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Q: Thank you so much for helping us “non-geeks” through your column. I really appreciate you! My problem is when I did a scan with AVG it noted a problem with one of my Network Adapters. The Teredo Tunneling Adapter said Code 10, cannot start. Is this a problem? Is there some way to allow it to start? AVG searched the web and found that I have the most recent version (2006). I can’t figure out how to get it to start.

Also, I have Microsoft Essentials for my virus protector but it also includes a “Windows Defender”. When I tried to open the Defender, it says that it is out of date. However, I can’t find another version of it. I even tried uninstalling the whole Microsoft Essentials and reinstalling it thinking the Defender would be up to date then. But it still says out of date. I think this is the malware arm of Windows Essentials. Is this a problem? If so, how do I fix it?

– Cheryl D.
DeFuniak Springs, Florida

A:  “Non-geeks”?  I like to think anyone that reads my column is a geek of some stripe.  Or at the very minimum, a geek-wannabe, because just putting together a question about a tech problem shows some level of insight into the technology in use.

The extremely unhelpful (but classic Microsoft) error “Code 10” means, quite literally “This device cannot start.” Assuming the hardware has not been somehow damaged, the only thing that can cause this issue is the driver, which is the software layer that sits between the hardware and Windows itself that allows the system to communicate with the device.  While you may have the latest driver, that doesn’t guarantee that the driver is not damaged or otherwise corrupted, or that it’s even compatible with your version of Windows.  You can probably fix this by downloading a fresh copy of the driver, then forcing your system to reload it.  To do the latter operation, right-click on My Computer and select “Manage”.  In The “Computer Management” dialog that appears, select “Device Manager”.  Find the device, then right-click on it, and select “Properties”.  Click the “Driver” tab and then click on “Update Driver…”.  Select the Browse option and locate and load the driver.  Hopefully your “Code 10” will go away.

As for Windows Defender, it is probably not Defender itself that’s out of date, but rather its definition files, which are files full of stuff like malware signatures and other data that Defender uses to help differentiate between regular files and malware-infected files.  You can update the definitions manually, but Windows will also keep them updated automatically for you, which provides the greatest level of protection.  To update them manually, open Defender and click the arrow next to the help button (the blue and white question mark) then click “Check for updates”.  If you want to keep it updated automatically, open Defender and click on “Tools” then “Options”.  Find the checkbox labeled “Check for updated definitions before scanning” and check it, then click “Save”.  Depending on how you log onto your system, you might be prompted for an administrator password or other confirmation.

From the Shameless Plug Division of Geek Central: With the arrival of autumn, The Geek and Spouse Peripheral’s combined thoughts turn heavily to our annual project: The Geek Lights on the Corner.  This will be the show’s 7^th season, and you can follow all the fun and frustration of this year’s build, and get previews of what’s coming on the show’s page at Facebook.com\GeekLightsOnTheCorner.  For those of you lucky enough to be local here in the Fort Walton Beach, Florida area, we’ll be holding at least two public Build Days again this year.  Watch for the dates and other information, and come on out and be a part of this year’s show.