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

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

I was recently with a client who wanted to give their old software to other people or organizations. In general, giving to those less fortunate is a kind thing to do. However, there are circumstances when this generosity is not kind or legal.

The most obvious problem is that most software allows for people to install it only on 1 computer. This is where we run into the legal issue. You can’t give your old software to another person or organization to use on a different computer. You may be allowed to do this if you give them the entire PC, but on the whole, regiving software is frowned upon.

The second and less obvious issue is security. Some of the software that my client wanted to pass on was antivirus software. These are a security nightmare. The recipients of the software will believe that their computers are safe and secure but they aren’t. When people believe they are safe online, they take risks that they wouldn’t if they knew that they were unprotected. Therefore, this false sense of security is more dangerous than going without security software.

I don’t believe that people should go without security software so I would like to point out some excellent and FREE (to home users, not businesses) security software.

1. Avira Antivir:              Download it HERE.
2. MalwareBytes:             Download it HERE.
3. SuperAntiSpyware:       Download it HERE.

Tim

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

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

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.

How to Speed Up Your Computer – Part 2

Other things that will slow your computer down are viruses and spyware. For this blog post, we’ll focus on the spyware end of things.

Spyware: what is it? Spyware has become an umbrella term that covers many different types of software that install themselves on your computer without your permission. It has many different functions such as spying on your web-browsing habits, creating pup-ups to advertise products or services, redirecting or hijacking your web browser… Spyware can be quite nasty and it should never be welcome on your computer.

So how do I get rid of it? Good question! For the sake of this blog, we are only talking about free methods of removal. As spyware writers probably know more about the inner workings of Microsoft Windows than most people do, it is quite safe to assume the software is difficult to remove. They create registry settings to call files. They create multiple files with names that change from computer system to computer system. They can have backdoor systems that reinstall the software if it is removed.

To remove spyware there are some free spyware removal programs that you must know about.

1. Shutdown the SYSTEM RESTORE because spyware attach themselves to your system’s restore files. This is an easy way for them to reinstall themselves, even after you restore Windows to a previous configuration. To disable System Restore, follow these steps.
   1. Right click on ‘MY COMPUTER’, then click on ‘Properties’.
   2. Click on the ‘System Restore’ tab at the top of the window.
   3. Check the box that says ‘Turn off system restore on all drives’. Click ‘APPLY’, then ‘OK’.
   4. Reboot your compuyter. That’s all there is to it.
   5. Now run the following programs.
2. Spybot – Search and Destroy. Spybot is a free program but if you feel so inclined, you can donate to the cause. You can download spybot at the link above. I would recommend running spybot at least once a month if not once a week.
3. AdAware 2008. You have 2 options to get it free. There is the standard free version and the enhanced free version but for that you must create a TrialPay account. Once again, I would recommend running AdAware at least once a month if not once a week.
4. ComboFix. Combofix eliminates some nasty extortion-ware programs. These are the ones that create a problem saying that your computer is infected by a virus or spyware and if yu purchase their software, they’ll remove it for you. That is a scam, don’t fall for it! Instead, download and run ComboFix. Instructions for it can be found HERE.
5. FireFox. This is a web browser like Microsoft’s Internet Explorer but it is more secure against many types of spyware. Download it, install it, and use it for all of your web browsing. Just one note…
   1. When installing it, instead of choosing to import your Internet Explorer settings, choose “Don’t Import Anything” so that you don’t import your issues from Internet Explorer to FireFox.
6. Now you can restore the SYSTEM RESTORE because you have already deleted all of its files and removed your spyware. To enable System Restore, follow these steps.
   1. Right click on ‘MY COMPUTER’, then click on ‘Properties’.
   2. Click on the ‘System Restore’ tab at the top of the window.
   3. Unheck the box that says ‘Turn off system restore on all drives’. Click ‘APPLY’, then ‘OK’.
   4. Reboot your compuyter. That’s all there is to it.

Your computer should now be free from most types of spyware and therefore be running faster.

To keep it free from most types of spyware and therefore running faster, Tim Biden is currently conducting a test of different freeware and commercial spyware blockers. Go see how the tests are coming out!

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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There is some nasty “extortion-ware” on the loose that neither SpyBot nor AdAware can get rid of. If you have it, in your taskbar (the icons at the bottom right corner of your screen), there is usually a red circle with a white “X” in the middle. It will pop up a warning that says “Warning! Potential Spyware Operation. Your computer is making unauthorized copies of your system and Internet files. Run full scan now to prevent any unauthorized access to your files. Click here to download spyware remover….”

DO NOT CLICK ON IT OR CLICK YES!!! The creators of this are trying to get you to buy their software through extortion. They create a problem, tell you that it’s there and then want you to buy their software to make the problem disappear. That is illegal and you shouldn’t have to pay them to remove the problem that they created.

What you need to do is download a program called ComboFix. Instructions for using it can be found here and the program can be downloaded here. How much does it cost? Nothing. ComboFix is a free software created for the purpose of removing spyware (software that shouldn’t be on your computer in the first place).

There is disclaimer that says approximately 1% of the computers that use this software aren’t repaired correctly. The case is similar with most malware repair software. There are always computers that are overly infected and can’t be repaired. If that is the case, your only options are to buy a new computer or have everything, including Windows, reinstalled. But before you throw your computer out the window, try the ComboFix free software.

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

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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