Author Topic: "I can't see photos in thread on xyz computer, but I can see them on my zyx"  (Read 6192 times)

Offline John Rudd

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I read this earlier, on my ipad with no issue, now on my pc and no pics like SD says...
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Offline Sea.dog

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I have the same problem on my Android phone. Bizarre.

Offline ozzie46

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No indication of any pics in OPs post on my Windows 10 laptop.

Ron

Offline modeng200023

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 Pics ok in UK on Windows 10 and Firefox
John

Offline awemawson

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Win 7 / google Chrome = no pictures. Saw them on my iPad this morning !
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline vtsteam

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Well, unfortunately your browser provider has decided not to support the http protocol, and the images are stored on an http website .

Explanation:

http is the original common web language for graphic presentation that we are all used to. Since the nineties, anybody could start a website and if they served content in http on a connected server, anyone else on the web could view and read that content, including photos on any brand of computer, using any browser. A universal language.


Then https came along, That is "secured http" its purpose was mainly to encrypt sales and banking and other pages on the web. It required that the host of the "secured" page purchase a security certificate from another firm. And keep that constantly updated. Security certificates cost money. You couldn't be part of the club without paying someone. This made security certificate issuing firms very profitable.

Then some browser companies decided that all web pages should be secured, whether they were serving sensitive content or not. When directed to any of the old http websites, they put up a warning notice to the viewer saying "This looks bad! This website has bad security information. Do you still want to view it" and if you said yes, well you could see it. You could also make a setting in some browsers that would stop nagging you about it, and just allow you always to view http content.

At first, since the vast majority of older websites were http, particularly small ones that couldn't afford to purchase a new security certificate every year, that feature was an irritation, but not an outright blockade to seeing what you wanted on the web.

Recently that choice was taken away from users of certain browsers. Http websites were simply blocked by these browsers without warning. The claim was "security". However a security certificate does not guarantee anything except that a website has purchased a security certificate. A website could be serving viruses securely, and, no problem, you can still visit with any of the same supposedly "secure" browsers that are presently blocking traditional http websites with valuable and benign content.

Secure https does cause overhead for the Internet, slows communication measurably, causes older computers and operating systems to go obsolete sooner, and makes lots of money for certificating companies, which not surprisingly includes at least one of the largest browser suppliers, as a side business.

If you use that browser, you will not see any http content, including http photos on an otherwise https forum like this one. Why? Photos in forum posts are sometimes hosted elsewhere, off of that forum, and appear in the forum as internal web links. If those photo inks are to an http server somewhere else on the web, the photo simply does not appear in that type of browser. Other browsers will see the photos, depending on whether the user has accepted that he/she can view http content (supposedly "insecure content").

How to solve?. If your browser doesn't allow you to view "insecure" (or more properly, http) content, change its setting, if it has one for this particular issue, or change to a browser that does allow you to.

Note, just because you allow your browser to view "insecure content" you can still also view secure content, and do purchases and banking (if you do those at all) securely, on https pages. It doesn't negate security. And all browsers do indicate visually when they are on secure pages in a number of different ways. You are simply not blocking other http content.

Or if you are worried about it, use two browsers. One for just surfing and information, and a second one, with highly secured features for transactions. That's actually a smarter way of doing them anyway.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline Sea.dog

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Re: Joule thief with a twist
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2022, 12:20:06 PM »
I read that Steve. I have the option turned off, and even when I do go to a "problem" site, it will warn me, as does my Android phone. It's just that images in this post elude me. If I click on the link and open in a new page there's no problem. If I copy the link and past into the same browser, it works.

Offline vtsteam

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Hi Sea.dog, that clearly proves your browser is the problem. It is handling links in two different ways. For some reason it is refusing to display inline images that are legitimate, and viewable from the address line, and by other browsers.  Check your photo settings and any security add-ons you use.

The forum has no control over how your browser handles links. If you want a solution you will probably have to troubleshoot that problem with your browser's user support facility.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline Bernd

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Well, unfortunately your browser provider has decided not to support the http protocol, and the images are stored on an http website .

Explanation:

http is the original common web language for graphic presentation that we are all used to. Since the nineties, anybody could start a website and if they served content in http on a connected server, anyone else on the web could view and read that content, including photos on any brand of computer, using any browser. A universal language.

Ran into that problem on a couple of model railroad websites I'm on. Nobody could see my pictures after I went with HTTPS. Had to go back and change my picture URL's. Interesting.

Bernd
Route of the Black Diamonds

Offline vtsteam

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From RussellT:

Andrew mentioned the picture problem again, and although this has been raised several times I don't think anyone has given a solution.

I don't think this problem is confined to Chrome.  The problem is that mixed (secure and insecure) content is blocked on most browsers including Edge and Firefox.

