Uninstall 4.0.

DO NOT CHECK "Remove my Firefox personal data"

Choose the correct installation for your language & system - http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html

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:

• http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/uninstalling+Firefox
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Uninstalling_firefox

You can then install Firefox 3.6.* available from the following link - it will automatically use your current bookmarks, passwords etc.

• Firefox 3.6: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html
• See: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Installing+Firefox

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 need to update the following plugins:

• Adobe PDF Plug-In For Firefox and Netscape "9.4.1"
• Shockwave Flash 10.1 r102

1. Check your plugin versions on either of the following links':
   • http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
   • https://www-trunk.stage.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
   • Note: plugin check page does not have information on all plugin versions
2. Update Adobe Reader (PDF plugin):
   • From within your existing Adobe Reader (if you have it already installed):
     • Open the Adobe Reader program from your Programs list
     • Click Help > Check for Updates
     • Follow the prompts for updating
     • If this method works for you, skip the "Download complete installer" section below and proceed to "After the installation" below
   • Download complete installer (if you do NOT have Adobe Reader installed):
     • SAVE the installer to your hard drive (save to your Desktop so that you can find it after the download). Exit/Close Firefox. Run the installer you just downloaded.
     • Use either of the links below:
       • https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using+the+Adobe+Reader+plugin+with+Firefox (click on "Installing and updating Adobe Reader")
       • Also see Download link': http://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/
   • After the installation, start Firefox and check your version again.
3. Update the Flash plugin to the latest version.
   • Download and SAVE to your Desktop so you can find the installer later
   • If you do not have the current version, click on the "Player Download Center" link on the "Download and information" or "Download Manual installers" below
   • After download is complete, exit Firefox
   • Click on the installer you just downloaded and install
     • Windows 7 and Vista: may need to right-click the installer and choose "Run as Administrator"
   • Start Firefox and check your version again or test the installation by going back to the download link below
   • Download and information: http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/
     • Use Firefox to go to the above site to update the Firefox plugin (will also install plugin for most other browsers; except IE)
     • Use IE to go to the above site to update the IE ActiveX
   • Download Manual installers.
     • http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/191/tn_19166.html#main_ManualInstaller
     • Note separate links for:
       • Plugin for Firefox and most other browsers
       • ActiveX for IE

Iowaman, THANK YOU! I have it back. Think I'm missing some things like reload button and don't know what else yet, but can live with that. I am not techie, so would never have figured out what to do to get the old version back. I want to know, what are the Firefox people thinking??? Obviously I am not the only one who thinks that the 4.0 version stinks! I see many posts from other users that feel the same way. This started for me last night when I received a message that I needed to update and I click on it to update and it was version with yahoo tool bar. I immediately removed that! When I tried to install again, then I got the 4.0. I even tried to restore to earlier date and that didn't work..still had 4.0. Thank goodness this all happened on my laptop and not my pc that I use for work, banking etc...I would have really been freaking out! Thanks again for helping me get my life back!! Sure didn't want to go back to IE!

My "Thank you" was meant for "Iowaman" Thanks so much

Helper 7677: Are you serious that we have to go through all this just to get a better version of Firefox? I agree with sjohnson...this version is awful.

goforthjtj....I did not follow all the directions of Helper7677. I did what Iowaman told me to do see above and it worked perfectly and so far don't see any problems

Did anybody really test ff 4.0? It is awful. Geez, Louise. FF 4.0 only useful purpose is as a marketing tool for IE!

louiekagan...yes I did try to like it and just couldn't. Your response "FF 4.0 only useful purpose is as a marketing tool for IE" is perfect!! I diddo that big time! I was going back to IE if I had not been able to get the older version of FF back. Thanks to above suggestions, I did get it back and am now happy again. FF Are you listening????

as to reload and stop buttons right click in menu or navigation toolbar and chose customize to your hearts content by dragging and dropping where ya want.

Does seem like FF4 is a rush job to compete with IE. Hope we will see a fix soon. Great new features if you have the time to wait for them to load.

They mentioned it as the fastest web browser, but for me it not only slows down my browsing but all the time it freezes my computer too when I get (not responding) message. Anyways I'm planning to go back to previous version right now.

I have the same problem and have discovered it to be caused by the Flash player plug-in. The newest version 10.2.153.1 doesn't work in ff4 either. With the plug-in disabled ff4's speed is comparable to their claims. Of course anything that needs Flash player doesn't work, but it wouldn't work with it either in ff4. The other problem I had is sometimes a particular toolbar would appear, sometimes it wouldn't. I have reverted back to ff3.6. Fortunately I had it on my backup and just reloaded it from that. I now have both side by side and am more than will to go back to 4.0 when these glitches are remedied by Mozilla and/or Adobe or whomever since this is open source or something.

I uninstalling version 4 also, the Back button sucks. Why do left click and right click BOTH have to bring up History?? Dumb, Dumb, Dumb!!!

According to me the best way is to take backup for all personal datas from old Firefox version with the Mozilla Backup tool before the installation of Firefox 4. If you didn't do it after installation of Ff 4 and when you want to uninstall Ff 4 use an uninstalling software like Smarty Unistall and delete all remaining folders, files and registry entries which are uncleaned by the Ff 4's usual uninstalling tool. Now you can install the old version of Firefox and take back your all personal datas with using Mozilla backup tool.

When I upgrade, I don't have to worry about passwords, favourites etc. But when I downgrade - everything gets wiped. Version 4 crashes 2-6 times an evening, no pattern - even when I'm not doing anything on it. The sensible thing was to downgrade to a version that worked and now I've lost everything.

Balilocks, sorry bout that. I didn't "downgrade". I removed V4, and reinstalled V3.6 and it worked fine and I didn't lose anything

sjohnson is right, don't upgrade or downgrade. I explained the best way above. Ff4 will work properly after these processes without any data loosing.

The below link is what I had to do to completely remove Firefox and re-install a fresh "older" version of Firefox.

https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/questions/810726#answer-167109

After completely re-installing Firefox 3.6.8, I've had no more problems.

This is drastic , but it worked. Hope it helps.

I had the same problem with v. 4. I'd switched from Safari because Firefox was faster and better. Version 4 made it slower and worse than Safari. Uninstalling was simple - drag the app to the trash (I also emptied the trash). I downloaded 3.6.16 from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html, which iowaman posted up top. All my bookmarks were saved - the uninstall site even tells you that. I think it saved my log-ins too - coming back here to post a comment I had to log in - clicked log in, and there I was, username and password. So: Drag to the trash, go to the above site, download - that's it. Oh - of course I had to use Safari to get to the Firefox download site - and as soon as I dl Firefox, Safari quit...jealous I guess. Another reason I don't use Safari - constant crashes.