gHacks technology news » ie

Mouse Cursor Disappearing Frequently In Firefox, Internet Explorer And Opera

Martin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:14:44 +0000

Roman send me an email yesterday about a problem that he researched the other day. He noticed that the mouse cursor in every Firefox tab was disappearing and appearing again with no apparent reason for this behavior. The strange thing was that all tabs were affected, not only one where the webmaster might have played around with Javascript or other scripts. Roman discovered that the disappearing mouse cursor was caused by the Flickr video script.

Users who want to test it can visit the Drupal User Experience website and start playing the first video on the page. They will notice that the cursor will start to disappear for short intervals on all tabs that are open in Firefox. Tests with other web browsers revealed that some show like Opera and Internet Explorer show the same behavior while others like the Google browser Google Chrome seems to be immune and show the cursor all the time.

The problem persists even after stopping the playback of the video in question. One solution is to close the tab that contains the website with the Flickr video which stopped the mouse cursor from disappearing in Firefox. Another solution offered by Roman was to block the Flickr video script with the Firefox add-on NoScript.

Internet Explorer 8 Language Packs

Martin — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:37:30 +0000

Microsoft has released Windows Internet Explorer 8 MUI Packs for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. They allow Windows XP and Windows 2003 users to add different interface languages to Internet Explorer 8. While it has been mainly designed for corporations who operate worldwide it can also be used in smaller networks to install and support different interface languages. Please note that this solution is not intended for home computer systems, home users are encouraged to download Internet Explorer from the official Microsoft website.

Support has been added for the following languages:

Internet Explorer 8 MUI pack applicable to Windows XP x86 and Windows Server 2003 x86 for the following languages –

* Arabic, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Hong Kong), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Bulgarian, Croatian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Slovenian, Slovakian, Thai

Internet Explorer 8 MUI pack applicable to Windows Server 2003 x64 and Windows XP x64 PRO for the following languages –

* Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese (Brazil)

Downloads are available for..

Windows XP 32-bit
Windows XP 64-bit
Windows Server 2003 32-bit
Windows Server 2003 64-bit

via IEBlog

Tags: ie, internet explorer 8, internet explorer 8 mui, internet-explorer, language packs, Microsoft internet explorer

4 Internet Explorer 8 Annoyances

Martin — Sun, 10 May 2009 09:17:45 +0000

Internet Explorer 8 is most likely the best web browser that Microsoft has developed in a very long time. It beats its predecessors Internet Explorer 6 and 7 fair and square and comes closer to the other popular web browsers than ever before. While it still lacks behind in comparison against Internet browsers like Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Opera or Google Chrome it closed the gap to these other web browsers and it is likely that the next Microsoft browser – that will most likely go under the name Internet Explorer 9 – will close it further.

Not everything is fine and shiny though. There are a few annoyances that are especially noticed by users who work with other web browsers as well. Listed below are the top 4 Internet Explorer 8 annoyances from a user’s point of view:

1. Internet Explorer 8 toolbars

The Internet Explorer 8 take up lots of screen estate. It is possible to hide toolbars to decrease the space requirements. The annoying aspect here is that it is however not possible to combine toolbars. Users of the Firefox web browser for example can merge all toolbars into one while Internet Explorer 8 users sit there with lots of blank screen estate because of this. Hiding the toolbars might work for some Internet Explorer users but most would probably like one-click access to their favorites and access to the Internet Explorer 8 menu.

2. Webslices and Accelerators

The idea behind these two features that have been introduced in Internet Explorer 8 is to provide users with quicker access to information. The reality shows that barely any new add-ons are created for Internet Explorer 8. The add-ons gallery is everything but filled to the brim with add-ons and it seems that most are basic search add-ons that allow users to search a specific site in Internet Explorer 8. This is a feature that is not being used by many Internet Explorer 8 users. (check Internet Explorer 8 Add-ons for some good ones)

3. Creating shortcuts, dragging and dropping elements

If you want to create a page shortcut on the computer desktop you only need to right-click the page in Internet Explorer 8 and select Create Shortcut. The annoying thing is that Internet Explorer 8 will always display a confirmation dialog “Do you want to put a shortcut to this website on your desktop”. That’s practically the same annoyance that game developers like to use when exiting their games. You click on Exit Game and they display a confirmation dialog “do you really want to exit the game?”.

