Internet Explorer & Google search problem - help please!

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Ozei

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Internet Explorer 10 has suddenly started to mess about with Google's search page. Instead of looking like it normally does (top pic below) it now looks like the bottom pic below - i.e. none of the links are underlined and the line spacing has gone haywire.

I've tried the following, all to no avail:
  1. Reset IE to default (Tools>Internet Options>Advanced Tab>Reset)
  2. Uninstall IE10 and reinstall it
  3. Uninstall IE10 and IE9, then reinstall IE10
  4. Uninstall IE10 and IE9, then install IE11
  5. Roll C: drive back to an image made before the problem occurred
I don't understand why no.5 didn't solve the problem. The only thing that does solve it is to create a new user account and switch to that user - then the search page looks like the top pic and everything is normal. But as soon as I switch back to my original user account, the search page goes back to the bottom pic again.

I can only guess that the IE settings in my original account have become corrupted somehow. Is there a way of replacing them with the good ones from the new user account?

3268-1394001782-e404fa4184e70c15f33257b079ad2038.jpg



3269-1394001784-a174677463420752ec8060fd03ad29df.jpg
 
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Sorry - didn't realise they weren't showing up side by side. Pics now arranged one below the other and post 1 edited to match.
 
It looks to me as though the font size in the second image is larger. Try holding CTRL and scrolling up/down to decrease the font size and see if this alters the underscoring/links on the page.
 
What about using 1. but scroll through the advanced list and make sure links underlined is ticked in the always box.

You might also have to clear your cache.
 
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sbowler579 said:
It looks to me as though the font size in the second image is larger. Try holding CTRL and scrolling up/down to decrease the font size and see if this alters the underscoring/links on the page.
Click to expand...


Tried this myself in IE didn't work! even though in the settings the checkbox to underline links is ticked as "always" my search results are the same as your second iamge. This is why I use Googles Chrome. :)
 
sbowler579 said:
Tried this myself in IE didn't work! even though in the settings the checkbox to underline links is ticked as "always" my search results are the same as your second iamge. This is why I use Googles Chrome. :)
Click to expand...

I tried it too - didn't work - I don't think it's going to be anything as simple as that.

I'd use Chrome but it doesn't have an easy way of sending shortcuts to the desktop (IE does).
 
Mikesphotaes said:
What about using 1. but scroll through the advanced list and make sure links underlined is ticked in the always box.
Click to expand...

I already tried that when I did no.1.


Mikesphotaes said:
You might also have to clear your cache.
Click to expand...

This is starting to get on the right track but it's more complicated - I just tried clearing the cache and all cookies - no good.

Then I tried gear wheel>F12 Developer Tools, which opens up the section at the bottom of the screen. Click cache button on the toolbar - click "disable cookies" and all four "clear...." options. Then click disable button on the toolbar and tick "script". Now if I go to a Google search page it looks like the 1st pic below (i.e. back to normal), but it goes via some sort of redirect and 'autocomplete' doesn't work. Also, the reply box for this very post looks like the 2nd pic below!

3271-1394015307-5c11b86a945757d30265b9b11d4a9e3f.jpg


3272-1394015316-72a901264b7a075dbdca80343460b53a.jpg
 
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neil_g said:
if you run in compatibility mode do they show as you expect?
Click to expand...

Turning comp mode on or off doesn't seem to make any difference - the Google search page looks normal either way - but I suspect only because of develop tools. It all goes pear-shaped again as soon as I untick "script" in the disable menu.
 
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Update: I got fed up trying to fix this accursed problem :banghead: so I've gone the whole hog and reinstalled Windows - that's sorted out the little blighter. :bat:
 
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Redirection and the fact that turning off scripting helped sounds like it was some sort of redirect virus in IE....
 
Ozei said:
Update: I got fed up trying to fix this accursed problem :banghead: so I've gone the whole hog and reinstalled Windows - that's sorted out the little blighter. :bat:
Click to expand...

Sometimes the quickest way :beer:
 
arad85 said:
Redirection and the fact that turning off scripting helped sounds like it was some sort of redirect virus in IE....
Click to expand...

It's possible, but unlikely. It was a brand new installation of Win 7 & programmes** and the only time it wasn't firewalled was between installing Windows and installing MSE. I always add MSE before anything else so there's only a few minutes for a virus to get in.

(** The new installation I'm doing now is the fourth attempt in a row. :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: Nos. 1 and 2 got messed up right at the end by Asus sound card drivers and no.3 by the aforementioned IE10 thing. No.4 is nearly finished - touch wood.)

neil_g said:
oops missed the redirect bit
Click to expand...

I tried to get a screengrab of it but it flashed through far too quick.

Mikesphotaes said:
Sometimes the quickest way :beer:
Click to expand...

It's taken around 6 hours so far for no.4. Attempt no.3 (the IE10 one) took 25 hours before I ditched it.
 
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Surely not that long for just the OS and drivers?
 
Mikesphotaes said:
Surely not that long for just the OS and drivers?
Click to expand...

No, 6 hours was for software as well. 25 hours was for OS, drivers, software and all the tarting about trying to fix the IE error. (I mean 25 hours solid - no sleep break at all).
 
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I just found this - link - 3 pages of unhappy users (page numbers are bottom right).

It looks like the problem is Google changing things at their end (it doesn't affect everybody). What a bunch of meddling idiots! I've reinstalled Windows several times now to try and solve this, only to find that it's not my machine at all. :mad::mad::mad:
 
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I've had variable results with Google Search lately, not dissimilar to the problems described above.

I fixed it by switching to Bing. The only use I have for Google is Street View in maps, now - a feature still unmatched anywhere.

Bing Maps has Ordnance Survey imagery, though, which is immensely handy.
 
This is google's new redesign. None of us like it but it's prettier on mobile so Google chose it anyway.
 
nass said:
This is google's new redesign. None of us like it but it's prettier on mobile so Google chose it anyway.
Click to expand...

It might look ok on a phone but it's no good at all on a PC monitor - I hate it. There's a ton of complaints here: link

(NB. The link might go to the last page instead of the first, there are 10 pages).
 
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I agree, the font and size seem to render horribly on a PC
 
You might want to add your complaint to the page (link in post 27) - the more people that complain, the more likely they are to change back to the proper version.
 
It's not just the lack of underlined links - they've screwed up the font and the line spacing as well.
 
It is a bit less dense now, I quite like it. How often do I go past the first few links anyway? Not that often :p
 
It would be alright if they'd ditched the underlines but put the mobile version's divider lines in, like this: link. As it is, there's no divider lines or underlines and the new line spacing makes the whole lot roll into one big mess (I use a default zoom of 150).
 
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