thanks j, I only recall 1 update which I think was a regular windows update.. not sure if that's when firefox stopped opening or not

just checked firewalls.. firefox private was allowed but not public so changed that but still not working...

Hi kryzchn, maybe you should start a new thread. There are volunteers with more network/system experience than me, and they may not open this thread because of the old title and the fact that it is now spread over 3 pages.