What Happened to My Computer?

[Freds]

I wondered what the "links" was for up there. Thanks.
I used to like it when you could click on Start-Favorites and your frequently visited favorites would come up. XP Pro brings up the whole favorites list.
Maybe there's a setting, but I never set anything on my other pcs for this to happen.

 

[Hakim]

Hey! Who Screwed Up the Internet?"

On April 11th, 2006 Due to their loss of the Eolas Embedded External Object patent lawsuit, Microsoft is forced to update Internet Explorer and by default disable your audio players, video players, flash banners, Java applets, and Flash menus.

All of these programs are affected:

Macromedia Flash
Apple QuickTime Player
Sun Java Virtual Machine
Microsoft Windows Media Player
Real Networks RealPlayer
Adobe Reader

Quoted Directly From Microsoft:

"After you install this update, you cannot interact with ActiveX controls from certain Web pages until these controls are enabled. To enable an ActiveX control, you must manually click the control.

As part of this Internet Explorer update, Microsoft will release updates to the current versions of Windows XP and of Windows Server 2003. All client operating systems will be updated."

Some more info:

From the desk of marketer Josh Anderson:

"Below is a brief question and answer of some of the impact that the Internet Explorer ActiveX update will have:

Q. What does this mean to the average website visitor?

A. Multimedia player controls for video and audio, flash menu navigation, flash banners, dhtml, java applet menus, etc. will no longer work automatically on first click. They must first be enabled by the website visitor.

In other words the Internet just became a little bit more complicated less responsive to the click of the average user."

This DOES NOT MEAN that all of these embedded objects will not work. It means that they will not run AUTOMATICALLY. Once you actually click on the object (video, audio, ad, etc.) you can then "interact" with it, meaning adjust volume and so forth.

If you own a web site you might want to make the changes necessary to eliminate this problem if you are using ActiveX. Here is more info on how to do it. ActiveX Workaround for web site owners

Or, search on Google for 'ActiveX Work around update.'

Hope this helps.

 

[Bird]

I hadn't tried sending any e-mails with attachments so I don't know whether I would have had that problem or not, Frank. When I ran Norton's One Button Checkup, it showed 2 errors in the registry, then when it got down to scanning the "shortcuts", it hung up (had never done that before), so I finally rebooted and ran the One Button Checkup again and it worked just fine; just showed the 2 errors in the registry and I let it fix them and back to normal.

 

[Bird]

Thanks, Hakim. I'm glad to know what happened even if I don't understand it. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif I just now noticed that the picture no longer shows up in my signature to my posts. I just get a little partial box with a red X and if I right click on it, then click on "show picture" that, too, disappears and there's nothing there, but at least that doesn't really matter.

 

[mikim]

guess I'll try a response here to see if I need to update my picture too .... maybe get a better looking one from somewhere /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif .... anyway ... this new update was just getting pushed to the PCs at work on Fri when I left .... ain't much doubt what I'll be doing on Tues when I go back /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif ain't billy just grand?

edit: well -- same ol' ugly cuss in the frame ..... oh well - guess I'm stuck with it

 

[Bird]

Hey, my signature picture is back! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I tried to change the photo that shows on the left side of the page quite awhile back. I succeeded in getting rid of the old picture, but never could get it to take a new one, then I couldn't even get the old one back, so I finally gave up. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Aaah, the trials and tribulations of being a computer dummy. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[frank29]

My problem is worse than I thought. In addition to the before mentioned problem (can't add attachments to emails), I cannot open or save Microsoft Word documents.

When I click on the open icon (or the pulldown menu), Word freezes. If I create a document and try to "save as", Word freezes.

Is anybody else having these problems?

 

[Bird]

I haven't had that happen yet, Frank. Word is still working OK on mine.

 

[frank29]

I no longer have any problems. It's wierd; but, after several days of multiple problems, my computer is suddenly "fixed".

I didn't do anything. No patches. No updating. No type of system repair. NOTHING......and my problem is gone. One of the great mysteries of life, LOL.

 

[dieselsmoke1]

Not unusual for it to take a couple of reboots for Bill to get things worked out, as in an update cannot continue due to a required resource, .dll, etc. is unavailable (already running in some other process), and can only run during a reboot or in extreme cases a power cycle.

Some of us (me included) leave a PC up 24/7. My opinion, this is easier on the hardware than frequent power cycles. However, when I observe any unexplainable behavior I'll reboot, investigate, reboot again if neccessary. Bill will self heal sometimes if given the chance.

BTW don't forget to error check and defrag, espescially after updates, new program installs, changes etc. I usually set restore points before and after, either I've gotten lazier or smarter.