IE 9 displays pages incorrectly or freezes pages - what to do?

[kelliann1]

I told IE in tools/internet options/ Advanced to tell me about every script error. This time, for the first time, a white box loaded under the word advertisement on the right and a window popped up telling me of the following error. I don't know what it means, do you?

Webpage error details


User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; Trident/5.0; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; SLCC2; .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET CLR 3.0.30729; Media Center PC 6.0; .NET4.0C; Tablet PC 2.0)
Timestamp: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:49:59 UTC




Message: 'Array' is undefined
Line: 4
Char: 3
Code: 0
URI: http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N5778....rd=1124682092?

[ruirib]

Do you have a popup blocker or a script blocker? I would say one of those seems to be creating issues...

[kelliann1]

If your system is not up-to-date at least with IE patches you should install them all.

Sometimes other security software can interfere. What other security software are you running?

If you are running a router have you configured any blocking in the router?

Joe

Joe - no blocking in the router.

IE was installed by HP prior to my buying the computer a month ago. I checked Windows update today and all updates available are installed.

Security software is Norton Anti Virus 2012.

Kelliann

[kelliann1]

Do you have a popup blocker or a script blocker? I would say one of those seems to be creating issues...

Ruirib,

How do I add a screen capture to a post? I tried to paste one in but it won't show up. Went to advanced message box but it did not show me something that would seem to allow me to just make a screen capture and paste it into the message box. Do I have to save it somehow and attach it? I only know how to get it on the clipboard and then paste it, say into a word .doc and attach as file.

Don't have a third party popup blocker that I know of. I can disable IEs popup blocker in Internet Options and also can do it in Developer Tools but does not seem to make any difference if enabled or disabled.

Script blocker -- don't know of any but then again, I know so little. If there is one in IE Options, tell me what to enable or disable and I will try it.

Security settings in Internet Options tab is set to "default" - medium high.

I just tried going to the Privacy tab in options and setting it to accept all cookies and turned off the popup blocker. I then went to this page http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news...n-tests-a-bomb and this error below showed up, and the cursor turned into a 2 headed arrow and would not change. Page won't scroll, no links are live.

Webpage error details


User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0; SLCC2; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET CLR 3.0.30729; Media Center PC 6.0; BRI/2; .NET4.0C)
Timestamp: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:45:03 UTC




Message: 'Array' is undefined
Line: 4
Char: 3
Code: 0
URI: http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N5778....rd=1748517580?

[Medico]

The easiest way I have found to add a screen capture is to use Prt Sc button to capture what you wish to post, then paste into Paint. In paint you can crop the section you want, highlight, add text, boxes, etc, save (I usually save to my desktop to find it easily). In the Reply box, choose Go Advanced, choose the paperclip (above) or Manage Attachments (below) and follow the instructions. I hope this helps.

One other thing you might find nice, instead of pasting a URL for a link, you can turn a text word or string into a link with the globe looking icon. Just Highlight a word or group of words and click the Globe icon

Hyperlink.jpg

[BruceR]

User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; Trident/5.0;

User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0;

You're not using IE9 as IE9 then?

If you were that would be: User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; Trident/5.0)

Are you also switching between using IE 32-bit and 64-bit?

I would bet that if you Reset Internet Explorer Settings at the bottom of Internet Options, Advanced tab then those pages would appear just fine with IE9 defaults:

How to reset Internet Explorer settings

Bruce

[kelliann1]

You're not using IE9 as IE9 then?

If you were that would be: User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; Trident/5.0)

Are you also switching between using IE 32-bit and 64-bit?

I would bet that if you Reset Internet Explorer Settings at the bottom of Internet Options, Advanced tab then those pages would appear just fine with IE9 defaults:

How to reset Internet Explorer settings

Bruce

Bruce, I already reset it, as described above, a few hours ago but it made no difference. I have switched among 64 bit, 32 bit, and IE with no add-ons, and all of them have the problem I've been describing.

Here is an error from a couple of minutes ago - I had just switched from IE 9 to IE 9 Compatability view:
Webpage error details


User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0)
Timestamp: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:52:50 UTC




Message: 'isNaN' is undefined
Line: 92
Char: 11
Code: 0
URI: http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N5778....rd=1395261511?

[kelliann1]

Thanks, Ted, for the screen capture pasting instructions. This shows the ad on the right did not load. Sometimes when I see this, I just see a circle spinning and spinning and then eventually the page goes black. If I try to enlarge the window by dragging, the page goes black. Most times, I don't see any spinning circle, I just see a 2 headed arrow or a pointer and nothing more happens.

[Medico]

No problem, glad it worked.

[ruirib]

Do you have a security app that could be interfering with the browser? I have IE 9 and all the sites you have posted links to here, work properly.

