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Horizontal blue lines across site pages?

Forums: General Discussion
Created on: 02/08/14 04:37 PM Views: 1542 Replies: 26
Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 4:37 PM

I am seeing horizontal blue lines (lots of them) across the pages of our site, newportcubs63.com. Some are spaced close together; others have an inch or two between them. I rebooted my computer, but they are still there. However, they do not show up on my iPad.

This just started last evening.

What do I need to do?

(I have not heard yet from any other site users that they are seeing the same blue lines.)

Thank you!

Patty

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Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 5:55 PM - Response #1

I am not seeing them. What page are you seeing them on? I looked at your home page, but didn't see any blue lines.


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Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 6:40 PM - Response #2

On all the pages with tabs across the top of the home page; also on Winter 2013-14 and the Grade School Class pages from left side column. That's all I checked, so it could be also more pages.

When I was on the Classmates List page I discovered that when I hovered over the blue lines, some of them went away (like they just blinked off.) Others hovering did not affect.

Again, I do not see the lines on my iPad view. The lines are on my laptop screen only.

Weird! Thank you. PPH

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Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 8:45 PM - Response #3
Screen prints showing blue lines.docx

I just thought of making some screen prints for you, so you can see what it looks like. (Hopefully I can upload a .doc file here.) Patty

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Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 9:54 PM - Response #4

Well, I guess the screen print did not work. Sorry.

But I also sent it to another admin who had problems with blue lines on the screen some time back. He confirmed that my lines are similar to what he saw then, and said he still gets them occasionally.

If you can tell me how to send a .doc file to you, I will try it again so you can see the lines.

Thank you. PPH

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 12:41 PM - Response #5

Email it to customersupport@classcreator.com and I will take a look.


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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 1:00 PM - Response #6

Will do. Thank you.

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 1:06 PM - Response #7

Are you seeing these blue lines on any other website? Do you get them when you are using any program offline? It would be good to check this if you haven't already to make certain it isn't a hardware problem. If you are getting these lines on your CC website only, then it would also be helpful to see if you get those lines on any other CC website. Please feel free to use mine if you wish. If by process of elimination you find that it happens only on your website with CC, that will go far in helping Scott troubleshoot your issue.

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 1:31 PM - Response #8

Good idea, Tim! I hadn't thought of looking at other school sites.

Here are my findings:
These 4 sites (picked at random from the help forums) do NOT have blue lines: Bothell, WA 1961; Las Plumas H.S., Oroville CA Multi-year; Lenzinger H.S., Lawndale CA 1989; and Pleasant Hill H.S. 1964, Pleasant Hill, CA.

However, these 3 sites DO have blue lines: Austintown H.S. (sorry 'bout that, Tim!); Geneva H.S., Geneva IL 1994; and Martinsville H.S. 1964, Martinsville, IN.

Then, just to be different, Spanish Fork H.S. 1964, Spanish Fork UT, has RED horizontal lines!

Scott, I will email these screen prints to you as well.

We only started our site in November, and I remember in the very early days my co-admin said he saw blue lines on his screen. At the time I didn't think more about it, because he had an old computer still running Windows XP. I checked with him a day or two ago and he said he still sees the lines occasionally, but apparently they mostly went away for him. I didn't think to ask him to send me a screen print, so I can't say for certain that his blue lines were identical to the ones I'm seeing. I have not heard from any of our other members.

No, I have not ever seen blue lines like this on any other website.

Thanks. Patty

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 1:43 PM - Response #9

No worries, I'm not seeing any lines of any color on your site or on mine. Smile
I even tried it with IE8, and still no lines. Any ideas Scott or Kyle? I'm fresh out. Smile I would blame her ISP, or her internet connection, but not if she doesn't see those lines anywhere but on a CC website. So my box of ideas are empty.

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 1:50 PM - Response #10

Your issue is clearly not content related since you can reproduce the scenario across multiple sites. I do notice that you are using Internet Explorer and that you have a few toolbars installed. You might try to turn off the toolbars to see if that has any effect. You might also look to see if you can run an upgrade on your Internet Explorer.


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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 3:09 PM - Response #11

I use IE 11, set to receive updates automatically.

My computer is an HP laptop, 64 bit, Windows 7. No other problems with running/doing anything using it.

But I also have Chrome installed, so just now logged into our class site using Chrome. NO LINES on our site!!

In reading elsewhere on the forums, I remember seeing some discussion about different browsers causing some kind of problems. What do you recommend as the best browser? If you think Chrome works better than IE for Class Creator, I am willing to change to see if that corrects the problem ongoingly.

As to toolbars, I have RoboForm installed as password keeper, but I've been using it for quite awhile and no known problems with it.

I did not go back into the other class websites that I tried earlier, but will if you think it would be a good idea to check further using Chrome.

