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General discussion

red x's and

Mar 25, 2005 6:57AM PST

Hi, I was hoping someone could help me figure out why for the past month I am suddenly seeing red x's on two websites that I have always viewed and now more frequently I am seeing the IE banner of Page Cannot be Displayed on some webpages. The latter seems to be taking the place of advertisements but it still bothers me that I don't know why this is happening. I use XP Home and recently updated to SP2 to see if this would solve my problem. It didn't. I've looked into my browser settings and even tried Firefox but that also gives me the same types of errors viewing those same sites. I have sort of narrowed it down to it being a Windows Update, the use of the SpyBot or Microsoft AntiSpy Beta. Just a hunch but it seems around the same time I began using those programs that I noticed the x's and pages not displaying properly. Please note: I can pull up the full pages; but various sections have those errors on them. I have checked with other people that use the same ISP as I do and they can view the sites just fine. Am I overlooking something? I've seen some references to fixes in the Registry Editor but I'm too much of a novice to go in there comfortably. If anyone has experienced a similar problem as this or knows of a fix, I would greatly appreciate it!! Thanks

Discussion is locked

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Finding prior posts.
Mar 25, 2005 9:32PM PST

Find at the left top of the main forum page the box labeled "Search", right-click the line Advanced Search, and use Open in New Window from the resulting context menu. In the box labeled "Message Body:" type red x and then press Enter.

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CursorCowboy
Mar 26, 2005 3:39AM PST

Thank you CursorCowboy but I HAVE read the previous posts and have tried numerous suggestions on this site but since no one else seems to have the same type of problem as I have been experiencing, I thought I would post my own question on the forums. I've been reading all the forums at various different sites for the past month trying to research this problem myself. Nothing I had tried has worked and I didn't want to mess around with the Reg Editor just on a whim. Thanks anyway.

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Since I don't know what has been tried. . .
Mar 26, 2005 9:46PM PST

1. Here are the items you mention which are not clear:

a. I am suddenly seeing red x's on two websites that I have always viewed and now more frequently I am seeing the IE banner of Page Cannot be Displayed on some webpages.

We need to ascertain whether it's the page delivery from the site or your computer, which we cannot do without having access to the page(s) - URLs?

2. The article [Q316894] describes and offers troubleshooting tips in the following areas, of which there are three other parts covering other important items:

a. I get a message saying "The page cannot be displayed".

b. Web pages don't show pictures or play sound.

c. My browser doesn't start at the page I want.

d. Web sites don't remember me.

e. Internet Explorer crashes.

f. I get a message saying "You are not authorized to view this page".

g. I need to view a Web page when I can't go on line.

b. The latter seems to be taking the place of advertisements but it still bothers me that I don't know why this is happening.

Advertisements? Is the page error mentioned on these same sites or is that an overall statement that it simply happens sometimes when surfing? To me this would indicate site access such as a redirect rather than an advertisement, but I could be wrong.

c. I have sort of narrowed it down to it being a Windows Update, the use of the SpyBot or Microsoft AntiSpy Beta. Just a hunch but it seems around the same time I began using those programs that I noticed the x's and pages not displaying properly.

As you suspect, there are several pieces of software which assist users when browsing that may have options to set that circumvent redirects or even displays but I cannot specifically advise you of which since I do not rely on any. Best bet is to safely deactivate those which you suspect to see if the anomaly still takes place.

3. The article [Q325192] discusses and describes know issues that may occur after installing certain Updates to Internet Explorer or Windows. Please review the content of this article to see whether the described issue you've reported could be linked to anything there.

4. Access the "Windows Update site" and click "View installation history" in the left frame to ascertain your system update information.

d. Please note: I can pull up the full pages; but various sections have those errors on them. I have checked with other people that use the same ISP as I do and they can view the sites just fine. Am I overlooking something?

5. When visiting Web sites, add-ons (software components) may be downloaded automatically, you may be prompted to download add-ons, or you may be directed to visit a Web site to obtain the latest add-on. These components may be third-party ActiveX controls that extend browser functionality or that provide special user interface elements in IE. The article [Q883256] describes how to control add-ons by using the Manage Add-ons feature of SP2, describes how to use and how to troubleshoot its features.

6. Enhanced Browsing Security, "Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2."

7. "How to troubleshoot problems accessing secure Web pages with Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 2 (Q870700)."

8. "Test your ActiveX Installation."

9. The article [Q319585] covers all operating systems (OS), discusses the situation when certain software such as ActiveX updates are incomplete, and describes troubleshooting procedures which may correct the problem(s).