The same is true for dragging and dropping elements to the computer system. It is for example possible to drag images from the web browser to the computer desktop. Internet Explorer 8 will display a confirmation dialog as well asking the user to confirm the action.

This could easily be solved by a set of advanced configuration settings where experienced (or annoyed) users could disable those confirmation dialogs.

4. RSS Feeds

All popular web browsers display a RSS feed indicator in the address bar except for Internet Explorer 8. The web browser uses an icon in the command bar that gives access to RSS feeds which is not helpful if the user has set the command toolbar to hidden or does not pay attention to it. It also happens that some icons do not appear in the command toolbar but have to be accessed by clicking on the down arrow on the right of it which indicates that there are more items in the toolbar.

Feel free to add any annoyance that you have encountered while using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8.

Tags: ie, internet explorer 8, internet explorer 8 annoyances, internet-explorer, microsoft, Microsoft internet explorer, web browser

Internet Explorer: Expired Cookie Remover

Martin — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:35:40 +0000

Internet Explorer handles cookies differently than other web browsers. It stores cookies on the local hard drive and leaves traces behind even if cookies have already expired. The usual reaction to expired cookies should be to remove them as they are not of use anymore. Cookies might be stored on a computer system even if Internet Explorer is not used at all as other programs make use of Internet Explorer’s engine to display web contents.

Expired Cookies Cleaner is a free portable application for the Windows operating system that can remove the traces of expired cookies effectively. It will automatically scan the computer system and delete expired cookies from it. The software will also optimize the files that store cookies on the system. These files usually contain expired and valid cookies. The expired cookie remover will delete the expired cookies and optimize the storage space of the remaining cookies.

The software will list every expired cookie that it found in a list. It will furthermore display statistics about the amounts of the files and cookies that were found on the computer system, the number of cookies that have been removed, the number of optimized files plus the time it took to complete the process.

Tags: cookies, expired cookie remover, expired cookies, ie, internet-explorer

Customize Google For Internet Explorer

Martin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:56:04 +0000

Customize Google has been a very popular add-on for the Firefox web browser for some time now. It basically allows users to customize many aspects of their interaction with Google services like Google Search or Gmail. Options range from interface enhancements to security and privacy related settings like removing ads or tracking cookies.

Customize Google for Internet Explorer is a similar add-on for Microsoft’s web browser. The current set of options is not as vast as those in its Firefox counterpart though which can largely be attributed to the early build number of the add-on. The Internet Explorer add-on can be started from the Windows start menu after installation. It will display a configuration menu with options to start and stop the Customize Google add-on for Internet Explorer.

Google services and settings are divided into categories in a sidebar. The most popular Google services like web search, Google news or Google Mail are already included in the list. A click on any entry will display the configuration options for it in the right window.

Check boxes define if an option is enabled in Internet Explorer. Security conscious users may want to disable click tracking and Google cookies that can track user behavior while using any of the Google services.

The Internet Explorer add-on does not feel feature complete at his point in time when compared to the Firefox add-on of the same name. It does however provide the security and privacy options that many users seek which should be enough reason to give it a try.

Tags: customize google, gmail, Google, ie, internet explorer google, internet explorer privacy, internet-explorer, Microsoft internet explorer, web browser

Internet Explorer Privacy Manager

Martin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:31:22 +0000

When I was working for one of the largest German financial companies we had some very strict rules at work like having to lock the computer whenever we went away from the computer desk. This was naturally forgotten sometimes and could result in some severe problems for the person who forgot to lock the desktop.

