Holiday Travel Questions

Q:
You've talked about laptops going through airport security before, but what about other electronic devices, such as flash drives and CDs? Can those be damaged when going through the security line?

A:
That's a great question and it couldn't have come at a better time! With Christmas and New Year's right around the corner, I'm sure a lot of you will be traveling via airplane to go visit your family and friends. And along with everything else, you'll probably be taking certain devices, such as your digital camera, cell phone, MP3 player or even possibly a flash drive. No matter what you take with you, it's vital to know what you need to do to keep all of those things safe while you travel. Keep reading for some helpful suggestions!

The biggest concern when it comes to traveling with your electronic devices is the airport security line. It's always been a fear that when you send your media through the X-ray machine, everything you have saved will be erased or damaged. For example, if you send your digital camera through, will all of the pictures you have saved be demolished? Or, how about your MP3 player or iPod? Will all of your songs be erased with one quick swipe? It's scary to think about that happening, but luckily, it rarely does.

Fortunately, most airports think about that kind of thing beforehand. Airport X-ray machines actually emit an electromagnetic energy, which is not magnetic at all. Therefore, they cannot damage or destroy any electrical equipment. This goes for laptops, CDs, DVDs, PDAs, memory cards, floppy disks, flash drives, external hard drives, MP3 players, iPods, digital cameras, cell phones and just about anything else you can think of. So, just to make sure we're clear, let's go over all of those in a little more detail. Here we go!

CDs, DVDs - This includes all of the different types of CDs and DVDs, including R and RW. Any type of optical disk cannot be affected by an X-ray machine and they will not be damaged or erased when passing through.

Laptop, PDA, other types of computers - These types of devices are not sensitive to X-rays, which means they will not be affected. The same goes for all of the components within them as well (motherboard, graphics card, video card, etc).

Flash media - This includes any type of storage device you may use for your digital camera. Memory cards are not sensitive to light, which means they will not be affected when passing through an X-ray machine. As you probably know, film can be damaged when hit with light, so if you were to X-ray a film camera, the images would be erased. (You do remember traditional film cameras, don't you?!)

Floppy disks - Floppies are affected by magnetic charges, but since airport X-ray machines don't carry any magnetic energy at all, they will be safe. Unless you run a magnet over the metal area on your floppy disk, the data you have saved will not be destroyed.

Hard disk drives - This category includes flash drives, thumb drives, external hard drives, etc. These all work very similarly to a floppy drive, so even though they're sensitive to magnetic charges, an X-ray machine will not affect the material you have saved on them.

Other electronics - Finishing up, this one includes MP3 players, iPods, digital cameras, cell phones and any other devices you can think of. Unless the manufacturer of your device states an item is affected by X-rays, the data you have saved will not be lost. Certain products may be different, so make sure you read through your user manual before taking anything like this through an airport X-ray machine.

Now, before I end, I want to make sure everyone knows we're talking about an X-ray machine and not a metal detector. They are two different things and airports usually have both. Metal detectors can sometimes damage electronic devices, so you'll want to make sure you let the security personnel at your airport know you're carrying a sensitive device. If you do that, they should be able to hand check your items for you so that you don't have to risk putting them in danger. Make sure you're always aware of which machine you're going through and how it will affect the items you brought with you. If you do that, your flying experience will be as smooth as silk. Happy holiday traveling, my friends!

Don't Open Junk Mail

Junk mail, or spam, is email that tries to sell you fake products or pornography, offers you ways to make lots of money, or promises to get you out of debt. The point is to make you want to click on the links inside it, which can put viruses on your computer, sell you bad products, or take your money. Email messages that do not show your email address in the “to” or “cc” lines are often spam.

Protect yourself from spam:

Do's:

* Do delete spam without opening it.
* Do set the spam blocker in your email program to medium or high. (Be sure to check your junk mail folder in case it accidentally catches mail from someone you know.)
* Do use anti-virus software.
* Do keep security patches up-to-date.
* Do install a firewall.
* Do reject all email and instant messages from people who you don’t know.

Don’ts:

* Don't open spam.
* Don't click on links in spam. These links can lead you to a Web site that might put a virus on your computer.
* Don't reply to spam as this gives the sender your address.
* Don't open any email attachments from anyone you do not know. These emails and attachments may contain viruses or spyware

Report Spam

The danger in reporting spam is that you might open it and accidentally click on the links inside. Many services recommend you simply delete it. However, you can forward spam to your Internet Service Provider or the Federal Trade Commission. But do not open the spam and send it back to spammer, since that gives away your email address.

Another Costly Mistake: Thinking you can fix technology problems on your own.

When you work for a company, an Information Technology (IT) department helps you with computer problems. When you work for yourself, you become the IT department. Small business owners may find themselves trying to play around with a quirky program or fix a technical issue that's slowing them down. This is wasted time and money.

• It takes a non-technical person at least twice as long to diagnose and repair a computer problem. Don't spend hours on an issue only to find out you still need professional help.
• You can often compound the problem. If you make it worse, it will cost you more time and more money.
• A professional consultant can become your IT contact. If money is an issue, find a creative agreement that benefits you both.
• If you remember where your time is most well-spent in your business, you'll never waste another moment on a technical problem you can't fix.

