You can remove the -safe-mode switch from the target field in that desktop shortcut or create a new desktop shortcut via Start > All Programs > Mozilla Firefox and use Send To > Desktop to start Firefox in normal mode. See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Browser_will_not_start_up A possible cause is security software (firewall) that blocks or restricts Firefox without informing you about that, possibly after detecting changes (update) to the Firefox program. Remove all rules for Firefox 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. See: * [[Server not found]] * [[Firewalls]]