Think back to the last time you bought a new PC or laptop for your business. Did you approach the purchase the same way you would for a personal device? And if you had a problem, were you satisfied with the level of service you received?

Many small and medium-sized businesses purchase consumer-grade PCs and notebooks by default, not realizing the amount of difference a business-class model can make. Consumer-grade devices can work fine for many organizations, but businesses with more stringent performance, reliability, and support needs can save time and frustration by moving up to business-class devices.

Think of it this way: when you purchase an economy-class plane ticket you know there’s going to be a marked difference between your experience and the experience of someone flying first class. More legroom, better menu options, more responsive service—the benefits are clear, and for many business travelers it makes sense to upgrade, especially if the flight is long.

When it comes to technology, the difference between consumer-grade and business-class PCs is just as marked as for flights—and for many businesses, the upgrade is just as worthwhile. Here’s the difference a business-class device can make for you:

• Performance: Many modern consumer-grade processors and mobile operating systems prioritize battery life over processing power. Business-class PCs often offer both better performance and longer battery life, allowing users to work faster and longer while on the road.

• Reliability: HP Elite PCs are designed to pass MIL STD testing and are tested for 115,000 hours to HP’s own testing standards to help ensure durability. New HP EliteBook 700 series notebooks are also made with Corning^® Gorilla^® Glass and a magnesium alloy chassis that’s 18 times stronger than plastic.

• Support: Every HP Elite PC comes with HP Elite Premium Support, providing 24/7/365 dedicated service from U.S.-based specialists who are dedicated solely to supporting HP Elite products.

• Software and security: Business-class devices help their users take advantage of their advanced features with free, bundled software that is not available (or requires an additional purchase) on consumer-grade PCs. For example, HP Elite family products come with security software and features that protect at the data, identity, and device levels to help keep proprietary data safe.

On average, small businesses hold on to their PCs for five to seven years. Your next device purchase will likely be with you for years to come. So when you consider that many of us are quick to upgrade our airline tickets—even though flights don’t last more than a day—upgrading to a business-class device can make a lot of sense. Weigh the benefits, and choose the device with the level of support and reliability that meets your business needs.

Have questions?

Get help from IT Experts/Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner
Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LLC is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

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To achieve its goal of getting one billion people onto Windows 10, Microsoft is getting more forceful in how it pushes Windows 7 and 8.1 users towards its new OS.

Microsoft wants Windows 10 on one billion devices by 2018 – and its tactics for hitting that ambitious goal are about to get more aggressive.

From next year, Microsoft will be more direct in pushing Windows 7 and 8.1 users to upgrade to its latest OS, in an attempt to bolster the 110 million-strong Windows 10 userbase.

Here’s how Microsoft is about to crank up the pressure to make the switch.

1. Windows 10 will automatically begin installing itself

From “early next year”, Microsoft will change the status of the free Windows 10 upgrade so it is classified as a Recommended Update.

Given that most home machines are set up to install Recommended Updates automatically, the change to Windows 10’s update status will lead to most Windows 7 and 8.1 machines beginning the upgrade.

However, Microsoft says that before Windows 10 is installed users will need to manually confirm the installation, giving them a chance to pull out.

Business users should be able to prevent the upgrade from automatically starting using tools such as Windows Server Update Services.

For those on metered connections, Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s executive VP of the Windows and Devices Group, said people “have the option of turning off automatic updates” before going on to say that such a move is unwise because of “the constant risk of internet threats”.

Those who don’t like the new OS will have 31 days to roll back to their previous version of Windows. To go back, select “Start Button->Settings->Update and Security->Recovery and Uninstall Windows 10”.

2. Upgrade notifications will be made more obvious

Despite Microsoft sticking a ‘Get Windows 10’ icon on the taskbar of most Windows 7 desktops, many customers apparently still can’t figure out how to initiate the upgrade.

Myerson says since launching Windows 10 the number one complaint has been ‘How do I get my upgrade?’.

To address the difficulty some users are having, Myerson said Microsoft will change “our notifications to be more approachable and hopefully clear, and sometimes fun”.

3. Upgrades will happen immediately

The process of initiating the upgrade to Windows 10 has also been streamlined.

In the weeks after Windows 10’s launch earlier this year, Microsoft required users to first reserve a Windows 10 upgrade, which would then be installed at a later date.

Microsoft has now replaced that two-step process with an immediate upgrade. Users clicking on the ‘Get Windows 10’ icon will now be given the option to ‘Upgrade Now’ to begin the upgrade process straightaway.

