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Author: Adrian Gordon

Excel wont allow insert new rows

Problem

In an Excel document, you’re unable to insert a new row.

The ‘Insert’ option is greyed out.

Solution

This issue generally happens for two reasons –

  1. the document is “protected” (locked or restricted) or
  2. table formatting has been applied to the whole table.

Method 1: the document is “protected” (locked or restricted)

  1. With the Excel document open, open the ‘Review’ tab
  2. In the ‘Protect’ group – if you see ‘Unprotect Sheet’ the document has been “protected” – you will need to click the icon to unlock the document

Method 2: table formatting has been applied to whole table

Excel has a built in wizard allows you to apply formatting to your table.

However, if you apply the formatting to the whole table – you’re unable to add new rows.

To fix this:

  1. With the Excel document open, click anywhere inside the table
  2. In the top of the ribbon open the ‘Table Design’ tab – if you do not see it, these steps will not resolve your problem
  3. In the ‘Properties’ group, click on ‘Resize Table’
  5. Select the range that holds your table data
  7. Click ‘OK’ to apply the changes

Word 2016 – How to keep whole table together on one page

The following steps show how to format a table in a  Word document so that the table does not split across multiple-pages (when it can fit in one page).

For example, the table at the bottom of page 1 has split into page 2.

  1. Select all rows in the table – but clicking inside the table then the cross-arrow at the top left of the table
  3. In the ‘Home’ menu, click on the ‘Paragraph’ settings icon
  5. Open the ‘Line and Page Breaks’ tab
  6. Tick ‘Keep with next’
  8. Click ‘OK’ to close the window
  9. The table should now be on its own page

 

Help! The table is still split between two pages!

If the table is still split between two pages – try disabling the table row setting ‘Allow row to break across pages’.

  1. Select all rows in the table – but clicking inside the table then the cross-arrow at the top left of the table
  3. Right-click in the table and choose ‘Table settings’
  5. Un-tick ‘Allow row to break across pages’
  7. Click ‘OK’ to save the changes.

Excel 2016 – How to force force value in formula

Problem

One of the more frustrating features in Excel is its ability to automatically change a cells format – based on it’s content.

For example – a cell a currency will automatically change to text.

This often breaks formulas with Excel suddenly deciding that a cell contains text and not numbers.

This is even more frustrating when it happens in report templates where you end up having to look for and fix the error every time you run the report.

Solution

Fortunately there’s a simple solution – wrap the cell reference in the VALUE function.

The VALUE function will force the cell contents to be a value regardless of its formatting settings.

For example – instead of =SUM(B2:D2)) you would have

=SUM(VALUE(B2:D2))

How to calculate percent of total using Microsoft Excel

In these examples we’re going to show how to calculate the percent of a total using Microsoft Excel.

The basic formula to do this is

Part / Whole = Percent

You then format the cell as a percent.

Example 1: Percent using row total

If you already have the total (for example as the bottom of the row).

  1. create a SUM formula
  2. start with the value – e.g. B2
  3. divide by the TOTAL – e.g. B6
  4. format the field = e.g. C2 – as a percent

For example

=SUM(B2/B6)

Example 2: Percent using row sum

If you don’t already have the total – you’ll need to do two sums – for the total and then the percent.

  1. create a SUM formula
  2. start with the value – e.g. B2
  3. enter a forward slash /
  4. create another SUM formula
  5. select or enter the full total range – e.g. B2:B5
  6. format the field = e.g. C2 – as a percent

For example

=SUM(B2/SUM($B$2:$B$5))

 

[SOLVED] How to fix Google Chrome flagging FileZilla as malware/virus

Problem

When downloading FileZilla using Google Chrome, the download is flagged as a virus – and the download is prevented.

Failed - Virus detected

Solution

FileZilla is bundled with other software to help offset the cost of maintenance.

Unfortunately this software partnership has a history of including adware and other undesirable software.

Google Chrome has prevented the download because it has detected something undesirable.

To get around this – you can download the non-bundled installer by clicking on the ‘Show additional download options’ link on the downloads page.

Or you can go directly to the page at https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1

The downloads found on this page do not include the bundled software.

How to uninstall Meet Now in Windows 10 taskbar

The Windows 10 October 2020 update introduced a new feature – Meet Now.

For the casual observer it’s easily overlooked – but for others it’s another annoying icon that sits in the taskbar.

What is Meet Now?

Meet now is a shortcut to create or join meetings in Skype on Windows 10.

It is NOT spyware or malware.

It’s a very small and insignificant update to the Skype software that is already bundled in Windows 10.

Removing Meet Now does little more than removing the icon, as Skype will still be installed.

How to remove Meet Now in Windows 10

Option 1: hide the icon

The quickest and easiest option is to just hide the icon.

Meet Now will still be available – but it won’t be shown in the taskbar.

This way Meet Now will be easily available in case you need to use it in the future.

To do this click and drag the Meet Now icon into the ‘hide’ group.

Option 2: hide the app

This option will tell the Meet Now app to hide itself.

It’s still running – and you won’t be able to restore it.

  1. Right-click on the Meet Now icon
  2. and choose ‘hide’.

Option 3: use a registry setting

  1. Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run window
  2. Enter regedit and click OK
  4. For the current logged on user:
    1. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
    2. Right-click on Explorer and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value
    3. Name it HideSCAMeetNow
    4. Set its value to 1
  5. For all users
    1. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
    2. Right-click on Explorer and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value
    3. Name it HideSCAMeetNow
    4. Set its value to 1
  6. Restart the computer

Option 4: use Group Policy

If you administer several computers using Active Directory you may want to use Group Policy to disable the Meet Now feature.

