OneDrive slowing down File Explorer in Windows 10 PC

Problem: File Explorer takes minutes to load, and/or open folders. The culprit was OneDrive used in Microsoft Account as a sign-in.

Solution: Convert your sign-in account from Microsoft Account to local account. Big thanks to this guy who found the solution to his own problem! https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/onedrive-desktop-application-is-making-file/d035d9ab-2390-404d-be63-c0d71fc2983d

Check If Your Email Account Details Has Been Leaked

News article: Anti Public Combo List with Billions of Accounts Leaked by HackRead
        There is now a platform called "have i been pwned (HIBP)" created by Troy Hunt from Australia, where we can search if our email addresses and accounts are included in "combo lists". These lists contain email address-password pairs.

Searchable database of the combo lists: have i been pwned? (HIBP)
        Search your email address and it will tell you how your account is compromised. It will tell you if your email account is included and in which websites e.g. Yahoo! It will also tell you if your email-password pair is being shared publicly (aka 'pasted').

Learn more about HIBP by the author's blogpost

Here are things I think I should do when my email account has been "pwned": 
     1. Change password or delete the account that has been compromised
     2. Check for details entered in the account e.g. credit cards, IDs....
     3. Change password of the email used in the account, especially if they are the same [never do this, by the way]
     4. Employ a password generator machine, like what is suggested by the HIBP author

Any more suggestions, or updates? Let me know!  (and consider donating to HIBP)

ArcGIS Error: Number of shapes does not match number of table records

Oops! You cannot open your shapefile and cannot repair using "Repair Geometry" tool. The specific error message says "Number of shapes does not match number of table records", and the steps listed in the official ESRI site does not help you. Also, the scripts for other tools cannot be found in the ArcScripts webpage. What to do???

It's not the end of the world yet, coz someone uploaded a 1999 year-old tool THAT STILL WORKS! Go to this support forum and download shapechk.zip found at the end of the page: https://geonet.esri.com/thread/177037#comment-614216

Good luck and breathe normally!

Problems in Office 2013

Excel: "File is corrupt and cannot be opened". If your Office doesn't open your file (usually that was downloaded online), and you are confident that the file is not corrupted - then you are right, this error message is bogus because your file is NOT corrupt but just BLOCKED. To "Unblock", right click the file in Windows Explorer and click on Unblock - as explained in this forum of disgruntled users. VOILA! Your file is not corrupted after all!

"Word experienced an error trying to open the file. Try these suggestions: Check the file permissions...". Again, another security block and NOT a damaged file. Go to OPTIONS > TRUST CENTRE then go to SETTINGS > PROTECTED VIEW. Unless they will provide a solution, untick those boxes (but your security might be compromised). As for me, I scan the files through my Anti-virus before opening them.

Windows 8 woes-and how to solve them!

1. Does not detect your Ethernet cable. Solution (from this forum, 2nd answer): Adjust the controller's Speed & Duplex at Device Manager->your controller->Advanced (settings) then try different duplex values until your machine detects your Ethernet cable (it will do so right away, no need to restart). 
2. Right-click in Windows Explorer is very slow. Solution is suggested from this forum. It's a 3rd party shell extension problem (mine was bth x64 extension) and you need to install Shell Ex Viewer and systematically disable the problematic 3rd party extension. Follow the answer in the forum step by step, it should be safe.

Working with a Deutsch (German) PC

for MS Excel:

1. CTRL+d (copying formulae of the first cell to all highlighted cells)   >> Strg+U          source
2. For English to German functions: http://www.piuha.fi/excel-function-name-translation/?page=deutsch-english.html

Getting To Know Your Windows 7

Here are some quirks you might have missed when using Windows 7.

1. "Always On Top" feature of Windows Gadget. I do miss the sidebar in Vista (where your windows will resize to accomodate the sidebar), instead of moving the gadgets around the desktop. However, most webpages and applications are not built to occupy the whole widescreen, so my gadgets are not much of an obstruction to my windows.
2. Uncheck Autoplay. Windows 7 has improved much of its security. However, if you are more concerned of ease and usability, then you might want to to set Autoplay for inserted media. As for me, I have to scan first before opening any USB flash drives, and due to a traumatic experience, CD/DVDs.
3. "Manually connect" saved wireless connections. You can check your saved connections via Manage Wireless Connections, then choose only in your home network to automatically connect to your PC.
4. Services.msc rather than MSConfig. Click Run in the Start menu, then type services.msc to be able to manage your startup and automatic applications. I mostly turned mine either to Automatic (Delayed) and Manual. I disabled others such as those from Lightscribe. MSConfig only manages startup applications, and would usually duplicate apps until you turn off the application itself.
5. Check Firewall. I block applications (e.g. launchers, auto-updates) that automatically connects to the Internet. Not only does it compromise your security, it also affects your speed and performance of your browser.
6. Windows Media Player + Libraries. I encountered a lot of annoyance when I managed my Library in Windows Media Player. I found out that you have to check your "default folder" in Libraries to be able to manage your WMP fully.
7. Set Registry Size Limit to "unlimited". After I installed MS Visual Studio (prepackaged with ArcGIS 9.1), my Windows Update, .NET Framework and Windows Resource Module would not work! I did find a suggestion to set the registry size to "unlimited". This is not a safe tweak though, and I am still observing my PC performance after I did this tweak.
8. Run sfc /scannow and chkdsk. These checks came with your MS DOS, so why not use them? You can perform this when cmd.exe is ran by an administrator.
9. Administrator privileges. Right click an application, then choose "Run as an administrator" to run the app in an elevated environment.
10. Run Defrag only when it needs to. When it is 0%, you're still OK - that or you need other means to speed up your PC.
11. Windows Aero Themes. They are free and quite beautiful. Head over to Personalization gallery of Microsoft.

Do It Yourself PC Fixes

If your PC has gone abnormally slow, or it always complains that "your Virtual Memory is low, shutting down programs", or just hangs more often that usual even if you have no programs running - then you might have a virus, adware, spyware or malware that hogs your RAM.

Other signs of infections are unusual behaviors of your PC. You yourself know your PC best, but if you are unsure, check out for:

1. weird captions in the title bar of your windows (usually browsers)
2. programs you never installed that run on background (check this by Task Manager)
3. abnormal behaviors with your hard drives; e.g. mouse has gone erratic, USBs cannot be read, autoplay has been grayed out, etc.

Major Geeks Forums has posted a DIY fix to get rid of those PC intruders. I highly recommend this because it's very effective. Word of caution: follow the instructions CAREFULLY.

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407