tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23193356844781189532024-03-26T23:38:23.232-07:00AWP Computer ServicesAWP Computer Services - IT Support and Consultancy for start-up, small & growing businesses. Based in South Ribble near Preston, we cover the whole of Lancashire. We offer a number of Information Technology support services for small business and can also support residential users. AWP Computer Services also offer specialist IT Consultancy and Training. We have many years experience in delivering up-to-date advice to businesses on many aspects of their modern information technology needs.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-3810791624030776622015-06-01T09:12:00.000-07:002015-06-01T09:22:35.657-07:00Microsoft Windows 10 Will be the Last<br />
<h3>
Microsoft – Windows 10 Will Be Our Last</h3>
<b>Microsoft say Windows 10 will be their last named version of Windows, as the company will now just incrementally update its operating system software.</b><br />
<br />
Microsoft revealed that the upcoming release of Windows 10 will be the last version of the company’s iconic operating system.<br />
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The company will instead update Windows in an ‘ongoing manner’, Microsoft development executive Jerry Nixon revealed at its Ignite event, rather then releasing standalone versions every few years. Microsoft also confirmed the news in a statement, which said it expected there to be a “long future” for the product.<br />
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“Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner” it said.<br />
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Windows 10 is set to become available to customers in Summer this year, and will even come as a free upgrade to those currently running Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1<br />
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However, reports have claimed that work on the first official update for the software, codenamed Redstone, is already under-way, and will come to market sometime in 2016.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCpmoBlENirWWleBENDNbwrKk-wH3ajeRN3oNixXL8e0wCmO5Apb4gnj7wZdJdhMuYvMOEBkQ2WN4e2WlPxY49v4_RGUkMNwq_8eP8j3QwZtrQRBB-0789JzWRC5_SzHw4th32162jh_W/s1600/Windows-10-preview-screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCpmoBlENirWWleBENDNbwrKk-wH3ajeRN3oNixXL8e0wCmO5Apb4gnj7wZdJdhMuYvMOEBkQ2WN4e2WlPxY49v4_RGUkMNwq_8eP8j3QwZtrQRBB-0789JzWRC5_SzHw4th32162jh_W/s400/Windows-10-preview-screen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windows 10 Screen Layout Preview</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Windows 10 (codenamed Threshold) is an upcoming computer operating system being developed by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. First presented in April 2014 at the Build Conference, it is scheduled to be released on July 29, 2015 and is currently in public beta testing through the Windows Insider program. During its first year of availability, upgrades to Windows 10 will be offered at no charge for consumer users of genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.<br />
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The software promises a major overhaul in terms of several functions, not least in the return of the familiar Start menu, which comes with a new customisable space for a user’s favourite apps and Live Tiles (from Windows Phone), where users can place their favourite apps, people and websites.<br />
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Microsoft is also aiming to give users a more traditional Windows experience that incorporates both touch, keyboard, and mouse inputs. Other new features include a search option on the taskbar and Start menu; a new quadrant app layout; and a new task-view button on the taskbar.<br />
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Windows 10 also marked a break in naming tradition for Microsoft, skipping the expected ‘Windows 9’ name in a move widely seen at signifying a break with the past. However it has also been rumoured that the name change could be down to coding systems from Windows 95 and 98 versions still being in use.<br />
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<h3>
Windows 10 Feature Highlights</h3>
<div>
Microsoft claim that they've designed Windows 10 to help you be more productive and have more fun, with a range of innovations:</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Cortana</li>
<li>Microsoft Edge</li>
<li>Office on Windows</li>
<li>Xbox Live and the integrated Xbox App</li>
<li>New Photos, Videos, Music, Maps, People, Mail & Calendar apps</li>
<li>Windows Continuum</li>
<li>Windows Hello</li>
<li>Windows Store</li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ngnzY5xtI8?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>
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<h3>
Find out more...</h3>
Find out more on the <a href="https://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/06/01/hello-world-windows-10-available-on-july-29/" target="_blank">Windows Blog</a>:<br />
<a href="https://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/06/01/hello-world-windows-10-available-on-july-29/" target="_blank">https://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/06/01/hello-world-windows-10-available-on-july-29/</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-55988727489226049992014-10-28T05:04:00.000-07:002014-10-28T05:04:56.839-07:00Never Give Control of Your Domain Name to Anyone Outside Your Company<h2>
Protect Your Domain Name</h2>
Never give control of your domain name (like <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/">www.awpcomputers.co.uk</a>) to anyone outside your company. It’s one of the most crucial elements of your business’s on-line identity, and central to your brand.<br />
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Your IT supplier should have access to your website and email to resolve any problems, but make sure your domain name is owned and controlled by your company, and <b>not by your IT supplier</b>.<br />
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It may seem strange than an IT Support Provider (IT supplier) is penning an article on the subject of never giving control of your domain name to anyone outside your company. However, I've seen two examples in the last week where companies we've been work with have had issues stemming from their domain ownership.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DD8p0oXaayYAV4PgZaaRlanV2cKKBzW9lNXe_aT-QJAMQo0NgIg3SecWy8jpyWOlMDKKJ65mXauL4h36x7M2IhKm19ECqpVyUbt0SaWlt1kJKfgX-wz6xpxi9wHeuAo1WR4ka6eX5RJd/s1600/domain-name-world-wide-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DD8p0oXaayYAV4PgZaaRlanV2cKKBzW9lNXe_aT-QJAMQo0NgIg3SecWy8jpyWOlMDKKJ65mXauL4h36x7M2IhKm19ECqpVyUbt0SaWlt1kJKfgX-wz6xpxi9wHeuAo1WR4ka6eX5RJd/s1600/domain-name-world-wide-web.jpg" height="208" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Domain Names: World Wide Web</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Your IT supplier should be working with you to help your business</b><br />
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Based on recent evidence, a number of IT service providers seem to almost hold their customers to ransom with 'God like' control over systems and access to them. This is not the way! The relationship between you and you IT company should be mutually beneficial, and you should ultimately be seeing a return on your investment, based on efficiencies the arrangement can bring. Above all else an IT support provider should be transparent, and always involve in what they doing, even if you don't want to know the minute details of how it all works.<br />
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<h3>
Domain Names</h3>
A domain name is an important factor to consider when setting up and running your business in a digital age. It helps your customers identify your brand on-line and ties together your sales, marketing and communication actives through your website and email.<br />
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A domain name is broken down into individual components, such as top-level domains, second-level and lower level domains. It ultimately provides a human friendly address, which is easier to remember than a set of numbers, to a resource on the Internet. The easiest way to think of domain names, is that they are almost like a virtual phone directory, providing a look-up between the numbers the computers use (called IP addresses) and the more memorable words humans prefer.<br />
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Whilst this article talks about 'ownership' of domain names, in reality, your company is effectively renting a domain name for a specific duration, which can typically be anything from one to ten years. You do this by a process of registering a domain. You normally make a choice of the top-level domain(s) you want to use, such as .com, .uk & .co.uk and then, provided it is available, make a choice on the second-level domain you would like to use for your website and email. For example, the <b>awpcomputers</b> part of <a href="http://awpcomputers.co.uk/">awpcomputers.co.uk</a><br />
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<h4>
Registering a Domain Name</h4>
The process of registering a Domain Name can be daunting for the uninitiated, and this is were it's likely many people will turn to an 'IT expert' to help them out. By all means, enlist somebody to 'help' you with the process, but always ensure that any registrations are made in your company's name, with your company's address and at most the IT person (or their company) is registered as the 'technical' contact. If you don't make sure your domain name belongs to your organisation, it can lead to disputes and problems in the future.<br />
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There are many companies available to register your domain name with. These are know as Registrars, and include agents such as 1 and 1, Easily or 1-2-3 Reg. A official will have something called an IPS Tag (...not ISP, that's something different). For example, Easily's looks like this:<br />
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<i> Easily Limited t/a easily.co.uk [Tag = WEBCONSULTANCY]</i><br />
<i> URL: http://www.easily.co.uk </i><br />
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An IPS TAG is a way of Nominet (the not for profit company who governs the .uk domain names) giving control of a domain name to a specific company. For example the domain name <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/">www.awpcomputers.co.uk</a> currently has the IPS TAG, as per the above example, of WEBCONSULTANCY. It is possible to move your domain to a different registrar, after you have registered it, if you chose to. However, there will likely be a fee.<br />
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<h4>
Do I have a Problem with My Domain Name?</h4>
Hopefully, you're reading this article prior to registering your domain name and taking heed of the advice about making the registration in your business' name. If you're not, and you already have a Domain Name you're concerned about, don't worry there are steps you can take to reclaim rightful ownership if you have a problem.<br />
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To find out about your domain name, if you don't already know the details of the registration, you can use a process called WHOIS to determine who the IPS Tag holder (the Registrar) is, who the domain name is registered to and for how long. Many of the Registrars provide a facility to do this free of charge on their websites. There is also a facility to do this on the Nominet website. This is known as the WHOIS Tool and can be access (currently) from the following page:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.nominet.org.uk/uk-domain-names/about-domain-names/domain-lookup-whois/whois-tool" target="_blank">Nominet WHOIS Tool</a> - <a href="http://www.nominet.org.uk/uk-domain-names/about-domain-names/domain-lookup-whois/whois-tool" target="_blank">http://www.nominet.org.uk/uk-domain-names/about-domain-names/domain-lookup-whois/whois-tool</a></li>
</ul>
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<br />
As mentioned previously, Nominet UK is a non-profit company and is in control of the .uk domain name registry. In this capacity, they are able to help with domain name problems or disputes. Even if you do not register your company's Domain Name, and have don't have access to the account with the Registrar, if you have been using the Domain Name for your business' on-line activities, and it is obviously linked to brand or companies name Nominet can help you get your domain name back.<br />
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<h4>
Using Nominet's Services</h4>
In recent weeks we worked with a company that had allowed an unscrupulous IT support provider to register their domain name on their behalf. The IT company had registered the Domain Name using their email address & password. They had kept ownership of the Registrar account, domain control panel and were not allowing the company, which we are now working with, to log-on and make changes. Fortunately, in this specific case, the domain had be registered in the proper company name and address. We were able to help our new client in their discussions with Nominet, and with Nominet's guidance were were able have a direct dialogue with the Registrar. We were able to send proof of one of the Director's identities, specify a new email address to use for control panel access and in turn the Registrar sent them a new access password.<br />
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In this case the whole process took less then a day, and Nominet advised us that, if the Registrar did not comply, they would be able to assist us. There would have been a small admin fee for them help us with the process.<br />
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If you are in a worse position than this, and your IT company has totally ownership of your domain, there are still things you can do, but the process will take longer and ultimately resolving the dispute could be much more costly. For more information please have a look at the Nominet web site. Potentially you could use Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) to help resolve .uk domain name disputes. This can be found on the following page:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.nominet.org.uk/disputes/when-use-drs" target="_blank">Nominet DRS</a> - <a href="http://www.nominet.org.uk/disputes/when-use-drs">http://www.nominet.org.uk/disputes/when-use-drs</a></li>
</ul>
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<br />
If you would like some <b>FREE</b> help and advice with any aspect of registering a Domain Name or enlisting the help of Nominet, please don't hesitate to give <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/" target="_blank">AWP Computer Services</a> a call, on <b>01772 698078</b>, or <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/" target="_blank">contact us through our website</a>.<br />
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<div align="center" id="easily-limited">
