Question 2 : Why won’t my system shut down?
“Lately my system either won’t shut down or takes for ever to shut down. It also it displays dialog boxes that ask if I want to close certain applications.”
Answer: Sometimes drivers or applications open registry entries but don’t close them. The open registry aren’t a problem until you log off, when the profile of the logged-on user tries to unload the user’s registry it fails because it’s still in use. Microsoft provides a service called UPHClean, which checks for leaked connections to the registry and cleans them up, thereby letting a user’s profile unload cleanly and quickly.  – If you are experiencing Slow shutdowns or start-ups Click here -

Question 3 : Should I get Windows 64Bit?
I’m buying a new computer and have a choice between the 32 and 64-bit version of Windows 7. Which one should I choose?
Answer: The 64 bit version is the better of the two but it comes with some traps, mainly that older software and hardware may not work on it. If you do have an older printer, scanner or other hardware you’ll have to check they will work on a 64-bit system. For software, you’ll need to make sure all your programs will run on 64 bit Windows. While 32-bit programs will work they may be slower so keep that in mind too. Generally our advice is to go with 64 bit systems if all your equipment is up to date, if you want to run older software and hardware go for the 32-bit option. - For help choosing the right computer Click here -

Question 4 : How can I tell if I am running 32Bit or 64Bit Windows?
“I am installing a new printer and It has 32Bit and 64Bit drivers which one should I load?”
Answer: Most of today’s new computers are sold in two varieties, 32Bit and 64Bit Operating systems. The easiest way to find out which version is loaded on your computer is to:
Click the Start Button — Right Click on Computer — Click Properties
On the properties windows you will see:

• The Operating System version
• The Operating System Type
• The Type and Speed of the Processor
• The amount of installed RAM

Question 5 : Is there a place I can get computer support without paying the high on-site fees?
“I need some help with slowness on my computer. Where can I get help over the phone?”
Answer: With today’s technology it is easier than ever to get remote support from expert techs by phone and through remote connection. Our customers enjoy the immediate response of a safe and secure Remote Support session for issues that can be solved that way. When we log in you can see and learn about everything that is being done to fix your computer. When we are finished we disconnect the remote session and we can’t reconnect unless you type in a code from your side to allow us access to your computer. - For reasonably priced computer services Click Here –

Bremar Network Solutions, Inc.

 ed_bolanos@bremarnetworking.com

Tel: (949) 289-9338

http://www.BremarNetworking.com

Myth: If you don’t periodically run your laptop  batteries down to zero, you’ll lose battery life.
Your laptop battery life will get progressively worse if you don’t completely discharge your battery from time to time. This belief stems from a syndrome that plagued old-fashioned laptop batteries–the bulky nickel cadmium (Ni-Cad) variety. With those batteries, performance degraded if the battery wasn’t periodically discharged fully. (If you use a  Ni-Cad powered laptop, discharge the battery every three months.) Newer laptops use lithium ion batteries which do not suffer from this issue. They don’t need to be discharged to maintain their life. Lithium Ion batteries prefer a partial rather than a full discharge.  Nonetheless, every 30 charges or so, you should run them down to zero. This measure isn’t to preserve the battery but to recalibrate the fuel gauge–the indicator on the laptop screen that shows how much battery juice and time remain.  - Click here for more help on laptops –

Myth: Deleting your files erases them forever.
When you delete files from your computer they en up in the recycle bin but if you empty your recycle bin they are gone. Right? Not true—simply deleting your files doesn’t make them disappear completely, and you should never consider your computer completely “clean” after dropping your deleted files from the recycle bin.  It’s possible to find old social security numbers, personal files, and other information on donated hard drives that owners believed had been permanently deleted.  To get rid of information for good, zap it with a disk wipe utility. These utilities will write data over and over on every sector on the drive and completely remove all data. - Click here for help securing your data –

