HTML processing in IE/OE

[Jan Works]

In Outlook Express, I am unable to use all of the Rich Text attributes when
I compose an html email (I do a regular newsletter and would like to have
this function back.) I can change fonts and sizes (although they don't
always hold) bolding, italics, but I can't change font colors. All the text
remains black. Also, some websites look funky -- overlapping text and poor
line spacing -- but the real problem is when I visit the Microsoft Support
page and all of the KB articles. HUGE spaces between elements on the page
and GIANT letters.... only a corner of one in the Window, for example.

Is this an HTML rendering issue? XP Prof, all updates (except SP2)
installed. NAV, ZA all functioning... regular scanning with AdAware and
Spybot. I've uninstalled and reinstalled IE6, but with no better result.
Can anybody here point me in the right direction?
TIA
Jan

 

[PA Bear]

Are you using a stationery template, Jan?

Windows version?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE), AH-VSOP

Are You Ready for WinXP SP2?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=windowsxpsp2

What You Should Know About Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

AumHa Forums
http://forum.aumha.org

 

[Jan Works]

No, I've never used them. I just did a test and tried to apply a stationery
template... nothing there, so I guess they're not installed... disappeared?
I just do a simple formatted email with nothing fancier than bold, italic,
larger font and color for heads. But now I'm not getting color. I just
purchased and installed Office 2003 ... you should see the garbage rendered
when I visited the MS update site the installation sent me to. Would you
like to see a screen shot?

XP Professional, all updates (except SP2) installed.

Jan

 

[PA Bear]

See if disabling NAV or/and ZA helps at all, Jan.

Also check View>Encoding in both IE and OE.

IE Tools>Internet Options>General>Accessibility> Anything checked here? Did
you check 'em?

 

[Jan Works]

Yes, I've previously looked at the Accessibility options; nothing is
selected. I disabled NAV and ZA, separately and then together; no difference
there. Today I made a note of the coding on various websites I visited to
discern a pattern, but it's not consistent. There are problems with all 3.
The sites I have trouble on seem to be primarily Unicode (UTF-8)
(support.microsoft.com, KB articles, doonesbury.com, downloads at
office.microsoft.com/officeupdates) but two Unicode sites I visited were
just fine. I double-checked them on my 2nd computer to be sure. My OE html
messages are Western European (ISO) as is the HotWired newsletter I get in
my inbox--it has bad line spacing--lines jammed together, but when I go to
wired.com--also Western European (ISO)--it's fine. microsoft.com is Western
European(ISO) and is fine. But acdsystems.com--also Western European (ISO)
looks fine but the dropdown menus are really really funky. Two of the sites
have color backgrounds that are missing. doonesbury.com has a burgundy
background on my other computer; on this one there's no background and the
links to the left are sitting mostly on top of each other. And at prsa.org
which has black type on a light olive green background (on my other
computer), on this one it's yellow type on a white background (unreadable.)
Selecting a different coding made no difference at all on any of the
funky-looking sites.

Thanks for sticking with me on this one.... any clues on how to fix what's
broken? (I had to reinstall XP completely a couple of weeks ago and that's
when all this started.)

Jan

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

doonesbury.com has a burgundy background on my other computer;

Fry my eyeballs! I had to crank my brightness up to over 72 to see that.
Originally I just saw it as dark. The only hint of that tab that I had was
that little bit of reflection at its point.

Here's a diagnostic for color that I suggested to another user recently:

Try a different color? Enter the following script fragment
in the Address bar on top of the above page. It should make
the background blue.

javascript:document.body.style.setExpression("backgroundColor",255);


You could try testing different colors by using different numbers.
See if anything different happens on each machine using it.

on this one there's no background

If that means white then it suggests that intentionally or not
the Accessibility dialog is ignoring color or overriding anything
it wants with a User style sheet.

and the links to the left are sitting mostly on top of each other.

Again the only way that the typography changes is if the Accessibility
dialog is overriding it. In the case of the menu items the user has
some control over character size by using the View, Text Size >
command.

