By Kevin M

If your computer is running poorly and you think it may be about to crap out, don’t junk it—the problem may not be the computer itself. It may be the operating system.

Our kid’s computer, a desk top, got hit with a virus about a month ago, one that the AVG system wasn’t able to stop. The computer was at a near standstill. We checked with the Geek Squad to see what they would charge to remove it–$200 plus tax.

Not gonna happen. The computer is five years old, and we’d sooner replace it than pay that much to have it fixed.

We added another anti-virus system that we’ve had excellent results with on our other computers (Trend Micro). It seemed to do the job, but the computer wasn’t moving any faster. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with the techs at Trend, who identified that the problem may be deep in the system registry. They did get the virus thoroughly removed according to their system and Microsoft’s. But still no luck on improving the performance of the computer.

Time for a new computer?

Was it time to toss the computer and buy a new one?

In truth, the computer had been running slow for a few months. Since it’s used mainly for Facebook, emails and games—a lot of games—we assumed it was just worn out from too much use and too many applications.

Right now, we have two desktops and two laptops, and though the desktops will eventually be replaced by laptops, we want to keep them around as long as possible.

Our son talked with a friend of his about the computer, and the friend suggested that we try adding a different operating system to the computer, rather than getting rid of the unit. He knew how to do it, and offered to install it.

Now our son’s friend is 18, and though we might have been skeptical of his technical skills, there really wasn’t much to lose since the computer was heading for trash pick up the way it was.

An old computer that’s good as new

Our junior computer expert came in and installed the Linux system over the existing Windows system. Once he did, the computer functioned as if it were brand new. The improvement in speed was incredible. We couldn’t have bought a new computer that would run faster.

The real problem was never the computer. I’m speculating here because I’m not a computer tech, but I’m guessing it could have been the plethora of games and applications added to the computer over the years. Or it could have been the hundreds of Windows updates added automatically. What ever the issue, the constant piling up of applications and updates made the computer seem old and tired.

By replacing Windows with Linux, all of that went away and the system now functions flawlessly.

That might invite the question, why not just reformat the computer? I’ve done that myself, and it took many hours to re-add Windows to the reformatted hard drive. The Linux addition took out Windows in the process of the download and the entire exercise took less than an hour.

Some caveats before going this route

One thing to understand about this process is that when you put Linux, or any other operating system on your old computer, everything associated with the original system will disappear. Windows has its own applications—email, Word, accessories and the like—all of that will be gone when you add the new system.

With that in mind, back up documents unique to Windows, either on cd’s or on another Windows based computer. This includes important Word documents, photos and even emails.

Another alternative—that we didn’t choose—is to “partition” the computer. In this way, you can have dual operating systems, with both Windows and the new system working at the same time. This will enable you to retain unique Windows records, but to surf freely (and quickly!) in Linux. Windows won’t improve with the partition, but it will enable you to bridge the move from one system to the other at your own pace.

A near perfect ending

For my own purposes, I like Windows and would have preferred keeping it, but it isn’t my computer. My kids are happy with the speed and performance, and we’ve managed to keep an old computer for longer than we thought possible.

The moral of the story is that we usually have options if we dig a little deeper. Often we’re trained to ditch anything that’s more than a few years and replace it with something new. But if funds are tight and alternatives exist, it may be better to see what can be worked out.

There’s always a question of fix or repair; for now, it looks like we’ve saved ourselves a few hundred dollars on a new computer by taking a chance on the repair option.

Have you ever done anything like this with an “old” computer? Do you have any other ideas on how to extend their lives?

By Kevin M

It’s no secret that careers related to information technology are one of the surest paths to success in the 21st Century economy. If you’re fresh out of college with a degree in information technology, or if you obtained your degree years ago and are now a seasoned professional, you’re probably looking at solid employment prospects, even with a weak economy. But what if you couldn’t afford college, or if you’re working in an unrelated field and wish you could get into IT—are you simply out of luck? Well, maybe not!

Tyson Woods is an IT contractor, well traveled, working for some of the biggest name firms in the country and—as the title of this essay reveals—he has no college degree. Not in IT, not in anything. His previous career experience: mall photo shop manager.

IT contracting is a broad field, and the term can mean different things to different people, and in different industries. Over the years he’s taken part in a wide variety of projects, working with a broad range of programs and software systems. What he does more specifically involves work with different components of IT, including process and workflow design, system support, training, system security, and web design and administration. More recently he’s been working as a Share Point Administrator, designing custom portals and managing rights and permissions.

It’s important to recognize that IT contracting is a fluid career, so what you’re doing does change frequently.

Before you get discouraged with the long list of technical sounding functions, Tyson advises, “Let me stop to tell you that I learned nearly all of these skills on the job—I don’t even have a college degree, certainly not in computer science! In fact, my career beginnings weren’t anything you’d normally associate with a future in IT. And I’m a young guy; if I can do it, you certainly can.”

So what raw skills do you need to bring to an IT career?

“Most of it’s pretty basic: a logical thought process, ability to understand workflows, ability to work with people in different capacities, willingness to do things differently, affinity for and the ability to embrace technology, and a large degree of creativity. It can be confusing if you’re looking to enter the field since IT is so diverse. What it really takes is mastering a niche, then building upon it, one niche at a time. There’s more to that niche thing than space permits here, but I can provide just about as much information on that topic as you can stand if you’re serious about pursuing a career in the field.”

There are a large number of reasons why he loves this career, why anyone would love it.

“For starters, there are always new opportunities, which include not only new technologies, but also new industries. Nearly all businesses need IT professionals, which means I have a chance to work in a virtually unlimited number of different businesses. It’s hard to get bored! “

“Something I like personally is being on the cutting edge in a technology driven world. As long as you learn and grow with the technology, there’s always a job for you somewhere.”

While we typically think of IT as being mostly a technology application, there’s also a strong element of creativity involved. If you have that creative streak in you, as Tyson does, IT is an excellent career field to work in. So much is new, or can be modified, that creative opportunities abound.

The money isn’t hard to take either! Incomes in excess of $100,000 are not uncommon with a decent amount of experience and a willingness to take on more challenging assignments. But even apart from earning six figures, the number of job- and business opportunities are so abundant that just making a living is more secure in IT than in most other fields.

The secret, according Tyson, is to continuously acquire more skills. No one can know all that is involved with computers—which is actually a big advantage to a new entrant to the field—but the more you know about more systems and components, the greater your value in the marketplace. As Tyson is quoted above, it all starts with a niche—one area of the big picture that you can focus on and build upon. Become an expert in that niche and you have the foundation of a new career. Where you go from there will be limited only by your willingness to learn and master more niches. Adding formal training along the way can only speed your progress.

Some of the qualities that make for a good IT person are less related to technology than you might think. An IT person must be able to work with a wide variety of people, making people skills a high priority. He needs to be able to understand workflows and be capable of integrating the various tools and systems. In addition, he needs a sense of functionality—that is the ability to make a system workable for non-computer types, and how to make it look good in the process. These are skills that are required in many jobs outside technology as well.

Tyson offers this bit of advice, which should be of great comfort to a new entrant in the field:

“Not many people in the field are real experts; they don’t know the flow, how to troubleshoot or how the end product should look.” That should give rookies plenty of reason to hope!

A detailed career program will be available in this space in the very near future. Stay tuned.