This month’s article deals with some of the top causes of computer failures I encounter and gives you some tips on avoiding them. As always I recommend you backup your information regularly so that when you have a failure the impact is minimised. Remember the old rule “If it’s worth keeping it’s worth backing up”
Electrical Failures
Damage as a result of power failures, surges, or power outages is quite common and in many cases very severe. A power spike or surge may not kill your pc immediately but in many cases the damage done will surface within a short time. Power problems can result in the failure of the computer’s power supply and in the more severe cases damage to internal components such as your hard disk or motherboard.
Prevention: Invest in a solid surge protector and ensure it is rated to cope with computers. This is important as the cheaper surge protectors do not react sufficiently quickly to prevent a surge or spike hitting your machine.
Turn off and unplug your computer when not in use. This is not alone a good practice to prevent surges and spikes hitting your machine but also prevents the possibility of fire due to overheating of your computer.
Do not leave laptops constantly plugged in to power and do not leave the machine turned on overnight. While it may appear that the machine has turned itself off it usually is just in a hibernation state and is susceptible to damage from electrical failures.
Overheating
This problem occurs most commonly in laptops but occasionally I come across it with desktops. An overheating problem has the potential to seriously damage your computer resulting in either costly repairs or worse the machine ending up in the recycling centre. Heat problems can be solved if discovered and addressed early.
Prevention: Ensure your desktop computer is located in a well ventilated area and that neither the front nor rear vents are blocked. If you hear excessive fan noise seek technical assistance. With laptops avoid excessive use and if the underside of the machine becomes hot or you hear excessive fan noise turn off the machine and allow it to cool. As with desktops if the machine becomes excessively hot within a short period of time or you hear excessive fan noise seek technical assistance.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Buy Or Sell On The Internet – Part 2
Linkedin
Linkedin is the business version of facebook and while I’m an advocate of it the jury is out on its value for direct selling to potential customers. I believe it is worth the effort setting out your shingle on this site. Take the time to create a professional profile of your business.
YouTube
A picture is worth a thousand words and Youtube is the site of choice to provide this service. YouTube is known by virtually every internet user and is an ideal way of displaying your product. If you take the time you will be surprised at just how easy it is to upload a video or slideshow showing your products.
What Are The Hidden Costs Of Selling?
The primary hidden costs not considered by most people when considering selling over the internet are: Packaging Costs, Shipping Costs, and Payment fees.
Packaging Costs:
You will need to pack your product well to ensure it does not get damaged in shipment. Include the cost of these items in your pricing.
Shipping Costs:
A significant factor in pricing as shipping costs can be expensive particularly if the item is large or bulky. Remember your buyer may be from any area of the world so calculate your shipping costs correctly before listing your items.
Payment Fees:
When you start out you’ll need to provide a simple method for people to pay you. The obvious choice is paypal but remember they will charge you a fee for any money coming into you account. In addition if you want to transfer that money to your local Irish bank account there is an additional fee.
Local Selling Sites And Ebay
Several local internet sites provide a method for you to buy and sell. These include donedeal and gumtree. If you list on these two sites you target buying audience will likely be limited to buyers from the Irish market. Having said that these sites offer a quick way to shift your goods.
Ebay
The big daddy of selling will ensure your product is displayed to the world. As with paypal there is a charge for listing products. By placing your goods on ebay and combining it with paypal you give yourself the best chance of selling the product. Remember there are thousands of sellers on ebay so price your product right.
Useful links:
Donedeal -http://www.donedeal.ie
Gumtree - http://www.gumtree.ie
Linkedin is the business version of facebook and while I’m an advocate of it the jury is out on its value for direct selling to potential customers. I believe it is worth the effort setting out your shingle on this site. Take the time to create a professional profile of your business.
YouTube
A picture is worth a thousand words and Youtube is the site of choice to provide this service. YouTube is known by virtually every internet user and is an ideal way of displaying your product. If you take the time you will be surprised at just how easy it is to upload a video or slideshow showing your products.
What Are The Hidden Costs Of Selling?
The primary hidden costs not considered by most people when considering selling over the internet are: Packaging Costs, Shipping Costs, and Payment fees.
Packaging Costs:
You will need to pack your product well to ensure it does not get damaged in shipment. Include the cost of these items in your pricing.
Shipping Costs:
A significant factor in pricing as shipping costs can be expensive particularly if the item is large or bulky. Remember your buyer may be from any area of the world so calculate your shipping costs correctly before listing your items.
Payment Fees:
When you start out you’ll need to provide a simple method for people to pay you. The obvious choice is paypal but remember they will charge you a fee for any money coming into you account. In addition if you want to transfer that money to your local Irish bank account there is an additional fee.
Local Selling Sites And Ebay
Several local internet sites provide a method for you to buy and sell. These include donedeal and gumtree. If you list on these two sites you target buying audience will likely be limited to buyers from the Irish market. Having said that these sites offer a quick way to shift your goods.
Ebay
The big daddy of selling will ensure your product is displayed to the world. As with paypal there is a charge for listing products. By placing your goods on ebay and combining it with paypal you give yourself the best chance of selling the product. Remember there are thousands of sellers on ebay so price your product right.
Useful links:
Donedeal -http://www.donedeal.ie
Gumtree - http://www.gumtree.ie
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