Black square on screen Options

[pandy]

It suddenly was there. If it's a window, which I don't think it is, it's chromeless. Show desktop command doesn't remove it. It's on top of everything. Even the mouse pointer goes under it (see attached image), so I can't click it. It's there even during startup. I doesn't show up on a screen cap so I attach a phone pic instead. It covers about 10% of my screen.

I've updated the Nvidia drivers and tried some other tricks I found on the web. Didn't help. It doesn't seem to be an uncommon problem though and I think it may be a Windows problem.

Any experience of this?

Crap! Now the attachment gizmo doesn't work at all. It just refreshes and says No file selected. Yeah right. I'll put the photo on the web.

[pandy]

Here.

[pandy]

I cropped a little stupid. It doesn't go all the way to the edges. There's about 15px free at the top and the right. And obviously a lot more on the other sides.

[pandy]

Ran System File Checker that found and repaired corrupt files but that didn't help.

CODE

System File Checker scan
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
For online repairs, details are included in the CBS log file located at
windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For example C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For offline
repairs, details are included in the log file provided by the /OFFLOGFILE flag.

Than I ran DISM. That didn't help either.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/7808-us...s-10-image.html

[pandy]

Solved! This is embarrassing.

Turned out to be a screen setting. Picture in Picture was on. Must have accidentally touched the silly touch control panel under the bottom edge of the screen when I reached for something. I didn't even figure it out myself. Found it in a forum thread somewhere.

I wasn't aware that window even opened if nothing was connected. I tried it when the screen was new, tried to mirror my phone, but the phone probably didn't support it, couldn't get it to work anyway. Haven't touched it since then.

Darn. I've been at it all night and it turned out to be - nothing.

Sorry for the noise.

[Christian J]

That's Good news, for once Windows is not to blame!

[pandy]

There were screen caps of black boxes that looked just like mine in the Windows related threads and articles...

[pandy]

I could have deleted this thread and saved myself from the embarassment, you know. But out of the goodness of my heart it let it be, so others with the same problem can find it and try the PiP solution before they reinstall Windows.

[Christian J]

I've had some strange problems too lately. Sometimes (usually after Sleep mode) screen resolution is so low that I can't make out any text. Restarting usually helps (once I've blindly found the Restart option in the blurred-out menus).

After installing the latest GPU driver the problem went away, until the next major Windows update. Then it came back, until I reinstalled the same GPU driver again.

Or could it be hardware related? But why after Sleep mode then (when the PC is cool), and not after playing games (when the PC is hot)?

[pandy]

Strange. Could windows install the wrong driver or a corrupt driver? Don't understand why it happens after sleep either. Unless windows somehow saves the wrong settings when going to sleep?

[Christian J]

I don't think the old driver version had changed, but maybe some Windows update created problems? But that I had to reinstall the driver made me wonder if it had become corrupted.

After one incident I saw that the available resolution settings in Windows had changed, and I could no longer use my monitor's native resolution.

[pandy]

Yeah, something must have happened to the driver.

I'm PO'd again. In connection with my computer problem, no sleep and so on, I ordered a new camera. A small compact to use as a second camera. I've pondered this at least a year but you know how it is, once you've decided you want it NOW, like a kid on Christmas eve.

I talked for more than 1½ hour with my fav seller at my fav shop. Not only about the camera, he's a super nice and talkative guy and I usually get a rebate. He should send me an offer after lunch. It didn't arrive. So the next day I called back and talked to another person who should talk to my guy. The day after that, yesterday, I got en email from my guy asking me if I accepted the offer. Which I still hadn't received and so on and so on. I asked him to CC the offer to another email address on a different server, in case my usual one was the problem. The stange thing, which makes this rant computer related, is that I got his other emails, but not the one with the offer, which was attached as a PDF.

Went shopping and to visit an old fiend with Alzheimer at a retirement home, which always is depressing, and checked my mail constantly, which I hate doing on the phone. At last the offer arrived. I OKed it and asked him to send me the payment link ASAP and hurried home to pay, pedalling at top speed, because if you order before a certain time they send the stuff the same day and I would have had it today. Only to find an answer saying the camera was out of stock and new ones wouldn't come in until the 19th. And the bag I also ordered was out of stock at their supplier. Gaah!

