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Question

rectangels with red crosses

Dec 12, 2012 5:35AM PST

on certain webb pages I get rectangels with red crosses in them, even if I click on them nothing happens, whats my problem ?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Re: red cross
Dec 12, 2012 5:52AM PST

It can be an issue with the site (linking to a non-existing image), with your Internet protection (blocking the site where the pics are located), the DNS you're using (unable to ifnd the site where the pics are located), with your browser (a non-supported image type), a corrupted registry, a corrupted user profile, malware or bad add-ons and no doubt more.

Sorry to see you didn't mention your OS (like: OS X, Windows XP, Ubuntu 10.4) and your browser (like IE 6.0, Firefox 15.0).

It might take some time to find the cause. Possible diagnostics:
- enter the url of the image in your address bar and see what happens
- open the image (with the url) in Irfanview and see what happens
- another PC at your location
- your laptop somewhere else
- another PC at another location (if it fails then also, it's an issue of the site)
- disable Internet security
- try another browser
- try Firefox after booting from an Ubuntu disk
- find the common factor (f.e. only jpg's / gif's / png's are affected)

For example:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283807
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/915158
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en/iewebdevelopment/thread/ba85dc5c-04b8-4bc1-a893-1c465bedf4be

Kees

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Answer
As Kees suggests try Firefox or Chrome
Dec 12, 2012 6:23AM PST

You can download Firefox from http://www.mozilla.org and Chrome from http://www.google.com/chrome .
If they're real small rectangles, I expect they're just missing pictures like Kees suggests. That's what you get when a site's pictures can't be found. What you see as one screen is really made up of a bunch of separate components, which is why you need a browser like IE, Firefox, or Chrome to assemble them into one coherent window, but when it can't find one of the pictures, that's what you get. Sometimes clearing the browser cache can help, but not always. To do that in Internet Explorer, click Tools -> Internet Options and then delete the cache. I'm using IE9, but since you posted in the XP forum I expect yours is IE6 or IE7, so the options will be slightly different.

Good luck.

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Re: clearing cache
Dec 12, 2012 6:53AM PST

That 'cache' in Internet Explorer is called 'Temporary Internet Files'. They can be cleared from the General tab of those Internet Options. I mention it because the OP might have trouble to find 'cache' if he doesn't know how it is called.

As far as I remember, Tools>Internet Options is the same in all versions of IE. The most recent version for XP is IE8, and I expect most home users have that (some companies refuse the update, because it isn't compatible with their web applications, but home users don't have a good reason to stay with IE7).

It's nog guaranteed to help, alas, but it won't harm at all.
I once had a PC where IE refused to display .png files (all other pictures were fine). I quickly gave up to find the cause and switched to Firefox for routine browsing. It's long ago already, but I seem to remember it fixed itself after some update. Never had such troubles after that.

Kees