Know Everything About Your System with Speccy

Office IT, ,
26
Jan 2015

Speccy

Speccy is free software that provides a very detailed view of your computers hardware and software in a easy to understand, user friendly environment.

Speccy lists and provides very crucial and accurate specifications of your computer hardware and software. If you have ever been baffled by trying to find out how much RAM you have installed, what your Windows serial number is and a number of other things that you often have to communicate to your IT professional, then Speccy is worth considering. Here are 3 ways you can use Speccy:

Windows Serial Number

Windows

Sometimes in an emergency the only way to fix your computer is to re-install your OS. In order to re-install a legitimate copy of Windows, you must have your serial number handy. You cannot install install a legitimate copy of Windows without a valid serial number. It is always a good habit to copy and store your serial number somewhere safe in case of a computer emergency. Speccy conveniently lists your serial number and a number of other details for your OS.

RAM or System Memory

RAM

Sometime the best solution to speeding up an old slow computer is to just add more RAM to it. But how do you know if you have any room to add more of it? Or the type? Or the frequency? It is important to know these details when upgrading as different types of RAM are not compatible with each other. Speccy lists all these details in the RAM tab to the left. With this you will know exactly how much and what kind of RAM you are using and what kind of RAM you need to upgrade.

CPU or Processor Information

CPU

The number of cores and clock-speed of your CPU directly equates to the raw power of your CPU.  With CPU’s ranging from a single core all the way up to a whopping 12 cores, knowing how many cores you have will give you an expectation of performance. Other important information is how many gigahertz your CPU runs at and whether your CPU is a 32 bit or 64 bit processor.

Speccy offers vital information that is summarized and easy to understand. If you want to download Speccy head over to their website and give it a shot.

For more ways to improve your office technology’s effectiveness, contact your local IT professionals.

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Work on your office computer from home.
Work on your office computer from home.

Connect to Your Office Computer from Home

Office Network, Software, , ,
05
Aug 2014

services_vpn

Do you want the option to work from home and access all of your office computer’s files and applications?  Let’s cover some options.

LogMeIn was the go to option for remote access software in the past before they started charging for their software.  Fortunately, there are free applications that will allow you to remotely connect to your office computer from home.

1.) TeamViewer

TeamViewer, available for Windows, Apple, Linux, or Mobile installs without much fuss and is easy to use.

team_viewer_console

As you see, the TeamViewer window is divided into the Remote Control and Meeting tabs.  In the Remote Control tab, Your ID and Password have to be shared with the computer that connects to yours. The Personal Password allows you to access your computer from anywhere at any time provided, of course, it is left on.

In the Meeting tab under Control Remote Computer, you can control a remote computer by entering the Partner ID generated on the remote computer’s TeamViewer window under the Remote Control tab.

2.) Chrome Remote Desktop

Easier to use than TeamViewer, Chrome Remote Desktop does not have as many features. However, the good news is you do not need to have the web browser running to use the app.  You will need to have the Chrome browser installed, which we recommend using as your main web browser.

To download Chrome Remote Desktop, go the app page in the Chrome Web Store.

Chrome_Web_Store

Click the blue +Free button to download the app, and click Add when it asks you to confirm. If you are not signed into Google, it will prompt you to do so.

Once installed, click the Apps button under the Chrome search bar, and open the Chrome Remote Desktop App.

chrome_remote_desktop_app

Click the Get Started button if it appears.

To share your computer with another, click the green Share button.

share

You will be given a unique access code that the other party will use to access your computer.

access_code

It is recommended that you read the code aloud to the other party rather than type it. Click Allow access to enable the other party’s remote desktop session on your computer.

allow_access

To access a computer available for sharing, open a new tab in Chrome and click the gray Access button instead of the green Share button. Enter the access code provided by your partner whose computer is to be shared.

access-code-connect

Click Connect. You can also access your own remote computer you have previously made available for sharing with these latter steps. Just be sure to keep the Access code in a safe, handy place.

The downside of Chrome Remote Desktop is that you cannot perform file transfer with it. Instead you have to upload files to and download them from the cloud.

3.) Join.me

Join.me offers an extremely lightweight remote desktop app that is simple to use. If you opt for their basic plan, it’s free.  To share your desktop, go to their homepage and click start meeting.

screen-sharing-join-me-start-meeting

A number will be generated for your sharing session. It should be near the top of the screen in orange.

join.me

Give this number to the party on the other side. They will be able to use this when they connect to your computer by clicking join. Like TeamViewer, join.me is capable of file transfer, and you do not need to register or create an account to use it.

Which should you use?

Because of its inability to do file transfers and the Google account login requirement, Chrome Remote Desktop offers fewer comparative advantages than the other two remote desktop apps.

Between TeamViewer and join.me, the latter is slightly easier to use.  However, TeamViewer offers more features that the free version of join.me. These include co- browsing, whiteboard, and video/ webcam capabilities These extra features more than offset the streamlined, ergonomic interface of join.me and warrant TeamViewer as the recommended free application for remote access.

For more information about remote access or other issues concerning your home or office computers, consult your local IT professional.

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