Error message

I use FF 1.5.0.7 on XP.
I have been using my.netscape.com as a home page for this browser. Today I am getting an error message that says: Invalid Browser Configuration
and goes on about setting preferences to enable Java and Java script.
I checked the settings in FF and it appear that Java is enabled.
This happened after I downloaded through FF the updated plugin for Java.
Any help would be appreciated.

Ralph

 

Ralph,

Check in aboutlugins to ensure that the Java plugin is indeed installed in Firefox. The listing for the Java plugins will be: Java(TM) 2 Platform Standard Edition 5.0 Update 9

Clear the Location Bar, and then type: aboutlugins

Also check the C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox folder for the Java plugins which are as follows:

NPJava11.dll
NPJava12.dll
NPJava13.dll
NPJava14.dll
NPJava32.dll
NPJPI150_09.dll
NPOJI610.dll

If the above files are missing from the plugins folder, they can be copied from the Java Program folder located here: C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_09\bin, and pasted into the Firefox plugins folder.

It has been my experience that uninstalling the existing version of Java and then downloading the offline Installation file creates no problems with a newer version. The Offline Install can be downloaded here:
Windows Offline Installation, J2SE(TM) Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 9

 

Rant:

That has got to be one of the most Mickey Mouse, hard-to-navigate sites in my experience. What used to be a relatively easy process has been made enormously complicated, and the people at Sun should be ashamed of themselves.

Not only that, but my Java console informed me that I already had the latest version (update 8).

 

Amen to that Rant! Trying to find a new Version is totally unpredictable. Also, the Program update has been broken for a very long time. I have complained several times on the Java Forum to no avail....

 

Fixes

Ramona
I checked aboutlugins and it shows all the files but they are 1.5.0_06 not _09.
I checked the Mozilla Firefox folder in C and it did not have any of the files you listed in either the main folder or the subfolder 'plugins'. I found _06 Java files in the 'bin' folder and copied them over to both the main and plugin folders in C.
I rebooted everything and still the same error message.
From the last part of your message it implies that I should download a new Java _09, uninstall the old Java and install the new one.
Is this correct?

Ralph

 

Yes, that is what I am suggesting. Uninstall Java 1.5.0 update 6, using Add/Remove. Then delete the Java Program folder located here: C:\Program Files\Java

Reboot the PC

Now install Java 1.5.0 update 9, and that should fix your problem.

 

The Latest Fix

Ramona
I did as you suggested and took out Java _06 and put in Java_09.(it looked like there were older versions of Java in the main Java folder so I moved them out to another folder before deleting the Java main folder).
I copied the new files from _09 into the FF plugin folder from the Java BIN.
The same error message came up when FF was trying to get to my.netscape page.
What next?

Ralph

 

ralphmli ...

Unfortunately, just uninstalling Java and rebooting won't remove all of the Java entries in the Registry that may (I stress "may" because I can't guarantee that the Java Registry entries are the cause) be causing your problems.

Try downloading and running (no installation required) RegSeeker, with java in the search window. Delete all entries found, and try again.

HTH.

 

Jim
There are 175+ entries with 'java' on the search.
I should delete all, then do a remove program, then a remove the Java directory, and then reinstall _09 again.
Is this correct?

Ralph

 

Hi ralphmli,

Do the Add/Remove first, then delete the Java folder(s), then the Registry cleaning and, finally, the reinstall.

Hope it works for you ... let us know.

 

The Latest

Jim
I did all as you listed in the last post.
The problem still is the same.
== no access to 'my.netscape'
Any more ideas??

Ralph

 

Hi ralphmli,

Sure. I have none of the files Ramona mentions in my FF plugins folder, although they are present in the Java\jre1.5.0_09\bin folder.

Have you tried going to www.netscape.com, clicking on MyNetscape and resetting that as your homepage? You'll probably have to fix it up the way you're used to all over again, but it just might work.

 

Jim:
From the Netscape browser (7.1) I can log into 'my.netscape' and it come up fine.
From FF where 'my.netscape' is shown as my home page, I get the error message.
From FF, I can go to www.netscape.com and when I hit the 'my.netscape' button I get the message again.
I conclude this is a FF issue. As I said previously, this all started after I did a Java update down load through the Mozilla site.

Ralph

 

Ralph ...

What happens if you set another webpage as your homepage in FF? Do you get the same error?

Personally, I don't use a homepage with FF, but open it with a blank page simply because it opens faster; nine times out of ten, though, I go to the same sites (via bookmarks or FF history) after opening it.

Truth be told, there are lots of possibilities here, and a number of avenues to explore to resolve the problem.

Have you tried creating a new FF profile?

Have you tried starting FF in its own Safe Mode? If you don't have a shortcut icon click Start > Run, then type one of the following, whichever works:

firefox -safe-mode

firefox.exe -safe-mode

<path to>firefox.exe -safe-mode, where the default <path to> would be be C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\. You may have yours located elsewhere, as I do ... on my system, the path is E:\MOZILLA\FIREFOX\PROGRAMS\FF1.5\ (because I'm also running FF 2.0rc2 and FF 3.0a1).​

 

In searching for an answer to Ralph's problem I found that it is not acceptable to copy the Java plugins from the Java/bin folder to the Java folder. So I am correcting what I suggested earlier, and Ralph should follow the MozillaZine article directions, as follows:
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Java#Remove_outdated_Java_files_from_the_browser_plugins_folder

Maybe it's an OS thing, since I run 98, and Jim runs XP. My Java update did NOT work until I did copy the plugin files to the Firefox folder. Thus, the reason for suggesting to Ralph that he do so.

 

More

Jim/Ramona
I put another web page in the home page slot in the options. It opened fine to that page.
I put blank page and it opened fine.
I took out all Java files in the FF folders-both main and plugins: the same error message came up.
I will try the safe mode next.

Ralph

 

Safe Mode

Jim
Safe mode does the same thing-error message.

Ralph

 

Hi Ralph,

Type about:config in FF's URL address window, then java in the Filter window. The screenshot shows my settings ... are yours the same?

 

config

Jim
Mine match yours except I have one more:

no script forbid Java; default;boolean;true

Ralph

 

Ralph ...

Double-click on it, which should change it from true to false, and see if that has any effect.