Myth: An antivirus program isn’t necessary if I use a firewall.
My computer has a firewall so I don’t need an Antivirus program. Actually, an antivirus program and a firewall do different things.  An antivirus program locates, isolates, and removes viruses from your system.  A firewall simply prevents unauthorized users from entering your system remotely.  Antivirus programs don’t provide this kind of security, and firewalls don’t know anything about viruses. - Click here for help protecting your system and data -

Myth: Apple and Linux Systems are immune to viruses
People keep telling me to move to an Apple computer so I don’t have to worry about those pesky viruses that infect Windows PCs. Currently, it’s somewhat true. Apple and Linux machines aren’t big targets for a couple of reasons. Windows is the most prevalent OS – currently taking about 90% of the computer market share. But at the rate Apple and Linux are climbing in popularity, their time will come. as their market share increases they will become bigger targets, and they will be attacked. Today, the term virus needs to be updated to malware since most hackers don’t use the traditional virus they use malware, rootkits, and social engineering to gain access to your machine… But to answer your question there are tons of exploits, malware, and rootkits for OS X snow Leopard. - Click here for help protecting against virus -

Myth: Since my computer came with anti-virus software, I’m protected.
Most computers come with Antivirus installed. So I’m protected. Wrong. Just because your computer comes with anti-virus software doesn’t mean you’re safe. First, the program needs to be installed to start working. Second, many of these programs that come with your computer are only temporary trials, so they may stop working after 30 or 60 days. Finally, you have to update your anti-virus software on a regular basis to get protection against new viruses. Make sure you check your software regularly to ensure it’s up to date, and run a virus scan on a frequent basis to catch problems early on. - Click here for help protecting against virus -

Myth: If a friend on Facebook or Twitter posts a link, it’s safe.
As Facebook and Twitter have grown in popularity, a swarm of attackers has come along for the ride. These are the same people who have been sending spam and spinning online scams for years. Today, they target social networks because, like con-artists and pickpockets, they follow the crowds. Standard in their bag of dirty tricks are ways to post messages that look like they are from your friends. - Click here for help protecting against virus -

Myth: Not downloading anything off the internet will ensure safety from viruses.
I’m careful to not download anything from the internet so I can stay safe from infection. This is not true at all. New virus are created to take advantage of Website programming, many viruses are programmed to become active and transmit to the PC as soon as a particular link on a webpage is clicked. - Click here for information on our Unlimited Helpdesk Program –

Bremar Network Solutions, Inc.

Tel: (949) 289-9338

http://www.BremarNetworking.com

Myth: I can’t change technician! He’s the only one who knows my system.
Many computer novices are under the impression that their system is unique. They think that the only person they can have fix their computer is the person that set it up. That is completely FALSE a good Computer Tech can become intimately aware of how your system is setup, settings that can be changed to make it perform better or fix things that weren’t done correctly in the first place. You have all the power here. If you are unhappy with anything about your current Tech, find someone who is experienced, courteous, punctual, available and doesn’t speak geek. - Click here for a better Tech -

Myth: If you don’t ‘stop’ a USB device before unplugging it from a PC, you’ll screw things up.
When you unplug a USB device, without first “stopping” it, in Windows  (accomplished by clicking the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon  in the taskbar), your PC makes a bing-bong sound and usually pops up a message scolding you for removing the device or warning that what you just did can delete data saved on USB storage devices or damage hardware. This is FALSE but with a caveat. As long as the device is not writing to memory you can remove it with no problems.

In reality it is good practice to “Stop” the device before removing it so that the system and you are sure the device is not in the middle of a writing process.  I have seen thumb drives and external USB hard drives lose everything by being unplugged during a writing process.  - Click here if you have questions -
       
 

Myth: If you don’t use a screen saver, you will ruin your computer monitor.
This is another bit of advice that had some validity many years ago. The monitors of old that had Cathode Ray tubes and used Phosphorus to display an image would suffer from “phosphor burn-in” but today it’s just FALSE. It’s virtually impossible with today’s monitors, especially LCD flat screens, to leave an image on the burned in on the screen. There’s certainly no downside to using a screen saver, and many people find them fun to use as a way of “expressing themselves”. Others use them to do a slideshow of their pictures. But there’s certainly no necessity for using a screen saver.  - We are here to help you -

