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been using Firefox for years, now it simply will not load

  • 8 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 4 views
  • Last reply by FredMcD

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Turned computer on, clicked on Firefox, my default browser for years, and nothing. A spinning wheel flashes on screen for a second and then nothing. Went into control panel to uninstall then re-install it. It just keeps saying I cannot proceed until i close/exit Firefox!!! How can I close/exit a program that I cannot load?! I am beyond frustrated and about ready to have my grandson come over, find a way to remove it once and for all and be done with it. And so far, your support system sucks. I think Google Chrome might just be the best way to to.

Turned computer on, clicked on Firefox, my default browser for years, and nothing. A spinning wheel flashes on screen for a second and then nothing. Went into control panel to uninstall then re-install it. It just keeps saying I cannot proceed until i close/exit Firefox!!! How can I close/exit a program that I cannot load?! I am beyond frustrated and about ready to have my grandson come over, find a way to remove it once and for all and be done with it. And so far, your support system sucks. I think Google Chrome might just be the best way to to.

All Replies (8)

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Reboot the computer. Is there still a problem?

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Have tried that. Have even pulled the battery out. Still nothing. Everything else loads, but not Firefox.

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Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link} by holding down the <Shift> (Mac=Options) key, and then starting Firefox.

A small dialog should appear. Click Start In Safe Mode (not Refresh). Is the problem still there?


Let’s do a full clean re-install;

Download Firefox For All languages And Systems {web link}

Save the file. Then Close Firefox.

Using your file browser, open the Programs Folder on your computer.

Windows: C:\Program Files C:\Program Files (x86)

Mac: Open the "Applications" folder. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-download-and-install-firefox-mac

Linux: Check your user manual. If you installed Firefox with the distro-based package manager, you should use the same way to uninstall it. See Install Firefox on Linux; https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/install-firefox-linux

If you downloaded and installed the binary package from the Firefox download page, simply remove the folder Firefox in your home directory. http://www.mozilla.org/firefox#desktop ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Look for, and remove any Mozilla or Firefox program folders. Do not remove the Mozilla Thunderbird folder if there is one.

Do Not remove any profile folders.

After rebooting the computer, run a registry scanner if you have one. Then run the installer. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If there is a problem, start your Computer in safe mode and try again.

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Linux+Safe+Mode This shows how to Start all Computers in Safe Mode; Free Online Encyclopedia

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Note : for some users running Win10 ver 1803 Spring Update there is issues

"...Several users have reported Firefox problems which has issues for Video Card Drivers the bug may have something to do with how Windows interacts with ANGLE, a Google-developed graphics engine abstraction layer used by Chrome and Firefox to run WebGL content on Windows devices by translating OpenGL calls to Direct3D. ..."

Please grab a copy of your Profile :

then please : uninstall Firefox. Then Delete the Mozilla Firefox Folders in C:\Program Files , C:\Program Files(x86) & C:\ProgramData 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.

Reinstall with Current Release Firefox 59.0.3 with a Full Version Installer

For the future :

Transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over the problem. Never work with original files.

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

Modified by Shadow110

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Boot the computer in Windows Safe mode with network support to see if that has effect in case security software is causing problems.

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I cannot uninstall Firefox. I have tried several times. It just keeps telling me that I cannot proceed until I close/exit Fifegox. I cannot close or exit as it is not running because it will not load. Unless it is running in some alternate universe that I am not allowed to enter, I am unable to uninstall it.

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I have tried the shift Firefox. It does nothing.

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Follow my instructions here; https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1216683#answer-1109218 but reboot the computer in Safe Mode first.