Do you still need your Windows in your Mac World?
Mac vs Windows
I recently had a conversation with one of my Air Force co-workers, who the other day bought a brand new Mac book. Her exact words were, “So in love!.…yes…with my Mac Book Pro!”
The problem that she has is that she still needs access to her Microsoft programs because the Department of Defense is still on a Microsoft centric environment. So I explained to her that she has three options. The options are:
Oracle VM Virtual Box
Parallels Desktop 7
VMware Fusion
For a seamless integration, I would recommend Parallels Desktop 7 or VMware Fusion. It will allow you run a virtualized version of any Windows (XP, Win7, Win8, Server2003, etc) system on your Mac. In simple terms, Windows and Windows’ programs becomes an app for your Mac. Better yet, the installed Windows apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, Visio, etc) will be on your Launch Pad for easy access. The cost break down is the following:
Oracle VM VirtualBox -> $0.00
Parallels Desktop 7 -> $79.99
VMware Fusion -> $49.99
(***Please note that you still need a valid copy of the Windows software with these options ***)
Why not the FREE option? VirtualBox is more reserved for the professional geeks that are constantly building and destroying their machines and the design is not as polished as the other two. If you need any assistance on any getting Windows on your Mac, please feel free to contact me at www.austinitconsulting.com
Links:
April 18, 2012 Leave a comment
Why Spend Money On Antivirus When You Don’t Have To
(Disclaimer: This article is based for a PC user.)
Why spend $80 dollars on Norton Antivirus or $50 on McAfee Antivirus Plus when you get the same thing for FREE with Microsoft Security Essentials. When you look at the bench mark tests that Anti Virus Comparatives Organization conducts, the following products received the following score:
Symantec’s Antivirus PC Mark Score: 2018
Microsoft Security Essentials PC Mark Score: 2014
McAfee Antivirus Plus PC Mark Score: 1975
The scores are based on when antivirus software scans files, when you open files, install applications, and other typical daily use. Click on the link HowToGeek.com and they provide an excellent guide on how to install Microsoft Security Essentials on your system.
Resources:
AV Comparatives Organization December 2011 Report
If you need any assistance with Microsoft Security Essentials, please feel free to contact me at www.austinitconsulting.com
March 23, 2012 Leave a comment
The Dover Port Mortuary Independent Review
This is a continuum of a story that broke couple months ago about how Dover Air Force Base has severely mishandled the funeral process that lead to service member remains being deposited into a landfill. Based on Army General (Retired) John Abizaid’s “The Dover Port Mortuary (DPM) Independent Review Subcommittee”; it is now documented that the first documented incident occurred September 2005.
Part of the report
Ref: The Dover Port Mortuary Independent Review Subcommittee Report
Some of the other incidents that are highlighted in the report that spans across the past eight years include:
- - September 11 victims buried in the same landfill as the service members.
- - Mishandling of a Army Master Sergeant remains
- - Mishandling of a Marine remains (resulted in $25,000 settlement)
- - Service members being disposed as medical waste
- - Mishandling of fetal remains of military spouses miscarriages
If this has been documented for the past eight years, why has this not been handled eight years ago? The commanders should be discharged with a dishonorable because as a taxpayer, I should not have to pay for individuals that could not do their job right. As a military veteran, I am deeply saddened that my brothers and sisters were handled this way.
Bottom line: If you are going to do a job, do it right.
Update:
The NY Times has done a follow to The Dover Port Mortuary Independent Review Comittee and the Chief of the Air Force response.
Link: NY Times Report
The Air Force needs to follow Office of Special Counsel guidance of removing the DPM officials instead of giving out LORs and demoting the civilians.
February 29, 2012 1 Comment
Boston Lifestyle
After our trip to Boston, Audrey and I thought what a great city. With a well built transit system, sidewalks, and bike paths; we said that we love to live in a city that offers the same. Hillsborough County offers the same thing on a much smaller scale. So I started to take the bus to work and walk to where needed to at work. In the morning and afternoon, Audrey drives me to the bus stop and picks me up in the afternoon. Great process if you think about it if the car battery does not die.
Audrey and I in Boston
So I take this time to incorporate other parts of the Boston lifestyle like walking home (great way to break in new boots) and biking to the bus stop when it is 45 degrees outside. If you can not tell, there is a bit of sarcasm in that last sentence. We joked how healthy people in Boston looked. I think that it is not by choice.
February 14, 2012 1 Comment
Humor for the day
Interesting view on Tech Support
I thought this funny. Originally posted by www.howtogeek.com
February 14, 2012 Leave a comment
PC running slow again?
In the past years, I have had several of my family and friends ask me to look at their computer because all of the sudden their computer stopped working or it runs slowly when they try to browse the internet. When I asked them when was the last time they cleaned their computer, the common response is “Am I supposed to do that?”
Your computer is like your car. Every three months or 3,000 miles, your car needs an oil change to keep the car running. Your computer needs the same maintenance plan to keep it running and extend the life of your pc. The best way to give your a PC an oil change is to install CCleaner. CCleaner is a system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system — allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and it is free You can get your copy of it by clicking on this link:
“http://filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/”
After downloading the file, run the executable file on your computer. You can run the default settings except for unchecking “Add Yahoo! Toolbar”. After it successfully installs, it automatically pops up and ready for use. Let’s clean our machine.
Step 1: Click on “CCleaner” button on the left hand side. Check all boxes except for “Autocomplete Form History” and “DNS Cache” and then click “Run Cleaner”. After it get’s done cleaning, it will show how much space is freed up. In this example I just cleaned up my computer and it freed up 369.3 MB of space.
Step 2: Click on the “Registry” button on the left hand side and click on “Scan for Issues”. It will look for unused file extensions, application issues, or any either issue that could be slowing down your computer. After it has discovered all the issues, all you have to do is click “Fix selected issues…”. It will prompt you to save a backup registry. Click yes and save it in “Your Documents”. Finally click on “Fix All Selected Issues” and we are all done.
Do these steps above every three months and you will see the difference!
If you need any assistance with CCleaner, please feel free to contact me at www.austinitconsulting.com
February 12, 2012 Leave a comment
What is this?
Well, I am still in the process of figuring this out or how I am going to use this blog but I am getting ahead of myself. My name is Clinton Austin. I am a husband, father, son, Christian, Freemason, business owner, IT professional, independent thinker, and much more.
“Don’t define a man by his age or his title but how he handles his responsibilities.”
I hope you enjoy reading this blog and I hope I get better doing this.
August 16, 2011 3 Comments