Ensuring Your Computer Works in Public

Sometimes you might want to connect your laptop in public but want to prevent sharing your machine with everyone. Sharing files and accessing printers is okay when you’re home, but there of course files or settings you might not want everyone in a public hotspot to retrieve.

Changing your security settings and file-sharing permissions each time you are in a new location, try creating a separate user account for each place, such as “Home”, “Office” or “Public”. Administrators often make a “Guest” account too, so that users can log on but don’t have access to all your files. In order to create these profiles, go to your Control Panel--User Account.

If you would like a file to be opened from all accounts, you must log in from administrator, put them in Window 7’s “Public Documents” folder (Shared Documents in XP). If you right-click on that folder, pick the option that says “Share with” and you can choose the users you would like. You can also place the files you only want to view in certain locations in the “My Documents” folder for the appropriate user profile. Then, configure accounts by logging in to each one and adjusting your setting in Control Panel. Any time you want to install new software, log in as administrator and select the “Install for All Users” option. Above all, be sure that file sharing is disabled (Control Panel--Network and Sharing Center--Advanced sharing settings). You can also protect them with a strong password on your “Public” profile. Otherwise, you can share everything on your hard drive with everyone in the same Wi-Fi network.

Managing Multiple Monitors

Sometimes you might feel like your computer screen is a little overcrowded, but before you buy a larger monitor, considering buying an additional one. Two smaller (22”) monitors often cost less than one large (30”) one, so it may be a good investment. It’s additional screen space at a lower cost.

Before you purchase anything however, you want to make sure that a second monitor is supported by your PC. You can do this by seeing if your computer has more than one video output. (A second one can be installed as well.) Different connections are okay--you can use both DVI and VGA, as shown in the picture below.

Once plugged in, Windows should recognize both monitors. If not, right click on your desktop, select "Screen Resolution" and use the "Detect" and "Identify" buttons to configure the second display. Once this is up and running, you are free to organize your windows however you please. Some people choose to keep email and chat programs open on one screen while working on a document on the other.

You can put them in "Duplicate" mode to show the same display on both screens, or only show one monitor at a time, depending on what you are doing. Press "Windows key + P" to look through all the configurations, or view the options in the "Screen Resolution" control panel.

If you have questions about multiple monitors, feel free to call us at CMIT and we can help you decide what is the best option for you adn can help you with your hardware purchases.

Before you purchase anything however, you want to make sure that a second monitor is supported by your PC. You can do this by seeing if your computer has more than one video output. (A second one can be installed as well.) Different connections are okay—you can use both DVI and VGA, as shown in the picture below.Once plugged in, Windows should recognize both monitors. If not, right click on your desktop, select “Screen Resolution” and use the “Detect” and “Identify” buttons to configure the second display. Once this is up and running, you are free to organize your windows however you please. Some people choose to keep email and chat programs open on one screen while working on a document on the other.

You can put them in “Duplicate” mode to show the same display on both screens, or only show one monitor at a time, depending on what you are doing. Press “Windows key + P” to look through all the configurations, or view the options in the “Screen Resolution” control panel.

If you have questions about multiple monitors, feel free to call us at CMIT and we can help you decide what is the best option for you and can help you with your hardware purchases.

Going Digital: A Paperless Office

Have you seen the recent New York Times article about airline pilots replacing bulky, printed in-cockpit flight manuals with digital versions on iPads? It makes great sense being that the digital version weighs a fraction of the 40lb. paper version, receives updates in real-time, and is easily searchable.

When PCs were revolutionizing the way businesses operated in the mid-90s, the so-called "paperless office" held the promise of eliminating the mass amounts of paper that clogged file cabinets and inboxes. It required careful organization and storage in order to keep track of everything.

The reality was much different, however. Computer crashes, software glitches, and even the occasional server-room fire necessitated maintaining hard copies of just about everything as a backup. Perhaps you recall when people used to print copies of every email "just in case." In addition, government regulations required certain industries to maintain paper archives or face consequences.

However, technological advances in data security, including reliable, redundant backup systems, along with regulatory acceptance now make the paperless office (or, less-paper office) not only a reality, but in many cases, a competitive necessity.

At a recent NYeHealth summit, Maria Trusa, executive director of the Scarsdale Medical Group, stated "In 2004 I had to convince 11 physician partners that EHR (electronic health records) was something we needed to do. The cost of running our practice was beginning to skyrocket. The staff was always looking for charts and as a result things were getting out of control. We had two full-time and two part-time employees dedicated to finding charts. And because those charts took up so much room, we were considering moving because we physically needed more space."

Trusa's group quickly needed to adopt EHRs or face the significant expense of moving to new offices, all because they were drowning in paperwork.

On a good note, you don't have to wait until there is a fiscal gun to your head to start reaping the benefits of the paperless office. Going digital will save you money, not only on physical storage space, but also on labor. No more wasting time spending hours digging through the file cabinets to track down one misplaced invoice. Even if you already conduct much of your business digitally, there is almost always opportunities for increased efficiency, convenience, and cost savings by leveraging technology.