[kelliann1]

Do you have a security app that could be interfering with the browser? I have IE 9 and all the sites you have posted links to here work properly.

I just disabled Norton Antivirus entirely and doing that didn't help or change the situation. I keep noticing it seems to have something to do with doubleclick's ads that are supposed to show up on the page. At least they are often named in the error messages.

[Medico]

Do you have the IE 9 PopUp Blocker enabled? (I'm sorry if you have covered this previously) If not do so, and if so disable it just to try this.

[kelliann1]

Do you have the IE 9 PopUp Blocker enabled? (I'm sorry if you have covered this previously) If not do so, and if so disable it just to try this.

I have tried it both ways.

[kelliann1]

SOLUTION - TYPING ALL THIS HERE FOR OTHERS WHO ARE GOING CRAZY WITH IE 9 AND WEBSITES!

First I want to thank all you guys who stuck with me and helped. And Bruce R for the first clue that Java might be the problem.

As you saw above, IE9 did not work on some pages I needed to see. This is the conclusion of the saga.

After reading everyone's comments a whole lot of times, I thought to check for Java installation. (BTW, why didn't HP support think to ask to check that? Hmmm.) I discovered that HP had never bothered to install Java on the computer it sent to me. So my first step was: I installed first the 32 bit version of Javas and then followed exact instructions to install 64 bit Java (you have to save to a folder, shut down all apps and then install it).

A couple of basics:

1. If you go to the gear, top right, you will see DeveloperTools (F12 key for shortcut). Click it. At the bottom of the screen you will see a lot of menu items at the bottom of the browser. Two of them offer compatibility options for specific IE versions - 7, 8, 9, 9-compatibility, and "quirks" which helps deal with the bizarre stuff that can show up. You will also find a disable button - disabling scripts and/or cascading style sheets (CSS) can either let the page load or reduce it to its basics so you can see if it did actually load even though it seems frozen and will not respond if you uncheck CSS.

2. The other basic is how you tell if you have IE 64 or 32 bit running. Go up to Help/About. If it is the 64 bit it will say so to the right of the version. If it is the 32 bit it will say nothing. (Stupid, I know.... it should SAY 32 bit prominently). How to "find" the IE versions in Win 7: Start "Orb" (how cute, an "orb" (not). Then in the search box type Internet Explorer even though you already know where to find it without searching. The three versions on your machine will show up: IE 9 64 bit, IE 9 32 bit, and IE 9 Without Add-ons. Note that disabling add-ons may not help - especially if what you *need* is the add-on called Java or Adobe's Flash.

Back to what I did:
I discovered I had to install Java. The amazing thing was, I could not even access the Java download page in IE 9 in spite of repeated tries in various modes (IE 7, 8, 9, etc.) . The button didn't show up. Sometimes there was only a blank page. Disabling CSS worked but when I clicked the link that showed up it returned me to the page with no button. So I had to use Chrome to download it. If that happens to you, use IE to get to google.com, click MORE at the top of the page, find Chrome and download it. Then access the Java page on Chrome, read directions, download Java for 32 and then for 64 bit (yes you need both and close ALL apps including browser before installing 64 bit - I know I said that elsewhere but, it matters!).

If you have 32 and 64 bit browsers, you have to have a separate Java for each. Yes you do have both versions of IE: when you get IE 9 you automatically get both versions of IE.

Seeming success but not for long:
For a short while I installed Java for IE9, it worked on the MSN page. I could scroll. It did not freeze. BUT: now cnn.com, which had worked in IE8 mode, would freeze instead, no matter what "mode" I tried!

Broke again!:
I found a thread which told how to test your Java by using a link to Adobe (I think it was here in the Lounge), and I have done that test before with IE 6. So I tried it. Bang! Everything broke. I was back to IE 9 freezing the MSN page. CNN page would not even load - all I saw was a white page. Do not try this test if you still think you want IE 9!!!

OK, you won, I give up:
After fiddling around, I decided ok I've spent DAYS at this and I've done all that is possible, including disabling the virus scanner and even uninstalling Classic Shell which I had liked.

I googled for how to uninstall IE 9 and found this very specific step by step post: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/i...e-b2a45f2a2e80

I did as it said (do not shut off your computer - shutting down and starting up takes many minutes) and when the computer restarted I discovered IE 8 64 bit had automatically downloaded and installed. A 32-bit IE 8 came with it automatically and can be found via the search box you get when you click start.

I checked all the pages I'd had trouble with and all worked. The MSN site loaded very slowly but other than that all the broken sites, including some I use for work that I didn't even mention here, worked ok.


My CONCLUSION: To others who have IE 9 and have problems, if you can't fix it within a day, give up (as much as I hate to say it) and follow the instructions at the link above to uninstall it. Make sure you have internet access first. Don't worry - when you restart there will be a delay and message that windows is configuring something. It will have gotten IE 8 for you in 64 and 32 bit versions.