10. The article [Q310312] states the Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk by searching your disk for files that you can safely delete. You can choose to delete some or all of the files as follows:

? Remove temporary Internet files.

? Remove downloaded program files. For example, ActiveX controls and Java applets that are downloaded from the Internet.

? Empty the Recycle Bin.

? Remove Windows temporary files.

? Remove optional Windows components that you are not using.

? Remove installed programs that you no longer use.


Note: If you start the Disk Cleanup utility and click the Disk Cleanup tab, a System Restore: Obsolete Data Stores entry may be available. These are files that were created before reformatting or reinstalling Windows and are obsolete and can safely be deleted. If you choose to cleanup and delete these files, this option does not show again.

11. The article [Q878461] discusses the solution to correct a problem when you open an HTML file in a program after you install SP2 that one of the following issues may occur, and is caused by the default enhanced security feature set in the system registry that helps protect your computer from attacks by malicious users or by malicious software such as computer viruses:

? You receive a script error message when you view the HTML file in a Windows-based program.

? You receive an ActiveX error message when you view the HTML file in a Windows-based program.

? When you open the HTML file in Microsoft Internet Explorer, pictures do not appear the way that you expect.

12. Supplemental reading:

a. "Appendix B - Troubleshooting Strategy for resolving problems in Internet Explorer v6.x" -- heavy concerning ActiveX

b. "Chapter 4 - Security Zones Internet Explorer v6.x" - TechNet article.

c. "Windows XP error installing Macromedia Flash Player ActiveX control."

e. I've seen some references to fixes in the Registry Editor but I'm too much of a novice to go in there comfortably.

Jump in with both feet and get wet. Otherwise, it's time to put out the bucks and let somebody else do it.

Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry (Q256986) - all MS operating system versions, and "How To Use the Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Registry Editor Features (Q310426)."

1. The Registry Editor is an advanced tool for viewing and changing settings in the system registry. Windows stores configuration information in a database (the registry) organized in a tree format. Although the Registry Editor enables inspection and modifying, it is normally not necessary.

Note: The two most important things to know are that the system registry copies changes immediately and there is no Undo command. The editor does not wait for a Save to be issued since it does not have one, therefore making changes permanent as they happen -- you make a change it's gone forever unless you remember it or have already backed up a copy. Use the editor sparingly and soberly, and do not leave it open unnecessarily.

2. The article [Q318159] explains that when a registry hive becomes damaged, your computer may become unbootable, and you may receive one of the following Stop error messages on a blue screen. Damage often occurs when programs with access to the registry do not cleanly remove temporary items that they store in the registry. This problem may also be caused if a program is terminated or experiences a user-mode fault -- one created by the user:

Unexpected Shutdown
Stop:0xc0000135


3. The article [Q307545] describes how to recover a Windows XP system that does not start because of corruption in the registry and assumes that normal recovery methods have failed and access to the system is not available except by using Recovery Console. If an Automatic System Recovery (ASR) backup exists, it is the preferred method for recovery and it is recommended that you use the ASR backup before utilizing this procedure. This procedure does not guarantee full recovery of the system to a previous state; however, you should be able to recover data when used.

4. Supplemental reading:

a. "Prevent Regedit.exe from Using the Last State (Q244004)."

b. "The Registry Keys and Values for the System Restore Utility (Q295659)" describes certain keys pertaining to System Restore which must not be edited under any circumstances.

c. "HOW TO: Back Up, Edit, and Restore the Registry in Windows XP (Q322756)."

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Thank you all for the suggestions!
Mar 29, 2005 6:08PM PST

I finally got my computer back to normal. After reading so many links and trying several different things, I ended up deleting the HOSTS file completely and Voila - - that solved my problems. I sure learned a lot on this journey though.

Thanks for all the great suggestions, Cursor and Kees.

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Lots of possibilities.
Mar 27, 2005 4:57AM PST

As you've seen, there are lots of possible causes and cures. But if you tell that Firefox blocks exactly the same pictures (advertisements?) as IE that narrows down the possible causes considerably, I think.

Do some research, and find the common factor. Right click>Properties and note the url-address of the picture you can't see. For example, if I click on the
'page cannot be displayed' box at the top of this page, the url is displayed as (a rather long one) res://C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SHDOCLC.DLL/dnserror.htm#http://ads.com.com/mac-ad?SP=6&_RGROUP=7336&NCAT=6035:7572:6620:&CNET-BRAND-ID=1&HUB=cn&PTNR=2&LOCALE=en_US&&CNET-SITE-ID=7&ASSET_HOST=adimg.cnet.com&adfile=5898/11/593826_wc.ca
That's all very nice and as expected, because I blocked ads.com.com in my hosts file. But, I think, any adware blocker rightly configured, would do about the same.
The effect in Firebird is a blank box with an 'click here'. Properties for a comparable case show it to be http://adlog.com.com, which I've got in my hosts file also.

