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Unable to access ftp sites

  • 5 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 4 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

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FF 32.02 on Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit. Attempting to access ftp site produces the following error message popup:

211-Features: AUTH SSL AUTH TLS EPRT EPSV MDTM PASV PBSZ PROT

with the following page displayed after acknowledging the popup:

The connection was reset The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.

   The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments.
   If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection.
   If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

Cuting-and-pasting the same URL into IE 11.0.9600 results in the page displaying with no problems. Therefore, there is none of the 3 suggestions is the problem.

FF 32.02 on Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit. Attempting to access ftp site produces the following error message popup: 211-Features: AUTH SSL AUTH TLS EPRT EPSV MDTM PASV PBSZ PROT with the following page displayed after acknowledging the popup: The connection was reset The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading. The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments. If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection. If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web. Cuting-and-pasting the same URL into IE 11.0.9600 results in the page displaying with no problems. Therefore, there is none of the 3 suggestions is the problem.

All Replies (5)

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Can you open anonymous FTP sites like: ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/

For secure sites, since Firefox does not have a fully featured FTP client built in, I suggest using an add-on like FireFTP or a stand-alone FTP client. Or IE.

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None of the ftp websites are secure. Here is one:

ftp://wcftp.washoecounty.us/rec_maps

There are several other public ftp sites that have the same problem, such as the BLM. I have been accessing these sites for years with FF and for two years on this computer. This problem surfaced with FF31 and has continued with the current version. None of the other ftp clients, such as Windows Explorer, IE, Expression Web, or the Command Line have any problems.

I CAN access ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/ with no problems using my FF. Not sure what that means. I thought maybe the code for the error pop-up at the top of my message would provide clues. Perhaps there is some setting in FF that blocks access to ftp sites without certificates? What does that "211-Features" mean? And the SSL and TLS etc, stuff after it?

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The county ftp site doesn't act strangely for me.

I'm not sure whether these general suggestions are applicable to ftp sites, but just in case:

When you have a problem with one particular site, a good "first thing to try" is clearing your Firefox cache and deleting your saved cookies for the site.

(1) Bypass Firefox's Cache

Use Ctrl+Shift+r to reload the page fresh from the server.

Alternately, you also can clear Firefox's cache completely using:

"3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options > Advanced

On the Network mini-tab > Cached Web Content : "Clear Now"

If you have a large hard drive, this might take a few minutes.

(2) Remove the site's cookies (save any pending work first). While viewing a page on the site, try either:

  • right-click and choose View Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
  • (menu bar) Tools > Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"

In the dialog that opens, you can remove the site's cookies individually.

Then try reloading the page. Does that help?

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I am one of those paranoid individuals. I have Firefox set to clear history and cookies when I shut down. IE, too. So, no history or cookies on any of the affected ftp sites. This problem only appears to occur when I try an ftp site that does not use certificates. I think it is some setting deep in FF that got set with the 31 update, I am going to uninstall FF and reinstall to see if that fixes the problem.

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Do you see these messages in the browsing area instead of the index page that you see usually?

Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem.

See "Creating a profile":

If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over problems.