While Internet Explorer Privacy Manager would not have helped with that problem it does help in work environments where other users should not be able to access or see the websites that are opened. The software will install a Browser Helper Object in Internet Explorer that can be configured to either make the Internet Explorer web browser revert to the default home page or make the Internet Explorer browser to close after a certain time.

The time that it takes before the desired option will be applied can be configured in minutes by the user. The default time is set to five minutes and the default action is to go back to the default page of Internet Explorer.

The Internet Explorer Privacy Manager itself is a portable software program for the Windows operating system. It should work with most versions of Internet Explorer. The developers do not provide information about supported operating systems and Internet Explorer versions though.

The software can be downloaded directly from the developer’s homepage.

Tags: browser helper object, ie, internet explorer privacy, internet-explorer, Microsoft internet explorer, portable software, web browser, windows software

Export Internet Explorer Security Zone Information

Martin — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:40:19 +0000

Internet Explorer assigns a security zone to any website that the user is visiting. Next to the two generic zones Internet (all that are not in another zone), Local Intranet (local sites) are Trusted sites and Restricted Sites. Trusted sites will usually have a lower security level than restricted sites. One could for instance move financial sites or sites from companies like eBay or Amazon into the Trusted sites list. Restricted sites are those that should be accessed with lower permissions. Good for websites that need to be accessed but are not that trusted.

If a user accesses the Internet with multiple computers he might want to use the same security zone settings on all of them. The easiest way to do that would be to export the security zones on one computer and export them to all others instead of adding sites to the zones manually on all computers.

Internet Explorer is storing the security zone information in the Windows Registry. To export the settings of the currently logged in user one would have to open the Registry with [Windows R], typing [regedit] and hitting [Enter].

The Registry key is located at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains

A left click on Domains will select that key. The next step would be to open the File Menu and select Export. Enter a name and save the data as a file on the computer.

The newly created file has to be transferred to another computer. A right-click on the file at the new computer will open a context menu. The entry Merge will add the data to the correct Registry key so that the zone information of the first computer will be added to it as well.

Tags: ie, internet explorer security, internet explorer tips, internet-explorer, registry tips, security zone, windows registry

Internet Explorer Repair

Martin — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:01:38 +0000

Unlike its name would suggest Repair IE is more an Internet Explorer tweaking program than one that can actually repair the Microsoft browser. The closest thing coming to repairing the browser is the ability to reset functions of Internet Explorer that might be the cause for problems with it.

Repair IE is a portable application for Windows operating systems that provides access to the five tabs Appearance, Browser Features, Network and Connections, Search Features and Security. Each tab contains so called items that enable or disable certain functions and features in Internet Explorer. The current value column gives information if the item is currently set to its default value or a custom value set by the user.

Most custom values are shown as Yes (True) or No (False) values with the occasional string for values that require path information. A double-click on an item changes the value of it. A Yes or No value would be inverted. If the inverted value is the default value the field would be cleared.

A path can be changed in a small popup window instead. A confirmation dialog is always shown before changing values.

Repair IE is an excellent Internet Explorer tweaking utility that can be used to change a lot of settings in Internet Explorer. The software developer designed the tool to fix malicious software leftovers after cleaning a computer system. An option to set everything to its default value would make the software program easier to handle.

Tags: ie, internet explorer repair, internet-explorer, Microsoft internet explorer, repair ie, tweak internet explorer

Which will it be ? Opera ? Firefox ? IE ?

Martin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:15:29 +0000

We already witnessed the release of the new Opera 9.5 client and will see the release of Firefox 3 on Tuesday and Internet Explorer 8 later this year. The interesting aspect is in my opinion if any of the clients manages to grab market share from the others. Will Opera finally gain the recognition that it deserves or will it remain an insider tip supported by a loyal group of fans ?

