Late Model HP PC High Failure Rates

HP has discovered that some P66xx and S56xx and HPE-4xx Desktop Models built in the June / July 2010 time frame have system boards with a slightly higher than expected failure rate. The following computers may experience no video at start up and stop responding.

These systems include:

Model Name                                                     Product Number

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-400f Desktop PC    BT470AA

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-400y Desktop PC    BT471AA

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-410f Desktop PC    BM424AA

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-410y Desktop PC    BM425AA

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-441f Desktop PC    BT519AA

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-447c Desktop PC    BT584AA

HP Pavilion p6610f Desktop PC                   BM417AA

HP Pavilion p6616f Desktop PC                   BT503AA

HP Pavilion p6617c Desktop PC                  BT427AA

HP Pavilion p6620f Desktop PC                   BM419AA

HP Pavilion p6622f Desktop PC                   BT492AA

HP Pavilion p6633w Desktop PC                                 BT429AA

HP Pavilion p6636f Desktop PC                   BT512AA

HP Pavilion p6640f Desktop PC                   BM422AA

HP Pavilion p6653w Desktop PC                                 BT529AA

HP Pavilion p6654y Desktop PC                  BT551AA

HP Pavilion p6674y Desktop PC                  BT552AA

HP Pavilion p6677c Desktop PC                  BT432AA

HP Pavilion p6687c Desktop PC                  BT543AA

HP Pavilion Slimline s5660f Desktop PC   BM430AA

Based upon HP records concerning your computer purchase(s), your

computer(s) may be affected. HP is implementing a Limited Warranty Enhancement for your system.

If you are seeing this type of failure, HP recommends that you

visit:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03199423

This document describes the program and how it will affect you.

HP regrets any inconvenience this may have caused you and we look forward to assisting you.

Sincerely,

Hewlett-Packard Company


If you need additional assistance with resolving this you can contact us at 631-764-2600 or e-mail us at info@f1netwox.com

-Will Kutzler
F1 Networx Inc. 

Check Out My New Credit Card Terminal !!!

We're used to things getting smaller, but usually the price doesn't follow. That is until you look at credit card processing...

I recently got the Square Card Reader over the weekend. Like all new technology, we have to take a grain of salt with it. This product though has blown away my expectations. Since spotting this a few months back, I was waiting to take the leap, and I'm glad I did!

Here's how it works....
Using your smartphone or tablet (Android / iOS), download the Square App and connect the FREE reader which they sent by mail. Plug the reader into the headphone jack, launch the app and you now have a credit card terminal! Punch in the amount to charge, swipe the card, hit the process transaction icon, done. You can even do manual card entry. You can even issue a refund right from your transaction history register on the device!

This is all great but how much does it cost? Simple: 2.75% per transaction (3.5% + 15cents for manual entry). Thats it. No minimums, no terminal fee or merchant fees, no tiered pricing, no guessing. I LOVE IT.

So what about the receipt and signature? No worries. The receipt gets emailed or text messaged to them on the spot! And the signature is entered right on the screen with their finger or a stylus.

Process the payment over 2G, 3G, 4G or WiFi, all the data is encrypted. They adhere to the highest industry standards (PCI Level 1).

The money is transferred within 1 business day via ACH, unlike PayPal which holds it in their account until you  initiate the transfer.

So what are you waiting for? Ditch the terminals from 1990 and get Square today! Available at Radioshack and Online at https://squareup.com/

You will need the following:

1. A Smartphone or Tablet
• Apple device running iOS 4.1 or higher (iPad iOS 5.0+ for register version)
• Android running 2.1 or higher 
2. A 3.5mm headset jack with microphone (audio jack adaptors are not supported)
3. A screen size specified as Normal or Large (Small screen sizes are not supported)
4. GPS enabled
5.  A data connection

This is a solid solution for anyone on the Go or even at a fixed location. They will provide you with multiple readers if you have several devices to swipe from, for free.

Are you an E-Hoarder??

We've all seen the episodes on TV where out in the middle of nowhere this house is packed with garbage as far as the eye can see. We just can't believe it! Many of us swear that we will never get that way, but the truth is, you probably already are a hoarder.... an E-Hoarder that is. Don't be scared though, depending on what industry you work in, it may be a requirement, like finance and legal for example.
The most common thing for people to retain massive histories of is e-mail. The typical worker gets about 105 emails per day. That's over 25,000 emails per year!! While for some this doesn't sound like much, keep in mind that when you send a message, it saves a copy in your sent items too. So for those of us with busy mailboxes, its no surprise to become overwhelmed with thousands of emails when the year ends. The root cause of our affliction has been due to progress in technology! But isn't technology supposed to help? Well it is, but the problem is that storing information has become cheaper to do! Back in 2000, 1 Gigabyte cost about $9, today that same Gigabyte costs closer to $.08! 1GB costs less than 1% vs. back in 2000, which enables the mentality, "Theres plenty of space on my server, so why bother deleting?". There in lies the problem....

