Q: Will the new Daylight Savings Time affect me?
Generally speaking, unless you or your company run a time-sensitive application, at worst you will need to manually set the clock on your computer forward an hour. The other exception is if you run software to manage your schedule. If you manage your calendar on your computer (or PDA), you should check for an update from the software developer. Regardless of what you do, simply be aware of your appointments for the first few days of the new Daylight Savings Time and make sure your appointments aren’t set for one hour later than they should be.
If you’re running Windows XP, make sure you run Automatic Updates (or have run it recently), and your PC should automatically take care of the time change. Older versions of Windows should download and run the utility “EZ Time Zone“. This tool is also nice if you need to update several machines across a network, or if you don’t want to run Automatic Updates on Windows XP.
If you use Microsoft Outlook, you should download and run the Outlook Time Zone Tool – http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931667
Mac OS 10.4 users should make sure they’ve updated to Mac OS 10.4.5 or later, and also downloaded the latest Apple DST update. Mac OS 10.3 users should make sure they’ve updated to 10.3.9 and downloaded the latest Apple DST update. All these updates are available via Automatic Software Update.
Mac OS Classic users should read this article I’ve written – https://www.marcelbrown.com/techbytes/2007/03/mac_os_classic_and_daylight_sa.html
Palm OS users should download the Daylight Savings Time Update – http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/dst_palmos.html
If you have any questions regarding the new Daylight Savings Time and your technology, please contact me as soon as possible.
Tech Toy of the Month: Mobile Broadband Internet Router (Linksys WRT54G3G-ST)
What do you do if you need Internet access anywhere, anytime? You probably opt for a mobile broadband Internet service from a cellular company. These types of services allow you to use their networks for Internet data at relatively high speeds through the use of PC card that you insert into your laptop. For most people, having one computer with mobile Internet is enough. However, for mobile groups of individuals, having one computer with Internet access is not enough. Sure, they can each purchase their own PC cards and each subscribe to their own mobile broadband service, but that can get quite costly. So what’s the answer?
Enter the Linksys WRT54G3G-ST. This device allows you to share a mobile broadband Internet connection among several computers. Currently, this product only works on the Sprint network, but I expect that more products like this will become available for other carriers. The WRT54G3G-ST works just like a normal cable/DSL router that many of us have in our homes and businesses. You basically plug your Sprint PC card into the router and that connection is available to any computer that connects to the router, either wired or wirelessly.
The Linksys WRT54G3G-ST comes with all the features that one should expect from a modern wireless Internet router, such as a DHCP server, WPA/WPA2 wireless encryption, an SPI firewall, and VPN passthrough. It has 4 wired ethernet ports and also allows you to connect to an existing cable or DSL service if one is available, just like a normal Internet router. Additionally, because all the computers connected to the router are on the same network, they can share files or printers among them as well. Basically, the Linksys WRT54G3G-ST allows you to set up a secure LAN complete with Internet access anywhere you go.
This device could be very useful for companies who send groups to tradeshows. Each individual can bring a computer and have Internet access available to them on the floor of the show. It could also be very useful for companies that send out groups to temporary offices or client sites where they may not have Internet access available to them. Contractors especially work in environments where Internet access may not have yet been installed.
If you have the need for multiple computers to have Internet access anywhere, anytime, feel free to contact me to discuss your options.
Mac OS Classic and Daylight Savings Time
Are you still running Mac OS Classic and are dreading manually changing your Mac’s clock for the new Daylight Savings Time? Don’t despair, there is still hope! I’ve found a tool that will allow your Mac OS Classic machine to still properly adjust its clock for the new Daylight Savings Time.
Download the NTP client “Network Time” (http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive/Archive/comm/inet/network-time-201.hqx). Decrypt the archive and install the control panel into your Control Panels folder.
If you are using Mac OS 8.5 – 9.22, you need to go the Date & Time control panel and uncheck “Set Daylight Savings Time Automatically”. You should also uncheck “Use a Network Time Server”, as “Network Time” does the same thing.
Open the Network Time control panel and set the various options for your time server and when to set the time. I won’t go into details, as they should be fairly self-explanatory, but I believe you MUST set a valid time server, or Network Time will not apply the proper DST changes. It must sync to a time server to activate the new DST info. You can use time.apple.com if you don’t have another time server to use.
Network Time can not only set your Mac’s clock using NTP time servers, but it can also automatically adjust your Mac’s clock for Daylight Savings Time. What we’ll accomplish here is to modify when Daylight Savings Time begins and ends for your particular time zone.
There is a drop down menu labeled “Time Zone”. Click on the menu and choose “Add/Change Time Zones”. A screen will appear listing various U.S. Time Zones. If your time zone is listed, highlight your respective time zone from the list, making sure you chose the one that ends in “/Daylight Time”, and click the “Modify” button. You are now presented with options to change the starting and ending dates for Daylight Savings Time. Change the starting date to the 2nd Sunday in March, and the ending date to the 1st Sunday in November. The time should remain unchanged at 2:00 AM. Click OK in this window and the previous window. You should be back at the Network Time control panel.
