Help - Simple problem is driving me crazy!

[Brett's Honey]

Please feel my pain - my step-dad retired and bought a computer. He had never even attempted to turn one on before, so he even calls me to remind him how to change the picture on his desktop. Being retired, he has many many hours a day to spend screwing up things you can't even imagine!
But there's one thing I cannot figure out and it's about to drive me to drink. The easiest way to explain is to give an example -
If you go to www.nbc.com, on the Tonight Show main page, on the left, click on "Headlines", then toward the middle, click on "view headlines", and another smaller window should pop up showing the headlines, leaving the main page still on the screen in the background. On his computer (a new Dell), the "headlines" window pops up just for a second and then goes away. I remember this happening with some other pop up windows on his computer a while back, but I don't remember where I was or what I was trying to look at. (My folks live right next door - just a call away - sometimes I'm surprised I still remember my name!). Can somebody please tell me what is making these windows go away immediately after they pop up? In advance, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

[Brett's Honey]

[quote=Brett's Honey]

If you go to www.nbc.com, on the Tonight Show main page

, It's actually http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_.../Jay_Leno.html

[BigV]

hmm. opens the headlines part not in a separate window but within the frame of the tonight show page. everything but the top and left sides.

works the same in firefox and in ie.

does he NOT see the headlines? What is the url in the address bar? I get: http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Tonight_S...eno/headlines/

good luck.

[Clodfobble]

I get the headlines opened in a second window like she said, using IE 6.0. Are you clicking on the "View Headlines" link after you click "Headlines," BigV?

At any rate, it sounds like he's got a popup blocker installed that he doesn't know about. Most likely it is the Yahoo or the Google toolbar, as those are often subtlely "offered" on various webpages, and I believe both have automatic popup blockers. If that's the case, you'll see a thin yellow bar show up right under the address bar when it blocks a popup; just click that bar to allow the popup after all.

If not, try going into Start-->Settings-->Control Panel-->Add/Remove Programs and see if there are any programs in the list that seem to be popup blockers. Careful you don't remove something he uses though.

[richlevy]

If he does have a popup blocker installed, try holding down the left CTRL key just before the page loads. Most popup blockers recognize this as a temporary disable and will allow popups while the key is depressed.

[BrianR]

I have suffered the tech support blues many times too. I have a friend who should be BANNED from owning a computer. I've pulled out my hair more than once due to his inept bungling of basic system parameters. My solution? I got him Windows XP and locked him out of nearly all system functions.

The downside is that every time he needs to install a legitimate package or adjust a system setting, I have to drive 90 miles up there and do a simple ten-second tweak and drive 90 miles back the next day (because he also talks my darn ear off). And get no money for this either. I would at least like gas and tolls paid for the in-home tech support that would easily cost you $75/hr from a geek service.

If only I could figure out how to admin his system remotely, I would be a lot happier. Linux is a possibility when he quits playing with the P2P stuff and sticks to legitimate uses of his computer such as sound editing, solitaire and online tax prep. Of course, that means I have to upgrade my marginal Linux admin skills. Oh well, it should be worth it as my new computer system at home will be a Linux-based LAN with four or five computers on it. One of those is a file-server whose only job is system backup and emergency data storage.

[Undertoad]

Good news: XP comes with remote desktop capabilities. Or you could install VNC.

Using these tools you can basically operate as if you were running the remote computer.

They are painful over a dialup connection, but it's possible.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Good news: XP comes with remote desktop capabilities. Or you could install VNC.

Using these tools you can basically operate as if you were running the remote computer.

They are painful over a dialup connection, but it's possible.

When my area of responsibility for tech support ranged from Seattle to Fairbanks, I used these tools all the time. God knows how many frequent flyer miles have gone unaccumulated. Now my sphere of influence is considerably smaller, but VNC is still faster than getting in the car a driving there. Hell, I use RDC for the servers ten feet away.

No higher recommendation, oh and by the way, did I mention it was FREE?!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by BigV

hmm. opens the headlines part not in a separate window but within the frame of the tonight show page. everything but the top and left sides.

works the same in firefox and in ie.

does he NOT see the headlines? What is the url in the address bar? I get: http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Tonight_S...eno/headlines/

good luck.

Right, the page changes to the "headlines" page but then go down the list of stories and click one of the "view headlines" and a pop-up shows them. Like Rich said, I have to hit "control" to allow a pop-up, because of my blocker. Bet that works for Dad.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Right, the page changes to the "headlines" page but then go down the list of stories and click one of the "view headlines" and a pop-up shows them. Like Rich said, I have to hit "control" to allow a pop-up, because of my blocker. Bet that works for Dad.

Thanks for the further clarification, xoB. You're right on. My browswer Firefox did not block the popup once I clicked on an actual headline...

Good call on the ctrl key for temporarily bypassing it. I bet that's the answer... but we'll never know until BH tells papa...