Myth: To increase the speed and performance of the computer, it needs to upgrade the hardware.
While it’s TRUE that upgrading the component like the memory and video card can improve certain processes on your PC, it’s not always the case. Aside from doing this, consider other factors that cause your machine to slow down. Unwanted programs, unclean registry,spyware and other stuffs inside your computer. So, try first to remove temporary internet files, uninstall unnecessary programs, run a good anti-spyware scan, clean the system registry and defrag your hard drive before spending money for new upgrades.  -Need a computer evaluation? -

Myth: It’s cheaper to have an inside technical person than Outsourcing Support Service.
While it seems like a good idea for a companies to hire a person with technical experience to help keep their computers running. There are many pitfalls in taking this road. For starters the average salary for a competent computer/network technician is around 45 to 65K plus benefits which could bring the final cost to of this employee to 65 or 85K. If the company is a small business the Technician would be a pretty big chunk of the overall cost of doing business. This person may or may not have all the knowledge needed to support your environment and assist in designing a path for the company’s growth. If they go on vacation or are sick nothing gets fixed. These are only a few of the many pitfalls to relying on an in-house Tech.

An outsourced company can be a good fit for many Small Businesses that want to maximize their IT investment. A local service provider can offer quick response time for on-site service, low cost phone support, personalized service from a Tech with primary responsibility for your network.  Costs for a good plan with a Local Service provider could cut your costs in half the cost of  employing an inside Tech.  Benefits include, higher return on investment, more experienced personnel, backup personnel and consultation services. - Need Technical Services? -

Bremar Network Solutions, Inc.

Tel: (949) 289-9338

http://www.BremarNetworking.com

A regularly scheduled backup is an insurance policy that allow the recovery of lost, deleted or corrupted files. Be assured, things will go wrong. Computers get viruses, files get accidentally deleted, hard drives are not infallible they will fail or God forbid, your house catches on fire. In these instances, paranoia is a good thing.

Here are my recommendations for keeping your data secure:

Safe Option:
Setup a quick and easy backup routine using an External USB Hard Drive with backup and recovery software installed, like the “Western Digital 1TB My Book Elite External Hard drive” which features:
* Automatic, continuous backup. Which will instantly make a second copy whenever you add or change a file
* Visual backup. Which displays your categories and show the progress of your backup
* Retrieve your valuable data to its original location whether you’ve lost all your data or just overwritten and important file
* Customize your backup, set drive security, run diagnostics, manage the power settings, and more from the WD SmartWare control center
* Military-grade 256-bit hardware-based encryption
* USB 2.0 interface

- We can answer any questions –

Safer Option:
Using the setup above create a backup to the External USB Hard Drive. This will protect you against most common data loss but to be safer you should protect data against fire, theft or any other catastrophe. To protect against these types of data loss it is important to save your data off-site where it will be safe even if all you local backup systems fail or are lost. Sign up for Online backup service like Carbonite which features:
* Unlimited Backup Capacity, backup just important files or your whole system.
* Completely Automatic, once setup it will take a while to do the first backup but subsequent backups will be done quickly anytime you are online.
* Secure and Encrypted, data is encrypted and password protected so prying eyes can’t see your files.
* Easy File Recovery.

The drawback of this service is that since it is an internet based service it is slow to backup and restore. It should only be used as a backup to the local backup that will restore in hours instead of Days or weeks depending on the size of your data.

- We can answer any questions –

Safest Option:
Many of my customers are businesses that can’t be down at all, for these customers we provide on-site backup for quick data recovery, off-site backups for catastrophic problems, and we add another level of security call fault tolerance. We make full use of RAID technologies. RAID allows us to configure multiple hard drives in a way that we can mirror one drive to another. This protects against a drive failure by using the mirrored drive until the defective drive can be replace and rebuilt. Another RAID configuration allows multiple drives to be spanned together so that the data is written a piece at a time to each of the drives. This setup allows the drives to survive even though one drive fails. Once a drive is replaced the controller rebuilds the new drive using data from the remaining drives. So a companies computer system continues to work even with a failed drive.

