Page cannot be....

[BEagle]

Why are posts on PPRuNe being corrupted thus:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/nw969/pprune.jpg
Is it something to do with the advertising system?

[DX Wombat]

Do you also have difficulty with the "Back" button Beagle or is it just my laptop having a sulk?:confused:

[BEagle]

Both my computers are having trouble with the 'back' button.....

I suspect a bug in the Google advertising thingie - which the earlier PPRuNe shutdown today didn't resolve.

[Data Dad]

Same here - both PC and Laptop.

You have to click the back button once for each one of those "page not found" gifs on every page before you get a "proper" response.

DD

[DX Wombat]

Come to think of it the PC had these problems yesterday but I was too jet-lagged to remember this morning. :( Looks like a nasty problem which needs sorting. It's driving me nuts! :{

[spannersatcx]

yep me too, started in the last day or so, have to press back 3 or 4 times to go back to the topic page from a thread. Advertising also not displaying either, could be part of the problem or as a result of a problem.

[Cypherus]

Dear old Googlies are well aware of the problem firmly rooted in a small torjan,

http://www.techshout.com/internet/2005/27/a-trojan-horse-program-that-targets-google-ads-has-been-detected-by-an-indian-web-publisher/

is one posting on the issue. and it's not confined to home machines either as anything connected to the internet can be infected, clever sods aint they? :mad:

[ItsAjob]

Is there a fix out that we can run?

[Keef]

Is there a fix out that we can run?

Easy.
1. Download and install Firefox (import your "Favorites")
2. Remove Internet Exploder
3. Smile.


PS: Your "Favorites" are now called "Bookmarks".

[Data Dad]

If you want to stick to Internet Explorer the following appears to have solved the issue for me. (WARNING: This "patch" should remove all Google Adsense Ads from ALL sites you visit but I make no guarantees that it will work for you)

In My Computer open folder C: \WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc (or wherever you have Windows installed) - look for file "hosts" Open this using Notepad (or other Text editor - DO NOT USE WORD/WORDPAD)

The hosts file may be empty, it may be not.

If there is an existing line which reads:

127.0.0.1 localhost

Then directly below this line(NO blank lines) type:

127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com

If the file is empty then type this as two lines with no space:

127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com

Then save the file and close Notepad. Shut down Internet explorer if running.

Open Internet Explorer again, come back to PPrune and fingers crossed problem solved. Basically what it does is to divert requests to go to the adsense pages directly back at your own computer so it never actually gets to the adsense page so the "page not found" errors do not occur and the back button works normally. (Fingers crossed! - it did the job for me)

DD

[ItsAjob]

Yes that cures it.
Data Dad IS the Daddy!

[BEagle]

Yes - just tried that on my back-up machine and it kills the problem. Many thanks.

But it also kills all the advertising links. So really it is up to the PPRuNe website managers to let Google know about this - otherwise more and more people are not going to be reading the ads......

[Data Dad]

Glad my suggestion worked for others :ok:

Beagle, I would point out that it only "kills" Google Adsense adverts, not the "banner" type ones on PPrune !

You can use this "trick" to kill other advertising on other sites as well..... just replace the entry "pagead2.googlesyndication.com" with the address that you wish to block/kill.

One thing that I still cannot work out - is this problem a server one or have (as seems to be suggested in the techshout link above) my own PC's got a trojan? If it is here at home then I am completely unable to locate the devil using any of several anti-malware programs that I run.

Safe surfing

DD

[forget]

:D Brill Data Dad. The probem's been driving me witless. Your fix............. fixed it. :D

PS. I should mention that I've twice stripped down my cordless mouse, thinking it was an iffy Back button :ugh: :ugh:

[Danny]

FYI, we are aware of this problem So far, it does not appear to be anything to do with the trojan as described earlier. Rather, it is a problem with Microsoft Internet Explorer v7 and the number of Google ads that appear on any one page.

There is no way I am getting rid of Google ads as they help to pay the costs of running this website and unless you are all willing to pay $5 a month for ad free pages, it ain't gonna happen. However, as has been stated elsewhere, why be just another sheep in a flock of millions who mindlessly follow the Microsoft mantra and like some brainwashed herd use a flawed product just because it came with your operating system?

Get off your backsides, get a backbone and download a proper browser that adheres to true html standards and and doesn't bastardise the code behind your backs. FireFox is just one and shows up that Microsoft rubbish for waht it is. Or, you could just follow the flock. Baa baa baa! :rolleyes:

[Data Dad]

Danny,

I hear what you say and wouldn't disagree however the laptop I am currently using is running IE v6 not v7 and the problem only started about a week (or less) ago.

DD

[Hartington]

With the problem.

I'll try ffox when I get home (IE6 is on a corporate machine).

[BOAC]

Before everyone gets too warm and fluffy about FF try Google for 'problems' with it (use whichever browser you like :) ) and you will see claims that it has serious security loopholes.