Have you tried toggling things on in the Accessibility dialog and checked
that those options work?

One more factor which hasn't been mentioned yet I don't think is your
screen resolution. What is it set at and if it is very high have you tried
something lower? FYI many popular websites are still being designed
for SVGA screens (800x600).


If toggling those options on, using them and then toggling them off
doesn't change the rendering of these pages back to normal I think
you may need an IE Repair but doing one in XP is problematic.
To find one of my posts about it do a Google Groups search for
KB831429 author:aldwinckle group:microsoft.*.ie6.browser
and sort by date.


Good luck

Robert Aldwinckle

 

[PA Bear]

*Which* Doonesbury page? http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/?
http://www.doonesbury.com/ or http://doonesbury.msn.com/ (MSN/Slate)?

I don't see any burgundy on any of 'em.

 

[PA Bear]

...I had to reinstall XP completely a couple of weeks ago and that's

when all this started.

Oh? Why did you have to reinstall XP? After reinstalling, did you
*immediately* take care of everything at the following page?

Before You Connect a New Computer to the Internet
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/before_you_plug_in.html

My good buddy Robert Aldwinckle and I are seeing eye-to-eye on this, Jan:
Either your display settings are wrong or you've got some malware which has
"hijacked" the settings usually found in Accessibility. A CoolWebSearch
variant is most likely and the just-released Ad-aware SE has been doing a
good job on CWS so far: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. Make
certain you seek updates before each and every use, even "right out of the
box" new.

<canned "hijackware" response>

Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/Darnit.htm

CoolWebSearch Chronicles
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html

Run these tools in the following order with nothing else running in
background:

1. CWShredder (fix all found)

2. Ad-Aware (fix all found)

3. Spybot (RTFM but generally fix everything in red)

Important: You *must* seek updates for Ad-Aware, Spybot, etc., before each
and every use, even "right out of the box". But even they can't catch
everything, 24/7. When all else fails, HijackThis
(http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe) is the preferred
tool to use. It will help you to both identify and remove any
hijackware/spyware. **Post your files to http://forums.spywareinfo.com/ or
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30 for expert analysis, not here.**

[Alternate download pages for many of the above tools may be found at
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm.]

Also:

1. Download and run Stinger (http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/); then...

2. Update your virus definitions, enable Show Hidden Files
(http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2002092715262339)
and then run a full system scan in Safe Mode
(http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001052409420406)
with nothing else running in background. Note the files identified and
removed then find the corresponding page for the file at your AV maker's
online support pages (e.g.,
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/adware.winfavorites.html)
and follow all Removal steps.

WinXP Only (WinME similar): If this scan finds anything, create a new
Restore Point then Disk Cleanup > More options > Delete all but the most
recent Restore Point.

3. Check in at Windows Update.

So How Did I Get Infected Anyway?
http://boards.cexx.org/viewtopic.php?t=957

</canned "hijackware" response>

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

*Which* Doonesbury page? http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/? http://www.doonesbury.com/ or http://doonesbury.msn.com/
(MSN/Slate)?

I don't see any burgundy on any of 'em.

Specifically it was:
< http://doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html >

Remember what I said about cranking my brightness though...
Now I have it bright enough to see the full tab, can see that it and the menu
are very dark brown but still see black (but not really black) for a background
color.

Did you try that diagnostic I suggested? My resolution is 1024x768 so I see
the background as a strip on the right but I can also see traces of it between
the strip and the tab, under both of the input boxes for search and on the left
side of the Go button at the top and on the right side of the Go button on the
left.

According to the HTML source the background color of the body is 660033.
So plugging that value in place of 255 restores the original color:

javascript:document.body.style.setExpression("backgroundColor",660033);

Hmm... it seems that those bits of blue that I noticed associated with the
searches are some kind of defects in the normal rendering. Only the main
strip on the right and that thin line between the strip and the tab got restored.


