Browsers show black pages + Google errors

[Cixert]

I have an Acer x3900 (i3 1st gen H57 chipset) with dual boot Windows 2000 and XP
On w2000 I have the Intel® HD Graphics Media video driver 14.46.08 win2k by @blackwingcat (2011-10-06)
Today, Firefox-based browsers, a few seconds after starting, begin to show web pages little by little with black spots until the screen, including the browser menu, until it is completely filled with black.
This happens to me in Firefox 12, New Moon & K-Meleon by @roytam1
on all web pages.
I have uninstalled the video driver and the problem is solved with VGA 640x480.
I have reinstalled the video driver and Firefox 12 works fine but New Moon and K-Meleon keep turning black.
w2000 works perfectly with movies, other programs and with IE and Double Web Browser.
Additional curiosity is given that www.google.com freezes Firefox 12.
On Windows XP I do not have black screen problems, but it is also curious that in all browsers Google asks me to accept their privacy conditions every time I start them.
Example K-Meleon black screen on w2000:


Example New Moon black screen on w2000:

Edited September 23, 2020 by Cixert

[roytam1]

you may try disabling hardware acceleration in KM/NM about:config by turning layers.acceleration.enabled into false.

[Cixert]

4 hours ago, roytam1 said:

you may try disabling hardware acceleration in KM/NM about:config by turning layers.acceleration.enabled into false.

Unfortunately it has not worked.
After a few seconds the screen turns black.
Yesterday it worked perfectly.
Today I put some versions of K-Meleon and New Moon configured in another computer and that is when it has stopped working.
I've tried your original K-Meleon and New Moon and now they don't work either.

[roytam1]

what about switching value to false about layers.offmainthreadcomposition.enabled as well?

[Cixert]

On miércoles, 23 de septiembre de 2020 at 9:30 AM, roytam1 said:

what about switching value to false about layers.offmainthreadcomposition.enabled as well?

It was already set to false.
The weird thing is that the browser menus also turn black.
(not just web pages)

Edit:
The problem on Windows XP has been fixed.
It was because I had set to delete cookies when the browser is closed.
I was confused because every time I opened a new tab with Google, the question would reappear, after I accepted on other tabs.
Now I have set keep cookies until they expire*

I continue with the problem on w2000

*Edit:
On K-meleon must also be disabled to close cookies on exit.
Tools + Privacy + Delete data + Delete automatically

Edited November 12, 2020 by Cixert
solved problem with Google on Windows XP

[siria]

WEIRD, this black screen mystery!
Sorry have no clue of hardware/driver stuff, just wondering which versions of NewMoon/K-Meleon you use?
On Win2000 perhaps NM26 + KG74?
On XP the same...? Or NM27+KG76?

Curious what will turn out as reason, hope not malware. Why can it break so suddenly, in *several* browsers at once? Very strange. Even if it may be fixable now by modifying individual browser prefs, but the root cause remains dark. Perhaps a sudden driver hickup, but would that happen at same time as copying over browser builds?
Your best chance may be trying to remember as much as possible what you did exactly.

Cixert said:

Today I put some versions of K-Meleon and New Moon configured in another computer and that is when it has stopped working.
I've tried your original K-Meleon and New Moon and now they don't work either

Interesting.... could it be that just the profiles are messed now with specific hardware settings, and you copied those over? Although by default KM has portable profiles inside program folder (unless you deleted file "profile.ini" or using commandline etc), and would assume you tried fresh profiles already. But just in case, perhaps test again anyway:
KM: Edit > Manage Profiles > New
Check "Ask at Startup" and restart browser.
Can you see that, or are KM menus black too?
In that case find file "profileS.ini" (with S!) and edit it with notepad:
StartWithLastProfile=1 / Change to 0

Or in NewMoon, trying Safe Mode....
Or use commandline to get ProfileManager at startup: ...\palemoon.exe --ProfileManager
Or simply make a backup of complete Profiles folder, then delete original and restart...

Cixert said:

On Windows XP I do not have black screen problems, but it is also curious that in all browsers Google asks me to accept their privacy conditions every time I start them.

Cixert said:

The problem on Windows XP has been fixed.
It was because I had set to delete cookies when the browser is closed.
I was confused because every time I opened a new tab with Google, the question would reappear, after I accepted on other tabs.
Now I have set keep cookies until they expire.

That's quite confusing too....
I understand that cookie pref makes sense for your initial post: That browsers ask everytime after you start them.
But riddling about your newest post:
Browsers also forget cookies when just opening a second TAB, after having accepted cookies already in another tab? And do they react differently if those previous tabs are still open or not?

