Iain Murray

Repairing Might Save You a Bob or Two

2011-09-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Falling prices for both laptops and desktops and perhaps a natural want for something new have given rise to people quickly giving up on a seemingly lost cause.

I get quite a few calls from clients almost wanting me to consign a bit of hardware without me looking at it. I try to be as honest as possible to people and am the first to concede that sometimes there is no justification in throwing good money after bad, especially with the falling cost of buying new and the temptation that new technology brings.

However, often a seemingly devastating issue such as a 'dead' or non booting laptop can be something rather trivial. Just the other day I had a client who described their laptop as above and said they'd called me just on the off chance something could be done, but in all honesty were half way to ordering a new one.

The laptop turned out be only a couple of years and of good spec, more than ample for internet browsing, which is what it was required for. Anyway, all the laptop required was a new charger! If your being price conscious eBay can sort that out with change for £20, a lot cheaper than around £400 for a new one!

There is loads of examples similar to above, slowness can normally be adjusted by a clean up or some extra Ram, space can often be increased in a variety of ways etc etc.

Anyway just worth considering. With money tight for most people it could be a way of saving quite a bit. Most computer repair people offer a no fix no fee so its a no brainer really.

Microsoft Small Business Specialist

2011-09-04T10:42:00.001-07:00

Having passed the below exam along with ticking of a number of other requirements including subscription to the Action pack (a great way for IT professionals to get a host of software for a good value) and passing an online marketing exam I have been able to join the Small business specialist community.

For more information on the requirements etc. https://partner.microsoft.com/40139299

Exam 70-653 Passed!

2011-08-25T05:46:00.000-07:00

I finally got round to taking my Microsoft 70-653 'Configuring Windows Small Business Server 2008' exam. I passed first time with a score of 836/1000. So as well as a Microsoft Certified Professional I can also call myself a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist!

This is my first Microsoft exam so I was little unsure as how it would be. I studied quite hard and took lots of practise exams. I was little worried that there would be some surprises but the exam stuck closely to the resource material and I will now feel more comfotable as I go on to take more Microsoft exams.

For anyone who is sitting this exam I used the Microsoft Press Training Kit that is directly related to this exam and I felt the book was well written by Beatrice Mulzer, Walter Glenn and Scott Lowe. The book doesn't overly ramble and as long as you go through the material quite thoroughly you should find most of the exam answers hidden in there.

Reading the book was combined with plenty of practise exam questions (Measure up for me, both from the CD included with the above book and some extras bought off of their website) and of course work experience. I have done one migration and more than a handful of SBS 2008 installations as well as ongoing support for SBS 2008 servers.

I took my exam at a Prometric testing centre at Barnfield College near luton. At the time of passing I was a bit annoyed as my score report didn't print, cue anxiety that my score hadn't been recorded! However, only a few hours after getting home, my candidate history on the prometric website had been updated to say PASS next to the exam and the next morning I had my MCP login from Microsoft. Two days later I received a scanned copy of my score report that confirms my score and gives me some feedback.

Anyway onwards and upwards, now to choose from the hundreds of other exams available as my next challenge!

First Post

2011-05-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

After a busy few years I have managed to get round to updating my site and starting this blog.

I have been spending the last three or four years gaining experience in supporting small businesses via a sub contracting agreement I had with another IT support firm, while continuing to grow my own client list.

Mainly I have supported businesses running Microsoft small business server 2003 as my experience increased I was handed the responsibility of server installation as well as a migration for one company to small business server 2008.

Since the turn of the year I have done four installation of SBS 2008 and am in the process of planning a migration for another company from SBS 2003 to SBS 2008.

I have now decided its time to concentrate as much as possible on my own client list although I have agreed to do freelance work for the company mentioned above.

So my hope is to try to update this with any interesting things I have found on the way, things that may help others doing similar work or simply as a way of cataloguing for myself things that may come in handy at a later date!

I'm currently studying for Microsoft exam 70-653 in order to gain Microsoft Small business specialist status.