What to Do When

It's hard to know what to do and when to do it. Here is a brief outline of suggested maintenance items for either you PC or your MAC.

COMPUTER MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES FOR PC AND MACS

DAILY
System Updates
Macs are set to automatically check for updates, but PCs are not. If you have a PC, you need to set the update checker or download updates as necessary. When you set your computer up properly, the update checks twice a day.

Back-ups
You should have a back-up plan and stick to it. You can set your computer to automatically back-up files every day or you can do it manually. If you have ever said, "I'll do that tomorrow." Tomorrow may be too late!

Downloads
Be careful about the files and programs you download from the Internet and E-mail messages. Many PCs get run down and crash simply because people are downloading files that carry viruses. Be careful -- you could crash your computer or download something that causes you to lose important files.


TWICE-A-WEEK
Anti-Virus Updates
Most anti-virus software packages automatically check for and download anti-virus updates. Once you set up your computer, it will happen several times a day. Most anti-virus manufacturers update their software once a week, unless a big virus makes it necessary to update more often.


EVERY TWO WEEKS
Defragmentation
When you "defrag" your hard drive, you check to make sure everything is working properly and your machine is running at top speed. This is more important for PCs.

Disk Cleanup
On Windows systems, Disk Cleanup deletes old Internet files, temporary files, and other things that clog up your hard disk.

Spyware/Adware Removal
Many applications on Windows' computers come with extra programs that benefit advertisers. If you have three or more of these programs on your computer, it slows the machine down. Most of the time, you won't even know Spyware and Adware are running! Make sure you get a Spyware/Adware removal program.

Right Toys Wrong Time

I get this question all the time—“Should I buy the latest version of…?” you fill in the blank.

Whether it is the latest version of software or the latest gadget, it is tempting to keep ahead with the cool factor or wonder if it really will be the next best thing since sliced bread.

Buying the wrong amount of technology

Ads for new business tools, gadgets, and software can be tempting. You may want a faster computer with more memory, but do you need the latest and greatest? Can you get by for a few more months or even another year before investing in a new system? If your technology is working for you now, stick with it.

I usually say you can skip the first upgrade but probably shouldn’t skip two.

Here are a few reasons why:

• Prices are highest and manufacturers' glitches are common with brand-new products. Don't jump on a software upgrade or computer system the minute it's released.

• Holding onto a clunker because it still works is not smart business. If your technology is very slow or you have software and hardware breakdowns regularly, you're costing yourself time and money -- your two most valuable business resources. (I just had a client that just upgraded from a Windows 95 machine! He is in techno shock! Plus we couldn't get some of the data converted.)

• Find a balance. You need a computer system that functions well, programs that help you do business, and user-friendly gadgets that save you time. Do your homework, ask your business colleagues and friends, and comparison shop.

I fall into it too, but let someone else take the hit and do all the testing for the manufacturers. Knowing most of you don’t have your own full-time tech person you will save time, money and quite possibly your sanity!

Keep living the dream…

Share your comments on this topic so others can benefit from your experience as well.

Starting off not to fail

This is probably my most common call that I take on a weekly basis. "My computer is dead, (I have a virus, whatever..) can I retrieve my business files?"

Yikes! We've all had that sinking feeling. It will probably happen to you if you haven't experienced it yet. Months of work, years of pictures, and weeks of bookkeeping lost in a moment.

Call me paranoid but I experience it everyday so I make backups automatically every day. If you have been "meaning to get to it". DO it today!

Failure to protect sensitive and/or important business information.
The information on your computer can be more valuable than the equipment itself. Protect your important data from loss, theft, and exposure with the following tips.

• Make two back-up copies of all software and important files. Keep one set of back-up materials off-site. Try to get a copy off site at least once a month. Tornados, floods, fire or theft doesn't keep your on-site copy safe.
  
• Use password protection or a lock that prevents your system from being turned on by unapproved users.
  
• Install anti-virus software to automatically check for computer viruses that can corrupt or destroy your files.

I use two external backup drives. One that I keep plugged in to my server all the time and it backs up daily overnight. The other I bring back on-site make a backup and then take back off-site.

Back in the day a DVD would back up everything but today you need bigger media.

Pictures are another subject. I went totally digital about 7 years ago. My kids don't even know what a film cannister looks like. I do back them up similarly but those are "memories" I can't replace. I am extra paranoid about them. I do use DVD's to make permanent backups and store one copy off-site.

There are other resources that can backup your files online and would "kill two birds with one stone." These are monthly subscriptions and you would pay as you go for storage and for the amount of storage you use. Just search for online back up services and you will find a multitude of companies to explore.


It will happen to you, its just a matter of time. So get about the business of protecting your business with a good backup plan.

Share your thoughts and any tips you have that you use.

This blog will (after I get the rest of the redesign done) become a weekly newsletter on helping small business work smarter not harder. My business is dedicated to helping the small biz not recreate the wheel but actually use it. Many small businesses are so buried in work and are doing things the way the always have, they don't utilize the tools that are right at their fingertips. Some require no money to begin using, some may require a little training, but most require a little forethought and a small business can make huge strides in productivity with just a little direction.

I will be writing a articles every week on just those subjects so be looking for them.

Keep living the dream!