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options will not display

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When I click on options, the about:preferences page is blank. It has an yellow caution sign in tab that says, "Problem loading page", and the page itself says, "The address isn't valid". How do I fix this?

When I click on options, the about:preferences page is blank. It has an yellow caution sign in tab that says, "Problem loading page", and the page itself says, "The address isn't valid". How do I fix this?

All Replies (2)

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Try clearing cache.

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The internal "address" of the page is about:preferences so you could try pasting that into the address bar and pressing Enter to see whether the page can be accessed that way.

It's possible that Firefox's program files have become damaged. If no other explanation/solution surfaces, you can address that using this procedure:

Clean Reinstall

We use this name, but it's not about removing your settings, it's about making sure the program files are clean (no inconsistent, corrupted, or alien code files). As described below, this process does not disturb your existing settings. Do NOT uninstall Firefox, that's not needed.

(1) Download a fresh installer for Firefox 39.0 from https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/ to a convenient location. (Scroll down to your preferred language.)

(2) Exit out of Firefox (if applicable).

(3) Rename the program folder, either:

(64-bit Windows folder names)

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox

to

C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox

(32-bit Windows folder names)

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox

to

C:\Program Files\OldFirefox

(4) Run the installer you downloaded in #1. It should automatically connect to your existing settings.

Can you get to the Options page?

Note: Some plugins may exist only in that OldFirefox folder. If something essential is missing, look in these folders:

  • \OldFirefox\Plugins
  • \OldFirefox\browser\plugins