Use the “from” and “subject” fields to sort Emails while you are cleaning up your inbox. You should find it easier to get through your back log of messages by addressing issues with certain individual(s)… or certain subjects all at once. Quite often the most recent Email of a certain subject contains all the prior information and the older ones can be deleted.
When the Solution is Worse than the Problem
There are few things more frustrating than very slow computer performance. You are typing away, or trying to anyway and the text is not even displaying properly on the screen it’s skipping and catching up like an inchworm. You immediately start to wonder, did I get a virus? So you do the universal solution, you reboot your computer only after a short while it comes back again. This story has played out in many a local Peet’s Coffee, an office, living room or dorm room. One common culprit is indexing software that was installed as a part of an update. To quickly find files on a computer the system needs a database or index that tells it where to find the files. This prevents the search function from having to check every directory, sub folder and file and quickly directs you to the location of the files. The unfortunate thing is, the solution is sometimes worse than the problem.
For years we have found machines that customers were very unhappy with the performance. “My computer was running fine this morning but now it’s slow as heck and I can’t get my work done.” The story often continues “I rebooted it and that helped for a little while but now it’s slow again”. The issue will often go away and come back, a so called “Intermittent” problem that is much more difficult to diagnose. Eventually when you connect with your IT person or learn how to use Task Manager yourself, you find that Searchfilterhost.exe is using a lot of your cpu and your hard drive or even your servers hard drives are working harder than they should be. Your computer is indexing all the content under the umbrella that you operate in including network drives and for one reason or another it has made your machine difficult to operate. There are plenty of things you can do, settings you can change folders you can exempt from this process but in reality in most cases you are better off removing the software and using the old style search utility. In this example we demonstrated what Microsoft Desktop Search does in some cases. In our experience Google Desktop and other indexing utilities have a similar impact on performance and can sometimes cause significant disruptions in performance. This leaves the operator with the choice of trying to ride it out or living with a search function that might take longer.
There is definitely need here and vendors are trying to fill it, but sometimes the solution is more of a problem than the original problem. I am confident both Google and Microsoft will have answers to this question that are optimistic and confident, but the reality is the indexing programs still have a ways to go. There are many things that can go wrong and often do with this role.
What if I really need to find my files more quickly?
I would suggest that you leave your computer on and logged in over a weekend after installing the program. The first indexing performed by these applications takes a lot longer than the maintenance runs. I would also suggest you make sure to only use one indexing program and disable/remove the others. This may not be easy for the average user so professional help could be involved. You could also try different programs if one of them does not seem to work well with your machine. Be advised there could be underlying reasons why your particular computer doesn’t handle these programs well, that would need to be addressed by a professional most likely.
Some additional tips for more effective/faster searches
- Go to the actual folder (local or network) where you think the file is located to narrow down your search.
- Organize your files into folders that are setup in a logical manner to avoid the need to search.
- Name your files with a consistent convention. By doing this the data will sort very logically.
Feedback requested – what file indexing solution do you use? What do you like about it?
5 Reasons to Use Diskeeper
I recently received a newsletter from our defragmentation software partner Diskeeper and it provided me with reminders of compelling reasons to use their software. In light of all the cutbacks people are making in spending it is important to remind ourselves there are reasons to invest money in software that optimize our computing systems. Here is the text of that newsletter:
Diskeeper: Indispensable – 5 Reasons Why
Diskeeper is well documented as an INDISPENSABLE value to every system.
Our customers tell us they won’t run their networks without Diskeeper, here’s why:
1. Maximum speed. Hands down, the slowest link in the performance chain is the hard disk. Fragmentation turns the disk into a major speed bump and lowers the perceived value of the systems and applications you sell.
- 20% + faster performance
- Zero fragmentation bottlenecks
- Fast boot times
- Fast file access
- Fast backups
- Fast AV scans
2. Rock solid reliability. The many fragmentation related time outs, freezes and crashes can seem to be the system’s fault. Diskeeper eliminates the underlying cause of many performance issues and adds real value to every system and application you sell.