4. Simpler upgrade from unsanctioned copies of Windows

Myerson admits surprise at how many people running copies of Windows 7 and 8.1 that have not been authenticated then go on to buy Genuine copies of Windows 10.

Based on this experience, Microsoft plans to make it a “one-click” process for people running unsanctioned copies of the OS to “get Genuine” via the Windows Store or by entering an activation code bought elsewhere. The offer will be trialled in the US and, if successful, may be extended to other countries.

5. Upgrading multiple machines to Windows 10 will be easier

Those looking to upgrade several Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 machines to Windows 10 will soon find the process gets more straightforward.

Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool is used to create an image that can be run off a DVD or USB stick to upgrade qualifying machines to Windows 10.

According to Myerson, you will soon be able to use the tool to create a single image that will allow any number of 32-bit or 64-bit, Home or Pro machines to be upgraded and which will also allow for clean installs “wherever you have a Windows license”.

Have questions?

Get help from IT Experts/Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner
Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LLC is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

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The Microsoft Surface Book is the computer you always wanted to have but couldn’t. So now that it is here, will you buy it?

The latest line of Microsoft Surface personal computers is now available from both the virtual and the bricks-and-mortar Microsoft Store. By most accounts, the Surface Pro 4 and the flagship Surface Book offer impressive performance without sacrificing style or that illusive awe factor typically missing from PCs in general.

With the Surface Book in particular, Microsoft is attempting to change the narrative of the personal computer—to change perceptions in the marketplace. The Surface Book is an aspirational computer and it is intended to inspire desire in the overall PC and computing device market.

Strategic reasons

There are some solid strategic reasons why Microsoft has brought the Surface Book to market.

Giving OEMs a reference for their own hardware and increasing participation in Microsoft cloud services and the ecosystem that goes with it are certainly notable goals of the Surface Book.

But there is even more to it than that.

Hardware

It is important to understand the hardware inside the Microsoft Surface Book. These are the technical specifications of a powerful computing device. You do not buy a Surface Book so your kids can watch movies in the car while you run errands.

With a high resolution screen, SSD storage up to 1TB, up to 16GB RAM, an Intel I5 or I7 CPU, and a customized discreet GPU from Nvidia, the Surface Book is designed for performance and productivity. This is some serious computing power delivered in a small package.

Of course, that power comes at a premium price, but that is where the aspirational part of the strategy comes into play. Microsoft knows it will not sell millions upon millions of Surface Books. That is not its purpose. Instead, Microsoft wants millions upon millions of people to want a Surface Book—to aspire to own one someday.

Microsoft wants the Surface Book to be the notebook computer you would buy if money were not an issue. It wants the Surface Book to be a status symbol PC.

Marketing

This is a bold move by Microsoft and it goes hand-in-hand with the “PC does what?” marketing campaign produced in conjunction with its OEM partners like Dell and Lenovo. These companies are trying to make PCs cool again. They are trying to steal some of the thunder so often associated with Apple.

And while the “PC does what?” campaign gets mocked, mostly by fans of Apple, it is more effective than many believe. Remember the Mac versus PC commercials? People often mocked those as inaccurate oversimplifications of fact, but they still seemed to elevate the “cool” factor of the Mac. It didn’t matter what everyone thought of them; what mattered was the perception they produced.

Bottom line

The Microsoft Surface Book sets a high bar for every other notebook computer that comes to market. Microsoft has carefully crafted a powerful computer with hardware, features, and style no other company can currently match. In a single stroke, Microsoft has made owning a PC cool again. It has made the Windows 10 ecosystem cool again.

Let’s punctuate the point with anecdotal evidence. A number of people have spent much of their professional lives complaining about Microsoft and PCs. They have been working in the Apple’s ecosystem and hating every minute of it. They have been looking for more than what Apple offers for years now. The day Microsoft announced the Surface Book, they ordered one. They haven’t been this excited about buying a computer for a decade.

With this lineup of Surface products, Microsoft has changed the tide and established market momentum. It will be interesting to see how Google and Apple respond. We should see some serious competition now. It also wouldn’t be surprised to see a resurgence in Windows 10 mobile devices later this year. It looks to be an exciting time for consumers. Hang on to your hats.

Have questions?

Get help from IT Experts/Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner
Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LLC is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

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Microsoft Word

Sorting data in a Word document isn’t something you routinely do. On the other hand, presenting list and table data is, so the potential exists that one day you’ll want to sort something. The good news is that it’s easy to sort data in a table or a list. In this article, I’ll show you how to do just that. We’ll work through a few simple sorting examples. You can use most any table, or you can download the example .docx or .doc file.

