That’s a good question. The answer is, a lot!

To put it in perspective, we’ve created a table to show how much you can store. (Note these are just estimates as data sizes may vary)

The table above is a reference for both external and internal hard drives.

*1 TB (Terabyte) = 1000 GB (Gigabytes), 1 Million MB (Megabytes) or 1000 Million KB (Kilobytes)

• Use Instant Messaging (IM) for Unscheduled Meetings

Use instant messaging (e.g. AOL IM, Meebo, Skype, Microsoft Live Messenger) to get quick answers or opinions from your teammates. IM programs are free. At a glance, you can check your coworkers’ status to see whether they’re available to chat online. The following are different ways to use IM.

- Use a webcam to connect visually.
- Use multi-person chat to conduct a spontaneous online meeting.
- IM your teammates’ cell phones when they’re away from their computers.

• Use a Virtual Conference Room

Web-based conferencing, or web conferencing, makes it possible to brainstorm, create a slide presentation, have a staff meeting, or conduct training sessions with a group of people—even if they are thousands of miles apart.

For businesses doing a lot of web base conferencing, it’s common to see companies use Lync, Microsoft Live Meeting, GoToMeeting or Webex. These are pricier options and may require coordination with your IT department to create a subscription account or to install a server.

There are also some alternative and more cost effective options for companies on a budget:

ooVoo

Skype

Mikogo

Zoho Meeting

Join.me

Fuze Meeting

yuuguu

Yugma

• Share Meeting Information

When organizing meetings, the simplest way to keep your team members on the same page is to create a web-based, shared calendar that everyone can edit. Then you’ll know that everyone is looking at exactly the same document and can see any changes instantly. Calendars can also be shared to get everyone on the same page with schedules and meetings. You can create a shared calendar in a variety of programs, including Windows Live Hotmail and Microsoft Outlook.

In Windows 7, the calendar is part of Hotmail. Sign up for a free Windows Live Hotmail account by getting a Windows Live ID.

Other options include Google Calendar, Zoho Calendar and 30boxes.

For further project collaborations, you can share your meeting notes or other documents on the web with Basecamp, Yugma, Microsoft Office Live, Google Docs, Zoho Docs, onehub, ThinkFree, Box.net, Dropbox, Sync.in, TypeWith.me and Yammer.

• Use Electronic Signing for all Contracts and Documents

For clients or customers that aren’t close by, you can use electronic signatures* to sign off on a contract or important document. Docusign and Echosign are two of the more popular sites that help you utilize electronic signatures in an easy, safe and secure way.

*The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) (Pub.L. 106-229, 14 Stat. 464, enacted June 30, 2000, 15 U.S.C. ch.96) is a United States federal law passed by the U.S. Congress to facilitate the use of electronic records and signatures in interstate and foreign commerce by ensuring the validity and legal effect of contracts entered into electronically.  With this law, all online electronic signatures on commercial transactions and most other agreements have a legal status equivalent to a written signature. (per Adobe, Nolo and esvw)

If you are thinking of a simple (yet powerful) backup solution and the flexibility of accessing/recovering your files from any computer, look no further. Prices start at $10 a month for 150GB of data.

With our partnership with Nine Technology, we are able to offer you a backup solution that is easy to implement and ultra safe/secure.  Nine Technology was recently awarded a United States patent for their unique way of backing up, duplicating data with military-grade encryption. In other words, you are in safe hands!

There are two options to choose from: the PC Ninja One (for individual laptops or desktops) and PC Ninja PRO (for Business Servers). Try us out by taking advantage of our FREE TRIAL (up to 2GB of online storage).

Here is a comparison of our backup software services against other competitors.

Read more about our backup services or call us to discuss your needs and concerns.

Our 5 point health check will entail the following:

1) System hard drive & memory check
We check your hard drive and memory modules to make sure they are working optimally and there aren’t any potential problems.

2) General Hardware check
Electrical connections, motherboard, drives and other internal computer related hardware are checked.

3) Virus/ Malware Scans
We all know what viruses can do to your computer! This is an all important check to ensure that you do not have any viruses/ spyware.

4) Windows registry check
The Windows registry is essentially your computer’s nervous system. It stores all the information related to your computer to make it run properly and efficiently i.e. software programs, software/ hardware settings. If you have unwanted or unnecessary entries in your registry, it may cause problems when operating your computer or/and slow it down.

5) General Windows System review
This is a general review of the rest of the Windows Operating System (not covered by the above checks).

In summary, our free checkup identifies the areas on your computer that might need *oiling* up. It may also expose problem areas like dormant viruses, spyware or/and lack of memory, potential hard drive failure. To top off our FREE 5 point check, we’ll give you recommendations and tips based on what we find.

You can bring your computer into our shop at anytime without a scheduled appointment. Unless otherwise stated, we have a turn around time of about 1-2 business days for all health checks. Do not hesitate to call our shop at 484-671-2445 if you have any questions.

Keyboard shortcuts are used for tasks that you do all the time, such as opening or saving files. The table below offers only a fraction of the common standard-keyboard shortcuts, many of which work across Office applications such as Outlook, Access, Visio, PowerPoint, Word and Excel:

A full list of built-in keyboard shortcuts can be found in the Help section of any particular computer-based application.

Two useful tools provided by The Windows operating system include: Disk Cleanup and Check Disk. On a weekly basis, it is recommended that the computer’s hard disk be cleaned of any temporary files and checked for errors.

The best solution to complete all of these tasks is to create a preventive computer maintenance plan through Windows, which allows you to automate these individual tasks.

How to Cleanup Your Hard Disk

Temporary files are one of the items that will eventually start to slow down the efficiency of your computer. Temporary files build up on your computer over time, and there are a number of sources where these temporary files come from including the Internet.

