If you are on the lookout for a new printer, you may be baffled by the choice you have. There are hundreds of printers available and many of them have different functions. The first thing you need to decide is what the printer is going to be used for. If for example you are going to be printing a lot of photos, then you need to ensure that the printer is capable of printing high quality images. If you want the printer for printing documents, then the number of pages it prints per cartridge and speed may be more the deciding factor.

Another important factor to bear in mind is if you want a printer that is wireless or not. Wireless printers tend to be a little more expensive but you can still pick one up for around £30. If you are going to want to print from your phone then printers that offer apps or say they are Apple print compatible (if you use an Apple phone) are great.

One other point to mention is the cost of replacement ink cartridges and how much printing they actually give you.

Many of us reply heavily on our computers but despite this, not enough of us back up our work as often as we should. If you use your computer for business then it is vital that you keep at least two copies of your work. The error that many people make is to back up their work on to an external hard drive or memory stick for example but then delete the original. This is not a back up more a way of moving files. You need to have two copies as should one get deleted or corrupt, you still have another copy somewhere else. If you are bad at remembering to back up then you could buy a back up system that you can schedule to do it for you. Western Digital have systems such as My Book which allow you to run a backup as and when you want but also to schedule back ups to run daily, weekly or monthly. As soon as the time comes to back up it will run and if the drive is not plugged in, it will run the back up next time you connect it. You can also get systems that back up over Wifi meaning you no longer have to physically connect a device such as an external hard drive.

As a web developer, you will all too well know the frustration of bugs in your web development. Often bugs may just be a simple bit of code that has been mis typed or placed in the wrong area. Hours can be spent trying to find out the problem and sometimes to no avail.

When searching for bugs you may wish to take advantage of programs such as Firebug (part of Firefox browser) which allow you to pick apart code on the website to see how it works or how it can be fixed. It also allows you to make live changes (local only) to the code to see if you can fix it. Once you have found what the issue is you can then apply the correct code to the code on the live version of the site. This also allows you to play around with colours, fonts etc without having to do it live for any visitors to see.

If you really get stuck then you could try posting on one of the many forums out there. If you are using WordPress, then they have a great community of users ready to help if you get stuck with a website or plugin.

Computers are used by many of us on a daily basis in work and in our personal live. Many of us now rely on computers and technology for day to day tasks such as making shopping lists, organising our calendars and appointments and even sending out birthday cards and connecting with friends via video chat for example.

The problem is that when we reply on only one machine for all of this, should something go wrong with that machine, as often happens with computers and technology, then we stand to lose everything. Some people don’t have a computer but use their phone or tablet in the same way, often using the calendar to set reminders, again if this is lost or damaged you may be at risk  of not knowing what you are supposed to be doing when and missing appointments.

Ideally you need to ensure that all your data, pictures, calendars, documents and contacts are backed up regularly so you can access them from elsewhere should you need to. Most cloud storage systems offer a service to allow you to do this and some of them offer a certain amount of space free.

Many of us have hundreds of usernames and passwords for different websites to allow us access to place orders, view order history, track orders or check our online statements. It is not advisable to have the same password for all sites as if your password becomes compromised then you may find that multiple accounts are accessed in quick succession.

If you are trying to log in to a website and find that it is stating your username or password is incorrect, then you need to try and reset it. Some websites will let you do this on screen by answering a few security questions, others will email you a secure link to reset the password.

Ideally you want to be able to keep a list of all passwords and users names buy again, this is not advised as if someone manages to access this list they will be able to get in to all of your accounts.

Why not keep a list of user names and possible clues to a password.  This way at least you can be sure that your user name is correct and have some hope of being able to guess the password.

External hard drives are a storage device that you can plug into your laptop via USB they come in different sizes depending on the content that they are to be used for. Most people buy external hard drives to increase the memory capacity of their computers however they can also be used as a back-up device for smart phones, PCs and cameras. The best thing about this is that once backed up you can store the hard drive away from your other device in a safe place in case anything happens to damage the original documents/photos.

The only issue with this is that you run the risk of something happening to your hard drive and destroying your back up. To get around this you could also back up to a cloud type service to ensure that your information is secure.

External hard drives now are fairly inexpensive so can be a great device to have on hand particularly if you don’t like the security risk of using a cloud storage device, but as with any purchase it’s important to read reviews and shop around to get the best deal that you can to suit your storage needs.

The job of an IT consultant is to go in to a business and evaluate their use of IT within the company. IT is a major part of many businesses and can help take them to the next level if used correctly. It is important to record and keep certain documents and files when in business and there are many IT programs that make this easy to do.

Once the consultant has evaluated your current processes and procedures they will usually come up with a plan as to how you can improve them or what software could assist with a particular task.

They often help improve the productivity of staff members by shorting down time it takes to complete certain tasks. This can also give staff a morel boost as often boring task can become automated freeing them up to do the part of the job they enjoy more.

If you have some IT systems in place but feel that they are dated or find that you cannot reply on them then speak to an IT consultant about upgrading your systems. They will also be able to advise you on back up procedures and restoration should it be needed.

Many of us use a computer in our work and home life and most home PC’s run off Windows or Mac software. If you have a Windows PC you will probably have been prompted to upgrade to Windows 10 in the past 18 months.

Windows often release updates to their operating system and then once in a while they will release a whole new version of Windows. Windows 8 was a big change from Windows 7 and after a while many people got used to it. Windows 10 was offered as a free upgrade if done within the first 12 months and many people took advantage of this offer. Windows 10 followed the same theme as Windows 8 but many people said that some of the functions that were in 8 were removed in 10.

For some, this was frustrating as they had just got used to the new functions and then they were removed. Windows 10 also seems to have been released without being fully tested, so initially there were a lot of bugs found that required patches to be released by Windows to fix them.

Getting used to a new operating system can be tricky and it is always advisable to try and demo the new version first, or if this is not possible, watch a video to see what the advantages are to upgrading.

Some people openly say that they do not like computers, don’t spend time on social media and really do not have an interest in IT but they may not realise that this may affect their chances of getting a job. Many companies use IT hugely within their business. It may be for simply diary logs, emails and Word processing or it may be that they have specialist software that needs to be accessed and edited. If a person has no or very little IT skills then many employers will see this as a disadvantage and would rather hire someone that has at least a basic knowledge.

Often in a new job the candidate will need to undergo some sort of training but if they also require additional training on how to send an email or create a spreadsheet, then this can be time consuming and costly.

If you are currently looking or considering looking for a new job then it may be the right time to brush up on your IT skills either by attending a course or by reading books that are written for beginners.

Are you confused about your bytes and RAMs, your memory and pixels, soundcards and USBs? Well help is out there! Not all of us are as IT savvy as we’d like to be and can be left a bit baffled by so called computer-speak, if that is the case for you then an IT online course may be the perfect thing.

There are many IT courses available that can help with things like improving your ability on using specific programs or just general beginners course that can help starting right from the basics of setting up your computer and carrying out daily tasks such as checking for emails and browsing the internet.

It’s worth looking around online and comparing prices of the courses as they can vary quite a lot depending on course content and how advanced the course is.

Some large technology stores are also offering help and advice with things in store if it’s just a simple thing that you need to know and this is often provided free of charge.

Another option is to use a search engine to ask questions about terminology you are unsure of for example ‘what is RAM’.

The key point is that to learn more about IT you just need to ask and maybe do a bit of study too!