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Most companies have a mixture of different makes and models of PCs running a variety of operating systems. Because hardware is constantly evolving and a new version of Windows comes out every 3 years or so it's very hard to avoid having anything else. A company may decide to get all new, identical PCs in one go but over time, due to failed hardware being replaced by an updated equivalent, necessary upgrades and the need to buy extras PCs, it soon gets too hard or too expensive to keep to a uniform PC specification. The software installations on company PCs may start off being identical but also drifts apart over time: some PCs get new versions of Windows, Office or service packs installed, Jane needs Publisher, Edward needs Acrobat to create PDFs, and Mike needs Premiere to edit company videos. IT departments hate this lack of uniformity in workstation hardware and software configurations and enforce various schemes to prevent it which usually only serve to irritate the users. It's not unusual in a company, especially where no 2 PCs are the same, for a lot of niggling problems to accumulate. Users find ways to get around them but the general level of dissatisfaction grows. The boss gets fed up of hearing complaints such as:- my PC's terribly slow; mine takes 20 minutes to boot up in the morning; this website doesn't work; every time I run this program I get an error; each time I print I have to go to the printer to press the Continue button; the bottom part of my screen is missing; I can't read this email attachment; the CD drive doesn't work; a couple of times a day my PC freezes. If all your PCs are 5 years old and running Windows 98 then a blanket replacement may be your only option, otherwise a thorough overall of each PC is probably all that is required to restore harmony to your workforce.
Rhebus offers 2 services to solve your workstation problems:- |
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Overhaul existing PCs. | ||
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Install new PCs and copy across all the settings from the old PC. | ||
What Does the Overhaul Process Involve? |
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| 1 - | Fix Hardware Problems. Replace faulty hardware such as as a CD or fan. Upgrade hardware for example add more memory, replace a CD with a DVD or add a network card. | ||
| 2 - | Scan for and remove viruses and spyware. Check that automatic anti-virus updating is functioning. | ||
| 3 - | Install the latest service packs and critical updates for both Windows, Office and your anti-virus program. Make sure that the PC is set to regularly check for, download and install future updates. | ||
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Uninstall unwanted or unused software and Windows components. |
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| 5 - | Prepare a checklist of the desired standard setup for a company PC including programs, printers and file shares and apply it to each PC | ||
| 6 - | Ensure that any locally stored data, such as email folders, are automatically and regularly backed up to another computer. | ||
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Fix particular problems with individual PCs. |
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Installing New PCsPeople want their new PC to look and behave exactly like there old one, only faster and minus the problems. This can take some effort. New PCs usually come with the operating system pre-installed but with Microsoft's default settings and bundled software and trial-ware from the supplier so they still need optimising for use in your office. The tasks that need performing on a new PC are:- |
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| 1 - | Unpack and physically install the new PC in place of the old one. | ||
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Uninstall any unwanted software or Windows components. |
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| 3 - | Install any extra software used by your company along with any customisation. | ||
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Connect the PC to the network and test Internet access. |
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Join the PC to your Windows Domain, if required, and setup file shares and printers. |
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Copy across the Desktop, Favourites, Email settings and data. |
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Download all recent updates for Windows, Office, and your anti-virus program. Make sure that the PC is set to regularly check for, download and install future updates. |
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Ensure that any locally stored data, such as email folders, are automatically and regularly backed up to another computer. |
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Recommendations |
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Don't buy Windows XP Home Edition for an office PC as there are too many features missing. |
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If your office has any Windows 95/98/ME/NT4 workstations you seriously consider replacing at least a couple of the oldest PCs with new machines running XP Pro. Windows 2000 PCs are still perfectly fine running behind the company firewall but anything earlier is just a source of problems. | ||
What Does it Cost? |
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The time required to overhaul or install from new a particular PC can vary between ˝hr and 3˝hrs and so we charge for the actual time the whole job takes. We can process 5 PCs a day, on average, as long as we're not competing with people trying to work on the PCs at the same time. We'll help you prepare a list of any new hardware or software required that you can order in time for our visits. If we spend 2 days overhauling your PCs then we're not going to get everything perfect and users aren't going to pick up things we've missed straight away. With your approval and showing you how to disable it, we like to enable remote access to each PC, over the Internet which will allow us, out-of-hours if necessary, to work on any PC with a problem. Included in the price is support for your PCs by phone, email or remote access for 30 after our visit.
Call 07876 616685 now or email us on info@rhebus.com to discuss an overhaul of the PCs in your office. |
Maybe your server needs a similar overhaul? |
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