is so full of virus's it's almost too slow/unstable to be repaired I can assume the following:

It is used regularly by a teenager

Limewire has been installed

And increasingly - Norton AntiVirus is installed

IT professionals have long turned their noses up at the Norton (and McAffee) packages because they are bloated and charge an annual subscription. Up until recently though, based on my own experience, I couldn't really have argued that the Norton product doesn’t adequately protect your PC - but now I am.

So next time Norton wants you to pay for another years subscription give me a call and I'll set you up with a more effective, less obtrusive solution for less than the cost of renewal.

Formatting Windows PCs

2008-02-26T10:28:00.008Z

Prior to Windows XP many of us formatted our PCs every so often just to keep them stable. It was a long job and you lost everything that hadn't been backed up. Windows XP changed all that and now a format is required more as a disaster recovery task than routine maintenance.

I avoid formatting customers PCs whenever possible as it's expensive, risky in terms of data loss and, generally, unnecessary. However I have formatted a number of PC's in the last month at the customers request and in doing so have observed that it doesn't take as long as it used to - here's a list of reasons why:

Faster hardware - new PC's charge through the installation

Windows driver compatibility - XP has so many drivers built in the average PC will be about 80% functional after a clean install

Broadband - For those drivers that do need updating broadband internet connections let me download the latest drivers quicker than you can find the out-of date disks

Broadband routers - They know your ISP username and password so we are straight online - no hunting for old paperwork or ringing the ISP help line for forgotten passwords!

USB flash drives - If that critical network driver stops you connecting to the web then I can simply download it on another PC and use a USB stick to quickly install it - much faster than burning CD's or trying to split a driver across multiple floppies

Quality PCs - I see far fewer unbranded PCs of the type built by small computer shops. With brands like Acer, HP/Compaq, Lenovo and Dell I know I can get the right drivers from their support site with no fuss.

While a format is just as serious and risky propesistion as it ever was, at least it's quicker these days. I wonder if Vista will require it more or less often than XP?

HD-DVD is dead long live Blu-Ray

2008-02-19T12:49:00.004Z

As I tersely predicted here Toshiba has given up on HD after just two years leaving the path clear for Blu Ray. After losing out with Beta-Max Sony must be relieved to have won this round although with 10 million Playstation 3's out there packing Blu-Ray drives it would have been hard to lose.

Now we'll find out if users were holding back until the format wars were over or if, in fact, they are happy to stick with DVD's.

Surf Gallery

2008-02-19T09:55:00.003Z

I've written about web2.0 in this blog before here, the idea that websites can contain dynamic and interactive content.

Tiny Island Software's websites now regularly feature blogs or guestbooks and recently I completed my first interactive gallery that allows visitors to not only view but also upload pictures. It is a gallery for surfers and can be seen here on the Extremehorizon website. I'm already working on the second of these galleries and I hope it'll become a popular service and great addition to many websites.

Microhoo… Yahsoft…

2008-02-05T12:06:00.000Z

For the first time in it’s history Microsoft may be about to go into debt – that’s how important it sees the proposed $45 billion dollar friendly take over of web giant Yahoo.

The move makes sense for Yahoo and Microsoft which are both being eclipsed by Google who enjoy a 75% share of the worlds paid searches. I tend to think only ego’s have prevented a merger earlier and some argue time is running out, if Yahoo!s profile drops paid advertisers will fall away and the company will implode.

Meanwhile Google seem panicked rolling out the clichéd accusation of Microsoft trying to create a monopoly position, something Google are well on the way to achieving themselves.

So would ‘Microhoo’ be a strong competitor for Google? We may never know but Google have got where they are through innovation and being one step ahead of Yahoo and Microsoft so it may take more than a merger to end the status quo.

Paint Shop Pro 8 under Vista

2008-01-14T11:35:00.000Z

The biggest complaint most Vista detractors have is that it’s not very compatible with older software and while that is true it’s really up to the software manufacturers to produce Vista compatibility patches.

For probably more than a decade I have used numerous versions of Paint Shop Pro for creating and editing images but my version 8 crashes under Vista and the (usually successful) compatibility modes didn’t help. So I went to the Corel website to download the patch and found there isn’t one – Corel haven’t bothered.

Whilst Corel will argue the products too old to warrant an update and I should buy a new copy, as I need to edit images right now I have instead removed Paint Shop Pro and Installed a copy of Adobe Photoshop CS2. If the Adobe product works under Vista and I can get on with it then this long standing customer will probably never buy another copy of Paint Shop Pro again.

Sadly though, knowing Corel’s record, Paint Shop Pro will probably be milked for money for a few years before being neglected until it’s no longer viable.

Netscape What?

2007-12-29T16:10:00.000Z

Once upon a time 90% of web surfers used a browser called Netscape Navigator which it’s current owners, AOL, are to discontinue on February 1st 2008. A bitter blow to the 0.6% of surfers still using it.

