Annoying browser problem - Java issue?

[EarlG]

Okay, here's one for the smart folks out there - I've had no luck finding any information about this via Google.

I'm running Windows XP.

For the past day or two, when I visit certain web pages my entire screen goes black. The mouse pointer is still there, and the desktop still exists "under" the black screen - if I move the pointer around the black screen, it changes to a hand when it passes over hyperlinks.

Before this started happening, I'd updated my video card drivers (nvidia) to the latest version. I also reinstalled directx (9c). My video card is an nVidia GeForce TI 4800.

Now, I'm guessing that this problem has something to do with Java because it seems to happen on web pages which contain Java applets. I installed the latest version of Java and attempted to test it using their test application found here:

http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp

The screen immediately went black again. Interestingly, before I started the test it gave me this message:

We detected your visit to a download page and think you may NOT but (sic) have restarted (closed and re-opened) your BROWSER since that visit! Have you restarted your browser since your last Java install? Failure to do so, may result in a test failure or invalid data.

There's definitely something up here because I'm still getting that message even though I've restarted my computer since I installed the latest version of Java.

After the screen goes black, if I try to shut down the computer by guessing at the location of the Start button, the "Turn off computer" command and then managing to hit the "Turn off" button (bear in mind that the screen is black while I'm doing this), the computer fails to shut down properly and instead displays a screwed up version of the Java applet I'm trying to run, at a really low screen resolution.

I'm thinking that there may be some kind of conflict between Java and the recent driver update I did. Has anyone even heard of anything like this? Like I say, I didn't have much luck on Google.

[EarlG]

1. Update

This also happens when I try to use Sun's Java Virtual Machine test app on their website.

[EarlG]

2. Update 2 - it's definitely Java causing the problem

I turned Java off in Firefox's options and went to a page with a Java applet. The applet failed to load (obviously) but the screen stayed normal. So I turned Java back on again, hit refresh, and boom - black screen.

So now I know what the problem is... I just don't know how to fix it.

[EarlG]

4. Update 3 - I fixed it :)

Apparently there is a conflict between nVidia's settings and Java. I had to set my nVidia anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering settings to "application controlled," which appears to have fixed the problem.

http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jspa?threadID=686175&tstart=15

Well, that was obscure :)

Anyway, I'll leave this here in case anyone else has this problem.

[RoyGBiv]

6. Cool beans ...

I had something similar to this happen to me once, and it was graphics driver related, although in my case it was a modified version of ATI's Catalyst drivers and occurred with applications other than Java apps. Same problem/solution. Anti-aliasing needed to be set to application controlled.

[mainegreen]

3. Jesus, I don't envy you.

Personally I hate Java with the passion of a thousand burning suns. Java is one of the most screwed up, worst implemented cluster fucks I have ever seen.

My solution to java was to uninstall it and disable it in my browsers.

It sounds like java is trying to get a device context(?) for your video card, gets it(sorta) and crashes (hence the black screen of doom). It probably has nothing to do with direct X. Somehow I doubt Sun's test applete uses direct X! :P I doubt its open GL either. Its probably not even your video card driver. More than likely you have a screwed up java install thats half one rev, half another.

If I were you, I'd probably unistall java, reboot, reboot, install java, reboot, reboot and see what happens. But thats just a wild shot in the dark!

[lpbk2713]

5. FWIW .... Here's another Java tester website.

I find it useful sometimes.


Link: http://www.javatester.org/enabled.html

BTW, I also use WinXP, GeForce card and Mozilla. Haven't run into the problem you describe yet.