hello, i think google doesn't develop the toolbar anymore - what functions of it did you use? maybe this extension is working for you: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/googlebar-lite/

Had the same problem. Followed the instructions on this site & it is back.

http://www.itsabhik.com/tech/how-to-enable-google-toolbar-in-firefox-10-11-12-13.html

Thank you both for your replies. Having little technical savvy, although I tried, I was unable to follow the instructions. I then found, downloaded and installed Firefox 4,0. After installing, my google toolbar returned and I'm once again a happy camper.

I'm perfectly satisfied with this older version for my needs and especially for google toolbar which I rely on - a lot :-)

Now, if only Firefox would respect my wishes and stop sending me those pesky updates which I neither need nor want.

Once again, than you.

hey richard, thanks for checking back. please don't use firefox 4 - there have been many dozens of security vulnerabilities fixed since the release of firefox 4 (nearly 50 of those are highly critical). the browser is your door to the web, so you'll jeopardize the integrity of your system and your personal data on it.

have you tried the googlebar lite addon? it needs just 2 clicks to install & works with the up-to-date version of firefox.

Thank you madperson for the heads up. My virus programme also reminded that FF4 was vulnerable. I tried googlebar lite which I'm afraid proved too 'lite' for my needs - spell check, translate etc. I downloaded 4 because it supports googlebar - do any of the later FF versions also support it?

hello, firefox has a built-in spell-checker - just download a dictionary for your language. also see How do I use the Firefox spell checker?

the firefox developers are also working to bring an translation tool into the browser (first mockups can be seen here) - until it's finally landing (it may still take a few versions) please use an extension like translate this! ...

Ok, I'm up to installing FF 9 something now, and my gogglebar is still with me. My methodology is nonsense I know, but at least I'm persistent. :-)

If you don't want FF to update you automatically, I would suggest changing that setting (Tools > Options > Advanced > Update) if you haven't already. If you have changed that setting, then you should be aware that updating any software may disable existing capabilities, especially if they are no longer supported by the associated vendor.

I would also recommend that you do a search of the add-ons available to replace those functions you need provided by the now defunct Google bar.

Thank you both. I'll mess around with these options and let you know how I get on.

I wish kvjneman I'd known this oh, about 5 hrs ago. It's true what they say about hindsight .... always 20/20 :-))

I'm now on FF 12 without any protests from anti-viral programmes. This version seems to be working fine and gogglebar is still at the top. Hopefully, I can now relax.

Thanks to all for your suggestions and help.

It is not a Firefox version that supports extensions like the Google toolbar but rather Google supporting Firefox. Google has stopped supporting their toolbar when Firefox 5.0 was released and they barely supported Fx 4.0 and earlier as is with various bugs.

Thanks James, but does this mean I can go to the latest version and still keep gogglebar? I suppose I could always try ...... :-)

Hi Richard. It was when I upgraded from Firefox 12 to 13 that I lost the Google bar. Would suggest that you therefore stick with 12 for now. An add-on maybe available at some point to allow the Google bar on 13? Alternatively have another look at that link I posted at the begining of this thread for a fix. I am no techie either & most computer jargon goes over my head but to carry out the changes described is very easy. The only bit I got stuck on was Notebook++. After downloading it I had missed a small Run button towards the top of the window that appears. After doing this the install.rdf file opened & the text could be changed. Hope this helps.

• Google Toolbar Help: An update on Google Toolbar for Firefox:
  • http://googletoolbarhelp.blogspot.com/2011/07/update-on-google-toolbar-for-firefox.html

Some add-ons that you can use to add similar functionality to the browser can be found in this article.

• Toolbar not available for Firefox 5 or newer versions:
  • http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/answer.py?answer=1342452&topic=15356

You don't want to run an older version as there are known security holes in it (your anti-virus won't warn you about them). http://www.mozilla.org/security/known-vulnerabilities/firefox.html

As everyone above has said, Google stopped supporting the toolbar. Since they won't release any updates, it is up in the air on if it will work from version to version.

Thanks all for the informative replies. I've now "summoned" my grand nephew who is all of 13, a great kid, and something of a computer whizz. I'll ask him to follow Dolfijn's suggestions and update to the present version while keeping my googlebar. It'll cost me at least a Diet Coke - but worth it :-)

Let us know how your nephew gets on Richard!

Will do!

Hello, Richard...I too had kept the 4.0 version mainly for the Google toolbar. But of recent I have been experiencing some glitch problems with it, including some adware that messed up my PC. So I got the latest FF 13.0 and simply book marked the Gmail, Ebay, and You Tube sites, pushing them up to the top in the bookmark list, which is what I mainly used the old Google toolbar for. Still have the Google search engine box by clicking the lil arrow and selecting the Google over the Yahoo. Just a tip for ya, as I think the latest FF 13.0 may be better for security and PC function.

The one problem I have with using the Google search from the drop down list is that it does not seem to remember your searches which does happen when using the Google toolbar and can be very useful. Anyway I have the toolbar back now & it seems to be OK. I am still getting 2 or 3 Flash Player crashes a day though.