New Computer Has Me Screwed Up!

[ronjhall]

Gary
Both my Dell computers, one set at 1024 X 768 the other set at 1280x1024 have the type of display you have.

Attached is a capture of the 1024 X 768 screen.

I have gotten used to it being displayed this way. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

The 1280x1024 resolution notebook is optimized for that display. If I try to lower it the edges of everything displayed are fuzzy. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

Ron,

Your display is not the same as Gary's -- yours is displaying properly. Look at Gary's view of the Main Index -- yours will not look the same as his.

The blank section on your TBN screenshot is designed that way -- the tables they use do not exceed 760 pixels.

 

[riptides]

That is better.
It is a mixture of the font, DPI, color selection and screen size.

The only way to get it right is to weed through it, like you have been doing."Right" being personally pleasing to you.

Most of my browsing on TBN, depending what monitor I am at will display the "blank" side. My best monitor is 1400X1050 with Highest (32-bit) color, using Tahoma 9 fonts, at 106 DPI.

I'd rather have the "blank" side, resize window down, than have the darn horizontal scroll bar because some dweeb thinks they can figure out "my" display through some browser check.

Browsing is suppose to be platform neutral to a point.

Better luck with it.
-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Golfgar4]

Hakim,

Thanks for taking a look at my problem.

I checked my display settings at my office computer (which displays everything just fine), which is a HP with a HP 1730 monitor. The resolution is set at 800X600 and the DPI is at 96. I guess I'll try to duplicate these settings at home this evening and see if it makes a difference.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Switching the dpi to 96 helped keep the subjects from wrapping, but the text is so small I can't see it. )</font>

Alan,

Yeah, when I switched back to 96, my fonts were reduced some too. But not so small that it's hard to read. And once the text quit wrapping because of the reduced DPI setting, that's at least more normal than what it was before.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have gotten used to it being displayed this way. )</font>

Ron,

Maybe I'm just being "difficult", but I don't want to accept getting used to this. Not so much because it's a change, but more from the standpoint of knowing that it can be the way I prefer and that it's just a matter of finding the correct settings. Or, if as Hakim has suggested, it might be a corruption of the IE browser.

This is a brand new computer. Is it a common problem to have a corrupted browser in a new computer?? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The only way to get it right is to weed through it, like you have been doing."Right" being personally pleasing to you.
)</font>

Mike,

I think you're probably correct. As I've been playing around with this, I've made small improvements (baby steps! /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif) amongst some big problems. I suppose if I just keep tweaking here and there, I eventually will get it where I think it should be. The only problem with that is that I probably won't completely understand how I got there, and thus will not be able to offer any suggestions for someone else who is experiencing the same problem. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Oh well, what would life be without these occassional exercises in futility?? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Golfgar4]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It "could" be the settings for your monitor. More likely, we think, is that there is some corruption of your Internet Explorer browser.
)</font>

Hakim,

I should have asked this before. Is there some way to determine if the browser is actually corrupted before going through a download?

 

[Glenn9643]

Not sure of your system, but on mine I can go to "my computer", "control panel", "add/remove programs" and select Internet Explorer with an option to "repair" it. This may help.

 

[Golfgar4]

Thanks for the tip. I'll check that out this evening. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[MadReferee]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Is there some way to determine if the browser is actually corrupted before going through a download? )</font>

Depends on the problem. However, if its not running at least SP1 then you should download the latest IE service pack as Hakim suggested. Look under the Help | About Internet Explorer menu to verify the service pack level.

 

[Hakim]

Even if your Control Panel shows SP1 installed, it could still be corrupted. These things just "happen" sometimes. There are 15 megs of files and data, and if even a part of one file is corrupted in some way, the whole program may act up.

One of the problems here is trying to wortk on Gerry's machine from afar. It is a real hard thing to do, even for experienced technicians.

Although we have seen the screen captures, several of us realize it could one of many things. So we guess, and guess. In all likilihood, if one of us could sit in front of the actual computer, the issues could be resolved in a few minutes.

In any event, I always advise doing a fresh install of IE. IE is known to be an overblown, problematic program. Other programs alter it's settings, sometimes innocently, sometimes with malice. Just go to the link I provided and do a reinstall.

Once you download the install program and run it, there will be an option to "reinstall all components." Choose that. It will not harm anything.

