We've
learned most of these tips the hard way; setting
up in a hotel room, ready to check email, and the
32-bit application we just loaded before departing
won't run over the 16-bit operating system. We've
had computer crashes at important meetings. We've
had batteries bail out just minutes into the second
leg of a long flight when we could have charged
batteries during a boring layover. We've seen portables
bring home nasty viruses to the home and office.
We've forgotten passwords that were so unmemorable
and unhackable that we ourselves couldn't figure
them out. We offer the following tips that others
might learn from our trials and tribulations.
1. Create and bring setup and boot disks
A member of the IT staff learned this the hard way
recently; bring setup and boot disks, as well as
any necessary registration numbers for re-installs
and downloads. Boot disks, or startup disks, is
a floppy disk which contains all of the system files
necessary to get your computer started. To do this
in Windows 95/98, go to Settings under the Start
Menu, choose Control Panel, then Add/Remove Programs.
Choose the option labeled Startup Disk.
2. Load your virus protection
Many people load their virus protection on their
home computer, but forget to do so on their portable
computer. A virus is a virus is a virus, no matter
where you get it.
3. Review your work habits, and make sure you have
all the software and frequently-used files you use
while working at the office.
This will keep you from getting caught on the road
without a rarely-used, but essential, piece of software
or file. For tasks or files you use often, creating
template files can save you tedious reconstruction
of document structures, for example, and maintain
consistency in the look and feel of documents created
or modified on the road.
4. Use the same software, even the same versions,
at the office and on the road.
While on the road, comfortable work habits are already
difficult to maintain; you don't need the added
frustration of changing your routines for a different
version, or, worse, different brand, of software,
especially for high-volume tasks like word-processing
and email.
5. Test any new software before you leave.
The intro says it all; make sure there are no conflicts
in your software and operating systems; check that
that easy install actually results in easy use.
6. Bring contact numbers for technical support.
Bring phone numbers, and bookmark Web sites, for
companies from which you may need technical support
or downloads during your trip. As with passwords,
it might be best to write these down in an appointment
book, or somewhere else that will always be with
you, so you don't have to travel with countless
slips of paper.
7. Check ahead for any unusual connector requirements.
Ask when making your reservations if you can plug
into their phone system with a modem.
8. Write down any necessary passwords.
If you tend to save passwords instead of retyping
them every time you log on to an online service,
Web site, or software package, you'll need to either
to load them or your computer or write them down
somewhere.
9. Load up the carry-on bag.
Pack your phone cord and extra battery, in your
carry-on computer case. Airports, and even airplane
seats, now have phone jacks, and, in some cases,
direct Internet connections, on pay phones. To have
the connection, when the connectors are in the cargo
area of the plane, can be a very frustrating experience.
10. Work, and/or recharge your battery, during layovers.
Most airport gates have an outlet nearby, if for
nothing else than vacuuming the area. You can often
plug in your computer to do work without running
batteries down, or recharge your batteries for work
during the next flight.
11. When you return, copy any important or changed
files to your desktop computer.
When you make small changes to documents on the
road, you can easily use an older version when you
return without noticing it. If you immediately copy
all of the new or altered files back onto your desktop,
and perhaps even delete the files from your portable
after the transfer, you can eliminate confusion
and version conflicts later on. |
