In recent months, I’ve noticed a growing trend in virus removal. Parents are actually having their children (either teenagers or adult offspring living at home) pay for it. About half the time I have a virus removal job; the parents blame the infection on the kids and let me know that the cost of the job will ultimately be paid for by the kids.

I think this makes perfect sense. Having been a computer tech for a number of years, I can usually look at a computer and tell you approximately how old the children in the house are by the software and viruses on the computer.

Whether the parents are helping the children learn about responsibility and consequences or the parents just want to save their own hard-earned money in these difficult financial times, I don’t know. But this is a growing trend and I completely support it. Hopefully, by learning this lesson financially, the children will learn about computer safety and that visiting certain types of websites is going to mess up their computer and cost them money.

***EDIT*** That being said, I know that there are parents that blame their mistakes on the children. Trust me, I don’t care who caused the problem or where the problem came from. I believe it is my job to fix the PCs, not place blame.  ***END***

Way to go Parents!

Tim

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Biden PC is a Computer Networking Company and we now offer Online Computer Support.

Did you know that if you get a virus, spyware or malware and remove it, it can still come back? It can. The way that viruses and malware do this is by attaching themselves to other files or your computer registry. This way, once you clean it out, it can download more virus files itself to attack you again.

Whenever Biden PC performs a virus removal we do our best to be certain that the virus can’t come back and we stand by our services. We offer a 30 day warranty on all virus removal services. So if you are reinfected within 30 days, we will remove the viruses again at no charge to you. Does your computer repair company offer that?

We So how do we ensure that the virus doesn’t come back again? We scour the registry for all places that viruses are known to hide. We perform multiple checks including checking for rootkits.

When we’re finished, we are so sure that your computer has no more viruses that we are willing to back it up with our 30-day warranty.

Disclaimer: This30-day warranty is null and void if there has been a music/file-sharing program (LimeWire, BearShare, BitTorrent) on the computer within the 30 day period.

Thank you very much,
Tim

If you found this post to be informative, consider following Biden PC on Twitter.

Biden PC is a Computer Networking Company and we now offer Online Computer Support.

Have you upgraded to Windows 7 yet? Do you want to? Do you have any questions about it?

Have you thought about the different options that you have to accomplish this task?

• If you currently have Vista, you can upgrade.
• If you currently have XP, you can do a clean install and move your data to the new installation.
• You can purchase a new PC that already has Windows 7 on it and copy your old data from 1 computer to another.

Do you know about the different Windows 7 versions that are available?

• There are a total of 4 versions, STARTER, HOME PREMIUM, PROFESSIONAL, and ULTIMATE.
• There are 3 upgrade versions, HOME PREMIUM, PROFESSIONAL, and ULTIMATE.

I’d like to alert you to a simple tool from Microsoft that will advice you on about your abilities of upgrading to Windows 7. The tool is called the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. To quote the Microsoft website… “It scans your hardware, devices, and installed programs for known compatibility issues, gives you guidance on how to resolve potential issues found, and recommends what to do before you upgrade.”

Though the way the software reports its findings on your system should be understandable, if you would like help in knowing which path would be best for you, Biden PC would be glad to help. And if you decide that you would like to take the leap to Windows 7, we can facilitate that in the manner that best fits your needs and budget.

I have personally been using Windows 7 since the beta version and I had the final release version 3 weeks before it was available to purchase. I can say with complete confidence that this is a solid and stable OS.

Thank you for reading,
Tim

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Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company and we now offer Online Computer Support.

Whenever you’re planning on getting a new computer, changing your ISP (Internet Service Provider), or just making changes to your network, don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Generally, computer consultants and repair shops are happy to give advice, especially to their current clients.

I am currently playing cleanup with a client who decided to change his ISP without telling me. Under many circumstances this would be fine but this client has his email server at his office and that makes the ISP change a big deal.

I received an email after I had closed up shop for the day so I didn’t see it until the next morning. As I often check my emails first things in the morning to know what my schedule looks like I saw his email that requested that I be on alert for problems. “No Problem” I thought. But after I had been awake for a little while I realized that this would mean that his Static IP Address would change and that would completely disrupt his email. Of course, no one wants their business email service disrupted. I then had to change my entire day around (fortunately I have great and understanding clients) to be at his office that afternoon for the change. As my client never received the IP address that everything was going to change to, I had to wait for the ISP’s installer to get that information.

The entire situation was unorganized as well as much more stressful and expensive than it had to be. Had I been informed even a few days earlier, I could have given them questions to ask and issues to watch out for. Fortunately, everything was handled in a manner that kept business downtime to a minimum.

We all have enough stress in our lives. Keep your unnecessary stress to a minimum by getting advice from professionals.

Thank you for reading,
Tim

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Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company and we now offer Online Computer Support.

I’m certain that we have all seen them, software programs that promise to have your PC “Running just Like New”. I’ve seen many people use them and most have to admit that the programs did little or nothing to speed up their computer. In some cases these programs have even crashed their computers.

What these programs typically do is remove orphaned or invalid registry entries. This will usually shrink the registry by 150-800 entries. Sounds good right? Well when you consider that the registry is made up of many thousands of entries, removing a few hundred really isn’t that impressive. After they remove the orphaned entries, they may compress or compact the registry, moving entries to make the file size smaller.

Will these processes speed up your computer? Yes, a little. What these programs all fail to take into consideration is how many programs are running on startup. The more programs you have running at once, the less processing power and memory your computer can give to the more important programs and processes.

