At the moment I am running eSignal on a dedicated Windows 7 computer, however it would be helpful to also run eSignal on my iMac. If you want to run eSignal on a Mac OS X you really only have two options at the moment.

1. Install on Bootcamp and multi boot.
2. Install in a virtual machine.

I have put together a quick video detailing the options below.

eSignal running in Parallels

The install process is pretty straightforward and so far eSignal has been running perfectly. The best way to see how well eSignal performs is by seeing it in action under Parallels Desktop 7.

• To skip the install process and watch demo of eSignal running in the virtual machine.
• To skip to cold start time of eSignal.

Possible Failures

Note: We will ignore server or broker side failures.

Power failure

Loss of power supply would render computer, router and some telecommunication system unusable.

Hardware Failure

• Multiple components could fail leaving computer unusable.
• Router or modem could fail.

Telecommunication Failure

• Phone line fail
• Internet Service provider fail

This is offcourse a very simplified list of possible failures, however it encompasses the most probable failures you will encounter.

The Solution

Laptop + Wireless Internet Plan

The solution is very simple you need to ensure you have a backup computer that has an independent power supply and a wireless Internet connection with a second Internet service provider and communication line.

Well that is pretty obvious I here you saying. The reason I am writing this post is it is relatively cheap and easy to include this redundancy in your general trading strategy, however few do.

How much does this cost ?

For approximately AU$1000 you can purchase a laptop and wireless USB Internet plan. This is in Australia I am sure options would be available to my overseas readers. 

The Laptop

A cheap Dell Inspiron 15 should be sufficient for our needs features include:

• 2.16 Ghz Celeron processor (not fast but sufficient)
• 2 gig RAM
• 160 GB hard drive
• Windows Vista Home Basic

In Australia 3 offers very affordable prepaid wireless broadband I am sure similar offers are available overseas. 

Keeping  your Backup Computer in Sync

The easiest way to keep both computers synchronised is with the use of SyncToy.  This tool allows you to mirror your working environment on two computers. This can be achieved either over a network or by using an external hard drive.

Download and install SyncToy on both computers.

Setup the folders you wish to synchronise, making sure on the second computer you reverse the right and left folders.

Choose the settings for the  folder pair.

After running SyncToy on both computers you should see a screen similar to the one above.

You may have to play with SyncToy and the folders you choose to synchronise for optimal results.

Cons: Slow input output when copying files locally and on network shares, slower start up then Windows XP and large install footprint.

Windows Vista Business Edition was released on January 30th 2007 and was made available from the usual retail outlets and in download format from the internet via the Windows Market Place. There are some very noticeable differences between Windows XP and Vista. This article we will investigate these new features.

The first thing that you will notice with Windows Vista Business edition is the new user interface. The interface is called Aero. Aero is an acronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and Open. Windows Aero is much cleaner and graphically pleasing then the default Windows XP theme. It includes transparency effects and improved onMouseOver( ) animations. A new font known as Segoe UI has been introduced; this is the default font for Windows Vista Business Edition. Segoe UI is considerably easier to read and very easy on the eye.

The Start Menu

If you are coming to Windows Vista Business Edition from Windows XP Professional you will notice the familiar Start menu has been replaced with a circular Windows Vista logo or the Orb. When you click on Windows Orb, a menu will be displayed; this is depicted in the image above.

The Start menu has been completely overhauled; it is much larger than the Windows XP Professional Start menu and is separated into two distinct columns. The Leftmost column contains an instant search feature, All Programs, most used applications and permanent place holders for the default Internet browser and mail client. The rightmost column contains an administration panel, commonly accessed file system locations and Personal Folders. The Start menu is far more intuitive then the Windows XP Start menu, it will take a bit to get used to but streamlines your workflow in the long run.

Windows SideBar

The Windows Sidebar, which can be seen in the image on the right hand side of the screen, is a panel that allows the use of Desktop Gadgets. Desktop Gadgets are small special purpose applications. Windows Vista Business Edition comes with 10 Desktop Gadgets preinstalled these include: Calendar, Clock, Contacts, CPU Meter, Currency Converter, Feed Headlines, Notes, Picture Puzzle, Slide Show, Stocks and Weather. More Desktop Gadgets are available for download from the Microsoft website.

Windows Explorer and File Management

Windows Explorer and basic file management have also been completely overhauled. The explorer window has a much more intuitive workflow. The relevant tasks for the currently selected file are displayed in the toolbar of the given window. Each window also contains a “Search Folders” field to allow for instant search of the current directory. The address bar is located to the left of the search box and provides users with a breadcrumb navigation system; this allows you to backtrack to any folder in the navigation path without constantly using the back button as you would have to do in Windows XP.

The image above shows a large icon view of the Explorer window, you will also notice that in large view you are given a preview of the file contents. On the left of the Explorer window you can see the navigation pane as well as the favourite links pane. The bottom pane is known as the properties pane, this pane shows details about the currently selected file.