What about Firefox 3 ? Will it continue to drive market shares away from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer or will the expansion stop eventually ? And then we have the Internet Explorer 8 which has such a huge market share mainly because it’s bundled with the operating system. Will Internet Explorer 8 be able to stop the fall ?

Here is what I think will happen. Opera will not gain a huge market share and remain a niche browser. It’s a wonderful browser but it is somehow not accepted by the mass market. Firefox will gain some momentum and market shares from Microsoft but it won’t be able to drive Internet Explorer from its throne yet.

The release of Internet Explorer 8 will not change this trend. Can you imagine that Firefox users go back to Internet Explorer 8 ? Microsoft would have to deliver a faster, more secure and overall better browser to make this happen and who is believing that they can do that ? Internet Explorer 8 will be solid, will be compatible to web standards which is probably the biggest news for web developers.

What’s your opinion ? Which will it be for you ?

Tags: browser, firefox, ie, opera

Add Buttons to Internet Explorer that launch programs

Martin — Sat, 31 May 2008 17:43:16 +0000

MakoButton is a small application that can create buttons for Internet Explorer that launch external applications or URLs. While the second option is not that useful in my opinion the first one could save some time for the user. This is for great for web developers, webmasters and everyone else who regularly starts specific applications when surfing the Internet with Internet Explorer.

A button to launch the email or ftp client, messenger or statistics tool could come in handy. The application accepts executables in exe, com or bat format. A text for the button, an icon and a status bar and tools menu text can be selected during creation. The button should be visible immediately on the toolbar.

Internet Explorer should be closed during the creation to avoid complications. If the button does not appear in the toolbar it needs to be added manually using the Customize menu of Internet Explorer.

Buttons that have been created previously can be edited and deleted at anytime. I received an error on my system during first start which told me that the file COMDLG32.OCX was not registered on my system. I quickly found a website that offered the file for download and explained how to register it.

Tags: ie, internet explorer tips, internet-explorer, microsoft

Index.dat Suite

Martin — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:35:17 +0000

No one can find out on which websites you have been once you delete the Temporary Internet Files, cookies and history in Internet Explorer, right ? That’s unfortunately wrong and should cause some concern by some users. The Internet Explorer is using so called index.dat files to store information even though the information contained in those files are hardly needed. The auto complete feature is using the index.dat file of visited websites.

The major problem that I have with index.dat files is that they raise privacy concerns. They cannot be opened in a text editor but are easily viewable with the right viewer. One of these tools that you can use is the Index.dat Suite which is probably the most advanced software that is freely available.

Before I start I would like to mention that Internet Explorer uses three different index.dat files which contain the history, cookies and cache. Other applications make use of index.dat files as well, Microsoft Office for instance uses it to save the recent documents.

When you first start the Index.dat Suite you are asked to perform a scan of your system for index.dat files. You can speed up the process if you filter the scan by drive. All my applications that produce index.dat files are located on drive C which meant that I only scanned that drive.

The list will be huge. Each user account has index.dat files in the home directory. Most of those are default files if the account is not in use actively with a size of 16,32 or 128 Kilobyte. The interesting files are those of active accounts because they contain data that is viewable, if Internet Explorer is used that is.

I discovered a 4 Megabyte index.dat file on my system dating back to Internet Explorer 5 that contained many urls that I visited at that time.

Once the scan finished you can right-click any index.dat file in the list and use the internal viewer to see its contents. The contents depend on the type of index.dat file that you open, you either see a history file, Temporary Internet Cache or cookies.

The suite does not only provide ways to view the contents of the files. It is furthermore possible to clean them effectively. They are however created anew when Internet Explorer is started again.

Tags: ie, index.dat, internet-explorer, microsoft, software, Windows

I dnt hate Mozilla but use IE or else….

