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new version problematic(hearsay)do I have to update?

bobsprob
bobsprob
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Reviews of friends and co-workers is that the new version of firefox is not good.A lot of problems have been reported to me .If I try it and don't want to keep it how (if so)can I return to the old version.People have told me that one of the problems is that it is not possible to return to the old version.

Reviews of friends and co-workers is that the new version of firefox is not good.A lot of problems have been reported to me .If I try it and don't want to keep it how (if so)can I return to the old version.People have told me that one of the problems is that it is not possible to return to the old version.

All Replies (2)

Helper7677
Helper7677
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You can downgrade if you experience problems with Firefox 4; those instructions are below.

However, we would like for you to post any problems you might experience with Firefox 4 in this forum, please post a new question for that, so that we can try to help you sort out any problems and give you a better understanding of the changes that have occurred between Firefox 3.6.x and Firefox 4. You can check your Add-ons by searching on the Mozilla Add-ons site to see if a Firefox 4 version is available (Mozilla Add-ons site: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/?browse=featured )

  • Some Add-ons have not been updated by their developer(s) to work properly with Firefox 4, but the more popular one's have
  • Some third-party Add-ons, toolbars from Yahoo and toolbars installed by some security programs (and others), for example, have not been made compatible with Firefox 4 by their developer(s).

Note that the Firefox 4 user interface has changed considerably. The Firefox 4 user interface can be changed to look very much like Firefox 3.6.x. We can give you those instructions if you wish.



To downgrade from Firefox 4 to Firefox 3.6.* you can uninstall Firefox 4 in the, but do not select the option to "Remove my Firefox personal data" during the uninstall. If you select that option it will delete your bookmarks, passwords and other user data. See:

You can then install Firefox 3.6.* available from http://www.mozilla.com - it will automatically use your current bookmarks, passwords etc.

To avoid possible problems with downgrading, I recommend going to your profile folder and deleting the following files if they exist - extensions.cache, extensions.rdf, extensions.ini, extensions.sqlite and localstore.rdf. Deleting these files will

  • force Firefox to rebuild the list of installed extensions, checking their compatibility, and
  • reset toolbar customizations that you have made.

For details of how to find your profile folder see https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Profiles



You have an item installed that is considered malware/spyware/adware. To see the Plugins reported with your question, click "More system details..." to the right of your original question or, on the Firefox menu, click Tools > Add-ons > Plugins.

  • My Web Search Plugin Stub for 32-bit Windows

This type of pest is usually installed along with software you download from the internet; generally free programs, but not always. Carefully watch for "extra" items that will be installed and un-check or opt-out of them.

  1. You can check to see if you have any of these from Web Products" installed:
  2. Also see: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Uninstalling_toolbars
  3. You MAY need to change a preference if when typing one or two words in the URL/Location/Address Bar sends you to some search page other than the one you expect. To reset your default URL/location bar search provider:
    • Enter about:config in the address/URL bar and press the Enter key
    • If you see a warning, accept it (Promise that you will be careful)
    • Filter = keyword.URL
    • Below the Filter, if keyword.URL is bold, right-click on keyword.URL and choose "Reset"
    • Restart Firefox (File > Restart Firefox)
    • See: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Keyword.url
  4. You MAY need to reset your homepage if some search page that you do not want or expect opens when you start Firefox. Firefox can open multiple home pages. Home pages are separated by the "|" symbol.



You need to update the following plugins:

  • Java Plug-in 1.6.0_12 for Netscape Navigator (DLL Helper)
  1. Check your plugin versions on either of the following links':
  2. Update the Java plugin to the latest version.

Modified by Helper7677

the-edmeister
the-edmeister
  • Moderator
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IMO, stick with Firefox 3.6 for a few months longer. There are no real problems per se with Firefox 4.0, just some changes that some users aren't happy with or they didn't take the time to read about the new features on the 1st run pages that automatically appear the first time 4.0 is used. I suspect some users expected the new version to look exactly the same as the older versions or they are resistant to change and may not want to learn anything new.

The biggest problem that 4.0 users may face is that many popular security program's developers out there sat on their arse's when the extensions API was locked down over5 months before the late release of 4.0 and didn't start updating their Firefox extension until Firefox was actually released. IOW, they pee'd away 5 months or their paying users time, and are scrambling to fix their crap.

If you want to play with 4.0 without risking your current 3.6 installation and your personal data, try installing Firefox Portable 4.0 to your hard drive. Each version will be isolated from each other, with no risk to what you are currently using.
http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable