Need urgent help getting FireFox to work!

[MsMagnificent]

Please, if you can, help!

:::Standing by:::

[Warpy]

1. If you want help

You need to describe the problem. It would also be a good idea to go to Firefox's website and read the FAQs and troubleshooting section.

It might also be a good idea to cross post in the Computer group.

[MsMagnificent]

8. Yes, dear :D

I do understand that. But I didn't want to go into an entire long screed of something when --just perhaps-- there were no Firefox or computer experts on. Especially when it's something that I barely understand and probably wouldn't be able to describe fully &/or correctly, just what I did & didn't do.

I didn't see a Computer Group when I looked at 'Lobby' -- would you have a link, please?

But I do understand and agree to a certain extent your message! Thank you for responding!

[CK_John]

10. This link should get you to ComputerHelp.

Try this
<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=242>

[MsMagnificent]

12. TYVM! :)

[NMDemDist2]

2. i usually have to uninstall then reinstall it to get it workiing when it starts

glitching

[MsMagnificent]

7. Did that twice already - may have something to do

with add-on's perhaps? But I also uninstalled &/or deleted all FireFox add-on's!

The initial problem I'm having (dognose if I'll have more once I get past this first one!) is that the home page --nor any other page, I tried democraticunderground.com next!-- is that on the very bottom left of entire screen it says "Transferring data from flickr.com..." and then nada! :(

[MrPrax]

14. If you haven't fix it yet --

Don't bother installing and re-installing; windows programs like FF leave personal files on the harddrive (HDD) and it's possible from your description that some sorta of 'adware' thing might have go in the those 'personal' files and settings and all that is happening is that you are re-installing those as well.

First see if you can run it in 'safe mode' -- the button for safe mode should be in your Start/allprograms/Mozilla Firefox/Firefox (safe mode). Do that and go into TOOLS-OPTIONS-MAIN and see exactly where that box called Start Up says about Homepage? If that is filled out with some long string, then delete it all. Go to the dropdown menu button that says,"When Firefox Starts"...change that to open on a blank page.

Then manually type into the URL bar -- whatever web page you know -- preferably one you are not trying like DU or Google because those might be cached. If the page comes up with no problems, then it's fix.

IF NOT -- make sure you save your bookmarks -- you can just drag and drop copy them to some place on your desktop and then 'Import' them from there when you finish installing. Now uninstall it through "Add/Subtract Programs in the Control Panel"

...but before you re-install go to the file system listing in my computer and look to where the directories are for Mozilla Firefox. (see my other post for paths)

Manually delete them -- if you can't delete all the whole file...then it might get a little complicated. But you want to complete remove all of the browser files including those setting and personal files that are often left by programs when they uninstall -- especially in windows.

[MrPrax]

3. You need more details?

Like...was it working and then stopped?
Like...you just hit the update button and it updated and now all or most of your extensions, settings don't work?
Like...you just installed it and it didn't work?

It might be quite simple, but I would hate that your rip up your O/S when cleaning out your cache and running a 'bug' removing program.

[MsMagnificent]

9. Mr. Prax:

Please see explanation under #7 above -- I think I'll edit my initial post to include that message too.

Thanks for responding! :)

[wake.up.america]

4. reinstall

[Clark2008]

5. While we're at it - where's the guy who helped me redo my

bookmarks?

They've disappeared again and this time, I can't find my profile.

[MrPrax]

6. Did you do a full HDD search for ...

bookmark*.* ?

Unless you turned off session restore, you should be able to get it all back.

In XP the active profiles are not in the main "C:\program files\mozilla...", but in "C:\Documents and Settings\Admin\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\_______.default\bookmarks.html"

That's where your real bookmarks should be -- you can check by right-clicking and open it with Firefox and then it will look like an HTML page and you can check. The bookmark.html that is in the ""C:\program files\mozilla..." are the default bookmarks that come with the browser.

Firefox is an Open Source program that is 'ported' to windows and as such the file arrangement makes more sense from a Linux point of view than from a traditional windows view.

[MsMagnificent]

15. At least for the first download

and I'm 99% sure for the others, I did choose the 'import bookmarks from I Explorer' (prolly not exact syntax, but in essence that's what it meant).

Thanks again for assistance!

[Clark2008]

21. I tried that - my profile is not there.

And I'm not sure why.

All that's under Application Data is Microsoft. Yet, I obviously have Firefox. I'm using it now.

On edit: I found my profile under Windows User and reverted back to a backup date I knew had all my bookmarks and voila.

Odd.

[MsMagnificent]

11. EDIT W/ INFO (too late to edit initial post)

EDIT:

As pointed out I should be more forthcoming with details:

May have something to do with add-on's perhaps? But I also uninstalled &/or deleted all FireFox add-ons (along with FireFox itself) add-on's 2-3 times already and before I uninstalled/deleted them I restarted computer at least 3 times with each attempt, each download.

The initial, primary (to the point I can't get beyond the first page loading at all) problem I'm having (dognose if I'll have more problems once I get past this first one!) is that the home page --nor any other page, I tried democraticunderground.com next & of course it didn't work either!-- is that on the very bottom left of entire screen it says "Transferring data from flickr.com..." and then nada!

Additionally: Please note: The FireFox page also says it can help live with IRC chat - 'Chatzilla'; however Chatzilla is said to only work WITH(in) FireFox -- so I'm up the proverbial creek there too since I can't get a single page to load to even attempt to GET to Firefox's Chatzilla IRC.