If you need some help setting up a backup system for protection of your data, give us a call.

Bremar Network Solutions

www.bremarnetworking.com

Office:  949-289-9338

According to the results of a national survey, and my experience concurs, the Top 5 leading cause of unexpected early PC mortality are…

#5 – Lightning Strike 10% – Nationwide lightning strikes do cause serious damage to electronic components of all types, including Your computer, and especially those connected to phone modem. Lightning strikes can cause huge electrical surges in the power and phone lines entering your house. Over longer distances this gets filtered out, but at close range it can be devastating. Often modems and other phone line devices are more vulnerable to this than other computer components that depend on the better-shielded power lines. - Need some help? –

• Tip: You should not be using your computer if lightning is striking anywhere close to you, and for the computer’s safety, unplug the modem from the phone jack.
• Tip: If you are in an area that sees frequent lightning strikes, get a decent quality UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)that also monitors and conditions power and has a phone line/network cable surge protector. This will provide protection against sudden surges and other lightning-triggered electrical freakiness through the power, phone, or cable modem LAN. - For more tips –

#4 – Heat Related  13% – Today’s Processors can literally cook themselves in seconds if not properly cooled. A malfunctioning fan or an incorrectly seated heat sink can cause a CPU meltdown. Additionally, proper airflow over the mainboard can assist in extending the life of other components in the system as well as the power supply. Once you have the heat sink and fan installed properly and working, keep an eye (and an ear) on it from time to time. If your system is making more noise than usual, or making grinding sounds, it could be that your CPU fan is on its last legs. - Need some help? –

• Tip: If you hear grinding or squealing from inside Turn off the power and have the noisy fans replaced.
• Tip: You should try to keep your system off the floor and away from excessive dust and pet hair. - For more tips –

#3 – Assembly or Upgrading 15% - According to the results of the survey, the third leading cause of unexpected early PC mortality is… You!. Many users have tried building or upgrading their systems unsuccessfully. Although, most crucial computer components are keyed to only fit in one way, there are still steps in PC assembly which are absolutely crucial, but not necessarily common knowledge to computer rookies. A common issue is incorrectly seated memory or slot card. Many novice builders don’t know that Static Electricity from your own hands can damage critical components. - Need some help? –

• Tip: If you try building a PC before you turn the power on, take a few minutes to go over the computer and double check all your connections. It could save you a few hundred bucks’ worth of heartbreak.
• Tip: Before you touch any electronic component in your system make sure you touch the metal case to discharge any static electricity on your person. - For more tips –

#2 – Bad Gear and User Negligence 23% – Installing a defective component in a system can blow out other components in your system. This can also happen with brand new components, as anyone who works in a computer repair field knows. I’ve had my share of power supplies that have blown mainboards, video cards that have blown mainboards and Floppy drives that have blown power supplies. Although it is rare with new components, it does happen. However, the possibilities increase dramatically when reusing parts from one system to another. Also, as computer technology progresses, incompatibilities with older parts are introduced, meaning in some cases parts that fit perfectly well in your system may go up in smoke as soon as you turn the power on. - Need some help? –

• Tip: Don’t reuse parts from a used system especially if you aren’t certain that they are in good working order.
• Tip: Verify that the specs that the component you are installing has similar specs and requirements as the one you are replacing. - For more tips –

#1 – Power Supply and Power issues 26% – When a power supply fails, it often sends random jolts through the rest of the system, killing (and sometimes burning) your valuable computer components. It’s worth mentioning that of all the problems we list here, this is also the one most likely to cause damage to your home and/or yourself. In Many cases a defective Power Supply Unit in question will burst into fiery flames or belched out clouds of blue smoke or sparks. Needless to say this can present a very real fire hazard to more than just the expensive computer components! - Need some help? –

• Tip: Although a bit more expensive, use name brand power supplies when replacing or upgrading.
• Tip: Install a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) or line conditioner to protect against power fluctuations and spike. - For more tips –

Need a system fixed or a network installed?

