Got thhe Urgent Update pop-up & inadvertently 'OK'ed it.,but stopped it. Now get "...firefox not responding" constantly. Tried refresh. How do I fix this?
Also, system runs alot slower when starting browser.
All Replies (4)
If you get a pop-up message asking to update Firefox or plugins or scanning for malware then such a message is likely a scam and you should never respond to such an alert to avoid getting infected with malware.
- Only update Firefox via "Help > About" or by downloading and installing Firefox from the Mozilla server and never via a pop-up or link on a web page.
- plugins should only be updated via the plugin itself or by visiting the home page of the plugin.
See also:
If you check your download history (Ctrl+j), is it listed there? What was it that you downloaded? Try not to click the item because that might run it.
Could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode to see whether the browser performs better? In 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.
If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:
- "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
- 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?
Meanwhile, I agree with the above recommendation to run the free scanning/cleaning tools in our malware support article.
anafiomey said
Got thhe Urgent Update pop-up & inadvertently 'OK'ed it.,but stopped it.
It sounds like you got a random name website claiming a urgent Firefox update. This is not from Mozilla or the Firefox browser. The fake firefox-patch.exe can install things like trojans, viruses, or unwanted software based on past reports.
The desktop Firefox is not just for Windows as it is for Mac OSX and Linux also so .exe would not be an effective way to send out Firefox updates. The updates are done internally in Firefox (with a .mar type of file) or by download from mozilla.org like say www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/
Even if Mozilla were to use .exe for Firefox updates on Windows, they would be serving them from a *.mozilla.org url and not from random websites with weird names and a long random stuff on end.
You could try using a adblocker extension like uBlock Origin to block these malicious ads. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/
Unfortunately this has gone on for a month now with one or two new sites reported almost everyday. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/contributors/712056/
Installed & ran Malwarebytes. Removed, quarantined several items. System running faster, not seeing the 'not responding' message any longer. Thanks for your assistance & recommendations. anafiomey