How to fix Firefox when stops loading content
Firefox has become virtually unusable for me. After a little bit of use, the program just refuses to load new content. I don't know what the issue is that's causing it but I've done everything I can to try to fix it:
"Reset" Firefox in the Help area Set up a new profile Tried Firefox in Safe Mode Removed all of my add-ons Complete uninstall/reinstall Run Malware Bytes, Microsoft Security Essentials, and Spybot scans which returned clean Disabled hardware acceleration Updated all my plug-ins except Java whose website was down and wouldn't allow me to download the new version Tried to dump the cache by reloading using "CTL+F5" Manually added Firefox to Windows Firewall
There may have been more that I've tried, but nothing is working. After a little bit of use (it's random, I haven't found a specific amount of time, tabs, websites, content, etc...), the program just refused to load new content. If I go to Facebook, it may upload a new update, but no additional images or media will load. If I open a new tab and try to launch a website, I just get the spinning circle.
At some point, it will let some parts of a website load, but I have to let it sit a long time until it finally loads, even then, the site loads with all kinds of errors (no images, formatting is messed up, etc...).
I have had issues with Firefox in the past and I just went to Chrome. I think the issue lies in the FF24 update because it had been working fine previously. I don't know what else to do... Any suggestions?
All Replies (7)
Not sure if it's relevant, but you have a duplicate Flash Player plugin. You can remove the old one from this folder:
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash
Keep the newest DLL:
NPSWF32_11_9_900_117.dll
Delete the older DLL:
NPSWF32_11_8_800_168.dll
Note: Flash 11.9 may cause a different error in Firefox, so maybe hold off on switching fro 11.8 to 11.9. See: What is causing this error message? FlashPlayerPlugin_11_9_900_117.exe-Application Error the exception unknown software exception (0xc0000710) occurred...
Modified by jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
If you haven't already, you can work around a lot of strange Flash-related issues -- and since Flash is used on so many sites, many browsing issues -- by disabling the Flash Player's protected mode. See this support article from Adobe under the heading "Last Resort": Adobe Forums: How do I troubleshoot Flash Player's protected mode for Firefox?
Thanks for your reply. I will remove the flash 11.8 .dll and see if that resolves the issue.
Modified by damien6
Unfortunately I only have the newest .dll in that folder. The 11.8 .dll is not installed on my machine.
I wonder why 11.8 appears in the More System Details with your post? Maybe it was removed later, or maybe your plugin registry is corrupted. You can have Firefox regenerate it as follows:
Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using
Help > Troubleshooting Information > "Show Folder" button
Switch back to Firefox and Exit
Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then rename pluginreg.dat to something like pluginreg.old
Restart Firefox, and it should re-scan available plugins. Hopefully that will remove the duplicate.
Meanwhile, the Protected Mode change probably is more significant.
Hello,
The Reset Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information. Note: This will cause you to lose any Extensions, Open websites, and some Preferences.
To Reset Firefox do the following:
Go to Firefox > Help > Troubleshooting Information. Click the "Reset Firefox" button. Firefox will close and reset. After Firefox is done, it will show a window with the information that is imported. Click Finish. Firefox will open with all factory defaults applied. Further information can be found in the Reset Firefox – easily fix most problems article.
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!
Thank you.
dyvik, resetting Firefox was the first thing I tried and it didn't work.
Thanks for your reply, though.