This can be controlled using the ‘Remove the Meet Now icon’ setting found under

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar

This option will also work on Windows 10 Professional computers by:

  1. Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run window
  2. Enter gpedit.msc and click OK
  3. Go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar
  4. Double-click on ‘Remove the Meet Now icon’
  5. Set the feature to ‘Enabled’
  6. Restart the PC

What’s the difference between a JPG and JPEG file

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If you pay close attention to the files on your computer – you may have noticed two different – but similar – file types: JPG and JPEG.

But what’s the difference?

The simple answer is – they’re not different at all!

Other than the file extension – they are byte-for-byte exactly the same.

Both JPG and JPEG files are JPEG standard files.

Why are there two different file extensions for the same file?

This dates back to early versions of Windows – which only supported three-character file extensions.

This was known as the 8.3 filename and limited file names to eight-characters and the extension to three-characters.

For example – 12345678.123

While other operating systems like Linux and Mac OS could support the four-character file extension of JPEG – Windows could not.

Therefore for compatibility the three-digit extension of JPG was used.

If you dig a little deeper – there’s more!

The JPEG image standard has been used with other file extensions:

  • .jpg
  • .jpeg
  • .jpe
  • .jif
  • .jfif
  • .jfi

Now what’s with the JIF, JFIF and JFI files?

JIF, JFIF and JFI files are again the JPEG files – however these have capacity additional metadata.

Are JPEG and JFIF the same thing then?

No – JPEG and JFIF are two different things.

JPEG is the compression algorithm (Joint Photographic Experts Group).

JFIF is the file format (JPEG File Interchange Format).

So how do you convert a JPG to a JPEG?

So now you know JPG and JPEG files are the same thing – you might be left wanting to “convert” the file.

For example – if you have an online form which only accepts JPG files, but you have a JPEG.

Because they’re the same – all you need to do is change the file extension at the end of the file.

In Windows 10, to change the file extension:

  1. Open File Explorer (Windows + E)
  2. Open the ‘View’ ribbon
  3. In the ‘Show/hide’ group – tick ‘File name extensions’
  5. Now the file extension is displayed – locate your file and edit the name
  6. For example, change image.jpeg to image.jpg

Word 2016 – How to update a cross-reference

Cross-references in Word are useful for using the same footnote multiple times.

However, they don’t automatically update when new footnotes are inserted.

For example – the footnote ‘A type of animal’ was number 1 – until ‘Another footnote’ was inserted.

This resulted in the footnote number NOT updating and being wrong.

There are two ways to fix this.

Method 2 – Update a single cross-reference

  1. Right-click on the footnote
  2. Click on ‘Update’
  4. The cross-reference is now updated

Method 2 – Update ALL cross-references in the document

  1. On your keyboard, press Ctrl and A to select all
  2. Now press F9
  3. All fields in the document, including any cross-reference, is now updated

What are the dangers of someone knowing your IP Address?

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Every device that connects to the internet has an IP (Internet Protocol) address.

They’re needed for devices talk to each other and exchange data.

Your IP address may look like

  • 50.201.69.200 – for IPv4 
    or
  • 2001:4860:4000:4uh5:b2fw:0000:8e5d:6432 – for IPv6

– depending on how modern your equipment is.

TIP: Want to know what you IP Address is – check out What is my IP?

But what are the dangers of someone knowing your IP address – and should you hide it?

Denial of Service attack

If someone knew you IP address – they could perform a Denial of Service attack on your router.

This will flood your connection so that your internet stops working – or at best just slows down to a crawl.

This also affects your ISP (Internet Service Provider) – so fortunately most will have systems to detect and manage Denial of Service attacks in their network.

However, these attacks require resources and run the risk of the attacker getting caught and in trouble with their ISP and the law – so fortunately they’re not often directed at home internet connections.

Discover your location

There are online databases which show the geographic location of IP addresses.

Someone with your IP address could uses these to discover your location.

In most cases, these only show your city and state – but this information could be enough to narrow down your identity – such as the school you go to.

Report your IP address as “bad” to websites and services

Some websites, like AbuseIPDB, list “bad” ip addresses – which have been used for hacking, spam and other abusive activity on the Internet.

Someone with you IP address could report it as “bad” – even without you doing anything wrong.

Do this enough times and you’ll have troubles accessing websites which block “bad” IP addresses.

Report your IP address to law enforcement

Taking things a step further – someone with your IP address could also report it as “bad” to law enforcement.

This is unlikely to be taken seriously without evidence – but it still may attract unwanted attention.

Can I be hacked using my IP address?

No – at least least it’s extremely unlikely.

For this to happen you would have to have an existing vulnerability – such as an unsecured router with a default password or open ports.

Fortunately this is extremely rare. Modern routers are designed with security in mind – for example making you set a password before it can be used. And ISP’s often use a firewall to help protect your connection.

Should I hide my IP address?

Sometimes – depending on what you’re doing.

For example, if you’re doing Internet banking you would NOT want to hide your IP address – as you want to have a “clean” connection to the bank. But if you’re browsing websites you don’t trust – YES you should consider hiding your IP address.

The best way to do this is using a VPN – such as Private Internet Access.

Private Internet Access is a highly trusted VPN service which:

  • hides your IP address
  • gives you access via 46 countries – further hiding your location
  • is the only proven no-log VPN service in the world!

I’ve used Private Internet Access for several years and highly recommend them – they offer extreme value for money with prices from $4.42/month.