I can no longer get Firefox to work on my computer
A few days ago, I was prompted on a Firefox update. It didn't look like one of the 'fake' update windows I've seen on the Mozilla site, just a genuine prompt from my security software. I said 'yes' to it. Firefox would no longer work on my computer. I tried all the hints and prompts and fixes and nothing worked. In desperation, I uninstalled and tried re-installing Firefox, no dice. The program wouldn't run. I tried uninstalling it and deleting all the original execution files from my computer. Now, when I try to install it, Firefox will download, but when I try to open it the message is that 'Windows cannot access the device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item'. It sounds silly, but I could literally cry at losing my Firefox browser, nothing is quite the same. Other browsers are awful by comparison. If anyone can help me get it back I'd be really grateful.
Chosen solution
I don't know what that error message means, but perhaps something the installer needs was deleted inadvertently, or some file/folder is locked. Have you shut down and restarted Windows since this problem began to see whether the installer will run after that?
Note: I recommend using a "full" installer from the following page. It takes much longer to download, but doesn't need to connect back to the server for additional files.
https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/
Regarding the startup problem, maybe...
One of the main effects of the Firefox 56.0.1 update was to migrate 64-bit Windows users from the traditional 32-bit version of Firefox to the 64-bit version. We've received a number of puzzling reports of Firefox either not starting or not loading any pages after this migration.
One user discovered that Windows was silently killing Firefox at startup and recording it in the Windows event logs (you can view event logs using the Event Viewer). Based on one of the reports in the log, we were able to trace that to an out-of-date Logitech camera driver, of all things. Two other users reported that uninstalling the Logitech camera resolved their problem as well.
- https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1179822#answer-1019375
- https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1181740#answer-1021470
- https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1181405#answer-1022798
Do you want some assistance in looking at event logs, or do you have such a camera?
If the investigation doesn't yield any solutions, or there's no time for that right now, it is worth trying a return to 32-bit Firefox.
While normally this kind of change is seamless -- the installer detects your existing data and preserves everything -- you might want to make a backup "just in case."
- Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles
- How to opt out of 32-bit Firefox migration to 64-bit
Note: If you decide to try 64-bit Firefox on the same system at some point in the future, see: How to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Firefox.
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Chosen Solution
I don't know what that error message means, but perhaps something the installer needs was deleted inadvertently, or some file/folder is locked. Have you shut down and restarted Windows since this problem began to see whether the installer will run after that?
Note: I recommend using a "full" installer from the following page. It takes much longer to download, but doesn't need to connect back to the server for additional files.
https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/
Regarding the startup problem, maybe...
One of the main effects of the Firefox 56.0.1 update was to migrate 64-bit Windows users from the traditional 32-bit version of Firefox to the 64-bit version. We've received a number of puzzling reports of Firefox either not starting or not loading any pages after this migration.
One user discovered that Windows was silently killing Firefox at startup and recording it in the Windows event logs (you can view event logs using the Event Viewer). Based on one of the reports in the log, we were able to trace that to an out-of-date Logitech camera driver, of all things. Two other users reported that uninstalling the Logitech camera resolved their problem as well.
- https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1179822#answer-1019375
- https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1181740#answer-1021470
- https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1181405#answer-1022798
Do you want some assistance in looking at event logs, or do you have such a camera?
If the investigation doesn't yield any solutions, or there's no time for that right now, it is worth trying a return to 32-bit Firefox.
While normally this kind of change is seamless -- the installer detects your existing data and preserves everything -- you might want to make a backup "just in case."
- Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles
- How to opt out of 32-bit Firefox migration to 64-bit
Note: If you decide to try 64-bit Firefox on the same system at some point in the future, see: How to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Firefox.