Red block replacing images on Web sites

[Bev]

Both my browsers -- Firefox and IE -- have started showing red blocks instead
of images on some Web sites, not all, just some. Yahoo.com is a big red box
right in the middle of the page. Ads on some Web sites are now nothing but
big red placeholders. These are not red "x"es to indicate that the image is
missing. The entire height and width of the image is now all red.

I cannot copy the image, view it, or save it to disk. It's as if the
browsers are not even picking the images up.

When I right-click to check the properties of these red blocks, I see
nothing in common. They can be PNG files, GIF files, JPG files, etc.

I see in an old thread that someone else was experiencing these big red
blocks but no one provided a good solution, even with the reference to a
knowledge base article for IE. What I am seeing is not limited to IE. I
also experience it in Firefox. So, I was wondering if it might be related to
my Windows XP installation.

Can anyone resolve this issue for me?

 

[R. McCarty]

Several things to consider. First your Security software may be blocking
certain content. Secondly, your system may not have the proper Add-ons
for rendering the content. Most times browsers are extended by things
like Sun Java, Adobe Flash and Shockwave. Even if installed and shown
in the \Downloaded Program Files\ the actual add-ons may have their
functionality restricted by a Registry key.

To test if your system has the latest add-ons:
Adobe Shockwave & Flash Player:
http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/welcome/
Sun Java version check:
http://java.com/en/download/installed.jsp
Apple QuickTime test:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/troubleshooting/

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Tuesday, February 03, 2009 10:06:09 AM, and on a
whim, Bev pounded out on the keyboard:

Both my browsers -- Firefox and IE -- have started showing red blocks instead
of images on some Web sites, not all, just some. Yahoo.com is a big red box
right in the middle of the page. Ads on some Web sites are now nothing but
big red placeholders. These are not red "x"es to indicate that the image is
missing. The entire height and width of the image is now all red.

I cannot copy the image, view it, or save it to disk. It's as if the
browsers are not even picking the images up.

When I right-click to check the properties of these red blocks, I see
nothing in common. They can be PNG files, GIF files, JPG files, etc.

I see in an old thread that someone else was experiencing these big red
blocks but no one provided a good solution, even with the reference to a
knowledge base article for IE. What I am seeing is not limited to IE. I
also experience it in Firefox. So, I was wondering if it might be related to
my Windows XP installation.

Can anyone resolve this issue for me?

Hi Bev,

It is strange you're getting some to display and not others. Blocked
cookies can sometimes cause that to happen, or script blocking.

Here are some t-shooting suggestions for Firefox:
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Images_or_animations_do_not_load


Terry R.

 

[Bev]

I turned all security off. Problem still appears.
I ran all the tests you suggested. Problem still appears.

I really need help on this problem.

Thanks for trying!

 

[R. McCarty]

Which Internet Service Provider do you use ? Not Satellite based
is it ? Satellite service is metered and after you obtain a certain level
of data they institute a "Limit" on your downloading capability. This
wouldn't explain why only certain content is being blocked.

I would test your bandwidth speed with:
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

 

[Bev]

Hi Bev,

It is strange you're getting some to display and not others. Blocked
cookies can sometimes cause that to happen, or script blocking.

This started a while ago, possibly with some overnight auto-update. I am
afraid that I will have to reinstall Windows. I notice this issue only on
Web pages, but it is not limited to IE and it is evident on all Web sites. I
have noticed that the
http://www.microsoft.com/library/toolbar/3.0/images/banners/ms_masthead_ltr.gif
in the upper left corner of the forum page is also just a big red block. But
all the other images on the page are just fine.

 

[Bev]

I notice this issue only on

Web pages, but it is not limited to IE and it is evident on all Web sites.

Oops. Make that: "...and it is NOT evident on all Web sites."

 

[Bev]

Which Internet Service Provider do you use ? Not Satellite based

is it ? Satellite service is metered and after you obtain a certain level
of data they institute a "Limit" on your downloading capability. This
wouldn't explain why only certain content is being blocked.

I have fiberoptic connectivity.
Download rate of 5198 kbps.

There is some setting or switch on my system that needs to be adjusted.

 

[R. McCarty]

It's possible one of your add-ons is damaged. Actually if you open
Explorer and navigate to \Windows\Downloaded Program Files
and set the view to Details if any Add-on is damaged it will show
that status. If so, Right Click it and Choose Remove then reinstall
the ActiveX component.

 

[Bev]

It's possible one of your add-ons is damaged. Actually if you open

Explorer and navigate to \Windows\Downloaded Program Files
and set the view to Details if any Add-on is damaged it will show
that status. If so, Right Click it and Choose Remove then reinstall
the ActiveX component.

