You have updated Firefox, BS I did...

Now that this "event" is happening everyday (yes today, the first time I invoked FF), 2.0.0.1 behaves more like the first time FF is brought up after a new install. This is different than 1.5.0.9. behaved. The latter behaved like an update. I say this based upon the pages that end up in the "When Firefox Starts" URL. However, all the FF lists (passwords, cookies, etc) appear to remained unchanged with both versions.

I was premature in yesterdays assessment of NoScript. I doubled checked and some (but not all) of my "allowed" web sites have, indeed, been removed. To me this is the most confusing aspect of this "event ". Yesterday I had thought that maybe they were not really being placed in the file in the first place but not so. They were there before hand and then removed.

Everything else that I have changed (things like home page, font size, download folder...) have reverted back to default values.

I have just un-installed Adblock Plus now so the only add-on I have left is NoScripts. I will keep you posted.

 

Doug ...

You've got a problem (which I really don't need to tell you.)

I think it's time for a different approach, so try this:

1. If you don't already have it, download RegSeeker. It doesn't require installation, but can be run from any location.

2. Copy your FF profile(s) to a safe place.

3. Uninstall FF (both versions if you still have 1.5.x installed).

4. Delete any remaining FF folders, including C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Mozilla\.

5. Open RegSeeker, complete a Registry search for firefox, and delete all entries.

If you haven't used RegSeeker before,

a. Click on "Find in registry ".

b. Check the two unchecked "Keys" boxes, type firefox in the search window, and either tap the return key or click on the Search button.

c. When the search is complete, click on the checkmark at the bottom of the screen, then click on "Select All" from the menu.

d. Click on the "Action" icon, click on "Delete selected items ", and OK your way out.​

6. Reinstall FF 2.0.0.1, but select the "Custom" installation, which allows you to see what's going on.

7. Copy the signons.txt and key3.db files, as well as the bookmarks.html file from your old profile to the newly created one. ​

Hopefully, this will take care of your problem, and you can proceed to configure FF to your liking. As I've said before, I have no experience with the NoScript extension, but I do use AdBlock Plus and the Filterset G extensions, and have experienced no problems with them.

 

Doug,

If you haven't already followed Jim's advice, go to the prefs.js file, and check to see if the file attribute is "Read only ". If so, then this could be the problem for Preferences not being saved.

The prefs.js file is located here:
C:\Documents and Settings\user_name\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.profile_name

If the PC is a Dell, then the Dell Network Assistant could also be causing the problem.

See this MozillaZine KB Article: Preferences Not Saved

 

I have not yet performed any of Jim's suggestions.

The prefs.js file is not read only nor is it hidden either. And FWIW, there is a prefs-1.js, -2.js and -3.js files already. None of them are read only or hidden.

And the PC is not a Dell. It is a generic IBM PC originally built in 2000. I have upgraded the BIOS (a couple of times) , the power supply, the hard drives, the CD drive and the OS from 98SE to XP Pro SP2 with a new install, not an upgrade. It was a lot of work but worth not going through an upgrade.

At this point I am ready to follow Jim's advice unless there are any other suggestions that I should do before hand.

 

OK, it just happened again! I had reason to end FF and as soon as I clicked on it again it jumped up with two tabs.

One to http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/2.0.0.1/firstrun/ and the second one to http://www.google.com/firefox?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official. The latter one ends up as my new home page.

So at this point I believe Adblock Plus is off the hot seat. Something else is causing this.

I have scanned this system with updated versions of AVG Pro, Windows Defender, Trojanhunter, Ad Aware and Spybot numerous times plus I have the up-to-date version ZoneAlarm freebie. I really suspect a bug but I don't know what to use to find it.

Oh, and now I have a prefs-5.js but no prefs-4.js. The plot thickens! I went from prefs-3.js to prefes-5.js without passing Go! And my passwords file is not displaying correctly any more. The kb3.db files shows to have been changed today at 10:46pm tonight (about the time this last "event" happened but not by me. However, the signons.txt was last changed yesterday (02-20-07 at 12:08 pm)

And, again, a number of my "allowed" web sites, including this one, have been removed from my NoScripts list.

 

Doug,

You have 4 too many prefs.js files. Does the original prefs.js file contain all that it should? If so, delete the -1, -2, -3, and -5. Something is causing the program to create a new prefs.js file on restart, which generally means that the prefs.js file is not written to, on close. Definitely corruption, and this is somewhat akin to some of the bugs in Netscape 7.2?

I would go ahead and follow Jim's advice, and use your Registry Clean to rid the system of all things Firefox, Netscape, Mozilla, and SeaMonkey. Ensure that you make a backup copy of your Profiles, and Plugins folder. Also remember to reboot your system before the fresh install of Firefox. I would even download another install file: http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/2.0.0.1/win32/en-US/

You should know that this is unusual behavior for Firefox, so perhaps this time around, no extensions at all, until you've been running error free for at least a week or so.