- No frag-related slows, hangs, freezes and crashes
- Cuts Help Desk traffic
- Increases up time
- Zero resource conflicts
- Allows system to run at peak speed during heavy traffic
3. Extends system life. Because Diskeeper eliminates excessive I/O due to fragmentation, hard disks last longer and systems run at top performance levels beyond normal life expectancy. This allows your customers to buy more hardware and applications for expansion and not bogging down into break-fix upgrades.
- Extends system life – 1 to 3 years!
- Fewer upgrades needed
- Fast ROI in weeks
4. Energy efficient. Diskeeper requires a bare minimum of energy but because of the way it manages defragmentation operations, it makes the entire system it’s on much more energy efficient. Green to the core of the infrastructure
- Supports green initiatives through reduced consumption
- Saves .12 kilowatts per hour on each desktop, much more for servers.
5. Robust, and completely invisible. Thanks to InvisiTasking® technology, Diskeeper runs as a background process with zero active system resource conflicts. As a result, servers, workstations and laptops are free to operate at top speeds and full productivity without fragmentation slows. Eliminates fragmentation and keeps it from accumulating, even on 24/7 mission critical machines that can’t be taken off line without impacting productivity.
- Schedule-free operation
- Allows consistent peak performance
Success in 2009
Success in 2009 (From your IT guy’s perspective)
It is now the year 2009 and businesses are feeling a squeeze. Many of us have to adjust the way we do business. I have some suggestions for business people to consider for 2009. Now more than ever it is important that we avert costly problems and make adjustments to grow and diversify our businesses. There is pressure on our profit margins, the job market is shrinking, un-employment is growing and subsequently the pool of potential wrong doers and desperate competitors is growing. This information is somewhat IT centered but much of it is universal or could be adapted to most industries and trades. My background does not make me an expert on everything in this article but I feel compelled to share it with you. If you somehow benefit from this I will consider it a success. My business philosophy is the premise that the path to success is to make other people successful by allowing them to do what they do best and not worry about their IT needs. The inspiration and content of this article comes largely from my customers who I am also fortunate enough to call friends. I hope that they will continue to share their wisdom and experience with me in the future.
Spend your IT dollars wisely:
Prevention should be your top priority
• Data Protection
• Network/Desktop Security
• Preventative maintenance
• Pro-active monitoring/issue mitigation
• Theft/disaster recovery
Think of it in terms of a problem prevented usually costs a fraction of the cost to recover from a failure. A simple example of this is a 2 Year antivirus license for a typical business costs less than the damage and loss of revenue from one virus infection. Another area that is often overlooked is the impact one negative event can have on the reputation and future revenue of a business. Our customers want to feel safe and feel that we are investing our profits wisely – namely protecting their privacy and availability of our goods and services. A good recent example of this is when a friend told me their computer had been infected with a virus while accessing their online banking account. After advising them on how I felt would be best to handle the situation, I couldn’t help but think about the real costs of that lapse for that bank. I will never look at them credibly again, and the lawsuits that are sure to follow are likely to put them out of business. This is an extreme example but relevant as well.
Things that make you more productive, competitive and profitable
• Investments that will give very fast return on investment (ROI)
• Security software and services
• Labor saving/productivity solutions
• Things that differentiate you and make your company more attractive to the now more critical customer
Let’s face it, it takes courage to invest when everyone else is cutting back. That’s exactly what some of the most successful people do. Warren Buffet is a great example of this, he has scored massive gains from investments he made when most investors were heading for the hills. The deals are better, the service (should!) be better and the benefits are the same. If you have been putting off an investment or project due to the cost now is a great time to get it quoted again. Keep an eye out for bargains, one of my customers was recently offered engineering software at close to a 50% discount.
What about other cost reductions?
