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A slow computer can make ordinary work frustrating. When you’re waiting for a program to open or struggling to switch between tasks, replacing it can seem like the obvious answer. But a new computer isn’t always the best use of your budget. Sometimes the machine you already own can meet your needs with a targeted upgrade. The key is knowing what’s holding it back-and whether fixing that problem is a worthwhile investment. Start with the problem, not the parts “It’s slow” is a starting…
Nobody wants to think about the unthinkable, but things happen all the time that threaten your digital health. It might be weather related, a power issue, or simple hardware failure. No matter what the issue, your data is at risk when it happens. A good disaster recovery plan will get you back on your feet quickly after something happens. We can provide a comprehensive evaluation of your current plan, or help you devise one that meets your needs and budget. Reach out today and…
This post was originally written in 2018 and is out of date now. But a new and up-to-date post is coming soon. Both my work laptop and my personal laptop have 15.6-inch “full HD” screens, which are a decent size. But sometimes — especially when on the go — I’d like a little more screen real estate. Carrying an extra monitor isn’t practical, but I do have a 10-inch tablet that comes with me pretty much everywhere. It has a great (if small) screen…
The Linux terminal is one of those indispensable tools that I spent lots of time in. Linux Mint recently released a new version, 19, to replace 18.3. There were several good upgrades, including a major update to the Cinnamon window manager, so it was worthwhile to get the newer versions installed. Unfortunately, one of the things that changed was the behavior of the command prompt, and I don’t think the new version is an improvement. The regular user prompt stayed the same: But the…
Please note that this story is from 2018, but is still accurate, even if it refers to a fairly old product. Soon after writing this, I had my DS718+ replaced with a DS918+ that has caching that works as it should. That was recently replaced (and made a secondary NAS) with a phenomenal DS1821+. The Synology DS718+ is one of Synology’s flagship models and it’s an excellent NAS with high-end features. One of those features is the ability to add SSD caching. After experimenting…
My Synology DS215j is a great little machine, and has been chugging along without issue for nearly 3 years. Being one of the least-expensive Synology NAS units, it’s also one of the least capable. It’s slow (but not sluggish), has limited memory, and some of the software available to bigger and badder units is not installable on the lesser units. None of this is an issue per se. It’s actually expected given the cost of entry. Even with its limitations, at around $179 (in…