What's a 'Frame'?

[MagnusTrask]

I was given a new (refurbished) computer recently.  Now that I'm using it, it won't take me to this board, saying that it can't display in a "frame".  Now that I've switched back to the old computer, no such problem.  The old computer has Windows98 and IE6.  The "new" one has Windows 7 and IE8.

MB, do you have any idea why this is happening?  What's a frame?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

That's quite odd, Magnus because it shouldn't be happening. I have a computer with Windows 7 and IE8 and I've never gotten that message. But the forum does indeed display in a frame. And a frame is an HTML (the language used to create Web pages) term and one of the ways to display a Web page. It's widely used on the Internet and all current browsers can display them. But you know how I never put anything past any version of IE to somehow screw things up, so I'll try to see if I can track down what might be your problem...

[MagnusTrask]

Thanks, MB.  The new conputer is a headache so far, partly literally.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Apparently this is a known issue for some people and I found this article with instructions:


How to Enable Frames in Internet Explorer

Errors such as "Website cannot be displayed" are the bane of the internet surfer's existence. These types of errors can be caused by frames encoded into the website you're viewing. Internet Explorer 8 has the ability to display frames, but sometimes it just doesn't display properly. However, there are ways to get those pages to show up. Your security settings may be blocking the website's ability to display properly, or you can try changing your Compatibility View if the website used to work on an older version of Explorer.

Instructions

Adjust Security Setting

• Click on "Tools" in the menu bar that runs across the top of the program. Select "Internet Options" from the bottom of the drop-down menu that appears.
• Choose the "Security" tab in the options at the top of the box.
• Click the green check mark for "Trusted Sites," then click "Custom Level."
• Locate the option for "Navigate windows and frames across different domains," more than halfway down the list.
• Click the circle to "Enable" this option and click "OK." If you get a message that reads, "Warning! Are you sure you want to change the setting for this zone?" click "Yes," then click "OK" on the "Internet Options" box.

Hopefully that will work for you. However, the odd thing is that in my version of IE8 I checked and "Navigate windows and frames across different domains" is disabled, yet the forum displays perfectly fine. But then, what have I said about IE - there's no rhyme or reason when it comes to how it behaves for different people. 

[MagnusTrask]

Thanks, I may not know enough to use all that, but I'm copying and saving it.

[Gothick]

Wow.  I remember messages like that from around 17 years ago.  Had no idea anyone was still dealing with the issue.

G.

[MagnusTrask]

Thanks very much for the directions.  It didn't solve the problem, unfortunately.  I'm switching back and forth between computers every night just to be able to access DSF, unplugging, plugging...  I unwisely went on the new one from IE7 or 8 to IE11.  Everything's harder now, but maybe it's worth another stab at your directions just in case it's different now.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

You may want to give some serious thought to switching browsers from IE to something like Firefox or Google Chrome. Either is extremely easy to download/install. And they allow you to import your IE bookmarks...

[MagnusTrask]

Thanks MB.  Any lengthy download gets interrupted at some point and I have to start again.  Has to do with my having dialup I suppose, as everything probably does.