Aegis Business Consultant: Larry Stallings

By: Larry Stallings
Today all businesses run many functions on computers. While the cost of many of the elements that go into a computer system have gone down, there are new challenges which the small business owner has to face just to keep his systems running. Here are some tips and advice which I have used over the last couple of years to keep my own computers and those of my customers running well and at low cost.

Computers
Many businesses have gone over to Dell computers because they are inexpensive and have a good reputation. Be aware that you may have to ship the computer back if it can’t be fixed locally, so if you can’t spare it for a week or more, buy locally. Note also that the lower priced Dell models are often missing key components (floppy drives, modems, network cards), which cost extra.

Inexpensive PCs from your local “Big Box” store are usually a good bet, but make sure there’s a good warranty and that the store fixes the machines on-site. If you want to keep your computer longer than three years and will want to upgrade it and make changes, your local custom computer shop is your best bet. You’ll get the best service and they’ll keep your old PC going, while the big brands will try to sell you a new one.

Peripherals
For printers, I like HP and Lexmark generally, but Epson for high-quality printing. In monitors, I haven’t seen any difference between the low-cost ones and the higher-cost brand names, but I would advise you to get the lowest resolution you can when buying an LCD monitor. These monitors have a “native” resolution where they give the best picture, and if it’s anything over 1280 x 1024, you’ll end up with tiny icons and text. I find 1024 x 768 is the best.

Software

Operating Systems
Most new brand name machines come with Windows installed, and getting it that way isn’t too expensive. Otherwise, while hardware has come down in price, Windows has gone up. I still run most of my computers on Windows 98 – it’s still available on eBay and it has the advantage that it is not affected by viruses as often as the latest versions of Windows.

I have also tried Linux and it works well, but you can expect to have to fiddle with drivers and configuration a bit.

Applications
As with Windows, the price of MS Office has gone up to the point where a new, full version is likely to cost more than the computer. Instead, get Open Office, an open source office suite available at http://download.openoffice.org/1.1.2/ind… . Use “nonjava download” if you have problems or purchase a CD for about $10.00.

For graphics, my main program is PaintShop Pro; download or buy at:http://www.jasc.com/products/paintshoppr… . It costs about $100.00 and does everything I would otherwise use Photoshop for at a fraction of the price. A free trial is available.

I recently downloaded a new browser – Mozilla Firefox. It’s free, fast and has a big window. Get it from http://www.mozilla.org/ .

Security
I stopped updating Windows with the endless fixes and concentrated on making my computer system secure independently. To control access, I have the Zonealarm firewall. It lets only traffic I have specifically approved go in or out of my computer, and it keeps a list of authorized programs which I can change at any time. Download it for free from: http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/ca… .

For anti-virus protection, I use Norton, but McAffee seems to be just as good. I have tested a number of free anti-virus products and have not found one that’s reliable. With Norton and Zonealarm, my computer system has not been compromised in over two years.

Finally, we have to deal with spam. Your ISP should have a basic, but not overactive spam filtering system. I get good results by filtering about 2/3 of spam at the ISP server. If I try and get more, I start filtering too many good messages. If you have an older email address and aren’t getting any spam, you can bet that you’re also losing some good messages. For the third of spam messages that hit my Inbox, I “mark” them (right click and mark as Junk) and tell the email program to delete junk – that automatically takes care of all but a few of the rest.