Microsoft WinXP SP2 Blocks Downloads of Firefox?

n/a ^ | 3/13/05 | Myself

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Late last night, while working on a friend's laptop computer, I noticed something odd. I am posting the story here with visual evidence
to see if anyone else has experienced this.

The laptop is a Dell Inspiron 8100 running Windows XP Service Pack 2. Among other tasks, I was stripping out his Norton 2003 Anti-Virus
(which decided not to work) and installing AVG Anti-Virus software. After that was done I opened his Internet Explorer and went to Google.com
and searched on "Firefox". The first result had the title "Rediscover the Web".

I clicked on the link and was taken to this page:

.

.

.

I was getting very frustrated by the fact that I could not locate a link to download the product anywhere on the page.
I looked at the source HTML code for the page and the link was clearly embedded in the page but the hyper-link showed up nowhere.

I then turned to my own desktop PC which is running WinXP Service Pack 1. As much as it pained me to do so, I opened Internet Explorer.
I navigated through Google as I did before and when I got to the same URL for Firefox, this is what I saw:

.

.

Notice the sudden appearance of the green and blue boxes on the upper right containing links to Firefox software and products?

Now....except for the obvious explantion to a cynic like me, can anyone explain why Microsoft
would configure SP2 to block the download of Firefox?

Or am I the only one seeing the different web page above?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I apologize for the size of the images above though they are small files, 90k and 280k respectively. I thought it best to present the images rather than links to them.

Is this whole thing just my paranoia or is it Microsoft who is paranoid?

[Petronski]

Wow.

[jocon307]

Are you sure it wasn't being blocked by the anti-virus software?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

.

You can say that again.

Spead the word...

"The Emperor has no clothes! The Emperor has no clothes!"

[usgator]

I download firefox and no one blocked it out.

To do so, right now for Microsoft, would not be a good idea with the abti-trust suits they are fighting or have fought.

Could be the way his system reads HTML tags or CSS.

[freedumb2003]

It doesn't make sense.

I downloaded FF on my XP SP2 -- no problem.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Are you sure it wasn't being blocked by the anti-virus software?

Positive. Though I had AVG loaded, I use AVG on my own PC that runs SP1. I saw the page as it should be with no problem.

Additionally, as a test, this morning I booted up the laptop and uninstalled AVG and then rebooted and went to the Firefox link. Same thing.

[usgator]

Spead the word...

Spread what word?  I just did what you did and had no problems.  Come on, isn't there enough conspiracy theories all ready?

If they were to block things wouldn't they block downloads of Linux?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I downloaded FF on my XP SP2 -- no problem.

That's what I was looking for...verification. If y'all can see it normally, it has to be something else on his laptop. Thanks.

[freedumb2003]

This is the link: http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-1.0.1&os=win&lang=en-US

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

You are, of course, correct.

AM...since this has been verified by other Freepers as a non-issue, this thread can be pulled if you see fit to do so.
I wouldn't want to be the source of untrue rumors.

[demlosers]

Well, I've got SP2 loaded and the download for Firefox 1. 0.1 showed for me on the page. Sure is weird.

[usgator]

AM...since this has been verified by other Freepers as a non-issue, this thread can be pulled if you see fit to do so.

No. I wanna see the conspiracy criers come out in full force ... this could be fun! =)

[kingu]

Just checked on several computers here, the only one that had a similar result as yours was one that was running Norton Internet Security Suite 2004. The two boxes just don't appear. (This is a combo of XP-Pro Sp2, NIS2004)

So my guess here would be that it is Norton that is doing the dirty deed, or it is some setting in Internet Explorer that is blocking the code. Which is about par for the course - NIS2004 was probably one of the worst creations ever sold, thankfully a lot of those problems were fixed for NIS2005.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

...Norton Internet Security Suite 2004...

Excellent info. Looks like I need to do a bit more scrubbing to get all of the little wee beasties out of the nooks and crannies.

BTW, I know what a nook is...has anyone ever seen a cranny? What the hell is a cranny?
Same thing with Kit and Kaboodle. I know what a kit is. What the hell is a kaboodle? Suppose I wanted to make a kaboodle, could I buy a kaboodle kit? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Bush2000]

It's your paranoia, Sam.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

It's your paranoia

I figgered as much. Glad to get a proper diagnosis from someone in the know.

All I can say in my defense is that it was 2am and it looked damned weird.

[Golden Eagle]

since this has been verified by other Freepers as a non-issue, this thread can be pulled...

Na, let's leave it up so everyone can see how quickly you assumed Microsoft was involved in some evil plot to destroy your life.

Nevermind the upheaval going on at Mozilla lately, couldn't have possibly been their fault, could it.

Mozilla Ditches Browser Suite (March 13, 2005)

If you think I'm rubbing your nose too deeply in it, only because just the other day we had another thread where some guy ripped into how insecure Microsoft SQL Server was based on some new bug that was actually in the foreign fakeware MySQL instead.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

Works fine here, complete with green and blue boxes. And yes, I'm using SP-2, and have been since a few weeks after it was introduced.

Try adjusting your tinfoil hat-- it might be askew.