1. Keep Software Upgrade files
Almost all software upgrade files, patches or service releases are now downloaded from the Internet. I always download the files to a common upgrade download directory on my hard drive so they are always in a common spot. Then, on a regular basis, I copy these upgrade files to a CD for permanent storage. The advantage to having the upgrades on CD is that if you need to reload software on your system for some reason, you have the upgrade files ready to install without having to download them again.
2. The Most Useful PC upgrade
We are all looking to get more performance from our existing PC’s without spending a lot of time or money. I have found that the best single upgrade is to add memory to your computer. This has been the view of experts for a while, and I personally experienced this recently. My new laptop came with 128MB of RAM and I added 256MB to bring it to 384MB. I knew the performance should improve, but I was surprised at how much quicker my system has become. The operating system starts faster, the applications start and run quicker, and I can open more applications at the same time. To find out what memory module your PC requires, check your owner’s manual or go to http://www.crucial.com and use their menus to find out what module is required. Most consumer electronics or computer stores have a good stock of the most popular modules and can install them quite quickly if you are not comfortable doing it yourself (it is quite easy actually).
3. Useful Resource – Using Presentation Technology checklist product
Whenever you use presentation technology in delivering your message, there are so many pieces of equipment to bring and set up that it can sometimes be challenging. I have developed a checklist product that will be helpful if this has happened to you. My e-workbook “Using Presentation Technology” is currently in review, and I decided to give everyone a preview by releasing this checklist product for FREE. You can just go to the website at http://www.communicateusingtechnology.com and click on the “Learning Tools” button. The checklist is the first product listed and you can download it in Adobe PDF format. I’d love to hear how you use it and any suggestions you have for improvements.