Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link} by holding down the <Shift> (Mac=Options) key, and then starting Firefox.

A small dialog should appear. Click Start In Safe Mode (not Refresh).

In the address bar, type about:crashes<enter>.

Note: If any reports do not have BP in front of the numbers/letters, click it to submit them.

The crash report is several pages of data. We need the report numbers to see the whole report.

Using your mouse, mark the most resent 7 - 10 crash reports, and copy them. Now go to the reply box and paste them in.

For more help on crash reports, see; https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-crashes-asking-support +++++++++++++++++++++++ If you can't get Firefox to open, you will have to do this the hard way.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/mozillacrashreporter Open the file browser / explorer on your computer. Note: You may have to enable Show Hidden Folders / Files. Enter this in the address bar;

Windows: %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Crash Reports\submitted Win 7/Vista: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Crash Reports\submitted Win XP/2000: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Crash Reports\submitted

Mac OS: /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Crash Reports/submitted Linux: /home/<username>/.mozilla/firefox/Crash Reports/submitted

Copy the most recent 5-7 File Names in the folder. Post the information in the reply box.

rhattaway said

Just loaded Linux Lite on a 32 bit Pentium Dell OptiPlex GX150 .. The Firefox packaged with the distro will not run.. crashes instantly. ... Any suggestions ??

https://www.cnet.com/products/dell-optiplex-gx150-tower-piii-1-ghz-0-mb-0-gb/specs/ See what Mozilla system requirements for Firefox 58.0.1 are: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/58.0.1/system-requirements/

Recommended hardware on Windows:

• Pentium 4 or newer processor that supports SSE2

Where that Dell has a Pentium III processor. Now that may not hold true on a Linux OS, but it is an indication that your processor may be too old.

On Linux official Firefox builds from Mozilla the "libraries or packages" versions are the key to compatibility; as shown on that System Requirements page. Most Linux distro's builds their version of Firefox from source, so it's not possible to compare the Firefox you have installed with the official version which would come from Mozilla. So I am at a loss as far as whether the "libraries or packages" is important or not.

I would hope that if that version of Ubuntu installed and didn't "raise any alarms" that it is compatible with your hardware; but I have no "trust" that is the case.

I have installed one Linux distro or another about a dozen times in as many years with the hope that I would "pick up the tricks" to using Linux, but I always found "something lacking" vs, what I was used to with a Windows operating system. The "lack" was always the absence of utility applications where I had the choice of features from a half a dozen or more applications available for Windows, where with Linux I spent many hours in a quest for just one application that might fulfill my needs.

One example is a screenshot utility program that would accept the "screenshot" taken by the PrntScrn button and allow me to save that image in the folder of my selection / my choice and maybe give my a choice as to which image format that screenshot was saved to; AND not have to continually go thru a menu tree to select the "save" folder over and over again. Never found a utility such as that in the years between (like) 2002 and 2011, when I took that "feature" off of my needs or expectations list for Linux.

That has been my experience with Linux on desktop PC's which were always been in the realm of being fairly up-to-date hardware wise, at least no less than 6 to 8 years old. "Played with" Linux quite a bit, but never got to the point where I became a "real user" on a desktop device.

But I have used Linux on my ASUS EeePC NetBook for close to 10 years now. Bought it for a manufacturers rep job I had back in 2007 - 2011 to get away from needing to use a "shared computer" that was available to manuf. reps doing service in the stores; disgusting looking hardware that I didn't want to even touch (that job gave me a "germ phobia" watching store employees use the same PC as I was, when they hadn't washed their hands after using the rest room or after watching a store employee pick his/her nose while using the same PC). Easier to use my own device than wear vinyl gloves when doing my job reports at the end of a service call. or worry about getting sick. Or breaking out the sanitary wipes 4 times a day to clean each computer I needed to touch / use in each different tore I called on each day.