The blue lines just started within the past week, all of a sudden there they were. Have not made any changes to my computer in at least a month's time.

PPH

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 4:17 PM - Response #12

I had the graphics chip cooling fan fail on my HP laptop and had similar problems. Fixed on warranty - new board.

Don't remember all the details, but different browsers will use differing amounts of GPU to render, hence different amounts of heat.

One test would be to turn off for a bit so it's all cool. Then boot up and immediately go the the website with IE11 and see how it looks.

Just another guess.

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 4:38 PM - Response #13

From the screen caps you send, it does not appear to be a graphics card issue. That would be an issue that would be present within other programs and likely noticeable in the desktop view.


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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 5:18 PM - Response #14

Not really proof it's not the GPU given the symptoms. I'll explain more why it probably is. It all depends on what parts of a GPU is being used. Desktop uses very little GPU processing, new browsers use a LOT = heat. I haven't seen any posted images, so that means I have to infer a bit more from what's been posted.

I think we can all agree it's not the website. Interestingly our site is basically the same template as his. Yet ours has no lines. What is the difference? The BLUE used. What does that mean? (Think RGB)

I'm assuming that it all used to work and this just started happening. No software/driver/bios updates done (if any of those were done, then there's a defect in one of those). So that leaves only the hardware and that would be the GPU.Idea (Other memory is possible, but then you'd see the system crashing too!)

If the lines can be seen in a "screenshot", that's coming directly from the GPU frame buffer. Meaning that BUFFER is corrupted. That buffer is inside the GPU. One reason a buffer can get corrupted is because it's overheating. But there are also other software reasons (noted earlier).

If a screen itself is defective a screenshot still shows an accurate picture of what should be there, even if it looks distorted because it's grabbed from the GPU "memory".

I'd like to see a test from literally a "cold" start. And also a posted screenshot.

Scott Mastenbrook wrote:

From the screen caps you send, it does not appear to be a graphics card issue. That would be an issue that would be present within other programs and likely noticeable in the desktop view.

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Edited 02/10/14 5:19 PM
Monday, February 10, 2014 at 6:07 PM - Response #15

Those are good suggestions, Jack. Also, I recommend Chrome or Firefox as a browser. The security on either is usually much better and both are a bit faster than IE. However, I have found that Firefox works much easier with uploading and sizing pictures on the CC adnim sites. My thoughts still tend to go to the browser for blame, especially since you saw no lines using Chrome. I have been using Roboform for many years too, so I don't believe that would cause your issues. I do suggest that you look at your IE add-ons and dump the ones you don't need. Also unless you find a tool bar useful (which I doubt) get rid of all of them except Roboform in my opinion. When downloading any free programs, always use the expert or any mode that is not the express mode. This way you can opt-out of the garbage that comes with the program, such as toolbars.

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 6:36 PM - Response #16

I think you just need to change your browser's zoom. That should fix the problem.

It is probably a display problem that only happens when the zoom level is not 100%


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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 7:36 PM - Response #17

There were screenshots taken, yes? That's a very critical way to determine what is behind this because of the buffer issue.

Assuming it's the zoom presumes a endemic flaw in IE11 with zoom and therefore anyone should be able duplicate. I think the "zoom" would also have been duplicated on whatever other test sites were compared to. Ours is the most interesting comparison because it's more or less identical (as noted).

Why can't anyone else duplicate with IE11 if it is IE11? Just simple questions here.

Can not duplicate on IE11 from tiny to huge. Not only that, you'd get this sort of "lines" comment from lots of users.

Now there are lots of comments about "lines" if you search for that type of issue and they all are caused by either hardware or driver/bios issues.

One of the big changes in IE11 is the use of the GPU for processing? LINK

Actually all the "fast" browsers do this. I don't know the differences, just that this puts more of a load on your GPU. IOW, the GPU works way harder (gets hotter) than it used to.

Let's see what a cold start displays.Wink

Kyle Erickson wrote:

I think you just need to change your browser's zoom. That should fix the problem.

It is probably a display problem that only happens when the zoom level is not 100%

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 7:46 PM - Response #18

OK. I shut off the computer and left it to cool for 3 hours. Just came back and went directly to the class website. Blue lines still.

The only toolbars I am using is the one from IE, the one from RoboForm, and I also have McAfee antivirus. They do not have a tool bar as such but they do have a small "search" area that comes up in the toolbar area of the screen. I've had it for a long time, probably several years.

I went in to Change Design and changed our site color from blue to green. The lines were still there, but then they were in green color instead of blue. Then changed it to a different shade of blue, still had the lines. Now went back to our basic school color blue.

The only computer changes I made in recent times was to update a printer driver, and that was several weeks ago. The blue lines did not appear until (just guessing here) around Feb. 4 or 5. Did not make a note of the exact date.

