Mix07 is the name of an event run by Microsoft showcasing all the latest in web technology.

It starts today and runs for 72 hours.

This is the second year the event has run.

Check out this link to find out more. You can view the keynotes and demo’s.

http://visitmix.com/

If you’re a North West based business looking help and advice with technology then get in touch I can help you. Tel: 01606-841587.

The question about how to add a website to Google comes up from time to time. In this screencast I show you how to add a site to Google’s search index.

This screencast runs for 1m29s

Click the Screencast to Play.

This screencast requires the Flash plug in. You can get it here

If you’re a North West based business looking help and advice with new technology then get in touch I can help you. Tel: 01606-841587.

Please feel free to link to this content, I update regularly.

My 2007 Screencast Links:
http://www.colindiponio.com/category/screencast/

Thanks

Colin

This post is for people in my industry who subscribe to this Microsoft Partner Programme.

Not much in the April 2007 shipment, but what is requires x64 bit hardware.

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x64 Edition CD
Microsoft Exchange Server Standard 2007 (Exchange 2007 is x64 only) DVD

I have a couple of x64 capable machines, so it’s not a problem for me to check out these new releases.

Inside the big plastic folder is a CD with Templates for Sharepoint and not much else.

Ok, so it’s clear that Windows XP OEM availability from Dell on selected ranges is to be extended to December 2007.

Having a choice of operating system is good for the consumer, what is less good is that the low cost “Express Upgrade to Vista” scheme has ended. The last qualifying date for this was on 15th March 2007.

This allowed users to upgrade to Windows Vista at a low cost further down the road.

Example: An Upgrade from Windows XP Pro to Windows Vista Business was £11 (basically shipping).

This scheme covered PC’s that shipped between October 2006 to 15th March 2007.

Bigger companies can go Software Assurance or whatever, but Express upgrades are the route for your typical small business user/consumer who adds computers as and when they need them.

I wish Dell and Microsoft thought about this from a Small Business Perspective and extend Express Upgrade to Vista for the rest of this year.

Let Dell know what you want: http://www.ideastorm.com/

Let Microsoft know what you want: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/contactUsUK/?sd=gn&ln=en-gb

This time last year I chose the Western Digital MyBook product range for my external hard disk storage requirements.

Looking back I haven’t done a product review of my experience with the MyBook USB 2.0 500gb Models and now having used these products for a full year, it seems like a good time.

Now with storage the most important thing is reliability. After one full year of use I haven’t lost any Data.

Tips

Periodically run the S.M.A.R.T Diagnostic Tools from Western Digital. This can identify problems before it becomes critical.

Link: http://support.wdc.com/download/

Pros

Speed: I never feel these drives are slow.

Cost: At Sub £100 it’s great value for 500gb.

Noise: Acceptably quiet.

Power Management: The drives power down when not in use.

Cons

Power Management: The drives are slow to power back up (about 5 seconds or so) but as Power Management saves electricity I can’t really complain.

Summary

I am happy to recommend the MyBook Range and when I need more storage will just add another to the collection.

Technical Details
Product Description: My Book Essential Edition WDG1U5000 - hard drive - 500 GB - Hi-Speed USB
Type: Hard drive - external
Dimensions (WxDxH): 14.1 cm x 17.1 cm x 5.7 cm
Weight: 1.3 kg
Capacity: 500 GB
Interface Type: Hi-Speed USB
Connector: 4 pin USB
Data Transfer Rate: 480 Mbps
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Spindle Speed: 7200 rpm
Buffer Size: 16 MB
OS Required: Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, Microsoft Windows XP, Apple MacOS X 10.2.8 or later
Power: AC 120/230 V ( 50 - 60 Hz )