[lizardlady]

I have something weird going on that only happens here at PC. Looking for ideas/solutions from other. There are random black squares or rectangles on my screen when I come here. They can be as big as a couple of inches on a side. They move around the screen. If I double click on them they go away, but can crop back up in another spot. They kind of remind me of the way the screen acts when the internet connection is not good, but are much larger. I tried refreshing the screen, but they are still there. Like I said, this is the only site where they appear.

I'm using an e-machine PC. Chrome as my browser. Can't remember my operating system it's either Windows 7 or XP.

Anybody have any ideas?

[Gus1234U]

aaaarrrrgggghhhh,,,, if you're using Windows XP, delete it and install Win7~!

failing that, go to MalwareBytes.com and download their free trial, and scan your hard drive~ also, Chrome has a built in malware scanner, it might be a local problem..... best wishes~!

[Artchic528]

I recommend windows 7 or 8 too.

Before you try and upgrade the OS, try rebooting the machine all the way. That means turning it off wait about 10-15 seconds, and turn it back on again. This solves about 90% of the issues a lot of people deal with, but not all of them.

If that doesn't work, try flushing the cache. To do that try the helpful guide DocJohn supplied in a sticky here in this forum. I'll try and find a link to it if I can.

Alternatively, it could be a malignant process running in the background, or some malware you might have picked up at any point in time. It happens even if you're super careful. If you still have the black boxes coming up on this site after rebooting and flushing the cache, try running your antivirus program. I'd recommend a full scan, just to be sure it looks in every last nook and cranny of your HDD and beyond.

I dn't see any black squares, you sure it's not your internet connection being funny, lizardlady?

[marvin_pa]

If this only occurs when visiting PC & not other sites, then that reduces the likelyhood of it being some kind of malware/virus, but as Gus1234U wrote, checking with malwarebytes won't do any harm.

Do you have another browser installed on your machine? (Like Internet Explorer or Firefox? I'd be tempted to see if the issue only occurs with Chrome. If it doesn't reproduce on another browser, then Chrome might need updating or reinstalling.

[lizardlady]

The boxes are appearing at other sites too. I tried visiting the same sites using IE. No boxes, so I'm guessing the problem is with Chrome. Am going to try the malware software. If that doesn't work I'll reinstall Chrome. I have about eleven zillion bookmarks with Chrome. Going to have to figure out how to save them.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by lizardlady

The boxes are appearing at other sites too. I tried visiting the same sites using IE. No boxes, so I'm guessing the problem is with Chrome. Am going to try the malware software. If that doesn't work I'll reinstall Chrome. I have about eleven zillion bookmarks with Chrome. Going to have to figure out how to save them.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

lizard lady.. microsoft no longer updates anything below windows 10. that means anything named or numbered before windows 10 came out will continue to have more and more problems eventually resulting in not being able to use the computers that have those operating systems.

my suggestion is go to microsoft.com and download the windows 10 operating system. you most likely will have to pay because the first year free downloading is done. but you can open the microsoft chat on their microsoft.com website they will be able to answer any questions you may have.

another avenue you can go to solve this problem is go to any walmart, best buy, target and purchase a new computer or laptop that already has windows 10 on it. they run anywhere between 180.00 to 800.00 depending on which brand and size you get.

other than that theres nothing you can do because your operating system is too outdated and no longer supported (no longer gets patches and other needed updates to keep computers, laptops.... running correctly)

getting windows 10 operating system stopped all my computer glitches like black roaming squares, lag time and so on.

[marvin_pa]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

lizard lady.. microsoft no longer updates anything below windows 10. that means anything named or numbered before windows 10 came out will continue to have more and more problems eventually resulting in not being able to use the computers that have those operating systems.

my suggestion is go to microsoft.com and download the windows 10 operating system. you most likely will have to pay because the first year free downloading is done. but you can open the microsoft chat on their microsoft.com website they will be able to answer any questions you may have.

another avenue you can go to solve this problem is go to any walmart, best buy, target and purchase a new computer or laptop that already has windows 10 on it. they run anywhere between 180.00 to 800.00 depending on which brand and size you get.

other than that theres nothing you can do because your operating system is too outdated and no longer supported (no longer gets patches and other needed updates to keep computers, laptops.... running correctly)

getting windows 10 operating system stopped all my computer glitches like black roaming squares, lag time and so on.

Any OS, if installed long enough without cleanups, can suffer from downloaded junk/viruses etc - however Win7 is still under extended support by Microsoft (provided servicepack 1 is installed) and will be until 2020 - so there is really no need to immediately upgrade to Win10 from that viewpoint.

FWIW, the PC forums should still work fine on WinXP (though servicepack 3 is recommended). Win2K won't work, due to encryption protocol issues that you'll run into on sites that use Cloudfront datacenters (but Win2k really is a dinosaur now...)

