Suddenly Firefox has stopped working, whether I type the url or hit a bookmark. Why? This is very frustrating
hi about 2 days ago ff stopped working. i type an address into the usual window like i've done a million times, hit enter, and nothing happens. i click on a bookmark, the url shows up in the address window, but nothing happens. there are maybe 3 bookmarks that still work, and all the rest are duds. auto-complete still works, but firefox refuses to take to the address. i get a lot of "flash crashes" (thanks, adobe) so i recently updated flash, and that started the problem. this is why i distrust updates. (for the record, i keep current with firefox updates, even though it is still bloatware that uses 2 GB just to run 3 windows. anyway, any help you could offer would be most... helpful! (not sure why my exclamation points are printing as open-brackets, but hey, whatever, that's the internet) thanks, tim
Modified by cor-el
All Replies (16)
Thanks for your time, Edmeister. To answer your question about Avira, I right-clicked on the exe and clicked Properties and could still not determine what version it is, but I DO know I get sick of them trying to scare me into buying their paid version. It was installed by an IBM tech, so I trusted it, but that was over 3 years ago.
All the trouble started when I updated Flash, which had been a source of trouble for eons... "Update Flash now! It will suck just as bad as the last version, but we'll get another chance at conning you into downloading MacAfee! Big fun, kidz!"
No sooner had the then-new version of Flash been loaded than Firefox started to crap out.
If you think ash-canning Avira will let FF work as intended, then I am willing to give it a shot. What can you recommend for a free AV? (I am not cheap, just broke, unemployed, timed-out of dole checks, and burning through my IRA, so "free" is where I'm at.)
According to the information I got about Avira at the Malware Tips forum a few minutes ago, the Avira Free version does not have those three Firefox extensions. But regardless of which version of Avira you have, I think you should disable all three of those extensions for a few days to see if Firefox works better and solves at least some of your symptoms.
As far as problems with Flash, it shouldn't affect the problems that you started this questions thread about. Start a new thread for problems with Flash. Let's concentrate on the problems "we" started trying to solve, two months ago, 5 pages and 100 replies ago.
This thread is the longest that I have seen here, without the discussion going off-topic with other users asking about other support issues.
Still using IE (temporarliy, I hope)... Just for grins, I started FF again, and nothing loads. Unlike previous experiments, it begins to load, but then just stupidly spins that counterclockwise "Connecting..." thing. opened another tab, same thing, while the admittedly inferior IE works great. THAT is weird.
Still, I am willing to uninstall Avira, even though I am afraid to do anything on the interwebz without electro-protection.
What do you recommend in the way of a free AV?
update: FF is refusing to load even in Safe Mode. That is a bad sign. "Connecting," it says. It's been "Connecting" for a half hour.
TIMSPORES said
<snip> ... Still, I am willing to uninstall Avira, even though I am afraid to do anything on the interwebz without electro-protection. What do you recommend in the way of a free AV?
What about Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) it is simple and free
Thx, john99. usually I don't trust Microsoft any further than I can throw them, but if you think this will do more good than harm, I will give it a try.
btw, what do you make of FF not even working in Safe Mode anymore?
I dont usually use Windows, but if I do I usually just use their MSE. It seems to work as well as most other AV, just less bells and whistles.
One advantage is it comes with no additional bundled software.
btw, what do you make of FF not even working in Safe Mode anymore?
I made suggestions upthread a few days ago
One of the upthread suggestions was to make sure I was using the latest version of FF, but now FF won't open at all, either in safe mode or regular mode. I got it to open a few minutes ago normally since holding down shift no longer brings the safe mode, and then I selected "restart with add-ons disabled" and FF never opened again.
This is disheartening, as I cannot test-drive any of your suggestions if FF won't open. I has a sad.
TIMSPORES said
<snip> ...
This is disheartening, as I cannot test-drive any of your suggestions if FF won't open. I has a sad.
