Troubleshooting Firefox problems
Firefox is a new innovative browser, that you can completely rely upon. Problems that occur when using Firefox are mainly due to extensions. It has been observed that Firefox users unncessarily install extensions and themes, as a result the browser crashes or takes time to open a particular website
Firefox works fine, however all of a sudden something goes wrong and the browser becomes a big annoyance. Relax, there is no need to worry as you will have to do some basic steps to resolve them.
The most common way to resolve these issues is try running Firefox browser in safe mode. People who are using Windows operating system should type “firefox-safe-mode” to go into safe mode. On MAC OS X, you have to go to utilities that are in application folder. Now open terminal and type “/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -safe-mode” in run dialog box.
Once you are in safe mode you can reset bookmarks to their default value. You can also disable add-ons, reset all your preferences and restore default search engines.
What if running Firefox in safe mode doesn't work?
If that does not help, you should open a clean profile and check whether the problem still exists.
Trouble removing an add-on: Add-ons can cause some serious Firefox problems. So instead of disabling them, it is better to remove them. The extensions that you have installed to enhance Firefox can be easily removed, however there are some add-ons that are so tricky, they just don't want to leave your computer. Here are some easy ways to remove add-ons from Firefox browser.
The Traditional Way: A common way to uninstall add-ons is to select the tools menu and then select the add-ons option from menu bar. Now you will be able to see your extensions installed. If not, just hit “Extensions” tab. Now right click on the extension that you want to remove and choose the option labelled “uninstall”. This can be done several times to remove all add-ons. Now restart Firefox and you won't be able to see the add-on in question.
Remove Add-ons via safe mode: Close down Firefox and then start it in safe mode. Try using the above traditional steps to remove add-ons that are causing problem.
Checkout the Add/Remove programs option: Now click on start menu and then go to control panel. Now go to “Add/Remove programs settings. If you see the add-on in question here then it cannot be removed via Firefox. Some extensions and toolbars install themselves here, instead of traditional add-ons menu.
Remove Add-ons manually: You can also get rid of those add-ons manually; however, this would be the last resort. For removing the add-on manually, just navigate to Firefox profile folder and look for the “extensions” folder. Inside this folder, you will find more folders.
Their names look like random text thrown together. Here each folder now represents an extension installed in your system. Now open each and every folder and look for a file called “install.rdf. Open this file in your notepad and you will get to know the name of the extension that you are looking for.
If you cannot find it, you have to search for the term “em: name”. After that, name of extension must be given. Some themes will also be present in this folder. Once you find the file (install.rdf)that exactly matches the add-on that you wish to delete , you have to just right click on the folder containing that extension and then select the “delete” option.
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