Having to fix FF93 problem only with Windows Recovery
FF 93.0 64-bit - Windows 10
When I booted up the system and ran FF the first time for the day, its window opened, and it even asked for the primary password. After that, nothing I typed in the URL box came out. I could open new tabs but not able to switch to them. All Chromium-based browsers and Edge in the same system worked fine.
I did the following trying to fix the problem: I restarted Win10 and ran FF93. Same problem. I restarted using Troubleshooting Mode. Same problem. I reinstalled using the complete package. Same problem. I installed using FF92 and FF91. Same problem. I refreshed FF93 using Troubleshooting Mode. Same problem. I used Win10 Safe Mode to run FF93. It worked. I uninstalled FF93, removed as much as I could all traces of FF and Mozilla in the Win registry, and reinstalled FF93. Same problem.
In the end, I had to use Win10 Recovery and revert to an earlier date to fix it.
The first incident happened about two weeks ago. It happened again this morning. My use of PC has been routine for years, I would say for more than a decade, or at least in the last five years. No extraordinary applications or routines.
BTW, I haven't updated my Win10 in years, because doing so often times gave me new mysterious issues to troubleshoot, courtesy of MS. You should very well know Win updates produce issues, and the bug fixes following them produce even more. The annoying thing is I would research on the issues and find out later (sometimes days) that the updates were the culprits.
This is the second time it happened to my FF93, and I feel I have to report this to get some idea about why this is happening (only to me?) and how to fix or prevent it without having to go into Recovery (again?).
All Replies (9)
This issue can be caused by a corrupted or incomplete Visual C++ installation that is missing runtime components (Redistributable Packages) required by Firefox, especially VCRUNTIME140_1.dll. This can happen if you have uninstalled other software that was using these components.
See "Visual Studio 2015, 2017 and 2019":
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads
- https://aka.ms/vs/16/release/vc_redist.x64.exe
- https://aka.ms/vs/16/release/vc_redist.x86.exe
You may not need the latter (32-bit version) if you use 64-bit Firefox. You may have to reboot the computer.
cor-el said
This issue can be caused by a corrupted or incomplete Visual C++ installation that is missing runtime components (Redistributable Packages) required by Firefox...
Thank you for the information.
I installed the vc_redist.x64.exe from your link and restarted the PC. I don't know if that fixed the problem, because I don't know how to manually reproduce it. Actually, I wouldn't dare try even if I know how, at the risk of having to go through Win Recovery again.
I hope others who have different ideas also contribute to or share similar experiences in this thread.
A friend suggested to check the logs, these are the only FF errors I could find in Event Viewer.
Let’s do a full clean re-install;
Note: Firefox comes in three or more folders on all computers. They are;
Maintenance: (Programs Folder) <Windows Only> Firefox itself: (Programs Folder) And two folders in the profile of each user on the computer for each Firefox profile for that user.
If you remove the Firefox folder, the user profiles would not be affected.
Download Firefox For All languages And Systems {web link}
Firefox ESR; Extended Support Release {web link}
Beta, Developer, Nightly versions https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/channel/desktop/
Install Older Version Of Firefox {web link}
Save the file. Then Close Firefox.
Using your file browser, open the Programs Folder on your computer.
Windows: C:\Program Files C:\Program Files (x86) Note: Check Both Folders
Mac: Open the "Applications" folder. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-download-and-install-firefox-mac
Linux: Check your user manual. If you installed Firefox with the distro-based package manager, you should use the same way to uninstall it. See Install Firefox on Linux; https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/install-firefox-linux
If you downloaded and installed the binary package from the Firefox download page, simply remove the folder Firefox in your home directory. http://www.mozilla.org/firefox#desktop ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Look for, and remove any Mozilla or Firefox program folders. Do not remove the Mozilla Thunderbird folder if there is one.
Do Not remove any profile folders.
After rebooting the computer, run a registry scanner if you have one. Then run the installer. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If there is a problem, start your Computer in safe mode and try again.
How to Start all Computers in Safe Mode; {web link} Free Online Encyclopedia
Note: Firefox comes in three or more folders on all computers. They are; Maintenance: (Programs Folder) <Windows Only> Firefox itself: (Programs Folder) And two folders in the profile of each user on the computer for each Firefox profile for that user. If you remove the Firefox folder, the user profiles would not be affected. ....
Thank you for the information.
Yes, FF folders are kept under Program Files /(86) and Users/... I ended up wiping them in the troubleshooting process, but that didn't solve my problem.
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mobilesuit600 said
cor-el said
This issue can be caused by a corrupted or incomplete Visual C++ installation that is missing runtime components (Redistributable Packages) required by Firefox...Thank you for the information.
I installed the vc_redist.x64.exe from your link and restarted the PC. I don't know if that fixed the problem, because I don't know how to manually reproduce it. Actually, I wouldn't dare try even if I know how, at the risk of having to go through Win Recovery again.
Does this mean all is well right now?
jscher2000 said
Does this mean all is well right now?
FF93 is working fine, so far, but as I said above, I don't know if the cause has been eliminated by installing vc_redist.x64.exe. The problem occurred twice without warning. It was not an everyday incident. Note, too, that I had already applied Win Recovery to bring FF93 back to working condition before I installed the vc package.
Nevertheless, in case it happens again, instead of only going for Win Recovery, I now have the option to try first the vc package suggested by cor-el. It's easier and faster, if it works, though the error logs in EV seem to agree with cor-el's suspicion.
I don't think there is any way to know in advance whether a software installer or uninstaller will change the shared VC Runtime files that Firefox relies on. When I installed Snap Camera it killed Firefox, and some users have reported that uninstalling Mozilla VPN can cause the problem. So keep it in mind when the problem occurs immediately after any install/uninstall/reinstall.
jscher2000 said
I don't think there is any way to know in advance whether a software installer or uninstaller will change the shared VC Runtime files that Firefox relies on. When I installed Snap Camera it killed Firefox, and some users have reported that uninstalling Mozilla VPN can cause the problem. So keep it in mind when the problem occurs immediately after any install/uninstall/reinstall.
Yep.
Reminds me of my bloody experiences with Win98 way back. I remember every installation (not even removal) of a Win program was a big risk, as the devil-may-care injection of library files (?) by each developer into Win98 could easily screw up the system and crash it on the next boot, which sometimes required new installation of the OS. It seems the situation has not improved much over decades. I don't know where the VC files go, but the OS is obviously not protecting them enough as it does its own system files/folders.
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