<!--START MERCHANT:merchant name Easily Limited from affiliatewindow.com.-->
<a href="http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?s=69862&v=1499&q=54399&r=67067">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com15Lancashire, UK53.9690089 -2.627690799999982152.7702954 -5.2094777999999824 55.167722399999995 -0.045903799999982287tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-79473983802589496172014-10-22T07:41:00.000-07:002014-10-22T07:41:45.707-07:003 Simple Steps to Backup Your Data<h2>
Three Easy Ways to Back-up Your Business Data </h2>
As an IT consultant, who is very passionate about helping small businesses become more efficient through their technology, I’m always emphasising the importance of data. The simple fact is that without your data, or your customer data, you have no business. Although vital to the running of your business, the subject of data is both boring and complicated.<br />
<br />
In reality, it doesn’t have to be complicated at all, although I doubt anybody can make it any more exciting!<br />
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Many business owners are confident that as long as their computers are working properly, then their data is safe. It will always be there, waiting to be accessed and used.<br />
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The problem is that while using your computers your files are constantly being opened, written and re-written to and then closed. <br />
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All of this often causes files to corrupt, not to mention the accidental deletions or amendments that are a constant hazard. More importantly the storage media that they are written too in not reliable in the long-term. For example hard drive develop disk errors, and will ultimately fail.<br />
<br />
With all of this in mind, here are three simple suggestions that will help you ensure your precious data is backed up, while keeping the processes required to do this as simple as possible.<br />
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<h3>
1 – USB Memory Stick (flash drive)</h3>
This is by far the simplest and most basic method of backing up data. USB memory sticks are available from many outlets, including supermarkets, and can be purchased for less than £15 for 32Gb of storage space.<br />
<br />
In operation, all you need to do is plug the memory stick into a USB port on your computer, open your file browser (such as Windows Explorer) navigate to your working folders (like 'My Documents' or your 'Desktop') and copy the most important data onto the stick. The memory stick will display as a new drive letter on your computer, probably the letter E or onwards e.g. (E:).<br />
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<b>Top tip: <a href="http://tidd.ly/30cdc8ba" target="_blank">Ebuyer</a></b> is a good place to look for <a href="http://tidd.ly/30cdc8ba" target="_blank">USB Flash Drives</a> online.<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://tidd.ly/30cdc8ba" target="_blank">www.ebuyer.com/store/Storage/cat/USB-Flash-Drives</a></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpf90WEM8GUAIc8LALbGCiW9NMQDCRnB1oP0LwqcI9hcuto3AAkgrGXgCgPP03gkYeXw4evNstDywbdnVPBUdZKJZBq0TacZvUDWby0dR9jmhtm_KrgKC0oOa56Ko8LvRY_O-b89XpMxk/s1600/Kingston-32Gb-USB-Flash-Drive-489596-497216-800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpf90WEM8GUAIc8LALbGCiW9NMQDCRnB1oP0LwqcI9hcuto3AAkgrGXgCgPP03gkYeXw4evNstDywbdnVPBUdZKJZBq0TacZvUDWby0dR9jmhtm_KrgKC0oOa56Ko8LvRY_O-b89XpMxk/s1600/Kingston-32Gb-USB-Flash-Drive-489596-497216-800.jpg" height="212" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">32Gb USB Flash Drive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<h3>
2 – An External Hard Drive (HDD - Hard Disk Drive)</h3>
Using this method (an external hard disk) is almost as simple, but slightly more expensive. Also often connected by cable into the USB port, but the disk size ranges from 50Gb up to 3Tb. The pricing is usually from about £40 to over £200 respectively.<br />
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In operation you would use it in the same way as the USB stick, or use the software that often comes bundled with the external HDD when you buy it. However, the software is often complicated and usually unnecessary. If you know where your files are on your computer, and where you want to put them on the external storage drive, then 'drag and drop' (...or 'copy and paste') are often as complicated as it need to get.<br />
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<b>Top Tip: <a href="http://tidd.ly/ecba4662" target="_blank">Ebuyer</a></b> is a good place to look for <a href="http://tidd.ly/ecba4662" target="_blank">External Hard Drives</a> online.<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://tidd.ly/ecba4662" target="_blank">www.ebuyer.com/store/Storage/cat/Hard-Drive---External</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ao5Y-xIOq5gAOic9zq-qH6m6HLaCvGzqzBbXgQfeHgfiiZkypb-l3GYRxbfjkbfCY0IgXSOgOmWFOZoOet5he6F3mj5ayQcvr7W0DGykniAG7brunA57CjlGlvt8HEcmUtKZ530ciWPh/s1600/3TB-G-Drive-High-performance-storage-solution-635031-663925-800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ao5Y-xIOq5gAOic9zq-qH6m6HLaCvGzqzBbXgQfeHgfiiZkypb-l3GYRxbfjkbfCY0IgXSOgOmWFOZoOet5he6F3mj5ayQcvr7W0DGykniAG7brunA57CjlGlvt8HEcmUtKZ530ciWPh/s1600/3TB-G-Drive-High-performance-storage-solution-635031-663925-800.jpg" height="335" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3Tb High performance USB 3.0 storage solution</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<h3>
3 – The 'Cloud' - Dropbox/Google Drive/MS OneDrive/etc.</h3>
The simplest way to take advantage of cloud storage is to use your online quota to backup your data. Usually, when signing up for one of the more popular cloud storage providers (such as Dropbox, Google Drive or MS OneDrive) you’ll have free storage space already allocated to you. This may be ample for your needs. However, for a monthly fee you can have upwards of 15Gb, per person, available to use. The main thing about back-up, if it's not to complicated for you, is to focus on the critical files (documents) and make sure you are backing up those. They may well come within your free quota.<br />
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These 'Cloud' services will have locally installed app that synchronises your important files up to the cloud. In operation, you will just open the locally installed app and drag the data you want to backup into the app location.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbaw1UoyRpQSSf9CPly-109szAD-ma9OrevjLLy_LXmFZ_3qvAsRjt9quvkzketNH-bSIetvsqflX0MZWVDyf0WoIJIvD9kriddiZe7RR44-SkqPI5dYXcs4zcAidoQ4f9hoJmVe1qrVF/s1600/Dropbox-Google-Drive-MS-OneDrive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbaw1UoyRpQSSf9CPly-109szAD-ma9OrevjLLy_LXmFZ_3qvAsRjt9quvkzketNH-bSIetvsqflX0MZWVDyf0WoIJIvD9kriddiZe7RR44-SkqPI5dYXcs4zcAidoQ4f9hoJmVe1qrVF/s1600/Dropbox-Google-Drive-MS-OneDrive.jpg" height="116" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dropbox/Google Drive/MS OneDrive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h4>
IMPORTANT NOTE</h4>
<b>Perhaps I should have opened with this comment?</b><br />
<i>Whichever method you choose, do not be misguided in thinking that transferring your data onto the new storage solution is the answer to protecting your precious data. It's important that any back-ups you make are a copy of your data, and the back-up means it is stored in a least 2 places. I have seen far too many people use a pen drive as their only storage medium, only to be 'heartbroken' or worse when they discover all their data has been lost! Don't learn this lesson the hard way!</i><br />
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<h4>
SUMMARY</h4>
I hope that this short article has opened your eyes to how simple the first steps to keeping your precious data safe can be.<br />
<br />
Although the suggested methods are both simple and cheap, in the long-term, they are only really suitable for consumer use.<br />
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If you take your business, your customers and the data seriously, then it really pays to have a more robust, professional data backup solution, which is provided by a professional technology provider. With this you will get guarantees about your data's security and Service Level Agreements protecting you against data loss.<br />
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If you’d like to <b>talk further about your data storage and security</b>, or any other ways your technology could help your business become more efficient, please <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/contact-us-form.htm">get in touch with AWP Computer Services</a> to discuss your options.<br />
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<b>CALL </b><a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/contact-us-form.htm">AWP Computer Services</a> on <b>01772 698078</b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com5Walton-le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire, UK53.749667 -2.674107999999932953.7121025 -2.7547889999999331 53.787231500000004 -2.5934269999999326tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-11450158830835987912014-10-13T02:53:00.000-07:002014-10-13T02:53:02.025-07:00Google Apps Website Visitor Contact Form to Email <h3>
Use a Google Apps Form to capture and email website visitor contact information</h3>
Following on from our previous article, which explained how to <a href="http://blog.awpcomputers.co.uk/2014/09/google-apps-form-for-website-visitor.html">set up a Google Apps Form to capture the details of a visitor to your website</a> that wants to get in touch with you, we outline how the from can be added to your website. This Blog post also explains how and where the data is captured, and how the enquiries can be emailed directly to you Gmail Inbox.<br />
<br />
The first article was titled "<a href="http://blog.awpcomputers.co.uk/2014/09/google-apps-form-for-website-visitor.html">Google Apps Form for Website Visitor Contact</a>" and can be read at the following web address:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://blog.awpcomputers.co.uk/2014/09/google-apps-form-for-website-visitor.html">http://blog.awpcomputers.co.uk/2014/09/google-apps-form-for-website-visitor.html</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
Adding a Google Apps Form to your web page</h3>
<br />
<div>
At this stage you should have the HTML code that you copied from your Google Apps account for your embedded form, and it should be similar to this:</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<i><span style="color: #274e13;"> <iframe src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/viewform?embedded=true" width="760" height="500" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0"></span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<i><span style="color: #274e13;">Loading...</span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<i><span style="color: #274e13;"></iframe></span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
Where the 'src' attribute of the <iframe> element represents the URL (web address) of the form itself.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<i><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/viewform?embedded=true" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #274e13;">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/viewform?embedded=true</span></a></b></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Unfortunately, at this stage you are going to need to work with the HTML of your web page to get the form in the right place. If you are using a visual editor, usually known as WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), pasting the form directly into the editor will not work. To clarify, a visual editor is one that looks like a word processor and does not show the 'source code'. The likely result is you will get a version of the of the source code in your page and not the working form.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It would be difficult to cover all the possibilities here, but as a general tip you need to look for something along the lines or HTML, Source or 'Edit source'.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When editing the Alpha Dog Services from, used on the Dog Almighty! website, we use website editing software tool called DreamWeaver, as we created the pages from a website they'd had designed a number of years ago and work directly with the HTML.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoTFiFQAWspN3VifYI7MdNtKsCALEfu2P97i2eBwLwVpO6RIuUZDRIDskWMAZ3mEq93LJX8EgrI9KbMTpRxkztLOVufe8jLa13Ar4vudoVVfqarqqUAgyh7GrH42ImEMrbFdj0F8jnkEv/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Form-DreamWeaver-HTML.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoTFiFQAWspN3VifYI7MdNtKsCALEfu2P97i2eBwLwVpO6RIuUZDRIDskWMAZ3mEq93LJX8EgrI9KbMTpRxkztLOVufe8jLa13Ar4vudoVVfqarqqUAgyh7GrH42ImEMrbFdj0F8jnkEv/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Form-DreamWeaver-HTML.jpg" height="311" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dog Almighty Form: HTML in DreamWeaver</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Including the HTML for your form from Google Apps alone should be enough, however, we added some HTML comments before and after it as well as placing the <IFRAME> in a container tag (HTML element). In this case that means we used a 'layer', which can be seen as a <div> tag.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Our complete code for the form looked like this:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><!-- -------------------- Google Apps for Work Form --------------------- --></span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><div id="google-form-container" style="width: 430px; height: 1700px;"></span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/a/alphadogservices.co.uk/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/viewform?embedded=true" width="425" height="1650" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">Loading...</iframe></span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;"></div> <!-- google-form-container --></span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><!-- ------------------ Google Apps for Work Form <END> --------------------- --> </span></i></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We used the layer to control the height available to the form within the page, so that there wasn't a separate scroll bar at the side of the form as well as the page itself. Also, you may need to consider the width of the form as well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If everything has gone according to plan so far, you should no have a web page on your website that displays the new form ready for your customers to start sending you enquiries!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The next stage is to test that it works, and then to ensure you know when somebody has submitted an enquiry you get to know about it straight away!<br />
<br />
<b>Testing and Settings</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
