New Strangeness In Menus

[Racc Iria]

I've just noticed some strange behavior in the menus that's just started within the last few days... maybe a week.

After typing in the URL to visit RetouchPro and the page loads, I immediately have to refresh the page to get the menus to work. Then, when going to another page, the menus don't work again unless you refresh or click on something else to load another page. The menus will then work again, until you go to another page, etc., etc.

This just started happening recently. Nothing has changed on my computer... no new programs, no viruses... same browser. Strange.

Anybody else experience this?

--Racc

[irshgrlkc]

You're not nuts, it's happening to me as well.

[Doug Nelson]

I've no idea. Nothing has altered in the past week. You could try clearing your cache.

[Racc Iria]

Thanks, Doug.

Just cleared the cache. Same behavior persists. It may have been longer than a week, not sure. It's just become odd enough in the last few days that it's drawn my attention.

--Racc

[Doug Nelson]

If they never worked I'd have some solid suggestions. It's the intermittent part that throws me. Try temporarily setting your "check for newer pages" to "every time I visit a webpage" (that's where I leave mine). And make sure RP is listed as trusted or friendly or whatever with all your security programs. You can list us in the "trusted sites" in IE.

[Racc Iria]

Doug...

Yep, that's how mine is set, too.

Although, I think I have figured it out. At least for my case. When I said nothing had changed on my computer, I meant that "I" had changed nothing. Apparantly something did change.

I've been using an IE based tabbed browser for the last year or two with no problems whatsoever. While I was poking around in the options performing the checks you suggested, I noticed that the browser had a newer version number than I recall. It must have automatically updated itself somehow (though I always turn off automatic updating for everything including this browser). Anyway, it's now either ignoring the automatic update setting or it got reset somehow and updated itself, and there must be a bug in it, because when I go through IE directly, there is no problem with the menus... they act properly as they always have. Switching back to the other browser... the strange behavior is still there.

Anyway, that fixes the problem for me, but irshgrlkc mentioned she was having the same problem. Perhaps her solution will be similar.

Thanks, Doug, for looking into it though. Much appreciated. I wouldn't have found the cause if you hadn't prompted me to look into those settings.

--Racc

[Doug Nelson]

Glad you found a solution, if not the actual problem. FWIW, I really like IE7 and recommend it for those who like tabs (as I do). Many other improvements, as well.

[Ziaphra]

I use Opera and the same thing is happening to me...it also only started recently.

[Kraellin]

when something like this crops up but it's only happening for some, then suspect viruses, browser attacks and so on. i'd run HijackThis and see if something hasnt attached itself or altered your browser.

and, since Racc is reporting a new version number, i'd check with the browser makers also. find out if and what they've done.

all in all, it sounds a bit suspicious to me and i'd be running anti-malware to see if something malicious hasnt occurred. run the full gamut. one anti-malware will catch some things where another will catch other things. so, run the full gamut but especially HijackThis.

craig

[Racc Iria]

Well, I just did a test using the same version of the tabbed browser on another computer. The menus work fine. But on this computer using that same browser and version, the menus exhibit the strange behavior. So much for my theory about something being wrong with the updated browser version.

The behavior seems restricted to that particular browser. As soon as I use a different browser, the menus work as they should without problems.

Odd.

I will scan again for viruses and such, but didn't find any before.

Also really odd is that this only seems to happen on pages at RetouchPro. I have not noticed this on any other sites with any browser including the one I've been talking about. If it's a virus or malware it seems awfully specific.

Perhaps reinstalling that browser will fix it.


Doug... IE7 does look nice, but I'm very leary of installing anything from Microsoft that's still under development. And can the tabs be moved to the bottom?


--Racc

[Doug Nelson]

I had a different problem concerning browsers that eventually ended up being caused by my spyware protection software. I guess it was protecting me too much. I turned off a couple of browser-specific protections and the problem went away. The new protection was an auto-update to the protection software, so was quite mysterious to me for weeks.

[Doug Nelson]

Originally Posted by Racc Iria

Doug... IE7 does look nice, but I'm very leary of installing anything from Microsoft that's still under development. And can the tabs be moved to the bottom?

We're in the age of perpetual beta. Some of the software for this site is technically still in beta. The only real drawback I've found for the IE7 release candidates (which is where they are now) is that you have to uninstall the old version before installing the new version. But it's completely non-destructive, I've done it 5 or 6 times so far (I jumped on one of the earliest beta releases).

But I don't think the tabs can be moved to the bottom. The bottom has zoom, anti-phishing, etc.

[Racc Iria]

Originally Posted by Doug Nelson

We're in the age of perpetual beta. Some of the software for this site is technically still in beta.

True, but Microsoft has a tarnished reputation in this respect. I'll difinately check it out once it's finalized and whatever hidden horrors are vetted by brave folks such as yourself. It's too bad you can't move the tabs to the bottom, I really like them better there.

Anyway, heres an update on the situation at hand...

I un-installed the browser in question and reinstalled it and it seems to have fixed the menu issue, at least for now. I guess I just have to chalk it up to "bit rot." Something else Microsoft is famous for.

--Racc

[Gary Richardson]

all in all, it sounds a bit suspicious to me and i'd be running anti-malware to see if something malicious hasnt occurred. run the full gamut. one anti-malware will catch some things where another will catch other things. so, run the full gamut but especially HijackThis.

Caution, HijackThis is a diagnosis tool, not a Malware Scanner/Fixer. It shows both GOOD and bad processes and reg entries, if you don't KNOW for sure what you're doing do NOT "fix" anything using it. Certain processes if "fixed" with HJT will render your system inoperative, and they will not be restored by using the Backup files created by HJT.

[Ziaphra]

Really odd...my browser has been working fine until possibly this last week or so and this problem started happening. So I checked for an update, downloaded it and now everything is fine...very strange.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Ziaphra,

I use Firefox, and I've been having a couple of odd problems over the last week or so.

With me it was that I couldn't get the New Posts button to work. Thought the problem was due to the javascript restrictions I use, but this proved not to be the case. (I altered them, and temporarily the problem was resolved, but it recurred next time I logged in, despite new settings, so I reset them to their original state).

Today, for the first time in a while, New Posts works fine for me, for whatever reason, must have been some sort of hiccup on the server.

[chrishoggy]

Gary, not sure if this will narrow down your search for the issue, but it may eliminate one thing.
I run adsense on sites, and I noticed Doug had put a referral link script under the google ads on the right. This script does sometimes have an issue with firefox, but putting the script within a <DIV> </DIV> fixed it for me. I had noticed that the Picasa referral link has now gone from here, so could it have been that?
In my case the script stopped some links from working in Joomla (when using firfox), so it is a similar problem to what you were having.