Carroll County Times Articles
The Broken Promise Of Upgradeability
by David Hodgdon – May 22, 2008
Computer technology is required for nearly every business to be successful and like all machines it doesn't last forever and faces obsolescence at an ever increasing rate. Every six months, new high end computers are introduced and what was new yesterday is sold at fire sale prices today.
Just a few years ago manufacturers touted upgradeability as protection for your investment. It was an empty promise. However, there are three upgrades worth considering for increased performance and extending the life of your computer or server.
Add More System Memory.
Most computers are sold with the minimum required system memory (RAM) to lower the purchase price. It is the number one reason users are disappointed with their computer's performance though most people think it's because they have a slow processor. Memory can always be increased and if your computer is less than 3 years old you can dramatically improve performance often for less than $100. For a simple test to see if more memory will help, download the FREE Business Owner's Guide to Upgrading and Purchasing Computers and Servers at www.HFITservices/upgrade or call 443-340-3166.Get A Larger Hard Drive.
Saving scanned documents, pictures, music, etc. fills your hard drive very quickly. A good computer tech can "clone" your old hard drive onto a new larger one giving you more storage space instantly without changing any settings or loosing any data. You don't need your original installation disks and it is completely legal.Add a NAS device to your network.
A network area storage (NAS) device attached to your office network is better than upgrading individual computer hard drives. It can store data for all users on your network and helps protect your data from disaster. The cost is about the same as upgrading the hard drive on two computers.We are asked every day about upgrading to Vista. In a word don't! Vista is very particular about the computer it runs on. Most computers and many programs fail to operate following this upgrade and there is no turning back short of starting over and reinstalling XP. There are very few reasons any business needs Vista. This is demonstrated by surveys that report less than 3% of all business computers are running Vista despite Microsoft's best effort to force businesses to switch.
If your computer or server is running slow yet has plenty of memory and disk space and your tech support person has performed all the recommended maintenance to improve performance, then it is time to buy a new machine. When that time comes, do your business a favor and buy business class computers. There're a few hundred dollars more than what's carried in most local chain stores yet run significantly faster with fewer problems. All the major manufacturers have business class models available. Check their websites for more information.
About the Author
David Hodgdon is the owner of Hassle Free IT Services (www.HassleFreeITServices.com) of Westminster and a member of the Carroll Technology Council. Send email to David with any questions or comments to info@hasslefreeitservices.com or go to the Tech Council website, www.carrolltechcouncil.org, for more information.
