Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

what has happened to this browser?

  • 13 replies
  • 31 have this problem
  • 3 views
  • Last reply by AKA3Toes

more options

firefox has become so slow I could scream. I can open internet explorer eight times before this browser will open.

I am at a loss what has caused this.
It used to be my fast browser. I could scream.
firefox has become so slow I could scream. I can open internet explorer eight times before this browser will open. I am at a loss what has caused this. It used to be my fast browser. I could scream.

All Replies (13)

more options

Start Firefox in Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode to check if one of your add-ons is causing your problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Tools > Add-ons > Themes).

  • Don't make any changes on the Safe mode start window.

See Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems and Troubleshoot issues with plugins like Flash or Java to fix common Firefox problems

If it does work in Safe-mode then disable all your extensions and then try to find which is causing it by enabling one at a time until the problem reappears.

  • Use "Disable all add-ons" on the Safe mode start window to disable all extensions.
  • Close and restart Firefox after each change via "File > Exit" (Mac: "Firefox > Quit"; Linux: "File > Quit")

Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problems. See Basic Troubleshooting: Make a new profile

There may be extensions and plugins installed by default in a new profile, so check that in "Tools > Add-ons > Extensions & Plugins"

If that new profile works then you can transfer some files from the old profile to that new profile (be careful not to copy corrupted files)
See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_Firefox

Modified by cor-el

more options

---I will not withhold any punches as I am a veteran FF user and completely against IE.

---IMHO, the problems may stem from something that was added by either Mozilla or M$ around the time "plugin container" was implemented.

---https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/questions/763870 is my post that doesn't seem to be getting any real attention and AFAIC, as long as IE is allowed to connect to anything in the FF directory or related registry, FF is going to have issues. I'll just compare it to the problems people who use messengers have and have had in the past 10+ years when using AOL/AIM, Yahoo and MSN Messengers. MSN kicks the dog snot out of the other messengers so the user will cross over by uninstalling the "problematic program" and it's MSN Messenger that needed to be uninstalled, so M$ made MSN Messenger load automatically... blah blah blah, forced it on users of hotmail, OE and Office... blah blah blah...

... and if Mozilla is going to allow even a partial merge of FF and IE, I will quit (after 5 years of "religious"/ & devoted use), and use my ISP's browser saying !@#$ OFF! to both IE and FF... and that also includes explaining to everyone I know outside the box, why I quit and why they shouldn't use either.

---I would much rather play nice and use FF though :-)

---Maybe some developer background checks should be made? If someone works for, or ever worked for M$ in the past, they should not be allowed to initiate any changes to the program... lol. Yeah, I am screaming sabotage. Funny how we enjoyed this browser for so many years, and then as soon as declaration was made, claiming "the most downloaded program on the net", we start having major issues.

Modified by AKA3Toes

more options

AKA3Toes,

Please don't be rude and attempt to high jack another users thread for your own purposes. You received an answer to your problem on the 11th when you first posted it. You didn't like the answer you got on the 11th, and said so. Then that thread fell back in the line and nobody else provided a 2nd answer - unfortunately, that happens sometimes. We're all volunteers with a real life outside of this forum, and there aren't enough volunteer helpers here. The correct thing to do is what you did in your thread earlier today, you provided additional information and "bumped" your thread back to the front of the line where more people will see it. I saw your thread a few minutes ago and provided an answer that I hope will help you figure out why that might happen.

more options

---Not meaning to hijack (seriously).

Modified by AKA3Toes

more options

AKA3Toes,

https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Forum+and+chat+rules+and+guidelines
"Be friendly even if others are not. "

Modified by the-edmeister

more options

---KK!

Modified by AKA3Toes

more options

LOL! We're composing at the same time and posting one after the other!

Agreed and settled!

Modified by the-edmeister

more options

I will try this. I think it has to be an add on. It seems loaded with them, and truly, I don't recall adding any. This browser has a mind of its own, it seems to me. It starts off great, and then devolves. I use both. I could not wait forever on this one when I'm surfing.

more options

then why did you? I really would appreciate getting to the bottom of it and having the browser work like it did.

more options

I am going to have to go through all that tomorrow. I am o Eastern time and it looks time consuming and exhausting. Thanks I will bookmark this and try your suggestion.

more options

Well now the damn browser won't open at all.

I am so sick of it. It is a nightmare to try to figure out what is wrong. Exhausting then try to and it won't open.
what happened to this? Why did mozilla change so much? I remember this used to be so fast and nice. It got coopted. 
This browser isn't worth the trouble. I have to use internet explorer to get here.
I can't fathom that it's anything I did I don't go to dangerous sites. Over the months and year, really it just has grown worse with each so called update.
more options

Wow I have to say that although I had no time to do any troubleshooting, the firefox would not open at all. Some settings got changed (how odd) I had to contact Norton antivirus because troubleshooting info here said it could be blocked. Well that wasn't the case at all, it was settings all changed. Gee I sure didn't do that.

Maybe that browser is less secure than one would think.
more options

---In the past I would have said that Norton/Symantec would be the major concern for security, probably applies now since they knew what the problem was, but lately I am not understanding what the problem is with FF.

---Settings allowed to be changed without user permission is normally a hijack caused by an infection, in my case earlier my ISP basically "hacked" my registry & altered my settings without my approval... or the cause can be an antivirus/firewall re-routing the network through itself for surveillance reasons. However, none of those setting would I think prevent you from opening the executable file, unless you didn't have administrative privileges to "run" the program and Norton stated you needed authorization (and someone along the line checked a box that said "do not tell me again, so you were never told again that Norton blocked it).

---Glad you got it sorted out though.

---@ the_edmeister, it'd be cool if you edited your post so it doesn't still show assumption in regards to hijacking. AFAIC, that's not cool.