Cheryl — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:14:43 +0000

I dnt hate Mozilla but use IE or else… is what I got when I tried to start Firefox sometime back. Just as the window opened, a box with this message popped up and then disappeared, taking my Firefox window along with it. Internet Explorer seemed to work until I tried opening Youtube. Then, I got the following message before IE shut down as well.

‘Youtube is banned you fool, The administrators didn’t write this program guess who did?? MUHAHAHA!!’

I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how this had happened so I decided to search and see if this problem had cropped up somewhere else. Turns out, it’s pretty common. These messages are courtesy of the W32.USB worm. This worm copies itself to removable drives as Microsoft Power Point.exe and will infect your PC when you connect the infected drive to it. The infection is via a hidden Autorun.inf file.

Luckily, it’s fairly easy to get your browsers back to normal. Just follow the following steps.

Right click the system tray and select the ‘Task Manager’ or just hit ‘Ctrl+Alt+Del’. Once the task manager is open, navigate to the ‘Processes’ tab.
Under the ‘Image name’ column, look for all entries marked ‘svchost.exe’, which are running under your USERNAME ONLY (not system, local or anything else). Terminate these processes by hitting the ‘End Process’ button. Close the task manager.
The next step is to delete the files itself. Open ‘My Computer’ and type ‘C:\heap41a’, then hit Enter. The folder will have the files ‘svchost.exe, script1.txt, standard.txt, reproduce.txt, and an audio file.’ Delete all the files in the folder and then delete the heap41a folder itself.
Now we have to delete the registry entry as well. Go to ‘Start –> Run’ and type ‘regedit’. Once the registry opens, on the menu bar, go to ‘Edit –> Find’ and type ‘heap41a’. After searching, you should have some entries with ‘heap41a’ in them. Delete all these entries.
Your PC is free of the worm.

However, you also need to get rid of the worm from the USB drive, lest it infect your computer again. Connect your drive to the computer’s USB port (disable the drive from auto playing) and delete all entries marked with ‘autorun’. They may sometimes be in a separate folder. Once these entries are gone, your USB drive is clean as well.

Tags: Browsing, firefox, ie, worm

How to migrate from Internet Explorer to Firefox

Martin — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 07:41:44 +0000

A reader was asking me if there was an easy way to migrate his data – that is cookies and bookmarks – from Internet Explorer to Firefox. I can see that this could pose a problem for some users that want to use Firefox but don’t want to manually add all their bookmarks again. The process of exporting and importing cookies and bookmarks on the other hand is relatively easy and can be done in a matter of minutes.

The first thing that we have to do is export the cookies from Internet Explorer. To do that click on File > Import and Export > Export Cookies. All cookies will be saved in a file called cookies.txt by default, leave it that way and finish the operation. Navigate to the folder where cookies.txt was created and open it in a text editor. The next step is the most important one so be extra careful.

Place a “.” before each line that starts with a domain. Example, the line “ghacks.net ..” should look like “.ghacks.net ..” afterwards. You do not need to do this for domains that look like “www.ghacks.net..”

Save cookies.txt and move it into your Firefox profile folder. Make sure Firefox is closed and you have not been using Firefox before. Firefox uses the file cookies.txt as well which means that it is populated if you have been using Firefox before.

I have not tested the following method to merge cookies but you could try it if you like. Backup cookies.txt first before you continue. Just append the lines at the end of the cookie information that are already in the cookies.txt file.

Migrating Bookmarks:

This is not complicated as well. Select File > Import and Export again and choose to export your favorites. Save the file as bookmarks.html and open up Firefox.

Click on Bookmarks > Organize (Manage) Bookmarks. A new windows with all your Firefox bookmarks should show up. Click again on File > Import from File and select the saved bookmarks.html file. Bookmarks should be imported automatically from then.

You could try and import them directly from Internet Explorer using the Import from IE option as well but this only works if both browsers are installed on the same computer.

Tags: firefox, ie, ie-to-firefox, internet-explorer, microsoft, migrate, mozilla

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