Monthly Archives: December 2010

Navigation bar missing from web site made in Publisher

Recently we were hired to fix two web sites that were designed in Microsoft Publisher and then output as HTML and uploaded to a server for a local business.  The problem is that since IE 8 came out (March 2009), both of these web sites – for anyone using Internet Explorer 8 (even using compatibility mode) – were completely missing the VERTICAL left hand navigation bars that were on each site.  When we tried the site under Firefox, Chrome or Safari, the site worked fine.  This is still a major problem because still a majority of users use IE for browsing and to them the site will be broken.

After spending several hours reseaching this topic as well as experimenting with the HTML code that is generated by Microsoft Publisher (absolutely BLOATED and HORRIBLE) – I figured out the solution to the issue.  Now keep in mind this is like putting a band-aid on the Hoover Dam to plug a leak, this should only be used to “hold over” the site until you get a “real” site designed by a company like Amixa.  I highly suggest you use this to only fix the site in the interim until you get that new site built.  Any site using Publisher is likely to suffer from horrible HTML bloat and horrible (or no) image optimization, so get off that site as soon as posssible so as not to drag down your SEO rankings any further.

Here is how to fix the issue.  (I will show you how to fix one page.  You can do the others yourself.)

  1. You will need Publisher installed onto your workstation  In my case I have the latest Publisher 2010.
  2. Download a full copy of the site to your computer.
  3. Make a backup copy into another directory.  We will only perform these fixes to the COPY.  Never erase the original in case you need to go back to it.
  4. Launch Publisher
  5. Go to file menu and OPEN up the HTM page (I am starting with the homepage, called index.htm)
  6. The page should open up perfectly and look “as it does”
  7. Locate the navigation element that is missing when you view the site under IE.  In our case it was a vertical element on the left side of the site.
  8. Hover your cursor over the upper left border of the navigation element.  When you do this the border should change into a “white and blue” striped edge.
    1. Publisher navigation border when you hover
  9. Then carefully RIGHT CLICK and select UNGROUP
  10. As soon as you do that the navigation element will change into a bunch of individual elements with “dots”
  11. Go to file, Save As, select Web Page, Filtered.  Save the file OVER TOP of the original one.
  12. You will see that each time you complete this process for each page Publisher will generate it’s own image folder.  That’s ok.  We’re only using this as a temporary fix anyways.  Upload all the revised HTML pages and their image folders to the server.
  13. It’s not perfect but the site will work on all browsers again and buy you some time until the site is rebuilt.

Server name does not show up under Network

I recently came across this problem where one of our servers would not show up in the “browse list” under the “Network” icon in Windows 7.  I also checked this same issue from other computers Network Neighborhoods and verified it was just this one server “webserver6” which was not showing up.  We are in a standard Windows AD (Active Directory) network here with a DHCP and DNS servers and two domain controllers.  I checked all the settings on those boxes and they all looked fine, so I suspected the issue was solely with that one particular server.

I examined the server (a standard Windows 2008 server box), and all the settings looked fine.  Static IP (yes), correct DNS servers (yes), enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP (yes), so the problem must be somewhere else.

I then checked the services and found that the COMPUTER BROWSER service was disabled.  I set it to automatic and started the service.

Since this particular server is a virutal server under the latest version of Hyper-V.  I shut down the server and checked the settings in the Hyper-V manager.  I noticed that this particular server was set to a “DYNAMIC MAC” address.   I switched that to STATIC.

Rebooted my workstation and “webserver6”.  Wow!  The server now shows up under the Network list.

Here are the steps again in a more formal list:

  1. Check to make sure the server has a static IP
  2. Check to make sure the server is using the correct DNS server (probably your AD domain server)
  3. Make sure NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled
  4. Make sure the Computer Browser service is started and set to Automatic
  5. HYPER-V machines:  Check to make sure the network adapter that the server is using is set to a STATIC MAC address.  (Not sure if this one makes any difference, but that type of a server shouldn’t be using a dynamic MAC address anyways).
  6. Reboot the server in question and your local workstation
  7. Server should show up if all the above is OK.

ADDENDUM 12/6/2010:

Another thing to check is your Windows Firewall settings. I had another server that would not show up on the Network list until I turned off the Windows Firewall.  That wasn’t a problem for us because we have a separate firewall that protects our systems.  But you need to use your own judgement and take that action on your own choice.  We aren’t responsible for your systems so I would presume that you know what you are doing and the risks of disabling Windows Firewall.