Robert
---

 

[Jan Works]

I had to reinstall because the registry was hopelessly fouled. I think it
came about because I mapped a drive from the other computer and then made
the mistake of using the File & Setting Transfer wizard.... it created a
huge and unwieldy registry, with entries for programs that I never intended
to install on the new computer. It was easier to start all over again, and
yes, of course, I followed the procedures to avoid spyware and applied all
updates immediately. I routinely run AdAware, Spybot and CWShredder...
updating first, so I'm relatively certain I'm not contaminated. I have also
performed an XP repair. The only problems with IE I have are when I try to
access the MS support site--see my message to R.Aldwinckle.

jan

...I had to reinstall XP completely a couple of weeks ago and that's
when all this started.

Oh? Why did you have to reinstall XP? After reinstalling, did you
*immediately* take care of everything at the following page?

Before You Connect a New Computer to the Internet
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/before_you_plug_in.html

My good buddy Robert Aldwinckle and I are seeing eye-to-eye on this, Jan:
Either your display settings are wrong or you've got some malware which has
"hijacked" the settings usually found in Accessibility. A CoolWebSearch
variant is most likely and the just-released Ad-aware SE has been doing a
good job on CWS so far: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. Make
certain you seek updates before each and every use, even "right out of the
box" new.

<canned "hijackware" response>

Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/Darnit.htm

CoolWebSearch Chronicles
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html

Run these tools in the following order with nothing else running in
background:

1. CWShredder (fix all found)

2. Ad-Aware (fix all found)

3. Spybot (RTFM but generally fix everything in red)

Important: You *must* seek updates for Ad-Aware, Spybot, etc., before each
and every use, even "right out of the box". But even they can't catch
everything, 24/7. When all else fails, HijackThis
(http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe) is the preferred
tool to use. It will help you to both identify and remove any
hijackware/spyware. **Post your files to http://forums.spywareinfo.com/ or
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30 for expert analysis, not here.**

[Alternate download pages for many of the above tools may be found at
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm.]

Also:

1. Download and run Stinger (http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/); then...

2. Update your virus definitions, enable Show Hidden Files
(http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2002092715262339)
and then run a full system scan in Safe Mode
(http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001052409420406)
with nothing else running in background. Note the files identified and
removed then find the corresponding page for the file at your AV maker's
online support pages (e.g.,
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/adware.winfavorites.html)
and follow all Removal steps.

WinXP Only (WinME similar): If this scan finds anything, create a new
Restore Point then Disk Cleanup > More options > Delete all but the most
recent Restore Point.

3. Check in at Windows Update.

So How Did I Get Infected Anyway?
http://boards.cexx.org/viewtopic.php?t=957

</canned "hijackware" response>
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE)

Yes, I've previously looked at the Accessibility options; nothing is
selected. I disabled NAV and ZA, separately and then together; no
difference there. Today I made a note of the coding on various websites I
visited to discern a pattern, but it's not consistent. There are problems
with all 3. The sites I have trouble on seem to be primarily Unicode
(UTF-8) (support.microsoft.com, KB articles, doonesbury.com, downloads at
office.microsoft.com/officeupdates) but two Unicode sites I visited were
just fine. I double-checked them on my 2nd computer to be sure. My OE html
messages are Western European (ISO) as is the HotWired newsletter I get in
my inbox--it has bad line spacing--lines jammed together, but when I go to
wired.com--also Western European (ISO)--it's fine. microsoft.com is
Western European(ISO) and is fine. But acdsystems.com--also Western
European (ISO) looks fine but the dropdown menus are really really funky.
Two of the sites have color backgrounds that are missing. doonesbury.com
has a burgundy background on my other computer; on this one there's no
background and the links to the left are sitting mostly on top of each
other. And at prsa.org which has black type on a light olive green
background (on my other computer), on this one it's yellow type on a
white background (unreadable.) Selecting a different coding made no
difference at all on any of the funky-looking sites.

Thanks for sticking with me on this one.... any clues on how to fix what's
broken? (I had to reinstall XP completely a couple of weeks ago and that's
when all this started.)