This is the solution for Chrome:-

Click the lock (caution) icon, then click Site settings.

Scroll to Insecure content, then use the drop-down list to change “Block (default)” to “Allow.”

Reload the page.

The solution for Edge is the same except that Site settings is called "Permissions for this site".

I don't have Firefox but a search for "enable mixed content in Firefox" should help.

Russell
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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I believe that in Firefox and other Mozilla based browsers, passive mixed content (like photos) are not blocked. Only active mixed content is blocked.

So that would not affect viewing images on this website in Firefox.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline John Rudd

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Having read the thread about your press, Inmade th3 changes suggested and saw all the photos, so that’s that fixed….for now., :lol:
eccentric millionaire financed by 'er indoors
Location:  Backworth Newcastle

Skype: chippiejnr

Offline vtsteam

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Re: "I can't see photos in thread on xyz computer, but I can see them on my zyx"
« Reply #12 on: September 26, 2022, 05:37:18 PM »
Since this issue has come up again recently, I want to clarify what I forgot to spell out earlier. HTTPS or "secure" HTTP" is actually a misnomer. It should really be called "encrypted HTTP". It is not a guarantee of  a website being a safe website. It merely means that when your browser sends or receives information to that website, the data is encrypted both ways. And to do that, the website has purchased a "security certificate", and that certificate is actually just the user's key to the encryption, not a guarantee of quality. That's all.

Therefore, if a bad actor wants to send out malware, all that is needed is to set up a website, and purchase a security certificate. Encrypting data, doesn't make it good data, and just about anybody can purchase a security certificate.

Unfortunately a few browsers now blocking ALL linked photos simply because they are served as ordinary http  serves no security purpose. Secure data encryption is only useful where needed for pages of financial transactions or other obviously sensitive purposes. All browsers have notification features to show when on an encrypted (HTTPS) page while doing transactions or other private operations.

Ordinary web pages and photos do not need to be encrypted. Who cares if you are viewing a lathe taking a ten thousandths cut? Does that need encryption? It's public on a forum anyway. Where is the need for secrecy? If required, the encryption process however does use up lots of additional processing power for both viewing computer and server, and slows communication throughout the web. It also makes smaller personally funded websites unviewable, if the owner can't afford security certificates or the time needed to maintain and renew them, which is substantial.

Okay, long story short: HTTPS is not "secure" it is "encrypted" and can be just as insecure if what is encrypted is itself bad data. While HTTP is not in itself a security risk, it's just not encrypted data. That some commercially oriented browsers now block it out of hand is a real problem.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline AdeV

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Re: "I can't see photos in thread on xyz computer, but I can see them on my zyx"
« Reply #13 on: September 27, 2022, 04:51:25 AM »
HTTPS isn't just encryption - although that's a big part of it... the main advantage it has over plain old HTTP is it's immune to "man in the middle" attacks - the underlying transport protocol (TLS) ensures that the server which claims to be serving the data is, in fact, the server that's serving the data. With HTTP, any other server could, in theory, hijack the connection & silently inject its own code.

You're right that https doesn't guarantee the server is in fact safe. All it really guarantees is that the data arriving at your browser came directly from the server it claims to be.

« Last Edit: September 27, 2022, 09:55:13 AM by vtsteam »
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline vtsteam

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Re: "I can't see photos in thread on xyz computer, but I can see them on my zyx"
« Reply #14 on: September 27, 2022, 10:03:27 AM »
True, so remember, no more free rides, if you want to spread malicious code, you'll have to get a certificate to do it. Under a pseudonym, of course, with zero background checks. But by gosh the person on the receiving end can rest assured that the malware is genuine. And encrypted.

I propose another solution. Use a special browser for doing secured transactions, which require certificates, and another browser for surfing the web.. Eliminate the surfing browser's response to scripts and use plain html for providing useful information across the net. You can't inject code if a browser doesn't run it.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline philf

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Re: "I can't see photos in thread on xyz computer, but I can see them on my zyx"
« Reply #15 on: September 27, 2022, 12:34:29 PM »
Hi Ade,

It's good to see that you're still alive & kicking!

Have you no interesting projects on the go?

Phil.
Phil Fern
Location: Marple, Cheshire

Offline vtsteam

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Re: "I can't see photos in thread on xyz computer, but I can see them on my zyx"
« Reply #16 on: September 29, 2022, 10:03:45 PM »
(Note, this topic split here re. saving Sorveltaja's linked images -- see separate topic by that name)
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline tom osselton

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Re: "I can't see photos in thread on xyz computer, but I can see them on my zyx"
« Reply #17 on: September 30, 2022, 04:25:57 PM »
I’ve never used photobucket since their last fiasco but I have to say they are persistent I get these once or twice a month.
 

« Last Edit: September 30, 2022, 06:24:08 PM by vtsteam »