If you go back to you Google Drive, in the same location as your newly created form, you should notice that there has also been a new spreadsheet created automatically. It will have the same name (TITLE) as your form, but with '(Responses)' on the end. <b>This is where all the entries are submitted and recorded</b>. The Google Apps user that has created the form will be automatically notified (by email) each time the form is modified. This is both when a user on your domain makes a direct edit in the spreadsheet, as well as when a customers details are inserted into the spreadsheet from a form submission.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzIAz6VcDYCxB7dLQLEe48LD4tATg2zL7d7m95A1gvJQR8MMDbfpzPrMUgNQI9O3ye_x1GdviEB5tdCxSLPFYrtVZsSu_DCrpSVtTUbnxVhGQiTyBgMsMueM2sMMHzWbPykXCdf8O5GiI/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-responses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzIAz6VcDYCxB7dLQLEe48LD4tATg2zL7d7m95A1gvJQR8MMDbfpzPrMUgNQI9O3ye_x1GdviEB5tdCxSLPFYrtVZsSu_DCrpSVtTUbnxVhGQiTyBgMsMueM2sMMHzWbPykXCdf8O5GiI/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-responses.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dog Almighty Contact Form (Responses)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
An important thing to consider here is whether the person who has created the form is the one who needs to know that there has been an enquiry and subsequently respond to it. In our example the form was created using the 'Webmaster' account, but it is actually 'Rachel', who runs the business, that needs to pick up, pardon the pun, the leads!<br />
<br />
It's not going to be convenient or efficient to keep checking the spreadsheet to see what somebody is asking when they have sent an enquiry. Whilst it's useful to have the spreadsheet for a record, it's going to be much easier to reply directly to an email.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgD7LD32X4CNbyIIiyFP7pse4UgVPM0oKL-qU7Jtk6MMjcrQEuPijdA2eGL-ThCc8k3KsUx5Yak0d8Q-obZHhOcW7TEPaYU7IMO_z707MXm5JyWGFDiFGDrtZGMsw8h-ix4Xniz7Ku0jOV/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-responses-spreadsheet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgD7LD32X4CNbyIIiyFP7pse4UgVPM0oKL-qU7Jtk6MMjcrQEuPijdA2eGL-ThCc8k3KsUx5Yak0d8Q-obZHhOcW7TEPaYU7IMO_z707MXm5JyWGFDiFGDrtZGMsw8h-ix4Xniz7Ku0jOV/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-responses-spreadsheet.jpg" height="327" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contact Form (Responses) Spreadsheet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To share the form with other people in your organisation you need to add 'Collaborators'. This is done from the 'File' menu in the form (not the Spreadsheet) using the 'Add collaborators' option.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mKgmKTAxeo4Jh8dhMj9Wqbn6WpR7dzGiouuKUSfn9NCkz30RnhPf9-VmK2bmvyagv2STENdxp20CPogg2_HnsrovGEXnuq9wcxxp2FIWERxHIi0kVyhHHFYp25t7I333-zrqML9iDsFx/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-add-Collaborators.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mKgmKTAxeo4Jh8dhMj9Wqbn6WpR7dzGiouuKUSfn9NCkz30RnhPf9-VmK2bmvyagv2STENdxp20CPogg2_HnsrovGEXnuq9wcxxp2FIWERxHIi0kVyhHHFYp25t7I333-zrqML9iDsFx/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-add-Collaborators.jpg" height="327" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contact Form - Add Collaborators</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What's very important is that you add 'Collaborators' (those who need to work with the form and it's responses), but you do not have an editable version of the form visible on the web. If the form isn't visible on the web then you won't be able to embed it in you website, however if you don't have the editing locked down somebody (outside of your domain) could effectively access your form and break it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwB6isEjrodyS7fLjTCwE_S3_FGEFRwXOQ9q1_U0JPQmrB6ScLWuZy0FqHtcODM8mVuA83WIbpakKD3BP98wrvla3lUEOPOAbn1gD9gzNr11cmxqzcD0WcqozX28ULhim34fMzvFTMA9S/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-sharing-settings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwB6isEjrodyS7fLjTCwE_S3_FGEFRwXOQ9q1_U0JPQmrB6ScLWuZy0FqHtcODM8mVuA83WIbpakKD3BP98wrvla3lUEOPOAbn1gD9gzNr11cmxqzcD0WcqozX28ULhim34fMzvFTMA9S/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-sharing-settings.jpg" height="327" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contact Form - Sharing Settings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As far as making sure the website visitors can see and complete the form online is concerned, you need to make sure you uncheck (option is not selected) the 'Require Alphadogservices.co.uk login to view this form' option.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80sULco21OCaR6IJoRXvxXAJdCM4pUZb4Ytt_8cwr6HVCJ5lhAOp7N_sddRIEQ9RtPrwUpGqSDs_pZIen8gkk-8rrwOapOsDWPr8nn8l5gsSeBehmYSfK2NgfPYcYzqXIunlpFyKL6pV6/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-Require-login.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80sULco21OCaR6IJoRXvxXAJdCM4pUZb4Ytt_8cwr6HVCJ5lhAOp7N_sddRIEQ9RtPrwUpGqSDs_pZIen8gkk-8rrwOapOsDWPr8nn8l5gsSeBehmYSfK2NgfPYcYzqXIunlpFyKL6pV6/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-Require-login.jpg" height="327" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When you check this option, you will be alerted that this will make the form viewable outside of your domain. For this application, this is OK.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzc-H2tz4u6Rx67YrjZkf_wCXAzHx2RVjvhumQtE8ACq-VGKgtFnoxtn_VPpWfXY-sBVY2zYyurbmKUbvv2zAzfqtAjfQjwr458H2yJ1yA5IYCetXJx8uysvXVRdMIfjfTPV27mmJ4QnBh/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-no-sign-in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzc-H2tz4u6Rx67YrjZkf_wCXAzHx2RVjvhumQtE8ACq-VGKgtFnoxtn_VPpWfXY-sBVY2zYyurbmKUbvv2zAzfqtAjfQjwr458H2yJ1yA5IYCetXJx8uysvXVRdMIfjfTPV27mmJ4QnBh/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-no-sign-in.jpg" height="327" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contact Form - Do not require sign-in? [OK]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you can't get to your form viewing URL (web address) without being logged into Google, you've got a problem. For example, the viewable form address will look something like this:<br />
<br />
<b><i><a href="https://docs.google.com/a/alphadogservices.co.uk/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/viewform">https://docs.google.com/a/alphadogservices.co.uk/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/viewform</a></i></b><br />
<br />
Your URL will have it's own unique <b>domain</b> and <b>id</b> but should have the same format.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>https://docs.google.com/a/[<i>your-domain</i>]/forms/d/[<i>your-id</i>]/viewform</li>
</ul>
<div>
Try logging out of Google and then accessing your 'viewform' URL (web address). You should be able to see a version that can't be modified, but can accept responses.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
By the same token if you change the 'viewform' part of the URL to be 'edit' and you can make changes to the form, when you're not logged into your Google domain account, there is an issue.</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>https://docs.google.com/a/[<i>your-domain</i>]/forms/d/[<i>your-id</i>]/edit</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
...or in our example:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://docs.google.com/a/alphadogservices.co.uk/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/edit">https://docs.google.com/a/alphadogservices.co.uk/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/edit</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The web address should automatically change to have '<b>viewform?edit_requested=true</b>' on the end, and a button to 'Request edit access' should be visible, but the end user shouldn't be able to 'hack' your form!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZsnuUxt1RlBwbh4Ll1D1-ysFSFge6MoIDq0yhtV5W_oqYiwwyFpA-ICsu27wUUmXwGlROINZ-VHG_ZmRGu1AWEGxp5r30QvgAvHv63QONrzmDzy_tDlkSEfkae8eSwHTXQbLGmIAiq5N/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-Request-edit-access.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZsnuUxt1RlBwbh4Ll1D1-ysFSFge6MoIDq0yhtV5W_oqYiwwyFpA-ICsu27wUUmXwGlROINZ-VHG_ZmRGu1AWEGxp5r30QvgAvHv63QONrzmDzy_tDlkSEfkae8eSwHTXQbLGmIAiq5N/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-Request-edit-access.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contact Form - Request edit access</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
Managing Form Responses using Email</h3>
<div>
Once you've got the form set-up, in place on your web page and or happy that people can access it correctly, it's now time to think about the last element. This is setting up a routine to pick up the form entries from the spreadsheet and send them to somebody within your organisation via an email.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To send an email from the Contact Form a 'script' is required. In this case, we did not write the script, we picked up one from somebody who had already used this 'from to email' function before and had a script ready made to do the job. You will be able to find the necessary scripts by searching on the Google search engine, but the one we deployed should work.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The script is as follows:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i>/* Send Google Form by Email v2.0 */</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i>/* For customization, contact the developer at amit@labnol.org */</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i>/* Tutorial: http://www.labnol.org/?p=20884 */</i></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i>function Initialize() {</i></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> var triggers = ScriptApp.getScriptTriggers();</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> for(var i in triggers) {</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> ScriptApp.deleteTrigger(triggers[i]);</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> }</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> ScriptApp.newTrigger("SendGoogleForm")</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> .forSpreadsheet(SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet())</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> .onFormSubmit()</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> .create();</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i>}</i></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i>function SendGoogleForm(e) </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i>{ </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> try </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> { </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> // You may replace this with another email address</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> var email = Session.getActiveUser().getEmail();</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> // Optional but change the following variable</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> // to have a custom subject for Google Form email notifications</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> var subject = "<b>Dog Almighty! Website Enquiry</b>";</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> var s = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> var columns = s.getRange(1,1,1,s.getLastColumn()).getValues()[0]; </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> var message = ""; </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> // Only include form fields that are not blank</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> for ( var keys in columns ) {</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> var key = columns[keys];</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> if ( e.namedValues[key] && (e.namedValues[key] != "") ) {</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> message += key + ' :: '+ e.namedValues[key] + "\n\n"; </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> }</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> }</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> // This is the MailApp service of Google Apps Script</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> // that sends the email. You can also use GmailApp for HTML Mail.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> MailApp.sendEmail(email, subject, message); </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> } catch (e) {</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> Logger.log(e.toString());</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> }</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i>}</i></span></div>
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To add the script to your 'Form Responses' spreadsheet you need to access the 'Script editor' from the spreadsheet's 'Tools' menu.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbBa3IPYdlfJWR_PzgP7sJZDSRa-BbOKVkl5sHD06mf8qgW1KK5Ztg_3QboX1VirUpkBJLBH_LMjr3FJNTf_wOYenlH-cRnD8I2jBTAR02NpxPQ9Z9CUNJHWc_Xn7ZOfN7bin6y-94yin/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-responses-tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbBa3IPYdlfJWR_PzgP7sJZDSRa-BbOKVkl5sHD06mf8qgW1KK5Ztg_3QboX1VirUpkBJLBH_LMjr3FJNTf_wOYenlH-cRnD8I2jBTAR02NpxPQ9Z9CUNJHWc_Xn7ZOfN7bin6y-94yin/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-form-responses-tools.jpg" height="307" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contact Form (Responses) - Tools > Script editor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This will open up a new Tab (or Window) where you can paste the script from above. Replace any existing script code if there is already something in the <b>Code.gs</b> Tab.<br />
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There is a variable (setting in the code) which controls the Subject line of the email. In our example it is, <i style="color: #38761d;">var subject = "<b>Dog Almighty! Website Enquiry</b>"; </i>(which should be on line 29 in the code), so you need to change this to suit your application.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4oprR4wS3h1VzZiCoTQKjhkkJvEYMHjv8GdVF4wkyPyFoAEM_Bi22yr4RXBgAr8tt-wx_bdu4iFdANOjqkUgFO-yTy7mhMDYr-rdagXo31YN62zU0BjNmw_apZ5rTB6QOBi5hYEdTvQG/s1600/Dog-Almighty-Website-Enquiry-Form-Script-Code.gs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4oprR4wS3h1VzZiCoTQKjhkkJvEYMHjv8GdVF4wkyPyFoAEM_Bi22yr4RXBgAr8tt-wx_bdu4iFdANOjqkUgFO-yTy7mhMDYr-rdagXo31YN62zU0BjNmw_apZ5rTB6QOBi5hYEdTvQG/s1600/Dog-Almighty-Website-Enquiry-Form-Script-Code.gs.jpg" height="395" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Website Enquiry Form - Script (Code.gs)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Save the code (Press Ctrl+S Windows or Cmd+S on Mac) and give your project any name (say “Send Google Forms by Email”).<br />
<br />