In order to clear your PC of these temporary files, The Windows Disk Cleanup tool should be run once every week. Due to the fact that The Windows Disk Cleanup tool requires user input to complete its designated task, it is important that when setting up the tool to run automatically you choose a time when you are typically on the computer so you can provide this input. You can do this by following the steps below:

1. Use the Create Basic Task Wizard
2. Select the Open the Properties dialog for this task and then click the Finish check box
3. On the Settings tab, select the Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed (Checking the box will ensure that the task starts the next time you are logged on to your computer)

How to Check Your Hard Disk For Errors

Errors on your hard disk, which are created when a computer program in use crashes, can also slow down your computer.

The Check Disk tool corrects these errors on your hard disk, resulting in better PC performance. About once every week, you should run the Check Disk utility.

Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps. If you aren’t logged on as an administrator, you can only change settings that apply to your user account.

Battery Care

Once you’ve invested in a good battery, you need to take care of it. To clean your battery contacts, first turn off and unplug your mobile PC. Remove the battery and wipe its metal contacts and its contacts inside the device with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. Let dry completely before reinstalling and reconnecting to a power source. Repeat every two to three months.

Modern lithium ion batteries can be recharged and partially discharged time and time again, but you should never fully discharge them. Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries common to older laptops should be completely drained and recharged every one to three months.

After mastering the basics of battery care, make sure you are utilizing your mobile PC’s built in energy saving features.

Optimize Your Power Settings

The hard disk and display on your mobile PC consume the most battery power. Choose a power plan, refered to as a power scheme in Windows XP, to reduce the use of power-hungry functions and lessen screen brightness.

Utilize the following battery-saving states:

• Sleep or Standby
  
  In a sleep state, your hard disk and display turn off, and all open programs and files are saved in Random Access Memory. In case of a crash or power loss, save your work before placing your system in sleep mode. Your mobile PC should wake up quickly from sleep, and your desktop and files should appear just as you left them.
• Hibernation

  When your computer hibernates, it saves everything to its hard disk before shutting down. When you restart, your desktop should be restored exactly as you left it. Hibernation takes a bit longer to wake up from than sleep, but it uses less power.

Further Tips for Lowering Your Energy Use:

• Turn off your wireless device when you’re not connected to a wireless network but you’re using your mobile PC.
• Turn off scheduled tasks.
• Keep the use of tools in the notification bar minimal.
• Limit power-intensive activities such as gaming, watching a DVD or listening to a CD.
• Reduce power consumption by adding memory (RAM) to your mobile PC.

Dual Monitor Setup Checklist

1. Two or more monitors (one, if you’re setting up a laptop), which may be of any combination including the following: flat-panel LCD monitors, CRT monitors, one of each, or even a TV screen as a monitor.  If you are going to buy a monitor consider the following:

• Picture quality
• Screen size
• Screen resolution
• Compatibility with your computer port
• Higher contrast ratio
• Color richness

2. Two monitor cables that match the connection types of your computer to connect the monitors to the computer (one for a laptop)

3. A monitor connection on your computer for each monitor you want to connect such as the following:

• Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connectors
• Video Graphics Array (VGA) connectors
• HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) connectors
• S-Video connectors for using your TV as a monitor

Connecting of Monitor Cables

Make sure the monitor is plugged in and turned on. Your computer should automatically detect the second monitor.  If you’re using Windows XP, you’ll need to enable Dualview.
When your computer detects the monitor, it should also automatically detect and apply the display settings appropriate for the monitor.

Configure your displays

If necessary, you can drag the monitor icons so that they are arranged in the same way as the monitors on your desk. Click Identify to verify which monitor is 1 and which monitor is 2. You’ll see the numbers appear on your monitors.

Under Multiple displays, you can also adjust what you see on the second monitor.

You have the following choices:

• Extend your displays. This spreads your desktop over both monitors and lets you drag items between the two screens.  After your monitor is set up, you can use your mouse to grab the title bar (the top portion) of a window and drag it to your new display.

• Duplicate your displays. This displays the same desktop on both monitors. For a laptop, this is the default setting. This is useful if you’re giving a presentation with your laptop connected to a projector or large monitor.

• Show your desktop on only one monitor. This is most commonly used with a laptop if you want to keep your laptop screen blank after you connect to a large desktop monitor.

When you disconnect the additional monitor the following occurs:

• Original display settings are restored to your primary display

• All open files and program windows are moved to the primary display

The next time that you connect the same monitor, the Windows operating system automatically applies the display settings that you used the last time that you connected this monitor.

1. Use a Consistent File and Folder Naming System
   It’s a good practice to develop a naming system for the kinds of files you create most often and then continue to use that system. This allows for more organized, easier to navigate folders.
2. Keep File and Folder Names Short
   Do not use long names for folders or files, as this can cause a cluttered look, which may make it more difficult to find a particular file.
3. Separate Ongoing and Completed Work
   To keep the Documents folder from becoming too cluttered, use it for only active files, which will allow easier access to the active items.  Completed files should be moved to a different folder or location. Completed files should be moved to a different folder or location, such as the following:
   -Desktop folder
   -Special archive folder
   -Flash drive
   -External hard drive
   -CD
4. Similar Items Should be Stored Together
   Restricting folders to a single document type makes it easier for you to find files. For example, putting all of your graphics in a single folder allows for easy access to the slide show feature in Windows Explorer.
5. Store Documents Online
   Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Windows Live SkyDrive, Google Docs, Box.net and DropBox allow you to save documents safely online.  As a result, it is easy to access them from outside the office, share them, and edit them online by using Office Web Apps.