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firefox does not show up after I download it; I get internet explorer instead

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When I click on my firefox icon, it doesn't connect. When I go to internet explorer to download mozilla from mozilla.org, it seems to be downloading and shows up on my program list, but it still does not connect with the mozilla browser. I think something is blocking it or redirecting me back to internet explorer, but I don't know how to prevent it from doing that.

When I click on my firefox icon, it doesn't connect. When I go to internet explorer to download mozilla from mozilla.org, it seems to be downloading and shows up on my program list, but it still does not connect with the mozilla browser. I think something is blocking it or redirecting me back to internet explorer, but I don't know how to prevent it from doing that.

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When you say it doesn't connect, do you get a "Server not found" message for various websites that you try? Did this happen on your first installation or after an upgrade? One of these articles might help:

If the problem is that Firefox just never starts up at all, and reinstalling Firefox doesn't help, you might need to log off and restart Windows. Sometimes the Windows Installer gets a number of jobs backed up and stops working correctly.

Some malware also may block non-Microsoft browsers. You may want to run some supplemental scans. This article recommends a number of well regarded and free scanners: Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware.

Any luck?