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Oddly enough, you should simply not be using IE 6 (or 7 for that matter, though it is a little safer) to surf the net. It is too dangerous!! So, this may be a blessing in disguise. Especially if, as you say, you are not too experienced. My advice may have come too late, your problem may be the result of an attack but, I'm hoping it is not. FF is an excellent alternative to IE, as is Opera. IE may be used on trusted sites but, for just surfing the net, one of the other two is a much safer bet.
well thank goodness i have nothing to attack lol
it will be like moving packing up all my adresses mail messingers bookmarks as you ff ers say... but i have truly given up. thanks for your help. all of you.
You have more to attack than you realize. Those very things that you are having to pack up and move for one. Also, once malware installs itself on a PC there may be no way of removing it other than reformatting the hard drive and starting over. I'm sure that you wouldn't view that as 'nothing to attack', it is the very use of your PC and its programs as you have configured them that's at stake, not to mention any data or projects on the drive.Quote:
Originally Posted by panhand
I doubt that your current problem is the result of an attack. If it is not, I could probably talk you through the steps required to re-enable flash in IE. I think BLiZZaRD was on the right track, in fact. There are certain Active X and active scripting settings that must be set to 'allow' or at least 'prompt' for flash to work. These generally can be restored if you return everything in the security tab and in the advanced tab to their defaults. You might even want to try this but, if it gets things working for you - PLEASE for your own sake, do not go back to IE as your default browser.
Okay, first off please don't give up. Yes IE does have some issues with security and other things but it is still the most widely used browser. If you want to use it we will get you able to view everything.Quote:
Originally Posted by panhand
I would suggest against installing IE7 at this point. Yes it is the "better" browser of the 2 options, but IE6 is needed to get working before we make that transition.
This issue isn't about having Flash Player installed, it is about the settings on your computer and in IE6. The reason for the uninstall/install of the Flash Player was to remove those issues and sometimes (not often enough though) a reinstall will change those settings for you.
Now. The next thing we are going to do is a small clean up of your registry.
Follow these steps and then go to my site after a reboot and let me know what happens:
1) Go here and download this program it is called Crap Cleaner (CCleaner for short) basically it is a multi cleansing tool and uninstaller but it also has a very nice registry cleaner as well. Click the "Download the latest version" link in the top right corner of the green side bar.
2) Install CCleaner. This is a very simple install, and (from memory) double click the install icon you downloaded, choose English, then next, I Agree, next, leave all the check boxes checked, Install, and then finish.
3) Once installed, open CCleaner program. On the left side are 4 options, Cleaner, Issues, Tools, and Options. Forget about Options, we won't need that. First, click on Cleaner, You will see in the middle a ton of check boxes. Most of them are already checked. We will go through them though to ensure the "correct" ones are checked.
In the first (shown) tab all should be checked EXCEPT those under "advanced" which should be grayed out. Click on the "applications" tab next. Ensure that EVERYTHING on this tab is checked, then in the bottom right hand corner is "Run Cleaner" Click this button, check the box "don't show this again" in the warning box that pops up. let the cleaner run, it should take anywhere from 10 seconds to 45 seconds.
Once it is complete, click on the Issues button. Again ensure that EVERY box in this list is checked, then click "scan for issues" The time for this scan can vary greatly, but you will know when it is done when the "Fix Selected Issues" button in the bottom right corner lights up. Once it does, click it. Then choose "Yes" when the pop up saying "Do you want to backup changes to the registry" appears. This will then open a "save as.." box, choose a simple destination, like your MyDocuments folder or such and click save. Then click "Fix ALL Selected Issues" in the next window that appears, let it run through and close CCleaner.