Tell what you find.

Kees

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Little red "x"'s on web pages
Mar 27, 2005 8:56PM PST

I wish I had the answer as well. For some months now I've had the same problem and I definitely feel it's something in my computer. One of the sites where this problem is most evident is www.CNET.com ! While I'm typing this, there is a column to the right with NO images, but lots of little red x boxes....and to the left, 1 red x box, and 1 image (the help.com image that says Online Courses). At Cnet.com's home page, it is filled with red x's.

I use IE6.0 and Firefox Mozilla 1.0.1...same problem regardless of version. I've deleted files, deleted cookies, emptied caches...confirmed settings in the Advanced tab have "show pictures" enabled. I have the current Java, as far as I know my ActiveX is current (I ran through a diagnostic yesterday and some files needed updating....which I did....no change); I've run system scans, tried shutting off Spy Sweeper and Trend Micro PC-cillin....none of these efforts made any difference. I'm on a Dell Inspiron (that originally saw everything on Cnet just fine) with WinXP - SP2. I have Norton Utilities, and ran Win Doctor...it found some issues and "fixed" them..still no change.

Don't know if there's a connection, but I have another issue with my system right now. I have an site which I use to ftp files to. For some reason, when I create the link, my computer will not see the files (usually they're pdf files - for example, one file is at http://www.thehomeresource.com/info/surkit.pdf ) Apparently everyone else sees the correct file when they click the link. I, however, get this 404 error message:

Object not found!
The requested URL was not found on this server. If you entered the URL manually please check your spelling and try again.

If you think this is a server error, please contact the webmaster.

Error 404

I only mention this because I thought there might be some sort of "common denominator" in my system not seeing these things which are definitely "where they are supposed to be" and viewable by other computers.

JudiB

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RE:
Mar 27, 2005 9:35PM PST

1. The Hosts file is used for host name resolution and found in c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\ for Windows NT/2000/XP Pro, or c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\ for XP Home. To open the file using Notepad, start Notepad, and then use a drag-and-drop operation with the Hosts file (or Hosts.sam file) into the open Notepad document. Learn all you want about a Hosts file:

a. "Welcome to Ray Marron's Hostess page!" for a free utility for maintaining Hosts files.

b. "Gorilla Design Studio", Using the Hosts file.

2. Check whether i.i.com.com has been added to this file.

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Red X's and General Display Problems in IE and Firefox
Mar 28, 2005 4:18AM PST

I too have had serious problems when coming to Cnet.com or News.com.com in both IE and Firefox. The page format of news.com is all messed up and the background is a dark grey instead of white or yellow with blank and x'd out boxes everywhere.

I had this problem on both my laptop and desktop. I recently formatted my desktop for other reasons, but I carefully monitored the situation as I reinstalled all my programs. I have re-installed ZoneAlarm Free, Spyware Blaster, Spyware Guard, Spybot1.4b, Microsoft Antispyware, and Norton AV. My desktop works flawless.

So I have come to the conclusion it was/is Lavasoft's Adaware and/or Webroot's Spysweeper. I installed trials of both on my laptop and desktop (before the desktop format). I have long since uninstalled both from my laptop but the display problems still exist on my laptop.

I have tried disabling all anti-spyware programs, AV, and my firewall, still nothing solves the problem. I've tried adding CNET and news.com to my trusted sites and still nothing.

It's not a very big deal, but it's one of those little things that I can't figure out, and it's driving me insane!! Please help me.

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Part of the solution might be in ...
Mar 28, 2005 5:02AM PST
http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6644-0.html?forumID=40&threadID=41931&messageID=492059 (last 3 posts).

It's not only i.i.com.com, but also adlog.com.com and some others. Just right click>properties to see what site the blocked picture comes from, and unblock it by making the line a comment. This doesn't explain the grey background, but it might help for the ads.

The hosts file, by the way, is NOT supplied by Windows in the form it is in now. It's empty or has only the local host line. Somebody (you maybe?) must have installed it for some reason (blocking of ads and spyware are the common ones). And if you don't like the result, you simply unblock them again. It could be as easy as that.

Just a suggestion. It could be something else also, of course, but I cnet.com being mentioned in both your posts I thought I would mention it to you.

Kees
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Red x's
Apr 20, 2005 7:10AM PDT

I had the "red x" problem when I opened CNET with IE6.The solution I found was to delete i.i.com.com from the blocked hosts in Spy Sweeper.