The Small Business Tech

A Review of Several Backup Concepts

The article mentioned below is a few months old but it still does a very good job of describing several of the different backup approaches that can be used to protect your data.

The Best Backup Tools
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2322030,00.asp

Tools To Help When Working Outside Your Office

The Portable Office: Work Anywhere

For the past three years, I’ve worked side-by-side with my three coeditors at Lifehacker.com, but we’ve never been in the same place at the same time. The members of our distributed team work hundreds (sometimes thousands) of miles from each other, spanning multiple time zones and disparate work hours. Yet we work together every day.

http://www.macworld.com/article/134608/2008/07/portableapplications.html

Some Basic Ideas On How To Make Your Old PC Run Better

Good article from the business section of today's Boston Globe.

Stretch your money by stretching your PC's life span

You can get a decent desktop computer for $800 these days. But who's got $800? A lot fewer of us than just a few months ago. Given our current economic travails, I plan to write a little less about the latest and greatest gadgets, and a little more about how to get more value from the stuff you already own.

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/10/23/stretch_your_money_by_stretching_your_pcs_life_span/

Alternatives to More Expensive Software

This article gives a few suggestions for some free programs that may come in very handy either at home or on a secondary PC to avoid purchasing the more expensive alternative

10 free alternatives to popular, pricey programs
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kimkomando/2008-06-26-free-software_N.htm

Software and Ideas To Help You Organize Your Work and Your Life

Organize Your Life With Free Online Tools

Overwhelmed by the mere thought of getting your hectic schedule on track? Here are nine essential Web apps to help you get your must-do's done.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,144204-page,1-c,sites/article.html

Turbocharge Your Web Browser's Home Page

I suspect many folks are still using the default home page in your web browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox) that was setup when you originally starting using your computer.

The article below discusses several options for home pages that you can setup and customize so you can have your favorite websites, news feeds, bookmarks, etc. right at your finger tips each time you open your web browser. 

Along with the sites mentioned in this article I'd also add MyWay.com to the list of sites to consider.

Five Best Start Pages

Whether you use it to keep up to date on the latest news or as a launching point for the rest of your browsing, you want to find a solid start page to fit your surfing habits. On Tuesday we asked you to share your favorite start page, and at over 350 comments later, we're rounding up the five most popular answers.

http://lifehacker.com/393837/five-best-start-pages

Online Backup Services for Small Business and Home Use

Good introductory article from The Boston Globe covering a couple of the online backup services targeted towards small business and home PC users.

Backups are a Breeze Online

You've been through this before. A smart-aleck technology columnist tells you to back up your computer files or else. Sure enough, you choose "or else," because making spare copies of your files is too much bother.  You don't want to spend $100 or more on an external hard drive or figure out how to install the automatic backup software. Besides, if your house is robbed or burnt down, there goes your computer and your precious backup, too.

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/05/01/backups_are_a_breeze_online/

Who Doesn't Like Free Software?

Several excellent programs, utilities and add-ons mentioned in this article.

The Best Free Software -
157 software tools. No fees. No expiration dates. No problems. Sometimes even no downloads. No kidding.

We did the math: If you bought popular apps instead of trying their gratis counter-parts, at the manufacturers' list prices you'd be out $5,183 and change! Why spend money when you can get what you need for nothing? Sometimes, you do get what you don't pay for.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2260070,00.asp

Image Backups and Why You Should Consider Doing Them

The article link below has some good information on what image backups are and why they might be a good way for you to protect your data and improve your recovery time in the event of a major problem.  The article also includes reviews of several products.  The product I actually use is called 'Drive Snapshot'.  You can find it here...  http://www.drivesnapshot.de/en/index.htm

Drive-Imaging: Beyond Backup

You may never have had a hard drive fail or become so corrupted that your data was beyond retrieval, but that doesn't mean you never will. And think of this: If your system ever fails in a hardware or software disaster, will you really have time to reinstall Windows and all your applications and tweak all your OS and application settings? I'm guessing the answer is no. I certainly don't. This is why you need a drive-imaging program that backs up your complete system—including all your data and applications—and can restore it all in minutes.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2259168,00.asp

Some Excellent Tips On Managing Your Email Inbox

10 Steps to Become an Email Ninja

I don’t know about you, but I get dozens — if not hundreds — of emails a day. Unlike most people, however, I’m able to process through them, respond quickly, and get my inbox empty in 20 minutes (checking perhaps 2-3 times a day). In fact, I respond so quickly, and empty my inbox so quickly, that friends have called me an “email ninja”. Let’s look at some simple strategies for being able to get your inbox to done in as little time as possible.

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/01/09/10-steps-to-become-an-email-ninja/