4) Now, basically all you have done was cleaned out your registry of unused files, and done a good thorough disk clean up. Close everything and reboot. Try my site again here is the link again and let me know what happens. We will move on from here when you report back :D
Bad idea. It is a good idea, if possible, to get the old installation of IE working so that when it is to be used on trusted sites, it will function properly. But, it is not a good idea to send someone off blithely surfing the web with it as their primary browser, especially if they are not all that computer literate. That is a recipe for disaster that no amount fixing, short of a full system restore from a clean hard disk can recover from.Quote:
Originally Posted by BLiZZaRD
Also, if you are cleaning the registry to uninstall flash viewer's left behind keys, shouldn't you make sure flash player is uninstalled first? It is still working in other browsers. This makes me think that the original restore defaults in IE was incomplete or that things were changed after that and before trying flash in that browser.
I'm not comfortable with recommending registry cleaning to a novice user, even as a last resort.
True, but what can we do? We can't convert everyone to a proper browser, and she has already shown her distaste for FireFox. There aren't many left that will do what she needs/wants.
That's the thing I like about CCleaner though, save the back up it prompts for. If something stops working or is broken, etc. Double click the reg icon it saved, and everything goes back to the way it was. it is (dare I say) fool proof with CC.
And no, we aren't doing the reg cleaning in the hopes of clearing out Flash Player, as I am 99% sure the player isn't the problem here. I am willing to bet there are activeX, ATI, or nVidia files that are corrupt or broken in that registry, and that is what we are getting rid of.
If the key is active, working properly and not corrupt at all, CC won't even list it as a possibility to remove.
I'll have to disagree about IE. I like using it much more than the Fox. Especially the new Fox. I don't mind the security holes in IE, but since it is the most accepted and the easiest to use that's what I prefer. I am not going to say anything bad about the Fox, but I have found the 2.0 harder to use than the previous version. It is slower and it even will not load some sites. But I do prefer to use it when I need it's various plug-ins. I love the developer bar. So let me get my foot out of my mouth and say that they are both really good. I just wish that they would have some standard set on how either one of them works. Because it is a pain sometimes to make a webpage to look good in either one. My last page I was making I tried to make specially for Fox, but it turned to look better in IE. Go figure.
P.S. I love the CC as well.
all,
I just thought we had the opportunity to save one soul from countless future problems. Opera is actually much more like IE than is FF. For folks that like IE's facility with javascript and images, it is a good choice.
detoam,
None of the major browsers are much easier or harder to use than the others. If you are so used to IE that you cannot bring yourself to use another, it has nothing to do with 'ease of use'. And, it has almost everything to do with how much 'at risk' your computer is.
I agree with you John, but it took me 4 months to get my wife off IE and onto FF. And I sleep with her! Of course now, she won't even open IE, and if something auto opens IE she closes it and won't use what ever that was :D
The truth is IE is the worst browser out there. The fact is that it comes with every new PC and just like Windows, people will use what they are given, get used to it, and then fight the change.
In this case the option is simple from the "I can't get it to work in IE, but I downloaded FireFox and it works on there" would be enough for me to quit using IE. Hey, I found one that works, why use the broken one?
But I would rather help her and then show her why FF is better, than come in bashing the browser she wants to use.
Nothing personal against you, sir, or anything you have posted. I agree 100% with everything you have said.
I know your heart is in the right place BLiZZaRD. I don't think where people sleep has much to do with this though. Sometimes in a close relationship, the desire to please the other person can outweigh common sense, in either direction so, I am not too persuaded by this example. Where you were saying:Quote:
Originally Posted by BLiZZaRD
This only hints at the damage that using IE as your primary browser can leave in its wake.Quote:
And no, we aren't doing the reg cleaning in the hopes of clearing out Flash Player, as I am 99% sure the player isn't the problem here. I am willing to bet there are activeX, ATI, or nVidia files that are corrupt or broken in that registry, and that is what we are getting rid of.
And, I am not opposed to getting panhand's copy of IE working again. The effort, if carried out systematically, will help to determine if her problems are the result of an attack or from something less sinister. Good to know.
I still cannot stress enough the importance of safeguarding ones computer and data by using a browser other than IE as your primary internet tool. IE can still and sometimes even should be used to access certain trusted sites.