Suddenly my Google Maps program won't run anymore.

If I call up the program it displays my default starting location and I can scroll around anywhere I want (I scrolled from California to Alaska just to check) but if I try to "Get Directions" the little blue progress bar at the bottom of the screen flashes quickly, at the top of the screen it says "Loading" and that's as far as it ever gets.

About the only change that has been made to my computer since the last time I used the program was a Java update.

Any ideas on how I can fix this?

tanstaafl.

You mean the web site? Or is there some desktop application I'm unaware of?

Google Earth?

If you're talking about Google Earth, try clearing out its cache folder, clearing out your Windows Temp folder, and restarting the computer.

No, Google Maps. Google Earth works just fine. But if I want Google Maps to plot a route to San Francisco Airport, it won't let me do it. When I click on "Get Directions" nothing happens except for the previously mentioned instantaneous blue progress bar and the "Loading..." message at the top of the screen.

I can't believe that Google itself is broken, other people would surely have noticed, so it must be something wrong with my computer. The question is: What?

Is there a way I can un-do the Java update? I have rebooted the computer several times.

tanstaafl.

So you're talking about the Google Maps web site, and not an application, right?

Try clearing your browser cache and restarting the system. Also try using the other browser and see if it works there.

Right.

http://maps.google.com/

tanstaafl.

Good call, Tony. As usual. It works in Internet Explorer, but not in Firefox.

Now what?

Oh, I know -- I just had a brilliant idea. I'll try clearing my browser cache and restarting the system. Maybe that'll help.

Uh.... how do I clear the browser cache?

Oh, Uncle Google has the answer to that...

Firefox 3 for Windows

From the Tools menu, select Clear Private Data... , and then check Cache and Cookies. Click Clear Private Data Now.

Didn't work.

tanstaafl.

Edit: Found it!

What are the ramifications of disabling the Firefox Skype add-on?

tanstaafl.

Maybe what is more important paranoid question is...

What were the ramifications of Skype installing that app in the first place?

Yeah. I can't imagine why you'd need a browser plug-in for Skype. It's a voice chat app. Why would you need a browser plug-in for that!?

I think it's because someone on their marketing team decided that browser plug-ins were "the latest thing" and "everyone needs one". I hate that. They probably have facebook app too. Ick.

Skype is a mess anyway... When we have to test that our VPN software works with Skype installed, we have to turn off kernel debugging because the piece of crap is constantly breaking into the debugger.

None. Such a thing should never have existed in the first place.

Apparently, it converts phone numbers into Skype links.

Totally essential feature that. Especially with the lets-break-other-unrelated-websites addition. I guess the content rewriting its doing to insert the Skype parts is screwing up whatever Google is doing.