Go to the Run menu and choose Initialize. The Google Script will now require you to authorize the script – just click the Accept button and you’re done.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQQy5NeT3vM5rKW4uCaywubvIO1ir08FEhvMxur_9WyI64P2VApjrxRoR6y0DkyILy2OyPPeKfzkzXBkO8StvImb2gjUpx79CUAf2PWcNJGCgupeVD2SkA24ljcqrzjVL6PRBPfOymmfY/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-Run-Script-Initialize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQQy5NeT3vM5rKW4uCaywubvIO1ir08FEhvMxur_9WyI64P2VApjrxRoR6y0DkyILy2OyPPeKfzkzXBkO8StvImb2gjUpx79CUAf2PWcNJGCgupeVD2SkA24ljcqrzjVL6PRBPfOymmfY/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-Run-Script-Initialize.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run Google Script - Initialize</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you need to disable notifications, open the script editor again and choose Resources -> Current Script Triggers and delete the Form trigger associated with the “On Form Submit” action. You can also schedule Google Forms to stop accepting responses after a given date, although this isn't going to be a likely option for a website contact form.<br />
<br />
The final test is to complete the form, check all the data validation rules are working as expected and submit your completed form. A new set of responses should be recorded in your spreadsheet for the form and the information that has been submitted should have also been emailed to the creator of the form.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnt9Q0lMAdWnIRudy6b14fOZkseK5ZmXZQ67HkEFGP5tbR8Z3_XfexaK5qnz7Gz2iuYVdyNKDSWEaCU5rYx8rm_V1olUU-qUjZbpVuqaHORtjtJFr_R4hW2UFhsSrD76esNWTTAkN0ccql/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-Test-Email-Sent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnt9Q0lMAdWnIRudy6b14fOZkseK5ZmXZQ67HkEFGP5tbR8Z3_XfexaK5qnz7Gz2iuYVdyNKDSWEaCU5rYx8rm_V1olUU-qUjZbpVuqaHORtjtJFr_R4hW2UFhsSrD76esNWTTAkN0ccql/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-Test-Email-Sent.jpg" height="318" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dog Almighty Contact Form - Test Email Sent</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That hopefully, should give you everything needed to managed the form and it's responses. However, it the creator of the form is not the one who needs to deal with the responses on an ongoing basis, you may need to consider automating a process to forward the messages on to the appropriate Inbox.<br />
<br />
This post is already quite involved and lengthy, so I think the forwarding will need to be covered in another post, coming soon...!<br />
<br />
If you would like to some help and advice about setting up Google Forms or you have questions about any other part of <b>Google Apps for Work</b>, please get in touch with <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/contact-us-form.htm">AWP Computer Services</a> to discuss your options.<br />
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<b>CALL</b> AWP Computer Services on <b>01772 698078</b><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com8Walton-le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire, UK53.749667 -2.674107999999932953.7121025 -2.7547889999999331 53.787231500000004 -2.5934269999999326tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-70754614827952260542014-09-30T08:55:00.001-07:002014-10-13T02:55:16.303-07:00Google Apps Form for Website Visitor Contact<h2>
Use a Google Apps Form to capture website visitor contact information</h2>
<br />
Google Apps for Business, which incidentally has recently become known as Google Apps for Work, is a collection of Cloud based Apps that allow you to carry out many office admin tasks in one place, using your own domain name (like mybusiness.co.uk) and linked to your branded business email (Gmail).<br />
<br />
In this article we look at how you can use a Google Apps Form to capture the details of a visitor to your website that wants to get in touch with you. To be able to use this method, you will need to have access to the HTML (code that makes your web pages work) of the page where you would like the form to be placed. Beyond that, it’s a relatively straightforward process. There are a few steps, but it isn’t hugely complicated and shouldn’t take too long to get up and running.<br />
<br />
<h3>
So why use a Google Apps Form in the first place?</h3>
Well there are a good number of options out there, but the real advantage of the Google Apps approach is that the set-up and recorded information all end up being in one place, within your Google Drive. This means that you don’t have to log-on to another system. All the end user input is placed in a spreadsheet within your Google Drive and enquiries from customers can also be emailed directly to your Gmail Inbox.<br />
<br />
There are now a good number of costs effective, easy to use, online website builders, such as Wix and Weebly. However, one area you may struggle is if you need to capture more information than the basic website contact form allows. <br />
<br />
You may consider getting a (web) developer to make you a data capture from to put in you website, but you may need to go back to them if you want to change the questions and the type of information you record. With the Google Apps Form the questions are very easy to modify, both adding, removing and changing the order of them. <br />
<br />
You may consider using another online form builder, but as pointed out above that’s another place to access to make changes and potentially retrieve the data captured.<br />
<br />
<h3>
How do I create a Google Apps Form and use it on my Website?</h3>
OK, that’s enough with the introduction. How does it work and more importantly how to get a Google Apps data capture form up and running on my own web site? Now, everything does rely on you having a Google Apps for Work account attached to your domain name (web site address, minus the www), but assuming this is already the case, most of the set-up is done in your Google Drive.<br />
<br />
In this example we’re going to use a website form already that was already created by <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/google-apps-business-your-domain.htm">AWP Computer Services</a> for one of our clients, <a href="http://www.dog-almighty.co.uk/" target="_blank">Alpha Dog Services</a>, which is used on their <a href="http://www.dog-almighty.co.uk/" target="_blank">Dog Almighty! website</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg151PsQFPIzwNOtpRywxOvgG0MnLFnuYCLAaUGfKt6K6WYN7cbmq_SkxafvF-np0JTUi9iWYh5IkwmTnu5jBKHCzaKsL-xx2CSM3HCpEwy1TDIPP6Jbg4IPsJF_WgObSPekPC6m89H-__A/s1600/dog-almighty-contact-page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg151PsQFPIzwNOtpRywxOvgG0MnLFnuYCLAaUGfKt6K6WYN7cbmq_SkxafvF-np0JTUi9iWYh5IkwmTnu5jBKHCzaKsL-xx2CSM3HCpEwy1TDIPP6Jbg4IPsJF_WgObSPekPC6m89H-__A/s1600/dog-almighty-contact-page.jpg" height="305" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dog-almighty.co.uk/contact.htm" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;" target="_blank">http://www.dog-almighty.co.uk/contact.htm</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dog Almighty - Contact Form: <a href="http://www.dog-almighty.co.uk/contact.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dog-almighty.co.uk/contact.htm</a><br />
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<br />
<h4>
Accessing Google Drive</h4>
From your Google (Apps for Work) account, once you’re logged in, you’ll be able to access your Google Drive.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhocA6STK9-G3SCfEGC5PeM3zG7h-MfchRw2AKQdJ08OL69v-vkp_TLni2ryQNeGPeugGWGr4dEm5ckYHf111s5xa1VANDh4JGDBC6TAXq6F4d-FPkux-3mxbgHBWKnDAR6tH1U39p1A_/s1600/alpha-dog-services-google-drive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhocA6STK9-G3SCfEGC5PeM3zG7h-MfchRw2AKQdJ08OL69v-vkp_TLni2ryQNeGPeugGWGr4dEm5ckYHf111s5xa1VANDh4JGDBC6TAXq6F4d-FPkux-3mxbgHBWKnDAR6tH1U39p1A_/s1600/alpha-dog-services-google-drive.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Drive - Google Apps for Work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Your Google Drive is the place that all your files that are stored in the Cloud (well on your account Google servers at least) can be accessed, this includes the files created using the various Google Docs Apps (including Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides & Sites) as well as other documents and files you may have uploaded.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjlU06dP4hOAIyvMat-B_6dX6G42FGpWFUyUx54E4Kz2K8BOHgBl2yGpfPgnMLNch66iD6TdGR2jQIs5sYdtOAQlJDF1cACuuBVfHTC0pS_TmflTGgrvGoE1e0fkxQbUQldb4v3fEY9MX/s1600/alpha-dog-services-google-drive-page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjlU06dP4hOAIyvMat-B_6dX6G42FGpWFUyUx54E4Kz2K8BOHgBl2yGpfPgnMLNch66iD6TdGR2jQIs5sYdtOAQlJDF1cACuuBVfHTC0pS_TmflTGgrvGoE1e0fkxQbUQldb4v3fEY9MX/s1600/alpha-dog-services-google-drive-page.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Drive page</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Whilst Alpha Dog Services have been using their GMail account to its full potential, and their Drive quite often, they set up a separate user (on their domain) for us and we created the necessary form here. Even though there aren't any other document shared with us here at the moment, we thought it made sense to create a new folder (called 'Website') to ensure that the form for the website wasn't confused with other things in the future.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZre_KQJMnPLLX5rbeS9c-YFQPQs2GqxfJ8Uw1C3Vhf468TtQCoJ11_ttm3tpgvNNfzAHXYsnHHwh9Xyh8hYtkwkusbHfj7NDHrwrBh75RVFVLqxqcIr9iZW8fSQoYHPvV7TtQgYl7Q-F/s1600/alpha-dog-services-google-drive-website-folder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZre_KQJMnPLLX5rbeS9c-YFQPQs2GqxfJ8Uw1C3Vhf468TtQCoJ11_ttm3tpgvNNfzAHXYsnHHwh9Xyh8hYtkwkusbHfj7NDHrwrBh75RVFVLqxqcIr9iZW8fSQoYHPvV7TtQgYl7Q-F/s1600/alpha-dog-services-google-drive-website-folder.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Drive - Website folder</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Within this ‘Website’ folder we created a new form, for the data capture needed by the website’s ‘Contact Us’ page. This can be seen as “Dog Almighty - Contact Form”.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyxk_vaNlg_iHQtcqmn9vr_AmT_rqcP6wIIWcEIDa3u22Z8z8x8TZBodtENQUXmcSiDptYOmhK_8nR4GVlP5SaoXYyR0R0IIrAeeokeEduHOdzjMjRG6vZcW4mWWrr6Pu5dGW0FAcXFNa/s1600/alpha-dog-services-google-drive-website.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyxk_vaNlg_iHQtcqmn9vr_AmT_rqcP6wIIWcEIDa3u22Z8z8x8TZBodtENQUXmcSiDptYOmhK_8nR4GVlP5SaoXYyR0R0IIrAeeokeEduHOdzjMjRG6vZcW4mWWrr6Pu5dGW0FAcXFNa/s1600/alpha-dog-services-google-drive-website.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Google Drive showing link to the Dog Almighty - Contact Form</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
However, if the necessary form hadn't been created, it would be a case of starting a new form by using the "Create" button at the top of the menu on the left hand side of the page.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbP9_DFHme90GOnJ3H0TQgKD6d1g6PA2E47qcctMBms2s1AXZ2a6wz_O8Ks9zPBmq5eO1e9EkvU2TrTM3sjOb9HTZpP8e_ABVIO243l32mECUuYG0kFupirgbGn9NimWOdoh-lAM2QAq5/s1600/alpha-dog-services-google-drive-create-form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbP9_DFHme90GOnJ3H0TQgKD6d1g6PA2E47qcctMBms2s1AXZ2a6wz_O8Ks9zPBmq5eO1e9EkvU2TrTM3sjOb9HTZpP8e_ABVIO243l32mECUuYG0kFupirgbGn9NimWOdoh-lAM2QAq5/s1600/alpha-dog-services-google-drive-create-form.jpg" height="368" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Drive - Create Form</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As mentioned, our form is already in place, so in the style of ‘Blue Peter’ - here’s one we made earlier! Clicking on the link for the 'Dog Almighty - Contact Form' will open a Form designer page within a new tab in our web browser.<br />
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<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3Cq08eBus6LOYrKeEhNQp12TyKfuYgG6LFrXS4HbY5WH1QXmTBk5k5FsJVQkWqIc_hz868TZ3aul8JzSfljoGe-Lv3dXNSGkmN8JjapR09W5OkUKljAXzb8RvfJ39zWmv9EmdQhtzsdn/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3Cq08eBus6LOYrKeEhNQp12TyKfuYgG6LFrXS4HbY5WH1QXmTBk5k5FsJVQkWqIc_hz868TZ3aul8JzSfljoGe-Lv3dXNSGkmN8JjapR09W5OkUKljAXzb8RvfJ39zWmv9EmdQhtzsdn/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Dog Almighty - Contact Form</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
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<div>
The Form designer in our example already has all the key elements populated with information, but if you were creating a new form it would be a case of renaming your form, configuring some basic settings and then starting to set up your specific individual questions in the order and format you would like them.</div>
</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeQJSDlMPZb2vZpF5xU8whFP-Xo_ILs7nO9wLDJb20BniUJkbKBJFyfLfTJPWr0alPSWywMPGMNBcI74t-9sIOwD_uLYhjqje1ZiZ7zfxHOSOKkjW0LUKhajiInw7IGCH8VH1I_7Fb2cI/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-rename.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeQJSDlMPZb2vZpF5xU8whFP-Xo_ILs7nO9wLDJb20BniUJkbKBJFyfLfTJPWr0alPSWywMPGMNBcI74t-9sIOwD_uLYhjqje1ZiZ7zfxHOSOKkjW0LUKhajiInw7IGCH8VH1I_7Fb2cI/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-rename.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rename your Google Form</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After this, you can skip over the From Settings options, as you shouldn’t require anything in the three checkboxes that are available. Moving on, you can now start to set up your own individual questions and the format of how you would like your enquirers to respond. To begin setting up a new question, or to edit an already existing question you click in the pencil (Edit) icon at the top right of the question panel.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWwW6ZdKWSnEQCgVUv5cLKmlnvhosuNte-eA9AglPs-2qY2fGx4f2UB38HvvEdaArc2AynIdsf7Fl_rv14Cvs8M_pIED8dPyQqlFPxxRlj7Pt43LwF9y_Jtlz9BWYBIpPy_xOvqciDd0I/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-edit-question.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWwW6ZdKWSnEQCgVUv5cLKmlnvhosuNte-eA9AglPs-2qY2fGx4f2UB38HvvEdaArc2AynIdsf7Fl_rv14Cvs8M_pIED8dPyQqlFPxxRlj7Pt43LwF9y_Jtlz9BWYBIpPy_xOvqciDd0I/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-edit-question.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contact Form - Edit question</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You are able to chose from one of the following data capture types (Questions types):</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Text</li>
<li>Paragraph</li>
<li>Multiple Choice</li>
<li>Checkboxes</li>
<li>Choose from a List</li>
<li>Scale</li>
<li>Grid</li>
<li>Date</li>
<li>Time</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6xotxm5AlGnrtqWlF1r63xLmH5BXLHG8TJZi69xkrPgs8shnLNfO_4E5TgqrObVhu6twHTtN3eH8O1oNGN_XPrXs_wgIA3lxWI3FnxGToS9z8lckJQozWWyeBqDeLJljONmuPPo4qOyL/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-question-type.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6xotxm5AlGnrtqWlF1r63xLmH5BXLHG8TJZi69xkrPgs8shnLNfO_4E5TgqrObVhu6twHTtN3eH8O1oNGN_XPrXs_wgIA3lxWI3FnxGToS9z8lckJQozWWyeBqDeLJljONmuPPo4qOyL/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-question-type.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Form - Questions types</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