Jan

 

[PA Bear]

Until you post a HijackThis log to an appropriate forum and are given the
"All Clear", hijackware remains the most likely problem IMHO, Jan.
--
~PA Bear

I had to reinstall because the registry was hopelessly fouled. I think it
came about because I mapped a drive from the other computer and then made
the mistake of using the File & Setting Transfer wizard.... it created a
huge and unwieldy registry, with entries for programs that I never
intended to install on the new computer. It was easier to start all over
again, and yes, of course, I followed the procedures to avoid spyware and
applied all updates immediately. I routinely run AdAware, Spybot and
CWShredder... updating first, so I'm relatively certain I'm not
contaminated. I have also performed an XP repair. The only problems with
IE I have are when I try to access the MS support site--see my message to
R.Aldwinckle.

jan

...I had to reinstall XP completely a couple of weeks ago and that's
when all this started.

Oh? Why did you have to reinstall XP? After reinstalling, did you
*immediately* take care of everything at the following page?

Before You Connect a New Computer to the Internet
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/before_you_plug_in.html

My good buddy Robert Aldwinckle and I are seeing eye-to-eye on this,
Jan: Either your display settings are wrong or you've got some malware
which has "hijacked" the settings usually found in Accessibility. A
CoolWebSearch variant is most likely and the just-released Ad-aware SE
has been doing a good job on CWS so far:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. Make certain you seek
updates before each and every use, even "right out of the box" new.

<canned "hijackware" response>

Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/Darnit.htm

CoolWebSearch Chronicles
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html

Run these tools in the following order with nothing else running in
background:

1. CWShredder (fix all found)

2. Ad-Aware (fix all found)

3. Spybot (RTFM but generally fix everything in red)

Important: You *must* seek updates for Ad-Aware, Spybot, etc., before
each and every use, even "right out of the box". But even they can't
catch everything, 24/7. When all else fails, HijackThis
(http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe) is the
preferred tool to use. It will help you to both identify and remove any
hijackware/spyware. **Post your files to
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/ or
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30 for expert analysis, not
here.**

[Alternate download pages for many of the above tools may be found at
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm.]

Also:

1. Download and run Stinger (http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/); then...

2. Update your virus definitions, enable Show Hidden Files
(http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2002092715262339)
and then run a full system scan in Safe Mode
(http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001052409420406)
with nothing else running in background. Note the files identified and
removed then find the corresponding page for the file at your AV maker's
online support pages (e.g.,
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/adware.winfavorites.html)
and follow all Removal steps.

WinXP Only (WinME similar): If this scan finds anything, create a new
Restore Point then Disk Cleanup > More options > Delete all but the most
recent Restore Point.

3. Check in at Windows Update.

So How Did I Get Infected Anyway?
http://boards.cexx.org/viewtopic.php?t=957

</canned "hijackware" response>
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE)

Yes, I've previously looked at the Accessibility options; nothing is
selected. I disabled NAV and ZA, separately and then together; no
difference there. Today I made a note of the coding on various
websites I visited to discern a pattern, but it's not consistent.
There are problems with all 3. The sites I have trouble on seem to be
primarily Unicode (UTF-8) (support.microsoft.com, KB articles,
doonesbury.com, downloads at office.microsoft.com/officeupdates) but
two Unicode sites I visited were just fine. I double-checked them on
my 2nd computer to be sure. My OE html messages are Western European
(ISO) as is the HotWired newsletter I get in my inbox--it has bad
line spacing--lines jammed together, but when I go to wired.com--also
Western European (ISO)--it's fine. microsoft.com is Western
European(ISO) and is fine. But acdsystems.com--also Western European
(ISO) looks fine but the dropdown menus are really really funky. Two
of the sites have color backgrounds that are missing. doonesbury.com
has a burgundy background on my other computer; on this one there's
no background and the links to the left are sitting mostly on top of
each other. And at prsa.org which has black type on a light olive
green background (on my other computer), on this one it's yellow type
on a white background (unreadable.) Selecting a different coding made
no difference at all on any of the funky-looking sites.

