Firefox and IE can access most web pages, but both go "unable to connect" on mozilla.org
Hello,
I'm trying to update Firefox on a relative's Windows 10 computer, but none of the installed browsers can reach the Mozilla main pages. We're stuck on version 72.0.2
Other webpages load fine. The only way I've gotten mozilla.org to load is by using a web proxy, but then the error appears when I try to download the latest version of firefox (it's always "download was interrupted" then). Going down the recommendations on this help page https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-and-other-browsers-cant-load-websites , I verified that windows firewall allows Firefox. Then I checked the system time and the wireless connection. Flushing the DNS cache was similarly fruitless. Other computers using the same internet provider in the same house don't have this problem, so I don't think the ISP is at fault. I even went looking for the DNS number of the website and tried inputting that into my address bar. Still no luck. I made an HTTP log file of the error through about:networking, as described here https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Debugging/HTTP_logging, and will attach it. I really hope you can help me troubleshoot this; it's been plaguing my relative for an excruciatingly long time.
... hm. Your attachments browser window doesn't see .moz_log files, so I've uploaded them to this ge.tt address: http://ge.tt/1ocAom83 .
Regards, Silvia
Chosen solution
You can do a malware scan just to be sure.
You can check the connection settings.
- Options/Preferences -> General -> Network: Connection -> Settings
If you do not need to use a proxy to connect to internet then try to select "No Proxy" if "Use the system proxy settings" or one of the others do not work properly.
See "Firefox connection settings":
You can also check for issues with the Windows hosts file.
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Have you tried: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/
There is security software like Avast, Kaspersky,
BitDefender and ESET that intercept secure
connection certificates and send their own.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-cant-load-websites-other-browsers-can
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-and-other-browsers-cant-load-websites
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/secure-connection-failed-error-message
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/connection-untrusted-error-message
Websites don't load - troubleshoot and fix error messages
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Error_loading_websites
I just tried the en_US localization, but I get the same "unable to connect / problem loading page". Along similar lines, https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/ works but when I hit download (for Windows 64) the download.mozilla.org page doesn't load.
This computer is running AVG for an antivirus. Maybe that's interfering?
Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link}
A small dialog should appear. Click Start In Safe Mode (not Refresh). Is the problem still there?
Start your Computer in safe mode with network support. Then start Firefox. Try Secure websites. Is the problem still there?
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Linux+Safe+Mode Starting Any Computer In Safe Mode; Free Online Encyclopedia
Chosen Solution
You can do a malware scan just to be sure.
You can check the connection settings.
- Options/Preferences -> General -> Network: Connection -> Settings
If you do not need to use a proxy to connect to internet then try to select "No Proxy" if "Use the system proxy settings" or one of the others do not work properly.
See "Firefox connection settings":
You can also check for issues with the Windows hosts file.
Modified by cor-el
FredMcD, I tried putting Firefox in safe mode and going to the page and it still can't load. Rebooting into safe mode with networking on the machine took longer, but the problem remained there also.
cor-el, I don't have any of the other sorts of browser misbehavior / hijacking that the malware page describes, but to be sure I ran an up-to-date copy of malwarebytes, and uninstalled AVG and then ran a full scan with Bitdefender. Neither program found anything of interest. So, at least we're doing a productive process of elimination.
Switched from "use system settings" to "no proxy" to be sure it's not looking for a non-existent proxy.
Other browsers are having the same problem, it's not *just* Firefox.
... so I searched for a Hosts file. It wasn't in the usual place, but the download pages and Mozilla itself were blacklisted to prevent Firefox from uploading itself against the user's wishes. At least, so said the explanatory comment said. I deleted that, re-saved the file, restarted Firefox, and still had the problem. I emptied the trash and ran a search of the C: drive to find out if there were copies of that hosts file in some other part of the computer. (Because it wasn't in %systemroot%) and indeed, there was another copy in windows / system32 / drivers / etc.
Now the computer can get to the mozilla.org webpage. And it managed to download. So now the Firefox is up-to-date, finally.
Thank you both so much. I gave this my best effort, but I would never have tracked what was causing this glitch down, much less been able to fix it, without your knowledgeable and systematic help. Problem solved.
You're welcome.
It was the HTTP log you supplied that made me think about the hosts file as there are references to 127.0.0.1 with regards to mozilla.org.
That was very good work. Well Done.