What's happening to the world? This is a major online company. I've bought almost all me gear from them and talked to the same guy every time and they've always been very quick. Why didn't the guy tell me they were out of stock over the phone already? I'm wondering if it has to do with their situation. It's been in the papers. They are involved in a mobile scam. They haven't done anything wrong but their supplier didn't pay the VAT and the responsibility to do so is transferred to them. It's so big it may mean bankruptcy for them. So I'm thinking they may not want to keep a large stock in this situation. But again, why didn't he tell me? We even talked about their situation.

[Christian J]

I've pondered this at least a year but you know how it is, once you've decided you want it NOW, like a kid on Christmas eve.

Indeed.

and I usually get a rebate.

Can you bargain with online stores? Good to know, I didn't know that.

The stange thing, which makes this rant computer related, is that I got his other emails, but not the one with the offer, which was attached as a PDF.

I've tried to disabled all spam filters, since they only catch legit email instead of actual spam. But somehow, something somewhere still marks some legit emails as "*spam*" in the Subject line.

Only to find an answer saying the camera was out of stock and new ones wouldn't come in until the 19th. And the bag I also ordered was out of stock at their supplier. Gaah!

What's happening to the world?

This can only mean the end is near: the omens are clear for anyone to see.

But again, why didn't he tell me?

Maybe the last one went out just after he checked. Or maybe another customer paid full price, and they shipped to that one first because of that. Or maybe he was distracted by talking to you, and didn't check properly. Or maybe the inventory database is incorrect.

Some smaller stores I frequent get almost nothing right in their online databases. Their real inventory is often much larger, while things they claim to have are not in stock. Usually they promise out of stock items will arrive "next week", which takes a couple of months in practice. So I rather buy things from abroad these days, often at a lower price as well.

[pandy]

Yes, you can bargain with some of them. But you need to be cute and charming, so it may not work in your case. 😁

I don't use any automatic spam filters, other than rules I've created myself. And I've searched the junk folder. I simply didn't get it.

I think I have figured out the part with the not in stock items. This company has been in the news lately because of a tax problem. They haven't done anything wrong, but the wholesaler they bought phones from sort of forgot to pay VAT. I assume that company now has evaporated and the duty to pay the VAT is transferred to the buyers of the phones. The whole thing is so big it could mean bankruptcy. It could be bankruptcy is so close they are no longer considered creditworthy and can't keep a large stock. Or they don't want to tie money up in inventory. Still, why didn't he say they didn't have the stuff? They are very reputable and I have never had problems with them before. I've actually always had my stuff the next day.

I didn't know it worked this way with VAT. I did know it does with employment tax and "sociala avgifter" (social fees?). Like if you or I hire a plumber to fix our pipes and he doesn't pay those fees, tax authorities demand that we pay them. Again, becaue we already payed them when we payed the plumbers bill. It's crazy, because there's no way for us to check if the plumber pays his fees! And I assume it's the same with VAT and wholesale.

But probably I'm wrong. I just checked and I see my items are now marked as out of stock. But they have a sh*tload of Leicas and Hasselblads that are not. So it doesn't make sense. Oh well. Maybe they are just stressed out over the situation. I sure would be.

I used to shop a lot from abroad, but Brexit sort of destroyed that since I shopped mostly from Britain. I can pay the Swedish VAT, but then I don't want to pay the British VAT too! And only some companies deduct that when they export. And I most certainly don't want to pay the obnoxious fees the post office demands for collecting the VAT. Or maybe it's customs the earn big time on this now, it used to be the post, but they've changed how they collect the money, so I don't really know. It takes a helluva time to get the stuff because of this anyway. It wouldn't be such a big problem if Sweden hadn't gotten that exclusion from the EU rule that says that private import from countries outside EU shouldn't be taxed if the value is below a certain sum, it used to be around 750 SEK.

[Christian J]

the wholesaler they bought phones from sort of forgot to pay VAT. I assume that company now has evaporated and the duty to pay the VAT is transferred to the buyers of the phones.

Is it this case, or a similar one? https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/europeis...-i-flera-lander (in Swedish).

I didn't know it worked this way with VAT.

In my understanding the scammed retailer has already paid VAT to the fraudulent wholesaler, and is required to pay Tax Authorities again?

I did know it does with employment tax and "sociala avgifter" (social fees?). Like if you or I hire a plumber to fix our pipes and he doesn't pay those fees, tax authorities demand that we pay them. Again, becaue we already payed them when we payed the plumbers bill. It's crazy, because there's no way for us to check if the plumber pays his fees! And I assume it's the same with VAT and wholesale.