I think I will be happy with IE 8. I'd probably even be ok with IE 7.

IE 8 does have some issues with some web pages, apparently. In fact, looking for information for what I am typing right now, I just went to this page: http://www.liveperson.com/lp/java-help-a/?BanID=22489
And I received the error below in a popup window. The page did seem to go on and load normally with IE 8 though. Note, in Tools/Internet Options/Advanced I have the box checked that says to report script errors when they happen, otherwise I would never have seen that there was an error.

Webpage error details
User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; Trident/4.0; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; SLCC2; .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET CLR 3.0.30729; Media Center PC 6.0; .NET4.0C; Tablet PC 2.0)
Timestamp: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:02:11 UTC


Message: Object doesn't support this property or method
Line: 55
Char: 2
Code: 0
URI: http://liveperson-partners.s3.amazon...ava-experts.js

Live Chat did load normally after I clicked the chat button on the above page. Point is, they have chat available. I didn't know that before.



But first before giving up - Check your control panel/Programs and Features (the dumb new name for Add/Remove Programs) and make sure Java was installed. If not, go here: http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp Follow the directions exactly if you are downloading both the 32 and 64 bit.

If you run across a thread telling you how to test your Java to see if it is really there, *ignore* it. I found such a thread, tried it, and after that no matter what, the pages that had been fixed for a few minutes broke again and even rebooting didn't fix it.

At any rate, it is not worth your time and blood pressure to continue to beat at IE 9 if it won't work for you. Eventually web sites will accommodate it and bugs and glitches will be worked out and then you can try it again if you want. I did send a note to MSN web site to report whatever it was that affected my use of their site.

There was an article in Windows Secrets a while back suggesting everyone install IE 9. I would recommend the opposite if you need to have a reliable browser. It may work great for lots of people but it may not work for others or it could turn out that it works great until you get to one page you desperately need - and it freezes. And if you can't afford that risk, then in my opinion it is better not to take it. I saw nothing about IE 9 that made it spectacular for my needs (research and news) and worth days of frustration trying to fix its problems.

Warning!!!! if you call HP tech support either ask for a higher level person right away or be very careful you don't let them take control and start deleting things. They have no idea of
what is wrong so they just start deleting things off your hard drive. (Never even asked me the obvious: do you have Java installed. If *I* didn't know to look for it, they should!) If they suggest going to the recovery partition say no or be very aware of your chances of losing important documents, email and projects. The guy I got wanted to go to my computer's recovery partition to reinstall Windows. Ask them questions about what they are trying to do when they have you try various things. Before hitting delete, protest and see if they will try something different *first.* Sometimes they just go for the simple.

I spent several weeks recovering data from a broken hard drive and putting it on this computer. I had an awful problem with Word which finally got fixed. A lot of times these guys don't tell you what they are doing or what it will mean to you - and in a blink you can lose everything you've been organizing and your emails too if you haven't started your backups yet. Beware!!!!

Kelliann

[kelliann1]

One more note - as I use IE 8, now -- it shows script errors for lots of pages if you have turned on Internet Options/Advanced/ and then the request to be notified of script errors.

I was unable to retrieve a password for either facebook or twitter, I forget which, and had to paste the password change URL into Chrome to make the change. I was able to type in the changed password in IE 8 but when I went to submit it the script error came up and the page would not transmit the new password. After 2 tries, I gave up and used Chrome to do it.

I never had trouble with IE 6. As it got older and slower, it was an annoyance in that way, but it never kept me from doing anything. A very very VERY few sites bluster about how they no longer support IE 6. But that wasn't quite true. I can only think of 1 that I used (to pay a bill) that refused to cooperate with IE 6. So it seems to me that as Microsoft "progresses"
with these versions to IE 10, 11 and beyond, they will continue to get more likely to fail on websites each time.

I don't have fancy machines, or weird software or crazy tweaks. I am pretty much of a plain vanilla user with standard HP Pavilion laptops (3 of them, running XP Home SP 2, Windows 7 Professional 32 bit and this one, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit because HP refused to give me 32 bit). I suspect there's a ton more people out there just like me but who aren't members here or don't post who also have problems with IE 8 and 9, and especially 9.

The xp machine is OLD - 2003 - and right now has a new used hard drive replacing the old IDE Seagate that crashed that held all my stuff. I replaced the drive and reinstalled Windows and HP software in case there is simply no way I can do something or other on one of these Windows 7 machines. I plan to reinstall again, on a much larger HD and add it to this Windows 7 machine because it has a second drive bay. I don't know beans about how you boot to one or the other drive, but will be learning sometime in the future. As far as I'm concerned, XP was *the* best and the most reliable, and I don't think I'm ever going to change my mind.