We've subjected ourselves to information overload and bloated storage costs. It isn't storing all those emails that's the issue, there's no way to find what you're looking for unless its been promptly sorted! So now we require a search engine for our mailboxes. With search engines like Google and Bing, we're accustomed to instant and accurate search results, but on desktops and servers however, its a whole different ball game. Comparatively, searching our own data is similar to using a stone and chisel to take notes, its just not up to snuff. The inability to find the information we need can leave us in a heap of other troubles, particularly when it comes to litigation.

When you are being sued or vice versa, having your data properly classified is essential. E-discovery is the stage of the legal research process whereby legal teams are sifting through mountains of data to find information that is relevant to the case. The faster they can find relevant information, the lower your legal costs can be. The efficiency of your organization to purge data is also a key function as well. Knowing when you can wipe data from the systems is extremely important as it keeps your data set manageable.

So in short, do some house cleaning and consider upgrading your document management system as this would be a good time to do it.

-Will Kutzler
F1 Networx Inc.

Think the "new iPad" really is cutting edge? Guess again...

The "new iPad" and the latest releases from other tablet makers like Motorola and Samsung are all flawed in one main way...the screen. Having a higher resolution (better quality picture) really only contributes to a small portion of the tablet experience.

The real advancements are to be seen in the responsiveness of the screen, not so much about what the other components are (memory, processor, and the like). A recent publication by the Microsoft Applied Sciences Group has broken the barrier into the next generation of touch screen interaction.

ALL tablets (yes, even the new iPad) all suffer from touch screens with slow response times, about 100ms (milliseconds, 1 / 1000 of a second). A true touch experience needs a screen with a response of at least 5ms. The Microsoft Lab has developed a screen that achieves 1ms! The video link at the bottom of the post demonstrates this why this is so important.

You Tube Link to Video

-Will Kutzler
F1 Networx Inc
New York's Premiere Technology Management Company
www.f1networx.com

What Internet "Speed" Really Means

We all want to go fast, especially on the internet, but so many consumers are misled everyday by the advertisements of service providers.

When they [Cable Company, FiOS, Whoever] say that they're the fastest, they really mean that their service has the most capacity. On a network, speed means how long it takes for a signal to go from your end of a network to another. The technical term for this is latency, measured in milliseconds.

The service providers are actually describing capacity, measured in Megabits (Mbps) or Gigabits (Gbps) per second. What this means is you have a connection that allows for a lot more traffic before it gets bogged down. Think of a 6 lane highway.

Depending on your needs, you may want lower latency instead of higher capacity. If you have a web server, lower latency is better when you have many small pieces to transmit. An FTP server is completely different because you would want to move those large files in less time or be able to handle more transfers at one time. With the FTP server, how long it takes to make the connection isn't as important as how much data it can move when there is a large volume of data to move.

Here's an easier way to understand it...

Latency:
You need to deliver a letter (small files like a webpage) to someone across the country. Low Latency (fast) means you hop into a Formula 1 racecar and zip it across the country. If you need to transport many letters, this connection is great. This would be a T1 or other dedicated connection.

Capacity:
Now while the race car is fast, it can't carry large packages or freight (big files on an FTP Server), therein lies the problem. Here you would use a slightly slower connection (an 18 wheel truck) , to handle much more in one delivery. It takes longer but if you are moving many large files or have many people to deliver to, you want more capacity, speed isn't as important.

Common Connection types:

• T1/metro Ethernet - fast (private highway for your files), expensive, corporate grade, guaranteed speed and up-time metrics
  
• Cable Internet - "slow", but has a lot of capacity shared across subscribers, no service up-time guarantee, cheap
  
• FiOS (Fiber) - faster than cable, has much more capacity than cable, but no service up-time guarantee, cheap

There are many other options, but for the small business, it really comes down to these 4.

Depending on your internet usage needs (web server, e-mail, FTP, VoIP) having a cable/fios connection may not be the best solution.

We've helped countless companies measure their needs with the connectivity they really need, not just what they've seen on TV.

Thanks for reading,

F1 Networx Inc.
New York's Premiere Technology Management Group
631-446-1221
http://www.f1networx.com