31/10/2008 by swordfish.

We have just upgraded our web site testing server from Windows XP to a Windows Vista PC. And installing Apache is far from straight forward because the User Account Control under Windows Vista makes an Apache installatation fail.

QBS PC Help have therefore prepared a short tutorial about setting up a Testing Server on a Vista based computer for checking php based web designs. But all the suggestions for installing Apache are still relevant if you want to install a full copy of the server technology for hosting a web site on a Vista box.

To read more click here.

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Posted in PC tips, Software, XP, Vista, Web Site News | Print | No Comments »

30/10/2008 by swordfish.

This Vista User Profile Service problem has certainly produced a lot of posts across the Internet. It seems to occur when there are two or more user Profiles set up. But there are a small number of single users who also report the same problem. It does not seem to matter whether the users are ‘administrators’ or ’standard’ users.

It seems likely that the affected users Profile has somehow been damaged and is frozen. As a result, Vista has changed the Profile’s extension to.bak - a backup file. This makes the user Profile unavailable and so produces the message:

- The User Profile Service service failed the logon.

- User Profile cannot be loaded.

At QBS PC Help we had to find an answer to this problem as we had a Dell Laptop, running Vista, to repair. This exhibited the same symptoms. So to help all our viitors this is how we fixed this problem - read more in our latest article.

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28/10/2008 by swordfish.

New research has revealed that contractors are increasingly choosing job security over massive pay packets.

According to 20% of those surveyed by the Giant Group, job security is their principal motivation for choosing a contract, up from 16% last quarter.

Surprisingly, many IT freelancers say they would prefer a longer-term contract even over a higher pay rate, with just 8% expecting to make more money next year.

“A large number of contractors working in the financial services sector are having their contracts terminated or not renewed, as banks skim off non-essential staff,” says Matthew Brown, managing director of Giant. “This has struck a blow to their confidence and made many of them reconsider their priorities, becoming more pragmatic about their prospects for the next 12 months.”

This desire to hang on to jobs is understandable, with the survey also revealing an increase in long-term unemployment, with 5.3% of contractors out of work for the past three months, compared to 4.7% in the second quarter of this year.

Source: ‘PC Pro‘

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Posted in IT Careers, Technology News | Print | No Comments »

23/10/2008 by swordfish.

While most of the excitement concerning Windows and Office centers around the next full versions of the products, Microsoft is also working on the next service-pack updates for each offering.

In a blog posting on Wednesday, Microsoft said that Office 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) will arrive sometime between February and April of next year. Microsoft also listed many of the features in the update, which includes previously announced support for the OpenDocument Format.

The Windows team, on the other hand, offered far less detail, only confirming that there will be a Service Pack 2 for Vista. “Microsoft is working on a second service pack for Windows Vista… and Windows Server 2008,” Microsoft said in a statement.

Source: ‘ZDNet‘

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Posted in Software, Office Tools, Microsoft, Vista | Print | No Comments »

16/10/2008 by swordfish.

If your computer is connected to the Internet with absolutely no protection, studies show that within a few hours you will be infected with some sort of spyware, adware or virus. And you may well have many of these unwanted infections!

By taking a few simple precautions you can set up a new computer, or an existing PC, without worrying about all the potential threats that exist when you surf the Internet, play online games and send or receive emails.

Our latest article - How to Stay Safe Online - gives plenty of advice to keep your computer free of spyware, adware or a virus.

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15/10/2008 by swordfish.

Apple claimed the failure of Vista is one of the main reasons why Mac sales are surging, as the company unveiled its new laptops.

Apple’s chief operating officer Tim Cook said the company has been selling Macs at two-to-three times the industry average.

And he pointed to Windows Vista as one of the reasons for Apple’s success. “I think it’s fair to say Vista hasn’t lived up to everything Microsoft hoped it would - and this has given us a door in,” Cook  told the audience at the launch of the new MacBooks.

Ironically, he also cited the availability of Windows on Macs as another reason for its success, although he couldn’t resist another dig at Microsoft. “Windows on an iMac - frankly this sends a shiver up my spine,” he said.

Source: ‘PC Pro‘

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Posted in Apple, Microsoft | Print | No Comments »