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Websites loading at plain text instead of HTML

  • 12 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 3 views
  • Last reply by FredMcD

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I love Firefox, it's the main browser I use on my desktop. But there are several websites that, when I try to open them, instead of loading the page, they load a plain text version of the page. I've tried the same websites in different browsers but they all show up the same way, but only on my desktop, my laptop loads them just fine. I have no idea why they are like this or what is causing them. I've googled it several times but the only answers I can find are either directed for web developers, which I am not, or list solutions that do not work to fix my problem. I've included a screenshot of what shows up when I try to open up one of the websites - its the same layout for several different pages. They used to work just fine.

I have uninstalled & reinstalled Firefox. I've disabled and enabled my extensions & addons to see if they were causing the issue. I've cleared my history & my cache. None of it has worked.


I've repeatedly tried to upload the image, but I don't know that's working, it just shows it as still uploading. In the event that it doesn't upload, when the pages that are having problems do "load", instead of any links or images or anything, I just get text like this (the ">" and "<" are just to denote where it begins & ends): > Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2019 06:56:47 GMT Server: Apache Pragma: no-cache Cache-Control: private Expires: Mon, 26 Jul 1997 05:00:00 GMT Vary: Accept-Encoding Set-Cookie: PHPSESSID=ootkqapvnkb4ferdq2ad1vr955; path=/ Last-Modified: Sun, 03 Feb 2019 06:56:49 GMT Keep-Alive: timeout=5, max=100 Connection: Keep-Alive Transfer-Encoding: chunked Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8

2740 <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/Ambassador_20/css/index.css?fin20"> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/default/scripts/script.js?fin20"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/Ambassador_20/scripts/theme.js?fin20"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- // --><![CDATA[ var smf_theme_url = "http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/Ambassador_20"; var smf_default_theme_url = "http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/default"; var smf_images_url = "http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/Ambassador_20/images"; var smf_scripturl = "http://forum.weareavery.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=ootkqapvnkb4ferdq2ad1vr955&"; var smf_iso_case_folding = false; var smf_charset = "UTF-8"; var ajax_notification_text = "Loading..."; var ajax_notification_cancel_text = "Cancel"; // ]]></script> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"> <meta name="description" content="Login"> <title>Login</title> <link rel="help" href="http://forum.weareavery.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=ootkqapvnkb4ferdq2ad1vr955&action=help"> <link rel="search" href="http://forum.weareavery.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=ootkqapvnkb4ferdq2ad1vr955&action=search"> <link rel="contents" href="http://forum.weareavery.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=ootkqapvnkb4ferdq2ad1vr955&"><script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http://forum.weareavery.org/mobiquo/tapatalkdetect.js"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" id="portal_css" href="http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/default/css/portal.css"> < Is there some kind of setting or something I can fix to try and fix this issue?

