badger said

Why has it taken me nearly two hours just to be able to find a way onto this forum?

Probably because you couldn't find the right page to sign in ..... (A lot of people have the same problem) But you're here now, so : welcome to the support forum  !

What use is a browser that can't search the internet?

There are search engines to search the net .....

What use are help pages that don't actually help at all, seem to be taking about options and features in Windows 10 that just aren't there?

Could you give us some examples  ?

I used to use Firefox as my main browser, then it went carp and often didn't work properly so I downgraded it to standby and now I'm going to have to look for another browser to do that.

Why don't you tell us what problems you encounter - people here just might be able to solve them  !

No support, no webchat, no report a problem and get a response.

You'll get support right here, if you'll give the contributors a chance to help you.

I open Firefox and it can't access any websites I just end up with a dot toggling in the window.

None of the help pages seem to help they just say its a firewall. i've searched my firewall but all firefox stuff is set to "enable all"

So help was no help at all as that clearly isn't the problem is it?

Will I get support right here? Can you make these pages more obvious to people rather than wasting half my life to to find them and then another 20 mins trying to find how to actually post on them.

badger said

Will I get support right here? Can you make these pages more obvious to people rather than wasting half my life to to find them and then another 20 mins trying to find how to actually post on them.

Yes, you will get support right here - this is a support forum .....

Could you tell us which pages you mean when you say "these pages"  ?

These pages, being the support pages. And so far, no support on the issue at hand

badger said

I open Firefox and it can't access any websites I just end up with a dot toggling in the window.

Did you already check this article: Firefox can't load websites but other browsers can?

Did Firefox 57 ever work on your Windows 10 system before the recent huge Windows 10 update, or were only earlier versions of Firefox working?

Yes, tried that, absolutely no use at all.

I don't know when it stopped working because I only use it as a back up but it did update and then failed to work.

badger said

I don't know when it stopped working because I only use it as a back up but it did update and then failed to work.

Can you go into the Library and look at when you last had history, or do you clear that frequently? Either: History > Show All History or press Ctrl+Shift+h.

Firefox 57 was released on November 14th, so any history from early November would have been with a different version.

Before Firefox 56.0.1, users of 64-bit Windows generally were using the traditional 32-bit version of Firefox. However, newer versions may switch you to the 64-bit version.

We received a number of puzzling reports of Firefox either not starting or not loading any pages after this migration. If troubleshooting doesn't yield any solutions, 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.

Where's this "Library"? When I search options it comes back with nothing.

Ctrl+Shift+h. doesn't seem to do anything either.

I'm not going to do a lot of faffing about because Firefox can't make sure their software works before releasing it.

It looks decidedly half baked to me.

Hi badger, the Library is the separate window that pops up when you select Show All Bookmarks or Show All History or Show All Downloads. If that window won't open, you should reinstall Firefox. However, if that would constitute faffing about, then never mind, I won't take the time to spell out all the steps.

jscher2000 said

Hi badger, the Library is the separate window that pops up when you select Show All Bookmarks or Show All History or Show All Downloads. If that window won't open, you should reinstall Firefox. However, if that would constitute faffing about, then never mind, I won't take the time to spell out all the steps.

All very well saying it pops up when you select show all bookmarks but how do i show all bookmarks?

There's little point in solving one riddle with another is there?

Remember, I don't usually use firefox, and now you know why, I can't find how to do anything I want in it or get it working

Faffing about is having to reinstall a program or roll back because software engineers can't test their products properly before releasing them.

It should work, it clearly can't access the internet when everything else can, why is there not even a warning to say that?

Why doesn't it detect that failure itself and tell me how to troubleshoot it?

After all, a browser is little use without an internet connection.

Try:

• Tap the Alt key or F10 key to activate the menu bar
• Click History, then click Show All History

Will it open? Can you view your history?

Firefox also can display history in a sidebar, either:

• Ctrl+h
• Tap Alt, click View, click Sidebars, click History

Any time frame for history that you can see?

Alt or F10 only seems to highlight "file" in the top LH corner and nothing else

ctrl +h shows history which seems to extend for 6 months.

badger said

Alt or F10 only seems to highlight "file" in the top LH corner and nothing else

History is missing from the menu bar? Or clicking History doesn't do anything?

I'm beginning to think that you should just go ahead and reinstall Firefox.

Clean Reinstall

We use this name, but it's not about removing your settings, it's about making sure the program files are clean (no inconsistent or alien code files). As described below, this process does not disturb your existing settings. It's not essential to uninstall Firefox, but you can if you like, saying No to any request about removing personal data.

It only takes a few minutes.

(A) Download a fresh installer for Firefox to a convenient location:

https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/

You may want to try the 32-bit version.

(B) Exit out of Firefox (if applicable).

If you use Microsoft Office, please change your default browser to Internet Explorer, Chrome or Edge before the next step.

(C) Using Windows Explorer/My Computer (hold down the Windows key and press E), right-click > rename the program folder as follows (you might have one or both):

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox =to=> C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox =to=> C:\Program Files\OldFirefox

(D) Run the installer you downloaded in step (A). It should automatically connect to your existing settings.

Any improvement?

Nope:- Just the same as before with the 64bit version.

Are they just using me as a test monkey because they can't be bothered to test their software properly?

Hi badger, I doubt you are a test monkey. Perhaps a test badger?

There are a lot of Windows 10 users reporting odd issues after the latest update, but I don't have a catalog of fixes related to that.

In case there is some legacy baggage in your profile related to this problem, have you used Refresh or considered creating a completely new profile?

• Refresh carries over some data, but is difficult to reverse: Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings - please read carefully
• A new profile has none of your data or add-ons, but after testing, you can easily switch back, or you can manually migrate key data (Recovering important data from an old profile)

New Profile Test

This takes about 3 minutes, plus the time to test a few sites.

Inside Firefox, type or paste about:profiles in the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it.

Click the Create a New Profile button, then click Next. Assign a name like Dec2017, ignore the option to relocate the profile folder, and click the Finish button.

After creating the profile, scroll down to it and click the Set as default profile button below that profile, then scroll back up and click the Restart normally button. (There are some other buttons, but please ignore them.)

Firefox should exit and then start up using the new profile, which will just look brand new.

Can Firefox load any sites in the new profile? Or is there a more illuminating error message?

When you are done with the experiment, open the about:profiles page again, click the Set as default profile button for your normal profile, then click the Restart normally button to get back to it.

Thanks for your help, but it looks to me like we are getting into:-

1) A lot of faffying about 2) Taking a lot of time to try and fix, with no certainty of fixing 3) The risk of mucking something else up 4) Taking far more time that I can afford on this issue

I've decided to download Opera, which installed in about 5 mins, works perfectly and can do all I want it to do.

Firefox has continually made my life a misery and I'm putting an end to the misery.

When they test their software properly, I might come back, but until then, they can poke it.

Chrome works fine, Edge works fine, Opera works fine.

The issue, as ever is Firefox. It used to be my Fav until a few years ago when the updated and I couldn't find anything and completely changed the layout, and since then its just got worse with technical issues at every update.

Sick of it, the best way is to vote with your feet.

Then vote and pick your answer as the solution