Thanks for sticking with me on this one.... any clues on how to fix
what's broken? (I had to reinstall XP completely a couple of weeks
ago and that's when all this started.)

Jan


See if disabling NAV or/and ZA helps at all, Jan.

Also check View>Encoding in both IE and OE.

IE Tools>Internet Options>General>Accessibility> Anything checked
here? Did you check 'em?
--
~Robear

No, I've never used them. I just did a test and tried to apply a
stationery
template... nothing there, so I guess they're not installed...
disappeared?
I just do a simple formatted email with nothing fancier than bold,
italic, larger font and color for heads. But now I'm not getting
color. I just purchased and installed Office 2003 ... you should
see the garbage rendered
when I visited the MS update site the installation sent me to.
Would you like to see a screen shot?

XP Professional, all updates (except SP2) installed.

Jan


Are you using a stationery template, Jan?

Windows version?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE), AH-VSOP

Are You Ready for WinXP SP2?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=windowsxpsp2

What You Should Know About Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

AumHa Forums
http://forum.aumha.org

Jan Works wrote:
In Outlook Express, I am unable to use all of the Rich Text
attributes when I compose an html email (I do a regular
newsletter and would like to have this function back.) I can
change fonts and sizes (although they don't always hold)
bolding, italics, but I can't change font colors. All
the text remains black. Also, some websites look funky --
overlapping text and poor line spacing -- but the real
problem is when I visit the Microsoft Support page and all of
the KB articles. HUGE spaces between elements on the page and
GIANT letters.... only a corner of one in the Window, for
example.

Is this an HTML rendering issue? XP Prof, all updates (except
SP2) installed. NAV, ZA all functioning... regular scanning
with AdAware and Spybot. I've uninstalled and reinstalled
IE6, but with no better result.
Can anybody here point me in the right direction?
TIA
Jan

 

[Jan Works]

Okay, I'll look into it.... if I can. I've been trying to get onto the
spywareinfo site to check out the forums and and download Hijack This all
day... with no success.
Jan

Until you post a HijackThis log to an appropriate forum and are given the
"All Clear", hijackware remains the most likely problem IMHO, Jan.
--
~PA Bear

I had to reinstall because the registry was hopelessly fouled. I think it
came about because I mapped a drive from the other computer and then made
the mistake of using the File & Setting Transfer wizard.... it created a
huge and unwieldy registry, with entries for programs that I never
intended to install on the new computer. It was easier to start all over
again, and yes, of course, I followed the procedures to avoid spyware and
applied all updates immediately. I routinely run AdAware, Spybot and
CWShredder... updating first, so I'm relatively certain I'm not
contaminated. I have also performed an XP repair. The only problems with
IE I have are when I try to access the MS support site--see my message to
R.Aldwinckle.

jan

...I had to reinstall XP completely a couple of weeks ago and that's
when all this started.

Oh? Why did you have to reinstall XP? After reinstalling, did you
*immediately* take care of everything at the following page?

Before You Connect a New Computer to the Internet
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/before_you_plug_in.html

My good buddy Robert Aldwinckle and I are seeing eye-to-eye on this,
Jan: Either your display settings are wrong or you've got some malware
which has "hijacked" the settings usually found in Accessibility. A
CoolWebSearch variant is most likely and the just-released Ad-aware SE
has been doing a good job on CWS so far:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. Make certain you seek
updates before each and every use, even "right out of the box" new.

<canned "hijackware" response>

Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/Darnit.htm

CoolWebSearch Chronicles
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html

Run these tools in the following order with nothing else running in
background:

1. CWShredder (fix all found)

2. Ad-Aware (fix all found)

3. Spybot (RTFM but generally fix everything in red)

Important: You *must* seek updates for Ad-Aware, Spybot, etc., before
each and every use, even "right out of the box". But even they can't
catch everything, 24/7. When all else fails, HijackThis
(http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe) is the
preferred tool to use. It will help you to both identify and remove any
hijackware/spyware. **Post your files to
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/ or
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30 for expert analysis, not
here.**

[Alternate download pages for many of the above tools may be found at
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm.]

