Disaster can strike at any time and computers are just machines that are not immune to failures or technical glitches. In the unfortunate even that your data does become inaccessible you want to ensure that you have a backup copy that you can revert to. Most modern operating systems come with backup programs built in. Windows 7 has a Backup and Restore utility while Mac OS X has Time Machine. You do not, however, need any specific software to start backing up your files.

Data is stored on computers on rotating discs called hard drives or flash memory modules. Either type of storage can get corrupted over time, damaged in an accident or even lost. For this reason you should regularly copy important documents onto  alternative storage media. This could be a flash drive, DVD, an external hard drive or even online in the cloud. Whichever medium you chose, it is wise to keep it in a separate physical location than the original data to decrease the possibility of both your original files and backup files suffering the same fate.

Backing up files is just the process of copying them from one storage medium to another. Files can be organized according to your preference. It is a good idea to date your backups so that you will be able to identify your most recent copies and differentiate them from older backups. If you want to back up programs make sure that you copy their installation files and any other data or preference file the program may have created that you will need later. Also ensure that you back up all important files especially those that may be in stored in uncommon locations on your computer.

By backing up your files you have something to revert to in case you suffer from data loss. This will help you get back to work without starting over from scratch. It is especially important to back up regularly so that the copies of your data are not too dated and therefore more useful.

Today we unveiled a new and improved version of the Dominica Sports Division website at www.dasportsdivision.com. In addition to a revamped look and feel the website now features many new additions such as:

• More detailed information about the Dominica  Sports Division including it’s vision, mission statement, roles and responsibilities and organisation chart
• Rules for various competitions
• Integrated site-wide Google search
• Filtering of  results by sports category
• Photo of the month for front page
• Links to affiliate sporting entities

As with any major redesign we worked closely with the staff of the Dominica Sports Division to make these changes possible. The website should now be a lot more accessible and content should be easier to find. Let us know what you think about this redesign  in the comments.

Google is well known as being one of the best places to go when searching for information on the internet. You can use it to search for information on various topics, images or  even news articles. Google can also be used as a quick and simple calculator which might save you from having to go through other websites to perform simple mathematical functions.

To use Google as a calculator simply type in the expression that you want evaluated as you would do in other programs such as Excel. For example, to multiply 10 and 5 simply search for “10*5″ (without the quotes). Google will understand that this is a mathematical operation and give the relevant result rather than the regular textual search results. This is very handy when you do not have a calculator on hand, but need to do some quick math. Google’s calculator function is not limited to arithmetic however.

You can also use  Google’s in-built calculator functions  to convert values from metric to imperial measurement or vice versa. You could convert kilometers to miles, degrees celsius to fahreinheit or kilograms to pounds. To do this simply search for the conversion using a term such as “30 degrees celsius in fahreinheit” or “5lbs in kg” and the calculated result will be displayed above the regular textual search results.

Give it a try at Google.com.

GnuCash is a free, open-source accounting program that can be used to manage your finances. This program uses simple double entry principles to record your income, expenses, assets and liabilities. You can create any account that you want, specify the account type, and the account gets treated accordingly. This program can also generate reports and financial statements for any period that you specify.

GnuCash is a simple program to use and its interface is not cluttered with complicated options. You also do not need to have any experience in accounting to use this software although it would help you understand its use better. The interface of the program can be tweaked via the Preferences menu along with various options about the accounts that you want to manage including which currency should be used.

There are many commercial accounting programs, but if you are looking for a free program to do simple accounting look no further than GnuCash. This program is cross platform and works on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Whether you are a new computer user or you have been using computers for years there is one program that no one wants  – the computer virus. A computer virus is a malicious  program that can cause all kind of havoc  to an infected system such as deleting data and corrupting the operating system. As you can imagine this is a major inconvenience and can result in irrecoverable data loss. To protect yourself from this it is wise to always have an updated version of antivirus software installed on your computer.

In previous years, most antivirus software was trialware so you could only use them for free for a limited time then you would be prompted to purchase a subscription to use the software for longer. A lot of these trialware antivirus programs still come installed on new computers. Fortunately, nowadays you also have many free options for personal antivirus software so you are not limited to these subscription based solutions.

To use an antivirus software you install it on your computer and then you update it’s virus definitions. This helps the software get updates that allow it to detect new threats that are out in the wild. The program can then be used to scan the entire computer or specific locations for malicious programs. If any virus is found you will be prompted by the program which will also suggest an action to get rid of the harmful files. Antivirus software can also help prevent viruses from entering the system in the first place by monitoring downloaded files and processes active in memory.

Below are some free antivirus programs that can be used to protect your computer:

Microsoft Security Essentials – A highly rated free antivirus program from Microsoft. This program uses a simple interface and lacks many of the bells and whistles of other more complicated antivirus software. However it does the job it is meant to do well and is very unobtrusive.

Avast Antivirus – This is another free antivirus software for personal use. You can upgrade to the paid pro version for additional features but the free version is adequate to keep your personal computer protected from common viruses.

AVG Anti-Virus – Another basic free antivirus with the option of purchasing a version with more features.

Your choice of antivirus software ultimately depends on your preference. Whichever program you choose it is imperative to keep your virus definitions updated so that you are protected from new and emerging threats. It is also recommended that you scan your computer regularly and especially scan any external drive that you use with your computer as these are common entry points for viruses.

2011 has been an interesting year with it’s many challenges and accomplishments. We look forward to 2012 having learned from our mistakes and with ambitions to take us to the next level. It is common when setting goals or making resolutions to start thee year focused and aggressive only to have the charisma and enthusiasm phase out as the year progresses. To guard against this SeizerStyle Designs has carefully planned our approach for 2012 while not limiting ourselves to easily achievable goals.