For people like Gerry, I advise going to Best Buy or Circuit City, and smoozing up one of the technicians or salespeople. Find one who is a student, and is willing to work "on the side." Pay them $30 or $50 per incident to have them come to your hosue and sit down at the machine -- to make changes, install new peripehrals, etc. In the long run, it will actually save you money, and a great deal of aggravation and frustration.

 

[BillG_in_TX]

<font color="blue"> IE is known to be an overblown, problematic program. </font>

As has been discussed in another recent thread, Garry could just download and install Firefox, and see if that solves the problem. It's less than a 5MB download. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Hakim]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Is there some way to determine if the browser is actually corrupted before going through a download? )</font>

Practically speaking, no. These are "signs" of possible corruption that you are reporting.

To say this is a "brand new" computer is a relative thing. Within minutes of surfing or doing an update or just about anything, one can experience changes to the operating system files.

Many, or most, software programs will "install" their own versions of system files (especially DLL - "dynamic link libraries"). While needed and necessary to run, these do not always work well when replaced --- especially if they are primarily used by Windows OS in some manner.

I reinstall IE 6 every few months, just for the heck of it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

One of the biggest potential offenders, especially relating to display issues, is GAMES. These are real system resource hogs, and almost invariably install severe modifications to the system in order to run their often cutting-edge graphics.

If you have any people who run or access games (on or offline) with your computer, you'll need to understand that such use almost invariably can mess up your "settings."

Your 800 X 600 setting at the office is okay, but as I said in another post, for most people and most monitors today, a 1024 X 768 resolution will produce the most clear and appealing view.

 

[Golfgar4]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( For people like Gerry, I advise going to Best Buy or Circuit City, and smoozing up one of the technicians or salespeople. Find one who is a student, and is willing to work "on the side." Pay them $30 or $50 per incident to have them come to your hosue and sit down at the machine -- to make changes, install new peripehrals, etc. In the long run, it will actually save you money, and a great deal of aggravation and frustration. )</font>

Hakim,

Actually, we have already done that. We know a young fellow who is handling all of the IT systems for a local builder that my wife works with. He's pretty good and he's been helping us out in exchange for design services when he builds his new house. We just haven't been able to get him over to the house yet.

I strongly suggested to the wife last night that she call him and get him to come over. I got one of those, "Yeah, yeah, when I get the time" looks. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif Of course, as soon as she goes to one of the sites that she frequents and has the same problem (I hope!), THEN we'll see some action!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Hakim]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( We know a young fellow who is handling all of the IT systems for a local builder that my wife works with....We just haven't been able to get him over to the house yet. )</font>

Hopefully he'll get over soon.

 

[DaveNay]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( We design to a standard 1024 X 768 screen size, as do most sites these days. )</font>

Heh....that's why TBN only uses the left 55% of my 1600 x 1200 screen. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Dave

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue"> Heh....that's why TBN only uses the left 55% of my 1600 x 1200 screen </font>

Please don't tell me you MAXIMIZE your browser when you surf the web. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[DaveNay]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Please don't tell me you MAXIMIZE your browser when you surf the web. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif )</font>

Errr....why not? It's only sites like TBN that use fixed layout schemes that don't fill up the entire screen. Most every other site scales properly.

Dave

 

[riptides]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ( Please don't tell me you MAXIMIZE your browser when you surf the web. ) )</font>

Hee Hee..........

We are back to my "personal" note. HTML can be very forcefull or very elegant.

IMHO don't force anything upon me, except the data.... Oh wait, there is a protocol for that....

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue"> Errr....why not? </font>

Having a 1600x1200 resolution on your PC and only using 1 window is like buying a school bus for just you to drive to work in.

 

[DaveNay]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Having a 1600x1200 resolution on your PC and only using 1 window is like buying a school bus for just you to drive to work in.)</font>

I never said I only do one thing at once. I can ALT-TAB between applications with no problem. I guess it comes from doing mechanical design work on CAD packages, where the more screen real-estate, the better.

Besides.....if I want to drive a school bus to work, then I will.


Dave

 

[Muhammad]

<font color="blue">Heh....that's why TBN only uses the left 55% of my 1600 x 1200 screen.</font>

Don't worry---Soon we'll be using 100% of it.

And on the topic of Gary's problem... in all honesty, that's how the site might look on a browser from 1994... so it's a browser/configuration issue, but I can't really say exactly what since the style sheet seems to be loading.