 

Thanks so much, Ramona and Jim, for your help on this!

I agree it is time for a new clean install. And I will follow your advice to download a new install file too. I can't promise to get it done today but I will within the next couple of days. I have spent so much time on this lately and I need to get some outside work done today. I will keep you posted here.

 

Doug ...

Because of a problem I had last night, I'm convinced that your problem lies, not in your FF profile, but in your FF program files.

Yesterday I installed a program called LinkScanner, which supposedly adds an extra layer of security to both FF and IE. It's gotten good reviews, so I had no qualms about installing it. Trouble was that, after installing LinkScanner, if I tried to do a search with either Google or Yahoo, FF crashed (didn't happen with IE). When I tried to uninstall LinkScanner, I was unable to do so... it gave me an error message.

In previous such situations, I've resorted to brute force uninstalls, deleting the program in question and cleaning the Registry of any references to it. Usually it works but, after I did it last evening, I was unable to boot back into Windows. Momentary panic!

I was able to restore my C: partition (which contains only the Windows folder and the Docs&Settings folder) from an Acronis TrueImage backup, and everything was back to normal, with one exception ... FF was all messed up. There was a huge, un-resizable border at the bottom of the window, my TabMix Plus settings didn't work, FF wouldn't read my bookmarks file, and pages/sites called by links in TB messages wouldn't open.

My Profile folder is backed up every time I close FF, but deleting my profile files and replacing them from the previous day's backup did no good.

To make a long story even longer , I also backup my Program folder periodically; finally it occurred to me to dump the Program folder and replace the files from the current backup. After doing do, just to be on the safe side, I cleaned the Registry of all references to FF, deleted the profiles.ini file in Docs&Settings, and created a new profile pointing to the already existing Profile folder (basically, what I suggested in my previous post, except that you have to reinstall FF). Voilà! FF was back to normal.

I think that what I did should work for you, too. Please let us know.

 

OK, I downloaded a new copy of the FF 2.0.0.1 setup file, wiped the old (not very old) FF off the map, so to speak. Then ran the new set up and copied over my signons.txt, key3.db and bookmarks.html files. No add-ons this time. At least not for a while anyway.

We will wait and see. If nothing is happening I will still post here every few days for a while.

Thanks again for all the help!!

 

Doug ...

I hope you mean by that, that you cleaned the Registry ... that's imperative.

 

Yup! I did just that. I even went to the C:/Windows/Programs folder and removed the Firefox folder too.

 

And....?

 

So far, so good! But keep it quiet as Murphy is always listening.

 

Consider it done.

 

Well, I have been through a couple of cold boots now and I am encouraged by no new "events" to report. I am still running without any add-ons. I'll give it another few days before I install one. I'll start with one and give it a few days before I add any more.

And I'll probably wait to go to 2.0.0.2 until I am sure we have beat the problem with 2.0.0.1. Thanks again for all the help!

 

Hi Doug,

I think you're being overly cautious. I'd begin adding extensions immediately, one at a time ... if one bites you, you can always uninstall it. I installed 2.0.0.2 yesterday, and have experienced no problems with it.

 

Perhaps but I'm following Ramona's advice from a couple of days ago:

I'll wait a couple of weeks before I go to 2.0.0.2. A couple of life times ago I was a systems programmer on big IBM systems and I learned never to be the tip of the spear on new software releases. I have been having so much "fun" lately with my browser that I look forward to some dull times for a while.

I appreciate the "words of experience" though! And thanks again for your help!

 

2.0.0.2 has security updates. I update 2.0.0.1 using the incremental update, at Help|Check for Updates, and, all was done with a about 700Kb update.

 

Doug,

Glad to hear that you are running error free. There are some security updates in 2.0.0.2, and I'm adding yet another today, to the sticky at the top of the Forum. The Solution is to upgrade to 2.0.0.2.

To upgrade, I would recommend the full install, altho others report no problems using the auto updater. You will be fine with the upgrade, remembering to do a few pre-install, and post-install steps:

Make a backup copy of your new, perfect, Profile!
Make a backup copy of your plugins folder

Uninstall 2.0.0.1 using Add/Remove
Delete the Mozilla Firefox Program folder:
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox
Reboot your PC

Now install 2.0.0.2

Also, I think your problems were Profile, especially in view of the fact that you were gathering prefs-n.js files like a harvest! Firefox had no idea where to find your Preferences, and I have an idea that the profiles.ini file was corrupt.

 

Thanks again, Ramona!

I'm preparing for an ice storm tonight so I may wait until this storm is over but I'll go to 2.0.0.2 for the security. Usually I prefer to wait a week or so.