[marvin_pa]

Originally Posted by lizardlady

The boxes are appearing at other sites too. I tried visiting the same sites using IE. No boxes, so I'm guessing the problem is with Chrome. Am going to try the malware software. If that doesn't work I'll reinstall Chrome. I have about eleven zillion bookmarks with Chrome. Going to have to figure out how to save them.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Sounds like a chrome issue then - here's how to backup & restore your gazillion bookmarks: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/96816?hl=en
Although it mentions taking bookmarks from/to different browsers, you should be able to export them from chrome, then import them back after re-installing.

One further thing that might be worth a mention - if you're using certain add-ons like ad-blockers with chrome, try disabling them and see if the black boxes still occur. Sometimes addons can mess up a sites page formatting.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by marvin_pa

Any OS, if installed long enough without cleanups, can suffer from downloaded junk/viruses etc - however Win7 is still under extended support by Microsoft (provided servicepack 1 is installed) and will be until 2020 - so there is really no need to immediately upgrade to Win10 from that viewpoint.

FWIW, the PC forums should still work fine on WinXP (though servicepack 3 is recommended). Win2K won't work, due to encryption protocol issues that you'll run into on sites that use Cloudfront datacenters (but Win2k really is a dinosaur now...)

yes windows seven is still under extended support. what this is, is they will answer your questions but they can not send you any updates/ patches to fix te problem. that part of support called "main stream support" has already ended back in January 2015, now they are in extended support where all they do is chat with you and you fix your own problems either by buying something from them, or another company or if you know enough about your computer go in and fix the drivers and other stuff on your own...

I think of extended support like psych central. I can come on psych central and talk about my problems but its up to me to fix my problems and for more mainstreamed help contact my treatment providers....

in other words there is a definitive limit of what microsoft can do with anything below windows 10. win 7 all they can do is talk with you and maybe diagnose the problem but you are ultimately responsible for purchasing the things that may or may not fix that problem.

I suggested getting windows 10 now because as time goes on it will get more expensive as the demand for it goes up, as all these outdated operating systems that people are sticking with are crashing and no longer working.

Apparently Windows 10 is made in such a way that there is not going to be another windows. they are constantly updating windows 10. how it works is you leave your computer either totally on or in sleep mode and every time something new comes out windows automatically updates that windows 10 on your computers.

I got my first windows 10 free when it first came out. everyone on windows, 7, 8, xp, vista and so on got a notice directly on their computers with their daily updating service when microsoft was changing to windows 10 and to reserve their free full copy. I went to microsoft to their chat and verified it was for real then reserved my free copy. when windows 10 was available microsoft automatically changed my computer I had then over to windows 10.

that was a few years ago. when I updated my last computer it cost me 100.00 and then some because I didnt have all the compatibility drivers (my childrens computer was an old hand me down , now because the demand is higher for it because all these outdated no longer in mainstream support operating systems are going down, the price of windows 10 is going up (basic supply and demand economics) the going price right now is $120.00. the longer a person waits to replace their operating system the more they are going to have to pay simply because the price of the operating system is going up.

at some point the price of windows 10 basic version (not pro or workstations wich is just adding the new software to already existing windows 10) is going to be more than the price of buying a new computer, why because there already has been so many changes to windows 10 since it came out.

in other words I was suggesting the more economical and more benefits for your buck suggestion.

if a person wants to stay in extended support (ability to chat and diagnose but not fix the problems with patches, updates and can cost if you need to buy another package) they can. I choose not to. I chose to update and now have no problems or glitches that I was having with my computer that was still on windows 7 extended support.

[marvin_pa]

Extended support still provides security patches, which are the important updates. There's a reason why so many businesses have stayed on win7 & that's because it's still patched & it's known quality product, I'm not by any means sayings it's wrong to go to win10, but for an average home user, the need isn't pressing & won't be until major software venders stop supporting win7,

I've used all the OS' mentioned & ultimately decided that win7 was/is still at least as reliable as 10 & arguably as secure. Win10 is Microsoft's move towards a network dependent subscription model - that and the amount of data it constantly sends back to microsoft are reasons to at least be cautious. Since the issue the OP described only occurs in Chrome, it remains logical to try to fix it first before diving into OS upgrades & purchasing hardware.

[lizardlady]

I used the free download of malwarebytes that Gus suggested and it cleared up the problem. Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

[lizardlady]

The boxes came back after I ran the malwarebytes program. So... I exported my bookmarks, uninstalled Chrome and reinstalled it. I originally posted that the boxes were gone. Well, their back! Bugger this! I'm just going to use Explorer as my browser!

[Gus1234U]

Liz, try windows Root Kit malware remover... sounds like it might be the OS (operating system).

https://www.malwarebytes.com/antirootkit/

[marvin_pa]

Agree with Gus - sounds like some nastiness that's capable of reinstalling itself.
Still, odd that it only affected the chrome browser, though.