Lets look at a computer as if it were a person… If you are trying to write a research paper, you need to put all of your attention into writing the paper, right? Well, lets add into the mix a stereo playing distracting music, a dog barking, a cluttered desk and your neighbor’s baby screaming. None of them are really requiring your attention but your mind has to bounce around a bit more than it should to work on your research paper. Just think about how much more you could accomplish if you removed the screaming baby, barking dog, cleaned up your desk and put on more soothing music. This is what you really need to do in order to speed up your computer. “So how do I speed up my slow Computer?” I’m glad you asked, here are a few simple steps!

• Make sure your computer has enough RAM (memory)
• For Windows 2000 and XP, you should have a minimum of 512MB.
• For Windows Vista and Windows 7 I recommend having a minimum of 2 GB.
• Remember, more is always better!

** Warning: Editing the registry can be dangerous and Biden PC does not warrant any changes that you make.**

**If you  do not feel comfortable doing this, Biden PC can do it for you for the small fee of $15.00**

• Download Autoruns from Microsoft. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx
• Unzip the file and run autoruns.exe.
• Look at the bottom left corner of the window. Don’t do anything until is says “Ready”.
• Once it says “Ready”, click on the “Logon” tab. That is all we are going to concern ourselves with.
• Find the line below “Explorer.exe” and start unchecking boxes. DO NOT UNCHECK “Explorer.exe” OR ANYTHING ABOVE IT.
• Most things here can be disabled. Things like iTunes, QuickTime, Adobe, Google Update… These can all be disabled.
• Do not disable your Antivirus (Norton/Symantec, McAfee, Avira, AVG, CA…)
• Do not disable “cftmon.exe”

Once you have disabled what you feel comfortable disabling from the system startup, reboot your computer and enjoy how much faster it is. Feel free to share this information or like with your friends.

Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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As everyone is having a difficult time in this recession, Biden PC has lowered its prices on all computer networking and repair. Going from $100 per hour, our new lower prices are as follows:

Businesses: $85.00 per hour
Residences: $75.00 per hour
Remote Support: $15.00 per 1/4 hour

Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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Have you been having a BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) pop up on your computer? Have you seen your computer do a “Core Dump” then go to a “Logon Screen”? Has your computer screen changed resolutions or colors? If so, you have a nasty piece of spyware called Antivirus 2009.

There are many files associated with this problem including XPSecurityCenter.exe, av2009.exe, and Antivirus2009.exe. This problem is difficult to fix and neither McAffee nor Norton can remove it.

If you think you have this problem or need any other Virus or Spyware removal, call Biden PC at once. We know how to handle this problem and we will do it right the first time.

Tim Biden is currently conducting a test of different freeware and commercial spyware blockers. Go see how the tests are coming out!

Happy (and safe) Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

I’ve been receiving lots of hits to my website asking how to change passwords in Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003.

If you don’t have the legitimate Administrator password you (or your client) either forgot the password or you’re trying to hack in to it. And if you’re not my client, I won’t tell you how to get in.

If you do have administrator access to your Small Business Server 2003 computer, changing users’ passwords is extremely easy. Just follow these simple steps.

1. Go to the Server Management Console and click “Users”.
2. Choose the user whose password you want to change and right-click on their name then click on “Change Password”.
3. Type the new password in both boxes and click on “OK”. Now the user can log in with their new password.

Simple huh? I thought so.

And if you are interested in a new server for your small business, Biden PC can install one (depending on your current computer network infrastructure) for less than $2000.00.

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

If you are like me, you have a few different email addresses that are being managed by Microsoft Outlook. I have 2 IMAP email addresses that I have to check but Outlook defaults to opening the standard inbox first.

To correct this and setup Microsoft Outlook to open the folder you want open first, just follow these easy steps.

1. Go to the “TOOLS” menu and Click on”OPTIONS”.
2. Click on the “OTHER” tab at the top of the new window.
3. Now click on “ADVANCED OPTIONS” then click on the “BROWSE” button.
4. Highlight the folder that you want to see opened when you first open Outlook and click “OK”.
5. Now click “OK” and click “OK” again.
6. Reboot your computer and when you start up Microsoft Outlook it will start up in the folder that you chose.

If you have other computer support needs or questions, please feel free to contact Biden PC.

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

I have a client who has a Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 system on his network and he is asking me to compile a list of his users’ passwords. The problem is that even with administrator access to the server, I can’t see the employees’ passwords. I informed him of this and gave him these 3 options as to how he can achieve such a list.

1. He can ask his employees for their passwords and compile the list himself.
2. I can create the list and adjust the users’ settings so they can’t change their passwords. I can then give them new ones.
3. The most secretive way is to perform a brute force attack within the server to attempt to discover the employees passwords. I would then create the list. If they change their passwords, I will have to perform another brute force attack.

There are problems with each of these solutions and I will go about them in the same order.

1. Asking the employees for their passwords could make them feel as though they aren’t trusted and cause a feeling of resentment. It could also compromise the users’ passwords for other accounts which is a complete lack of security.
2. If we state that we are changing the security policy and give the employees new passwords, it is a policy change and they have to accept that. Fortunately that would not compromise the employees’ passwords for other accounts.
3. The brute force attack is costly. What it entails is essentially hacking his own employees accounts on his own server. It takes time to do this and if the employees find out, their trust in the company could suffer. And like the first scenario of asking for the passwords, this may end up in compromising employees’ passwords for other their accounts.

My professional recommendation is to go with option number 2 because it has the fewest security options, is inexpensive and will create the least distrust within the company.

Having a Microsoft Windows 2003 Small Business Server on your network is a great way to increase the security and effectiveness of your small business computer network. It has many options to increase your network security. These options include maximum password life, minimum password complexity, how often you can reuse your passwords and in the event that you forget a password, the administrator can easily reset it. The administrator can’t see the employees’ passwords but they can reset them to something new.

I hope this helps.

Happy computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.