Here's a screen shot of the aggravating Outlook "error" i get on Firefox:

This likely happens because you are blocking essential CSS files.

If you use extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) that can block content (Adblock Plus, NoScript, DuckDuckGo PE, Disconnect, Ghostery, Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin), always make sure such extensions do not block content.

• make sure your extensions and filters are updated to the latest version
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems

You can try these steps in case of issues with webpages:

You can reload webpage(s) and bypass the cache to refresh possibly outdated or corrupted files.

• hold down the Shift key and left-click the Reload button
• press "Ctrl+F5" or press "Ctrl+Shift+R" (Windows,Linux)
• press "Command+Shift+R" (Mac)

Clear the Cache and remove the Cookies for websites that cause problems via the "3-bar" Firefox menu button (Settings), click the padlock icon (Clear cookies and site data) for the domain in the selected tab.

"Remove the Cookies" for websites that cause problems:

• Settings -> Privacy & Security
  Cookies and Site Data: "Manage Data"

"Clear the Cache":

• Settings -> Privacy & Security
  Cookies and Site Data -> Clear Data -> [X] Cached Web Content -> Clear

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/clear-cookies-and-site-data-firefox
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-clear-firefox-cache

Start Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode to check if one of the extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) or if hardware acceleration or if userChrome.css/userContent.css is causing the problem.

• switch to the Default System theme: "3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Themes
• do NOT click "Refresh Firefox" in the Troubleshoot Mode start window

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/diagnose-firefox-issues-using-troubleshoot-mode
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems

You can check for issues with Enhanced Tracking Protection and Total Cookie Protection. Firefox shows a purple shield instead of a gray shield at the left end of the location/address bar in case Enhanced Tracking Protection is blocking content.

• click the shield icon for more detail and possibly disable the protection

You can check the Web Console for relevant-looking messages like about blocked content.

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enhanced-tracking-protection-firefox-desktop
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/total-cookie-protection-and-website-breakage-faq
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/trackers-and-scripts-firefox-blocks-enhanced-track

My Outlook email suddenly started working about 8:00 pm by itself without me doing anything, but my DirecTV access is still broken, so I tried some of your suggestions.

I only have two extensions: AI Grammar Checker Tool and Video Download Helper, both of which I added within the last few days (so well after these problems already existed, and neither of which I have used yet).

I went into P&S and cleared data like you suggested. In Manage Data, I could not find DirecTV listed, though I went through the voluminous list three times, and even used its search facility.

Reloading the tab by pressing "Ctrl+F5" or pressing "Ctrl+Shift+R" didn't work. DirecTV continued to return the same error.

I didn't try clearing the Firefox cache, as I was afraid that would break a ton of stuff.

I'll try rebooting my PC to see if any of this fixed DirecTV

Thanks.

I rebooted my PC, went into Firefox, and now I get a different error when trying to access DirecTV, which I have sometimes received before:

    Secure Connection Failed

    An error occurred during a connection to stream.directv.com.

   The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because the authenticity of the received data could not be   verified.
   Please contact the website owners to inform them of this problem.

I suppose that is "progress". From now on, I'll be using the Norton Private Browser for most things, but will use Firefox for some websites as Norton makes me receive too many texts on my iphone in order to verify who the hell I am. Computers are such pieces of crap.

Thanks for your help, but I cannot consider the problem to have been solved.

You can check the connection settings and check for possible issues with a Proxy or VPN service.

• Settings -> General -> Network: Connection -> Settings

If you do not need to use a Proxy to connect to internet, select "No Proxy" if "Use the system proxy settings" or one of the others do not work properly.

See also:

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/connection-settings-firefox
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/websites-dont-load-troubleshoot-and-fix-errors

Following your suggestion, I checked, and I am not using a Proxy.

Today, Firefox started allowing me to sign in to DirecTV, and DirecTV came up, and I went to my Favorites list, and it allowed me to select a show to watch, but it would then either tell me the channel was not allowed to be viewed on this device, or the window would just sit there churning away and never mount the show to watch. Everything I selected were channels that are normally capable of being watched on my device, such as ESPN or NBC.

Anyway, I've decided to move on to using my Norton browser for most activities, and only use Firefox for those websites where Norton gives me a hassle signing in.

As an ex-computer programmer, I know that the only kind of computer program is a broken computer program, and some software works correctly by accident. Most software has "time bombs" that can go off at some unpredictable time.

Thanks. I'm going to mark this problem as solved, even though it's not completely solved. I at least better understand what might be happening, and believe it is a Firefox DNS issue, which almost always crops up except once in a blue moon.

Thanks again.