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Have to reset Firefox at least once a week on 3 different computers

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This is really getting to be annoying as I have to reset Firefox at least once a week on 3 different computers to get web pages to display properly. It also means that I have to reinstall my add ons.

This is really getting to be annoying as I have to reset Firefox at least once a week on 3 different computers to get web pages to display properly. It also means that I have to reinstall my add ons.

All Replies (2)

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Wow! That's a lot of resetting. The fact it affects 3 computers is really strange. I would try a full reinstall of Firefox, and if that doesnt work we will try something else.

Certain Firefox problems can be solved by performing a Clean reinstall. This means you remove Firefox program files and then reinstall Firefox. Please follow these steps:

Note: You might want to print these steps or view them in another browser.

  1. Download the latest Desktop version of Firefox from http://www.mozilla.org and save the setup file to your computer.
  2. After the download finishes, close all Firefox windows (click Exit from the Firefox or File menu).
  3. Delete the Firefox installation folder, which is located in one of these locations, by default:
    • Windows:
      • C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox
      • C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox
    • Mac: Delete Firefox from the Applications folder.
    • Linux: If you installed Firefox with the distro-based package manager, you should use the same way to uninstall it - see Install Firefox on Linux. If you downloaded and installed the binary package from the Firefox download page, simply remove the folder firefox in your home directory.
  4. Now, go ahead and reinstall Firefox:
    1. Double-click the downloaded installation file and go through the steps of the installation wizard.
    2. Once the wizard is finished, choose to directly open Firefox after clicking the Finish button.

More information about reinstalling Firefox can be found here.

WARNING: Do not run Firefox's uninstaller or use a third party remover as part of this process, because that could permanently delete your Firefox data, including but not limited to, extensions, cache, cookies, bookmarks, personal settings and saved passwords. These cannot be recovered unless they have been backed up to an external device!

Please report back to see if this helped you!

Thank you.

Modified by Microrobot

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Usually things would not go so wrong in 72 hours. Next time, could you try:

(1) Clear Firefox's Cache

You can use Ctrl+Shift+r to force Firefox to re-fetch all elements of the current page.

To clear cache for all pages:

"3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options > Advanced

On the Network mini-tab > Cached Web Content : "Clear Now"

If you have a large hard drive, this might take a few minutes.

Then try reloading the problem page. Does that help?

(2) Remove cookies for individual problem sites (save any pending work first). While viewing a page on the site:

  • right-click and choose View Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
  • Alt+t (open the classic Tools menu) > Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"

Then try reloading the problem page. Does that help?

(3) To rule out extensions as a possible culprit, try the sites in Firefox's Safe Mode. That's a standard diagnostic tool to bypass interference by extensions (and some custom settings). More info: Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode.

You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
  • Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

Note: Flash and other plugins still run in Safe Mode

In the small dialog that appears after Firefox closes, click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Reset)

Any difference with the problem pages?