Once you've chosen which format of question best suits the information you are trying to capture, you can add some basic data validation rules to ensure that you are getting the right sort of answer for your question. Here you can also decide whether you question is one that is essential. If it is, you can tick the 'Required question' option to make it mandatory.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzTKtFDCaXTnW5UsKHdjvVbsENWhWW8HavGAtYyhR07Vsz5cVDFW2cTtOmZ9wYAfKQ8-4eeJmHaEvH9F_ghUBGg_eWZDyVfMAGlUSvYdMTb7LHsGlhm04Ar97JgYnl1b418ukSISKthI8/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-data-validation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzTKtFDCaXTnW5UsKHdjvVbsENWhWW8HavGAtYyhR07Vsz5cVDFW2cTtOmZ9wYAfKQ8-4eeJmHaEvH9F_ghUBGg_eWZDyVfMAGlUSvYdMTb7LHsGlhm04Ar97JgYnl1b418ukSISKthI8/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-data-validation.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Create question - Data Validation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A typical example of the use of the Data Validation features would be used when you are asking the person who is completing the from to provide their email address. Once you have set the 'Question Type' to 'Text' you are able use the Advanced settings to create a validation rule that ensures the data entered is in the format of an email address.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAkKackaVi3hpBuQxzfJ5ggkd4wbNUuFNN7aew_-Fl23PFdL_WBuCX74W2PWPETCydqxadplFywZ0tBYhFf9eCRZr-AHiCStWek-CW-YOoc8CF-2nykcECTLEoOqT3gD2c9NQgK-xwTFh/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-email-validation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAkKackaVi3hpBuQxzfJ5ggkd4wbNUuFNN7aew_-Fl23PFdL_WBuCX74W2PWPETCydqxadplFywZ0tBYhFf9eCRZr-AHiCStWek-CW-YOoc8CF-2nykcECTLEoOqT3gD2c9NQgK-xwTFh/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-email-validation.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advanced settings - Validation: Must be an email address</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
Completing your form and putting in your web site</h4>
Once you are happy that you have included all the questions you required for you contact page form you are ready to take the necessary steps to allow the form to be used on your website. The first step is to set up the rules for the 'Confirmation Page'. Here you can create a personalised message that the end user will see after they have completed and submitted the form. You can also decide whether you want to provide a link with your 'Thank you' message that will let users navigate back to a blank form and submit another answer.<br />
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5LVafahXlX0GCosFb2JsoipHpAqZf5rQIPSZo_0Z3ztxTrgFseTXQ2E2gvW7tI6aP7ND3QN3yKeTE7Z5guo7Vv1MjzbiXgxwQA3F72m9MsgwjT9o9u99S3MJRK9kOKPM5lZGOJilYS4w/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-confirmation-page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5LVafahXlX0GCosFb2JsoipHpAqZf5rQIPSZo_0Z3ztxTrgFseTXQ2E2gvW7tI6aP7ND3QN3yKeTE7Z5guo7Vv1MjzbiXgxwQA3F72m9MsgwjT9o9u99S3MJRK9kOKPM5lZGOJilYS4w/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-confirmation-page.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Confirmation Page Settings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The final part of you form design is to get the HTML code that you will need to include in the web page where you want your form to be seen.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To do this you have two options. The first option is to click the 'Send Form' button. This will subsequently take you to a pop-up window that will allow you to share your form, along with also providing a an 'Embed' button to allow you to access the HTML you need. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUUuAw5GqdJjsr_GJyemNlNFtCO5VeDWBDaORZsEkSqPJUvGFJR0XkrpAVDn40I5TRIYR8YeKLjg0KyqooeQ6LXYbTwZ8LgxMSElgL4v_-4qXeQ4IQ2B8FVPp9nhLUR2Z9WWmtLqjPyq7/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-send-form-embed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUUuAw5GqdJjsr_GJyemNlNFtCO5VeDWBDaORZsEkSqPJUvGFJR0XkrpAVDn40I5TRIYR8YeKLjg0KyqooeQ6LXYbTwZ8LgxMSElgL4v_-4qXeQ4IQ2B8FVPp9nhLUR2Z9WWmtLqjPyq7/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-send-form-embed.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Send form - Embed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The second option is to select 'Embed' from the Google Form's 'File' menu.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ujc-Oa_CZzIcIsOjbdoIPJxFXmvRsDxoHy5EgUUZ_RqMeOaXjBRI0o7hSLPndQfy3PHIX69ay66DLoId-fKxusMGX0Oj8Vz-7iWI2S-87wqGqmcH7xs6XLOTB59dIc7mfZuj03goVL-8/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-file-embed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ujc-Oa_CZzIcIsOjbdoIPJxFXmvRsDxoHy5EgUUZ_RqMeOaXjBRI0o7hSLPndQfy3PHIX69ay66DLoId-fKxusMGX0Oj8Vz-7iWI2S-87wqGqmcH7xs6XLOTB59dIc7mfZuj03goVL-8/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-file-embed.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Form - 'File' menu: Embed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Both of the above options will take you to a window where you can copy the required HTML code from. The code can then be used to include in the HTML of your contact web page. The HTML generated by Google is an IFRAME that has the URL (web address) of your published form. Before you copy your HTML code, you can set the sizes of the IFRAME. This is important, as you may only have a specific width available for you form within your web page. Also, you ideally need to ensure you have allowed enough height for the complete form, as it isn't user friendly and can be confusing to whoever is completing the form if they are required to scroll up and down to see all of the questions.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdRAK1DsiZXBzauHewH2WCthATn2WNLC0VbJGLe7BZSLCu6UWQWc2mSFy91PvAspE8zUVQhburc2nc58I6CC6FYrshjAiA2dOL4lbT52fdpKq7JxJUA1gmqcibzCmUxXg12Nmw6C6E2ym/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-embed-form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdRAK1DsiZXBzauHewH2WCthATn2WNLC0VbJGLe7BZSLCu6UWQWc2mSFy91PvAspE8zUVQhburc2nc58I6CC6FYrshjAiA2dOL4lbT52fdpKq7JxJUA1gmqcibzCmUxXg12Nmw6C6E2ym/s1600/alpha-dog-services-Dog-Almighty-Contact-Form-embed-form.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Embed form</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The HTML code that you copy for your embedded form will be similar to this:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><span style="color: #274e13;"> <iframe src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/viewform?embedded=true" width="760" height="500" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0"></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="color: #274e13;">Loading...</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="color: #274e13;"></iframe></span></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Where the 'src' attribute of the <iframe> element represents the URL (web address) of the form itself.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/viewform?embedded=true" target="_blank"><span style="color: #274e13;">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sTvoxBvtbJDBnFNsXv2SVQmivvFH0BaOKAIZJgKvb2g/viewform?embedded=true</span></a></b></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
OK you're now ready to start using the contact form, in the <a href="http://blog.awpcomputers.co.uk/2014/10/google-apps-website-visitor-contact.html">next Blog Post</a> we'll explain the necessary step to start using the data collected by your form and more importantly how to set up an automated email to let people in your company know when a customer has entered their details into your form.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://blog.awpcomputers.co.uk/2014/10/google-apps-website-visitor-contact.html">Google Apps Website Visitor Contact Form to Email</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you would like to some help and advice about setting up Google Forms or you have questions about any other part of <b>Google Apps for Work</b>, please get in touch with <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/contact-us-form.htm" target="_blank">AWP Computer Services</a> to discuss your options.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>CALL</b> AWP Computer Services on <b>01772 698078</b></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com19Walton-le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire, UK53.749667 -2.674107999999932953.7121025 -2.7547889999999331 53.787231500000004 -2.5934269999999326tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-79644473479123597972014-09-03T03:46:00.000-07:002014-09-03T04:01:44.505-07:00Unofficial Windows XP Service Pack<h2>
Are you still on Windows XP?<br />There's now an unofficial service pack</h2>
Microsoft ceased their support for Windows XP back in April 2014, but it seems some fans are still not quite ready to let go of the aged Operating System.<br />
<br />
For these - reluctant to change - users, a developer known only as "Harkaz" has been quietly working away, creating an "Unofficial Service Pack 4". Harkaz has been working on this project since September 2013, in readiness for Microsoft's withdrawal of their support, and now it's finally available to download.<br />
<br />
Unofficial SP4 (Service Pack Four) rolls together all updates since 2002's SP1 (Service Pack One) for Windows XP, including two fixes issued after the official end of support.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYvEC9Adz_NCChdlP659SuSi7Fc_9voTjywgnJ36ZuT78hll6oNHCnRYqRgN5ex3VH9T3TdG2t4MruAnmFzFn6P7DIaJCpITsirY7CanZ6MBTjesJNcjAfpfS7hOfm6e01nNyk6RiRxzW/s1600/windows-xp-desktop-background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYvEC9Adz_NCChdlP659SuSi7Fc_9voTjywgnJ36ZuT78hll6oNHCnRYqRgN5ex3VH9T3TdG2t4MruAnmFzFn6P7DIaJCpITsirY7CanZ6MBTjesJNcjAfpfS7hOfm6e01nNyk6RiRxzW/s1600/windows-xp-desktop-background.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Windows XP</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Everything you need to know about the end of Windows XP support</h3>
Harkaz said they had decided to create Unofficial SP4 for the "many users - including me - who won't be able to upgrade their old machines to a newer OS (and) would like to easily install all Windows updates in one convenient package," following the end of XP support.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYes_kQrdXQ_W_ply6_mZcUD0YF-kDnFu5yOvybG8EcWgiXIl0kasB-azKYi3k4al8ADxN_9Tp4gguoCoUGlC0Ofbd2BRYbHNjHvF3WJPPpqhxnhv04LlpNyJWfoeSllO0ZkFzhan8Mkia/s1600/windows-xp-updates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYes_kQrdXQ_W_ply6_mZcUD0YF-kDnFu5yOvybG8EcWgiXIl0kasB-azKYi3k4al8ADxN_9Tp4gguoCoUGlC0Ofbd2BRYbHNjHvF3WJPPpqhxnhv04LlpNyJWfoeSllO0ZkFzhan8Mkia/s1600/windows-xp-updates.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Windows XP Updates (Windows Update)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Is SP4 a sensible option?</h3>
While there's no reason to believe Harkaz is acting maliciously - indeed, Softpedia describes them as someone with "a good background on large packs of fixes for Windows" - it must be remembered that this is not an official update from Microsoft and is, at best, delaying the inevitable.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHLxt4FCFWWwaPqdVqx39GHW7jmNlXAV8b2rmU-WHse3r0PUEtXu1nYQuUl86lNRAfYtX0avnivUjrEPM7IEvyseJv_wb2LgsOfVGa6Q7HHw8-Zgelg1lCnzt21uU08Issh_Wn2HExT8x/s1600/windows-xp-automatic-updates-notify.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHLxt4FCFWWwaPqdVqx39GHW7jmNlXAV8b2rmU-WHse3r0PUEtXu1nYQuUl86lNRAfYtX0avnivUjrEPM7IEvyseJv_wb2LgsOfVGa6Q7HHw8-Zgelg1lCnzt21uU08Issh_Wn2HExT8x/s1600/windows-xp-automatic-updates-notify.jpg" height="400" width="365" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Windows XP - Automatic Updates</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Chris Boyd, malware intelligence analyst at Malwarebytes, commented : "As always with this type of thing, unfortunately what starts out as a project with altruistic intentions, has the potential for hijacking by those with nefarious goals."<br />
He continued, "Training PC owners to get comfortable with any OS updates using the word 'unofficial' in the name could backfire and open the door for malicious installs."<br />
<br />
Boyd added that people who are stuck using XP because they're unable to upgrade from elderly hardware should seriously consider moving to "one of the small yet functional versions of Linux" that are available, as they are "probably more secure".<br />
<br />
<h2>
Download Windows XP SP4 Unofficial Beta 3</h2>
Windows XP SP4 Unofficial, a service pack for 32-bit editions of Windows XP, can be downloaded from the Softpedia website.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Signatures-Updates/Windows-XP-SP4-Unofficial.shtml" target="_blank">Download Windows XP SP4 Unofficial Beta 3</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Signatures-Updates/Windows-XP-SP4-Unofficial.shtml">http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Signatures-Updates/Windows-XP-SP4-Unofficial.shtml</a><br />
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<h3>
Windows XP SP4 Unofficial description</h3>
An unofficial service pack for 32-bit editions of Windows XP, allowing users to benefit from the latest available updates for their computer<br />
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Microsoft has ended the official support for Windows XP for a while now, which means that there are no more official security updates for users of the XP operating system and technical support is not provided anymore. Thus, computers that are still stuck with this late OS version can become vulnerable to malicious attacks.<br />
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Windows XP SP4 Unofficial comes to the rescue, providing XP users with the latest official XP updates alongside up-to-date components up to May 2014, also including POSReady updates.<br />
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The package is compatible with 32-bit versions of Windows XP, with SP1 installed and it can be deployed on an installation media. Please be advised that this package is not released by Microsoft, who does not recommend computer users to install it.<br />
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The Windows XP SP4 Unofficial installer is dedicated to Windows XP users who are not able, cannot afford or do not want to migrate to a newer Windows edition. It provides a convenient and quick way to update system components, so as to increase the PC's security and remove possible vulnerabilities, although it does not guarantee complete protection.<br />
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The package integrates .NET framework versions from 1.0 to 4.0 (including DirectX for Managed code in .NET 3.5), MSXML40 SP3, Adobe Flash Player (updated until May 2014), Internet Explorer 8, Windows Media Player 11, XPS Viewer EP, IMAPIv2, Remote Desktop Connection Client 7.0, Windows Search 4.0, Windows Rights Management Client, Windows Installer 4.5, the QFECheck tool (which you can use to verify that the hotfixes were correctly installed) and November 2013 Revoked roots and Root cerificates.<br />
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Furthermore, it encases the WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) technology to validate your OS license, Windows Feature Pack for Storage 1.0, as well as updates for exFat, DirectX 9.0c and WebDAV for Office 12 (Rosebud).<br />
