Replies

You can use cable or wireless to connect the lappy to the desky. You can either connect via a router / switch or direct via a cross over cable.

What is your set up with internet access, printer etc?

cheers, Paul

The printer may be picking up a new address from the DHCP server on the router. You could try a hard coded address for the printer – that’s what I resorted to using.

cheers, Paul

Have you assigned a share or are you trying to use the admin share? Try a non-admin share.

cheers, Paul

I would have thought a better aerial on your existing router would remove the need to use a repeater.
If you are using the router as a wireless access point for an existing LAN you may have difficulty – I tried doing this last year and had no luck with the wireless unit I was using, it was WEP or nothing.

A quick search turned up this Dlink AP which seems to do the job.

cheers, Paul

The management page should be the same as the DHCP server address.
1. Open a Command Prompt.
2. Type: ipconfig /all
3. Use the IP address next to DHCP Server.

cheers, Paul

A basic mechanism could be to set up a Windows Task Scheduler job, running under admin credentials, that looks in a network directory for programs to install. The downside is that you cannot update programs if they are in use, so a bit of user education will be needed.

cheers, Paul

Buy one that you can easily return under warranty should it not work – whatever your local PC shop has in stock. They all work really well.

What you do need is WPA2 enabled with a good 64 bit key. Don’t worry about changing anything else.
GRC has nice keys for you to use.

cheers, Paul

I checked out TS in 2008 today and it is as I feared, pretty much the same as it was on 2003, with some minor updates and one really annoying bug.

* There is still no record of task operation that I could find, so you don’t know if it is actually running.
* You can now export tasks easily into XML and the user name is stored, but you still need to remember the password to restore the task – it’s better than it was.
* You can run tasks without providing a password as long as the task runs whilst the user is logged on.
* TS will happily lock your account out if you get the password wrong the first time you attempt to save the task. It does not seem to be possible to re-enter your password, every time you click OK TS uses the cached incorrect password and then complains that it’s wrong. Logging out and in again seems to fix the problem.

cheers, Paul

I quite like The Uniform Server for web development. Then if you want to run on IIS you can install it later.

cheers, Paul

KeePass password manager for all those passwords you didn’t realize you had. Also great for CC details, bank, tax etc, etc.

cheers, Paul

An aluminium enclosure will dissipate the heat better than a plastic enclosure, but either would be OK if the location is well ventilated. If the disk is tucked in with the cables, covered in dust, nothing will prevent it overheating.

cheers, Paul

Small business is always behind in the race to secure the desktop. I can’t see how there can be one, or even several, solutions to the problem of updating software, MS or otherwise.
You need anti virus, spam control, software updates and secure backup before even turning on a computer and small business has neither the time nor the resources.

Sorry to have provided no useful feedback. 🙁

cheers, Paul

If AnalogX works, so will straight ICS.
Turning off DHCP server on the router will not have unintended consequences as ICS is a DHCP server. The problem is you currently have 2 DHCP servers.

cheers, Paul

I wouldn’t worry if they are slow to load, as long as they are fast to use. I find FF 3.5 very fast to use so I leave it running all the time.

cheers, Paul

You don’t install SQL via a server onto a PC.
If you need SQL on the PC, install it there. If it is a client server database, install SQL on the server.

What are you attempting to do?

cheers, Paul