Also:

1. Download and run Stinger (http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/); then...

2. Update your virus definitions, enable Show Hidden Files

(http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2002092715262339)

and then run a full system scan in Safe Mode

(http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001052409420406)

with nothing else running in background. Note the files identified and
removed then find the corresponding page for the file at your AV maker's
online support pages (e.g.,

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/adware.winfavorites.html)

and follow all Removal steps.

WinXP Only (WinME similar): If this scan finds anything, create a new
Restore Point then Disk Cleanup > More options > Delete all but the most
recent Restore Point.

3. Check in at Windows Update.

So How Did I Get Infected Anyway?
http://boards.cexx.org/viewtopic.php?t=957

</canned "hijackware" response>
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE)

Jan Works wrote:
Yes, I've previously looked at the Accessibility options; nothing is
selected. I disabled NAV and ZA, separately and then together; no
difference there. Today I made a note of the coding on various
websites I visited to discern a pattern, but it's not consistent.
There are problems with all 3. The sites I have trouble on seem to be
primarily Unicode (UTF-8) (support.microsoft.com, KB articles,
doonesbury.com, downloads at office.microsoft.com/officeupdates) but
two Unicode sites I visited were just fine. I double-checked them on
my 2nd computer to be sure. My OE html messages are Western European
(ISO) as is the HotWired newsletter I get in my inbox--it has bad
line spacing--lines jammed together, but when I go to wired.com--also
Western European (ISO)--it's fine. microsoft.com is Western
European(ISO) and is fine. But acdsystems.com--also Western European
(ISO) looks fine but the dropdown menus are really really funky. Two
of the sites have color backgrounds that are missing. doonesbury.com
has a burgundy background on my other computer; on this one there's
no background and the links to the left are sitting mostly on top of
each other. And at prsa.org which has black type on a light olive
green background (on my other computer), on this one it's yellow type
on a white background (unreadable.) Selecting a different coding made
no difference at all on any of the funky-looking sites.

Thanks for sticking with me on this one.... any clues on how to fix
what's broken? (I had to reinstall XP completely a couple of weeks
ago and that's when all this started.)

Jan


See if disabling NAV or/and ZA helps at all, Jan.

Also check View>Encoding in both IE and OE.

IE Tools>Internet Options>General>Accessibility> Anything checked
here? Did you check 'em?
--
~Robear

No, I've never used them. I just did a test and tried to apply a
stationery
template... nothing there, so I guess they're not installed...
disappeared?
I just do a simple formatted email with nothing fancier than bold,
italic, larger font and color for heads. But now I'm not getting
color. I just purchased and installed Office 2003 ... you should
see the garbage rendered
when I visited the MS update site the installation sent me to.
Would you like to see a screen shot?

XP Professional, all updates (except SP2) installed.

Jan


Are you using a stationery template, Jan?

Windows version?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE), AH-VSOP

Are You Ready for WinXP SP2?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=windowsxpsp2

What You Should Know About Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

AumHa Forums
http://forum.aumha.org

Jan Works wrote:
In Outlook Express, I am unable to use all of the Rich Text
attributes when I compose an html email (I do a regular
newsletter and would like to have this function back.) I can
change fonts and sizes (although they don't always hold)
bolding, italics, but I can't change font colors. All
the text remains black. Also, some websites look funky --
overlapping text and poor line spacing -- but the real
problem is when I visit the Microsoft Support page and all of
the KB articles. HUGE spaces between elements on the page and
GIANT letters.... only a corner of one in the Window, for
example.

Is this an HTML rendering issue? XP Prof, all updates (except
SP2) installed. NAV, ZA all functioning... regular scanning
with AdAware and Spybot. I've uninstalled and reinstalled
IE6, but with no better result.
Can anybody here point me in the right direction?
TIA
Jan

 

[PA Bear]

You can get HT here: http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm It *must* be version
1.98.0.2.
--
~PA Bear

Okay, I'll look into it.... if I can. I've been trying to get onto the
spywareinfo site to check out the forums and and download Hijack This all
day... with no success.
Jan

Until you post a HijackThis log to an appropriate forum and are given
the "All Clear", hijackware remains the most likely problem IMHO, Jan.
--
~PA Bear

I had to reinstall because the registry was hopelessly fouled. I
think it came about because I mapped a drive from the other computer
and then made the mistake of using the File & Setting Transfer
wizard.... it created a huge and unwieldy registry, with entries for
programs that I never intended to install on the new computer. It was
easier to start all over again, and yes, of course, I followed the
procedures to avoid spyware and applied all updates immediately. I
routinely run AdAware, Spybot and CWShredder... updating first, so
I'm relatively certain I'm not contaminated. I have also performed an
XP repair. The only problems with IE I have are when I try to access
the MS support site--see my message to R.Aldwinckle.

jan


...I had to reinstall XP completely a couple of weeks ago and
that's when all this started.

Oh? Why did you have to reinstall XP? After reinstalling, did you
*immediately* take care of everything at the following page?

Before You Connect a New Computer to the Internet
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/before_you_plug_in.html

My good buddy Robert Aldwinckle and I are seeing eye-to-eye on this,
Jan: Either your display settings are wrong or you've got some
malware which has "hijacked" the settings usually found in
Accessibility. A CoolWebSearch variant is most likely and the
just-released Ad-aware SE has been doing a good job on CWS so far:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. Make certain you seek
updates before each and every use, even "right out of the box" new.

<canned "hijackware" response>

Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/Darnit.htm

CoolWebSearch Chronicles
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html

Run these tools in the following order with nothing else running in
background:

1. CWShredder (fix all found)

2. Ad-Aware (fix all found)

3. Spybot (RTFM but generally fix everything in red)

Important: You *must* seek updates for Ad-Aware, Spybot, etc.,
before each and every use, even "right out of the box". But even
they can't catch everything, 24/7. When all else fails, HijackThis
(http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe) is the
preferred tool to use. It will help you to both identify and
remove any hijackware/spyware. **Post your files to
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/ or
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30 for expert analysis, not
here.**

[Alternate download pages for many of the above tools may be found
at http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm.]

Also:

1. Download and run Stinger (http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/);
then...

2. Update your virus definitions, enable Show Hidden Files

(http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2002092715262339)
and then run a full system scan in Safe Mode

(http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001052409420406)
with nothing else running in background. Note the files identified
and removed then find the corresponding page for the file at your
AV maker's online support pages (e.g.,

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/adware.winfavorites.html)
and follow all Removal steps.

WinXP Only (WinME similar): If this scan finds anything, create a
new Restore Point then Disk Cleanup > More options > Delete all but
the most recent Restore Point.

3. Check in at Windows Update.

So How Did I Get Infected Anyway?
http://boards.cexx.org/viewtopic.php?t=957

</canned "hijackware" response>
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE)

Jan Works wrote:
Yes, I've previously looked at the Accessibility options; nothing
is selected. I disabled NAV and ZA, separately and then together;
no difference there. Today I made a note of the coding on various
websites I visited to discern a pattern, but it's not consistent.
There are problems with all 3. The sites I have trouble on seem
to be primarily Unicode (UTF-8) (support.microsoft.com, KB
articles, doonesbury.com, downloads at
office.microsoft.com/officeupdates) but two Unicode sites I
visited were just fine. I double-checked them on my 2nd computer
to be sure. My OE html messages are Western European (ISO) as is
the HotWired newsletter I get in my inbox--it has bad line
spacing--lines jammed together, but when I go to wired.com--also
Western European (ISO)--it's fine. microsoft.com is Western
European(ISO) and is fine. But acdsystems.com--also Western
European (ISO) looks fine but the dropdown menus are really
really funky. Two of the sites have color backgrounds that are
missing. doonesbury.com has a burgundy background on my other
computer; on this one there's no background and the links to the
left are sitting mostly on top of each other. And at prsa.org
which has black type on a light olive green background (on my
other computer), on this one it's yellow type on a white
background (unreadable.) Selecting a different coding made no
difference at all on any of the funky-looking sites.