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Please note that Windows XP SP4 Unofficial does not include Windows Powershell, which can be manually installed once .NET 3.5 is available on your system.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com4Preston, Preston, Lancashire, UK53.763201 -2.703089999999974753.6881235 -2.8644514999999746 53.8382785 -2.5417284999999747tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-37277358954317673842014-06-16T09:30:00.000-07:002014-09-18T04:33:33.299-07:00Five Ways to Improve Your Cyber Security<h3>
Five ways to improve your cyber security and keep ahead of hackers</h3>
You wouldn’t leave your company’s confidential information or a customer’s bank details lying around the office for an opportunist thief to pick up. However, if you’re storing this type of data online and neglecting your cyber security, that could be just what happens.<br />
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Last year saw the cost of hacking to UK businesses increase by up to three times. The government’s 2013 Information Security Breaches Survey found that 87% of small businesses, and 93% of large businesses, had reported at least one cyber breach. These breaches resulted in costs of up to £65,000 for small businesses, and up to £850,000 for larger firms.<br />
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This could be due to hackers or in some cases human error, but whichever way it all resulted in leaving customer’s data vulnerable to theft or misuse. The cost to the reputation of those companies is anybody’s guess.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DhgY3u4FY8XZDeL6673G6aeujBKLiWqAieljkZZAqgS-tdDj9Q7r0PXPRtM-9rOWqHf4f__VtS9XGuzBGQRB3ZS2q6uDth3GbbT2baLBgiXdG_r0FCH6tLH4EgaoEemmpKuCxt5dJCWa/s1600/improve-your+cyber-security.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DhgY3u4FY8XZDeL6673G6aeujBKLiWqAieljkZZAqgS-tdDj9Q7r0PXPRtM-9rOWqHf4f__VtS9XGuzBGQRB3ZS2q6uDth3GbbT2baLBgiXdG_r0FCH6tLH4EgaoEemmpKuCxt5dJCWa/s1600/improve-your+cyber-security.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Five Ways to Improve Your Cyber Security</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Bearing this in mind, it is all the more surprising that a recent survey carried out by BT earlier this year (<a href="http://www.globalservices.bt.com/static/assets/pdf/solutions/security/BT_Cyber_Security_Reseach_Summary.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BT Cyber Security Research, Feb 2014</a>) found just 17% of business leaders see cyber security as a major priority. Despite most companies recognising that staff best practice is a major way to prevent IT security breaches, only 37% have trained managers in cyber safety. When you take into account the Information Commissioner’s Office fine of up to £500,000 for compromising personal data, it definitely makes sense to get on top of your cyber safety.<br />
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Blissful ignorance, of the threat, is no defence in this area - cyber security (or the lack of it in some cases) is making the news headlines on a daily basis. On a single day earlier this year Tesco lost 2,000 customer’s details to thieves trying to steal store vouchers and three South Korean credit card companies were fined for neglecting their legal duties of protecting customer information.<br />
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But if even Tesco, with its huge security budget, is vulnerable - what chance does the small business have? It doesn’t always have to be about a big budget, and there are many steps you can take to protect yourself.<br />
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<h4>
AWP Computer Services' top five tips for ‘Cyber Security’</h4>
Here are our top five tips for ‘Cyber Security’. It’s a surprisingly large number of businesses that aren’t taking these simple steps, yet they will give your business a solid foundation to build on:<br />
<ol>
<li>Talk about security with staff and create a culture where everyone cares about it.</li>
<li>Always use good passwords and don’t reuse them in different places.</li>
<li>Make sure you have up-to-date anti-virus software, and don’t click on links or attachments in emails you weren’t expecting.</li>
<li>As well as taking care of PCs and laptop computers, remember to protect other staff devices (like smart-phones and tablets) too.</li>
<li>Prepare for a disaster and make a recovery plan, for your own peace of mind.</li>
</ol>
There is a culture of BYOD (bring your own device) developing in a lot of industries, and whilst it can have obvious cost saving benefits, the are real risks if the security on these devices isn’t taken seriously. <br />
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The massive expansion of employee-owned devices, cloud computing and extranets, have multiplied the risk of abuse and attack, leaving organisations exposed to a vast array of internal and external threats – malicious and accidental. The stakes are too high for cyber security to be pushed to the bottom of the pile.<br />
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If you would like to get some <b>unbiased independent advice</b> and need help with any area of your <b>IT security</b>, please <b><a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/contact-us-form.htm" target="_blank">get in touch with AWP Computer Services</a></b> to discuss your options.<br />
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<b> CALL</b> AWP Computer Services on <b>01772 698078</b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com10Walton-le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire PR5 4GQ, UK53.7390637 -2.67497490000005253.737889700000004 -2.6774964000000518 53.7402377 -2.6724534000000522tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-41077194224040308452014-05-02T04:07:00.000-07:002014-09-02T04:11:50.692-07:00Why use an IT Consultant?<h3>
Small Business Benefits of Employing an IT Consultant</h3>
If your company is in its infancy, you need to make sure that you have the IT systems in place to build your business. A strong computer network forms the backbone of any growing business, providing you with the tools and security you need to provide a good service to your customers. Accordingly, you might like to think about using the service of an <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT Consultant</a>.<br />
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Initially, it’s likely that your new business will be based around only one or two key people. Whilst, it’s possible that IT is something that this team can deal with, for a number business people it can be a headache. It’s likely that setting up systems and processes, to help you work more effectively with your customers, will be a deflection away from what your business needs to be doing on a day to day basis. Conversely though, it very likely there will not be enough work in the early days to warrant having somebody with the necessary know-how on hand all of the time. This is were being able to call on an outsider, with the right skills, could really benefit your business. An <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT consultant</a> will be able to provide the necessary knowledge and support as an when you need it and not be a constant drain on your companies finances.<br />
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Those working in <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT consulting</a> jobs need to be efficient and have strong people skills. Project management is vital in this area where delivering on time and to budget can make all the difference. Many IT projects are costly, and a delay of several weeks can push the costs up to a point where the project becomes unaffordable for a small business. Your <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT consultant</a> is trained to manage both the scope and the deadlines of the project to ensure that costs are controlled and the project is delivered as promised. <br />
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There are a number of ways working with an <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT Consultant</a> will be able to help your business:<br />
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<h4>
Improve efficiency</h4>
Your <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT consultant</a> can advise you on the best way to use technology to improve automation and productivity in your company. They will assess your needs and recommend systems which speed up business processes, allow for greater accountability and free up man hours for other work. They can also help improve communication in your organisation and the sharing of information.<br />
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<h4>
Help keep you at the cutting edge of technology</h4>
We work in a challenging marketplace and being at the cutting edge can give you the advantage over your competitors. A good <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT consultant</a> will be fully up-to-date with developments in your field that could improve your bottom-line, or make your product more marketable.<br />
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<h4>
Protect your data and stay legal</h4>
You need to know that your data, and that of your customers’, is protected. You don’t want to be sued because a hacker has stolen credit card information from your IT systems. Not only could this cost your company a lot of money, it could also result in loss of business as your reputation is dragged through the mud.<br />
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<h4>
Ongoing support</h4>
If something goes wrong with your IT systems it can stop all work in your company. An <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT consultant</a> offers <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-computer-support.htm" target="_blank">ongoing support</a> in case of an emergency, so you can reduce the risk to your data and get your network back up and running before your clients are affected.<br />
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Any business can benefit from the advice and services of an <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT consultant</a>. Your company can learn to manage its information, communicate more efficiently with customers & suppliers and benefit from the cost efficiency the right technology can often bring.<br />
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Based in South Ribble, servicing Preston and Lancashire AWP Computer Services offer specialist <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT Consultancy</a> for small and start-up businesses throughout the county. We have many years experience in delivering up-to-date advice to small and medium sized business on many aspects of their modern information technology needs. This includes help with Information Technology set-up, unbiased guidance about current best practices, general IT advice and assistance with IT equipment purchasing.<br />
<br />
For more information about <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT Consultancy</a> and the benefits of using an <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/it-consultancy.htm" target="_blank">IT Consultant</a> for your business <b><a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/contact-us-form.htm" target="_blank">CONTACT AWP COMPUTER SERVICES TODAY!</a></b><br />
<br />
<b>CALL 01772 698078</b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com1Preston, Preston, Lancashire, UK53.763201 -2.703089999999974753.6881235 -2.8644514999999746 53.8382785 -2.5417284999999747tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-86662875586150454792014-04-10T03:00:00.000-07:002014-04-10T03:19:35.781-07:00Windows XP End of Life. Don't let your PC go unprotected<h3>
Windows XP Support Ends on April 8th 2014<br />Don't let your PC go unprotected</h3>
<h4>
This is a security alert for all Windows XP users!</h4>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieslberqI9mnSSajd0h6qfvb1c5lHjSQHmf4Mxt6uyykyg66zMxc5uiVTLNjICdE2G48eStCCKHXBgNlKXs5ucWkPgPtnl50MrxaqwgGx0fq1J1dfn3O18nPxGSTEfvznVah2qKWwNWwJ6/s1600/Windows-XP-end-of-support.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieslberqI9mnSSajd0h6qfvb1c5lHjSQHmf4Mxt6uyykyg66zMxc5uiVTLNjICdE2G48eStCCKHXBgNlKXs5ucWkPgPtnl50MrxaqwgGx0fq1J1dfn3O18nPxGSTEfvznVah2qKWwNWwJ6/s1600/Windows-XP-end-of-support.gif" height="117" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windows XP support has ended</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This week (8th April 2014), Microsoft released the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26884167" target="_blank">last ever batch of security updates for Windows XP</a> and will no longer be releasing official service and support updates for this operating system in the future. <br />
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You can read more about this in the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26884167" target="_blank">technology news section of the BBC web site</a>:<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26884167">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26884167</a><br />
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This means that in the future, users of XP could potentially be left without critical security updates, which may leave their computers more vulnerable to viruses and more susceptible to cyber-attack.<br />
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It could also mean that computer software and computer hardware manufacturers may begin to move away from supporting Windows XP which may lead to new programs and devices not being compatible with the ageing operating system.<br />
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Even though it was released back in 2001, Windows XP is still hugely popular, with some estimates suggesting that roughly one in five PCs across the globe still run XP.<br />
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If you still use Windows XP, then the ending of service packs and security updates doesn’t mean that your computer will stop working altogether. It’ll still continue to look and act the same as usual. However, it could become more vulnerable to cyber security risks and viruses, and over time the performance could also suffer.<br />
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<h3>
Which OS (Operating System) is on your PC running?</h3>
If you’re unsure which version of the Windows operating system your computer is currently running you can visit the <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-help?ocid=GA8-%20%201_O_WOL_Hero_Home_XPEOS_Pos3_02" target="_blank">Microsoft web site</a>, which will automatically tell you what your laptop computer or desktop PC is running. If you find that your computer is running Windows XP then it might be time to act.<br />
