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Paypal won't connect in any browser.

  • 4 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 3 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

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Recently I have become unable to connect to Paypal. I get the "Unable to Connect" message. The status message shows "Looking up..." and then "Connecting to Paypal.com", but almost immediately the "Unable to Connect" page appears. I've cleared the cache and cookies, but I don't think that's the problem since I also cannot connect using Internet Explorer. Firefox does successfully connect to a secure bank site, so it isn't just a security problem. Page Info says,"This website does not supply ownership" and "Connection not encrypted", which might be a hint. I was using Firefox 19.0 but updated to 21.0 and that didn't help. So, I assume something is redirecting a request to Paypal to a scam website that has been removed. I know there are ways to redirect DNS requests that can be hacked on my computer, but I don't remember how to find them. Can you help?

Recently I have become unable to connect to Paypal. I get the "Unable to Connect" message. The status message shows "Looking up..." and then "Connecting to Paypal.com", but almost immediately the "Unable to Connect" page appears. I've cleared the cache and cookies, but I don't think that's the problem since I also cannot connect using Internet Explorer. Firefox does successfully connect to a secure bank site, so it isn't just a security problem. Page Info says,"This website does not supply ownership" and "Connection not encrypted", which might be a hint. I was using Firefox 19.0 but updated to 21.0 and that didn't help. So, I assume something is redirecting a request to Paypal to a scam website that has been removed. I know there are ways to redirect DNS requests that can be hacked on my computer, but I don't remember how to find them. Can you help?

All Replies (4)

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Hello,

Try Firefox Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode, which disables most add-ons.

(If you're not using it, switch to the Default theme.)

  • You can open Firefox 4.0+ in Safe Mode by holding the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
  • Or open the Help menu and click on the Restart with Add-ons Disabled... menu item while Firefox is running.

Once you get the pop-up, just select "'Start in Safe Mode"

If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, and you need to figure out which one. Please follow the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article for that.

To exit the Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.

When you figure out what's causing your issues, please let us know. It might help other users who have the same problem.

Thank you.

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Safe mode does not help.

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Sometimes a problem with Firefox may be a result of malware installed on your computer, that you may not be aware of.

You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:

Microsoft Security Essentials is a good permanent antivirus for Windows 7/Vista/XP if you don't already have one.


Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.

Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!

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You can also check for problems with security software (firewall,anti-virus) that blocks or restricts Firefox, possibly after detecting changes (update) to the Firefox program.

Remove all rules for Firefox and the plugin-container from the permissions list in the firewall and let your firewall ask again for permission to get full unrestricted access to internet for Firefox and the plugin-container process and the updater process.

See: