Posted on 10/03/2011 9:36:03 AM PDT by Chuckster
Little help here please. After the latest automatic update, Firefox refuses to run on my computer (Win XP Pro). I have tried everything I can think of but it just will not run. Firefox is set as the default browser on my computer but will not start by clicking the desktop shortcut, or from the start menu. I have tried starting it from the Run command line and by going into the file manager and starting it from program files. Nothing.
Thanks for any help anyone can offer.
I have uninstalled, reinstalled and rebooted several times - no joy.
While running through this problem I discovered that both Google chrome and Safari have the same problem. The only browser that will start up is IE Explorer.
When you do ctl-alt-del and open task manager do you see Images named “firefox.exe”?
Also, I highly recommend Chrome (you can get it on Google’s site. It is faster than firefox and a bit more user-friendly.
I agree with you about IE — I only use it for business applications.
I seem to have all the browsers, I usually just use IE though.
Do you have Malware Bytes? If so you should run it, just in case.
I had the same problem once but Firefox and Chrome worked again when I reinstalled again them a week later.
It could be a conflict with your add-ons.
Go to the program files directory once more and hold the shift key down while clicking on firefox.exe. This should put you in safe mode and bring up a window where you can disable add-ons etc. for troubleshooting.
XP Pro has a nasty habbit of maintaining numerous instances of Firefox.exe (Firefox) running in the Task Manager. This means that although you ‘think’ Firefox is closed; it isn’t. It’s still residing in memory and taking cycles - but isn’t able to be displayed because you’ve allegedly ‘closed it’. IMHO, this is a flaw with XP Pro (I haven’t seen it in XP Home - not saying it doesn’t exist there; I’m just unaware of it).
So, either of these solutions should work.
1) Restart your machine when this beasties pops up - frustrating, consumes time and patience, but it should work.
2) Right click on task bar, pull up Task Manager. Switch to ‘Processes’ Tab, select and cancel each and every ‘Firefox.exe’ process you have running.
Either one should get you up and running.
Did you shut down and restart the computer? If not, try that first.
See if you can find the actual executable program (i.e. “Firefox.exe”). Try double-clicking on that and see if it runs. If it does run, then the problem is your shortcuts on the desktop and/or in the Start menu are just pointing to the wrong place.
Use IE to download the current versions of Firefox and other browsers and reinstall them. That should fix them.
Did you do anything to the computer about the time the browsers stopped working? (i.e. installed new or updated software?). It’s hard to see how multiple browser programs would suddenly stop working.
Is your antivirus program up to date?
Go to filehippo and get the version that worked for you, install, you’re done
OR
do a system restore to the point before Mozilla decided to ruin your life for you. This may not work. It didn’t for me last time Mozilla did their fancy footwork on me.
And yes, I’ve been using Thunderbird and Firefox for years and yes my version of Firefox is legacy by choice.
I hate upgrades.
—This means that although you ‘think’ Firefox is closed; it isn’t. It’s still residing in memory and taking cycles - but isn’t able to be displayed because you’ve allegedly ‘closed it’.—
So, I’m not the only one. I’m just posting to vote for your response. It is what causes the problem for me on the rare occasion I have it. And it isn’t just Firefox. Winamp and some other software does it as well. I just get in the habbit, when an application won’t run, of checking to see if windows thinks it’s already running. I delete the one that shows up on the list and life is good again.
I do not have an answer but since this is a computer thread, I have a question that is unrelated to your problem. Does any one know where the info is stored on my computer? Specifically User Name and passwords for sites like FR or my Email program.
In firefox, it would be tools, options, security, saved passwords.
Worked R&D in my past life; did lots of validation runs to debug firmware and RTL code in numerous OS’s. While I didn’t see this happen with WinAmp; I have no doubt whatsoever that this may have been the case. I just noticed this with Firefox more than any other application that I commonly used.
I didn’t have this issue with Chrome, or any of the various other applications I have used. So, no; you are far from the only one who noticed this issue with Firefox.
Have you downloaded any “free” software lately. That happened to me recently and it caused all kinds of grief. I thought my hard drive had failed before I finally got the kinks out of the system. To make matters worse, it was when I wanted to uninstall this “free” software that the problems started. Moral to this story. Nothing is free.
Yes, and it was with Firefox.
Thank you very much! That is exactly what I was looking for. Is there something similar in IE? I run both but mostly FF.
I had the same problem. I just removed the new version of Firefox and downloaded an older version - it was all fixed.
It periodically asks me if I want to update and I always decline.
I run firefox and IE. I found what I was looking for in Firefox but not IE.
For IE, paste this in the RUN box at the start menu:
RunDll32.exe keymgr.dll,KRShowKeyMgr
are you logged in?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.