Helpful Hints & Guides
Check out some of our most recent helkpful hints, useful IT articles, news on our industry and more.
How to choose a printer
Getting ink onto paper sounds like a simple job – but it isn’t, and choosing a printer can be a difficult job. Essentially there are
Internet Connection – Broadband vs Ethernet
The internet is the same internet no matter how you connect to it – right? If you’ve heard terms like ‘superfast broadband’ or 4G and
Protect yourself against hackers
A client of ours recently reported their email account was hacked. Without going into any specific details of this, here are some words of
Encrypting your emails
Recently we have been asked by a client about sending encrypted emails, so this was written in response to their query, as it’s likely to
NHS Ransomware Attack 12th May 2017
Here’s a copy of an email sent to our maintenance customers following the high-profile 12th May Ransomware attacks which affected a number of NHS services
How Ransomware Works
There’s been a lot of talk about Ransomware recently, so here’s some information about what they are and how they work. A mass email
WINNERS ANNOUNCED
WE ARE CELEBRATING TEN YEARS IN BUSINESS WITH 2 PRIZE DRAWS. WINNERS – Prize Draw One First Prize – Fujitsu Core i5 Ultrabook – Rosemary
Second Prize Draw – NOVEMBER 2017
We are celebrating 10 year in business this year by having a super prize draw with some stunning prizes. So if you want to enter
Home Systems / Gaming Systems
Not all PCs are created equal – and few people know this or understand the differences. Lansalot provide superb PCs for home use, with exceptional
Laptops & PCs for the Home
Cheap IT is great – but not when it doesn’t work for you. Why should you invest a little more in a computer, rather than
Document Management
Document Management Software Have you ever wondered how much it costs you in time filing paperwork, finding it again a year later (filed in the
Business Grade PCs
Businesses demand – LANsALot supply. Not all PCs are created equal – and few people know it. LANsALot have the experience to recommend a solution
ESET – Internet Security @ it’s Best
ESET Smart Security – STAY SAFE The ONLY anti-virus / Security Suite we recommend. With perfect solutions for PCs running Windows or Linux MAC computers
Backup & External Storage
If you aren’t backing up your critical data, you are taking a major gamble. Despite what you might think, computers are just machines and do
Altaro Hyper-V Backup
If you are running virtual servers then Altaro Hyper-V Backup is a must-have product. The complete no-brainer is that if you have 2 or fewer
Beware Bogus Text Message (not) from Apple
Just a quick post to mention about a new(ish) type of phishing scam. I received this text message just now: Being the curious type, I
Office 365 New Pricing 2017
Microsoft have made a couple of announcements around their Office 365 cloud product suites, and around how they see the business model going. In essence
Office 365 Questions Answered
Some of our clients have asked about moving from a server-based network to cloud-only and Office 365 in particular – removing the server(s) on-site completely
Microsoft Volume Licensing
Microsoft Volume Licensing can be a minefield, so here’s a quick guide applicable for small businesses. Generally we don’t recommend it to our clients unless
Office 365 is best
We think Office 365 is best for several of the solutions it offers when compared to various other solutions. Of course this is just our
Is cloud computing for me?
Is cloud computing for me? A question I am being asked more often. My answer is always the same – it depends. There is a
Adobe Reader 11.0.9 Error opening this document
Here’s a problem we encountered recently – if you update to Adobe Reader 11.0.9 and then get an error every time you double-click on a
Moving Premises? Check your broadband speed first
If you are moving premises check your broadband speed first. Since the Internet is so integrated into our lives and businesses it is often important
SBS 2011 replacement
Microsoft have discountinued the SBS line of software, a great-value option for a lot of small businesses including the massive power of Microsoft Windows Server
Yealink EXP38 – Which button is Which?
If you own a Yealink EXP38 expansion module, you may ask ‘Which button is which’? The EXP38 offers 38 programmable buttons for the T26 and
SBS 2011 Certificate Installation
You will need these SBS 2011 Certificate installation instructions if you are using a self-signed SSL certificate and and of the following apply:- You connect
Sage Accounts SagePDFPrinter x64 bit aka Sage PDF Converter x64 bit
Sage Accounts is compatible with Windows 7 x64 aka 64 bit but you need the sage pdf converter x64 bit update. Sage UK do not
Windows 2003 FRS Replication DFS+NTFRS
Windows 2003 FRS Replication DFS+NTFRS Windows Server 2003 DFS uses the FRS File Replication Service aka NTFRS replicatoin service to replicate data between servers. Typically
Server Rebuild and Disaster Recovery
This week’s topic is “What I learned during a recent Server Rebuild and Disaster Recovery” session, in which a RAID system failed catastrophically on a
Why-fi – which wifi router is best for me?
Wireless Networks are a very common thing nowadays and there is an expectation of connection everywhere you go. Large networks, in terms of either number
Server Password Expiry
Many of our customers have a server network with a server password expiry policy, meaning they have to change the password every 30 days or
Manually setup Outlook with Office 365 Wave15
Microsoft have recently updated Office365 to ‘wave 15’ which you’d see as a dramatic change in the admin portal, Outlook Web Access etc. But it
Office 2013, Windows 8, and Exchange server 2013
With the release of Office 2013 Microsoft has made some important – read ‘expensive’ – changes to various aspects of using Office and specifically Outlook
SBS 2011 Remote Desktop Gateway Service aka tsgateway not installed
I came across this minor/major problem on a recent install. This was a migration install, and after the SBS2011 migration had completed it’s first section,
Moving From Personal Outlook to Office365
When moving from standalone Outlook to Office 365 you will want to retain your existing inbox, contacts etc. Here’s how: The process involves importig your
Office365 Catch-all email address
Office 365 runs on Exchange, which for some time has been without the ability to run a catchall account. I’d advise against catch-alls for various
Problems Sending Emails
Here’s an informational article to help explain why ‘proper’ emails might bounce. My legitimate email was rejected – why? When mail servers receive incoming requests,
Multipoint Server
Recently I’ve been on a ‘conference’ where I was introduced to Windows Multipoint Server 2011. The result of that is that I am somewhat excited
Office365 Setup Tips and Tricks
A few tips and tricks we’ve gathered along the way of Office 365 and the Cloud; Distribution Groups These are setup via the https://portal.microsoftonline.com link,
Nokia Email Setup – Microsoft Exchange
Here are the instructions shamelessly stolen (and slightly altered) from Microsoft, for setting up a Nokia E-Series enterprise phone with a Microsoft Exchange server. Additional
Exchange Server – Mailboxes vs Groups
Updated July 2016 – This article now includes information about Shared Mailboxes which is particularly relevant to Office 365 as you do not have to
Microsoft Office Licensing
Microsoft Licensing can be a bit confusing – so here is a 5-minute guide. We can offer all license types – OEM, FPP and Volume
Server Time
the ramblings of bitter experience Adjusting the clock on a server Sometimes the RTC (Real Time Clock) on a comptuer can wander, and if not
What are Docking Stations and Port Replicators?
What is a docking station? A Docking Station, also called a Port Replicator, is literally a piece of kit which your laptop docks with. In
Lansalot Email Server Settings
Email Settings If you have email services supplied by us, you may need some settings to help you set up your email software (if we
What is VoIP?
Voip means different things to different people, so let’s look at what voip can do for you. Background /history Voip is an acronym for
Netbooks vs Notebooks
Netbooks have become a phenomenon over the last couple of years. What are te pros and cons? This article rounds up the common advantages and
Small Business Server
So what’s Windows Small Business Server about? What does it offer my business – why would I want one? I will answer that question with
