Share one Printer with the whole house

I just did a support call this weekend and found that my client had two printers in his home. One was installed in the office and the other was downstairs for the kids. I asked why they needed two printers, and they said that occasionally the kids want to print something and it's too much hassle to put the file on a disk and bring it upstairs.

They weren't aware that if the computers are networked, it is quite easy to share printers across the network. Here's how it's done.

Go to the computer that is connected to the printer.
Click Start -> Control Panel -> Printers and Scanners
Right click on the printer you'd like to share and click Sharing
Select the "Share this Printer" button and give it a name.

Then go to the other computer
Click Start -> Control Panel -> Printers and Scanners
Under "Printer Tasks" on the left hand side click "Add Printer"
Click Next and then "Browse for a Printer"
If the computers are all part of the same windows "workgroup" then the printer will be found. If not, then you can give a specific path \\computername\printername.

That's it, now you can try to print a test page and voila!

If you need more help, you can always subscribe to this page or simply leave me a comment on this post.

Reinstall Windows for Increased Computer Performance

If you are seeking tech support and your computer is only a couple years old and is starting to slow down drastically then you could be in luck. As you use your computer more and more, installing and removing programs and through just regular surfing, your computer is getting more and more sluggish. There are several things you can do, from checking the resource usage to upgrading the hardware. However, there is one sure-fire way to speed up your computer.

Reinstalling the Operating System!

This will definitely take a few hours to complete, but it will definitely speed your computer up drastically. You will need your original Windows CD as well as your license key. Once you locate that, here are some other tips that you will need before you get started.

• Gather all of your original driver disks.





Sound Card

Network Card

Video Card

Printer/Scanner/Fax Machine

Any additional Hardware

• Backup your important documents
• Make a note of all of your installed software

Here’s a little tip that can make your life easier for the next time that you need to do a re-installation of the operating system. Set up two partitions for your hard drive. The first partition should be at least 10GB. The second partition is the rest of the drive. All of your documents and setting should be kept on the second partition and only the Operating system and Programs are on the first partition. That way when you need to reinstall you can simply reformat and reinstall on Partition 1 and leave Partition 2 untouched with all of your files. This removed the need for a third computer or external backup.

This task will take several hours, but if you pay someone to do it, then it is likely worth your while. A tech support consultant will have the equipment and knowledge to accomplish the task much quicker, and since a majority of the time is waiting, they can perform other tasks at the same time and give you a fair price.

Tech Support Tips

As a small business, tech support may be something that is a challenge. When something goes wrong, you need it fixed right away, but maybe you don’t have the need to have a dedicated tech support technician on staff.

Here are some things to consider when deciding whether a freelance tech support consultant is right for you.

Tech support can run pretty pricey if you need on demand tech support. There are lots of different prices for tech support depending on the company and/or individual, but it’s hard to find a good tech support consultant. Here’s the thing about tech support. There are so many variables involved in what could possibly be wrong with a computer and so many different software packages that the guy is usually just figuring out things on the fly. So really if the tech support consultant isn’t a good problem solver and fast on his feet, then you could be paying a lot of cash for a problem that took the tech support consultant twice as long as it should have to figure out.

Big tip! When you find a tech support consultant that knows what he’s doing and finishes the work fast and thoroughly… Be nice to him/her!

Here are a couple of different types of on call tech support consultants;

Tech Support Company (like Nerds on Site)

This is perfect for you don’t need support often and if you are looking for someone to show up IMMEDIATELY. There are usually a few tech support consultants on call so you can usually get good service. The disadvantage is that you may not get the same consultant every time. It is usually better when the tech support consultant knows your business.

Self-Employed Tech Support Consultant

If you don’t need service very often or very urgently, then a self-employed or freelance tech support consultant is perfect for you. You know that he will always do a good job because he’s been there before and knows the drill. Usually, if a tech support consultant is self-employed then he’s been around longer and is far more knowledgeable.