That's why you need to look for the VAT number on invoices, not that it's any guarantee.

I just checked and I see my items are now marked as out of stock. But they have a sh*tload of Leicas and Hasselblads that are not.

I suppose Leica and Hasselblad don't sell as often (are they still premium brands, BTW? I haven't paid attention in recent years), so the retailer is stuck with that inventory.

I used to shop a lot from abroad, but Brexit sort of destroyed that since I shopped mostly from Britain. I can pay the Swedish VAT, but then I don't want to pay the British VAT too! And only some companies deduct that when they export.

If they don't deduct VAT they are basically charging you more, sounds fishy. But I've seen many British companies that now refuse to sell to the EU due to the extra hassle.

I mostly buy things from Germany. Usually it's very smooth, but a couple of years ago I ordered plants from a small company that only took payment with wire transfer, and apparently my bank no longer allows you to do that without special permission.

[pandy]

Is it this case, or a similar one? https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/europeis...-i-flera-lander (in Swedish).

It must be. They link to another article where CDON is mentioned and they was in it to.

I dind't want to write the name of the company here so people that search for it would find this thread, but if you combine the word cyber with a word related to the business they are in you get it.

In my understanding the scammed retailer has already paid VAT to the fraudulent wholesaler, and is required to pay Tax Authorities again?

I don't think anyone payed. It's complicated. The phones weren't sold to consumers but to another wholesaler. So company X acted as a middleman, they just relayed the deal, so to speak. And that's because the former middleman was banned from doing business in Sweden. I don't recall exactly how these VAT chains work, but when VAT it paid as it should somewhere along the line and then the goods is exported, companies get the VAT money back from the state. And that was the scam. They got money back for VAT that was never paid. It sounds fishy as hell. The court decided the Swedish companies had done nothing wrong, but thought they should have understood something wasn't right.

That's why you need to look for the VAT number on invoices, not that it's any guarantee.

Exactly. There is no way to know for sure. It's amazing things can work like this.

I suppose Leica and Hasselblad don't sell as often (are they still premium brands, BTW? I haven't paid attention in recent years), so the retailer is stuck with that inventory.

Yes, very much so. I bought a little Sony compact to use as a second camera I can always have with me. All compacts are spendy now since they are scarce. Most brands have stopped producing them. But I found that Leitz have one. It's pretty, but the price tag... But if you want to give me something for Christmas...
https://www.gofoto.se/kamera-foto/kompaktka...-q3-svart-19080

I mostly buy things from Germany. Usually it's very smooth, but a couple of years ago I ordered plants from a small company that only took payment with wire transfer, and apparently my bank no longer allows you to do that without special permission.

I would buy from any EU country but my German is non existing and my French is very poor. Typically sites in those countries usually don't have English as an option at their sites whereas sites in counties with smaller languages often do. But it's hard to find those sites in the first place, I think.

[pandy]

It has arrived. I'll fetch it when I've eaten.

I was really worried. It was supposed to be back in stock the 19th and when it had arrived they would send me the payment link. But I got the link the 17th already. Of course I thought it had arrived an payed. It hadn't. It still said out of stock until the 19th. When the 19th came, they changed to to "delivery time unknown". Money wasn't drawn from my account, just "reserved", but anyway, under the circumstances...

Yesterday I got notice they had shipped the camera to me. But oddities don't end there. The money is no longer reserved - and they haven't taken the money from my account either. There is no trace of the transaction. There was a big stamp across the bill/receipt that was attached to the email. "Don't pay this bill. It has already been payed through Klarna". It has not. Maybe they want to give me the camera for free.

[Christian J]

Yesterday I got notice they had shipped the camera to me. But oddities don't end there. The money is no longer reserved - and they haven't taken the money from my account either. There is no trace of the transaction. There was a big stamp across the bill/receipt that was attached to the email. "Don't pay this bill. It has already been payed through Klarna". It has not. Maybe they want to give me the camera for free.

And your original payment attempt was not through Klarna? Sounds like something that must be resolved manually.

[pandy]

Yes, it was through Klarna in a way. They use them to process payments, as do too many other shops...

My lucky streak is over. They've taken the money now. But isn't it odd? First reserved, then nothing, no sign of the transaction, for almost 2 days and then, woosh, money gone. Never seen it done like this before. Well, I don't have to fight with my conscience after all.

[Christian J]

Could it be that they can only make a reservation for a limited time? Can't remember how it works now.