A. This can be done a number of ways: If your email account is a POP3 account; as most outside of a corporate setup are; you should be able to find a mail setup wizard on the phone that will ask you for basic information like your email account and password. You have to have all your ducks in a row for this to work.

If you do have a corporate email system (most commonly Microsoft Exchange), then it is a matter of getting a decent smartphone that can get more than just email. The newer blackberry phones and Microsoft Mobile phones shouldn't have any trouble. A Microsoft Windows Mobile phone can be configured quite easily to sychronize with your email; calendar; and contacts. Go to the start button; then look for the green, round "activesync" icon. Choose "menu" then "configure server" to start the wizard. Keep in mind that mobile email ability has to be enabled on the server first.

If you have a Blackberry; RIM Networks has released a free version of their Enterprise Server for up to 5 users that can be installed on an SBS server or separate Windows 2003 box that can see Exchange. This also accomplishes the ability to get your email; calendar; & contacts virtually live to your Blackberry.

Other phones: Well; there are many types out there; some based on a flavor of Linux; others with older versions of the RIM OS or Windows Mobile. Some take some tinkering with; but for the most part will support POP3 email. Of course; there are those phones that just won't do email or Internet; but they have pretty much fallen to the wayside.

A. This is usually due to the firewall on your pc blocking access to the network printer. The first thing is to open the firewall to allow unrestricted; two-way access to the printer's IP address or necessary ports. This is either easy or hard depending on your firewall. For instance; Norton Internet Security makes it easy because you can allow unrestricted traffic between your pc and the printer network name or fixed IP address. Other firewalls like Microsoft's Live Onecare require certain ports and programs to be opened individually. This can be applied to any other firewall as well; and is as follows:

Open the firewall program.

Add the following files to the Highly Trusted programs list:

hpzipm12.exe, located under the C:\windows\system32 directory.

hpzinw12.exe, located under the C:\windows\system32 directory.

hpqkygrp.exe, located under the C:\program files\HP\digital imaging\bin directory.

hpqscnvw.exe, located under the C:\program files\HP\digital imaging\bin directory.

hpqtra08.exe, located under the C:\program files\HP\digital imaging\bin directory.

hpqthb08.exe, located under the C:\program files\HP\digital imaging\bin directory.

NOTE: Not all of the files mentioned above will be present on your computer.

If all these executables are already added, then check if full access has been granted to them.

Open the following ports on your firewall utility by following the instructions provided by the manufacturer:

UDP ports: 161, 427 and 137 TCP ports: 9220, 9500 and 9290

Step two: Restart the printer and your computer.

A. Multi-layered security plan is best; and it doesn't have to cost too much. Keep in mind though that spending a bit more can save you hours of headache down the road; so it's usually worth it.

We'll start with a local firewall and antivirus program installed to every machine. On the home user front this is along the lines of Norton Internet Security or Microsoft Live Onecare (free 90 day trial at: Windows Live Onecare). Be sure to run a scan with a third-party scanner if you suspect trouble- A good one is: Bitdefender Online Scanner

Secondly; make sure you visit: Microsoft Windows Update to get all the latest security updates to Windows.

Finally; in a network of even small size; a good router can simplify things. Remember; a router not only shares out your Internet connection to multiple pc's and provides basic security from the outside world; a good one can be set up to increase security from your own pc's that might go awry. For instance; Linksys is a popular brand of router made by Cisco. They have a number of different models; most of which have the capability of blocking certain services. You might want to keep users from using peer-to-peer file sharing services that can slow network performance and greatly increase the chances of a virus coming in. The same goes for streaming music sites; or specific websites that have been problematic. All can be blocked with a good router. The Linksys WRT54G is a time-tested basic model with good features. For more industrial-strength features; try the RVS4000 or RV082 models; or their newer equivolents.

These steps combined with common sense (don't open emails that you weren't expecting; and do a double-take on them anyway to see if there is anything suspicious about them) will go a long way to preventing problems.

A. If you are just running a few Windows XP or Vista machines; try to centralize the data on just one machine. It is much easier to back up that way. Then; use at least two of the following methods of backup:

1. Buy imaging software for not much money from Acronis so you can get your entire computer backed up; Windows and all; to an external drive. Buy an external drive of at least 300GB; if not 500GB or more. This way; you can store multiple revisions of your computer on the backup drive. Acronis (similar to Ghost but better) can do scheduled backups of your entire system while in Windows; which means you can continue to work.

2. Mozy is a great new online backup company. Backed by the very stable parent company EMC Software; Mozy will backup a home pc for just $5/month! In fact; they have a free 2GB backup if that suits your needs. It's truly a great deal; since Mozy will back up open files and gives you unlimited storage under their $5 plan. For corporate/business backups; the same open-file feature applies; but they charge by the Gigabyte. Even so; it is still a modest $20-$40 a month depending. Exchange servers and SQL servers are also backed up under the Mozypro plan.

3. There are many other methods available depending on your situation.. If you have just a few small but critical files (maybe Quickbooks?) you can back that up to a memory key which can be had for as little as $10. A new service that synchronizes data between up to three pc's AND backs up to a website is called Sugarsync. More traditional ways of backing up include tape drives and swappable hard drives that are mirrored in your pc. Go for a method that meets your budget and work habit. For instance; if you like low maintenance; don't pick a method that forces you to remember to swap a tape or drive every week.

A. It's always hard to realize that servicing the PC will cost more than the computer itself.. But this is nothing new. Numerous studies have been done citing the maintenance costs of a PC. This is especially true in the corporate world; where the systems are more complex and tools more expensive. Of course; as the PC prices come down; the differences are even more pronounced. The situation is this: Even though PC prices have plummeted; their usefulness and complexity have gone way up; while the PC service industry rates have stayed pretty much the same. If you do need a service contract or a computer expert to help you out; you pretty much have to look at the "TCO" or Total Cost of Ownership. Just like when you buy a car; you know that you will pay far more than the original purchase price over time for extras like insurance; parts; and gasoline. The same goes with computers- Hopefully, this FAQ will help you keep costs down by taking the right steps from the beginning.

A. Ask yourself if it is slower than when you bought it; or about the same. If it is significantly slower than in the past; a virus might be the culprit. Using Internet Explorer; do a scan on it at Bit Defender for good measure. Then see how much ram you have by right-clicking on the "My Computer" icon. If you have under 1GB of ram for XP or Vista; you need more memory. Go to Crucial and plug in your PC's model number to see how much memory it can take; and what kind. Also follow through with a defragmentation of the hard drive and run a free scan from the Live Onecare site at Live Onecare

A. In general; I would say modernize. With new personnel also comes a new culture. When you bring in new people; you'll find they have certain expectations from the office technology that they had elsewhere. Furthermore; you will need to increase overall productivity and communication in the company. A relatively reasonably-priced way to do this is to use Microsoft's Small Business Server 2003 or 2008 to get Microsoft Exchange for email; along with a host of other benefits for your network. Get new pc's if the old ones are slow or unproductive. Get faster Internet access if the cost is reasonable. Once you have these basics; you can do pretty much what every company with good technology infrastructure can do these days; and you will have a good platform for growth.