Hypertext Markup Language

[Tom Brady]

I am running Win 2000, and have a problem. I'm not sure that this is the proper forum for the problem, but I can't think ny that would be better.

The problem is the appearance of untranslated Markup language when I access some Web sites, sometimes.

I am using a DSL connection, and my provider is Bell South. The problem occurs regardless of the browser I use, and I've tried 4 of them.

Can anyone suggest a cause; or can anyone suggest to whom I can go for a solution. I'm going to ask Bell outh about it, but really don't expect much response from them.
TIA
Tom Brady

[degsy]

Do you have any Firewall or Internet Security programs that would effect your internet.
Do you use a proxy server?

[Tom Brady]

Do you have any Firewall or Internet Security programs that would effect your internet.
Do you use a proxy server?
I do have a firewall. I use ZoneAlarm. I don't use a proxy. If ZA is causing the problem, what settings can I change to correct it?
Tom

[degsy]

I've never heard of ZA doing that.

You can disable the firewall or shut down ZA to test.

[Tom Brady]

I've never heard of ZA doing that.

You can disable the firewall or shut down ZA to test.

As they say: "Been there, done that." It had no effect, I'm still getting this sort of garbage:
ult to the end of the string var nSlash = sKey_gsk.indexOf("/",nSubIndex);//get the index of the next slash, after the subkey index var nKeyDelim = sKey_gsk.indexOf(this.keyDelim,nSubIndex); ETC, ETC.
Tom

[degsy]

Can you post one of the sites and a screenshot

[Tom Brady]

Can you post one of the sites and a screenshot

Sure- One of the sites I'm having trouble with is <http:\\www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp>

Here's what the site looked like this time: (more comments at the bottom)
ult to the end of the string var nSlash = sKey_gsk.indexOf("/",nSubIndex);//get the index of the next slash, after the subkey index var nKeyDelim = sKey_gsk.indexOf(this.keyDelim,nSubIndex);//get the index of the next key Delimiter, after the subkey index var nSemiColonIndex= sKey_gsk.indexOf(";",nSubIndex);//get the index of the next semicolon, after the subkey index if (nSlash>-1 && nSlash -1 && nKeyDelim-1 && nSemiColonIndex----------------------------------------------------------------- /* end cookie class */ //------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EL.value); } else { writeToLayer('CNBPCOUNTRYLABEL', ''); } if (parent.frames[1].document.search.CN_BP_COUNTY_LABEL.value != "") { //Show dropdown and write a different label writeToLayer('CNBPCOUNTYLABEL', parent.frames[1].document.search.CN_BP_COUNTY_LABEL.value); } else { writeToLayer('CNBPCOUNTYLABEL', ''); } //Race Label and drop down if (parent.frames[1].document.search.CN_RACE_LABEL.value != "") { writeToLayer('CNRACELABEL', parent.frames[1].document.search.CN_RACE_LABEL.value); copyAllOptions(parent.frames[1].document.search.RACE, document.search.RACE); document.search.RACE.selectedIndex = parent.frames[1].document.search.RACE.selectedIndex; showLayer('DIV_RACE'); showLayer('CNRACELABEL'); } else { writeToLayer('CNRACELABEL', ''); copyAllOptions(parent.frames[1].document.search.RACE, document.search.RACE); hideLayer('DIV_RACE'); hideLayer('CNRACELABEL'); } //allow hidden frame to receive posts again document.search.alreadyposted.value = ''; } //This function is called when the search form is submitted. //It copies a variety of "search criteria" labels to hidden variables. function verifySubmit(){ document.search.event_index.value = "0"; document.search.race_friendly.value = ''; document.search.juris1friendly.value = ''; document.search.juris2friendly.value = ''; document.search.juris3friendly.value = ''; document.search.cn_locality.value = ''; document.search.cn_name.value = ''; if ((document.search.from_date.value)||(document.sear ch.juris1.value)||(document.search.juris2.value)|| (document.search.juris3.value)){ document.search.event_index.value = "1"; } if (document.search.RACE !=null){ if (document.search.RACE.value){ document.search.race_friendly.value = document.search.RACE.options[document.search.RACE.selectedIndex].text; } } if (document.search.juris1 !=null){ if (document.search.juris1.value){ document.search.juris1friendly.value = document.search.juris1.options[document.search.juris1.selectedIndex].text; } } if (document.search.juris2 !=null){ if (document.search.juris2.value){ document.search.juris2friendly.value = document.search.juris2.options[document.search.juris2.selectedIndex].text; } } if (document.search.juris3 !=null){ if (document.search.juris3.value){ document.search.juris3friendly.value = document.search.juris3.options[document.search.juris3.selectedIndex].text; } } var cn_locality=''; if (document.search.CN_TOWN !=null){ if (document.search.CN_TOWN.value){ cn_locality = document.search.CN_TOWN.options[document.search.CN_TOWN.selectedIndex].text + ', '; } } if (document.search.CN_COUNTY !=null){ if (document.search.CN_COUNTY.value){ cn_locality = cn_locality + document.search.CN_COUNTY.options[document.search.CN_COUNTY.selectedIndex].text + ', '; } } if (document.search.CN_STATE !=null){ if (document.search.CN_STATE.value){ cn_locality = cn_locality + document.search.CN_STATE.options[document.search.CN_STATE.selectedIndex].text; } } document.search.cn_locality.value = cn_locality; if (document.search.CN_CODE !=null){ document.search.cn_name.value = document.search.CN_CODE.options[document.search.CN_CODE.selectedIndex].text; } //Since the first 2 elements of the date_range have 0, we need to pass around what value //was selected. document.search.date_range_index.value = document.search.date_range.selectedIndex; return true; }

I'm pretty sure at this point it has something to do with the ISP, BellSOuth. I tried the same site on another computer, same ISP, running Win98SE, and got the same thing. I've contacted BellSouth, but they've never been helpful before, so why should I expect something different this time?
Tom

[degsy]

Could you actually paste a screenshot of your screen so we can see how it comes out.