Growth and Expansion in 2012

Our focus for 2012 will be primarily on growth and expansion. We will work to get the SeizerStyle Designs brand more recognized and to make people more aware of our offerings. To do this we may have to increase our team our explore new avenues but we are committed to this cause. We have come up with many strategies to help us grow throughout this calendar year.

This year we intend to improve the usefulness of both our company website and all the social websites in SeizerStyle Designs Network. Our website will include more relevant content pertaining to our company and services while our blog will give more general news and updates as well as in depth information about our activities. This move will increase the relevance of both our company website and our blog.

We will also be offering more promotions and target a wider range of customers. Customers will be able to get discounts by being referred to us by current clients or by following us on social networks for details of special offers. Our focus on customer satisfaction will see us working closer with customers than ever before. This means more interaction and quicker response times.

SeizerStyle Designs is also preparing to launch various new projects in 2012. The details of these projects will be disclosed on their launch. We are committed to helping others be successful in their endeavors and intend to use our resources to facilitate this.

2012 will be a very interesting year and SeizerStyle Designs is ready for it. We are always looking to work together with others to achieve our mutual goals. If you would like to work with us please contact us. Have a blessed and prosperous year.

SeizerStyle Designs presents our 2012 collection of calendars. At the end of each year we design a set of calendars that showcase our graphic design abilities. This year we designed 7 calendars to include:

• 3 calendars at 11″ x 8.5″ (letter, landscape)
• 3 calendars at 8.5″ x 11″ (letter, portrait)
• 1 pocket calendar at 3.5″ x 2″ (business card)

All calendars show the different phases of the moon for 2012 and 2 of them specifically highlight the public holidays in the  Commonwealth of Dominica. All these calendars are free to download and can be printed for personal use. You can click on the thumbnails below for a larger view or download all calendars at full size via the link below. All calendars are high resolution designs and indicative of the work SeizerStyle Designs is capable of. If you would like your own personal calendars or any other graphic design do not hesitate to contact us.

Download All 2012 Calendars (4.14 MB zip)

Over time your Windows computer noticeably begins to take longer to startup and may suffer from degraded performance. Many times this is a result of entries that programs make instructing your computer to run them as soon as it starts up. This makes your computer take longer to become responsive once it is turned on. One solution for managing this startup clutter is a program called CCleaner.

CCleaner has a lot of different features such as clearing browser history, cookies and uninstalling system programs. The feature we are interested in for this tip however is located in the Tools tab under the Startup category. Here CCleaner lists the programs that are scheduled to run as soon as the computer logs into Windows. You can disable unwanted programs from running on startup or delete them from the startup list altogether.

Although CCleaner is simple to use, it is important to exercise caution with any program that can modify important system files. Ensure that you are familiar with any program that you disable from running at startup. If you later need to re-enable the program at a later date you can do so from the same part of the program. Entries that are deleted from the startup list cannot be recovered though, so only use this option when you are sure it is not an important file or is not for a program feature you may require later. To help decipher if an unknown startup item is important you can search for the item name or filename on websites such as liutilities.com or processlibrary.com. Websites like these give descriptions of the processes and recommendations as to whether it is safe to prevent them from starting up automatically.

With CCleaner and a little knowledge of what your startup programs do you can help your computer load faster. Be weary of the programs that you install on your computer because they may install start up entries without your knowledge. It is a good idea to run CCleaner regularly to ensure that your startup list remains tidy.

Download CCleaner

At the end of the year SeizerStyle Designs usually reviews our achievements and shortcomings and creates new goals for the new year. We have reviewed our experiences in 2011 before the calendar year has completely ended so that we can start off fresh in the new year with new goals and a renewed focus. It is sometimes difficult to look back at your mistakes and shortcomings but it is by acknowledging them and learning from them that we can truly improve.

The Good

2011 was the year that SeizerStyle Designs really embraced social networking. We were reluctant to at first, favoring the more traditional approach of controlling our identity via our official website. However the popularity and impact of social networks is so overwhelming that we decided that we have to reach our target audience wherever they may be rather than just expecting them to find us. Thus, SeizerStyle Designs Network was formed and it now incorporates our blog,  Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Linkedin pages. We now leverage the unique features and audiences of each individual social site to best represent us on the web.

This year we also made strides in offering more features and control to our website design clients. All our client websites now have associated analytics features which can provide the client with valuable website statistics on visitors as well as search engine optimization.

The Bad

With the rise of social networking comes the challenge of providing regular updates to keep your content relevant. This content has to be of  quality so as not to be discarded as just noise. This is an area that we have had problems wit in the past and continue to struggle with on some fronts. In that respect our portfolio is not fully populated with all our work. There are also issues which we have to consider such as client privacy before putting up designs we have created on our websites.

Expansion in 2011 was not as pronounced as we expected. Projects we expected to be launched this year had to be pushed back. We are also still looking to collaborate with other website and graphic designers on various projects which have not been made public yet. So far we have not been able to forge any working alliance.

The Ugly

Earlier this year this blog almost got axed because it was underutilized. Thankfully the decision was made to keep it active and give it more attention.

Overall 2011 was not a year of trials and exploring new avenues. This attitude of adaptability has made us a more versatile company and better equipped to handle the challenges of 2012.

SeizerStyle Designs wishes all our readers, customers and  friends happy holidays. Have a Merry Christmas (if you celebrate it) and enjoy the festive season in safety and comfort. If you are unable to spend time with family and friends in person we hope that social media can help you keep in touch nevertheless.

We are grateful for all the support, kindness and courtesy expressed to us during the year. Sometimes the things that we cannot  touch or see have a much deeper impact than the physical things we experience daily. We hope everyone can enjoy this holiday season and take a break from the other rigours of life at least temporarily to appreciate the blessings of 2011.