Bay Area IT Management
Where technology experts at Endsight share their expertise on IT Management, the issues that arise for clients, and the benefits of technology for medical practices, biotech firms, law firms, financial services and other small businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sep 11th, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: General, Hardware, Software
Generally, we do not recommend that our clients spend their valuable time attempting to solve minor computer issues. Endsight maintains a fully staffed response center whose sole purpose is to solve these problems for our clients.
That said, I can appreciate those of us that like to tinker with things. Sometimes I just want to understand what the problem is and figure out how to fix it on my own. It’s a total time waster, but sometimes I just can’t help myself.
I found this article on the HP Small Business Website and decided to reprint it here. For more related articles, click here.
Small & Medium Business
As we all know, computers are not perfect devices, and they sometimes malfunction. And when they do, this can create frustration, wasted time, and unneeded expense – especially for those of us whose computers are as vital to our daily existence as oxygen. Luckily, many common computer issues can be resolved without professional help – and with excellent results and little or no hair-pulling involved. Here are a few of the problems you might encounter, and how to fix them.
The problem: my computer is running slowly
Over time, you might notice that your computer’s performance is lagging – programs take longer to load, and booting up seems to take forever.
The fix: there are lots of them, since there are lots of reasons your computer might have slowed down. First, run a spyware and anti-virus software program (if you haven’t got one installed, you should, and you can download one free from the Internet) to see if your system is infected. If it is, follow the removal instructions provided by the software. If that doesn’t work, try removing unnecessary programs that might be taking up storage space on your computer – things like games you haven’t played in months or that accounting software you only installed for the tax season and haven’t used again. Finally, if you use Windows®, try running the Windows defragmentation utility, which can help boost your PC’s performance.
The problem: my PC started normally, but there’s nothing on the screen
If this happens, you should first check that all the cables and wires are attached to your monitor and that they’re all securely plugged in. Another idea: make sure the screen brightness isn’t turned down – this can easily happen to monitors with exposed dials.
You should also listen out for the sounds your PC makes when it boots up: if it beeps once, that’s a normal startup. However, one long beep followed by shorter beeps can mean your graphics/video card has a problem and might need to be “reseated” – this means manually removing it from the computer and then returning it to its slot. To do this, first power off your computer and unplug it. Take the case panel off, and locate the card in your machine.Before touching the card, touch one hand to the metal of the PC to ground yourself. Then, remove the screw holding the card in place, and gently rock the card back and forth until it is released. Finally, reinsert the card gently but firmly until it is completely seated in the slot, then replace the screw and PC cover and plug the machine in again.
The problem: my computer crashes and displays a blue screen
Congratulations, you’ve just encountered the famous Windows stop error, or Blue Screen of Death, as it’s lovingly known in the IT community. If this happens to you, it’s likely that you’ve recently added a new program, device, driver or application that your machine just doesn’t like.
Sometimes, a simple reboot of the PC resolves the issue. But sometimes it doesn’t – you reboot, Windows loads, and the computer crashes again. System Restore is a tool in Windows XP and Vista® that takes snapshots of your computer’s configuration over time, so if your system crashes due to an installation or bad configuration, the tool can roll Windows back to the state it was in before it stopped working without affecting any of your data. Microsoft® provides detailed instructions on when and how to use System Restore.
Microsoft, Windows and Windows Vista are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
Tags: computer issues, Endsight, hp, Microsoft, small-business
Aug 24th, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: Business & Management, General, Marketing, Media
I received this e-mail from the San Francisco Business Times last week.The publisher is taking applications from Bay Area firms for the publications list of the bay areas most admired CEOs.
If you admire your CEO, I suggest that you give this a look. Accolades are always nice and this is an easy way to bring your business leader and your business to the attention of the San Francisco Business Times’ readership.
After the year that we’ve had I think that completing this application is a great way of reminding ourselves of how hard we have worked and the admirable decisions we’ve made. If you are the CEO and you are too modest to bring this to the attention of one of your teammates, send me a note and perhaps I could nominate you. The application process is web-based and seems easy enough. I’ve re-posted the announcement here and have included a link to the original message from the San Francisco Business Times.
The San Francisco Business Times will honor 12 outstanding leaders of Bay Area enterprises in a special report, and at a gala awards dinner recognizing the Bay Area’s Most Admired CEOs Thursday, November 19 at the Hilton San Francisco.
We will honor CEOs in 12 categories, including public companies, private companies, emerging growth companies, a non-profit CEO, a small-business CEO, as well as an Innovator and a Lifetime Achiever.
This is a celebration of leadership at its best. It is an opportunity to recognize the CEOs who give the most to their companies, their people, their industries and their communities.