My suggestions from before should still help even if Firefox is not opening in safe mode I will repeat them. My link in a prior post does not seem as intended.
John99 said EDIT Annoying forum bug, forum generates incorrect links. They fail in use on multi page threads. Above generated in view as ''John99 [[#answer-680880|said]]'' and is resolved as /questions/1033855?page=6#answer-680880 that is wrong it points to the current page and defaults to the top of the thread it needs to be: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1033855?page=5#answer-680880 .
I had hopedby now there would be some input from the profesonal Helpdesk Staff. I suggest you do the following, and then I will try to contact Help Desk staff directly if an issue persists
- Create a new additional Firefox profile for test purposes
- Do a clean reinstall of Firefox involving removing the program files (NOT the profile)
- Run Firefox from the test profile and
- In Firefox's safe mode
- With all plugins disabled
- From Windows Safe Mode (F8)
- Report back with what happens
- Use Firefox's "about:memory" to check memory usage
I have not added links to show how to do this, but I think there will be links or explanations already in other parts of this thread.
- Consider filing a bug if memory usages is increasing very quickly { use keyword memshrink & include diffed about:memory results )
Modified by John99
Posting to generate email. Corrected link in my last post.
Start your Computer in safe mode with networking. Then start Firefox.
Theoretically yes, but it is just one of many things that work great for the rest of the world but not on my computer. My PC does not seem to know what F8 means.
FF seems to open in spite of previous trouble.
FF even seems to WORK today.
Not sure what changed.
I don't wanna jinx it.
We'll see what happens.
As for long-term functionality, I may have to just wait until I get a new computer.
I have no idea why any well-written software would be this much trouble and perform so abysmally as to make me run into the arms of the notoriously awful Internet Explorer. :-/
Still, I remain grateful for all the advice and will keep you apprised.
FF seems to open in spite of previous trouble.
FF even seems to WORK today.
Great, good luck. Hope it stays working.
Theoretically yes, but it is just one of many things that work great for the rest of the world but not on my computer. My PC does not seem to know what F8 means.
Running in safe mode will not do any harm, but if you get into the BIOS setup accidentally use the option to exit without changes.
Most recent Windows computers prior to Windows 8 recognise the F8 key when booting. Try starting to press it at slightly different points, or simply try repeatedly pressing at about twice per second.
Understood. Thanks. Sadly, I must leave my machine behind, hit the road for a few days and use a loaner with its own special issues (a haunted first-gen iPad that cannot handle Facebook).
Nice 3-hour nighttime drive in 5-degree temperatures. Wish me luck.
Well, I am back home and using my own PC again, and so far FF is behaving perfectly. I haven't tried playing a lot of videos, but the few I tried worked fine once I allowed flash for certain URLs.
Doesn't use up too much memory either... maybe half a meg with 6 tabs open, as opposed to quickly bloating to 3 meg with only 2 tabs open.
Something changed for the better and I have no idea what. :-O
...but I'll get used to it. :D
Of course I am curious as to how things went so wrong, but I am so happy to have my FF back that I just want to enjoy it.
Thanks again, all of you. It appears FF has healed itself.
There are two comandline options on modern Windows, the Run command which is found from the start menu and the command prompt accessory, that can be found in Start -> All Programs -> Accessories or as already mentioned by using cmd.exe.
I am not even using Windows at the moment but I think copy & paste options are still available from the edit menu drop down
- As explained in this XP article http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/windows_dos_copy.mspx
DOS was the command line interface that predated MS Windows, and MS use of mice. The earliest Windows actually used DOS as the OS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOS#Decline
sfc.exe may be useful to you but is not the same as chkdsk.exe These may be of interest
- How to Read the Event Viewer Log for Check Disk (chkdsk) in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/96938-check-disk-chkdsk-read-event-viewer-log.html
- http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html
Includes To Run Chkdsk from Command Prompt - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_File_Checker
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHKDSK