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Why Invest in a Custom Computer Solution?
Did you know that 90 percent of all computers when
bought from computer retailers or mass-market mail order are configured
incorrectly. Why is this? When you buy a computer bundled with
pre-existing software you are buying a computer that has "lite"
or "trial" versions of software already on it. Those
programs that are installed on that machine are just that. Programs
that are installed on your hard drive with limited features or
features that are designed to quit working after they have been
used for a short amount of time. Users sometimes will then just
delete the icon or even worse the folder containing the program
itself instead of properly uninstalling the software in question
through the add-remove programs section of the Control Panel.
Some programs run in memory (RAM) as a TSR (Terminate and Stay
Resident) program like virus checkers. What this means is that
even if you do uninstall the program under the control panel,
things can get left behind. Registry entries in particular can
get left behind which can then possibly cause something to fail
later.
All operating systems and virus checkers have "patch
updates" and "update definitions" that must be
applied to computer systems on a regular basis. The only way to
get them is to download and install these updates on a regular
basis. If this is not done then eventually you will contract a
virus or your system will fail or at the least continue to work
properly.
One of the things we do in any custom system we
build for a client is to first insure that the system comes to
us with the "operating system" (Windows) installed only.
After that we completely update Windows with the latest patches
and software drivers to ensure a "clean" system. Then
we install utilities software (We like Norton Systemworks) that
has programs on it that help keep your system healthy. We also
install Norton Antivirus and make sure that it has the latest
virus definitions. This antivirus program resides in memory and
watches any incoming email. If an e-mail is infected with a virus
then the software catches it immediately and allows you to either
delete, quarantine, or fix that virus on the spot.
One of the things we do very well is customize
systems for the way our clients use them. We don't want useless
programs that the client never uses anyway "riding"
in or taking up memory (RAM) that contributes to overall system
performance. If a program that is never used takes up memory then
that is memory that cannot be used by a program that may need
it. One thing we know for sure is that Voice Recognition software
uses a lot of memory! Dragon NaturallySpeaking uses 547 megabytes
of RAM when it is initially loaded. What happens when you use
all the available memory that you have? What happens is that a
"swap" file is used on the hard drive and then applications
are swapped back and forth using the hard drive space as needed.
What does that swap file do? It trades applications back and forth
that you are using the most into available memory. This is why
you will sometimes see your hard drive light blinking quickly
when you are trying to access a program. What you have to realize
here is that it is a whole lot faster to work with programs that
are residing in memory then to have to retrieve them from the
hard drive when you call those programs up. This is why we say
the faster that your computer is, the faster that you can dictate
and the more memory you have in that computer, the more accurate
your dictation will be.
One thing we know for sure is that our corporate
and physician clients do not want to be bothered with things like
this. We don't spend our time running corporations or trying to
practice medicine but we do spend our time every day trying to
ensure reliable and fault tolerant systems. We have many years
of experience in doing this and we know how to configure systems
that work correctly for our clients when they take them out of
the box. We configure our systems according to the way our client
wants them done not the way the mass-market manufacturer decides
it should be done. If you are having a hard time believing all
of this this call Dell, H/P, Gateway or any major computer manufacturer
and tell them that you want a machine configured with the operating
system only with no other software installed except for the drivers
and see what they tell you. Our machines are sold as work machines
and we really don't see any reason to have software that is useless
or unwanted residing on that work machine.
Why are we so successful in doing business this
way? When we build/configure a system we build it from the ground
up. Our systems are custom built for us starting with the processor,
RAM, hard drive, type of display and other critical system components.
The operating system is installed and then patched and tested.
(Does it start clean, fast and properly)? Then we install utilities
and applications and then test them thoroughly. We do this many
times as the building process occurs usually restarting a machine
35-50 times. When we have everything installed and patched then
we will try to do something to make it fail. When that process
is complete we then will burn it in watching it for a day or two
and see if anything fails. We will then build a voice file on
that machine and test the voice recognition software to make sure
it works properly. Only then after passing our internal rigorous
tests do we let that machine go out to a client. Because hardware
can and sometimes will fail, we also back that machine up with
a 4 year warranty when it leaves here. We also install software
that allows us to connect to that machine should we need to do
any type of online support.
If you are going to configure a system properly
for voice recognition you have to use building blocks meaning
you should build everything in stages starting with the operating
system then adding your applications as need be. It is impossible
for a manufacturer/retailer to do this because everybody's needs
are different. We are not saying that if you don't purchase a
bundled solution from us that your system is not going to work.
What we are saying however is -- does your system fall into that
10% of machines that are configured properly and provide a useful
working tool for you on a continuous basis? We don't use a "cookie
cutter" approach but rather spend lots of time to make sure
the configuration is done properly the first time. This is why
in all the years we have been in business we have never had a
machine come back to us because of a software failure.
We look forward to working with you on your custom
solution. See our custom turnkey solutions.
 Contact
us for more information
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