Firefox isn't a email program. Did you try other browser to see what happens? And are you sure firefox is the default browser?

Greetings,

1. I cannot gain access to the internet through Edge or Internet Explorer, but can through Firefox and Google Chrome.

2. The error message I keep getting is a cartoon character holding 2 separate ends of electrical lines.

3. I am not sure if Firefox is my default browser.

Please advise.

Regards,

James McRae

Greetings,

1. I cannot gain access to the internet through Edge or Internet Explorer, but can through Firefox and Google Chrome.

2. The error message I keep getting is a cartoon character holding 2 separate ends of electrical lines.

3. I am not sure if Firefox is my default browser.

Please advise.

Regards,

James McRae

Hi James, is the problem only with links in email message? In other words, you can access website directly, or through searches, or using bookmarks, but not using links in email messages?

I can think of two peculiar things about email links:

(1) Often links in "bulk" email (like newsletters, circulars, etc.) are coded to connect through a tracking service. If you have an internal or external tracking blocker turned on, those links might fail.

(2) Some webmail sites connect through a security service or other filter; possibly that service is down?

If you check some of the problem links -- either hover your mouse over the link and view the address in the lower left corner, or right-click > Copy Link Location and then paste somewhere -- do you notice any pattern to the messages links which suggests they do not go directly to the ultimate site but run through another server?

Hello jscher,

I can access websites directly, but not by using links in email messages. Using links in email messages invariably fails.

Please advise. Where do I go from here?

Regards,

James (Jim) McRae

Hi Jim, could you look at some of the problem links and see whether they are direct to sites or go through a particular intermediary?

Either hover your mouse over the link and view the address in the lower left corner, or right-click > Copy Link Location and then paste somewhere.

Do you notice any pattern?

Hello jscher,

There does not seem to be a pattern.

For some, hovering over the link shows a direct route to the site, and when clicked, opens it, sometimes. (example: amazon)

For others, hovering over the link shows a direct route to the site, and when clicked, opens it always (example: the Green Party)

For others, hovering over the link shows a direct route to the site, but when clicked does not open it.

For others, hovering over the link shows an indirect route to the site, and when clicked, does not open it.

Sorry to be such a bother.

Regards,

Jim McRae

Hi Jim, I can't explain the problem yet. Maybe more clues will emerge.

Meanwhile... If a site is generally known to work in Firefox, these are standard suggestions to try when it stops working normally:

Double-check content blockers: Firefox's Tracking Protection feature and extensions that counter ads and tracking may break websites that weren't built to operate normally without the blocked components.

Do you see a shield icon toward the left end of the address bar, near the lock icon? More info on managing the Tracking Protection feature in this article: What happened to Tracking Protection?.

Extensions such as Adblock Plus, Blur, Disconnect, Ghostery, NoScript, Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin or uMatrix should provide toolbar buttons to manage blocked content in a page. There may or may not be a number on the icon indicating the number of blocked items; you may need to click the button to see what's going on and test whether you need to make an exception for this site.

Cache and Cookies: When you have a problem with one particular site, a good "first thing to try" is clearing your Firefox cache and deleting your saved cookies for the site.

(1) Clear Firefox's Cache

See: How to clear the Firefox cache

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

(2) Remove the site's cookies (save any pending work first). While viewing a page on the site, try either:

• right-click (on Mac Ctrl+click) a blank area of the page and choose View Page Info > Security > "Clear Cookies and Site Data"
• (menu bar) Tools > Page Info > Security > "Clear Cookies and Site Data"
• click the padlock or "i" icon in the address bar, then the ">" button, then More Information, and finally the "Clear Cookies and Site Data" button

In the dialog that opens, you will see one or more matches to the current address so you can remove the site's cookies individually without affecting other sites.

Then try reloading the page. Does that help?

Testing in Firefox's Safe Mode: In its Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox. (On Mac, hold down the option/alt key instead of the Shift key.)

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

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

and OK the restart.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement?

Hello jscher,

I really appreciate your help. I will try to do as you say and get back to you.

Sincerely,

Jim McRae

It is possible that security software (anti-virus, firewall) is causing the problem. Try to disable security software temporarily to see if that makes a difference.

Hi cor-el,

You may have hit it on the head. The problem did occur when I was updating my virus/firewall.

I will get back to you.

Regards,

Jim McRae

Hello cor-el and jscher,

My system had about 400 questionable threats to its security. I called upon my virus/malware/firewall to sort things out.

Cleaned, links via my emails are now working.

Thanks to you both for all your help.

Sincerely,

Jim McRae