Thanks for sticking with me on this one.... any clues on how to
fix what's broken? (I had to reinstall XP completely a couple of
weeks ago and that's when all this started.)

Jan


See if disabling NAV or/and ZA helps at all, Jan.

Also check View>Encoding in both IE and OE.

IE Tools>Internet Options>General>Accessibility> Anything
checked here? Did you check 'em?
--
~Robear

No, I've never used them. I just did a test and tried to
apply a stationery
template... nothing there, so I guess they're not installed...
disappeared?
I just do a simple formatted email with nothing fancier than
bold, italic, larger font and color for heads. But now I'm
not getting color. I just purchased and installed Office 2003
... you should see the garbage rendered
when I visited the MS update site the installation sent me to.
Would you like to see a screen shot?

XP Professional, all updates (except SP2) installed.

Jan


Are you using a stationery template, Jan?

Windows version?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE), AH-VSOP

Are You Ready for WinXP SP2?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=windowsxpsp2

What You Should Know About Spyware

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

AumHa Forums
http://forum.aumha.org

Jan Works wrote:
In Outlook Express, I am unable to use all of the Rich
Text attributes when I compose an html email (I do a
regular newsletter and would like to have this function
back.) I can change fonts and sizes (although they don't
always hold) bolding, italics, but I can't change font
colors. All
the text remains black. Also, some websites look funky --
overlapping text and poor line spacing -- but the real
problem is when I visit the Microsoft Support page and
all of the KB articles. HUGE spaces between elements on
the page and GIANT letters.... only a corner of one in
the Window, for example.

Is this an HTML rendering issue? XP Prof, all updates
(except SP2) installed. NAV, ZA all functioning...
regular scanning with AdAware and Spybot. I've
uninstalled and reinstalled IE6, but with no better
result.
Can anybody here point me in the right direction?
TIA
Jan

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

I've done all of the diagnostic steps you suggested.... the javascripts and
toggling the Accessbility options (there are just two of them, right?) on
and off, but no changes at all.

No change in color? Your reply doesn't seem to have much to do
with my comments which were solely about your color problem.

I keep text size on Smaller or Smallest; my
screen resolution is 1280x1024. Changing to lower resolutions doesn't make
any difference.

In your color? I suggested that 800x600 would change the borders
and therefore change the amount of background which would be visible.

I have performed the sfc /scannow operation twice, once
about 10 days ago, again this past weekend.

Is this what you are calling a repair? Try as well all the regsvr32 steps
given for Windows 2000 Method 1 in KB831429. I'm not sure how
much these commands would reset user preferences items such as
those on the Accessibility dialog.

I run all the suggested spyware
scans routinely; nothing but a handful of data mining cookies. This trouble
is most annoying trying to use the MS Support site and KB articles. Note the
position of the blue slider at the far right in the attached jpgs (assuming
MS will let them post with this message) .... they are screen shots of the
MS support page. There's obviously some HUGE screen fonts being rendered
here.... Any other clues?

Have you tried clearing your TIF? Or at least press Ctrl-F5 while
the problem URL is in your Address bar. Another possible cause of that
symptom could be a corrupted style sheet. If the corrupt style sheet becomes
cached it might not be refreshed as long as the host server keeps confirming
that you have the latest version. Note that pressing just F5 (or equivalently
clicking the Refresh toolbar button) would not resolve this case. BTW that
could be an example of malware doing its dirty deed and then disappearing.
Then no scan would find any malware because there would not be any
malware left to find.


Good luck

Robert
---

 

[PA Bear]

Which options? Did you find any of them enabled when you first looked
there? Had you enabled it/them?