To solve this problem do the following…

1. Go to this path c:\users\%username%\appdata\local\outlook\ if you are using Windows Vista and   c:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ if you are using Windows XP.
2. Now Look for any .ost files and rename the extension to for example .old.  Some guides will tell you to delete the .ost files but I prefer to rename them then back them up somewhere save.
3. Once you have renamed the .ost files, restart outlook and it will rebuild the folders etc.

After doing a search on Google I found a blog post here that gave the solution to the problem.  It is a BIOS update which Dell rates as important.  The link to the BIOS update is here.  A word of caution however, please ensure that you read the download and installation information fully before attempting a BIOS upgrade.  If done incorrectly, your system can be rendered unusable.

The steps are for both Windows XP and Vista and will only work for screen savers that were set manually by the user.  Screen savers set through policies by a company on a user laptop/desktop will not be affected by these steps.

1. Open notepad and copy the information into notepad.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
“ScreenSaveActive”=”0″

2. Save the file as ‘Disable screen saver.reg’.

3. Now change the “0″ in ‘ScreenSaveActive’ to “1″.

4. Save the file as ‘Enable screen saver.reg’.

Whenever you want to disable the screen saver, go to the location where the files you created are and click/double click the ‘Disable screen saver’ file.  To enable the screen saver click/double click ‘Enable screen saver’ file.

It seems that more and more Internet users are putting their most private data on the Internet using these sites. With the buzz around Cloud Computing, this seems to be the way companies are going.

For me I really never liked the idea of storing my data online with security of information being my biggest concern, both internally and externally. Companies offering these services online are trying to get Corporations and other businesses to move their data, software and other services from local network environments to a hosted environment.

There is to much things that can go wrong with such services provided on the Internet. What if your data is being mined and being passed to third parties? What if a cyber attack compromise the site where your data is stored? What if the company goes out of business? What if the service becomes unavailable for extended periods? What about the performance of applications online? What is the level of service and support you can expect to receive? What are the legal issues that can affect your business?

These are just some of the questions to ponder. For me Cloud Computing will never take off to become the de facto way of doing business. There is to much that can go wrong with your valuable data and user satisfaction.

Attempts to update the system failed giving the same error.  Below are the steps I took to resolve the problem…

1. Go the AVG update site here.
2. Download all the files there except the one IAVI: / 1616 to a folder.  This is the source of the problem as something is wrong with this .bin file.  When you use automatic update in AVG, this file tries to download and install but fails giving the “.bin file missing” error.
3. Once you have completed downloading the files to a folder, from the AVG console go to tools\update from Directory.  Select the folder you downloaded the files to then click ok.
4. The updates should go through and you should not receive the error.

AVG will need to remove this .bin file from the updates list.

Things you will need

1. A 1GB or equivalent flash drive – more space is better.
2. And ISO copy of Ubuntu 8.04.1Desktop Edition – download link
3. A zip file extractor application – I use 7zip.
4. A copy of the latest version of syslinux in zip format. Double check the last modified dated to ensure you have the latest version.

Start the process

1. Insert the flash drive and format it – how to is here
2. Install 7zip if not done before.
3. Go to the location where your Syslinux zip file is.  Right click on the zip file, look for 7zip, then select extract files, the text box will show you the folder the files will be extract into, rename that folder to Syslinux. Click ok to extract the files to the same folder / location where the zip file is located.
4. Now go the command prompt and CD to the Syslinux folder that was extracted. Ensure the flash drive is connected, then run the following command syslinux -ma f: (substitute f: for the drive letter of your flash drive), this will copy some system files over to the drive.
5. Now you need to extract the files from the Ubuntu ISO to a folder using 7zip. Right click on the zip file, look for 7zip, then select extract files.  Click ok to extract the files to the same folder / location where the zip file is located.

Final Setup

1. Copy all the contents of the extracted ISO files to the flash drive.
2. On the flash drive you will see a folder called isolinux.  Open this folder and move all the files in this folder to the root of the flash drive which in this example is f:, this might be a different drive letter for you.
3. Look for a file called isolinux.cfg, rename this file to syslinux.cfg. Eject the drive and you are done!

Running the finish product

1. Restart the computer and enter the BIOS.
2. Change the boot order so that USB drive or USB is the first boot option.
3. Before saving the settings, connect the flash drive.
4. Save the BIOS settings and the computer will reboot and will start Ubuntu from the flash drive.