Most will claim that by bundling IE with Windows Microsoft pushed Netscape off the average PC owners radar and killed the product (and Netscape spent allot of time in the courts claiming just that). Personally I reluctantly switched from Netscape in the late 90’s when it became unstable, and in the days of dialup when downloading a decent screen saver was an evenings work a crashing browser just wasn’t acceptable!

I’ll be happy to uninstall Netscape and stop having to test my websites on it but if your one of the few that’ll miss it you I suggest you join with the 56.2% of surfers using a version of IE, or the 36.3% using Firefox.

Spam Mail

2007-12-20T13:39:00.000Z

It has become obvious that someone out there is sending a large quantity of spam email using the tinyislandsoftware.com domain. Please note that it's not coming from Tiny Island Software and there's nothing we can do to stop it. As with any spam mail don't click on any links or respond to it - just delete it.

Christmas Opening Hours

2007-12-17T12:39:00.000Z

Hopefully everyone who had an invoice raised from Tiny Island Software this year has received a Christmas card like the one to the right. If not it's on the way or I haven't got your postcode!

XMAS OPENING HOURS:

Our last working day before Christmas will be the 20th (Thursday) and business will resume as usual on the 28th (Friday) with the exception of New Years Day when we will also be closed for that day only.

Merry Christmas!

Bespoke Software Service Ends

2007-12-11T12:42:00.000Z

As our business has developed, and responding to local requirements, we have decided to focus on troubleshooting, repairs and upgrades. To aid this we no longer offer a bespoke software service although existing projects will, of course, be completed.

We will however continue our work with web technologies such as php, MySQL and javascript.

Investment

2007-12-11T09:55:00.000Z

Normally businesses begin with a chunk of capital, usually borrowed. Being rather conservative I have gradually invested as and when surplus funds have been available. The next few months will represent something of a ‘final push’ and, hopefully, in the 08/09 financial year I can finally start enjoying some of the profits for myself!

The first consideration for spending is always ‘what will make my work more professional and more efficient?’ I already have every tool and gadget going and have an ongoing program of training but my workshop has grown rather organically and it’s time to make it the luxury of abundant power sockets, network points and work benches I have always dreamed off.

Lets get the basics right – 3 more double power points, 3 new phone/modem points, and 3 quadruple network points should help banish the nest of wires that seem to take up most of the space.

To further tidy things up a new data cabinet will house a power distribution unit, 24 port patch panel, 24 port switch, the existing ADSL router and a new 8 port KVM switch.

So hopefully these items will last a good few years and have far more capacity than I should ever need. Of course burying all these wires will require the office to be decorated and once that’s done my furniture will be looking a little old so there’s plenty more to be spent but as every self employed business man knows – you either spend it or give half of it to the chancellor!

Mablethorpe's Wild Coast Weekend

2007-11-20T11:13:00.000Z

Mablethorpe continues its push to attract visitors outside of the traditional season this weekend by hosting the Wild Coast Weekend.

Tiny Island Software is delighted to have been able to contribute by setting up a camera watching the seals and their new pups on the beach. The footage will be played at Mablethorpe’s Loewen Cinema and also at the Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary.

Having just worked alongside the seals and gone through the (rather scary) health and safety lesson I can strongly recommend that you leave the (VERY protective) mums and pups in peace and watch them from the safety and comfort of the Loewen!

Download the Wild Coast Weekend Programme here.

Spring Clean Your Internet Favourites

2007-11-12T12:40:00.000Z

I had so many internet favourites that I gave up using them as I couldn’t find the ones I want anymore and most of them pointed to dead sites anyway. While surfing www.download.com I noticed the AM-Deadlink utility which promised to help so I gave it a go.

It’s a quick download and install and is very simple having just 4 significant functions:

1) Make a backup copy of your favourites.
2) Check each favourite and detect those that link to dead pages
3) Check for duplicate favourites
4) Download icons (where available) from each site to make favourites easier to spot

The ability to detect dead links allowed me to chop away over 70 redundant entries and a check for duplicates got rid of another 4. I still have the task of organising some folders to tidy things up but at least I won’t have to check each link as I go!

Mablethorpe Visions Website

2007-10-02T12:10:00.000+01:00

Since I haven't posted in a while I thought I'd add a quick link to a website Tiny Island Software is writing for the Mablethorpe Visions project. This site is a good example of how modern websites can be enhanced by the use of external services and features externally hosted videos, photo gallery, guestbook and blog.

www.visions.org.uk

Vista and AOL - be prepared

2007-08-31T12:09:00.001+01:00

Yesterday Tiny Island Software was setting up a Vista laptop in Orby near Skegness.  I ran into trouble when it came time to install the AOL supplied BT Voyager USB modem.

Amazingly AOL aren’t issuing Vista drivers for ANY of its USB modems so the only option is to go out and buy an ADSL modem or router that includes an ethernet port.

At least the browser will work on Vista thanks to the newly released AOL 9.0 VR (Vista Ready).  All you need to do is get your new PC online to download AOL 9.0 VR and... no, hang on you cant get online to download the thing that lets you get online... OK use another PC to download it from the AOL website, save it to a CD and install it on the Vista PC.  Nope, you just end up downloading a 400KB download manager - it won’t let you save the software.

