computer help ? strange message when IE fails

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 14:19:27 +0000, Keith Manning wrote:

> I don't have any problem with IE, as you say, it does everything that I
> ask it to with very little fuss. I also use Netscape 7 sometimes and I
> have used Mozilla. They all do the same thing in a slightly different way.
> I still don't see a reason to change.

Reasons for using firefox:
Tabbed browsing
The BugMeNot extension
And the fact that it doesn't support ActiveX which is a security nightmare
and was done by MS for political reasons.

As for the original question, it could frankly be a problem with any one
of about 200 files. Every time you install an application, a badly written
install script can break existing programs. It's what's know as DLL hell.

Jaosn

--
http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for trip reports including diving
the wreck of the President Coolidge in Santo, Vanuatu

David Walker wrote:

> Some of the features would be nice to have in IE, but in reality 99% of IEs
> problems seem to be down to user error.

Firstly, given that CERT have recommended not using IE,
it seems that expert opinion does not agree with you.

Secondly, if 99% of IEs problems are indeed user error,
a number that I presume you made up without any rational
thought, then I would put it to you that it's a very
poorly designed piece of software.

- Keith

"Jason" <jason.news.nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
newsan.2005.03.29.19.10.59.765525@ntlworld.com.. .
> On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 14:19:27 +0000, Keith Manning wrote:
>
>> I don't have any problem with IE, as you say, it does everything that I
>> ask it to with very little fuss. I also use Netscape 7 sometimes and I
>> have used Mozilla. They all do the same thing in a slightly different
>> way.
>> I still don't see a reason to change.
>
> Reasons for using firefox:
> Tabbed browsing
> The BugMeNot extension
> And the fact that it doesn't support ActiveX which is a security nightmare
> and was done by MS for political reasons.
>
Plus...
- The search box in the top right corner that can be set to your favourite
search engine. (You're supposed to be able to change the default IE search
box from MSN search but I've never managed it).
- Greatly improved speed and lack of bloat.
- The little icon specific to each site starts working (sorry, can't
remember the proper name for this).
- Some sites that don't work properly under IE start working again.
Example: the animated weather charts on the met office web site.

The only minus I can think of is that the Odeon website doesn't work
properly under firefox, but they've finally bowed to public pressure and put
an alternative html-compliant version up.

I thing the tabbed browsing is the killer, though. I really don't know how
we managed without it. I wonder if Ladbrokes are taking bets as to whether
IE7 will have tabbed browsing...

I'm actually less convinced about Thunderbird as it seems a bit buggy to me.
The RSS feeds are great, but I find quite a few errors getting thrown up
with usenet groups. Also, if you spend time on multimedia newsgroups, there
doesn't seem to be a "combine & decode" like there is in OE. Having said
that, it understands yenc, which OE doesn't.

> Secondly, if 99% of IEs problems are indeed user error,
> a number that I presume you made up without any rational
> thought, then I would put it to you that it's a very
> poorly designed piece of software.

Well no, I mean things like asking "do you want to install spam-o-matic
version 10", and someone clicking "yes" just because it popped up. It's
weakness is that it allows you to do things. It could very easily block
every extension, extra option and install settings, but then its limited in
its functionality. It may be that most people wouldn't notice the loss, but
if people do use thinks like ActiveX and it gets removed completely then
they're stuck. It might be worth having everything disabled by default, so
that users are never asked if they want to install crap from websites, and
it might improve things for many users, but if they didn't all just click
"yes" to everything they wouldn't have half the problems they do. Funny
really - IE says "do you want to install...", you say yes, it installs it,
then people complain that it's faulty software for doing what you told it to
do! Crazy!

David

David Walker wrote:

> >> The BugMeNot extension
> Never heard of it. But as IE can block popups and won't install crap
unless
> you click 'yes' to everything presented to to I can't see it
improving much
> for me.

That's not what it does. There's a database of sites that require you
to register to use them, like some of the newspapers for instance. When
you get to the login screen, you right click and the extension logs you
into the site using a known login. No need to hand your personal
details over in future. And no need to go through the hassle of
registering just to read one news story.

As for IE not installing crap unless you click "yes", that is
completely and utterly wrong. Any program that's not written absolutely
perfectly can be persuaded to run arbitrary code. And no program is
perfect. There have been countless examples in IE and loads of other
programs where things like invalid headers or passing back data that is
too long for the declared size have made programs run malicious code.

That's why everyone should keep their systems patched at all times. No
system that's connected to a network is invulnerable. Unfortunately
there are known, unpatched problems with IE.

> >> And the fact that it doesn't support ActiveX which is a security
> >> nightmare
> >> and was done by MS for political reasons.
> Which you can turn off in IE much more quickly than you can download
> Firefox.

If it's in there, it can be switched back on. You're relying on IE to
enforce the security.

Jason

"Keelworm" <trash@REMOVETHECAPSgoldingweb.co.uk> wrote in message
news:d2bnjd$q1i$1@sparta.btinternet.com...
> While choking on an orange the asphixiatingly tight latex collar began to
> take effect as *david* gapsed to *uk.rec.scuba* with a dying breath:
>
>> I am working through them as I type
>
> Multitasking... the marvels of modern technology ;o)
>
> --
> PG

It did make me laugh good one Worm

this link
>
> http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...ducts_id=86474
>
is still giving me problems I have messed around with the MS stuff but got
fed-up with nothing
helping so I installed Firefox which did show page But it also told me that
it had blocked a pop up
so I turned pop up blocking on "again" in IE and then the page would load.
I can not get into the Firefox Vs IE bit but what is this pop up doing that
can cause IE to crash

Many Thanks to all in this non diving thread and I apologise to the real
divers for this off topic post.

David

While choking on an orange the asphixiatingly tight latex collar began to
take effect as *david* gapsed to *uk.rec.scuba* with a dying breath:

>
> "Keelworm" <trash@REMOVETHECAPSgoldingweb.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:d2bnjd$q1i$1@sparta.btinternet.com...
>> While choking on an orange the asphixiatingly tight latex collar began to
>> take effect as *david* gapsed to *uk.rec.scuba* with a dying breath:
>>
>>> I am working through them as I type
>>
>> Multitasking... the marvels of modern technology ;o)
>>
>> --
>> PG
>
> It did make me laugh good one Worm
>
> this link
>>
>> http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...ducts_id=86474
>>
> is still giving me problems I have messed around with the MS stuff but got
> fed-up with nothing
> helping so I installed Firefox which did show page But it also told me
> that it had blocked a pop up
> so I turned pop up blocking on "again" in IE and then the page would load.
> I can not get into the Firefox Vs IE bit but what is this pop up doing
> that can cause IE to crash

There's any amount of stuff it may be doing via active-x, a java servlet
maybe, or something else... FWIW, it's loading fine for me under IE6
running on SuSE Linux under crossover, so can't be all that screwed. Try
re-installing and updating IE, it may be damaged.

PG

>
> Many Thanks to all in this non diving thread and I apologise to the real
> divers for this off topic post.
>
> David