Parents business Help

[KarmaPolice]

Ok, I am going to try and describe this as best as possible.

My mom owns a very successful jewerly store. She started it herself and has done very well. This being said..she is very computer illiterate...and I am here "Tech Guy". I help with some things here and there but my dad also helps. Recently her computer will only boot into safe mode..and its a very important computer. Everything is backed up so I can reformat it and start over but I am looking for a better system. right now its kind of a mess tech wise.

Here is the layout..

4 computers:
1. The paper work computer(the one that broke down). This is where quickbooks is used and special jewerlly software. All of the files are saved here aswell..
2. Store computer..used for employee email and tracking. Also has the jewerly software but looks to computer 1 for the files
3. Same type as number two pretty much...looks to computer 1 for files
4. is a POS system.

As you might have noticed..because computer 1 went down now none of the computers can use the jewerly software cause the files are not found. What would you suggest to be the best set up for this situation. There are cat5 cables running to a hub, and then to a router I believe.

Would me buying a server be the best way to go? How should I go about doing this? I have never set up a dedicated server for anything and have no knowledge of the windows NT.

Any thoughts are welcome. thx

 

[Paperlantern]

Well for that small of a network, you dont need anything that really is perceived as a SERVER. Its not a large officebuilding with hundreds of employees who hit the file server several times a minute, something very simplistic would do just fine in a server role, if you wanted to upgrade her workstation PC and use the old one as the server it would do jsut fine as a basic file server, its never a good idea to house important files on a workstation, but it happens alot in small business situations, its great you have things backed up. Upgrading the workstation to a new one and using the old workstation as the file server would be my suggestion. Keeping the infrastructure in tact using peer to peer and file shares/mapped drives or however it is set up.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Originally posted by: Paperlantern
Well for that small of a network, you dont need anything that really is perceived as a SERVER. Its not a large officebuilding with hundreds of employees who hit the file server several times a minute, something very simplistic would do just fine in a server role, if you wanted to upgrade her workstation PC and use the old one as the server it would do jsut fine as a basic file server, its never a good idea to house important files on a workstation, but it happens alot in small business situations, its great you have things backed up. Upgrading the workstation to a new one and using the old workstation as the file server would be my suggestion. Keeping the infrastructure in tact using peer to peer and file shares/mapped drives or however it is set up.

so you wouldnt suggest getting complicated and having an actual server. Maybe just having a box that runs xp but just shares files?

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: KarmaPolice

Originally posted by: Paperlantern
Well for that small of a network, you dont need anything that really is perceived as a SERVER. Its not a large officebuilding with hundreds of employees who hit the file server several times a minute, something very simplistic would do just fine in a server role, if you wanted to upgrade her workstation PC and use the old one as the server it would do jsut fine as a basic file server, its never a good idea to house important files on a workstation, but it happens alot in small business situations, its great you have things backed up. Upgrading the workstation to a new one and using the old workstation as the file server would be my suggestion. Keeping the infrastructure in tact using peer to peer and file shares/mapped drives or however it is set up.

so you wouldnt suggest getting complicated and having an actual server. Maybe just having a box that runs xp but just shares files?

Sounds reasonable. Stick with simple tech but quality parts, a good motherboard, Asus, Aopen or MSI and a good PSU, Seasonic or Forton-Source.

 

[Paperlantern]

Originally posted by: KarmaPolice

Originally posted by: Paperlantern
Well for that small of a network, you dont need anything that really is perceived as a SERVER. Its not a large officebuilding with hundreds of employees who hit the file server several times a minute, something very simplistic would do just fine in a server role, if you wanted to upgrade her workstation PC and use the old one as the server it would do jsut fine as a basic file server, its never a good idea to house important files on a workstation, but it happens alot in small business situations, its great you have things backed up. Upgrading the workstation to a new one and using the old workstation as the file server would be my suggestion. Keeping the infrastructure in tact using peer to peer and file shares/mapped drives or however it is set up.

so you wouldnt suggest getting complicated and having an actual server. Maybe just having a box that runs xp but just shares files?

isnt that exactly what i suggested? "if you wanted to upgrade her workstation PC and use the old one as the server it would do jsut fine as a basic file server". He could put whatever OS on it he wanted, XP would be the prime example, did i miss something?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Even a $299 Office Depot Sunday Paper Special system will work fine for this.

Also get an external USB HD and a copy of the latest Norton Ghost. Install it on the file sharing box and set it to make an image of the HD each night.

And a DVD burner to burn copies of the image and carry the discs off-site.

 

[imported_Tick]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Even a $299 Office Depot Sunday Paper Special system will work fine for this.

Also get an external USB HD and a copy of the latest Norton Ghost. Install it on the file sharing box and set it to make an image of the HD each night.

And a DVD burner to burn copies of the image and carry the discs off-site.

DVD's have poor lifespan. I would get a tape drive and back up that way. But even a POS can serve the files needed, as long as it's stable, as you said.

Edit: If you really REALLY need the files to be available to do buisness, then get 2 POS boxxes and make sure they both have the same files.