Luckily I know what I’m doing and I can always find another way but for most of my customers they put the AOL CD in the draw and if it doesn’t work they have run out of options.  I know AOL will blame it all on Vista but other ISP's have released Vista versions of its modem drivers and if we could just download a copy of the software and put it on a CD life could be so much easier.

For the record Tiny Island Software neither uses or recommends AOL.

More memory

2007-08-28T15:26:00.000+01:00

Many computers are sold without enough memory (RAM) to keep the price down. Thankfully memory is now very cheap and in most cases your PC/laptop can be upgraded in just a few minutes making it more responsive and better able to handle large files (like digital photos) or run several applications at once.

To find out how much memory your PC has:

Click the 'start' button.
Right-click the 'My Computer' icon and left click the pop-up menu item 'Properties'.
You will now be able to see the properties Window which should have opened on the 'General' tab (if not click this tab to see the general page).
On the general tab under the heading 'Computer' you will see how much memory your PC has installed. It may be in Mega Bytes (MB) or Giga Bytes (GB) - a Giga Byte is one thousand Mega Bytes and few mainstream PC’s can support more than 4GB of memory.

Tiny Island Software’s memory recommendations for Win XP:

Emails / internet surfing / word processing - 512MB to 1GB.
As above but handling complex documents / digital photos or video 1GB to 2GB.
As above with serious photo editing / video editing / gaming 2GB +
Running Vista? Add at least 512MB to all the above, if not 1GB.

If you think you could benefit from more RAM and live in the Mablethorpe area give Tiny Island Software a call, we fitted and tested a 512MB upgrade in Mablethorpe today for just £30!

iEmbarrassment for Apple

2007-08-18T19:29:00.000+01:00

Some kiosks were put together to advertise the Apple iPhone with a repeating video showing off its features. This is what happened when one of them needed a reboot...

So what's the iPhone running? Vista?!

Who Broke Skype?

2007-08-17T12:14:00.000+01:00

Tiny Island Software started getting calls yesterday from customers who could not login to Skype. We have discovered that the Skype login service has broke meaning calls, chats and file transfers are all out of the question. In addition the ability to download the Skype software has been disabled, perhaps because the server was being thrashed by people downloading the latest version hoping to cure their login issues.

I wish they'd been quicker about it but Skype have now acknowledged the problem on their home page which (at the time of writing) explains:
"Skype is currently working on resolving the sign-on issue. We’re fixing our networking software and monitoring the clients getting online with increased success."

So if your Skype isn't working just leave it running, be patient and check the Skype Blog for updates.

Lenovo to sell Linux Laptops

2007-08-06T21:19:00.001+01:00

Lenovo (pronounced I B M) have announced they will start selling laptops with Linux installed. Dell already do.

I just hope the guys at PC World have been trained to never sell these machines to anyone who couldn't pass as Jesus (think long beard and sandals). I cringe at the thought of having to explain to a family that their new Linux PC can't play little Johnny’s games, wont let Suzy on the chat software her mates use, or connect to her mobile, doesn’t run the software dad uses at work so he's not home working after all and mum wont be using Sage to look after the local WI's accounts as that wont be compatible either.

If you get (miss)sold one of these you'll find that no one will know how to fix it but give Tiny Island Software a call, we might give you a Windows PC out of sympathy.

Bulk Email problems in Mablethorpe

2007-08-01T22:39:00.000+01:00

Last week Tiny Island Software was called to a customer who’s AOL broadband connection had stopped working.  The recent stormy weather has caused a fair bit of trouble for ADSL around Mablethorpe so I expected to find that there was no DSL link to the exchange and/or the ADSL modem had become faulty.

However I found the router was synched to DSL, it just couldn’t log in to AOL just as though the username or password was wrong but we knew they weren't.  Slightly baffled we rang AOL who explained that the customers account was suspended because he was sending bulk email.  Once we explained that he had a legitimate reason to do so AOL were able to re-activate the account and set it to allow bulk emails.

So be careful what you email as your ISP may just pull the plug if it thinks you’re a spammer without ever letting you know why!  A far better solution would be to use a proper mailing list service such as iContact.

Real World Experiences of Windows Vista

2007-07-26T20:24:00.000+01:00

I get asked about Vista all day so to help everyone make there minds up here’s what happened today when I set up a new Vista Business machine in Grimsby.

Belkin Wireless G USB wireless adapter – not all versions of the adapter would work under Vista according to Belkin but ours (v3) did – I installed the drivers only and let Vista handle the connection.  The wireless configuration in Vista seems easier and more reliable than XP’s which was never very good.

The Lexmark Z34 printer’s latest driver installs and prints but is not able to display its progress/confirmation windows in Vista without halting everything.  Not practical in an office.

Sage Line 50 v8 and Sage Payroll v8 are the packages that had me worried but they installed fine although Sage support did advise me to install to a particular folder to ensure success.

