25 April 2002
Microsoft Products Microsoft have released quite a number of versions of their leading Windows platform and Office product set.  Capable is continually challenged to keep abreast of these new releases and we endeavour to ensure that our test labs verify all possible combinations. A quick visit to our website will reveal a few combinations that we've found, that don't work.  In particular, networks that include different versions of Windows can cause problems.  Microsoft Windows ME does not combine well with other versions of Windows, and more recently we've experienced problems combining Windows XP with Windows 98.  Microsoft have published an article regarding the latter of these, and we are investigating options to make this combination work. Planned OBSCOLENCE Microsoft is gradually making obscolete the oldest versions of their product line.  Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Office 95 are no longer supported by Microsoft or Capable. The Microsoft Windows 98 platform and Office 97 are expected to be officially obscolete in June 2003.  When Microsoft takes this next step, Capable will also discontinue support for these products so start thinking about your upgrades now. On the horizon Capable Stock Control is now in final beta.  Watch this space, as the barcode scanning and stock management features are starting to look very impressive.  Windows and Office XP We have done and are continuing to do extensive testing on The XP range of Microsoft products and how it interacts with other Microsoft and 3rd paty products. 1. Will cause problems with mailmerging when running Norton Antivirus 2002.  Similar problems when running McAfee. We have found that pc-cillin for XP and Vet for XP are the better of the antivirus software available for the XP environment.  Note, it is wise to turn off real time scanning 2. Networking.  Due to the security involved with XP it is not a good idea to run two different operating systems across a network without very good knowledge of how networks and network security operate.  If you are having difficulty with your networking, email support and the Comtrendz Support team will assist you. Backing Up Your Data Why would you not back up your data?   It is with alarm the number of people that do not back up their data.  With no data backup, you cannot restore files in the event of hardware failure, electrical damage, theft, fire, virus infection, corruption etc.   There have been several cases of clients not having backups when any of the above situations have occured.  Once your data is gone, it cannot be retreived without a backup. Proper Backup procedure is as follows: 1. Do shift backup on either a zip drive or onto another computer on a network.  You should have a zip disk for each shift. 2. Do weekly backups on a weekly zip disk or CD Rom.  One per week. 3. Do Monthly Backup of a permanentr nature, CD Rom The critical files to backup reside in the C:\Capable folder, particularly the Capable.MDB We recommend that you do the backup by copying or burning a CD rom.  Please do not do incremental backups, they will usually cause problems when reinstalling a database. Other Housekeeping On a regular basis you should perform the following tasks to best maintain your computer and database. PLEASE BACKUP THE DATA PRIOR to performing any activity 1.  Disk deframentation on a monthly basis.  Please do not run any other task whilst this is happening and TURN OFF YOUR VIRUS PROTECTION..  DO NOT SWITCH THE COMPUTER OFF WHILST THIS OPERATION IS IN PRGRESS OR YOU WILL CORRUPT THE HARDDRIVE CONTENTS		Networking Windows XP Microsoft have done it to us again by releasing Windows XP, the latest operating system by the Seattle Giant. Without doubt, it leaves Windows 95, 98, NT and the ill fated ME in its wake, with now only Windows 2000 being what I consider, an Operating System worth having on my desktop. It is a little resource hungry as it needs lots of hard disk space and a minimum of 128Meg of memory to operate. But then you really need extra memory to run your applications, so if you plan on installing Windows XP Pro, not the home edition version (this is kids stuff, not meant for a business), then go for a minimum of 256Meg of memory. To find out more about Windows XP, visit the XP site at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/ Now, what I want to talk about briefly is Networking on XP. Microsoft have upgraded their TCP/IP stack for XP, and from around my network of IT colleagues we have discovered that when you install XP on a mixed Network environment (Eg; 98 with XP), then we are looking and asking for problems. In other words 95, 98, NT, and ME each need a little help from XP so that they know XP is on the Network. Follow these instructions to create a XP aware machine. To create a network setup floppy disk If you are running the Network Setup Wizard on Windows XP, you must be logged on as an administrator in order to complete this procedure. Start Network Setup Wizard. Follow the steps on your screen to configure your home or small office network. When you come to the page that reads, You're almost done, insert a blank, formatted floppy disk into the drive, and then click Create Disk. Important If you have already run the Network Setup Wizard, and did not create the floppy disk, you will need to run it again to create the floppy disk. When you do so, you must enter the same information for your network as you did when you ran the wizard the first time. Notes To start the Network Setup Wizard, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network Connections. Under Common Tasks, click Network Setup Wizard. The Network Setup Wizard can only be run on computers using Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows XP. Run the wizard on the Windows XP host computer first. The host computer is the one sharing its Internet connection. Before running the Network Setup Wizard on computers running Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows Millennium Edition, make sure Internet Connection Sharing is disabled on these computers To add a Windows XP computer to your Network You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure. Set up your new computer and physically connect it to your home or small office network. Start the Network Setup Wizard Follow the instructions on your screen. Notes To start the Network Setup Wizard, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network Connections. Under Common Tasks, click Network Setup Wizard. The ICS host computer is the one that shares its Internet connection with the rest of the computers on your Network. If your host computer is running Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional, run the Network Setup Wizard on that computer first. The Network Setup Wizard is only supported on computers using Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows XP. This Article Submitted by: Gab Gennai Comtrendz Pty Ltd
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