Not to mention I've never, ever used IRC before in the first place... :/

[Systematic Chaos]

13. How do you know it's Firefox and not your internet connection?

Have you tried using Internet Explorer or some other browser?

[MsMagnificent]

18. Re: Internet link

Thanks for the tip; Exploder works just fine, however. Despite all this, I reset my modem and router, but still no luck getting Firefox to do anything useful. What exactly is "flickr.com" anyway? What does it have to do with Firefox? Also, the other funny thing that happens is that AFTER I close all Firefox (nay, ALL) windows and check the task manager to see that all is closed, when I go to do anything involving Firefox, the OS claims it is still running and I have to power cycle to get out of this situation. I have gone in and uninstalled Firefox with Add/Remove Programs and subsequently deleted all directories that seemed to be Firefox related, but every time I reinstall, all of the original add-ins I selected are already there. How does one get rid of them? I am beginning to suspect that's where the problem is...

[MsMagnificent]

19. Re: Internet link

Thanks for the tip; Exploder works just fine, however. Despite all this, I reset my modem and router, but still no luck getting Firefox to do anything useful. What exactly is "flickr.com" anyway? What does it have to do with Firefox? Also, the other funny thing that happens is that AFTER I close all Firefox (nay, ALL) windows and check the task manager to see that all is closed, when I go to do anything involving Firefox, the OS claims it is still running and I have to power cycle to get out of this situation. I have gone in and uninstalled Firefox with Add/Remove Programs and subsequently deleted all directories that seemed to be Firefox related, but every time I reinstall, all of the original add-ins I selected are already there. How does one get rid of them? I am beginning to suspect that's where the problem is...

[NMDemDist2]

16. run a free spyware program, it sounds like you got one somewhere

you need to get rid of it

[MrPrax]

17. Don't go out on the IRC...

You don't want to go there 'looking' for some chat group if your not quite sure what your doing on the web...that the Wild Wild West part of the internet -- that's where all the bad stuff on the net happens that we post in LBN.

I think the only problem here might be simply not cleaning the OLD firefox install thoroughly and no it's NOT going to be in your bookmark file. You can keep that it won't have a virus or something.

"Transferring data from flickr.com..." were you transferring pix to flickr that didn't go through?

I get it sometimes too -- sometimes it just your browser configuration and add-ons are conflicting with some 'web page' code (usually JS or Java type applets) -- your browser seems to want to go back to that page and then get buggered on that same code. It's not necessarily sinister; it's just a lot of web pages are very complicated and when computer programs get stuck, they will always just stop because that is how they are programmed. When you use your browser you are invoking a few little programs that you don't know are also working.

Do you use virus scanners, adware scanners, firewalls, etc? AVG is a good free scanner. So is Clamwin. Spybot, Search and Destroy, AdAware are very good slightly commercial programs that will do a thorough up to date sweep.

Also maybe you can go to START-RUN- then type msconfig ...a grey box with tabs will pop up...go to the tab that says "startup" ...you will set a list of programs with a checked or unchecked box.

A checked box means that those programs will be launched when you start your computer -- unchecked are programs that used to launch when you start your computer...is something related to mozilla or firefox or toolbar or 'weird' looking that is checked?

Just look -- don't touch ;-)

[MsMagnificent]

20. Software used with Firefox is:

We ran Adaware and Spybot just before the install, and have been using PCillin (Dell seems to recommend them most) on this computer. There was no previous version of Firefox on board; we just downloaded version 2.whateveritis on their website. I don't think there's anything funky on our homepage, pretty much just straight HTML and a JPG. We are using a firewall router, but no explicit firewall software beyond what came with Dell's flavor of XP. Still looking for all of the add-ons to kill them and reinstall a base Firefox; we do not recall seeing anything about "flickr", but there were a couple of add-ons that claimed to "enhance your web experience," but didn't say much about how or what they did. My hubby's idea of enhancing the web experience would be a DVD-ROM drive that kept his beer cold while he was rewiring the CAT-5 around the house.

[MrPrax]

22. You checked the windows

firewall settings in Control Panel -- security center? The security settings might be too high. Also the windows firewall might have thought one of the add-ons (or FF itself) was suspicious and simply blocked it.

If your net connection is working and everything else is working -- then it's the FF install and those add-ons. Clean everything out. Re-install -- check those security settings -- then see if it works w/o the add-ons.

Flickr is a photo upload service like Photobucket -- many people here at DU use it. One of the add-ons called Oakflickr or ref to Oak usings that service. Was this add-on a photouploader and toolbar BTW?

[MsMagnificent]

23. Firefox running now, Thank You *ALL* very much for assistance!

As suggested, we opened FireFox's Safe Mode, disabling all add-ons with its check-box.

It appears that in one of the add-on packages of Firefox, although NOT specified by name as being included, Flickr indeed was installed. I know we had never installed it and that it had not come with the Dell package; therefore I can only assume it came with whatever FireFoxs photo add-on was. Flickr was never there before and I RARELY download any programs off the net unless CNet approves it and of course gives it a good recommendation -- way too many corrupt programs out there!

In any event, through all the responses received it appears that nobody else had had a problem with Flickr (at least through FireFox) before, so I have no idea why it hung up this computer!


But again, thank you for all your help, Firefox is now up and running (sans any add-ons) smoothly. Hurrah!

(So far.
*crossed fingers & knocking on wood*)