If you’re having problems updating Avira Antivir Personal Edition (FREE antivirus software) it is quite probably because your computer, router, or ISP (Internet Service Provider) don’t fully support IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) yet. If you are using Avira as your antivirus software and want a better method of updating your antivirus software automatically, follow these instructions…

1. Go to to “START” button and click on “RUN”.
2. Type “%SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc” and hit “OK”
3. Open the hosts file with Notepad.
4. Copy the 2 lines below and paste it to the last line at the hosts file. Save the file.
   
   2a01:138:a001:201::21 personal.avira-update.com
   2a01:138:a001:201::21 personal.avira-update.net

The contents of the Hosts file should now look like this:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a ‘#’ symbol.
#
# For example:
#
#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server
#       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host
127.0.0.1       localhost
2a01:138:a001:201::21 personal.avira-update.com
2a01:138:a001:201::21 personal.avira-update.net

Thank you for reading,
Tim

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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

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.

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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I recently had my first experience with Windows Live OneCare and I have to say that I was less than impressed. Here is what happened. Microsoft, take note!

My clients are an elderly couple who are nervous about using their PC but they’ve gotten by for a while now. So they had Windows XP Home edition with Service Pack 3 (I think) and a few run of the mill software programs installed. They kept having freezing and rebooting problems. I did a repair of Windows XP. That didn’t fix it. I ran all the diagnostics I could think of but no hardware problem would show up.

I finally ran out of options and formatted their computer. It was running perfectly. I reinstalled most of the programs but not Windows Live OneCare. I don’t like Microsoft’s AntiVirus products so I skipped the program entirely. Unfortunately there were functions in OneCare that the clients wanted so without really thinking that it was the problem, I installed it. BAM!!! The same problems were back exactly the way they were before. I attempted a system restore but OneCare was still there. I tried uninstalling it but that didn’t fix the problem either.

My clients needed their computer so they opted to put up with the problems rather than be without their computer for another day. I said “Okay” and left. About a week later, they called me again and asked if I would help them set up their new Apple laptop. Well, they now have a nice new fully functioning Apple MacBook Pro and they love that it works the way it is supposed to. They’re still getting used to the software but since Windows Live OneCare caused such havoc on their PC, they’re glad to have something that works.

So, as you can tell, Windows Live OneCare won’t get my vote for software application of the year.

Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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Are you unable to access your Windows XP Control Panel after removing viruses and/or malware? I recently had this happen on a client’s PC andit presented a message that said “This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on the computer. Please contact your System Administrator.”

I was logged in as the computer administrator and I still got that message so I knew that there was another problem. After much searching and reading tons of “solutions” I found that many of them were simply impossible because the necessary registry entries were not there. I finally found the answer and I want to share it with you.

1. Download Trojan Remover.
2. Install Trojan Remover and when prompted, put check-marks in the boxes marked “Check for Updates? (You must be connected to the Internet)” and “Run Trojan Remover after setup is completed”.
3. The Update program will run and alert you to any updates that are available. Choose “Update”.
4. That program will close and the full program will open.
5. You haven’t purchased the full version yet so just click “Continue” then click “Scan”.
6. The program will now remove any Trojans that it finds as well as check registry entries. One of the registry entries will be the one that has been blocking your access to the control panel.
7. When it finds a problem, choose the default option and continue.

After the scan has completed, reboot your computer and you should have access to your control panel again.

Thanks for reading! If this has helped you, send me a comment saying so.
Tim Biden

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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Most people that I know are less than thrilled about the concept of switching to Microsoft Windows Vista. Unfortunately, Microsoft, as of today, has officially killed sales of XP on prebuilt computers. This means that if you call Dell, HP, Gateway or Acer all you can get as an Operating System is a version of Windows Vista or possibly Linux.

If you are in the market for a new computer and still want XP, call Biden PC. We still have Windows XP licenses in stock. We can sell Windows XP Professional for $160 and XP Home for $110.

We will even completely remove Windows Vista from your current computer and install either Windows XP Professional or XP Home with all drivers and updates installed.

If you would like to have Vista uninstalled on your computer and replace it with windows XP Pro, Home or Media Center Edition, please contact Biden PC. We will be glad to do that for you.

Biden PC is a computer networking, repair, and support company that is located in Pomona, California. We are central to San Dimas, Glendora, Diamond Bar, Monrovia, Chino, Chino Hills, Claremont, Montclair, Ontario, and Rancho Cucamonga.

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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I’m noticing a new pattern, Windows XP Service Pack 3 seems to be as messed up as Windows Vista is, just in a smaller package.

Microsoft originally released XP SP3 to manufacturing on April 21, 2008 and to end users to download on May 6, 2008. It was then recalled due to issues with “office program incompatibilities”. Once re-released, it is having troubles with Norton/Symantec Antivirus, AMD hardware (which I use almost exclusively), as well as connection problems with Windows Home Server. I think I’ll stay away from it for a few weeks. I really don’t need to send my computer into a never-ending reboot loop.

A Toshiba laptop computer that I saw today (I should have paid more attention to the hardware configuration) has been freezing at the loading screed in Windows since loading SP3. After removing Service Pack 3, it seems to be running perfectly.

Here’s an interesting take on it from Chad Weirick at Hot Hardware, “With the campaign to keep Windows XP alive, one has to wonder if glitches like this were a product of a less than complete testing cycle. If customers began viewing XP as less than rock-solid, they might be willing to take another look at Vista.” Thanks, Chad!

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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