Firefox Fails
Firefox went floppy today. Had to remove and replace, now with 97.0. Browser only partially works. my about:new tab lost all functionality, it is blank. Also, when I try to load any site from the Firefox Troubleshooting site all I get is a blank page with no actionable items. Formerly active about:newtab now gives a blank page.
Actions tried: (Computer is a new Dell Optiplex 3038) Removed and reloaded Firefox Restarted computer several times Powered down both modem and router and restarted after 5+ minutes Nothing helped.
Here's the kicker, I have a Dell 9010 Optiplex in the same room and a laptop in another room. Both of these computers are running Firefox with no problems. The about:newtab functions as before with all web pages showing.
All units are running Webroot SecureAnywhere software as the anti-virus software.
On this page we have: "We've made some educated guesses about your current browser and operating system. Show details »" Trying to access this link gives, again, a blank page. Help Norvell Nelson
All Replies (6)
Hi Norvell, another user posted that one of today's Windows 10 updates incapacitated their Firefox. Possibly this is a new issue and we'll get more info overnight or tomorrow.
More generally:
If your Firefox is largely useless from the address bar down, one possible reason is a program installer/uninstaller messing with the Visual C Runtime files. Even if you do not see a message related to a missing VCRUNTIME140_1.DLL file, you could consider (re)running Microsoft's installer for the VC Runtime files:
(B) In the "Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022" section of the article, download the installer for your system:
- 64-bit Windows: the "X64" download
- 32-bit Windows: the "X86" download
(C) Run that installer and restart Windows.
Any improvement?
A couple of other users identified Webroot (security software) as blocking Firefox 97 from running properly:
If you run Webroot
People are working with Webroot to issue an update.
Until then, a user posted that another workaround would be to run Firefox 97 in backwards compatibility mode. I haven't tested this myself, but here is how you would set that up:
(1) Open the Properties dialog for your Firefox shortcut. Either:
- right-click a Desktop shortcut, then click Properties
- right-click a pinned Taskbar icon, then right-click the Firefox (or Mozilla Firefox) item, then click Properties
(2) Switch to the Compatibility tab
(3) Check the box for "Run this program in compatibility mode for"
(4) If the selector for that option is not set on Windows 8, switch it to Windows 8
As a result of this change, you may notice that some Windows 10-specific features and styling are disabled. However, I am not aware of any major changes. If you experiment with this, let us know your experience.
This fix did seem to cure the problem. Is it "permanent"? Should I contact Webroot with this issue? I use them as they are a local Colorado company.
I have saved all of your suggestions. The one applied and tried first appeared to be the simplest to execute.
Thanks, Norvell
Hi Norvell, thank you for your report.
We hope Webroot issues a fix, as they can move the most quickly. After that, you can restore normal Firefox operation. I'm not sure where it will be announced, but maybe it would appear in the support thread over here first:
I still remain puzzled as to why only one of three of my computers was afflicted with this problem as all three run Webroot and have had installed the latest Microsoft upgrade. The afflicted one is the newest, a Dell OptiPlex put into service about six months ago. The others are an older Dell OptiPlex not capable of getting the Win 11 upgrade and a two year old laptop which can be upgraded. Firefox 97 runs as intended on these two.
A look at the Webroot blog indicates that this problem is fairly wide spread. Hope that Webroot can resolve this issue soon.
Regards Norvell