Image of empty shelves to illustrate post: Intel Shortages Continue
News, Small Business Networks

Intel Shortages Continue

Here we are, in December, and Intel’s chip supply issue is no better – actually worse – than when I wrote of the problem in May.

My go-to computer for business use, the HP ProDesk 400 G6 with an Intel i5 processor and an SSD drive, is now a tough find.  Very tough. I have used units with a hard drive, and installed my own SSD. Now even those are difficult to come by.

Intel Logo for article on Intel Shortages Continue
Intel Logo

Back in January of this year, Intel CEO Bob Swan said, “Supply remained constrained particularly at the value end of our product range.  We are working closely with our customers to align demand with available supply while we add capacity and we expect supply-demand balance to improve by mid-year.”

Wrong, Bob. As I write this, my supplier shows my preferred desktop is not only out-of-stock, but they have 7,384 of them on order. I would say “supply-demand balance” has not improved.

Not only is this a huge problem for consumers who want to purchase a PC, it’s become a problem for PC manufacturers, particularly HP and Dell. Check out this article for Tom’s Hardware: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/dell-amd-pcs-intel-cpu-shortage which says Dell is evaluating AMD CPU’s as a possible alternative to Intel processors. I don’t know how soon they could get PC’s to market though, since this involves a different processor AND motherboard. In the article, it says:

Dell CFO Tom Sweet told Yahoo that Dell doesn’t expect Intel’s shortage to improve until the second half of 2020 and is “evaluating” AMD processors.

Did you catch that? The second half of 2020. Yikes.

Another alternative exists, which is Lenovo. While HP and Dell have a few products using AMD processors, Lenovo has several. Of course, as consumers begin buying AMD-based systems in greater numbers, we could very well see a shortage of AMD chips as well.

Microsoft’s end-of-support for Windows 7 is partly creating this demand, as consumers weigh a lengthy upgrade to Windows 10 vs. just buying new computers that already have Windows 10.

Any of my clients wanting to buy PC’s (or servers for that matter) should contact me. The situation is rapidly-changing.  Prospects should contact us as well, even for Windows 10 upgrades.  Whatever your inquiry, we welcome you to contact us.

 

Please “like” and “follow” us on these social platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreatLakesTS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreatLakesTechS

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/great-lakes-tech-services-llc

14 Jan 2021: Post updated to include links to new company pages on Social Networks.

Read More
General Interest, News, Saving Money

2018 Wisconsin Sales Tax Holiday

2018 Wisconsin Sales Tax Holiday

Hi everybody, and welcome to the 2018 Wisconsin Sales Tax Holiday!     

Picture of common U.S. Federal Reserve Notes to illustrate blog post: Enjoy savings on personal computers with the Wisconsin Sales Tax Holiday
Enjoy savings on personal computers with the Wisconsin Sales Tax Holiday

By now, you should have heard about the Wisconsin sales tax holiday.  From August 1st, 2018 through August 5th, 2018, certain sales within Wisconsin are exempt from sales tax.

  • Clothing – $75 or less per item
  • School supplies – $75 or less per item
  • Computers for personal use – $750 or less per computer
  • School computer supplies for personal use – $250 or less per item

NOTE: Desktop computers, laptops, notebooks, and tablets are included. Computers must be for personal use. Computers purchased by a business entity are not eligible.

If any clients want to purchase a computer for personal use, give me a call or contact us and take advantage of the tax savings!

Let us know the kinds of news you like seeing!  We welcome your suggestions and questions anytime!

 

Read More
News, Small Business Networks

The Frenzy to Upgrade Windows XP

The past few weeks have been VERY busy as companies rush to get their systems up-to-date. Some computers are candidates for reloading with Windows 7. Most computers are not worth upgrading though, and should just be replaced.

Nearly all of the new computers have Windows 7 rather than Windows 8.1. New computers come with a Windows 8.1 license and CAN come with Windows 7 pre-installed by using “downgrade rights”. These computers come with restore disks for either Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. You can legally use ONE of them.

Some clients have asked when Windows 7 support will end. Microsoft will offer Mainstream Support through next year, and Extended Support until 2020. Windows XP has been in “extended support” since 2009!

A couple clients ordered computers with Windows 8.1. These will be installed and tested extensively before 8.1 is widely deployed. We recommend this approach. We also recommend that you evaluate Windows 8.1 sooner rather than later.

We sell Hewlett-Packard computers, workstations, and servers. We also sell HP and Lenovo laptops. If you are a company in Milwaukee, Waukesha, or Jefferson counties, call us at 262-720-3668 to discuss upgrades.

 

Read More
News

New Partnerships

New Partnerships – Mullarky Business Systems is now partnered with HP (Hewlett-Packard) and Cisco, providing improved support for business networks.

We are now an HP partner and a Cisco partner.  This gives us better access to technical support, better pre-sales support, and better prices!

Read More
General Interest, News, Security

The 10,000 Most-Used Passwords – Upgrade Yours for Security!

10,000 Most-Used Passwords

Simple passwords are a bad idea.  It’s one thing if you have a simple password to log onto your computer at home (still not a good idea).  It’s quite a different thing to have a simple password to get into your e-mail… or your Amazon account… or your bank!!

There are two common attack methods to crack a password.  One is a dictionary attack.  This uses a

picture of four passwords, weak to strong, to illustrate an article about the 10,000 most-used passwords
Use passwords that are NOT among the 10,000 most-used passwords – for your own security

list of passwords.  A program simply cycles through the passwords until it finds one that works. The second common attack method is “brute force”.  A brute force attack tries all combinations of characters until it hits one that works.  These attacks are why your online accounts might be locked out after a number of failed logons.

