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Firefox won't start after new install

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I just installed Firefox on my Windows 7 64-bit system. It's a fresh install. When I start it, I just get the following error. The browser window open but does not work.

Ok, I cannot seem to upload the image so I'll just type what is says: "The instruction at 0x3fc29462 referenced memory at 0x00000000. The memory could not be read." Sounds like an uninitialized memory read.

Do I just try an older version?

I just installed Firefox on my Windows 7 64-bit system. It's a fresh install. When I start it, I just get the following error. The browser window open but does not work. Ok, I cannot seem to upload the image so I'll just type what is says: "The instruction at 0x3fc29462 referenced memory at 0x00000000. The memory could not be read." Sounds like an uninitialized memory read. Do I just try an older version?

All Replies (9)

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Update your Video Card Drivers

uninstall Firefox. Then Delete the Mozilla Firefox Folders in C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files(x86) Then restart system. Then run Windows Disk Cleanup. (Note: This should be Pinned and run Weekly, If never done below expect 10's of gig's) Then run it again and click the button that says Cleanup System Files. Note: your Firefox Profile is saved. But you should make a back up before you do :

Reinstall with Current Release Firefox 57.0.2 with a Full Version Installer

Or unfortunately 56.0.2 and below is no longer safe to use for every day use do to secuity issues, but 52.5.2 ESR. It will continue to get security updates until May 2018, and you can download and install it from this page: *https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/ Note : Legacy Extensions will be deleted or removed in any version update after May 2018.

You should make a backup of your Profile before going back and just because:

Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.

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I never had Firefox on this machine so I didn't have to back anything up. But I did a complete cleansing of my machine as you suggested. I also ran CCleaner just for good measure. Same result. Now what?

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Created new empty profile. Same result.

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Did you try reinstalling with the full version installer after deleting the folders as per 1st post.

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Yes, I did a complete uninstall, cleansed the machine as per your instructions, and then reinstalled. I did this twice.

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Can Firefox start in its "Safe Mode"? In its Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox.

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
  • Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

and OK the restart.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement?


There may be more detailed data corresponding to the crash in the Windows event logs. This article might help in locating it: https://www.cyberlink.com/support/faq-content.do?id=10449

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Ah, I just thought of something. I already had Tor installed. Then I installed Firefox. Now I screwed everything up. Gonna start over and install Tor.

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Do you mean the Tor browser? They use fundamentally different versions of Firefox, so it may be tricky making them coexist side-by-side. You may need to check Tor forums for help with it.