Which CEO deserves the nomination from your organization?
NOMINATION DEADLINE: September 4, 2009
Honorees will be selected by an independent panel of judges. Judges will evaluate these qualities: leadership, values, vision, company financial performance, work environment, community contribution, innovation and overcoming adversity.
Nominees must be present November 19 to receive the award. Nominees will be selected from the SFBT coverage area, including the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano.
The “Bay Area Most Admired CEO Awards” is presented by the San Francisco Business Times and Accenture.
Don’t miss this chance to recognize your most admired CEO!
About Jason:Originally from the great state of Ohio Jason Clause relocated to the Bay Area to work in high-tech. A veteran of the dot com boom and bust, Jason has more than 10 years experience helping small businesses apply information technology to improve business process and increase revenue. Jason lives in Dublin, California with his wife Jennifer and enjoys hiking, cooking and quiet time at home. His hobbies include golf, snowboarding, creative writing and performing amateur stand up comedy.
Tags: Bay Area, CEO Awards, CEO Nomination, leadership, NOMINATE, nomination deadline, san francisco business times, small-business, Technology
Aug 10th, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: General
Chances are that the last two years have not given your small business many opportunities to improve company morale. A quick cruise around Facebook reveals a lot of employees are concerned about their jobs, unhappy with their working conditions and / or are looking for a new job.
Employee morale may not seem like a Bay Area IT Issue at first blush, but when you’re running an outsourced IT organization employee morale is of the utmost importance. It’s an intangible asset. When Endsight employees are feeling optimistic about the business, good things just start to happen. When employee morale dips, it can be really hard to catch a break.
For a small business, poor morale is kind of like a fire raging inside the wall. We can smell the smoke and feel the heat from the fire, but it’s hard to find the flames.
A great idea:
Alicia Kallander, Endsight’s human resource manager, came up with an idea that I think has a real impact on the morale of Endsight’s employees.
The third Thursday of every month, EndSight sponsors a fun activity for the employees. In July for example, the company had a pizza party and played miniature golf. The event is not mandatory and the point is to try to have a little fun.
Activities like this don’t cost a ton of money, but I think they can have a big impact on employee morale. It’s a tangible way to show employees that the company is committed to creating a work environment that they want to be a part of. I think it also is a subtle way to demonstrate a little optimism about the future.
If you’d like a few ideas to start your own Third Thursdays.
Shoot me an e-mail and I’ll send you a list of the events EndSight has planned in the past.
About Jason:
Originally from the great state of Ohio Jason Clause relocated to the Bay Area to work in high-tech. A veteran of the dot com boom and bust, Jason has more than 10 years experience helping small businesses apply information technology to improve business process and increase revenue. Jason lives in Dublin, California with his wife Jennifer and enjoys hiking, cooking and quiet time at home. His hobbies include golf, snowboarding, creative writing and performing amateur stand up comedy.
Tags: Bay Area, company morale, employee morale, Endsight, outsourced, Outsourced IT, poor morale, small businesses, Technology
Sep 10th, 2008
by Lauren Papesh, Business Development Filed under: General
I’ve been trying to find a purpose in the world lately, or at least one that garners quick recognition and ego stroking. Winning a Gold medal seemed plausible, until I thought about the intense level of exercise associated with that feat. It’s not that I’m lazy; I just care about my joints! Oh, and the minor fact that I gave up on competitive sports around the age of 16 and could be beaten by a child in most fields.
Then it occurred to me, I’m going to win the Nobel Prize! If Al Gore can sweet talk his way into taking credit for the internet and the discovery of global warming, then there must be something I can do? On my daily hour commute from 680 to 24 to 580 to 80 to Endsight in Berkeley, I noticed a billboard for the DaVinci exhibit at the San Jose Technological Museum (http://www.thetech.org/leonardo/) . This got me thinking about thinking.
Leonardo DaVinci has to be one of the sweetest people ever (and not cause he happens to also be the name of my favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle), but because how much came out of that noggin. I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris, read the DaVinci Code and rode on the DaVinci bandwagon for the past few years. He definitely would have won the Nobel Prize. Maybe I should invent a time machine, go back in time, give him a Nobel Prize and in the process win one for myself- two birds with one stone! (Probably should clear up that whole Priory of Scion, blood line controversy while I’m at it).
This may all seem too optimistic and slightly offensive to the people who have worked their butts off to achieve this prestigious award. But the story goes that in the late 19th century, US congress wanted to close the patent office because all that needed to be invented was invented! Point being, that people and society will never exhaust all resources and innovation needed for invention.
