Type about:preferences in the address bar and press Enter.

Select Advanced > Network. Look for Configure How Firefox Connects and press the Settings button. Check the settings.

>Type about:preferences in the address bar and press Enter.

>Select Advanced > Network. Look for Configure How Firefox Connects and >press the Settings button. Check the settings.

The only thing in this menu window was showing "Autodetect Proxy for this network".. since I have no proxy I changed that to "no proxy" and the next time I used the laptop at a Starbucks, I still had to use Chrome to get past their page, after which FF came up almost instantly.. Its like it was hung, waiting for the internet to become active..

I have used public WiFi myself, and haven't had a problem like that.

Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link}

While you are in safe mode, disable ALL added toolbars thru the Add-ons Manager <Control><Shift> A.

Then try again while still in safe mode.

As you can see from the snippet from ps, I'm starting FF in safemode..

dave 5218 19.0 2.9 1129524 244040 ? Sl 13:48 0:04 /usr/bin/firefox -safemode dave 5220 0.2 0.0 0 0 ? Z 13:48 0:00 [firefox] <defunct>

Use of safemode apparent does not allow FF to start prior to getting an active wifi connection. Again, by using Chrome to click the attwifi checkbox, I get the apparently hung FF process to activate, and come up normally... I've been using FF on this Debian/testing 64bit install for about 6 months and FF never started doing this until quite recently.. I love FF and have a bunch of plugins I would find VERY hard to do without (ones which do not have a Chrome equivalent), so I really want to get FF working here in a more normal manner.

Have you checked the settings for your WiFi?

I noticed you have several add-ons that may be problematic.

You have Clear Cache and Clear Cache Button. Are they the same thing?

Elite Proxy Switcher What is this for?

And several others that I don't know.

I have paged the Helpdesk for you.

I've cleared cache, I do not use a proxy.. The problem occurs both running Firefox normally AND in safe-mode.. As I said earlier in this thread, this laptop is used almost exclusively at starbucks/mcdonalds hotspots.. One thing I've noticed is that when I'm at a starbucks which has google wifi vs the old attwifi, I often do not get any "splashpage", and am immediately connected to the internet, in which case FF comes up perfectly normally, and I don't have to use Chrome to "check the box"... Its pretty darned annoying.. Since this occurs in safe-mode, where, as I understand it, there are NO addins loaded, this has got to be FF itself demanding access to the internet prior to it fully starting.. As I also said earlier, when I start FF just after booting the system, I see FF as a zombie process when I do a "ps -xua" (this is Debian/testing/64bit). Once I have internet access, apparently that zombie process becomes non-zombie (is that even possible??)

There are some sites that do not work with Firefox.

When you end you session, do you log out of the WiFi, or just turn off the browser? Next time do not log out.

I don't "log out of wifi".. when I'm thru with the laptop for the time being, I close the browser and do a shutdown of the os.. no standby or hibernate..

I'm starting to run out of ideas.

Open the settings window for your WiFi. (Control Panel?)

Pull up the general settings, and the settings for all the WiFi's you are trying to use. Tack screen shots of all and post them.

Also, open the proxy settings on Firefox and IE. Are they the same?

Umm.. This issue is occurring on Linux.. There IS no IE (thank god).. Proxy settings on FF and Chrome are identical, namely NO proxy configured..

I've come up with a workaround.. Switched out the Linux drive with my pretty unused Windows 7 disk.. Where this problem with Firefox doesn't occur.. I'll check back in a few months with FF on Linux and see if one of the endless "updates" has magically fixed this problem.. Thank you for the help anyway..

Good luck.

Yes, this is a problem still. I'm using firefox under linux as well and any time I go to a public wifi location firefox will not open because for some reason it requires internet to be operational before it opens, but the internet requires logging in through the browser.

My workaround is to use epiphany to log onto the network. Epiphany is the linux equivalent of IE (crappy alternative browser that is always installed). Once you log on to the network, Firefox will open without a problem.

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