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<a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-help?ocid=GA8-%20%201_O_WOL_Hero_Home_XPEOS_Pos3_02" target="_blank">Click here to learn more about Windows XP end of support directly from Microsoft</a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G0Zf0kjr5iixZJCBEY5ykYMkSzFgW3K-QQu27aqW8GprkvMwF3oNIoVFKR1W45F36TFgCcMRUTUejSD2nLdwrRlzG39WW6BGajIov-k2B41vOv55cpPtuVJSunoEetenDALs2oTnUwGn/s1600/Windows-XP-desktop-example.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G0Zf0kjr5iixZJCBEY5ykYMkSzFgW3K-QQu27aqW8GprkvMwF3oNIoVFKR1W45F36TFgCcMRUTUejSD2nLdwrRlzG39WW6BGajIov-k2B41vOv55cpPtuVJSunoEetenDALs2oTnUwGn/s1600/Windows-XP-desktop-example.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windows XP Desktop Example</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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If you would like some <b>FREE advice</b>, please <a href="http://pcfix.awpcomputers.co.uk/contact.htm" target="_blank">contact AWP Computer Services</a> and we can talk you through the options.<br />
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<h3>
Thinking about upgrading your system?</h3>
To help keep yourself protected, Microsoft suggests that you check to see if your current PC can be upgraded to the latest software. They offer a Windows Upgrade assistant on their web site that will scan your computer and tell you if your system is compatible with the new operating system.<br />
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Microsoft recommend that you download and run the <a href="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=321548" target="_blank">Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant</a> to check whether your PC meets the system requirements for Windows 8. The Windows 8.1 system requirements are nearly the same as the Windows 8 system requirements, so if your PC can run Windows 8, in most cases, you can get the free update to Windows 8.1. Upgrade Assistant will also check program and device compatibility, and provide a free compatibility report. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=321548" target="_blank">Download the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant</a><br />
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<h3>
What about transferring old files to a new PC?</h3>
If you’re not able to upgrade your computer to a more current operating system then it might be time to consider buying a new desktop PC or laptop computer. If you were to buy a new PC, but want to transfer your files, photos and music over from your old Windows XP computer then Windows provide a free data transfer tool called <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/en-gb/xp/transfer-your-data.aspx" target="_blank">Laplink PCmover Express</a>. You can find out more about <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-help?ocid=GA8-%20%201_O_WOL_Hero_Home_XPEOS_Pos3_02" target="_blank">Laplink PCmover Express on the Microsoft web site</a>.<br />
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<h4>
How do I move all my Windows XP stuff to a new PC?</h4>
You can <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/en-gb/xp/transfer-your-data.aspx" target="_blank">move your Windows XP stuff with Laplink</a>, a free data migration solution that will walk you through all the steps to getting your files, settings, and user profiles from your Windows XP PC to your new Windows laptop, desktop, or tablet. (Note that you will need your Windows XP PC to migrate your data, and you can only migrate to a PC running Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeuVyEthGYWdNYIV_onGN7-EzAUTcJ6O4dkg0HLJMwp_9F6w0WFHmxeZ1fqgsGguta6Cvuws8bX4kuN6LoF_a5opFUBGHXlBHWoKER9cQukQomRBp4FGuBYL09e6Mk2LIZ79QHdhJ5jco/s1600/laplink-PCmover-Free-screen.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeuVyEthGYWdNYIV_onGN7-EzAUTcJ6O4dkg0HLJMwp_9F6w0WFHmxeZ1fqgsGguta6Cvuws8bX4kuN6LoF_a5opFUBGHXlBHWoKER9cQukQomRBp4FGuBYL09e6Mk2LIZ79QHdhJ5jco/s1600/laplink-PCmover-Free-screen.gif" height="310" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laplink PCmover Free 8</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/en-gb/xp/transfer-your-data.aspx" target="_blank">Click here to learn more about Laplink</a><br />
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<b>Call AWP Computer Services for Assistance</b><br />
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If you are still unsure about your options, please feel free call AWP Computer Services for some FREE no obligation advice. Whilst a direct transfer of your files to a nice new Windows 8 (8.1) laptop or desktop PC may be the preferred option, it's not the only option. An upgrade to Windows Vista or Windows 7 (64 bit) in all their various flavours could be a cost effective way of extending the life of you existing computer system.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://pcfix.awpcomputers.co.uk/pc-laptop-computer-upgrades.htm" target="_blank"><b>Visit the AWP Computer Services (PC Fix) web site for more information</b></a>.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com1Walton-le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire, UK53.749667 -2.674107999999932953.7121025 -2.7547889999999331 53.787231500000004 -2.5934269999999326tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-65830967857646242232014-03-31T05:03:00.000-07:002014-03-31T05:03:03.717-07:00World Backup Day Spotlights a Frequently Neglected Task<br />
<h2>
World Backup Day</h2>
Don't be an April Fool. Backup your files and check your restores on March 31<sup>st</sup>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFof8joObSLSND6WPqkX5XL1kaer-AayZWzaGhhDzqXNhjHR9vxv17siqegccVqnkfU4akTNls1LNC4ycEqWi8OPqAff7095QYm4CVrp-91tjff9nu2wTxSjeEIRFXCmLyW6iY2bwMdvW/s1600/World-Backup-Day-March-31st.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFof8joObSLSND6WPqkX5XL1kaer-AayZWzaGhhDzqXNhjHR9vxv17siqegccVqnkfU4akTNls1LNC4ycEqWi8OPqAff7095QYm4CVrp-91tjff9nu2wTxSjeEIRFXCmLyW6iY2bwMdvW/s1600/World-Backup-Day-March-31st.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World Backup Day - Don't be an April Fool!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h3>
World Backup Day Spotlights a Frequently Neglected Task</h3>
You probably weren't aware of it, but today (Monday 31<sup>st</sup> March) is World Backup Day. Yes, a day for remembering to back up all that important data, which falls on the eve of April Fools' Day. The motto is, "Don't be an April Fool. Backup your files and check your restores on March 31st."<br />
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The concept of World Backup Day was created by a college student in 2011, and was initially geared towards the home consumer market ("friends don't let friends go without a backup"), but it now seems that businesses also can use a reminder about the importance of backing up critical data. Even if businesses are performing backups, many aren't doing it right.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Kroll OnTrack Data Recovery Survey</h4>
This week, Kroll OnTrack, a supplier of data recovery products, released the results of a survey of 642 customers who had lost data. Sixty-five percent reported having a backup system in place at the time of the data loss (up from 60% in a similar poll last year), and 55% said they backed up their data on a daily basis. But 65% also reported that their backup product wasn't current or operating at the time of they lost data.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.krollontrack.co.uk/company/press-room/press-releases/2014-more-people-backup-their-data/" target="_blank">Kroll OnTrack survey</a> shows simply having a backup solution in place is not enough to prevent data loss.<br />
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<a href="http://www.krollontrack.co.uk/company/press-room/press-releases/2014-more-people-backup-their-data/">http://www.krollontrack.co.uk/company/press-room/press-releases/2014-more-people-backup-their-data/</a><br />
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Kroll OnTrack surmised several reasons the backup systems didn't prevent data loss, including failure to leave a computer on during a scheduled backup, the external drive used for backup was connected only intermittently, and the backup ran out of destination space.<br />
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Of the 35% who didn't have a backup in place, 49% cited the time to research and administer a backup product as the top barrier that kept them from implementing the technology.<br />
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<h4>
The Problem with Backup</h4>
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The problem with backup is that there are a small number of companies that have figured out that backup is a process in the realm of data protection. Few have considered the whole picture of it’s importance, manage it well and don't have many problems.<br />
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Unfortunately, there's a much bigger community of companies where backup is considered as a necessary evil, which is dumped on the most junior people in the business, who mindlessly follow the procedures that have been there since 10 years ago the most junior person in the company put them together. Therefore, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.<br />
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Not enough testing of backup processes also leads to trouble. Companies don't find out until something goes wrong that they didn't back up the right data, or that they failed to upgrade the backup system when they upgraded a critical application. Changes to computer systems can often mean that the data is in a different location and the backup procedures are not changed accordingly to take this into consideration. Often it will transpire that the backup process is effectively backing up nothing of any value. <br />
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Also, there are many small businesses who think that if they are using RAID this means they don't have to make backups anymore, or who rotate between three tapes for backup and discover that an important file was deleted five days ago, which is longer than they're retaining data.<br />
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Backups can be a hazardous but thankless job. Nobody ever got promoted for doing backups well, but there are a number that have probably got their marching orders for doing them badly!<br />
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With backup software and the Cloud now so cheap, not having some form of backup is unacceptable in business. The expense of a single data loss will far outweigh the cost of backup, and getting a service after you've lost the data is futile, to say the least.<br />
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For more information about how to protect you valuable data, please <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/contact.htm">contact AWP Computer Services</a> for a <b>FREE consultation</b>.<br />
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<i><b>World Backup Day is March 31<sup>st</sup>. Don't be a fool. Check your backups. Check your restores. Check us!</b></i><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com2Walton-le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire, UK53.749667 -2.674107999999932953.7121025 -2.7547889999999331 53.787231500000004 -2.5934269999999326tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-92157854358624773522014-02-26T05:54:00.001-08:002014-02-26T05:54:20.672-08:00Small Business Information Technology<br />
<h2>
Computers and Business Information Technology – some of the basics</h2>
<h3>
A guide about some of the basic IT considerations for new and start-up businesses.</h3>
Really understanding what technology your business will need is a good start to getting the right solutions. In this article I look at some of the basics of small business technology.<br />
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It's no longer ideal to run a business, even a small one with few employees, using paper based systems. Even if some of the paper based methods (such as hand-written sales ledgers and colour-coded paper memos) are relatively effective, they can be hard to manage. These days, businesses have access to all sorts of useful technology that helps them communicate, keep accurate records, work more efficiently and reach new markets.<br />
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It can be extremely daunting when you are starting a new business, particularly when you are trying to understand what technology you need to invest in. The following is a very basic guide to some considerations, and likely decisions to be made about IT Hardware, IT Software, Networking the Internet and the ‘Cloud’.<br />
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Ultimately its a good idea to try and start as you mean to go on with your basic admin systems. It's a lot easier to deal with the set-up of at least some basic electronic communication and record keeping systems before your business really takes off and there simply just aren't enough hours in the day.<br />
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<h3>
Business IT Hardware</h3>
When starting your new business the types of hardware you might need to include are as follows:<br />
<ul>
<li>Personal Computers (PC) – both desktop and laptop (also known as notebook computers)</li>
<li>Accessories – including monitor (display), webcam, keyboard and mouse</li>
<li>Storage Media - such as USB memory sticks and portable hard drives, which are important for information sharing and making back-ups </li>
<li>Printers and Scanners – which can often double as photocopiers</li>
<li>A Network Server – for a business running several computers, this links them together and provided centralised services and data back-up. However, now careful consideration should be made about using the 'Cloud' as an alternative</li>
<li>Networking Equipment – such as cables, routers and an internet connection. Here there are also decisions about using wireless (WiFi) or wired connections</li>
<li>Mobile Devices – including equipment such as smartphones and tablet computers (computers with no external keyboard that are operated by a touch-screen)</li>
</ul>
If you don’t have any technical knowledge, it can be hard to understand and compare different types of computer hardware. Look closely at the specifications, and seek expert help when you can. For <b>Free advice</b> and a <b>Free initial consultation</b>, please contact <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/" target="_blank">AWP Computer Services</a>. We can help your small business through this difficult decision making process.<br />
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As a general rule, instead of getting caught up in all the available features, try and think about what those features will help you to do. Will they give any benefit to you and how you'll work with the technology.<br />
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For example, high-powered computers (ones with lots of memory, processing power and data storage space) may look impressive, but can often be an over-investment if all you need them for is spreadsheets and documents. Alternatively, if you are frequently on the move, a tablet computer could be invaluable for helping you catch up with business when you're away from home or out of the office.<br />
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<h3>
Business IT Software</h3>