But something unusual happened just now, as I'm typing this message. Some black lines appeared for a short time on the screen that I'm using to write the message. I hovered over them and they went away. Note that they were black instead of blue. Had not seen that before either. I am on the "Post Reply" screen for the forums.

I just now saw the suggestion about putting the browser zoom to 100%, so just did that. But I don't want to lose this msg and have to retype it again, so I'll check on that right after I send this and let you know if that changed anything. Zoom was at 150%.

Thanks, all. Patty

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 7:50 PM - Response #19

Well. There's been a change. Setting the IE browser zoom to 100% got rid of the lines!

But it also made the print considerably smaller, of course, and I have "old" eyes nowadays!

Your thoughts? (Not about the old eyes, please! Sad )

PPH

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Monday, February 10, 2014 at 8:19 PM - Response #20

Good, progress. Before I forget to ask, did you run the other browsers at the same zoom level? Also the sites you compared? Is this zoom level something new or was it always at 150%?

Since I can not duplicate (nor anyone else that I saw), it's peculiar to your hardware. Update your video driver and possibly your BIOS.

Get the video driver from the manufacturer, not MS, it will be more current.

(Do you install MS updates automatically? There could have been a driver update that was included.)

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Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 9:43 AM - Response #21

My best suggestion is to use Firefox as your default browser. You can zoom in and out using your keyboard by pressing ctrl and + or -. It's quicker and easier that way, and you won't get the lines that IE11 is giving you. Jack's suggestions, especially about making sure you are installing updates are good ones, but I believe the simpler solution is to change browsers for now. If you get the blue lines using Firefox or Chrome, then Jack's other suggestions would come into play. If I've learned nothing else in all the trouble I've gotten myself into playing with my computer, I've learned to go with the simple solutions first. I usually get into more trouble when I don't remember that. For example, if I find my battery isn't charging, I first check to see if I plugged in the computer rather than thinking I need a new battery. I don't want to go into how I learned that one. Smile

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Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 12:46 PM - Response #22

Switching browsers might be like asking a person to switch the beer they drinkCool If it's a popularity contest than right now it's CHROME (I don't like Chrome because it's way harder to debug code on. IE is actually better than Chrome too)

So I'd rather approach problems that reach the underlying issues which affect the whole machine. We really don't have enough information here.

It can't be IE per se, otherwise I (and others) would be able to duplicate. Therefore it's something that IE uses that drives the display.

If I had the machine in front of me, I could quickly see the status of all the drivers. Most users have obsolete drivers and their machines work. It's like not changing oil on time. Eventually it might catch up.

FYI Ctrl+/- are standard zoom commands in all the popular browsers, including IE. I think Opera started it and FF 3 picked up on it and then everyone does it.

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Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 1:09 PM - Response #23

It sounds like we have possibly established that the zoom feature in the browser was the culprit. Now the print seems to be too small. With that info, I might suggest that you investigate your screen resolution and set it to a lower resolution. Doing so will actually increase the visible size of how everything is rendered on your computer. All programs would display larger than previously. This is a very easy test that can be easily reverted if you do not like the results. That said, just know that my suggestion here is just a test for you and may yield an undesirable clarity for your screen (blurred or jagged edges) and if the result is not pleasing, you can go back to the previous setting and then explore other options.


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Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 1:53 PM - Response #24

Before I'd change the resolution, just change the Font size in IEIdea View->Text Size->Larger (for example). You need to enable the Menu Bar to make this easy (right click with cursor at top of window, check Menu Bar).

FireFox is also easier for fixing the whole thing (for this particular instance). FF also has font size overrides vs messing with the whole res setup that affects EVERYTHING. Lowering the res can rearrange the whole desktop for one.

Laptops tend to be set correctly to "native", but maybe this one is not set right and could be the problem. For that matter, Cleartype should also be enabled.

Setting the res to anything other than "native" is like watching non-HD on an HD TV.

I'd fix the REAL problem here thoughIdea It's not the zoom feature in the browser otherwise we could all duplicate. HP has a support program that can also be run that might catch driver updates automatically.

Scott Mastenbrook wrote:

I might suggest that you investigate your screen resolution and set it to a lower resolution.

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Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 4:47 PM - Response #25

That works too. Both are "easy tests."


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Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 12:46 AM - Response #26

Well, some days have gone by now, and I've seen no more blue lines. Changing the zoom to 100% seems to have completely cured the problem. In fact, through experimentation I have discovered that no blue lines appear even if the zoom is set to 125%. So, I'm proceeding on the theory that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Thank you to each one that took time to respond to my inquiry. It's really good to know that there is such terrific support here, both from the CC staff and from the other users. It's kind of like a family that we're glad to be a part of.

Patty

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