HP 2600 network printer (using an IP port) – straight on using the original driver disk.

And that’s it for this PC which will only really be used for accounts.  The Lexmark printer will have to be replaced (unless Lexmark provide a Vista driver) but otherwise I have to say the machine set up easier and quicker than XP, particularly when it came to the wireless network.

Vista is nothing to be scared of but it’s not that compatible with older kit.  I wouldn’t recommend anyone upgrades an old PC to Vista but buying a machine with Vista pre-installed is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.  In reality most of my customers want to stick to XP and I still don’t have any compelling reason why they shouldn’t.

HD-DVD or Blu-ray?

2007-06-18T16:25:00.000+01:00

Blu-ray.

Donating computers to charities

2007-06-15T15:30:00.000+01:00

Recycling is a hot topic these days and I recently read an article suggesting some ways to dispose of old computers including the option of donating a PC to a charity.  Tiny Island Software works for a number charities including four offices of the Citizens Advice Bureau so here’s some tips.

Supporting a charity by donating IT equipment is a great idea but please be sure what you are donating is going to be of use to them.  Different charities have different needs but using the CAB as an example, their systems require PCs that can be networked running Windows XP and a version of Microsoft Office.  That means genuine copies with CDs and installation keys.  Some charities will have a role for more modest equipment but at the end of the day office work is just as demanding on the PC whether the user is being paid or not!

Inkjet printers are also a double edge sword as they become quite expensive to run in a busy office, old laser printers are a better bet as they are more economical and can usually be kept going for years as most of the major components are generally easily replaced.

Charities often work in cramped accommodation so old CRT screens that hog deskspace, use lots of electricity and heat up small offices and interview rooms wont always be welcome but flat screens, even 15” models, will be gratefully received.

To conclude, please do consider donating old IT equipment but get in touch first.  Give the organisation a chance to ask their IT guy if what you have is of use to them and if it isn’t maybe you can find an alternative charity that could make good use of it.

Google Base and the perpetual beta

2007-05-08T21:07:00.000+01:00

My last post discussed 'web2.0' but I never got around to mentioning what is known as the 'perpetual beta'.

Traditionally software is at the beta stage when all the functions are in place but allot of testing, tweaking and bug fixing is required before it could be considered a professional product suitable for use.

Web2.0 products often permanently carry the beta tag and this is said to refer to the fact that the software is constantly evolving with updates improving the service and adding functionality on a regular bases. This is seen as the antidote to the traditional system of having to pay for new versions of your applications every year or so.

One web2.0 product in perpetual beta is Google Base (the ecommerce price comparison website previously known as froogle) but my experiences suggest that they are being rather old school in their use of the word Beta. Frankly the bulk uploads service is next to useless - check out the picture above - do I tell the customer his products are listed or not? Or do I re-upload, a process that can take around an hour except for when the service is down like it was last week for nearly two days.

The culture of free software wether by web2.0 services or the likes of linux concerns me greatly - google base simply isn’t ready for use and it certainly could not be sold. Yet here I am wasting literally hours trying to get a customers products live with no alterantive and no comeback. At the end of the day you get what you pay for.

See my simular rant about CSS (another freebie)!

Web 2.0 and the evolution of the internet

2007-04-25T17:54:00.000+01:00

I have been asked what is meant by the phrase web2.0?

Broadly speaking, the technologies used by web2.0 have been around since day one so nothing has really changed or been upgraded.  We are simply witnessing an evolution of how these technologies, and the internet itself, are being used.

Web2.0 means different thing to different people but generally refers to blogs, sites like wikipedia, google maps, youtube, flikr and myspace or even services like bittorrent and napster.  These sites/services go beyond simply publishing content (web1.0) by featuring considerable functionality and user contributions or community driven content.

“web1.0 was the age of Britannica Online, web2.0 is the age of wikipedia”

Features like eBays feedback system or Amazons customer reviews system often get forgotten when talking about web2.0 but they were pioneering examples.  The phrase seems more often associated with sites whos primary or sole purpose revolves around a web2.0 feature such as the definitive example, wikipedia.

From a business point of view web2.0 represents the realisation that simply publishing content is not as desirable as creating a platform to allow communities to create content, interact or navigate content taken from one or more existing feeds in a new way.

I suspect we already can already glimpse what might one day be called web3.0 (I said it first!) with online software applications like Google docs & spreadsheets already out there with plenty more to come soon.

Oddly Adobes new Apollo platform swims against the tide by seeking to move such apps out of the browser and back onto the desktop built using web technologies such as flash, javascript and html (software 2.0?).  No doubt most will feature heavy integration with online data and services.  eBay has an application being built under Apollo and I suspect many of Vista’s widgets will employee it but I’m not sure much else will.

DOS Batch files can still come in handy

2007-04-17T13:48:00.000+01:00

You may have thought batch files were a thing of the past but Tiny Island Software has found at least one task where they can still shine.