Here, according to the author, is a list of the 10,000 most-used passwords. He claims that 99.8% of all user passwords are in this list. Make sure yours is not on this list!  As you can imagine, a dictionary attack will certainly include all of these.

The 10,000 Most-Used Passwords

Here’s the list:  https://xato.net/passwords/more-top-worst-passwords/

Call or contact us for help if you’re in Milwaukee, Waukesha, or Jefferson Counties in Wisconsin.
Please follow us on LinkedIn.com

14 Jan 2021: Post updated to include links to new company pages on Social Networks.

Read More
News, Saving Money, Small Business Networks

The ‘Hot Rod’ Computer

I got a call from a client who had just ordered an HP Z800 workstation from the HP online store. He wanted to know if I could supply several more of them. This is a high-end graphics workstation that costs $4200.

Well, I went through the specs and one that caught my eye was the 1100 watt power supply! Yow! Most computers are around 400 watts, maybe as much as 600 watts.

After some browsing around, I suggested a Z420 workstation. It has a faster processor with slightly less cache, same SSD drive, same graphics card, same amount of RAM, and cost $3160. It’s very seldom that a computer impresses me.

This one is stunningly quick – a real hot rod!

Could I have sold my client a bunch of Z800’s and made more money? Sure. But this is an example of how I act as a Pro-Partner rather than a vendor.

We’re in it for the long haul, not the quick score…even though we love a hot rod!

Read More
News, Small Business Networks

The Business PC

I cringe when people want to buy a computer from the store to run their business.  Sure, it will do the job, as long as it has Windows Professional, not Home.  Is it the best choice though?  I don’t think so. For a LITTLE more money, you can get a Business PC.

Joel Santo Domingo wrote an article titled “How to Buy a Business Desktop” for PC Magazine. He makes a good case for the business PC. You can read the article here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2347736,00.asp

In general, business computers are built better, easier to work on, and come with less “shovel-ware”. You know… those free trial programs, games, and other “home” applications. I often spend over half an hour uninstalling that stuff.

If labor were free, the mass-produced computer from the store would be fine. But labor’s not free.

You can buy HP business PC desktops (like the6200 Pro) from me, or you can find them on your own. Lenovo and Dell also make good business computers. Next time you need to buy a computer, at least consider one of these.

Please call or contact us for help determining your best bets at your budget for your Business PC.

Read More
General Interest, Small Business Networks

Do you have a lousy email address?

I’ve met a number of small business owners who are using a lousy email addresses. For example, let’s say Bob Smith runs Bob’s Bait Shop. His web site is www.bobsbaitshop.com and his email address is . Or, worse yet, his email address is . What’s wrong with this? Why is it a lousy email address?  Well, let me explain.

Yahoo mail, Gmail, etc. are free email services. They are GREAT to use for home email, or for a secondary address, but for your primary business email address, they fail to give you an air of professionalism. In fact, it does just the opposite. Plus, your outgoing email is more likely to be captured in the recipient’s spam filter.

If Bob is using an SBC Global address, that’s even worse. He has that address because he uses SBC as his Internet provider. What do you suppose happens if Bob switches to a different Internet provider?

So… what SHOULD Bob do?

If you have a web site, you have a domain name. The domain name is the portion of the web address after the www. So in Bob’s case, the domain name is bobsbaitshop.com. As long as you renew the domain on time, it’s yours. I have never seen a web host that didn’t include email services as part of their hosting plan. Usually they’ll include five or more.

Our fictional “Bob” should contact his web hosting company – or log onto his account – and make an email address – or several. Let’s say he makes and . I doubt that Bob would have a sales department cold calling people to sell minnows, but bear with me!

Bob could set up the account on his computer using Outlook. If he had a sales department, he could set up that account on a second computer. There are many, many ways to set up email accounts on different devices – it all depends on your needs and the capabilities of your web host’s email system.

So… what becomes of Bob’s Yahoo email? Well, he can go into the settings for his Yahoo account, and forward all incoming mail to . As forwarded messages begin to arrive, he can reply to that person and tell them to begin using his new address. The same can be done for Bob’s SBC email account. He just needs to keep the SBC account active until everyone knows his new email address.

Now, Bob has a web site at www.bobsbaitshop.com, and email at . That looks more professional and puts everything under Bob’s control.

If everything in this article sounds like technical gibberish, and you need help with this, I would be happy to assist – just give me a call.

Read More
News, Small Business Networks

Emergency Computer Support: Hello? Is anybody there?

Network technicians, as a group, have a reputation for poor people skills and lousy service. What kind of response do you get when you call for computer support? Have you left a message and never been called back? Do you get YOUR technician when you call, or do you get a help desk?

When you call for a minor issue, waiting a day for a call back may be acceptable. But, if your whole network has ground to a halt, every hour matters. You need someone on the phone right away and a technician on site ASAP!

A Waukesha manufacturer had their entire network go down on a Monday afternoon. On Wednesday, their IT consultant was onsite to fix the problem. That’s two entire weekdays! This manufacturer works two shifts – I can’t imagine their lost productivity in dollars.

Response time is one reason that our business phone is my cell phone.  When you call us, you get me. There is no time lost while you talk to a help desk employee first, then get “bumped” to second level support. There is certainly no outsourced support.

In an emergency computer support situation, I can be on site in four business hours or less. Often, I can solve the problem over the phone or by using a remote support tool. In these cases, an on-site visit is not even necessary.

Read More