Found a few that were damaged. Repaired them. Rebooted. No joy.

The problem still exists. When AIM loaded, I noticed that the ad in the top
banner was a big red block.

I am not the only one who has experienced this problem. I saw someone's
reply but the KB article was completely useless for this problem.

I'm really getting frustrated. Thanks for trying.

 

[R. McCarty]

With every PC issue there is a "Fall Over" point where re-installing is
about the only guaranteed solution. But that's extreme and a lot of work.
You said you repaired them, did you actually remove them or click on
the Update option ?

I don't want to keep throwing other suggestions out, but one last thing.
I'd log in with an alternate account and see if the web content shows
properly. That would indicate a Profile issue.

 

[Bev]

With every PC issue there is a "Fall Over" point where re-installing is

about the only guaranteed solution. But that's extreme and a lot of work.
You said you repaired them, did you actually remove them or click on
the Update option ?

I clicked on the Update option and after a reinstall, they no longer
registered as damaged.

I just Googled the Web for this issue and discovered other people who had
the identical problem about five months ago. Someone suggested that the
problem may be the graphics driver. I don't see that as the problem because
not all graphics are red...only on certain Web sites. Nor are they always
JPGs, GIFs, PNGs, etc. that go red.

Then I found someone else who was running Windows XP and Verizon Fios. The
problem is the Ad Blocker in the Verizon Security Suite. I knew it had to be
some setting someplace.

For anyone else experiencing this problem: if you have an Ad Blocker
enabled, turn it off.

Problem now resolved. Thanks!

 

[R. McCarty]

Thanks for replying with the solution.

I clicked on the Update option and after a reinstall, they no longer
registered as damaged.

I just Googled the Web for this issue and discovered other people who had
the identical problem about five months ago. Someone suggested that the
problem may be the graphics driver. I don't see that as the problem
because
not all graphics are red...only on certain Web sites. Nor are they always
JPGs, GIFs, PNGs, etc. that go red.

Then I found someone else who was running Windows XP and Verizon Fios.
The
problem is the Ad Blocker in the Verizon Security Suite. I knew it had to
be
some setting someplace.

For anyone else experiencing this problem: if you have an Ad Blocker
enabled, turn it off.

Problem now resolved. Thanks!

 

[Mayayana]

Sounds like fun. You replaced red boxes with ads?
Many of the corporate ads are now run in IFRAMES
so that Google/Doubleclick, etc. can bypass 3rd-party
security restrictions. (The same goes for Facebook
Like buttons.) A IFRAME is a full browser window
within the page, so technically you "chose" to visit
Doubleclick's ad page, which means they can set a
1st-party cookie. The ad looks the same either
way, but when you block an ad in an IFRAME what you
end up with is an empty page in that spot. I don't
know where the "red" comes from. Typically you'd see
lots of little 404 error pages. The solution is to block
IFRAMES, which is doable if you use a Mozilla browser.

If the red you see is image placeholders then, again,
that's not a problem when you block images in a
Mozilla browser, but as far as I know the functionality
to stop showing placeholders has always been broken
in IE.

--
--
|
| These red boxes have been annoying me for ages and today I finally
| decide to get rid of them. This thread helped me find the problem and
| it was in the Virgin media security program I had running. I turned the
| adblocker off and tested on a page I knew had a red box on and it
| worked.
|
| Thanks for the tip
|
|

 

[BillW50]

The solution is to block
IFRAMES, which is doable if you use a Mozilla browser.

IE6 and up allows you to block IFRAMES. What scares the hell out of me
is Mozilla has no toggle to turn off XPCOM. This is how viruses get
installed under Mozilla.

IE doesn't use XPCOM, but rather uses ActiveX. And you have full control
over ActiveX under IE. Although under Mozilla, the door can never be
shut. Mozilla programmers can fix this, but never has yet.

http://www.browser-watch.com/2010/02/08/firefox-add-on-included-trojan-virus/

If the red you see is image placeholders then, again,
that's not a problem when you block images in a
Mozilla browser, but as far as I know the functionality
to stop showing placeholders has always been broken
in IE.

How so?

 

[Mayayana]

| IE6 and up allows you to block IFRAMES.

?? It has a setting to block running of programs in
an IFRAME. But to just cut the IFRAME out of the
page? I'm not aware of such an option.

| What scares the hell out of me
| is Mozilla has no toggle to turn off XPCOM.

