SD PC Support Blog! May 19th, 2012

Problem:

Hello,

I am having trouble with my Outlook Express. I can not receive any messages, and my inbox folder looks empty even though I know there are messages in it. I am receiving the following error:

An unknown error has occurred. Account: 'mail.cox.net', Server:
'mail.cox.net', Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No, Error Number:
0x800C0133

Solution: This problem is caused by a corrupt or damaged inbox. Outlook express saves all of your emails in one file, and often the file will become corrupt when too many emails are stored.

In order to solve this problem, you will need to make the files which store your email smaller. There are a few ways to do this, and the easiest method is below:

Compress your mail messages using outlook

Step 1. Open Outlook Express

Step 2.  At the top of the Outlook Express Window, click  View -> Layout -> Folder List and select Outlook Express.

Step 3. Again at the top, click File -> Work Offline. This will prevent messages from coming in while we work.

Step 4. Next, click File -> Folder -> Compact All Folders.

This will begin a compression process within Outlook Express. You will see a few different boxes popping up, this is normal.

If an error message appears telling you that a file is in use, simply click “Okay” and let the program continue to work. If the compacting process stops because of this error message, close Outlook Express, wait 10 seconds, then reopen the program and run Step 4 again.

If this does not solve your problem you must manually shrink your .dbx files. This is an advanced procedure and can cause data loss if not done properly, therefor instructions are not provided. This is a service we can perform for you remotely for as low as $49. Please contact a San Diego PC Support technician at (619) 839-0190 or visit our online payment page here: http://www.sandiegopcsupport.com/payments

Does the Bios Password do more harm than good?  This is the question I get asked all the time because people always end up forgetting there bios password and ask for a bios password removal.  In my opinion this type of protection is over rated and tends to lead to more problems than resolutions but before I say bios passwords are bad let’s first talk about what a bios password is. 

On every computer available, the BIOS makes sure all the other chips, hard drives, ports and CPU function together.  In other words, it is a collection of code that helps everything communicate with everything else.  In the “bios” you are able to see technical details such as the type of processor the computer has and how many hard drives are present.  In this environment you are also able to do a lot of other things such as changing your computers clock and boot order.   Some people will try and protect this by applying a bios password.  This is a very easy way to protect your bios but can be very difficult to fix if you forget your bios password.  Bios password removals tend to be more costly than other password removals services because without the bios we are unable to run 3^rd party software to help remove the password.  A more hands on approach is needed to remove the bios password. 

On every motherboard there is a battery that helps keep information in ROM.  When the bios battery is removed all values in the bios are set back to the default values when the board was first created.  Removing this battery is the only way to remove the bios password.  When doing this though you can present yourself with other problems such as your computers clock being wrong and even your computer not being able to boot into windows at all; so please make sure to use a certified technician when trying to have your bios password removed.

Based on the difficulty of the bios password removal service I would suggest only using this type of protection only if you must protect your bios from unauthorized changes.

Question: When I try to open a word file, all I see is a bunch of squares and weird symbols. I know the file was made in Microsoft Word, but I can not open it!

Answer: Most likely, the file you are trying to open is a .DOCX file. This is a file created in a version of Word NEWER than 2003, usually Word 2007 or Word 2010. Unfortunately Word 2003, as well as older versions of Word, can not open these types of files.

To fix this issue, download the Compatibility Pack directly from Microsoft. Heres the link: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/open-a-word-2007-document-in-an-earlier-version-of-word-HA010044473.aspx

Problem: When I receive an email with a Word file attached, the file will not open. Instead my computer asks me which program to use to open the file, but I already have Word installed! The only way I can open Word files is by manually opening Word, then choosing File -> Open and finding the file.

My operating system is Windows XP and I am using Word 2003.

Please help?

Answer: Microsoft Word is notorious for changing settings when it updates. All you have to do is change the program Windows associates with .doc and .docx files. Heres how:

1. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Windows Explorer

2. Once windows explorer is open, at the top chose Tools -> Folder Options and select the  “File Types” tab.

3. Now scroll down the list of file types to find DOC and DOCX (assuming you already installed the compatibility pack from above). Now change the program associated with these files types to Microsoft Word by hitting the “Change” button on the bottom half of this same window.

That should do it! A reboot may be necessary for the changes to take place.

Problem: First…thank you for your help in this matter. It has been driving me absolutely crazy for about 2+ weeks now.

Some sites I visit will begin to load, and suddenly switch to google-analytics.com, and never load. In addition, I have several sites redirecting to different sites, such as chinontv, and other strange searches. I have a wireless network set up using a netgear wireless g router wgr614v10. There is a gateway hard wired to the router running XP Pro with service pack 3. My wireless comp. that is also experiencing the same type of issues is an older mac ibook g4 w/ OSX 10.3.9.

I have run malwarebytes, adaware, and AVG free anti-virus and have found nothing of note. In addition I have hard reset my router, and updated the firmware, and the issue is still bugging me. I have not attached any logs because I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time with the wrong info, but let me know and I’ll attach any logs that can be of assistance.

Thanks again.
-marcus

Solution: The problem that you are having is defently a sign of some type of rootkit.  A rootkit is a program or group of programs designed to take control of a computer system without authorization of the system’s owner.  Typically, rootkits act to hide their presence on the system by subverting or evading antivirus software.

In order to solve this problem first you need to download and run Gmer.  Gmer is a program that can detect Root kits.   I have a provide a link here.  root kit detector.  Once you have determined what files are infected you need to use a offline environment like Barts PE to remove the Root kit.  Write down the location and name of the infected files and download BartPE from here.  BartPE.  Burn and run BartPE and then find and delete the infected files.  Once you have deleted all the files found by gmer, reboot your system and your redirect problem should be gone.