Software

Folks, I know how long it takes to setup your machine. There is nothing worse than having the hard drive crash or become corrupted and then having to spend many hours setting the machine up again or hundreds of dollars to have someone else restore the machine. Well, here is a VERY cost effective solution, Image for Windows. It is a backup software which works on all flavors of Windows, including Windows Server. I have personally used it to successfully backup and restore Windows Server 2008 and it works great. So I recommend to one and all, once you get your machines setup, purchase this great program and make a backup, restoring things will only take a few minutes!

Image for Windows

Image for Windows is an affordable and reliable drive image backup and restore utility. Drive imaging from Windows is an easy and convenient way to backup all your hard drive's data and operating system partitions. Your backups can be saved to a set of files on local or network drives, or directly to most CD or DVD drives. Backups saved directly to CD/DVD are bootable by default, making a convenient recovery disc. Simply restore the partition(s) you need to recover, and they will be completely restored back to the way they were when the backup was created.

Bonus: Image for Windows includes a copy of Image for DOS and Image for Linux!

NComputing Solution

Many event photographers opt to use the NComputing solution or BeTwin software to implement their viewing stations. Both of these solutions allow one computer (CPU) to be used by multiple users at one time. Most use the NComputing solution because it is lower cost. Those that opt for the BeTwin solution do so for the improved animations (fades, transitions and zooming) used by Photo Parata.

Once configured, the most trouble free solution is the X-Series. You can put two X-Series cards into one machine, for a total of either 7 or 11 stations. The U-Series is idea if you want to run off a laptop, and the L-Series is a bit prices, but does allow for a lot more viewing stations run by one computer.

For further details, please contact NComputing directly.

Xtenda X550 5-USER Desktop Kit

X-SERIES (PCI card)The NComputing X-series connects through a PCI card installed into the shared PC. This direct connection doesn't use a network, so multimedia performance is superb. Ideal when the users are in the same room as the shared computer.

Up to eleven users can simultaneously share a single PC. Each user gets their own virtual workspace (applications, settings, files, and preferences), but at a fraction of what it would cost with individual computers. So even though eleven people share a single system, they each get their own rich PC experience.

Xtenda X350 3-USER Desktop Kit

X-SERIES (PCI card) The NComputing X-series connects through a PCI card installed into the shared PC. This direct connection doesn't use a network, so multimedia performance is superb. Ideal when the users are in the same room as the shared computer.

Up to seven users can simultaneously share a single PC.

NComputing U170 - Remote control device - Hi-Speed USB

The revolutionary new U-series are the simplest of all to connect, because they simply plug into standard USB ports. There are no network switches to buy and no PCI cards to install. For small installations the NComputing U-series are the simplest and quickest to install. Learn more about the U-series.

Up to ten users can simultaneously share a single PC.

NComputing L300

The NComputing solution separates a desktop PC environment from a physical machine to create a client-server computing model. That is, a user's desktop is hosted remotely and accessed via a access device over the network. A user no longer has a physical PC. The following is a brief overview of the NComputing offering.

The L-series, including our new L300 access device, costs less than half the price of entry-level PCs. And the ongoing savings are even higher. With no moving parts or local storage, repairs are rare and your maintenance costs are kept in check because you only have to maintain and upgrade the shared PCs. In fact, whenever you refresh to the latest PC technology, your L-series users will automatically enjoy the increased performance. The small L-series access device (about half the size of a paperback book) consumes less power, generates less heat, produces less e-waste, and makes no noise.

Other Accessories

ASUS VW193DR - 19-Inch Wide LCD Monitor

Before your very eyes, the ASUS 19-inch Widescreen LCD bursts with delicious images in vibrant colors and compelling brilliance. This exquisitely detailed masterwork of elegance and style and a tantalizing WSXGA 1440 x 900 resolution. Make Your Life Better With Asus 19-inch Widescreen LCD color display. Remarkable quality at an unbeatable price.

NETGEAR RP614 Web Safe Router with 4-Port 10/100 Mbps Switch

There is only one network issue that needs to be resolved when setting up Photo Photo at an event, that is assigning address (IP Address) to all the computers. The standard home Internet Router has runs a service called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol or DHCP, that does exactly that. So if you are not a computer export, please don't purchase a simply a hub or switch, purchase an actual router, such as this NETGEAR 4-port router.

Please refer to the Photo Parata blog for details on the best way to setup the router.

Best Business Practices for Photographers (Paperback)

by John Harrington (Author)

The Photographer's Guide to Negotiating (Paperback)

by Richard Weisgrau (Author)