March 4, 2011
Microsoft Certified Partners - What Are They?
Have you seen the term Microsoft Certified Partner or MCP and not known what it meant? An MCP is an independent company that offers its clients Microsoft related products and services. While they are independent firms, they work under the Microsoft label worldwide. The services and products might include anything from technical support, to education, to specialist software to original equipment manufacturer software. It is beneficial to be a Microsoft Certified Partner as partners receive earlier access to information from Microsoft, a higher level of technical support and more inexpensive access to Microsoft software licenses than the general public. The biggest benefit to Microsoft is a ready to serve, dedicated group of savvy, modern businesses who are always available to take care of the needs of Microsoft’s customers. The certification program is aimed at high-level businesses that can integrate, service or apply Microsoft technologies and platforms. There are two types of MCPs - a Microsoft Certified Partner and a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. The latter is accreditation given to companies that pass much more stringent test to qualify for the status but also accordingly; they have a lot more resources available to them because of this. Microsoft Certified Partners need to have been in business for at least five years before they can take the tests they need to take and pass to become certified. They also need to prove their competency in their specialty fields. In recompense, MCPs receive special discounts on the tools they need to work in their fields of expertise. Staff of Gold Certified Partners must have the ability to plan, design, implement and manage customized computing solutions and environments around Microsoft technologies. The gold certification program includes a wide range of focus areas, including business intelligence, collaborative solutions, hosting, application services, learning solutions and security solutions. To continue as Microsoft Certified Partners, members of the program are obligated to pay a membership fee annually. In return for this fee they gain access to software licenses, early access to Microsoft beta software and all sorts of technical and development information that they can then use in their own businesses and with their own clients. They also get access to up to ten copies of Office XP Developer Edition, twenty copies of Windows XP Professional Operating System and between ten and twenty Client Access License Seats for server access. When Microsoft releases new platforms or software, MCPs must upgrade their certifications, which ensures that these partners are kept up on Microsoft releases and that their certification is up-to-date. A Microsoft Certified Partner also has the advantage of having access to 24/7 Microsoft support. This gives them the knowledge and technical skills to give improved service and support to all of their customers.
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March 4, 2010
Fine Tune Your PC
The next time your change the oil in your car, think of your personal computer. You flush the oil in your car to get rid of the gunk and sediments that have slowly been deposited over time. Your PC tends to have many of deposits that come from a variety of sources. Each time a file is modified it may be moved or become fragmented (spread across different areas of the hard disk instead of remaining one intact whole). “Temporary” files are created that remain in the system, potentially forever. Keys and entries are added to the Windows Registry that are never removed. It all adds up to one slow computer, but there are some things you can do to fine tune your PC into top performance.
The quickest and easiest thing to do is defrag your hard drive. All Windows systems come equipped with Defrag.exe, a powerful little tool that rearranges the files on your hard drive for optimal performance. To “defrag” your drive, open up Windows Explorer (not to be confused with Internet Explorer) and right click on the drive you want to defragment (usually the C: drive). Click on Properties at the bottom of the drop down menu and then click the Tools tab at the top. Click the middle button that says “Defragment Now…” to run defrag.exe. Click the Defragment button and your off and running. Cclose all programs before doing this and don’t plan to do any work on your compute for a while. Running defrag could take up to some hours or even overnight.
You should also open the Start Menu and click “Run…” Enter “msconfig” (do not use the quotes) and click OK to run the System Configuration Utility. Click the Startup tab and you will see a list of all the services and programs that load automatically any time you start Windows. Keep your antivirus program and every programs you use regularly, but if you see programs you don’t use, simply uncheck the box. When you restart Windows, you will be asked if you want to run the utility again, so you can undo any changes if you made a mistake.
It’s also very important to clean the Windows Registry. This is not something you want to try one your own, since one mistake could prevent your computer from booting or functioning properly. Several software companies offer programs to do this for you, each with its own strengths and capabilities.
One website that reviews and compares registry cleaning software is Answer Registry Reviews at The site offers relevant posts on the Windows Registry and compares various registry cleaning software products. The website even offers good links to directly download and purchase products such as RegCure, Registry Mechanic and Registry Easy (among others) online. If your Windows system is running slowly or you suspect a virus, Answer Registry Reviews should be the first stop for information on what might be causing the problem and to download a product that would meet your needs to correct it.
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