Mozilla Firefox problems

[Liam]

For some reason, Firefox has just began to be slower than ever on OSX.

When I click it to open up the application the icon bounces for a while in the dock, then quits itself, then begins bouncing again then eventually opens up.

I've already tried deleting the program by dragging it to the Trash and re-downloading it, but it still hasn't fixed the problem.

Has anyone had similar issues, or could help further in fixing the problem?

Liam

 

[remain]

Did you install Firefox properly, i.e., drag it to the Applications folder?


Otherwise, did you recently install any Firefox add-ons (extensions or themes)?

 

[giulio]

A change to an extension will make ff relaunch 2x in a row.

Try...
Quit firefox.
Move this folder to the desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox
Start firefox.
(all your settings will temporarily be reset)
Did that fix it?

To get your settings back, move the Firefox folder from your desktop back to ~/Library/Application Support/

 

[Liam]

A change to an extension will make ff relaunch 2x in a row.

Try...
Quit firefox.
Move this folder to the desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox
Start firefox.
(all your settings will temporarily be reset)
Did that fix it?

To get your settings back, move the Firefox folder from your desktop back to ~/Library/Application Support/

Bizarrely that fixed it!! The folder was called Mozilla and not Firefox and it only had one file in the folder (pkcs11.shlb for reference) but it seems to fixed the problem!

What do you think the reason for it was?

Many thanks for your help guys

Liam

 

[giulio]

I have no idea. But I'll take credit for the fix anyway =)

 

[Brown Study]

giulio, I wonder whether creating a new profile folder rewrites something in the Firefox app package or the plist or something. It's a neat trick.

 

[giulio]

Yes, that's what it does. With no profile folder, the app rebuilds your whole... profile It's just like a preference file but of course holds a lot more things... your bookmarks, preferences, cache, plugins, etc.
So to remove the profile folder resets all those. If something in there was creating a problem, rebuilding the profile would certainly fix it.

But Liam removed a folder called "Mozilla". And to my knowledge, Firefox only works from the "Firefox" folder. That was my confusion of which I had no idea about.

You know Brown, I went to Casa Loma a few years back. Down in the stables, my wife stood in front of one and I took her picture. Later I found out that the stable she stood in front of belonged to a horse called Widow. And I knew this because in the photo, the round plaque of the horse's name was perfecty behind my wife head. It wrapped around her head like a halo. Kinda disturbing for an wedding anniversay trip!

 

[Brown Study]

Never been to Casa Loma. A few years ago people were nearly hit by huge chunks of outside wall falling off, like a scene from Ben-Hur. So I stay away. Widow should be changed to Widow Maker.

 

[remain]

Yes, that's what it does. With no profile folder, the app rebuilds your whole... profile It's just like a preference file but of course holds a lot more things... your bookmarks, preferences, cache, plugins, etc.
So to remove the profile folder resets all those. If something in there was creating a problem, rebuilding the profile would certainly fix it.

Yeah, I thought of suggesting starting from scratch with a new profile, but I thought that was a little too drastic. =P

Though yes, that will usually always fix any Firefox problem (unless the problem is with Firefox itself, i.e. the Firefox.app package).

But of course, you lose all your cookies (meaning your site logins), history, cache, etc.
though Bookmarks can be imported from the old profile to the new one.

I've only resorted to a new profile a couple of times when my profile really goes completely FUBAR. =P

Bizarrely that fixed it!! The folder was called Mozilla and not Firefox and it only had one file in the folder (pkcs11.shlb for reference) but it seems to fixed the problem!

But Liam removed a folder called "Mozilla". And to my knowledge, Firefox only works from the "Firefox" folder. That was my confusion of which I had no idea about.

Yes, actually, this is quite strange.

I assume by what you (Liam) said that this "Mozilla folder" was at
~/Library/Application Support/Mozilla/

I do not have a Mozilla folder there,
although if I remember correctly, older versions of Firefox did create such a folder.

Current versions only make this folder:
~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/
which contains the profile folder.

note:
the complete path of profile folder:
~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/[random characters].default/


Although there is also a "Mozilla" folder at
~/Library/Mozilla/
but this is created only by the old Mozilla Suite or SeaMonkey.


But anyway, I suppose all this doesn't matter, as long as the problem's solved.

 

[giulio]

Then perhaps Liam is using and old version of Firefox.