This morning I installed an external hard drive for a retired gentleman in Alford, Lincolnshire which was largely to be used for data backup. Experience has put me off scheduled backups as they rely too heavily on the customer having the PC running and correct media/device present at the appropriate time. Manually copying and pasting the data is another option but again there is plenty of scope for human error and this customer want’s something simple and foolproof. Enter the batch file.

Double clicking the file creates a new folder on the removable drive named after the date of the backup and continues by copying the contents of My Documents as well as Outlook Express' address book and emails and finally internet explorer's favourites.

Should the user prefer the scheduled backup then Windows Scheduler can even be used to start the batch file at regular times.

This solution isn’t that comprehensive (although the batch file could be far more complex if required) and wouldn’t be right in every situation but it's kept things simple and inexpensive and should have very little opportunity to fail.

The question that now springs to mind is - do .bat files still work in Vista? I'll find out and add to this post....

Mablethorpe Surf Webcam

2007-04-05T22:49:00.000+01:00

Allot of my jobs are fairly mundane (hence the lack of blog entries!) but now and again I get to do something a bit more interesting. This week it was setting up an IP cam in Mablethorpe’s lifeboat station which looks out to sea.

The camera is for the benefit of surfers and can be found on the home page of www.extremehorizon.com (scroll down until you find it).

So if you need a webcam or IP cam setting up on an internal network or publishing to the internet get in touch with Tiny Island Software.

HTML and CSS validation

2007-03-31T10:36:00.000+01:00

The World Wide Web Consortium publishes the rules on what is and isn’t valid in HTML.  Programmers of web browsers and web designers have generally ignored them as the rules can be restrictive and deem plenty of tried and tested code invalid.

So Tiny Island Software has never been too concerned with the W3C validation although last year someone in the council complained that a site I had done for them didn’t validate.  I pointed out what happens when you try to validate a few popular sites front pages: ebay.co.uk (218 errors), amazon.co.uk (1176 errors), google.co.uk (50 errors) and heard no more about it.

BUT!  Tiny Island Software is always striving to improve it’s service and work to best practice in everything we do so I ran my latest site through validaton to see how close it was.  Pretty close.  Trawling the web found some simple fixes and now the site (www.therubyhuntcentre.org.uk) is proudly adorned with HTML and CSS valid logos.

So from now I anticipate that all our sites will validate if only so I can claim it makes them better that ebay, amazon and google!

Wireless Networks in Mablethorpe

2007-03-20T21:06:00.000Z

Those of you who know about business and the ‘Boston Grid’ will understand the full meaning of the phrase ‘Cash Cow’.  The rest of you will probably get the gist when I say that, right now, wireless networks are a cash cow here in Mablethorpe.

But wireless networks are slower, less reliable, more expensive and less secure than wired networks so why have they become so popular?  Well, no one wants more wires in their home and people enjoy being able to have their laptop online in any room of the house.  Most businesses stick with wired for the greater reliability and security although there’s nothing to stop you extending an existing wired network with a wireless access point.  They are also handy if you are renting, or think you may soon be moving.

Finally an example why I believe you should come to Tiny Island Software rather than tackle the job yourself.  Yesterday I saw family in Mablethorpe who were going to pay £75 plus P&P for a Netgear starter kit from a catalogue.  I supplied them the same kit for £58 and charged £20 labour, they effectively got the job done for free and the network was set up quickly by an experienced technician with all the appropriate security measures.

Why in the World? PC World

2007-02-17T12:13:00.000Z

This week Tiny Island Software helped a retired couple in Louth with a wireless router that they have never managed to setup.  PC World had sold them the router together with a new laptop despite the fact that the laptop doesn’t have wireless capabilities and the router didn’t come with a wireless adapter.  To cap it all the router didn’t incorporate an ADSL modem.  To put it simply the router can't talk to either the internet or the laptop it was sold with.

In November 06 Which? carried out a (slightly unfair) survey of computer repair centres where PC World did pretty badly.  I think the problem with the ‘big guys’ attitude to their customers was summed up nicely in the February 07 edition of PC Zone in which ‘Wandy’ wrote:-

And don’t forget that large corporations are not interested in you once they have your money: with few exceptions, their after-sales support is beneath contempt.

OK he was speaking about Dell but it’s the same point.  If I had sold that couple the wrong gear I would be at their house sorting it out free of charge and apologising profusely – PC World probably won’t be.

Will Tiny Island Software be rushing to use Vista?

2007-02-06T21:26:00.000Z

Let me answer that question by talking about Windows 98… bare with me.

Against my better judgement I have just re-installed Windows 98 for a customer in Trusthorpe, Lincolnshire.  Once installed it couldn’t talk to it’s network card or my USB drive without drivers so files and updates had to be downloaded on a second PC and burnt to a CD.  Once working, the networking component quickly corrupted itself and had to be removed and re-installed.  Next Windows update broke, eventually fixed by manually upgrading to Internet Explorer 6.

