very slow start up
Ever since updating Firefox a couple of months or so ago, it's been slow to start up and then creeps for a time as if it's downloading or uploading. I've tried disabling add-ons and that didn't work. My other browsers are not having this problem. I've begun disconnecting from the internet at start up in order to allow Firefox to finish whatever its doing before I reconnect. Suggestions ?
All Replies (4)
Start Firefox in Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode to check if one of the extensions or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance/Themes).
- Don't make any changes on the Safe mode start window.
- https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Safe+Mode
A possible cause is security software (firewall) that blocks or restricts Firefox or the plugin-container process without informing you, possibly after detecting changes (update) to the Firefox program.
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 to internet for Firefox and the plugin-container process and the updater process.
See:
No luck. I should point out that this problem exists only the first time I open Firefox after booting up my computer. After that, I can re-open it as many times and with as many windows as I want to without any problems. So the problem is there only when I try to start Firefox after booting up my computer. For this reason, going to the Help menu and restarting with add-ons disabled sheds no new light because re-opening Firefox a second time isn't a problem anyway.
In the Windows Firewall Programs and Services list Firefox isn't even listed. Mozilla Thunderbird is and I unchecked it to see if it would make a difference but it did not. Today was the first time I've opened Thunderbird in over a year.
It's possible that the problem has to do with all the Bookmarks I've got saved. There are a LOT of them. Thing is, though, there were a LOT of them before this problem started. Nothing about the number of bookmarks changed significantly from the time before this problem started till the time afterward ... perhaps there was a change made to the newer versions of Firefox that cause it to have a problem with lots of bookmarks.
It is still possible that you have some security software running.
You can try to check that by starting Windows in Safe mode (with network support) by pressing F8 on the Windows boot screen.
I did try starting Windows in Safe Mode. Couldn't open Windows Firewall because it said the associated service wasn't running.
Tried to open Firefox and it took even longer, much longer, than it usually does.
The only security software that's on this computer is what MS included except for SpyBot and that's been on here since way before this problem began.
After exiting Safe Mode and rebooting today Firefox seems to have learned that I'm disconnecting from the internet when starting it up. It still acts as though something is being download or uploaded for some time but when that's done and I reconnect to the internet, it now begins behaving that way again once a connection is made as if to complete the downloading .... like it needs to finish. I closed and went to another browser for awhile, then reopened Firefox again and it again behaved as if downloading something ... that's the first time this has happened other than when starting it the first time. It's really got me wondering if Firefox has been compromised with malware.
update: After shutting the computer completely down and then turning it back on later, the problem is just like it originally was, i.e. when Firefox is started the first time, it's real slow and acts as though it's downloading/uploading. Once it passes through that phase, it can be opened repeatedly without any further problems, and disconnecting the computer from the internet and then reconnecting it doesn't cause the problem to start over again.
Modified by thdude