Behind the scenes

Word relies on paragraphs when sorting, which seems a bit odd within the context of a table (or list). The paragraph formatting mark determines where one paragraph ends and the next starts. As you can see in Figure A, there’s no paragraph mark in a table. The end-of-cell markers denote the end of each cell’s content. The similar marker at the end of each row (outside the right border) is an end-of-row marker. These markers also contain cell and row formatting. When sorting a table, Word relies on the end-of-row marker to identify where one row ends and the next begins, the same way the paragraph mark does. (To see a document’s formatting symbols, click Show/Hide in the Paragraph group on the Home tab.)

Figure A

Sort by the first column

We’ll start with the simplest sort possible; we’ll sort a table by the values in the first column. To do so, select, the table by clicking its move handle (the small square in the top-left corner). If you don’t see this handle, check the view. It’s available only in Print Layout and Web Layout. With the entire table selected, do the following:

1. Click the contextual Layout tab. In the Data group, click Sort — or click Sort in the Paragraph group on the Home tab. In Word 2003, choose Sort from the Table menu.
2. The resulting dialog does a good job of anticipating the sort. Notice that the Header Row option (at the bottom) is selected. As a result, the Sort By field is set to Species — the label in the first column’s header (Figure B).
   Figure B

3. This is exactly what we want, so click OK. Figure C shows the sorted table.
   Figure C

Before we move on, let’s discuss the Type and Using options to the right. We didn’t need to change either, but sometimes you will. The Type options are Text, Number, and Date. Word usually defaults to the appropriate data type. You can force a specific type by choosing a different option other than the one Word assumes (but you’ll rarely have reason to do so). The Using options defaults to Paragraph — we talked about that earlier.

Sort by the second column

That first exercise was easy. Let’s complicate things a bit by sorting by the second column. Fortunately, it’s just as easy as the first. Repeat steps 1 and 2 from the first exercise. Then, do the following:

1. In the resulting dialog, click the Sort By drop-down.
2. Choose Common Name, the header label for the second column.
3. Click OK. Figure D shows the results of sorting by the second column.
   Figure D

That wasn’t any more difficult that the first sort. Tell Word which column contains the values you want to sort by and click OK — that’s it!

Sort by multiple columns

With only two sort tasks under your belt, you’re beginning to see how simple the sorting process in Word can be. Let’s complicate things a bit so you can see how flexible this feature truly is. Let’s sort by the Class column and then sort the bird and mammal groups in a secondary sort. Repeat steps 1 and 2 from the first two exercises. Then, do the following:

1. To sort by the Class, choose Class from the Sort By drop-down.
2. To further sort each class group, click Common Name from the Then by drop-down (Figure E). You could add a third column to the sort if the results warranted the additional grouping.
   Figure E

3. Click OK to see the results shown in Figure F.
   Figure F

What about lists?

You might be wondering how to sort the same data in list form. Word handles the list sort the same way — the exact same way. Highlight the list and click Sort in the Paragraph group on the Home tab. In the resulting dialog, check the header option and set appropriately (if necessary). Then, determine the sort order by choosing the fields (columns), appropriately.Figure G shows the result of sorting the same data in list form.

Figure G

Sort a columnar list the same way you sort a table.

Depending on how your Windows servers are configured, you may need to disable SSL v3.

Note that older versions of Internet Explorer may not have the TLS protocol enabled by default. If you disable SSL versions 2.0 and 3.0, the older versions of Internet Explorer will need to enable the TLS protocol before they can connect to your site.

For a Simpler Way to Disable the SSL v3 Protocol:

DigiCert is not responsible for any complications or problems if you decide to use this .zip file to disable the SSL v3 protocol on your server.

1. Log into your server as a user with Administrator privileges.
2. Download DisableSSL3.zip, extract the .zip file contents, and then double-click DisableSSL3.reg.
3. In the Registry Editor caution window, click Yes.
4. Restart server.

If you prefer to do it yourself, follow the steps in the instruction below.

