Have you ever tried to open a distribution list in Outlook with mail delivery set to an Exchange 2003 mailbox and find that it will not open?  Instead you receive the following error message, “Can't open this item. Out of memory or system resources. Close some windows or programs and try again." This can be frustrating when you have that important circular to send out by the end of the day.

There is a limit to how many contacts you can create in a distribution list stored in Microsoft Exchange Server mail box store. There is no definite limit to the number of contacts as the exact limit is based on the total file size of the contacts.  A typical number of contacts that you should add to a distribution list is between 50 contacts and 70 contacts. However, if the contacts contain lots of information, the distribution list limit should be as small as 25 contacts.

So how can you open the distribution list that has become too big without having to recreate it?

You need to make it smaller. Simply export the distribution list to a .pst file and make another copy. Delete the second half of contacts, rename the distribution list and import it back into the Exchange mailbox or public folder. Then using the second copy of the .pst file delete the first half of the list, rename and import the distribution list. You will now have two smaller distribution lists that you can now open.

Share This

We found this interesting 'how-to' video on YouTube which shows you how to make and Aquarium PC using top spec components.

I don't think it's suitable for real fish though!

Share This

Axon wanted to thank everyone for attending the Christams Doo, we all had a very very good time dancing the night away and gate crashing other parties within the building 

We finally found Andy after an hour of searching for him; we'll let you ask him where he ended up

Share This

Axon IT would like to welcome Claire Copestick to the axon gang, she started with us on 3rd December and is undertaking taking the role of Office Co-ordinator.

Claire will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the office, ordering of hardware and software and any general enquiries.

Since Claire has joined Axon she has already cost us money by investing in a new Christmas tree. 

Share This

Axon have become a reseller of F-Secure Anti Virus, we love the centralised admin features of the Small Business Suite with its easy intergration for Spam Control for Exchange. 

When we have ran into any problems, the support we have recieved from F-Secure has enabled us to resolve any problems quickly. 

Share This

axon are are really please to have been tasked by a national heavy building materials company to centralise and consolidated their SQL database requirements due to uncontrolled growth and fragmentation of business databases.

We have proposed a mixed blade and virtual server solution to meet future growth and to meet centralisation and consolidation requirements.

As a by-product there will be reduced maintenance costs, reduced capitals cost, reduced power consumption and reduced data centre rack space used.

Share This

With the increasing size and length of time people keep records picking the right backup solution is more important than ever.

And at the moment there is not a better time to pick up a bargain, from usb hard drives which you can take off site every night or network attached storage (NAS) which backup your whole system overnight.

If your a growing company you have to look long term into your backup solution other wise you will run into problems in the future and then the question of what can we afford to delete comes in to the equation.

So the bottom line is when looking at backup's ask yourself the question is this still going to hold all my data five years time? If the answer is no, you may want to consider whether spending more money now will save money further down the line. 

In most cases with growing business the answer is most likely yes.

We tend to recommend Buffalo External Hard Drives 

Share This

There are a few different versions of Windows Vista, and to help choose the right package we've put together a quick summary, some information we found useful and some links so you can find out more.

There are 5 main versions:

• Vista Home Basic

Basic operating system for home users who don't need the bells and whistles 

• Vista Home Premium

For home users who want entertainment, media player, games, TV, DVD and movie editing. 

• Vista Business

Advanced data recovery, remote desktop, and other professional features.

• Vista Enterprise

Cost effective option for large organisations, very similar features to Business, but licensed for a larger amount of users.

• Vista Ultimate

All the business features, plus the entertainment bells and whistles that you get with home premium.

Extreme Tech produced a handy table (adapted from the Microsoft site) which helps show the differences between the versions at a glance.

You can find more information on the Vista section of the Microsoft Site; or see their official comparison chart.

Share This

axon get involved in office moves, relocations and refurbishments and understand that it can be a nightmare organising people to complete work on an arranged day to a set time scale.  There is a lot to consider from Carpets, Furniture, Builders, Electricians and oh yes those IT people! 

Most people don't consider IT until they have bought the desks and drawn up the final office floor plan.  axon would prefer to get involved at the beginning of projects like these to offer guidance and advice as to what should be considered before spending your money.

In our experience some of the problems we have come across

• Not enough power/sockets to run all the PC/Desktops
• Heath and Safety problems due to running cables on the floor
• Not enough CAT5* points for that extra new shiny new printer/desktop
• Wireless could have been installed into the meeting rooms to get round limited CAT5 points
• Ergonomic desks with no cable management or modesty plates to hide cables behind
• ADSL (Broadband) needs to be relocated because all communication equipment has been moved to an air conditioned office on a different floor.
• Not thought about how much space the Server and Telephone system require
• Server needs to be moved to a secure office that is cool enough - not under the stairs!

In a lot of these cases a quick review of the plans would have stopped these things happening and would have saved our customers time and money trying to fix things and to portray the initial image that they were trying to achieve which is a clean, efficient and professional organisation.

* What is a CAT5 Point 

CAT5 point is your network point - often located in the wall or floor.  It looks like a phone point, and shares the same location in most offices. It normally has a coloured cable running from the network point to the back of the PC. 

Share This

axon IT have been providing IT Account Management to our existing customers over the last 3 years and have found this improves business relationships as and when problems occur.  Meeting people face to face on a regular basis you get a good understanding of how their business works and the types of day to day issues that they are faced with. 

Within the meetings I like to know if our customers are happy with our services, the staff and attitude, the way we deal with any IT problems and what their plans for the purchasing of hardware or software for those never ending company moves and changes. 

The reason why I am interested in plans for purchasing of IT Equipment is that you can very easily get caught up in buying equipment that you don't need.  There could be an alternative solution that could do the job better or your existing software may already have that feature and functionality already built in and waiting to be used.

Share This