Just like with hardware, your choice of computer software will depend on your business needs. It's important to think about what you need to do, and to try and match up those tasks to the software available.<br />
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It is likely that you will want to think about:<br />
<ul>
<li>The Operating System – these often come already installed on any new computers you buy, and allow you to manage your data files and run other programs. You will likely be set-up using Microsoft Windows, Apple OS X or Android, dependant on the device</li>
<li><a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/office-software.htm" target="_blank">Office Software</a> – allowing you to use spreadsheets, documents, create presentations and access email. A big consideration here is whether spend money on software you install on your individual devices or whether you subscribe to a 'Cloud' based option, such as Microsoft's Office 365 or <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/google-apps-business-your-domain.htm" target="_blank">Google Apps for Business</a></li>
<li>A Web Browser – there are many to choose from, but popular choices include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari and Google Chrome. This is probably the most important software, after the Operating System, as a Web Browser is essential for accessing 'Cloud' based services and this could include your Office Software and Email</li>
<li>Anti-Virus Software – is essential to protect your computer from Internet security threats. Having your individual computers or all of your information systems infected by a virus could equate to loss of critical business data, lost time and potentially loss of earnings. That's not to mention the cost of sorting out the infection </li>
<li>Other specialised programs – these will be related to your business. For example, graphics software for a design company or CAD for an Engineer or Architect</li>
</ul>
In rare cases, custom software designed especially for your business will be required.<br />
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It is essential that you plan ahead and make sure each employee has a standard set of software installed onto their computer. This way, it is much easier to train staff, get IT support for the programs you use and manage licensing and upgrades.<br />
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You also need to be aware of how software licencing works, and make sure you’re using your software legally. For example, some software will only be licenced for installation onto one computer. If you want to use the same software on several computers, it may be cheaper to get a ‘multi-user’ licence. There are a large number of free versions (often what are known as open source) available. However, whilst the will provide a viable alternative to a paid version, often you will be forfeiting and software support (from the supplier) when you have a problem. Typical examples of these perfectly suitable, well written software include the <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/" target="_blank">Firefox Web Browser</a> (<a href="http://www.mozilla.org/">www.mozilla.org</a>) and <a href="http://www.openoffice.org/" target="_blank">Open Office</a> (<a href="http://www.openoffice.org/">www.openoffice.org</a>). <br />
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<h3>
Cloud Computing</h3>
Increasingly, businesses are turning to Cloud Computing – the are web based services that you access on the internet and pay a subscription for. You can use Cloud Computing for:<br />
<ul>
<li>Customer relationship management (CRM)</li>
<li>Email</li>
<li>Office software functions like word processing, spreadsheets and presentations</li>
<li>Sharing, managing and storing documents</li>
<li>Sharing calendars</li>
</ul>
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Cloud Computing can be really useful to help people in your company work together, especially from different locations or on the move. All you need is an Internet Connection and a Web Browser to access services, instead of connecting to your own Server based in the office.<br />
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However, whilst it can offer many advantages, you should think carefully before using Cloud Computing for important functions. For example, if the host of the services is hacked, or suffers a failure at their end, you won’t be able to access your services and may lose sensitive data.<br />
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To really take full advantage of the 'Cloud' and use it effectively, you will also need a reliable and fast Internet connection.<br />
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For <b>Free advice</b> and a <b>Free initial consultation</b>, please contact <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/" target="_blank">AWP Computer Services</a>. We can help your small business through this difficult decision making process.<br />
<br />
web: <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/">www.awpcomputers.co.uk</a><br />
phone: <b>01772 698078</b><br />
mobile: <b>07547 337059</b><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com90Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, UK53.749667 -2.674107999999932953.7121025 -2.7547889999999331 53.787231500000004 -2.5934269999999326tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319335684478118953.post-12623877269706991002014-02-14T08:25:00.000-08:002014-03-20T04:36:00.017-07:00Do You Have a Backup Plan?I am still surprised by the number of people that I speak to, who use computers both in businesses and at home, that don't regularly back up their valuable data. Many of them know about the importance of making a backup, but quite often don't put this knowledge into practice. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way a number of years ago now. A PC I had purchased from a well known UK high street technology retailer developed a fault. From memory, the computer wouldn't start up, or at least would not load the Windows operating system. It was under warranty, so I took it back to the shop. I would have been able to work on the problem myself, but chose not to, as didn't want to compromise my guarantee.<br />
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During the process of diagnosing the problem, the technicians decided it was a fault with the hard disk drive and replaced it. I subsequently learned that, “it was their policy” to wipe the data from all drives removed from customers' machines. Not only had my original drive gone, but either it, or at least the data that was stored on it, had been destroyed. At this point, I was very disappointed. As I thought through about what I might have lost, I remembered the drawings my five-year-old daughter had created using the Paint application. However, whilst I was annoyed with the shop and how they'd handled things, I could have taken steps to ensure I'd looked after the valuable files. I'd never printed any of them off, nor had I copied them to another data storage device. This is a mistake, I have NOT made again.<br />
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I am also surprised as to what some of the people I speak to think is involved in making a backup. I had one customer recently who had been using a portable storage drive to copy their data to. This should have been a big 'thumbs up'. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Whilst they had been putting their photographs (and other important files) on the storage drive, they had been taking them off their computer at the same time. I presume this was to save space on their PC or laptop. They came to me after the storage drive had been dropped on the floor and they could not now retrieve their data.<br />
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<b>Your information needs to be in at least two places before you can consider it to be a backup!</b><br />
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Another common issue is when, like I did years ago, people take their PC to be repaired. At some point during the process they come to realise that this is the only place their data is kept. It can be quite alarming. I recently repaired a PC with a faulty power supply, this in itself should be a fairly straight forward process. It wasn't though, as even though the PC powered up with a new power supply it would not load the Windows (7) operating system properly. This didn't ultimately give me any concern, as I always have a procedure for backing up the data from my client's computers prior to starting any work. Unless it is, as in the previous example, an actual issue with the data storage device in the first place. I was able to go back to a complete system (files, software and settings) restore from a back I had made before I started any other repair work. When the satisfied customer came to collect their repaired PC, they explained to me their distress and concern after they had discovery that important files they believed to be on a pen drive (USB flash drive) were not there and had only been stored on the repaired PCs hard Drive. Much to her relief, my back up process had saved the day.<br />
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My apologies, if the introduction to this article seems more than a little long winded. I'm just trying to get across the point that backing up is about as essential as creating your files in the first place, if the information is something that you are likely to ever need in the future at any point (particularly if it is for your business).<br />
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<h3>
How to Make a Backup</h3>
OK, you've heard all about why it's necessary to make a backup, but how should you do this? The main concern for most is that it is going to be 'time consuming' and it's going to be 'yet another job to do'. The process can be fairly straight forward if you think about your most important files and concentrate on those first. This would mean that the back up process is as straight forward as copying files from one folder to another. This method should work as long as:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>you remember to do it regularly and...</li>
<li>you ensure that the backup folder is on a completely different device</li>
</ol>
A different device could be another physical hard drive in the same computer, a USB memory stick (flash drive/pen drive), a portable USB hard drive, a CD or DVD (as long as there isn't a lot of data) or possibly a storage drive another computer connected to your network. It's very important not to think that another partition on the same hard disk drive is at all separate. Even though you might see it as another drive letter (say D: as opposed to C:) the reality is that if the drive fails what was stored on either partition will be lost.<br />
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One of the most practical (and inexpensive) ways to store your data is on an External Portable Drive. A good option is a one that connects to your computer using USB. Another additional feature that may be of benefit, is using a USB Bus Powered type. This will mean that you don't require an additional External Power Supply. A good range of <a href="http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2690&awinaffid=67067&clickref=awpcs&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebuyer.com%2Fstore%2FStorage%2Fcat%2FHard-Drive---External%2Fsubcat%2F-Portable-Hard-Drives%3Fsort%3Dprice%2Bascending%26page%3D1%26limit%3D30" target="_blank">External Portable Hard Drives</a> can be found on the <a href="http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2690&awinaffid=67067&clickref=awpcs&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebuyer.com%2Fstore%2FStorage%2Fcat%2FHard-Drive---External%2Fsubcat%2F-Portable-Hard-Drives%3Fsort%3Dprice%2Bascending%26page%3D1%26limit%3D30" target="_blank">EBuyer web site</a>. <br />
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After that, consideration should be made about where to store the drive when it's not connected to your computer and being used to make the back up. Again, this would be a decision you would make based on how valuable the data is to you and what solution you can afford. This could be another room, another building (ie. If you're your own boss or work in a small firm, store a back up of work files at home and vice versa) or perhaps in a safe either on or off site.<br />
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<h3>
Can I use Software to Make the Process Simpler?</h3>
In short, yes you can. Taking this approach, may also open up the option of using somebody else's off site storage space for you files. ie. Put them in 'The Cloud'. I'll cover the Cloud and cloud storage in future articles.<br />
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In this post, I'm mentioning a piece of software we use at <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/" target="_blank">AWP Computer Services</a> to create both full and incremental backups. This is the aptly named “<a href="http://www.backupmaker.com/" target="_blank">BackUp Maker</a>” published by <a href="http://www.backupmaker.com/" target="_blank">ASCOMP Software</a> (<a href="http://www.backupmaker.com/">www.backupmaker.com</a>). The good news is that it is free for personal used and is relatively inexpensive for business use. With regard to my previous comment, a full backup is making a copy on another device of all of the files in a selected folder (or a set of selected folders) an incremental backup is using the software to detect which files have been modified (added to, changed or deleted) since the last backup and only taking a copy of those. Having the ability to take what is then only effectively a partial back-up will make the whole process quicker.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpPdmVFi8_gwFqJE02kKkXmz5Tm3S9edlj1YZ5BnhVc4mE4e6IJOrIaH6QIfagPInblFs_8ZOqSnEBj9X4zzBmk1ktMyewZmSzrbpqkVgnn-FcqIAb10v_hPRaYRJwKBzJmNAVE2S1AC8/s1600/ASCOMP-BackUp-Maker-Screenshot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="BackUp Maker by ASCOMP Software - www.backupmaker.com" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpPdmVFi8_gwFqJE02kKkXmz5Tm3S9edlj1YZ5BnhVc4mE4e6IJOrIaH6QIfagPInblFs_8ZOqSnEBj9X4zzBmk1ktMyewZmSzrbpqkVgnn-FcqIAb10v_hPRaYRJwKBzJmNAVE2S1AC8/s1600/ASCOMP-BackUp-Maker-Screenshot.gif" height="300" title="BackUp Maker by ASCOMP Software - www.backupmaker.com" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BackUp Maker by ASCOMP Software - www.backupmaker.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Using this software multiple backup routines can be created and various options can be selected to determine how and when your backups are created. In my next post I will explain some of these options and show how a backup works.<br />
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For more information about data management, data backup and recovery visit <a href="http://www.awpcomputers.co.uk/" target="_blank">AWP Computer Services Web Site</a>. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504658814005306179noreply@blogger.com2Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, UK53.749667 -2.674107999999932953.7121025 -2.7547889999999331 53.787231500000004 -2.5934269999999326