Call US: (949) 289-9338

Bremar Network Solutions, Inc.

http://www.BremarNetworking.com

1. De-fragment your computer hard disk - Performing a Disk Defrag every couple of months can increase the access time of your Hard drive. As your system saves and deletes and rewrites files to the hard drive the files become fragmented. Meaning, the files are broken down into little pieces and saved in what ever vacant space is available when the disk is rotating. when this happens the drive may have to wait a full rotation for the next piece to come available for reading. when you defrag your drive the files are reorganized in a way that the maximum amount of data can be read during a single rotation of the drive. - For more information Click Here -

2. Tweak your display settings - If you don’t care about all the fancy visual effects in Windows, you can save yourself some time and get better responsiveness by turning them off. Do this: Right Click on Computer or My Computer, Click on Properties, Click Visual Effects, Click Adjust for Best Performance in Performance Options. - For more information Click Here -

3. Tweak your mouse settings – This tip won’t speed up your computer but may allow you to work faster by making your mouse more responsive to the way you work. There are many settings that can be optimized so that you can copy and paste faster, scroll faster, navigate quickly while browsing and more. To make these changes. Click Start, Click Control Panel, Double Click Mouse. In this area you can change the speed of your clicking, the type of pointer on your screen, the speed of movement, scrolling and visibility of the pointer. - For more information Click Here -

4. Turn off Indexing - In Windows XP and Vista, the Windows Search indexing service is turned on for all local hard drives. Instead use windows Desktop Search or Google desktop when searching for files on your Hard drive. Turning off indexing is a simple way to increase performance for most users. Here’s how you do it: First, Click My Computer, and Right-Click on your local drive (C, D, etc) and Click Properties On the General tab, you’ll a check-box at the bottom called “Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching”. Go ahead and un-check that and you’ll get a pop-up dialog box asking whether you want to apply these settings to all files and folders or just to the root of the drive: Go ahead and choose all files and sub-folders, otherwise it’s going to still index everything on the drive! Click OK and you’ll have to sit and wait for a few minutes as the settings are applied to all the files on your computer. Unfortunately, every file in the file system has an attribute that tells Windows whether or not it should be indexed, so this has to to be updated for all files. If you get any Access Denied errors along the way, just go ahead and Click Ignore All because it’s probably just system files that are currently in use. - For more information Click Here -

5. Disable the XP boot logo - to speed up Windows boot time. Disable XP Boot Logo You can disable the XP splash screen; which will speed up the overall boot process. Click Start, Click Run; type in: msconfig, Click BOOT.INI from the top tabs, Go down to Boot Options, and select: /NOGUIBOOT, Click Apply then Click Ok to close msconfig. You will need to restart your computer for it to take effect. - For more information Click Here -

For more Speed up tips call:

Bremar Network Solutions, Inc.

(949) 289-9338

http://www.BremarNetworking.com

1. Speed up your Internet browsing - During your travels through the Internet Windows Explorer creates many files on your system to assist with it’s functionality. However, It has never been very good about cleaning up after itself. You can increase the speed of your internet browsing if you delete your Internet browsing history, temporary Internet files, cookies to free up disk space. To perform this task, Open Internet Explorer, Click on Tools, Click on Internet Options, Click Delete under Browser Settings. You may also want to check how much memory is being used for browser history by Clicking Settings under Browser History. The disk space to use should be at to around 25MB. While in that windows also check the Days to Keep History. Most people don’t need history any longer than a couple of days or a week. Set it accordingly. - For more information Click Here -

2. Give your system more disk space - You should cleanup after yourself. Any File you delete is automatically sent to the recycle bin. This bin is a protection against accidental deletion. Accidentally deleted files can be restored to their previous location from the recycle bin. If you are sure the files won’t be needed the Bin should be emptied. If you don’t do it on a regular basis empty the Recycle Bin deleted files are still taking up space on your hard drive. This operation will clear up drive space. Simply Double-Click the Recycle Bin Icon on the desktop and Click Empty Recycle Bin then close it. - For more information Click Here -

