When our computers fail and it’s time for a new one, I’ll be honest, the environment is the last thing on my mind. Until now. Sure we all love the idea of a new computer fresh out of the box. But for every new computer we buy, that’s another 48 pounds of chemicals, 1.7 tons of water, and 529 pounds of fossil fuels that’s added to the world’s pile of e-waste.

If this isn’t enough to convince you that a refurbished computer is better for the environment, click the following link to read the whole article.

Refurbished Computer Laptop eWaste

Have a great week all.

First up we have Jordon Brownstein.  Jordan came to CTP through the Dept. of Rehab in Feb.  Jordan has no professional experience working with computers but has handled minor issues on his computers at home since he was 12.  His favorite part of training was learning about hardware and software.  The one thing he really looked forward to learning was networking.  Jordan found setting up Outlook to be his most challenging and he says he excels at figuring out hardware problems.   Jordan would like to work for Geek Squad.

Next we have Nathan Dyer.  Nathan came  to CTP through the Dept. of Rehab. back in Feb.  Nathan had taken computer courses at Diablo Valley College from 2006-2009, but found the process was going to take way to long for him to complete.  Nathan says he’s always been a “computer geek”. His least favorite part of training was not be able to be here as early as he’d like to and he looked forward to learning the operating system end of networking.  Nathan says he excels at problem solving.  Nathan would like to work for Wycliff Bible Translator as an IT Tech.

Up next is Chris Mack. Chris came to CTP through Vocational Rehab back in April.  Chris hasn’t worked professionally in the IT field but has worked informally for the last 10 years.  His favorite part of training is staying up to date, and he says he excels at listening and troubleshooting.  He is really looking forward to his internship.

And last but not least we have Austin Travis.  Austin had attended Hayward East Bay for 1 yr prior to coming to CTP back in May. Austin came here through the Dept. of Rehab. He has never worked professionally in the field but has been doing this informally for 7-8 yrs.  His favorite part of training is the hands on experience and really looked forward to learning about more hardware.  Austin says he excels at helping others and would love to work for  Toshiba or Compaq even if it was in the factory.

Good luck  Jordan, Nathan, Chris & Austin with your final review.

Next week I’ll introduce Christie Hathcock and Ken Maes to you,  until then, everyone have a great week.

Ken Maes is not new to  CTP.   Ken actually completed our Office System Training (OST) program back in 2006 and did his internship at Berkeley’s Senior Center, which he enjoyed updating records using Excel.   In April Ken came back to CTP to learn about computer hardware.    Ken use to be “the cable guy” for Comcast, now he wants to be a field technician.  His favorite part of training is networking and  least favorite is learning all the acronyms.   He finds application support to be the most challenging and he excels at installation.  Welcome back Ken.

Christie came to CTP in July through the Dept. of Rehab looking to  further her I.T. training .  She worked for Apple as a temp for 6 months and Christie also worked for Comcast for 3 years doing cable and networking installation.   Specializing  in Network support and help desk is new to Christie.  When asked her  favorite part of training  “I really like the labs we do.  We are given a task then we figure out how to make it work.  Afterwards we write up a trouble ticket detailing our troubleshooting process”   She’s really looks forward to learning how to manage networks and servers.  Christie says she excels at managing her resources.  She may not memorize everything, but she knows how to find out!!  She would like to work for Oracle, Google, Genentech or Perfectworld Entertainment to name a few.  She’d also like to volunteer to repair computers and install soho’s for families in  need.  Christie’s future goal is to run a pc gaming cafe where they custom build extreme gaming computers as well as have on site game play.

Welcome to the two new students who recently joined the NTST class,  Jeff Figueroa and Jimmy Le.  You’ll hear more about them in the weeks to come.

For customers, the benefits of the Microsoft Refurbished PC program includes knowing that the software installed on their refurbished computers is properly licensed and provides the same level of performance as they would expect when purchasing brand new machines. When they turn their PCs on, customers will get the out-of-the-box experience they expect from a new PC.

It is estimated that many refurbished PCs being resold today by companies that do not participate in one of the Microsoft Refurbished PC programs contain counterfeit software, putting customers at risk and harming legitimate refurbishers and resellers. Microsoft is committed to helping ensure that customers get the genuine Microsoft software they expect when purchasing a refurbished PC.  

How do I know if my Windows software is genuine?

Microsoft offers an online validation process that allows you to verify that your copy of Windows is genuine. You will be prompted to validate your copy of Windows if you request a genuine Windows download from the Microsoft Download Center. Alternatively, you can validate your copy of Windows by going to the Genuine Microsoft Software homepage located at http://www.microsoft.com/genuine and clicking “Validate Windows.” The validation process is easy to use, only takes a few moments to run and, once completed, allows you to access genuine Windows downloads more quickly in the future.

To date, we have received 11 much needed computers,  and equipment from the National Christina Foundation.    Thank You National Christina Foundation.

If you would like to find out more about the great work NCF does, please visit their website at:   http://www.cristina.org/

The ACCRC graciously donated 15 computers to CTP for it’s Network and Technical Support Training (NTST)  program.  Each new student in the NTST class will receive one of the donated computers to use throughout the program including the students review board.  When the student completes the program,  the computer is theirs to keep.  

All donated computers from ACCRC come with Linux OS, OpenOffice even a one year warranty.

ACCRC is an amazing company that does terrific work.  Thank You Alameda County Computer Resource Center.  To find out more about ACCRC please visit their website at http://accrc.org/.