www.Tobold.com
Tobold@GMail.com
A blog with my thoughts regarding games I am playing and other stuff in life. Please read my Terms of Service
RSS Feed
Monday, June 02, 2008
Internet Explorer and Windows Update
I spent several hours this weekend fiddling with Windows instead of playing. Somehow my Internet Explorer had become borked, showing only pages with basic HTML, and being unable to show many pages using more advanced code. The culprit was probably mshtml.dll, or another library. Anyway, I wanted to fix the problem by reinstalling IE7. But to install IE7, the installation program insists on running Windows Updater. And surprise, surprise, Windows Updater uses Internet Explorer. Using Windows Updater in the tools menu of IE just sent me to an empty page.
Fortunately parts of the Microsoft Download site still worked. So in the end I was able to fix the problem by downloading an .iso file of Windows Service Pack 3, burning it to CD, and installing it from there (as I obviously couldn't install it with the standard method of using the Windows Updater). After that I was able to reinstall IE7, and now everything works fine. Checked the drive for viruses, in case it was that which borked my files, but found nothing. So it was just a normal Windows SNAFU. Sigh!
- posted by Tobold @ 6:17 AM Permanent Link
Comments:
<< Home
Newer› ‹Older
What does IE offer you that FF doesn't?
The Windows Updater. If you use Firefox to go to the Windows Update site, it tells you that you need some version of IE to update your Windows with the latest security updates etc. No wonder the antitrust people were after Microsoft for their integration of the browser into the operating system.
The Windows Updater. If you use Firefox to go to the Windows Update site, it tells you that you need some version of IE to update your Windows with the latest security updates etc. No wonder the antitrust people were after Microsoft for their integration of the browser into the operating system.
Firefox, 'nuf said.
If you're using Vista you can set the system to automatically check and download for windows updates, and not bother with IE any more. (Couldn't you do that in XP too?)
My IE sit in a dusty corner and is only ever used when I want to check how my latest page made in CSS looks and how much I have to change to make up for IE's amazing inability to avoid standards.
If you're using Vista you can set the system to automatically check and download for windows updates, and not bother with IE any more. (Couldn't you do that in XP too?)
My IE sit in a dusty corner and is only ever used when I want to check how my latest page made in CSS looks and how much I have to change to make up for IE's amazing inability to avoid standards.
Sitemeters stats for browser share among readers of your blog Tobold:
http://www.sitemeter.com/?a=stats&s=s18tobold&r=13
http://www.sitemeter.com/?a=stats&s=s18tobold&r=13
As much as I'm a Firefox crusader, it is not an all-over solution. There are tons of sites that only work in Internet Explorer and it is part of life.
Firefox is great, but by no means the golden goose it is always made out to be. IE has its place just as Firefox does, but don't for a second think that when Firefox edges closer to a 50% market share that it won't start having the same issues that IE does.
Firefox is great, but by no means the golden goose it is always made out to be. IE has its place just as Firefox does, but don't for a second think that when Firefox edges closer to a 50% market share that it won't start having the same issues that IE does.
You had to burn a CD? Ouch. Try out Daemon tools next time. It would allow you to mount the .iso as a virtual drive and avoid having to waste a CD. Its a free download with no ads or popups. Sorry if this sounds like an ad. I just wanted to let you know what I'd do.
# posted by 
: 3/6/08 00:44
: 3/6/08 00:44
Looking at that browser distribution chart link posted above, my only question is, why haven't people upgraded to Firefox 2.X? Heck, 3.0 is almost out.
Firefox necessitates an active search and download as opposed to be passively on your system like IE. So, wouldn't those type of people seek out the updated version? I'm rather baffled by this.
Firefox necessitates an active search and download as opposed to be passively on your system like IE. So, wouldn't those type of people seek out the updated version? I'm rather baffled by this.
# posted by : 3/6/08 03:50
: 3/6/08 03:50
Hmm... I think the more interesting part to me, is understanding the root cause if the problem in the 1st place. Didn't you mention a while back that you needed to have your hard Drive replaced once before? If that is the case, then this might be the 1st symptom of a repeat performance. Given the hassle a HDD replacement entails, I would run a few tests, to ease my mind.
First, I would go to the website of the manufacturer of the HDD, and download their diagnostic program, (the one that creates a bootable disk) to test the HDD itself for errors. If it finds some bad sectors, then while distressing, doesn’t necessarily mean the HDD is bad, especially in light of the previous failed drive. We might instead have a dodgy Power Supply, Motherboard, or cables, although I would lean toward the Power Supply.
If that comes back clean, (or, especially if it doesn’t) then the next test is to check the file structure in Windows. Opening a command prompt, (Start-->Run-->CMD) and typing “chkdsk /r /v c:” (without the quotes) will give you the message that your C: drive is mounted, and would you like to run a chkdsk the next time Windows is booted up. Choose yes to that, close the window, and restart the computer. It will then thoroughly test the file system while Windows is booting up, tell you about them, and repair them.
This gets us into a grey area. The file system corruption could still be caused by the dodgy hardware mentioned above, or it could be caused by improper system shutdowns, less than clever programs, stray neutrinos, bad karma, random acts of god, etc. :-) From this point we just start watching the machine, and running chkdsk about once a week, to see if we can establish a pattern of corruption.
If one does turn up, then, most likely, any technician you take the machine to will want to format the HDD, and re-install a fresh copy of Windows to rule out software causes before replacing power supplies, or motherboards, although they might be willing to swap out cables as those are cheap and easy, but they are also the least likely culprit.
The tests involved are time consuming, but, IMHO well worth it for the piece of mind, and the beginning of a document trail should this HDD fail as well. Sorry for the long post, this just got my technical wheels turning. :-) It all may… hopefully… come out as nothing other than yet another idiosyncratic Windows frailty. :-)
~Trel~
Post a Comment
First, I would go to the website of the manufacturer of the HDD, and download their diagnostic program, (the one that creates a bootable disk) to test the HDD itself for errors. If it finds some bad sectors, then while distressing, doesn’t necessarily mean the HDD is bad, especially in light of the previous failed drive. We might instead have a dodgy Power Supply, Motherboard, or cables, although I would lean toward the Power Supply.
If that comes back clean, (or, especially if it doesn’t) then the next test is to check the file structure in Windows. Opening a command prompt, (Start-->Run-->CMD) and typing “chkdsk /r /v c:” (without the quotes) will give you the message that your C: drive is mounted, and would you like to run a chkdsk the next time Windows is booted up. Choose yes to that, close the window, and restart the computer. It will then thoroughly test the file system while Windows is booting up, tell you about them, and repair them.
This gets us into a grey area. The file system corruption could still be caused by the dodgy hardware mentioned above, or it could be caused by improper system shutdowns, less than clever programs, stray neutrinos, bad karma, random acts of god, etc. :-) From this point we just start watching the machine, and running chkdsk about once a week, to see if we can establish a pattern of corruption.
If one does turn up, then, most likely, any technician you take the machine to will want to format the HDD, and re-install a fresh copy of Windows to rule out software causes before replacing power supplies, or motherboards, although they might be willing to swap out cables as those are cheap and easy, but they are also the least likely culprit.
The tests involved are time consuming, but, IMHO well worth it for the piece of mind, and the beginning of a document trail should this HDD fail as well. Sorry for the long post, this just got my technical wheels turning. :-) It all may… hopefully… come out as nothing other than yet another idiosyncratic Windows frailty. :-)
~Trel~
<< Home