Windows 98’s unreliability meant that when new versions of Windows were released users upgraded looking for something that worked reliably.  The problem Microsoft has now is that Windows XP is very, very good.  Personally I just aren’t desperate to get rid of an OS that keeps Tiny Island Software’s PCs running reliably and replace it with an unknown quantity.

I have a Vista machine up and running for training purposes but will I be rushing to port over my programming tools, accounts and other business critical applications and data away from my Windows XP box?  No.  Why would I?

Time will tell but I can’t help feeling most users will only get Vista when they buy a new PC, without a pressing reason to upgrade Vista could be off to a slow start.  And that's a comment on XP not Vista!

PC Cooling Problems in Mablethorpe

2007-01-29T17:18:00.000Z

Tiny Island Software has solved a few over heating problems lately, here’s an example.

Contrary to popular belief the thermal grease used between a CPU and heat sink is not there to form some sort of super-heat-conductive layer – in fact for optimum heat transfer the CPU would be pressed against the heat sink directly with 100% of the available contact area being metal to metal contact.  Thermal grease is only meant to fill the minute air gaps caused by the mating surfaces not being perfectly smooth, as soon as the grease starts separating the CPU from its heat sink its actually reducing the heat transfer.

Last week I took a look at a PC in Mablethorpe that had suffered from over heating problems since it was built by a local computer shop over a year earlier.  I installed some software to monitor the PC’s temperature sensors and confirmed the problem was restricted to the CPU which was running around 50oC when idle quickly rising to 80oC under load before shutting down.  At first I assumed the high end ‘Extreme Edition’ processor was simply overpowering its heat sink and fan but when I touched the heat sink it wasn’t as hot as I had expected.

Removing the heat sink showed that it hadn’t been fitted properly and less than half of the (far too) thick layer of grease applied by Intel was contacting the processor – and there was no metal to metal contact at all.

I cleaned away the Intel grease and applied a thin layer of a high quality alternative before re-attaching the heat sink paying great attention to its proper seating.  The machine now sits at around 28oC when idle and 50oC under load, a massive difference and a problem solved.

The job confirmed that Tiny Island Software's standard practice of using high quality thermal grease instead of the ‘gunk’ included with most heat sinks and thoroughly testing all new builds, upgrades and repairs is neither money or time wasted.

Cheap computer components

2007-01-08T15:37:00.000Z

We have all been tempted by cheap computer parts, especially when that part is something boring that doesn’t make the PC any faster, like the power supply.

Last week I took in a ‘white box’ PC that demonstrates the long term cost of skimping on such components.  It had a top notch motherboard, a great graphics card and a very powerful processor in an excellent case but for the sake of an extra £40 it was all being powered by a nasty, underrated power supply that wasn’t up to the job.  The result is a blown power supply that has taken the £100+ motherboard with it.

The repair bill is £250 for a new motherboard, processor, power supply and labour.  Fortunately I was able to source a new motherboard that allowed the user to stick with his AGP graphics card and DDR memory but also allowed future upgrading to current technologies (PCI-E, DDR2) otherwise it just wouldn’t have been worth repairing.

My advice is that for most people a quality brand PC will be a better buy than a custom build.  If you really need a customised PC optimised for a particular task then be sure you are buying from someone who has plenty of experience, a good reputation and won’t eek out extra profit by supplying cheap parts where they think you won’t notice!

The exception that proves the rule: Tiny Island Software will soon be custom building a PC for a customer in Mablethorpe who wants to do video editing, look out for a blog entry soon.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-24T16:10:00.000Z

Tiny Island Software would like to thank all it's customers for their business through 2006 and special thanks go to the many who have recommended me to friends, family and colleagues.
Everyone billed this year will have received a copy of the above Christmas card (if not then please accept my apologies, I probably don't have your full address!) and it's great to note that I had to order 3 times as many as for Christmas 2005!

2006 Xmas Holiday Working Hours
Closed Dec 25th, 26th and January 1st.

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

Desktop or Laptop

2006-12-18T15:16:00.000Z

As laptops have fallen in price, gained features and become something of a fashion/lifestyle accessory, more and more people ask me if they should get a desktop or laptop - secretly hoping my answer will be 'laptop'!

Well, laptops are portable so if you need something you can take with you to customers etc then get one.  Otherwise you’ll probably be better off with a desktop and here’s why:

Performance wise you get more for your money with a desktop.
Laptops have very few upgrade opportunities and so a shorter useful life.
Laptops are delicate and often uneconomical to repair.

And it’s the last point that really stops me recommending them, let me give an example:

Last week a customer brought me an expensive, high end HP laptop.  It had developed a faulty power lead requiring the user to bend the wire as it went into the laptop to make a connection.  This put the socket under stress resulting in the motherboard becoming damaged.  Sadly in modern laptops the motherboard IS the laptop, just a single circuit board with virtually everything built into it so any damage to it usually renders the laptop uneconomical to repair, as it has in this case.

A final fact to consider is that probably 99% of the computers I look after are desktops but I have had to ‘write off’ as many laptops as I have desktops.