[Tom Brady]

Could you actually paste a screenshot of your screen so we can see how it comes out.
I tried to, without success, Can you suggest a way to do it?
Tom

[degsy]

You can upload a screenshot to imageshack or photobucket etc.

[Tom Brady]

You can upload a screenshot to imageshack or photobucket etc.
Now that's a real Catch 22. To do that I'd have to be able to access their sites without HTML appearing all over the screen. Can't do that.
Tom Brady

[degsy]

Have you tested with a different browser?

[Tom Brady]

Have you tested with a different browser?
Yes, I've used 4 different ones: Opera; IE; Netscape; and Firefox. Same result with all.

BellSouth, who is my ISP, says it must have to do with the operating system I'm using, this despite the fact that the same thing happens on 2 different computers, one running WIN 2000; the other WIN 98SE.
Tom

[degsy]

Do you have a router or anything between the modem and PC.

If it happens on more than one PC then I would suspect the ISP.

[Tom Brady]

Do you have a router or anything between the modem and PC.

If it happens on more than one PC then I would suspect the ISP.
The modem is a 2-wire modem supplied by BellSouth. It's also a router, in that both PCs are connected directly to it, and it's connected to the phone line through a DSL.

I'm convinced the fault lies with the ISP, but the question, of course, is what to do about it. So far they admit to nothing.
Tom Brady

[degsy]

Just to confirm. The two PCs have seperate software & firewalls but both have the same problem?

Can you test with a different modem/router?

[robbyg]

just for s & g's have you tried "power-cycling" the modem/router? and by that I mean power down and then back up?...

also have you ran a virus-scan on both of those computers? it would be possible for a virus to get in, even though you have the firewall.

[Tom Brady]

just for s & g's have you tried "power-cycling" the modem/router? and by that I mean power down and then back up?...

also have you ran a virus-scan on both of those computers? it would be possible for a virus to get in, even though you have the firewall.

To answer 2 posts in 1- Both PCs have separate firewalls, and different operating systems. The problem occurs on both of them.

I have "powere-cycling" the modem without success.

I really can't think of anything internal to my system that could be causing the problem. It almost has to be a garbled signal coming in from BellSouth. I'm not familiar enough with HTML to say more. Strangely enough the problem does not seem to affect all URLs. When a URL is affected, the screen doesn't show the same errors twice in a row. One time all of the screen will be in HTML, the next time there will only be a few lines of code shown

BellSouth has its own URL, which you can access for help. Ironically, this is one of the URLs which are affected.
Tom

[robbyg]

I would guess you would be right... have you spoken with B.S.(as I liked to call em when I lived in Florida) Tech Support?

[Tom Brady]

I would guess you would be right... have you spoken with B.S.(as I liked to call em when I lived in Florida) Tech Support?

Yes, they and I spent an hour or so the other day, each trying to convince the other of something. They were trying to convince me that the fault lay with the operating system (2 computers, each with a different OS?), and I trying to convince them to check their incoming signal, or the modem they supplied. No luck on either side. I'll call them again today.

Incidentally, I neglected to mention that I ran a virus scan on both computers, and came up with nothing.
Tom

[robbyg]

I wonder if you may have a bad DSL modem... I don't suppose you have a friend with DSL that you could bring your computer over to and hook up. thus ruling out your computers? this would narrow it down to B.S.'s equipment. I am anxious to hear what you came out with from bell

[degsy]

This is a kind of system check

2 OS
Same firewall or internet security software?

What is between the PCs and the modems?
If it is a router then have you checked all the settings?
Have you tried a factory reset to default settings?

Have you tried connecting directly to the modem, bypassing the router?

[Tom Brady]

This is a kind of system check

2 OS
Same firewall or internet security software?

What is between the PCs and the modems?
If it is a router then have you checked all the settings?
Have you tried a factory reset to default settings?

Have you tried connecting directly to the modem, bypassing the router?

Same firewall on both computers. I disabled it, and nothing changed. In the case of one computer thare is nothing between it and the modem/router. This piece of equipment is a combination supplied by BellSouth, my ISP.

After much urging, Bell South is reluctantly considering that the problem might be with the modem. They are sending someone out tomorrow. I'll keep you all informed of the results.
Tom

[Tom Brady]

After much urging, Bell South is reluctantly considering that the problem might be with the modem. They are sending someone out tomorrow. I'll keep you all informed of the results.
Tom

PROBLEM SOLVED!
By the time Bell South got here today, I had found the cause of my problem. I got to thinking about what was common between the 2 computers, which I hadn't checked out, and found one thing. I was running a program called WebWasher on both computers. This program is designed to prevent pop-up ads from appearing, as they have a tendency to do. Works Great!

Unfortunately, some Web sites use JavaScript to enhance their appearance, and JavaScript requires that pop-ups be enabled. Anything which intereferes with pop-ups causes the HTTP not to work, and code to appear in place of graphics. Once I closed WebWasher, I was able to access the sites that showed the HTML before without that annoyance.

I am now looking for a possible work-around which will let me run WebWasher, and still be able to use JavaScript when I want to.

Tom

[degsy]

Thanks for the update :)