IE browser suddenly acting weird with flash

[svensk]

I have flash menu rollover effects on my website and they have worked perfectly for over a year. Three days ago I noticed that on some of my pages the effect has gone away, and a gray box appears around the entire menu and the message "Click to activate or use this control" pops up. On other pages (same code!) it still works.

I've gone to other Flash sites (Redrobbin, Mcdonalds) and the flash components there also appear with the gray box and same message. This only happens with the IE browser (sadly I have to design with that browser in mind as it is still the one used the most).

My site is at www.lionfishsolutions.com

Any idea if Microsoft will be fixing this? I hate to have to redo my site. :mad:

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions.

[Denn]

You have just recently updated your windows. This is some of Microsofts doings. This is their solution to a problem they have with rights to flash or something. It really doesn't matter. The point is that they have chosen to pretty much put in a "Nag Screen" that will bother us so they can easily solve their problems. BTW... you can't back up and undo the update. Just do as we all do from time to time... say "I hate microsoft, but have no other choice about Operating Systems"... then count to 10.

[svensk]

Thank you Denn!

I did find a rather helpful link here:

http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/webforums/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=194&threadid=1125916&STARTPAGE=1&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

There are various suggestions for a fix, so I plan to play around with it tonight. Since my site is not all done in flash, I may need to get creative.

The ultimate fix would be if folks would quit making IE there primary browser! :p

[Denn]

Thank you Denn!

I did find a rather helpful link here:

http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/webforums/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=194&threadid=1125916&STARTPAGE=1&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

There are various suggestions for a fix, so I plan to play around with it tonight. Since my site is not all done in flash, I may need to get creative.

The ultimate fix would be if folks would quit making IE there primary browser! :p
Thanks Svensk,

You wound up being more helpful to me, than I to you. I needed that code to fix some of my flash sites.

Denn

[svensk]

Best of luck on applying the fixes.

I'm not very strong when it comes to coding issues (I'm more into the graphics side and I can manipulate code rather well), but lucky for me my husband does that for a living so I plan on a recruiting effort later today!

[slaughters]

...The ultimate fix would be if folks would quit making IE there primary browser! :pThen Firefox would just be sued, forcing them to implement somethng like this.

Let's not ruin my favorite browser - OK ? Let's keep the Lawyer target fixed squarely in some other direction.

[felgall]

The simplest solution is to not embed multimedia into web pages. Since an ideal web page is under 20k and only half your visitors wait for an 80k page to finish loading and most multimedia files are bigger than that you end up losing 98% of your visitors before the multimedia file loads anyway.

[Denn]

The simplest solution is to not embed multimedia into web pages. Since an ideal web page is under 20k and only half your visitors wait for an 80k page to finish loading and most multimedia files are bigger than that you end up losing 98% of your visitors before the multimedia file loads anyway.
But it's just so much fun, and looks so purdy. :D

Actually, I've embedded windows media player into a LOT of html pages. I have the TV Station I work at (wkfk.com) streaming in an embedded windows page so that we can place commercial ads beside the embedded window. The sponsor really likes this because the watcher can't leave the page. What does the watcher get?... Free TV on their monitor... (with commercials of course). I also embed all of the commercials into html pages so the sponsors can check out their commercials anytime. We also let them link to their embedded commercials on our site from their sites.

Sometimes even the stuff you wouldn't think would be good works out Ok.

[schizo]

The simplest solution is to not embed multimedia into web pages. Since an ideal web page is under 20k and only half your visitors wait for an 80k page to finish loading and most multimedia files are bigger than that you end up losing 98% of your visitors before the multimedia file loads anyway.

Welcome to 2006. As stated in a similar thread, even Google.com is over 20K.

svensk, you may also want to check out http://blog.deconcept.com/flashobject/

[Denn]

Welcome to 2006. As stated in a similar thread, even Google.com is over 20K.

I stopped designing websites for slow computers and slow internet connections several months ago. Computer speed and internet speed are both getting faster all the time. The future of having a faster internet is inevitable and besides, there is just so much you can do if you're designing for those with slow machines and slow connections.

I maintained a slow speed internet streamer and a fast one for the TV station I work at up until a month ago when I finally took the slow streamer offline. When I can keep an eye on the count during the day, I've noticed that we have many people watch the fast streamer, but there were few who watched the slow streamer. Some days no one accessed it at all, but there seems to be someone (if not many) on the fast streamer all the time.

The point being... I just don't worry about those who are dragging behind the rest of the internet, they'll eventually catch up. If not they'll have to give up on viewing anything worth watching. I give away free programs on my website and some of the smallest are 3 to 4 meg.

BTW svensk, sorry if I seem to have hijacked your original post.

[svensk]

No problem Denn! I'm a rather laid back person, and I felt like flaming was starting to creep up, which is why I took a back seat to this thread!

I have to agree with you; I too no longer design for slow speed access folks. I live in an area where high speed options are common place and I try to set myself apart from the competition with nice graphics.

[Denn]

No problem Denn! I'm a rather laid back person, and I felt like flaming was starting to creep up, which is why I took a back seat to this thread!

I have to agree with you; I too no longer design for slow speed access folks. I live in an area where high speed options are common place and I try to set myself apart from the competition with nice graphics.
Sorry if I gave the impression that flaming was about to start... at least on my end. That was not my intention at all. Just stating facts about the way the internet is going.

BTW: I'm pretty laid back myself and I agree with you quote about nice graphics. I'm a graphic artist and believe that if the site looks good enough, the visitor will stick around awhile.

[svensk]

No not at all. I didn't feel it (flaming) starting with you. In fact everyone has been pleasant, I was just surprised at how strongly some folks voiced their opinion, and since my tech skills are weak I just thought it best to take a back seat!

I come from more of an "artsy" background as well. I play violin semi professionally, and have taken some graphic design courses (which I love). Whenever I embark on something technical, it takes all my brain power!