This happens with
every update. People are absolutely convinced the problem is not a firewall, right up until they fix their firewall. If other Internet programs work and Firefox (Fx) seems normal in every respect except that you can't load
any Web pages, then a firewall is the first thing to suspect
-- even if you don't think you have one.
The top 10 11 12 ways to get fooled by firewalls:1.
People think that because the browser can't access the Internet it's the browser's fault. (Neither Fx nor any other program can control the firewall. If it could, that would completely defeat the purpose of the firewall.)2. People think they have closed the firewall by clicking on the 'x' in the upper right hand corner. (Most firewalls are not very easy to shut down. With ZoneAlarm that just minimizes it to the system tray.)
3. They think they have uninstalled it, but they just uninstalled the user interface. The actual firewall is still running in the background doing its work.
4. They see permission for Firefox in the firewall list of permitted programs, but they don't realize that that's
the previous version of Fx. (Firewalls require permission to allow an updated program to access the Internet.)
5. They think that since the previous version of Fx worked, the problem must be with this version. (Wrong -- any new version is a new program. If the firewall didn't work that way, then a virus could masquerade as a new version of Firefox! Only
you can tell the firewall that the new version has permission to use the Internet).
6. They think that because their firewall never gave them any trouble before, it isn't causing trouble this time. (
Maybe it hasn't been updated yet with a fingerprint for the new version of Firefox. And besides, firewalls have programming errors, just like any other software.)
7. They have more than one firewall (never a good idea, since they fight with each other).
8. They think they don't have a firewall (remember that demo version you installed, and that one you "uninstalled"?).
9.
They have Norton Internet Security (the Norton firewall is actually brain-damaged, if not brain-dead). They have Norton Internet Security. Norton products have been trouble-prone in the past, and there seems to be an increase again in the number of problems reported in this forum. By all means, go to the Symantec Web site for troubleshooting.
10. Maybe you think they forgot to test the new release of Firefox to see if it works. (Wrong. There are already
tens of millions of copies of the new version, quietly at work accessing the Internet.)
11. Have you considered the possibility of user error? Have you read the directions? Rechecked your work?
12. Maybe you forgot about the Win XP firewall.For more information on firewalls, try reading the directions, check the manufacturer's Web page or telephone support, or look here.You say it can't be your firewall?1. If Firefox doesn't start normally (no menus, for example), maybe the update was incomplete, or maybe the changes in extensions have not been "registered" yet. If it will start, try restarting it once or even twice. If it still doesn't work, you may need to download the complete program manually and run the installation program. Don't worry about your bookmarks and other data--they are not affected installation or uninstallation.
2.
Download and run Trolly's enumprocess program. Programs that are recognized as firewalls are shown in red. Or post the results and we'll tell you straight out whether you have a program that might block Internet access.
3. Sometimes incompatible extensions or a corrupted profile prevent Fx from running after an update. You can check this by starting Fx in safe mode (see my signature) or if that doesn't work, creating a new profile. If that doesn't work,
go back and fix your firewall. reformatted to replace HTML with BBCode- steviex