Application Switching
Windows Vista Business Edition provides both the standard (alt + tab) fast application switching and a new method (windows key + tab) for switching between applications. They are known respectively as Flip and Flip 3D. When you press (alt + tab) the Flip application switcher becomes active, as shown below:

In Windows Vista Business Edition, a live preview is shown of all the open applications and you can cycle through until you reach your desired application, you can also switch to a desktop view. The second application switcher in Windows Vista Business Edition is Flip 3D. Flip 3D allows you to flip through a stack of open windows using the keyboard shortcut (Windows key + tab) or the quick launch bar.

Administration
The control panel in Windows Vista Business Edition was reworked to incorporate task-based workflow, instead of having a folder full of controls in Vista these controls have been grouped into logical subcategories. People who are new to the Windows operating system will find the new control panel advantages, however if you have used the Windows XP control panel, you can switch to the classic view and the control panel will be exactly the same as it was in Windows XP.

Windows Meeting Space

Windows Vista Business Edition contains Windows Meeting Space, which is a collaboration program that allows 2-10 users to share a common workspace. If you are familiar with NetMeeting, you will be disappointed to see that audio and video conferencing have been removed. The real strength of Windows Meeting space is its ability to set up an ad hoc network if it cannot find an existing one, this is great for conferences and trading events. As Windows Meeting Space is peer to peer based, it allows for discovery of people near you.

Enhanced Security

One of the key design goals for Windows Vista Business Edition was to improve the overall security over Windows XP Professional. In Windows Vista Business Edition, a ground up approach has been taken and several new security features have been introduced.

Security Features: User Access Control (UAC)

This feature allows for the use of non-administrative user accounts to carry out administrative tasks on an as need basis. This means the operating system is more secure and the threat of malicious code execution with administrative privileges is reduced. These User Access Control queries are also presented when logged in as an administrator. When a User Access Control message is presented the screen is blacked out to prevent spoofing of the user interface.

Other security features include Windows Defender, Internet Explorer 7’s phishing filter, File level encryption, Improved Windows Firewall filtering, kernel patch protection, address space layout randomization and many more.

There are far too many features in Windows Vista Business Edition to cover in a single post. A list of these features include:

• Instant Search.

• Windows Internet Explorer Seven (Not completely new also available for Windows XP)

• Windows Media Player 11 (Not completely new also available for Windows XP)

• Windows Update (Not completely new also available for Windows XP)

• Backup and Restore Centre

• Windows Mail (Updated)

• Windows Calendar

• Windows Contacts

• Windows Fax and Scan

• Windows Photo Gallery

• Snipping Tool

• Windows Side Show

• Paint (Updated)

• Magnifier (Updated)

• WordPad (Updated)

• Windows System Assessment Tool

• Sound Recorder (Updated)

• Windows Movie Maker

• Speech Recognition

• Problem reports and Solutions

• Shadow Copy and more

In this article have focussed on the main features that relate to overall workflow. Windows Vista Business Edition is an extremely solid platform to build a trading platform around, even running on my machine that is five years old it outperforms Windows XP professional. One area that I have found significant improvement is in the networking stack, Windows Vista Business Edition is extremely reliable, I have had lower latency’s and improved reliability during packet transfer. This is crucial when trading the news, 1 second can cost you thousands of dollars.

Trainee Trader Rates Windows Vista Business Edition 4 out of 5 stars

My Install Experience
After backing up all my necessary files it is simply a matter of setting up my DVD drive as first boot device and inserting Vista Business Edition DVD. The install process for Vista is extremely streamlined and requires very little user input. It is simply a matter of choosing your locality, entering your serial number and choosing your install location and then go and make a cup of coffee. When windows is installing it tells you the progress of each step and remaining items:

• Copying Windows Files
• Expanding Files
• Installing Features
• Installing Updates
• Completing Installation

Wow the initial install has completed in 12:05. That is much faster then my previous Windows XP clean installs.

The First Boot
As you would expect the first boot takes considerable time as final steps of the installation are now being completed.

After a second restart you are presented with a screen asking you to select a username and password and desktop background. You will next be presented with a window that asks how you wish to protect windows I have just selected ask me later as I wish to define these settings so not to interfere with my trading. Time zone is the final thing to set-up. Windows then begins to check the performance of your computer. All up from start of install to being logged in and set-up has taken 48 minutes. 

After logging in the first thing that I noticed was that my audio driver is not supported out of the box, however as soon as I set-up my Internet connection Windows Update automatically found the driver for me and downloaded it. Problem solved and I did not have to go searching all over the Internet to find my driver and then install it.

I recommend the first thing you do after installing Vista is to run Windows Update, this will make sure all your software is up to date and all the security updates will be applied.

My first impression of the installation experience is very positive. I was surprised however to find that there was no information of estimated time for completion, this feature was present in the Windows XP Professional install. It is clear to see that the install process for Vista has been streamlined to require minimal user input. I believe computer users of all levels will have no difficulty carrying out this upgrade.