[airmail]

IE6 at work & IE7 at home. Both are affected but IE6 is the worst affected!!
Danny, whilst I fully understand why you want the google revenue to help fund this site (and have no issues with that whatsoever), your post around changing to FF instead of IE is not that realistic based on the fact that a lot of the logins to this site are probably from hotels or through work machines where there is no choice as to browsers. As I would guess that your direct revenues (i.e. banner ads) will have some basis on the amount of page impressions per month (which has an impact on indirect revenues via click throughs), you want to make sure that you don't affect what is undoubtedly the majority of the browser market (even if it is crap:ok: )

[Peter Fanelli]

Danny,
Don't be an arrogant ass!
I have tried the fix on my personal computer with IE7 and it did not work.
I also view your forum at work where I am not at liberty to make such changes or install alternative web browsers.
I'm sure many other people view your site from computers they don't control while they are travelling, most of us are after all in the travel business.
Do you really expect us to modify every computer in the world to overcome a problem caused by one of your advertisers?
The problem is caused by an outside vendor to which you have given access to your site, it's up to you to fix it!

PF


146,659 members at $5.00 a month is $8,799,540.00 per year.
hmmm I see why you'd like us all to pay that to "cover the costs of running PPruNe"

[LH2]

Note: Quoting various different people below

Before everyone gets too warm and fluffy about FF try Google for 'problems' with it (use whichever browser you like ) and you will see claims that it has serious security loopholes.

1.- By the same token try Googling for "advantages" with it and you will see how good it is :rolleyes:

2.- while you're at it, might also Google "aircraft crashes". Put you in the mood next time you go flying :}

3.- Seriously now, with computer security it's a bit like with aircraft safety, both aicraft and computers are things to which people are exposed almost every day but they do not have the faintest idea about, which gives some writers lots of opportunity for sensationalism.

In My Computer open folder C: \WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc (or wherever you have Windows installed) - look for file "hosts"

P1ssing about with the "hosts" file is a Bad Idea, especially when you do not know exactly what you are doing. The answer to it is do as Danny says and do not use broken software or if you do, live with the consequences (and if you are reading this from a corporate PC which you are not at liberty to change, well, shouldn't you be working instead anyway?) :E


The problem is caused by an outside vendor to which you have given access to your site, it's up to you to fix it!

Nope. It is caused by an outside vendor whose software is installed in some of your computers, and it's up to said vendor to fix it and/or those responsible for those computers to take technically sound measures to overcome the problem (as might be installing a different browser or downgrading to an older version of your software).

As for the complaints about the Google ads, etc., etc., one feels there should be no need to point out that this site is offered and run on a completely voluntary basis by a private group of individuals, and as such:

1.- they have complete freedom to decide how to run it and what is shown, and
2.- none of us have any obligation whatsoever to come here and if we do, one assumes it's purely because we get something out of it.

Out of interest, you might want to categorise the users in this thread according to whether they are complaining or offering a solution, and count the number in each category who have paid for a "personal title" (i.e., contributed financially to the running of this site [and yes, I know I haven't, never got around to it yet]) Not calling anyone a leech, but... :hmm:

btw, not a trace of the alleged "problem" on my laptop or any of my terminals at work. Not with Firefox, or Konqueror, or Galleon, or even Lynx. Cannot try IE7 as they do not offer a Linux version :E

[Peter Fanelli]

LH2 what my employer allows me to do re the internet between midnight and 0730 is really of no consequence.

Also interesting that other sites with google ads such as airliners.net and flightaware.com are not having problems, it's only PPRuNe.

Your turn.

[Devlin Carnet]

You should all be using a modified hosts file anyway,
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
:)

[Danny]

Is the problem still there? I don't see it any more when using IE7 on a 'Doze machine.

As far as those that have a gripe with me having Google ads on the site... you are free to block them as you see fit. I have no doubt that you probably would never click on them anyway.

Of course, the offer to provide individuals with an ad free experience is still there. $5 a month and you can access PPRuNe with no ads whatsoever. Sign up now for a whole year and you can have ad free PPRuNe for just $50. Now that's a deal you can't dismiss... or can you? I guess some people begrudge parting with even a penny yet are prepared to complain loudly that others should give up resources to make their free experiences even better when the real reason is that they either choose to use or have no choice but to use flawed software.

Yes, there may be a problem with the way Google ads are interacting between the way they are installed on PPRuNe and your IE browser and I am trying to alleviate the problem. However, there are solutions and all you have to do is one of three things:

1. Apply the patch as described earlier.
2. Use a different browser.
3. Subscribe for ad free PPRuNe. Once logged in, it doesn't matter which browser or system you are using, you won't see any ads at all.

One of the above solutions must work for you. Then again, some people just love complaining. It must be in their nature. :rolleyes:

I have to go now. Got a few spare minutes to tinker under the bonnet then I have to go commit aviation. New York beckons. :8

[Superpilot]

I have IE6 on my laptop, main PC and at work. This problem occurs everywhere.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Get off your backsides, get a backbone and download a proper browser that adheres to true html standards and and doesn't bastardise the code behind your backs. FireFox is just one ...
They've fixed all the memory leak issues now then have they?

[Danny]

Is the problem still there? A fix has been made but until all the flock have had a go with their Dozey browsers we won't know for sure if it worked 100%.

I'd suggest you clear your caches before testing to prevent false alarms.

[Doptrack]

Thanks to who-ever fixed this:D - Was driving me nuts