Free computer training in Mablethorpe

2006-12-11T09:57:00.000Z

Last Friday I attended an open day at Step Ladder in Mablethorpe and was pleased to discover that they offer free computer training. Their course is aimed at absolute beginners from 16 years old upwards but if you need something more advanced Step Ladder will explain the options available to you.

The staff are very friendly so Tiny Island Software advise anyone getting their first PC this Christmas to get in touch with Step Ladder to gain the skills you need to make the most of your computer.

Positioning using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

2006-12-04T13:30:00.000Z

I must admit to being a bit of a square by often using nested HTML tables to layout web pages, this system is very robust but results in long winded code that can be awkward to update.  The modern alternative is CSS positioning and this morning I had the perfect excuse to employee it by rewriting an existing webpage whilst updating it.

Imagine my dismay when I found there is no native way to center a container (therefore a webpage) on the screen?  Yes left:centre isn’t supported.  Spending half an hour on the web trying out different ‘workarounds’ for something so fundamentally basic it’s nothing short of an absolute joke.  It is simply not good enough and would never have been acceptable in a commercial product.

There could be no more damming an indictment for the shortcomings of HTML, CSS, JavaScript (R.I.P) etc than the fact that everyone is using Blogs and MySpace’s rather than bother to create/update their own website – EVEN ME!

In the main CSS positioning works well and in the IT industry you either embrace popular technologies or become unemployable so there’s no question that Tiny Island Software will use it where possible.  I just hope the next version / alternative technology is a little closer to the quality of a commercial product and focuses on the real world requirements.

For any coders who have googled here looking for a solution:

There are a number of CSS based hacks using negative width margins and similar, none appear to work in all browsers (at least not if you want horizontal AND vertical centring), and even if they did they are probably only one update away from breaking. Sadly the safe bet was continue to use two nested tables to horizontally and vertically centre a CSS container within which all other items are positioned.

Check out the code on the home page at www.longsuttonmarkethouse.org

MAC OS X bugs

2006-11-27T13:06:00.000Z

Windows users can today feel a warm, smug glow as the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US Cert) has issued an alert highlighting a flaw in the MAC OS X operating system that could allow computers to be hijacked or made unstable (the DMG Bug). Fully patched machines remain vulnerable as no solution is currently available.

Microsofties can really quieten their smug Linux / MAC OS using friends and colleagues by referring them to the ‘Month of Kernel Bugs (MoKB)’ blog which is reporting a new OS bug everyday for November.

Despite the assertions of many MAC / Linux users, the MoKB project has proven that both operating systems have plenty of exploitable flaws.

If you have a MAC or Linux machine and live in the Mablethorpe area why not contact Tiny Island Software, we’ll sell you a nice Windows PC ;o)

PAT testing in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire

2006-11-14T11:31:00.000Z

Recently one of my suppliers teamed up with a training company to offer a very good deal on PAT testing equipment and training. A quick ring around some of my existing customers confirmed that I could guarantee enough business to cover the setup costs so Tiny Island Software is now able to offer PAT testing in and around the Mablethorpe area.

The training course was an eye-opener and suggested that many people carrying out PAT testing are untrained and doing a rather shoddy job as a result. By following HSE and IEE guidelines, Tiny Island Software will not only carry out a more thorough inspection and back it up with the recommended records, but will also save you money by avoiding unnecessarily frequent testing.

For more information please see the Tiny Island Software Introduction to Portable Appliance Testing.

Claytronics - technology of the future

2006-11-06T15:53:00.000Z

I got very excited when I read about claytronics. Tiny spheres that can bond to each other, change colour and move around to make a 3D copy of anything you can imagine. Terminator 2 here we come.

I got extremely excited when I saw the video below which uses computer graphics to show how the system will work.

Claytronics of the future (66MB .mov about 8mins on 2Mb broadband)

I was, however, slightly disappointed to see the current state of the technology...

Claytronics of today (4.4MB .avi)

Sony Playstation 2 repair in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire

2006-10-25T16:18:00.000+01:00

I had never considered repairing Sony Playstation 2’s but when asked by a neighbour I said I’d at least take a look.  Once I got inside I was encouraged to see the design is very modular with lots of separate, replaceable parts which are still available new.

Problem 1 : The unit didn’t respond to power – this was quickly fixed by re-seating some lose wiring.

Problem 2 : The CD draw refused to open.  Clearly some violence has been applied to this area as the CD draw was broken and the mechanisms had fallen out of synch causing them to lock against each other.  A faulty, second hand, PS2 was picked up cheaply for a quick fix and the CD draw transferred across.  I could now eject the CD smoothly.

Problem 3 (!) : When the disc span up it vibrated noisily and couldn’t be read.  Back inside I found another part of the drive had become miss-shaped creating this problem, another quick swap from my donor PS2 and the CD drive was working perfectly.

Problem 4 (!!) : I now find that the controller ports are dead.  Another wiring fault but this one has also affected my donor PS2 so I had to order a new part.  Once it was fitted, and the laser re-calibrated, we finally had a good as new PS2.

