How to install for MAXIMUM stability
I am a user that wants to get work done. I want stability. I had Firefox locked at 50.0.2esd for about two years, and then about two weeks ago, something happened, my computer got updated to 62-something, and everything has been broken ever since. I think what happened was that my daughter logged on to her account (it was the first time in a couple years she'd been on that computer), and that caused an update, and everything has been uselessly catawampus since then. I have all but stopped using my "best" computer, because my "old slow" computer has a predictable Firefox.
1. What esd version would you recommend? Are some "esd" releases more stable than others? I want a super-esd version that will get security fixes only, NEVER has new features, and has minimum risk of instability. If there's more than one such super-esd, I'd prefer late-40's early-50s (I would prefer a version that's back far enough to support full Java, I like having toolbars, I really dislike how everything has been removed from visible access on toolbars, and is now buried two or three layers under the three-bar menu. But those are preferences, not absolute musts. I realize I may not be able to get back to that. It's more important to get my bookmarks, passwords and cookies than Java.)
2. My profile was converted. How do I get my cookies passwords and bookmarks? Browse history is nice too, but I can live without that.
3. How do I uninstall EVERYTHING so I will get a clean install? The best idea I've had is to do the uninstall, and then create a new account on that computer, and move all my data from the existing account to the new account. That will take hours, but it may be the best of bad options.
4. How do I lock that computer TOTALLY so that I NEVER EVER EVER get another automatic update (except must-do security updates)?
Thank you. Firefox really is an easier-to-use browser than Explorer, Edge, or Chrome, but I really can't afford updates. They're too unstable.
Изменено BostonBowTie
Все ответы (3)
Your Firefox reported itself to be running on Windows XP. The last version for Windows XP is probably the version you are already running (Firefox 52 ESR). ESR stands for Extended Support Release.
The supported version of Firefox for Windows 7 and later are:
- Firefox 65.0.2 - see https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/
- Firefox 60.5.2esr - see Switch to Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) for personal use
Some other comments:
I like having toolbars, I really dislike how everything has been removed from visible access on toolbars, and is now buried two or three layers under the three-bar menu.
Use one of these methods to show the toolbar list and select the desired bars there:
- right-click (on Mac Ctrl+click) a blank spot on the tab bar (or the "+" button)
- (menu bar) View > Toolbars
On Windows, tap the Alt key to activate the menu bar temporarily. - in Customize mode > Toolbars button (see: Customize Firefox controls, buttons and toolbars)
To turn on the Menu Bar, Bookmarks Toolbar, or other bars, click it on the list.
For #2, cookies are stored in cookies.sqlite and you can use the contents of the bookmarkbackups folder to restore bookmarks to a new installation of Firefox. See: Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer. The logins.json/key3.db file pair migrated at some point to logins.json/key4.db, which are not backards compatible. You may need to use of one your backups for those.
For #3, if you rename the following folders, Firefox's installer will create a new installation. Note that you might not have all of these folders:
- C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox => C:\Program Files\OldFirefox
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox => C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox
- C:\Users\your-Windows-user-name\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla => C:\Users\your-Windows-user-name\AppData\Roaming\OldMozilla -- this is where all your critical data is
On that last one, AppData is a hidden folder, so see: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14201/windows-show-hidden-files
For #4, there is no setting for that. Security patches and feature changes are bundled together for the standard release. They are different for the Extended Support Release, but Firefox doesn't distinguish point releases from new version releases.
Thanks. I appreciate the care and thoroughness of your answer.
I posted that message from this old Windows XP computer. I used that computer because everything works! The one that's essentially unuseable is Windows 10. I had been at Firefox 50 for years, and it broke when the update to version 62 self-installed.
What's the latest version that will support Java 8? Somewhere in the mid-50s, something about Java was decommissioned. Well, I still need it.
Again, thank you for the careful answer. I'll let you know how it goes.
The last version of Firefox that ran the Java plugin was Firefox 52 ESR, the version you run on XP. You can run Java applets in Internet Explorer on newer versions of Windows.