3. Give your system even more disk space - Windows also needs help cleaning up after itself. Every couple of months run the built-in Windows Disk Cleanup utility. To Perform this task: Click Start, Click All Programs, Click Accessories, Click system Tools, Click Disk Cleanup, Click OK. You will be shown the files that are taking up space and what type of files these are. This process will remove many unnecessary files and folders from your systems hard disk. - For more information Click Here -

4. Check you system for duplicate or unnecessary applications – Many systems come from the manufacturer with the Microsoft Works applications and Users often install Microsoft Office. If you are not using Microsoft Works remove it. Another example is If you have an Antispy program, Disable Windows Defender. Both perform the same task. - For more information Click Here -

5. Run a Spyware cleaner - One of the main reasons why PC’s are slow is because of spyware infections. They can be removed by using a Good Spyware removal tool. However, you have to be careful when using a generic spyware program. There are many applications that are Spys themselves. Go to software review sites to get a true Spyware Removal tool. - For more information Click Here -

For more Speed up tips call:

Bremar Network Solutions, Inc.
(949) 289-9338

http://www.BremarNetworking.com

In today’s business environment, it is very rare to see an office with more than a few of employees that are not connected in a network, because of the many advantages and extra savings a computer network brings. Below are only a few of those advantages.

1 – Makes sharing data easier
Sharing files a network system is much easier than in individual disconnected computers, where you would have to use a floppy disk or a flash drive to share files. When computers are in a network, the documents can be found in folders on the file server and everyone, with the proper access login and password, can access them. Sharing files on a file server eliminates transferring your files to a device and then walk to your co-worker’s desk and have them transfer the files from your device to their computers. That saves a great deal of time by giving your co-worker instant access to the shared file.  - For more information click here -

2 – Helps to Centralize and Manage Data
Storing company documents in a file server instead of having them in each employee’s computer. This helps keep the documents more organized. Whenever someone makes changes to a file that is stores on the file server, everyone will be accessing the same updated copy. There is no need for isolated backups of each file because the system will do it itself. Additionally, access to the directories can also be managed by using passwords. The network administrator can choose who has access to the files and who can make changes to them by granting those people passwords to the documents, in case the administrator doesn’t want sensitive data to be available for all employees.  - For more information click here -

3 - Data access is flexible
When you log into a network server it doesn’t matter what computer you are doing your work on. You can start working on a document sitting at your desk and finish it on any computer on the network computers. The result will be the same and everyone will be able to access it. In some cases you can even log in remotely from home work on the document.  - For more information click here -

4 – Share office equipment
Instead of purchasing separate printers, faxes and or scanners per person, you can have just one of each for the whole office if you have them set up to be shared in the network. It is much more cost efficient to purchase a faster device that can be shared than buying multiple low cost devices for individual users.  - For more information click here -

5 – Cut costs of software
Many software products aimed at networks offer special pricing for network licenses than for individual computer licenses. In many cases because the machines are connected to each other in the network, upgrading can be done directly to the server, saving time from upgrading computer by computer.  - For more information click here -

6 – Share the internet
If you have a small office, you can use a single Internet connection for your whole network, saving you money. There are special devices, routers, created to allow the connection to be shared by many individuals. This extra cash makes it easier for the company to upgrade from a slower connection to a high-speed one and increase productivity.  - For more information click here -

7 – Better Employee Communication
Users on a network can communicate internally, they can work together on documents and projects, they can share calendars, send internal notifications and keep everyone up to date on company issues.   - For more information click here -

As you can see, the advantages of a computer network in your business are numerous and that is the reason it is so necessary for companies to enhances productivity by using connectivity for device, file and idea  sharing. Contact  BremarNetworking.com for your free IT and business analysis.

2 – Evaluate the new office location network and electrical infrastructure. You must ensure that enough network and power connections are available in locations where computer, servers and communication equipment will reside. If new network or electrical connections are needed, it is easier to install them when the office is vacant. Additionally, if you have a location set aside for a server room, verify that there is an air conditioning vent in that room. Servers tend to run hot and a well air conditioned room is important for the longevity of your server. Click her for help with evaluating your new site.