[Cixert]

On jueves, 24 de septiembre de 2020 at 3:30 PM, siria said:

WEIRD, this black screen mystery!
Sorry have no clue of hardware/driver stuff, just wondering which versions of NewMoon/K-Meleon you use?
On Win2000 perhaps NM26 + KG74?
On XP the same...? Or NM27+KG76?

Curious what will turn out as reason, hope not malware. Why can it break so suddenly, in *several* browsers at once? Very strange. Even if it may be fixable now by modifying individual browser prefs, but the root cause remains dark. Perhaps a sudden driver hickup, but would that happen at same time as copying over browser builds?
Your best chance may be trying to remember as much as possible what you did exactly.
 

Interesting.... could it be that just the profiles are messed now with specific hardware settings, and you copied those over? Although by default KM has portable profiles inside program folder (unless you deleted file "profile.ini" or using commandline etc), and would assume you tried fresh profiles already. But just in case, perhaps test again anyway:
KM: Edit > Manage Profiles > New
Check "Ask at Startup" and restart browser.
Can you see that, or are KM menus black too?
In that case find file "profileS.ini" (with S!) and edit it with notepad:
StartWithLastProfile=1 / Change to 0

Or in NewMoon, trying Safe Mode....
Or use commandline to get ProfileManager at startup: ...\palemoon.exe --ProfileManager
Or simply make a backup of complete Profiles folder, then delete original and restart...




That's quite confusing too....
I understand that cookie pref makes sense for your initial post: That browsers ask everytime after you start them.
But riddling about your newest post:
Browsers also forget cookies when just opening a second TAB, after having accepted cookies already in another tab? And do they react differently if those previous tabs are still open or not?

Thanks for the ideas, I'm going to try now to see if I'm lucky.
On w2000 I am using K-Meleon 74.0 20180718.win2000 (Palemoon-26.5-Firefox38.9) and New Moon 26.5.0-20180718.win2000 two great initiatives from @roytam1 that I hope will continue.
The K-Meleon version is difficult to configure as it has many errors but for 2 years it has worked well for me moving it from one computer to another already configured. New Moon works great on w2000. I use these same browsers in windows XP but with updated versions in 2020 KM 76.2 / PM 28.9, the versions for w2000 do not work at all well in XP.
The problem with Google cookies in XP when opening a new tab did not happen to me before.
The black screen in w2000 I suspect that it is related to the video drivers @blackwingcat If I start w2000 in VGA mode the problem does not occur.
Another curious thing happens, the options in the gfxui.exe file for the Intel video configuration without .Net 3.5 has stopped producing changes in the video modes.
I have restored all the Windows registry settings and the problem persists. I also delete New Moon's personal settings folder in Documents & Settings ... / application data

Edit:
I write right now from K-Meleon on w2000, it works with high resolution but configured to 256 colors, it stops working when I put high density color 16/32 bits
 

Edited September 25, 2020 by Cixert

[Cixert]

It also works by disabling Direct 3D in the Windows hardware acceleration menu, so it works with 16/32 bit color
I have done the video test in directx and the first Direct3D video fails, the rest look fine.
I have reinstalled directx and now all the tests are correct.
But K-Meleon and New Moon continue to black screen with direct3d enabled in hardware acceleration.

 

[roytam1]

you may try disabling layers.async-pan-zoom.enabled as well

[Cixert]

On sábado, 26 de septiembre de 2020 at 12:14 AM, roytam1 said:

you may try disabling layers.async-pan-zoom.enabled as well

The value did not exist. I have created it and set it to false. The problem persists. I will disable Direct3D on Windows 2000 for K-Meleon & New Moon to work in this computer.

Edited November 12, 2020 by Cixert

[Commodore]

@Cixert

If you prefer to let delete cookies when the browser is closed, then you could consider to block the only cookies from google
Always in options -> privacy -> exceptions
This workaround remove the wild popup.

[Cixert]

The problem has been replicated on another computer that previously worked well @roytam1
This time it is a Pentium IV.
I used to have an ATi AGP card.
K-Meleon and New Moon worked fine on Windows 2000.
Now the ATi card has failed.
I have put a NIVIDIA card.
Now K-Meleon and New Moon do not show the graphics or the interface and neither in the web browsing (only parts in black). Except if I disable 3D in Windows 2000 video troubleshooting menu.

[roytam1]

try disabling layers.offmainthreadcomposition.enabled in about:config

[Cixert]

On jueves, 24 de diciembre de 2020 at 3:01 AM, roytam1 said:

try disabling layers.offmainthreadcomposition.enabled in about:config

it was already disabled.
I have found another solution, at least it has worked on the first computer with Intel driver by @blackwingcat
run gfxui.exe (driver config)
On 3D Custom Settings check the box.
On Vertex change the option "Depend on Application" by the option "Enabled software".
Press apply.
Now K-Meleon & New Moon for Windows 2000 work perfectly.
Thanks in any case.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Cixert