Resolved Vista drops browser page

This started recently. I will try to explain what is happening, as I'm not sure what is going on.

When I have a browser page up on my screen (like, for instance, the page I'm typing this on) every few minutes (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter) I suddenly get a Windows "BING" Warning and my typing ability on the page has stopped. The page itself is still there, nothing has moved / changed on the monitor, but the page acts like it no longer in front of (or on top of) anything else (other browser pages / the desktop / etc.) < in fact, it just did it now as I was typing > and I have to stop and click on the page before I can resume typing.

Same thing can / will happen if I am using the wheel on my mouse to scan up / down on the page. No Windows "BING" Warning, of course. It just stops. I have to click on the page to be able to regain access to that page.

And, of course, if I am doing nothing, I can watch the page go from "active" to "in-active" (if that makes any sense), and even though it is "in front / on top" I have to click on < just did it again > the page to "wake it up ".

( ALSO, as I'm typing in the Message box here, the words go from Black to Grey, depending on where my mouse pointer is. "In" the box, they are all Black. "Outside" the box, they are all Grey. Is this normal? This does NOT happen when using XP... )

Does anybody have any idea what in the heck is going on?

I'm using IE 8 with 32-bit version of Vista. Fully updated, of course!

 

Hi deck, sounds queer problem. My suggestion would be to try another Browser to see if it has the same problem.
I use Mozilla Firefox and have had nothing funny occur like your description.
I have IE9 installed and have not noticed anything odd - yet. Let's know if your problem still happens with another Browser. Cheers Neil.

 

You are not fully updated. IE 9 is the latest for Vista. Update to IE 9 and see what happens.
If that don't fix the problem, try download FF and see if it still does it.

I have the same thing as you do when the cursor is in the typing box, it is a little brighter then when I move it out of it.

I just logged in with FF ( I don't use it very often) and the brightness does not change at all. This is the only board that I have noticed this on.

 

Finally got a chance to sit down tonight.

Upgraded to IE 9.

It didn't fix the problem, however it is much "slower" (as in I can type much longer before it happens).

I guess that is progress...

I will double check to make sure IE 9 is fully updated, although I can't imagine that it is not.

Wait... I can't find the spell checker! Do I have to re-install it again to get it to show up? OR will it even show up in this new browser?

 

What are you using for a spell checker? Something like IE Spell? If so, it is in the command bar. Right click on a blank space on one of the other tool bars and choose Command Bar.

 

Where did I say that if would fix the problem?
I don't care how long it is going to be supported. They said that they were fully updated. They were not. They had IE 8 and IE 9 would make them updated. Read what I posted again.

 

You can argue all you want. You will be argueing with yourself. I just said that he wasn't up to date. One version behind with IE.
Have a great day.

 

OK .. this is a test.

Typed for about 5 minutes and confirmed that the issue was still happening.

Last night, after I installed IE 9, I determined that:

1 - I did NOT like it, and
2 - The issue was still there

So I did a System Restore and went back to IE 8.

So far this evening (when I finally got a chance to sit down in front of this computer again) I went and started through the steps to turn off the add-ons. . . .

However, the detailed troubleshooting instructions Arie wanted me to follow (from the link he posted earlier) said that the Manage Add-Ons option would be disabled. It was not. Or maybe it was......

I followed the instructions to turn them off and received a confirmation in an IE window that had no Add-On Toolbar (I do have one that I've had for a long time...). I then opened a new IE window and started testing by typing. No problem!

So then I went to the next step, but it stated that the Manage Add-On option would be disabled. It was not.

Then I looked, and the IE toolbar that was missing from the acknowledgment window was back in the window I was typing / testing in.

So I rebooted the computer, and as expected everything is back to normal, and the issue is back. Oops!

So, I will try this again, this time IN the confirmation window, and try to find the culprit add-on!

 

QUICK UPDATE...

Now I'm even more confused. The Manage Add-Ons button IS active THIS TIME. It was not when I tried it in the window BEFORE I rebooted.

Help ?

What does this mean, since this is the exact opposite of what the instructions SAY will happen and I saw happen just a couple of minutes earlier before I rebooted?

 

Further update -

I now ONLY have the Windoews Explorer window up that says IE is running with add-ons disabled. However, They are NOT?

 

This is a test post to see if the issue is still happening.

< deleted a bunch of jibberish >

It appears that the issue is not happening as I type. . . . and then it proves me wrong just as soon as I typed that line.

OK, seriously.... What the heck do I do now?

OH, by the way, even though the Add-on options SAYS everything IS on, I can't get to some (all?) of the add-ons. Like ieSpell. It is NOT there in the Tools drop-down...

I'm going to shut down this computer for a bit. Be back later tonighht.

 

Don't know if System Restore was the proper way to go back from 9 to 8. Uninstalling 9 from add/remove programs is what is usually recommended. Same thing when people didn't like 8 and wanted to go back to 7.

 

Any other ideas?

 

OK, now that I'm back from a long weekend filled with Turkey and relatives (right after a little very minor surgery), I can attack this problem again.

UPDATE:

I managed to get IE8 to work without the add-ons this afternoon and it works just like IE9 did. Same issue, just a longer time frame before the page I was working on would "drop ".

While I've been explaining things while "typing" on a page (like this one) it is not a "typing" issue (AFAIK). I can be doing anything, like watching videos (both from my hard drive and on-line/YouTube type videos, as well as "live streaming" videos) and the current page will "drop" from being "in front" (the bottom bar will show that NO window is the current "front window "). When I'm watching a "live stream" video in full screen mode, the bottom bar will return "over" the live video. The video (no matter where / what the source) continues to play with no problem and, except for the bottom bar on a full screen playback, nothing else has changed.

There is also no new window opening and no new pop-up window, which obviously could / would get in the way of normal computer use.

My local tech guys (great on hardware, not so much on software issues) thought I should try disabling Vista's "Aero" setting and try "Vista Basic ". I did try that, but it did nothing to help, so I turned it back to the "Aero" setting.

So.... where do we go from here?

 

I did a brief search for "browser loses focus" and found the Microsoft article, An Internet Explorer browser window may lose focus when you press ENTER on a Windows Vista-based computer.

While it doesn't provide a solution for the user, it might give you a place to start.

The search turned up quite a few people with the same complaint with different browsers.

 

I'll take a look. . . .

and there is nothing there at all to help. ???