Archive for November, 2009
Windows 7 has Arrived!
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
Windows 7 has arrived!
By Joseph Rogina
And the question I get asked all the time is, “Is it time to upgrade my office?” Windows 7 offers a really nice user interface and will work on many of your workstations where Windows Vista would not. This, however, is not reason enough to upgrade. I have been running Windows 7 on a notebook since before the Release Candidate. I love the look and feel, but it took a lot of work to finally get it working properly. Why? Because of the issues listed below.
Whether we’re talking about a home PC or an office PC, I would definitely recommend researching before an upgrade. If you are running Windows Vista already, an upgrade is the way to go. Regardless, you will want to know what you are getting into ahead of time. For that, you will want to run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. This will let you know if the PC in question is capable of running Windows 7 and will give you recommendations about possible hardware upgrades that should be made before installing the new OS.
For any PC user, your day-to-day computer use consists of running a certain selection of applications. I would recommend looking into these applications to be sure that the versions you have are compatible with Windows 7. For example, you may need to upgrade your versions of Photoshop, Firefox, etc. before they will work on Windows 7.
The PC’s hardware may be an issue as well. If you are running Windows Vista and everything is ok, then all your hardware should be fine. If you are running Windows XP, however, you may very well have hardware that is not compatible with Windows 7. You will want to look at the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor results to determine which, if any, hardware will have issues, then look at the hardware manufacturer’s website to see if they have an updated driver. The easiest way to eliminate the hardware from the equation is to just purchase a new PC that already has Windows 7 running on it.
The next step would be to determine which version of Windows 7 is right for you. If you are upgrading from Vista, you are limited to what version you can use. Look at the Windows Upgrade Considerations page to see what upgrades you are eligible for. If you are doing a clean install, you can pick from any of the versions that meet your requirements. See the Windows 7 Compare Editions page to see what they offer.
Too busy to concern yourself with all of this? Don’t give up. Contact dmi Networking with any questions you may have. Our trained helpful technicians will be glad to help out! Give us a call at (707) 523-5915 to schedule an appointment. We can also be reached at contact@dmiNetworking.com
Online Backups
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Protect your business with secure online backup.
Datacon Dental is pleased to announce its we’ve partnered with Data Deposit Box. With this online - off site backup service, you don’t have to worry about loosing critical dental patient data due to a disaster.
With this innovative new service, files that are lost due to power surges, data theft, server failure, fire, or even hackers are easily retrieved. And your business can continue with limited interruption.
Just contact Datacon to setup you secure data backup today! (800)773-78978
Or email us at info@datacondental.com
Note: Online backup will not work with the old Alpha Micro systems.
Year End Procedures
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
Year End Procedures
It’s that time of year again. Follow these directions to button-up your dental practice for the year.
- Post everything you want reflected for the year, including charges, payments, adjustments, refunds, etc.
- Run monthly reports as usual, including the Practice Summary Report for the year.
- Print your fee schedule to give you YTD totals for procedures. SELECT Procedure Codes, Print fee schedule.
- Run the “yearly clear.” Remember, don’t run the daily or monthly clears as the third selection in Print Control Sheets performs the daily, monthly, and yearly clears in one keystroke.
- Remove old schedule blocking. This should be done on a monthly basis. SELECT Appointments & Recall, Schedule Maintenance, Remove old schedule blocking.
- Reorganize files. SELECT File maintenance, Reorganize files for faster access. Reorganize each item, except Ageing list, which is done daily during the clear.
- Archive the last backup of the year, preferably off-site.
Datacon can offer online backups now! Call (800) 773-7878 or email info@datacondental.com for details.
Call Datacon for Support!
Monday, November 16th, 2009
Call us with your Support Questions
By Mary Ellen Forman
At Datacon, we are continually striving to make our software as intuitive and user friendly as possible. But, when you do get stumped and need our assistance, we are here for you. These are just some of the services you receive with your monthly software support:
- Periodic updates of the Datacon dental practice management software, including enhancements and new features.
- Troubleshooting, diagnosis, and resolution of issues in the Datacon practice management software.
- Troubleshooting of problems regarding specific hardware supplied by Datacon.
- Thirty minutes per month IT support (Tech support) via telephone.
- Issues related to connecting to the Datacon Dental System with pcLink.
- Rates for training at Datacon, your office or via the Internet, as well as information on study group sessions and galas.
Our toll-free telephone number (800) 773-7878 for use in obtaining all support.
Support staff is available 8 am to 5 pm PST, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
If you have any questions regarding what services are included with your monthly support, please call us or refer to our software support policy posted on our website at www.datacondental.com
Datacon Dental always strives to give top-notch support at all times, with most calls returned within 24 hours.
Holiday Card List
Monday, November 16th, 2009
Holiday Card List
Each year around the end of September through the end of November, our Software Support team receives many calls about how to create a list of active patients so they can be sent a holiday greeting. In fact, we get so many calls on this subject, we keep instructions right by the fax machine!
When you only do a task once a year, it is hard to remember how to do it. We also have the instructions on our website, www.datacondental.com. You can access the site directly from the Main Menu of your Datacon Dental software, Register (if you haven’t already), and then you will see a list of articles, tips and other helpful documentation.
Join our Mailing List
Monday, November 16th, 2009
Collecting E-mail Addresses
By Duane de Long
In this era of instant communication, e-mail is one of the most effective methods to share ideas. It is not surprising given their immediacy, low carbon footprint, flexibility and traceability.
Communication with our clients has always been a high priority at Datacon. To this point we have primarily relied on printed copies of our monthly newsletters, and face-to-face exchanges at our study group seminars and CDA meetings.
In the interest of getting valuable information to you as efficiently as possible, we are making a concerted effort to gather e-mail addresses. If you are not currently receiving communication from us via e-mail, please help us to stay in touch by providing your e-mail address.
Simply send an e-mail to info@datacondental.com, fax it to us at (707) 523-7798, or better yet, subscribe on our website!
Help us help you, and we’ll save some trees in the process!
General Study Group
Monday, November 16th, 2009
STUDY GROUP SEMINARS!
NOW FOR GENERAL DENTISTS!
By Flo Janes
This year we held several Study Groups for specialty practices. The primary focus was on running a paperless office. These meetings were very well attended and a lot of useful information was presented.
As always, we listen to your feedback and it directly affects the development of our software.
Datacon is now offering a series of one-day seminars for general dentists. Mark your calendars for our first event:
GENERAL STUDY GROUP - FRIDAY JANUARY 29, 2010
Datacon has all of the tools - both clinical and administrative - so come learn how to use them!
Subjects to be covered include scheduling, email and digital x-ray integration, referral tracking and communication, electronic consent forms, periodontal charting, tooth charting, treatment planning, electronic chart notes, and downloading data to an iPhone or BlackBerry. If you are interested in maximizing the power of your Datacon system, you will not want to miss this meeting.
CE units are available as well.
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