Google Looks Different on WinXP Machine - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 02:51:49 am
content: Google looks as if it's resorted to a Windows 98 look on a XP machine.This began around last week. Any search results look basic and limited.Does anyone know what changed?

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 06:19:17 am
content: Yeh, what browser?Looks more or less normal in Chrome 49 (last version supported on XP). Alignment is a little bit off, fonts and content look fine. The adblocker probably doesn't work as well, that might explain some layout differences, or just that they're using whatever set of webkit stuff is newer than that. Let's see, that's a 5 year old version huh, so probably a few things missing since, current version is 97? Sheesh.It goes without saying, IE shouldn't be onlineat all, and with Firefox support ended around a similar time frame as Chrome, the best option is to firewall or disconnect any XP machines you can't upgrade/replace for whatever reason.Tim

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 03:57:24 pm
content: I should have included the browser.The browser is Firefox. I haven’t tried Chrome, but know very few websites load in IE. I forgot the error, but IE refuses to view (I think) anything that is an https.Also, I’m finding websites don’t even work with Firefox. MSN sometimes won’t display a news article, Home Depot same, etc…Edit: using Firefox on Ubuntu 32 but looks fine.

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 02:23:37 pm
content: By the way, this is what Google looks like for me on XP, but looks normal on Ubuntu 32-bit.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 04:17:38 pm
content: I noticed that on old browsers and when turning javascript off like with extension "Quick Javascript Switcher".

author: precaud
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2022, 01:25:42 pm
content: Same on my XP machine w/ Firefox. Looks like a cutesy narrow format for cellphones. Lots of unused real estate on the screen.

author: BeBuLamar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2022, 02:26:11 pm
content: That's OK for me. I have my monitor in portrait orientation. But I can't get Chrome to work any more on my Windows XP machine.

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2022, 03:35:10 pm
content: QuoteHmmm I don't have "Quick Javascript" in my extensions (just Adobe Acrobat - Create PDF - and this is disabled). In the Plugins I just have Javascript Development and Platform, and these are both turned off. I can't turn them on; seems it won't let me because they are no longer supported.I checked Google webpage on Opera and Chrome, and they seem to display normal. Looks like it's exclusively Firefox, however, IE also displays Google webpage as it looks in Firefox, but for the longest, whenever I click on links, the majority of the time I get 'Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage'. My thought was that IE stopped displaying websites due to security. Since I dislike IE anyway, I never worried about it not working, but I have spent time doing things like resetting IE to its original settings without success.

author: alexanderbrevig
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2022, 03:42:28 pm
content: You're online and browsing with XP!?Brave.https://www.exploit-db.comsearch for windows XP and upgrade yesterday

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2022, 03:48:47 pm
content: I keep meaning to buy the hardware to build a new powerful machine, but I had been using a laptop from work.Periodically I use my XP machine online, but I have so much software that, if I get a new computer, will have to update everything which will be quite costly.Anyway, I'm uncertain if Firefox changed something since this issue seems exclusively with Firefox (and I guess IE too - but I don't use it anyway).

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 12:03:38 am
content: Quote from: bostonman on January 23, 2022, 03:35:10 pmHandy for when websites misbehave and do spammy things especially some of the news sites:This is the one I use for Chrome:https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/quick-javascript-switcher/geddoclleiomckbhadiaipdggiiccfje?hl=enFirefox:https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/javascript/?utm_source=addons.mozilla.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=searchAn older one for Firefox 22 attached: quickjava.zip, extract quickjava.xpi and drag in browser and the controls should show at the bottom right.

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 12:13:52 am
content: I get an error message that reads: this add-on could not be installed because it has not been verified

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 01:56:46 am
content: aah sorry I forgot about this:https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1101877QuoteIn address bar type:about:configSearch:xpinstall.signatures.requiredSet from true to false.I don't know what version of Firefox you have but beware this one QuickJava.2.0.3 is built around Firefox 22Install.rdfQuoteFirefox version: 4 to 27I am sure you could rename, xpi to zip, extract to folder, edit install.rdf and change the 27 to a higher number, compress folder and rename back to .xpi and see if that works. I am looking myself and can't find anything newer than that at the moment. I stopped using Firefox after 28 or so until 78ESR due to slowness, memory consumption and stability issues with the built in bundled Flash player that I could switch off/kill or it covers over the contents with a message "the tab has crashed"patheticand only gives and option to reload the page which in turns restarts the flash player even though it is not needed most of the time.That particular extension is no longer being maintained and not available from Mozilla but there are others out there like this one too:https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/disable-javascript/http://quickjavaplugin.blogspot.com/2017/10/quickjava-to-be-obsolete-with-firefox.htmlQuoteWhat I like about it I can turn off cookies, animated images, CSS (where some sites hide the contents).

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 02:32:39 am
content: Damn, that doesn't work either.On a side note, I'm using v52.9Don't worry about searching.... bottom line is I need a new computer. As I said, I'm just not excited about having to "find" all new versions of the software I have, and one of the main reasons I've blown off getting a new computer.

author: pedro48
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 02:51:35 am
content: Looks the same side by side on Windows 10 and XP here in AusI have XP on a Toshiba Tecra, and resisting migrating a licensed MACH3 machine controller. I'm sure if I move it, it will break.Using Vivaldi 1.0.435.46 (32bit), which is Chrome without all the Google fruitiness. Working normally today in fact on a side by side Google returns more results in a faster time than Windows 10 on 4 cores of AMDI moved away from Firefox, too slow and too many warnings about being unsafe ...

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 04:21:03 am
content: QuoteI installed it and it looks like a decent browser. I get some error on a few websites (one being EEVblog) that shows 'Your clock is ahead'.I've checked my computer clocked and sycned it, but, from research, it looks like this may have been an issue before. Most likely they never fixed it in an old XP 32-bit version.No big deal, just another shove to get a new computer.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 05:49:09 am
content: I have been using Vivaldi for a couple of years now slowly migrating profiles (for dedicated purposes) across.Can also edit the style of the browser with a bit help from their forums:I am very pleased with it and I can also take pictures of pages at the bottom left near the zoom.Also I find this StickyHeaderhiderakafixer Chrome extension handy for hiding/showing fixed toolbars/widgets that are set to get in the way as well as the usual abp adblock/ublock:https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/sticky-header-hider-aka-f/eagncneohcoiofhknkofdobphnhgbladThat one is a Standalone Vivaldi 3.8.