Now one last step (and this is extremely easy to forget, so don’t forget) – click the drop down menu for “Time Zone” and choose your respective time zone (the one you just modified and again, make sure you choose the one that ends in “/Daylight Time”).
If you do not live in the U.S., then you will need to create a new time zone, or modify one of the U.S. time zones to meet your needs. The details are up to your particular area, but you should be able to use the above instructions as a guide.
Once you’ve made the above changes, press the “Set Time” button at the bottom of the window. You can verify that the time was synchronized by looking at the “The time was last set” info next the the button. If the time doesn’t sync, verify you used a valid time server. Again, if you don’t know any time servers, you can use time.apple.com.
Now that you’ve changed the DST starting and ending dates and chosen your time zone from the Time Zone menu, your Mac running Mac OS Classic should automatically adjust its clock properly for the year 2007 and beyond (at least until they change DST again).
Contact Marcel Brown for all things Macintosh
Tech Toy of the Month: Apple TV
As the Apple iPhone stole most of the headlines from last month’s Macworld expo, another new product introduction quietly slipped under the radar in the mainstream media. The “Apple TV” promises to turn your home theater system into a digital jukebox, allowing all of your pictures, music, and movies that are stored on your computer to be browsed and displayed on your living room TV.
I’m particularly excited about this product because it appears that this is the incarnation of an idea that I’ve been talking about for a few years now. I’ve been wishing for a product that would further advance the convergence of computers and home theater, and from what I’ve been reading, the Apple TV could very well accomplish that goal. Here are some of the highlights:
– At only 1.1″ tall and 7.7″ square, it should fit easily into any entertainment center or TV shelving.
– It has a variety of video and audio outputs, including HMDI and optical audio allowing integration even into high-end high definition displays and true surround sound systems.
– It can work over a wired network, or over the latest high-speed wireless technologies.
– It is a quiet machine, making almost no audible fan noise.
– At $299, it hits a price point that should not scare away the average person.
– It works with Macintosh and Windows
The Apple TV should be available for purchase this month, so we will all know more about its capabilities soon. From what information is available now, there will not be a simple way for users to digitize their DVD collection for play through the Apple TV. However, this is something I will keep a close eye on. I believe that if users can browse and play their DVD collection on a device like the Apple TV, it will sell like hotcakes.
If you would like to talk more about digital convergence, feel free to e-mail me.
Q: Should I upgrade to Windows Vista?
A: This is a very common question lately, as the newest version of Windows, “Vista”, was just released to the public late last month. While I could go on and on about the details of Vista and why or why not you should upgrade, I’ll keep it brief.
Basically, if your computer is NOT critical to your business, personal, or family use, and you want to try out the new features, then feel free to upgrade to Vista. Of course, make sure you have enough RAM, a fast enough processor, and a powerful enough video card to take advantage of all of Vista’s new features.
However, like most users, if your computer is too critical to risk significant downtime, then I strongly advise that you stay away from Vista for at least a year, if you upgrade at all. I can sum up the reasons for this in three main points:
First, Vista is the most significant upgrade to Windows since Windows 95. So many new technologies are incorporated into Vista that the odds of bugs and compatibility problems are greatly increased. This is especially likely given Microsoft’s track record at putting out new software.
Second, Vista’s hardware requirements are significantly greater than that of Windows XP. While many recent vintage computers meet Microsoft’s minimum requirements for Vista, many experts seriously doubt that the minimum requirements will give a reasonable user experience. To experience all of Vista’s new features, the great majority of computers in the public today will need a significant RAM upgrade, as well as an upgraded video system.
Thirdly, the jury is still out whether all the new features in Vista will really benefit users. Many features are low-level, behind the scenes improvements that most users won’t understand yet alone perceive any difference. The most talked about and noticeable new features are cosmetic in nature. While this can generate a lot of “wow” factor, it can also create a learning curve for all users, experienced or novice.
When factoring all the costs associated with the upgrades against any possible benefit to Vista, it is very tough to recommend upgrading at all. By the time most users wait a year or two, it will make more sense to buy a new computer with Vista on it, than to upgrade their old computers.
The bottom line is that most users should wait to upgrade to Vista, and then make the decision to upgrade or simply buy a new computer.
E-mail me your technology questions and have them answered in a future issue!
Extend the Life of Your Computer
Is your computer 3 years old or older, but you are still satisfied with its performance? If so, you should consider replacing the hard drive while it is still functioning correctly. The reasonable life span of a hard drive in today’s age is about 3 to 5 years. While the rest of your computer may be able to function for years and years, the hard drive is one of the few moving parts in a computer, and therefore, more prone to failure. Unfortunately, it is also the part that holds all your data and software. Things like power supplies and fans can fail and usually be replaced without too much hassle. However, a hard drive crash can cost you hours of time and untold amounts in lost data. Therefore, a proactive replacement of your hard drive and data cloning (what I call a “Hard Drive Transplant”), can be a very cost effective way to extend the life of your computer and protect your data. A Hard Drive Transplant usually takes less than an hour and leaves your software and settings exactly as they were before. The only difference is that you have a larger hard drive and your computer has a new lease on life.
For more information about hard drive transplants, please visit my website.