Yesterday I removed some malware called ThinkPoint from a coworker’s laptop, and after removing the virus and installing Microsoft Security Essentials I received the following error when I tried to run it: This happens because the virus adds popular antivirus applications to a list of restricted programs on your computer. Even though the virus was gone the restriction was not.  To solve this problem, open REGEDIT and delete the key \HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\DisallowRun.

In the second installment in a series about converting business to Ubuntu Linux, I discuss the process of installing and configuring my hardware on Ubuntu Linux. In the end I found that Linux has come a long way since I last used it.

Call it frugality. Call it insanity. Call it what you will, but I’m converting my computers that I use for my consulting business to Linux. That’s right, I’m a Microsoft Certified computer consultant whose going to switch to Linux. Actually, I’ll go one step further: I’m going to try to switch completely to Free Software. This is the start of my journey.

Most users will buy a computer, load it with their favorite software and forget about it. Things might be just fine for a while, but eventually your once speedy machine will start to drag, you’ll experience lag and crashes that prevent you from getting your work done, and viruses, spyware, and other digital nastiness might even creep into your system. You’ll eventually have to pay a technician to fix the problem, or will treat your computer as a disposable commodity and simply buy a new one. One of the critical tricks that computer technicians have up their sleeve are software updates, and when I tell you how easy they are, you’ll kick yourself for wasting your money.