Microsoft IIS: How to Disable the SSL v3 Protocol

1. Open the Registry Editor and run it as administrator.For example, in Windows 2012:
   1. On the Start screen type regedit.exe.
   2. Right-click on regedit.exe and click Run as administrator.
2. In the Registry Editor window, go to:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\Schannel\Protocols\
3. In the navigation tree, right-click on Protocols, and in the pop-up menu, click New > Key.
4. Name the key, SSL 3.0.
5. In the navigation tree, right-click on the new SSL 3.0 key that you just created, and in the pop-up menu, click New > Key.
6. Name the key, Client.
7. In the navigation tree, right-click on the new SSL 3.0 key again, and in the pop-up menu, click New > Key.
8. Name the key, Server.
9. In the navigation tree, under SSL 3.0, right-click on Client, and in the pop-up menu, click New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
10. Name the value DisabledByDefault.
11. In the navigation tree, under SSL 3.0, select Client and then, in the right pane, double-click the DisabledByDefault DWORD value.
12. In the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value window, in the Value Data box change the value to 1 and then, click OK.
13. In the navigation tree, under SSL 3.0, right-click on Server, and in the pop-up menu, click New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
14. Name the value Enabled.
15. In the navigation tree, under SSL 3.0, select Server and then, in the right pane, double-click the Enabled DWORD value.
16. In the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value window, in the Value Data box leave the value at 0 and then, click OK.
17. Restart your Windows server.You have successfully disabled the SSL v3 protocol.

For instructions about disabling browser support for the SSL v3 protocol, see Disabling Browser Support for the SSL 3.0.

Excel 2013 has easy access tools that generate professional-looking results quickly.  There are several new features with the new version that should not be overlooked.

Flash Fill

Flash Fill identifies and adapts to basic formatting to automatically input your data.  This tool performs several tasks such as merging information from multiple columns, adding formatting to current column and fixing anomalies with data.  Flash Fill will recognize and apply the selected format to your data but if data differs from row to row, it will not format correctly.

Recommended Charts

Recommended Charts identifies data guides the user to choose the best chart type for their data.  The main objective of using a chart is to highlight your work in a significant way.

1. Open the Excel Spreadsheet needed to create a chart.
2. Select the Insert Tab.
3. Select the Recommended Charts button to see suggested charts.

Recommended PivotTables

Recommended PivotTables are interactive tables that can analyze data, compare data and detect patterns/relationships.  In previous versions, PivotTables were too complex.

1. Open the Excel Spreadsheet needed to create a table.
2. Select the Insert Tab.
3. Select the Recommended Charts PivotTables to see suggested tables. 

Quick Analysis

Quick Analysis is an additional way to generate a chart for data. To generate a chart to highlight your work in a significant way, select the data and click the Quick Analysis Icon.

Timelines

Timelines let you filter through PivotTables, similar to a slicer.  The timeline will be embedded alongside the Pivot Table.

1. Select the PivotTable.
2. Click the contextual Analyze Tab.
3. Select Insert Timeline (in the Filter Group).
4. Then select OK.
5. In the upper-right corner you can select years, quarters, months or days.

Cloud Support

Cloud Support by Microsoft allows users to save Excel files to SkyDrive or SharePoint site.  Saving to SkyDrive or a SharePoint site allows users to review and edit files from any device with an Office 365 subscription.

Apps for Excel

Microsoft offers Apps for Excel to enhance what you can do with Excel.  Categories for Apps include Content Management, Financial Management, Productivity, Workflow and Process Management and many more. 

Present Online

Present Online is a way to share workbooks and allows others to update it.  Present Online requires the installation of Lync (if you have Office Professional Plus; Lync is already installed).

1. Sign into Lync.
2. Open all workbooks you need to share. (Close workbooks you do not want to share).
3. In Excel, click the File Tab.
4. In the left pane, choose Share.
5. Click Present Online.
6. Click Present.
7. Select a Lync meeting or create a new one.
8. Click OK.

Microsoft Outlook can connectivity issue with Microsoft Exchange.  Troubleshooting and fixing these issues can range from a simple reboot to creating a new mail profile.

Restart Outlook and/or Computer

Many connectivity problems with Outlook can be resolved by simply restarting Outlook and/or the Computer.

1. Restart Outlook.
2. After restarting Outlook, verify connectivity.
3. If there are still connectivity problems, restart Computer.
4. Once computer is up and running, verify connectivity in Outlook.

Offline Mode

 Outlook 2010 and newer:

1. Click the Send/Receive tab.
2. Locate the Work Offline button.
3. Click the Offline button. 

Outlook 2007 and older:

1. Click File Menu.
2. Uncheck the Offline box.

At the bottom of your Outlook Window there will be a “Trying to Connect” prompt.  If  Outlook is “Connected” the problem is solved.

Rebuild PST or OST File

OST File

1. Close Outlook.
2. Open the Control Panel.
3. Select Mail icon.
4. In the next window, click Data Files.
5. Locate your data file, select and click Open File Location.
6. Locate the data file using Windows Explorer.
7. Rename the file extension from .OST to .OLD. 
8. Close these windows and open Outlook. 

