Welcome
to the first issue of VistaViews
It
is with great pleasure that I bring to Vista clients VistaViews, a free, online
newsletter offering high-level summaries of pertinent IT news/information, helpful advice,
and promotional offers to keep you on the cutting edge. I hope you find this useful and
informative. As this publication evolves, your input and feedback are most welcome.
I
wish all of you peace, happiness, and continued success in 2002.
Edmund
C. Humiston, President, Vista Computer Systems
In
This Issue …
Technology
Spotlight
Ask the Geek
Special Offer
About Vista Computer
Systems
Technology
Spotlight
Mobile
and Wireless Networking
Increased
use of laptop computers within businesses and greater worker mobility have fueled the
demand for wireless networks. Until recently, the technology was slow, expensive, and
reserved for mobile situations or where cabling was impractical or impossible. With the
maturing of industry standards and the deployment of lightweight wireless networking
hardware across a broad market section, wireless technology has come of age.
Wireless/Wired
Computer Compatibility
To
connect your wireless local-area network (WLAN) to a wired LAN, you will need a bridge
between the two networks. This can be accomplished either with a hardware access point or
a software access point. Hardware access points are available with various types of
network interfaces, such as Ethernet or Token Ring, but typically require extra hardware
if your networking requirements change. If networking requirements go beyond just
interconnecting a wired network to a small wireless network, a software access point may
be the best solution.
Wireless:
Not Just for Laptops Anymore
Although wireless networking offers obvious benefits to laptop users who move from
location to location throughout the day, there are benefits for users of fixed-position
computers as well:
·
Many
homes and businesses have unsuitable layouts or walls that cannot be wired, making it
difficult or impossible to build a wired network. Wireless networking in these
environments is a very cost effective alternative also providing future flexibility
·
In
cases where a small number of computers are separated from a main network, a wireless link
may be more cost effective than network cabling
·
Temporary
WLANs can easily be created for exhibitions, school, or business projects, all without any
trailing cabling
Security
Issues
Wireless
communications obviously provide potential security issues, as an intruder does not need
physical access to the traditional wired network to gain access to data communications. To
protect against potential security issues, 802.11 wireless communications (the most widely
used standard, produced by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers [IEEE])
have a function called WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), a form of encryption that provides
privacy comparable to that of a traditional wired network. If the wireless network has
information that should be secure, WEP should be used, ensuring the data is protected at
traditional wired network levels. Also, it should be noted that traditional virtual
private networking (VPN) techniques will work over wireless networks in the same way as
traditional wired networks.
Sharing
Internet Connections Over Wireless Networks
To
share an Internet connection across a WLAN, you need two things: 1) an Internet-sharing
hardware or software access point; and 2) a WLAN. Any computer equipped with a wireless
network card running suitable Internet-sharing
software can be used as a software access point. A hardware access point
provides Internet-sharing capabilities to a wired LAN.
Adapted
from KnowledgeShare
Ask
the Geek
Q:
I run Windows 98 ¾ is there
anything I can do to make my computer start up faster?
A:
Yes.
Basically, you need to tell Windows 98 not to search for a floppy drive when it starts up. On your desktop, right-click on the “My
Computer” icon and select “Properties” from the shortcut menu. In the “System Properties” dialog box,
select the “Performance” tab and then click the “File System” button.
In the “File System Properties” dialog box (see below), select the “Floppy
Disk” tab and then deselect the “Search for new floppy disk drives each time
your computer starts” check box. Then click “Apply” and “OK.” Click “OK” to close the “System
Properties” dialog box.
Windows
will now start faster because it won’t search for the floppy drive each time you
start your computer. You will still be able to use your floppy drive(s), but Windows will
search for it/them only when you click on the floppy drive icon in “My Computer”
or “Windows Explorer.”
Note:
If, after making this change, your computer (most commonly, a laptop) fails to recognize
your floppy disk drive, or if you frequently add or remove floppy disks between Windows
sessions and your computer doesn’t recognize the new disk, it’s a good idea to
go back and keep the “Search for new floppy disk drives each time your computer
starts” option selected so your floppy disk driver will scan for a new disk drive at
every startup.
Got
a question?
Just
e-mail your query to Vista’s help desk at techsupport@vistacomputersystems.com and
we’ll get you an answer. We promise we won’t laugh.
Special
Offer
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first 15-inch flat-panel LCD display to offer a fully automatic, zero-touch, auto-tune
feature. The VE150m self-corrects for video card anomalies like drift and non-VESA video
timing, delivering the best possible image in all environments. And the built-in speakers
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About
Vista Computer Systems
Vista
Computer Systems is dedicated to offering our customers the highest-quality sales,
service, and support available. Our knowledge and experience ¾
gained from entering the personal computer industry at its inception ¾ enable us
to offer superior products and services.
Our
philosophy has always been to put our customers first and establish long-term
relationships where we fulfill all their computer-related needs. To us, customers
deserve to
be
treated fairly and to realize maximum productivity from their technology.
Copyright © 2002
Vista Computer Systems
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