3 – Order new internet communication services such as DSL, cable or T-1 from the local service provider in anticipation of the move-in date. Most Service providers have a 2 week lead time for starting new services. When ordering your new service, take into account your future needs. If you will have new requirements such as Home or remote workers you will need to order the correct service. Click here for more information about internet services.

4 – Plan how your company will do the physical move. Depending on the size or structure of your firm, some companies consider utilizing their own in-house resources for disconnecting, packing and reconnecting activities. Attempting to do it in this fashion may involve requiring each user to prepare and pack their own equipment, or it may mean utilizing internal technical staff on overtime or during non-business hours to handle simple tasks while critical issues pile up. Attempting to do everything with limited resources can be disastrous. Click here if you prefer an experienced team to move your computer system.

5 – Preparing for an IT Relocation. Before you disconnect your computer system, remember to back up all data. If the hard drive is damaged during transport, your important data could be lost. But if you’ve backed up your hard drive, the lost or damaged data can be reloaded or restored. Several back-up methods are available, including copying files to CDs, DVDs, external Hard drive or uploading your data to an internet storage provider. Click here for help with backing up your systems.

6 – Be sure to properly shut down the computer. Before unplugging any cables, label each cord and its corresponding port with color coded labels. This will allow for faster, easier reassembly at your new office. Pack your system in its original packing carton if possible. If not, ask your Office Moving Consultant to recommend proper packing materials.When preparing a printer, copier, plotter, or fax machine for the move, first remove all paper to prevent paper jams in the equipment’s components during transport. If you are moving a laser printer, remove the ink cartridge as the ink may spill and contaminate the laser engine. Click here for help with your relocation.

Bremar Network Solutions can make your relocation a smoother process. We can help with any of the processes of your relocation. Making a move without an expert to guide you can be a risky decision. We will make sure you are up and running in your new location as quickly as possible. Click here for more information.

1- If you use Outlook, decline or cancel any upcoming meetings or appointments that are scheduled while you’re gone.  It is important to advise  Co-workers that you won’t be available for meetings and  that any recurring meetings you run are canceled until you return. - For more information click here -

2 - Make sure your mailbox doesn’t exceed size limits. If you’re gone for a long time, you run the risk of your Outlook 2003 or 2007 mailbox exceeding the size limit set by your IT department. A full mailbox will prevent you from sending or receiving e-mail while you’re gone. If you over-run your mailboxes limits, messages will bounce back to the sender as undeliverable.  Before you leave, use the Mailbox Cleanup tool in Outlook to check the size of your mailbox and manage its size. You may also need to perform an archive of your mail in order to make space in your mailbox. - For more information click here -

3 – Block off time in your calendar. It’s hard for your Co-workers to remember who is in and who is not. Don’t forget to mark your Outlook calendar to show co-workers that you’re gone. That way, they’ll know at a glace that you’re not available and won’t schedule meetings with you.   -For more information click here -

4 -  Keep your password from expiring. A security conscious  IT department might have a limit on how long your password will be valid before you need to change it. If you’re going away for more than 14 days, change your network password before you leave  to ensure it won’t expire while you’re gone. - For more information click here -

5 - Turn on your Out of Office Assistant. Use the Outlook Out of Office Assistant to auto-reply an out-of-office message to all incoming messages. This Outlook feature enables you to set an automated reply to messages received while you’re out. In the reply, let people know who to contact while you’re gone. You can also set up rules to file the messages you receive, send special responses to specific people, and more. - For more information click here -

6 -  If at all possible turn off and unplug the power to your computer, monitor and printer. Besides the obvious, power savings and lowering your electric bill. Unplugging these devices protects them against power surges. - For more information click here -

7 -  Laptop computers are a common target of theft. If you’re not taking your laptop with you on vacation, take it home or lock it in your desk to prevent  the theft of your system. Locking cable are also available to protect your system. - For more information click here -