A bit of a baptism of fire but allot of useful experience gained from just one job.  So if you live in or around Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire and have a faulty Sony Playstation 2 there’s a good chance Tiny Island Software can fix it or, if you don’t need it anymore, maybe buy it for parts.

Why calling us onsite could save you money.

2006-10-19T16:29:00.000+01:00

The problem with buying computer equipment online or in a shop is that you might come away with the wrong thing.  Read on to see how a Sutton-on-Sea couple would have saved over £80 if they had only called in Tiny Island Software first!

The original setup was a BT ADSL Modem/Router connected to a single PC using a network lead.  All was well until the purchase of a second PC.

Firstly the shop advised that the broadband connection could be shared by linking the two PC’s together using a cross-over network cable.  Unfortunately the couple soon discovered the network port on one PC was already being used to connect to the router.

They were then sold a £70 router with a very impressive feature list.  In fact the only thing missing was an ADSL modem, a great router for people on cable or with a stand alone ADSL modem but no use here.

This is when Tiny Island Software was called in to find the old router plugged into the phone line and the new router.  For the IT engineer onsite and able to see the setup the solution was as obvious as it was simple.  The BT Voyager is a good, stable router that does everything this customer required, the only problem was that it only had a single network port.  I simply added a good quality network switch allowing everything to communicate for a cost of £38 parts & labour.

The new router and cross over cable might well be heading for eBay…

MSI Nvidia 7900 GTO

2006-10-17T14:14:00.000+01:00

For many reasons it’s just not worth custom building machines anymore (a subject for a future blog) unless the user has a specialised requirement like a games machine.

This week I’ve created a monster, OK the budget didn’t allow for ultra high spec but I really pulled one out of the hat with the graphics card, an Nvidia 7900GTO. Allot of speculation surrounds this card but the bottom line is that it only exists in a limited number and is being sold off for £170, about £110 less than the 7900GTX to which it is virtually identical!

Overclockers New Zeland Review

My advice would be to buy one before they run out.

Exploding Laptop Batterys

2006-10-11T13:37:00.000+01:00

I'm not picking on Dell again.....

I'm just saying...

Sometimes they blow up.

PC Memory upgrade in Maltby Le Marsh, Lincolnshire

2006-10-09T09:54:00.000+01:00

On it’s release Windows XP would happily run on 256MB of memory but add in service pack 2, anti virus, anti spyware and firewall utilities and 512MB (half a GigaByte) becomes a more workable amount with 1GB desirable depending on how you use your PC.

The biggest indicator that you need more RAM is when your PC is slow to respond to commands and, while you are waiting, the hard disk activity light is flashing away.  This shows your PC has run out of RAM and is having to use your (relatively slow) hard drive as ‘virtual memory’.  In extreme cases you may even get messages from Windows complaining that it is running out of virtual memory.

Cost depends on your PC, there is an incredible range of different, non-compatible memory types with the outdated and very latest technologies usually being the most expensive as demand for them is low.  As guide, supplying, installing and testing an additional 512MB is likely to cost around £60 - £70.

Unlike many local suppliers Tiny Island Software not only installs but also tests the memory chips for faults (a faulty chip this morning prompted this blog entry).  An imperfect RAM chip will cause intermittent, random crashes that will drive you, and who ever tries to diagnose them, insane.

And that faulty chip destined for Maltby-Le-Marsh? It’s straight back to the supplier for a replacement.  Because Tiny Island Software was able to recognise the fault immediately there is no argument, no ‘out of warranty’ problems and no random crashes for the customer.

Websites and web design in Skegness, Lincolnshire

2006-09-28T11:26:00.000+01:00

Too busy to update the blog this week(!) so I thought I’d post links to a couple of websites that Tiny Island Software have designed this month. Both are regular customers based in Skegness.

www.drm-motors.co.uk
www.lincolnshireralf.org

Dell PC repair in Alford, Lincolnshire

2006-09-20T12:54:00.000+01:00

The problem with Dell is that they still don’t stick to the standards – they want you to use their replacement parts and their engineers neither of which are cheap.

Take one of this-mornings jobs – a Dell Optiplex GS60 in Alford with a failed power supply:

Tiny Island Software’s diagnostic tools allow me to test a power supply in seconds. Having identified it as blown I can fit a new one onsite and have the machine up and running in about 15 minutes.

So that Dell is fixed right? Wrong.

A normal PC case has a big hole in the rear to allow any ATX power supply to fit no matter where the power socket and switch are located, the Dell Optiplex GS60 case has a mesh and small cut-out for the power socket as positioned on the Dell power supply. In short you can’t fit a standard power supply without cutting metal out of the back of the case! So back it comes to Tiny Island Software's workshop in Mablethorpe where it can be stripped down to ensure no bits of metal end up where they shouldn’t while the case is cut.

It’s taken longer and cost more and it just feels very unnecessary.

For many people Dell’s are a good choice and they make many fine PC’s but I can’t help feeling they have a really strong brand reputation that they don’t really deserve.