Blurry images, shifting content, unreproducable errors in IE9

Question

I have a client who keeps sending me bugs that I can't replicate on any of my computers, but I also can't find anything about this particular problem online.

They are 1000 miles away, so I can't go see what their computer is like, and according to them, they don't have any addons installed and this is the screenshot of their IE9 about page:

Here's an example of one of them,

This is what I see in IE9:

This is what THEY see in IE9:

Not only is the bottom line missing in theirs, but that top little green arrow next to "Company History" is kinda blurry, even though it's the same exact image file as the other two that aren't blurry, and there isn't anything around it that could cover it up, plus I can't replicate this. I tried my home computer, my office one, and several in the IT department.

The code here is just a simple table (I have to use a table here, normally I wouldn't)

<table id="contentButtons" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tbody>
    <tr>
        <td height="1"><img src="table-line.png"></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td align="center"><a href="#">COMPANY <strong>HISTORY</strong> <img src="arrow-right-orange.png"></a></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td height="1"><img src="table-line.png"></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td align="center"><a href="#">SOCIAL <strong>ENGAGEMENT</strong> <img src="arrow-right-orange.png"></a></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td height="1"><img src="table-line.png"></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td align="center"><a href="#"><strong>JOIN</strong> OUR TEAM <img src="arrow-right-orange.png"></a></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td height="1"><img src="table-line.png"></td>
    </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Here is another example of a blurry background image, instead of an embedded image:

This is what I see

This is what they see:

In this case they are complaining that the top green line is blurry and different from the bottom line (it's a little hard to see here and it's also smaller than mine. I'm not sure if they are zoomed or the screenshot is just a tad smaller). Ignore the alignment and font issue, those are unrelated and fixed already since that picture was taken.

But that top line CANT be blurry, this is a sprite, there's nothing there to BE blurry. I thought maybe the top half of the sprite was spilling into the bottom half, but it isn't, there is a white line there, not green:

What could be causing this? I've never had a client come back to me before with all these display errors that I can't replicate.

Answer 1

Suggestions worth checking-up on:

• Update version matches (the "root" version might be the same, but be aware that patching Windows/IE might change its behaviour
• 32bit / 64bit (in the past I have come across very similar problems. The only approach I could rely on was changing the way it was implemented).
• as previously stated try eliminating/changing css, use inline css, or similar.
• IE9 has a developer mode that may help (F12). Try getting them to take a screenshot of the selected element.
• Maybe someone could give you a remote desktop connection via VNC, and check things out on the client's browser directly

I will update this if something else pops in my head.