I love Firefox, it's the main browser I use on my desktop. But there are several websites that, when I try to open them, instead of loading the page, they load a plain text version of the page. I've tried the same websites in different browsers but they all show up the same way, but only on my desktop, my laptop loads them just fine. I have no idea why they are like this or what is causing them. I've googled it several times but the only answers I can find are either directed for web developers, which I am not, or list solutions that do not work to fix my problem. I've included a screenshot of what shows up when I try to open up one of the websites - its the same layout for several different pages. They used to work just fine. I have uninstalled & reinstalled Firefox. I've disabled and enabled my extensions & addons to see if they were causing the issue. I've cleared my history & my cache. None of it has worked. I've repeatedly tried to upload the image, but I don't know that's working, it just shows it as still uploading. In the event that it doesn't upload, when the pages that are having problems do "load", instead of any links or images or anything, I just get text like this (the ">" and "<" are just to denote where it begins & ends): > Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2019 06:56:47 GMT Server: Apache Pragma: no-cache Cache-Control: private Expires: Mon, 26 Jul 1997 05:00:00 GMT Vary: Accept-Encoding Set-Cookie: PHPSESSID=ootkqapvnkb4ferdq2ad1vr955; path=/ Last-Modified: Sun, 03 Feb 2019 06:56:49 GMT Keep-Alive: timeout=5, max=100 Connection: Keep-Alive Transfer-Encoding: chunked Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 2740 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/Ambassador_20/css/index.css?fin20" /> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/default/scripts/script.js?fin20"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/Ambassador_20/scripts/theme.js?fin20"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- // --><![CDATA[ var smf_theme_url = "http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/Ambassador_20"; var smf_default_theme_url = "http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/default"; var smf_images_url = "http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/Ambassador_20/images"; var smf_scripturl = "http://forum.weareavery.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=ootkqapvnkb4ferdq2ad1vr955&amp;"; var smf_iso_case_folding = false; var smf_charset = "UTF-8"; var ajax_notification_text = "Loading..."; var ajax_notification_cancel_text = "Cancel"; // ]]></script> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> <meta name="description" content="Login" /> <title>Login</title> <link rel="help" href="http://forum.weareavery.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=ootkqapvnkb4ferdq2ad1vr955&amp;action=help" /> <link rel="search" href="http://forum.weareavery.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=ootkqapvnkb4ferdq2ad1vr955&amp;action=search" /> <link rel="contents" href="http://forum.weareavery.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=ootkqapvnkb4ferdq2ad1vr955&amp;" /><script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http://forum.weareavery.org/mobiquo/tapatalkdetect.js"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" id="portal_css" href="http://forum.weareavery.org/Themes/default/css/portal.css" /> </head> < Is there some kind of setting or something I can fix to try and fix this issue?

All Replies (12)

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Load the web page. Then, to reload the page bypassing the cache and force a fresh retrieval; Ctrl+Shift+R (Mac=Command+Shift+R)

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I tried that, as well, but it merely reloaded the same thing. I finally got the image to upload, so I've attached what is showing up instead of the website (or, a few different websites, actually).

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That looks like the script program that tells the browser how to display the page.

https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Clear+Recent+History#w_how-do-i-remove-a-single-website-from-my-history

Remove History For One Site

Open the History Manager <Control><Shift> H. In the search bar, enter the name of the site. Right-click on one of the listings and select Forget About This Site. This should remove all information, including any passwords / settings.


Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link}

A small dialog should appear. Click Start In Safe Mode (not Refresh). Is the problem still there?

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I removed the site as described, and started it in Safe Mode after, but it still gives me the same thing.

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This usually happens if your security software (firewall) is modifying the HTTP response headers and send them as plain text to the browser.

It is possible that your firewall or other security software blocks or restricts Firefox without informing you, possibly after detecting changes (update) to the Firefox application. 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 for Firefox and the plugin-container process and the updater process.

See:

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Still not working.

I went through the steps in the second & third links, restarted Firefox. Nothing. Site still just shows up as plain text.

It works on my phone, and on a different computer, but I can't get the sites to work on this computer. I'm hardwired to my router/modem, I've gone into my Firewall to reallow Firefox. I have no idea, I'm at a complete loss.

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FredMcD said

To reload the page bypassing the cache and force a fresh retrieval; Ctrl+Shift+R

I've been doing SHIFT+(Click Reload) to bypass/dump the Cache. Did this change or should I have been doing CONTROL+SHIFT+(Click Reload or R) all along?


~Pj

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Start your Computer in safe mode with network support. Then start Firefox. Try Secure websites. Is the problem still there?

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Linux+Safe+Mode Starting Any Computer In Safe Mode; Free Online Encyclopedia

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When I opened it in safe mode with networking, the sites that were only loading as plain text DID load properly! I haven't gone back out of Safe Mode yet, is there something I'm supposed to do before i switch back?

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That means something in the computer is the issue. Firewall, anti-virus . . .

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Ok. I managed to narrow it down to my antivirus, so I've gone ahead and contacted them for help. Thanks guys.

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Good to hear. Please keep us posted.