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When I click on Install for Firefox update, a window says "The add-on could not be downloaded because of a connection failure".

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  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by Eli Dumitru

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I read the recommended articles for this problem on the Firefox website and deleted the files: Delete the following files: extensions.sqlite , extensions.sqlite-journal , extensions.ini , extensions.json and Restarted Firefox. That didn't work. I also turned everything in Bitdefender off and tried to install the update, but that didn't work either. The Notice says: Firefox update Important Firefox update available. Click "Install" to continue. Program firefox.exe Verified Publisher: Flash Player Necessary measures: Now click on “Continue to Installation ” and then on “Add” to complete the process. See attached screeshot When I click on Install a window comes up that says: "Allow newsoftware-update.com to install an add-on?" When I click on "Continue to Installation" the window that says "The add-on could not be downloaded because of a connection failure" appears. See attached screenshot. So far I have not been able to get past that. Please help. Thanks

I read the recommended articles for this problem on the Firefox website and deleted the files: Delete the following files: extensions.sqlite , extensions.sqlite-journal , extensions.ini , extensions.json and Restarted Firefox. That didn't work. I also turned everything in Bitdefender off and tried to install the update, but that didn't work either. The Notice says: Firefox update Important Firefox update available. Click "Install" to continue. Program firefox.exe Verified Publisher: Flash Player Necessary measures: Now click on “Continue to Installation ” and then on “Add” to complete the process. See attached screeshot When I click on Install a window comes up that says: "Allow newsoftware-update.com to install an add-on?" When I click on "Continue to Installation" the window that says "The add-on could not be downloaded because of a connection failure" appears. See attached screenshot. So far I have not been able to get past that. Please help. Thanks
Attached screenshots

Chosen solution

I notice a Flash Player mention in the screenshot. A legal Firefox update would never look like this.

If you get a pop-up message asking to update Firefox or plugins or scanning for malware then such a message is likely a scam and you should NEVER respond to such an alert to avoid getting infected with malware.

  • only update Firefox via "Help -> About" or by downloading and installing Firefox from the Mozilla and never via a pop-up or link on a web page.
  • plugins should only be updated via the plugin itself or by visiting the home page of the plugin.

See also:

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All Replies (4)

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Hi Eli Dumitru , This could be caused by a malware infection on your computer or it could be caused by an add-on that you have installed.

You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which will work with your existing antivirus software:

Microsoft Safety Scanner https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/ threat-protection/intelligence/safety-scanner-download

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware https://www.malwarebytes.com/premium/

Anti-Rootkit Utility - TDSSKiller https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/tdsskiller/

MalwareBytes AdwCleaner https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner/

ESET Online Scanner https://www.eset.com/us/home/online-scanner/

Running more than one or all of the above mentioned Scan Tools is recommended since they scan at different levels of your computer. And, of course, run the scans with Firefox Closed.

Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-caused-malware ___________________________________________________________________

If that doesn't fix the issue, try running Firefox in it's Safe Mode: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode to see if the issue goes away. If it does, it's likely caused by an add-on, so you will need to use trial and error to determine the culprit.

Hope this helps.

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RobertJ,

Thank your for your comprehensive reply. When I went to work on this, I could no longer find the update that wasn’t installing. I looked though my History, but it wasn’t there. So I clicked on Update in Firefox Options, and it said my Firefox is up to date. I don’t see how this can be true, but I don’t know what else I can do to find that one that wasn’t working.

Eli

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Chosen Solution

I notice a Flash Player mention in the screenshot. A legal Firefox update would never look like this.

If you get a pop-up message asking to update Firefox or plugins or scanning for malware then such a message is likely a scam and you should NEVER respond to such an alert to avoid getting infected with malware.

  • only update Firefox via "Help -> About" or by downloading and installing Firefox from the Mozilla and never via a pop-up or link on a web page.
  • plugins should only be updated via the plugin itself or by visiting the home page of the plugin.

See also:

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Thank You !!