Just because I’m not Harvard trained, don’t work in a lab, or have the political PR machine that Al Gore has access to, doesn’t mean I can’t change the world. Homer Simpson had this same idea in a classic Simposn’s episode trying to “out invent” Thomas Edison. But it was his accidental invention of a six legged chair, stemmed from his laziness, which eventually led him to the feeling of success. So maybe the world will appreciate my desire for efficiency more than some deep athletic ability. My friends and I have come up with some pretty clever ideas while sitting in my apartment pondering the world. If only I had written those ideas down and acted on them…
And if this Nobel Prize thing doesn’t pan out, there is always an Oscar.
-Lauren DaVinci
Tags: Bay Area Traffic, Inventions, Nobel Prize, Technology
Aug 5th, 2008
by Lauren Papesh, Business Development Filed under: General
Hi, my name is Lauren and I drink Red Bull.
I’m not afraid to say that. Maybe it’s my generation. Maybe it’s my college past. But when I need a picker upper, I just don’t want coffee. Working in the Bay Area grind, it seems almost sinful to forgo coffee. Popular culture hasn’t over looked the obscene and often comical number of coffee shops in the land of business. But somehow Red Bull, which should be the “trendy” drink, has become a symbol for no-frills energy. I like the taste. I like the fact that my sugar free Red Bull has the calories of a stick of gum. I like that it’s not any more expensive than a cup of coffee. But I don’t like the bad looks and feeling that I’m breaking the rules (or maybe I do!)
We all just need to admit that coffee shops are not just for taste, ambiance, or status. They are for when the corporate world needs their picker upper. Would it be necessary to have one every few blocks, with constant lines and an insider’s vocabulary to even order a drink if it weren’t for the stimulus it provides? Give me your decaf argument all you want, but besides for the select few decaf drinkers (I like to think of them as the coffee world version of ordering an O’Doul’s at a bar), you enter that coffee shop for a specific reason- to wake up!
So if I need Red Bull to liven up, please allow my generational disposition for energy drinks to not be frowned upon. Just because the twenty-year old coffee monkey on your back has now become status quo, don’t sneer my Red Bull - let me drink in peace. Red Bull Rocks IT Management!
Tags: Coffee, Corporate, Generation, Red Bull
Aug 4th, 2008
by Lauren Papesh, Business Development Filed under: General
After my 1st week into the real world and becoming an adult, I had the rudest wake-up call as to what my new found “adult” responsibilities entail. Recently graduating from Chico State in May, I’ve been very fortunate to begin a career at Endsight as a Business Development Associate (fancy way of saying inside sales).
To end my first non-stop week, I was involved in an accident at the 24/ 580 interchange Friday morning. First time I’ve seen the airbags go off in a car. They whipped my hand and I thought that the irony of the world was also catching up seeing that August 1 was the first day of my new health insurance!
It was the classic Bay Area stop and go commute, where the lanes move so fast you get worried. And good reason so… cause this is usually the end result somewhere down the line. It was inevitable that in my corporate career, and all the hours spent on freeways, that this was to happen. But on the morning of my first Friday? Come on world… I get it, I’m growing up, but let’s take it one thing at a time.
If you saw a green jeep grand Cherokee on the shoulder with a “Chico State” sticker on the back, I apologize for further inconveniencing your commute. I feel like everyone needs a turn at being “that guy”, the one who slows down traffic and when you come to the clog you think “why the heck is everybody stopping to look at this car?”, when in fact that very thought has caused you a minor deceleration. Traffic is a weird phenomenon.
A special breed of scientist actually devote their life to the area. You will never find me on that list, but IT Management also employs traffic management and analysis. If I could have it my way, we could drive hover crafts. This weekend while icing my hand (which resembles a blown up latex glove), I watched Back to the Future II and III. They have predicted that by 2015 we will have hover crafts (crossing my fingers for a Deloreon). Not even sure if this would solve the problem, just make traffic worse. Although, if Christopher Llyod’s character could just give me a hover craft and no one else, I’ll be fine with the idea!
Back to why I became rudely welcomed into the adult world. The poor Jeep, after 14 years of loyal service has finally passed away. Poor girl still had my Monte Vista High School senior lot decal on it, stain where I dripped sun tan lotion on the dash going to a soccer game (sorry Daddy, that’s where that came from), and countless scars of high school shenanigans. Well good bye Jeep. Onto the new generation of my life- 2008 VW Jetta. Sold my soul to my father to finance it…
Tags: Accident, Bay Area Traffic, Chico State, Deloreon, Endsight, Inside Sales, Jeep, Monte Vista High School, Traffic