I looked up XPCOM but I don't really understand
how that comes into security. You mean by installing
extensions? Those installations can be blocked.
Though to my mind, once one enables script all bets
are off in terms of security.


|
| > If the red you see is image placeholders then, again,
| > that's not a problem when you block images in a
| > Mozilla browser, but as far as I know the functionality
| > to stop showing placeholders has always been broken
| > in IE.
|
| How so?
|
Is that not accurate? I don't use IE for much, but when
I tried using that option for a friend awhile back it didn't
work. If the "Advanced" settings to show images and show
image download palceholders were both unchecked, there
would still be a red X in a square to show that there should
be an image there. The same is true now on my system with
IE6. "Show image download placeholders" doesn't work.
Maybe that setting is meant to show a link when an image
not showing is a link image? I don't know. But I can't find
any way to remove the marker when an image is not shown.
I thought maybe that was what the OP meant by "red boxes".

 

[BillW50]

| IE6 and up allows you to block IFRAMES.

?? It has a setting to block running of programs in
an IFRAME. But to just cut the IFRAME out of the
page? I'm not aware of such an option.

This is how I do it.

How to Disable IFrames in Internet Explorer
http://antivirus.about.com/od/securitytips/ht/ieiframe.htm

| What scares the hell out of me
| is Mozilla has no toggle to turn off XPCOM.

I looked up XPCOM but I don't really understand
how that comes into security. You mean by installing
extensions? Those installations can be blocked.
Though to my mind, once one enables script all bets
are off in terms of security.

Disabling extensions or plugins doesn't disable the malware. As the
malware has already been installed and it is too late. But the same is
true of ActiveX as well.

This isn't the link that I had in mind about this. But it does a pretty
good job of explaining this better than I did.

Is FireFox really more secure than Internet Explorer
http://blogs.superadblocker.com/post/1001/

|
|> If the red you see is image placeholders then, again,
|> that's not a problem when you block images in a
|> Mozilla browser, but as far as I know the functionality
|> to stop showing placeholders has always been broken
|> in IE.
|
| How so?
|
Is that not accurate? I don't use IE for much, but when
I tried using that option for a friend awhile back it didn't
work. If the "Advanced" settings to show images and show
image download palceholders were both unchecked, there
would still be a red X in a square to show that there should
be an image there. The same is true now on my system with
IE6. "Show image download placeholders" doesn't work.
Maybe that setting is meant to show a link when an image
not showing is a link image? I don't know. But I can't find
any way to remove the marker when an image is not shown.
I thought maybe that was what the OP meant by "red boxes".

Well I am not sure about that since I don't care if they show or not.
And I probably would rather see them if I had to pick one. But if IE
doesn't do it, I'll bet that many ad blockers that do. As I cannot ever
remember seeing a place marker with one running.

 

[Char Jackson]

IE6 and up allows you to block IFRAMES. What scares the hell out of me
is Mozilla has no toggle to turn off XPCOM. This is how viruses get
installed under Mozilla.

IE doesn't use XPCOM, but rather uses ActiveX. And you have full control
over ActiveX under IE. Although under Mozilla, the door can never be
shut. Mozilla programmers can fix this, but never has yet.

I think this is the first time I've seen someone say something
relatively nice about ActiveX. It normally gets slammed hard as a
security hole.

 

[Mayayana]

| > ?? It has a setting to block running of programs in
| > an IFRAME. But to just cut the IFRAME out of the
| > page? I'm not aware of such an option.
|
| This is how I do it.
| How to Disable IFrames in Internet Explorer
| http://antivirus.about.com/od/securitytips/ht/ieiframe.htm
|

I think that's just restricting code that can run in an
IFRAME -- a CSS protection. To block ads and not
leave empty boxes in their place one needs to eliminate
IFRAMES from the page altogether.



| > | What scares the hell out of me
| > | is Mozilla has no toggle to turn off XPCOM.
| >
| > I looked up XPCOM but I don't really understand
| > how that comes into security. You mean by installing
| > extensions? Those installations can be blocked.
| > Though to my mind, once one enables script all bets
| > are off in terms of security.
|
| Disabling extensions or plugins doesn't disable the malware. As the
| malware has already been installed and it is too late. But the same is
| true of ActiveX as well.
|
I meant that disabling the installation of extensions
can be set.


| This isn't the link that I had in mind about this. But it does a pretty
| good job of explaining this better than I did.
|
| Is FireFox really more secure than Internet Explorer
| http://blogs.superadblocker.com/post/1001/
|

All that really says is that FF is a moving target for
protection because the code base changes a lot. I
agree about ActiveX though -- it's a disaster, but it
can be disabled and few sites use it anymore.

 

[Mayayana]

| I think this is the first time I've seen someone say something
| relatively nice about ActiveX. It normally gets slammed hard as a
| security hole.
|

Faint praise. He's just noting that ActiveX can
be disabled. Personally I love ActiveX and
think it's a brilliant invention....just not online.