• Verify that you have a protocol for when to call your IT vendor and when not to call, management oversight will be important. Many help desk calls can be avoided by simply rebooting a computer or waiting a few minutes to see if a connectivity problem resolves itself. Depending on the nature of your business this may or may not be acceptable.
• Ask your IT vendor to teach you to fish. There are likely to be many things that you call your IT vendor for assistance with that could be handled internally with a little guidance or training. If you notice repetitive tasks that you seem to be calling about, suggest to the vendor that they teach you to deal with it yourself. It may cost slightly more today but in the long term your savings are likely to be significant. This is a two way street, IT vendors can also make these suggestions but it is best to voice a desire for them to do so.
• Evaluate your current arrangement and make sure it is adequate for your needs. Encourage creativity in keeping costs down.
Now a little on topic but not specifically IT related – What about improving my business and those of my valued business partners and friends?
• Find out more about what your preferred vendors, customers, friends and families businesses do and refer people to them when you have an opportunity to do so.
• Verify that your customers are happy with your service; involve them in decisions that are made about changes in policies, etc. Use their feedback to improve the quality of solution you offer. Businesses are built and improve every day by providing solutions to problems.
• Be flexible and prepared to adjust the way you do business.
• Plan for growth not survival, in spite of the conditions we are facing this is still a great place to perform commerce. Since many businesses can almost count on shrinking sales to attrition the growth requirements are going to be more substantial.
You hear a lot of people saying that in down economic times there are some of the best opportunities. I believe this is true for a number of reasons. Foremost is the huge bump that the companies that do well navigating through these downturns will experience during the more prosperous times that will inevitably follow. As the demand for your goods or service rise and there is a lack of adequate suppliers to meet those needs.
What am I doing to try to ensure the success of my clients, friends, family and business partners?
• I will share any ideas that I have that might help make them be more successful.
• I am increasing my networking activity to improve my existing contacts and to make new ones.
• I will be promoting my business when it is appropriate and tasteful to do so but more importantly I will be promoting good businesses that I know.
• I am reaching out to people and trying to provide them with leads, contacts and support.
Education: the Answer to Zero Day Exploits
A Zero Day Exploit is an exploit that is circulating before the software vendor has learned of it. They can linger around as un-patched vulnerabilities if the vendor is slow or unable to respond to them.
Security software with lots of bells and whistles tends to encourage end users to feel more secure. They have firewalls, Antivirus protection, all sorts of resident programs and pretty icons. Something pops up now and then asking for their input; again insuring them it is working hard to protect them. They pay good money for this software, so it must give them some reason to rest easier at night. The sad fact is that even the best network protection scheme short of not having a network, is never safe. Let’s take a look at the situation today, and let’s talk about what we know. As of the writing of this article there are 3 un-patched vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft Word that have been known for over one month. That means that in spite of your efforts to protect yourself it is possible that a user at your company could receive an email containing an attached word document with an exploit designed to compromise your systems and your user would be the only line of defense. You’ve done everything you can do to layer your defenses, keep your systems up to date, and protect them pro-actively with other security software but there still is a chance that it could come down to the actions of that end user. That is why you should not overlook the human element in your security apparatus. Building a security aware culture is an important step in any IT security strategy. Teaching end users to get confirmation from third parties when they receive a message containing a suspicious attachment for example; can go a long way in preventing exploitation of your valuable resources. Scheduling regular training sessions where current issues are addressed can pay large dividends if even one compromise of your security apparatus is avoided. Educated users are safer users.
At Managed Solutions we advocate quarterly training sessions for existing employees and orientation for new users of our clients systems. By keeping the humans up to date with the latest information, our customers can substantially lower the chances of experiencing costly cleanup operations, loss of reputation and most importantly lost customers. What does your company do to educate its users? Perhaps it is time for you to consider a shift towards a more educated end user base. A security aware culture is the main protection we have against zero day exploits.