PST File

1. Search for scanpst.exe using Windows Explorer.
2. Double click scanpst.exe to run the application.
3. In the next window, click Browse.
4. Locate your .pst file.
5. Click Start.
6. Scanpst will scan the data file eight times.  
7. If the scan finds errors, there will be a prompt to repair. For backup purposes, check the Make Backup Of Scanned File Before Repairing box.
8. Click Repair.
9. Close these windows and open Outlook. 

Repair Software Install

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click Programs and Features.
3. Scroll down and highlight the Microsoft Office installation.
4. Click Change.
5. Select Repair.
6. Click Continue.
7. Allow the repair to complete.
8. Reboot your computer. 

Recreate Mail Profile

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click Mail.
3. Select Show Profiles.
4. Click Add.
5. Name the new profile.
6. Follow the steps for the Outlook Account Setup Wizard.
7. Verify the new profile and set as the default or delete old profile. 

Small and Medium-Size Businesses (SMBs) will often take shortcuts to cut costs when purchasing.  To avoid disasters such as a loss of data or work, SMBs are strongly suggested to focus on the ten points below.

Hardware

Considering the rapid change of technology requirements, a pro-active approach for replacing desktops, laptops, servers, and networking hardware is to look five years into the future.

Backup Software

Although built-in backup software and Windows Server backup are adequate, purchasing a third-party backup solution will have the ability to recover from an image.

Internet Connection

Providing your SMB with a consumer-grade DSL line would not be an efficient business plan. Setting up a network that provides your business with more bandwidth than required will prevent a network bottleneck from occuring.

Firewall

Securing your business with only Windows built-in firewall is not ideal.  Configuring a Cisco, Fortinet, or Sonicwall is more secure, reliable and flexible in a SMB environment.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage provides scalability, reliability and portability.  Cloud storage is divided into three categories:  Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).  Many companies are transferring to Cloud services for access to data outside the network.

Website

Online presence has become an important key for all businesses.  A solid solution is to have a strong website, blogging and effectively using social media.

Redundancy

Redundancy is an appropriate investment towards ensuring that your SMBs network does not go down.  Similar to backups, redundancy does not affect everyday business but should an incident arise, you’ll be glad it’s there.

Support

IT Support is a necessity, whether it’s an in-house department, third-party service provider, or support for software.

Mobile Devices

The ability to work from outside the office and accessing data from anywhere  is now an important key for businesses.  Setting up a virtual private network enables laptops, tablets and smartphones to connect and work from anywhere.

Printers

Supply your SMB with a printer that has the sustainability and features required for business use.

Takeaway:  Ten popular features that are missing from Outlook 2013.

Right-click Lookup

Outlook 2013 does not include ‘Lookup’ when right-clicking a word.  This feature is still available:

1. Open a new e-mail message.
2. Click inside the message body.
3. Select the Review tab.
4. Select ‘Research’ in the Proofing section.
5. Press [ALT] and select the word or phrase that you would like to look up.  Also, you can type the word or phrase in the ‘Search For:’ box.

Right-click AutoCorrect

Outlook 2013 does not include ‘AutoCorrect’ when right-clicking a word. This feature is still available but will have to be entered manually.  (Right-click Add to Dictionary is still available using a right-click.)

Import/Export Formats

Outlook 2013 only allows .pst (Outlook’s data file format) and comma-delimited data as import formats.  Previous versions allowed many file formats to be imported and exported.

Meeting Workspace

Outlook 2013 does not include Meeting Workplace.  Also, this feature cannot be added to the Quick Acces Toolbar.  Meeting Workplace was a website that supplied Attendees, Date, Time and Location for meetings.

Outlook Mobile Service

Outlook 2013 does not support Outlook Mobile Service (OMS).  OMS let you create and send text/multimedia messages to a mobile device from Outlook, similar to e-mail(s).

Windows Search

Windows 8 does not support using Windows Search to search Outlook e-mail. Previously, you could using Windows Search without opening Outlook to search for e-mail(s).

Calendar Publishing

Outlook 2013 does not support Calendar Publishing; the replacement is Office.com.  Microsoft cut service for previous versions on April 5, 2014.

Drag-and-Drop

Office 2013 does not support “dragging-and-dropping” e-mail(s) in the To-Do bar to create a calendar entry.  You can “drag-and-drop” an e-mail to a shortcut to create a calendar or task entry.

Notes and Journal

Office 2013 supports ‘Notes’ but ‘Journal’ is no longer available.

Suggested Contacts

Office 2013 does not support Suggested Contacts.  Suggested contacts gathers contacts that are not in your list and suggests them.