With that EeePC after a year I installed a Linux derived distro called Easy Peasy that was made specifically for the early EeePC's with the limited SSD drive size for the base version. Tried a couple of other NetBook version Linux distro's, but had size or compatibility issues and returned to using Easy Peasy. Still works fine, but with an absolutely old Firefox 2.0 version; the hardware and the "libraries or packages" that come with the Easy Peasy distro I was am using couldn't handle the newer Firefox 3.0 version. Rarely use that NetBook on the internet now and when I do I connect thru my LAN and thru my desktop (for the firewall), then thru the router which uses an IP Tables "firewall"; yet I still concerned about "security" with a 10 year old operating system.

Any suggestions? First try the other browser that came with that distro; see what it is and if it works at all.

Second try using the Ubuntu support fora to learn if your Firefox issues are due to that old Dell running a PIII processor. And if there is a more appropriate distro for that hardware era. http://ubuntuforums.org/

Yes, Linux tends to provide better compatibility with older hardware but there's a limit to how old for specific distro's.

Can't say that I have ever heard of Firefox 58.0.1+build1-Oubuntu0.16.04.1 before, but it has been a few years since I tried any version Linux, even on a LiveCD to test it before installing it. Built a new PC for myself just under two years ago with 4 - 250GB hard drives, and never got around to installing Linux on the one drive I set aside for Linux. I did try 3 different distro's on LiveCD, but couldn't decide which one to install during the first 2 or 3 months using this PC. Just haven't been motivated to give Linux another try.

Thanks for the help. I have messed with the computer till I'm blue in the face. I abandoned Linux Lite and went to two different forms of Ubuntu, Lubuntu and Ubuntu Mate, both with distros designed for 32 bit machines, and found exactly the same issue. I never got a crash report that one of the answers asked for, the OS could not generate one that it could send B/C it uses Firefox to send crash reports LOL..

I did find on the OS that there was a place to 'update' the OS, much like I am so familiar with on the Raspberry Pi I like to play with, and so I decided to see what happened.. and it went right to the net, pulled down the latest things, and updated my distro for both Linux Lite and Ubuntu Mate. So there is not an issue with the hardware seeing the internet. That update function just must not use Firefox for it's communication.

I got *one* crash report that said something other than 'I'm gonna report this for you' ... it said something about a dump with no place to put the dump. I didn't write it down, it was late. Only time I ever saw it. Oh, there was a crash report 'of sorts' in the 'details' but it was not full of good info, and spoke of a full crash report but did not tell me where exactly it was stored. I am old and stupid, so looking for it.. well, I'd probably forget what I was doing before I found it.

I just saw this ' Linux: /home/<username>/.mozilla/firefox/Crash Reports/submitted ' in FredMcD 's reply . Sorry.. I missed it first time, and the folder is gone now I am sure. I could go look, but.... Sorry I missed it, the reply was so 'Windows' oriented I failed to read it line for line since I was being hobbled by Linux at the time, LOL

I mentioned earlier that I wanted to try the browser that was in root, but it's firefox too, and would not work either.

SO, my conclusion is that, yes, the machine is not capable of doing the job. I find this fascinating as it runs XP just fine LOL... I always though Linux was a light weight fast solution to some of the issues of Windoze. But so far, the solution has been fraught with problems of its' own. Hard to believe my little Raspberry Pi will outperform a pentium desktop, even if the desktop is 15 years old. That little rascal has no issues running three tabs in the browser. It's just a little slow.

OK, so enough.. I hate to come to a forum that I never normally visit, ask a question ( like dropping in with a hand grenade ) and never coming back. I offer solutions on other web platforms, and it's just rude, IMO, to not come back with a report. So this is mine. Thanks for your help :)

In my opinion, btw, Linux Lite has all the others I tried beat, hands down. May just be me, but I really was sad it would not run Firefox.. as it was a cool OS otherwise. Clean, sharp interface, ( I think they call it UX now ?? ) and very responsive.. except with Firefox.

I really do appreciate your input. I think the 'your box ain't big enough' hit it on the head. I am going to get a bigger box, they are easy on craigslist for almost nothing. I'll have to pay someone to take my 150 it appears.

Cheers, Richard