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Error loading web sites

This article contains information on diagnosing and fixing error messages that display when you try to view websites in Firefox.

Table Of Contents

• Connection errors
• Errors loading secure sites
• Interrupted or reset connection
• Proxy errors
• Malicious website errors
• Other error messages
• Offline mode
• The page isn't redirecting properly
• File not found
• Content Encoding Error
• This address is restricted
• Other issues

Connection errors

Error messages that indicate connection problems:

• Unable to connect
• Server not found

If you experience one of these errors intermittently, check your Internet connection. If you connect wirelessly, make sure you are connected to the nearest access point and that the signal is strong.
If you experience one of these errors on some or all websites, see the following articles:

• Firefox cannot load websites but other programs can - if you can view websites in browsers other than Firefox.
• No programs can load websites - if you can't view websites in any browser.
• Cannot connect after upgrading Firefox - if you experience connection problems after updating Firefox.

Errors loading secure sites

If you experience an error accessing a website over a secure (HTTPS) connection, see the articles below that correspond to the error message you see:

3.5/3.6:

• This Connection Is Untrusted

• Secure Connection Failed
• Error code 500 accessing secure sites
• Could not initialize the browser security component

Interrupted or reset connection

The following error can occur if the website you're visiting is experiencing problems:

• The connection was interrupted
• The connection was reset
• The connection has timed out

If you can visit the website in other browsers but not in Firefox:

3.5/3.6:

1. At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click Tools, then select Clear Recent History....
2. In the Time Range to clear: drop-down, select Everything.
3. Click the arrow next to Details to display the list of items that can be cleared.
4. Select both Cookies and Cache.
5. Click Clear Now.

3.0:

1. At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click Tools, then select Clear Private Data....
2. Select both Cookies and Cache.
3. Click Clear Private Data Now.

Proxy errors

Error messages that indicate proxy problems:

• The proxy server is refusing connections
• Unable to find the proxy server

This error indicates that Firefox is trying to access the Internet through a proxy server. To check your proxy settings:

1. At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click on the ToolsFirefoxEdit menu, and select Options...Preferences....
2. Select the Advanced panel.
3. Select the Network tab.
4. In the Connection section, click Settings....
5. Change your proxy settings:
   • If you don't connect to the Internet through a proxy (or don't know whether you connect through a proxy), select No Proxy.
   • If you connect to the Internet through a proxy, compare Firefox's settings to another browser's (Such as Internet Explorer. See Microsoft's guide to proxy settings)(Such as Safari. See Apple's guide to proxy settings).
6. Close the Connection Settings window.
7. Click OK to close the Options windowClick Close to close the Preferences windowClose the Preferences window

Malicious website errors

If you receive one of the following errors, Firefox has blocked access to the website you're visiting to protect you from malware or web forgery (phishing).

• Suspected Attack Site!
• Suspected Web Forgery!

For more information, see Phishing and Malware Protection (Mozilla.com).

Other error messages

Offline mode

Your operating system indicates to Firefox whether it is connected to the Internet. If it reports that it is not connected, Firefox will go into offline mode. If you are connected:

• On the menu bar, click File and select Work Offline.

The page isn't redirecting properly

This problem can be caused by problems with cookies:

• See Websites say cookies are blocked.

File not found

If you experience this error when trying to access a local file (with a file:// URL), the path you are trying to access is either incorrect or inaccessible - verify the path.
If you experience this error trying to access a website, see:

• Troubleshooting extensions and themes
• Is my Firefox problem a result of malware

Content Encoding Error

The following error messages indicate a content encoding problem:

• Content Encoding Error
• The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because it uses an invalid or unsupported form of compression

Several problems can result in a content encoding error message. To diagnose and fix:

1. Check the settings of any Internet security applications you use (including firewalls, anti-virus or anti-spyware programs, and privacy protection programs). You should try to remove any permissions those applications have for Firefox, and then add them again. For program-specific instructions for a number of applications, see Firewalls.
2. Follow the Standard troubleshooting steps.

This address is restricted

This error occurs when you are attempting to connect to a web server on a port that is reserved for another application.
If the web address (URL) you are trying to visit contains a colon followed by a number (e.g. http://webserver.tld:23), try removing that portion (e.g. http://webserver.tld) or replacing it with :80 (e.g. http://webserver.tld:80)
If specifying a different port does not work, you may have been given an incorrect web address.

Other issues

• Warning Unresponsive script
• The web page just doesn't look right

Windows:

• Certain websites never finish loading

• Cannot log in to websites. You may receive an error similar to We were unable to process your login request or An unspecified error has occurred when you attempt to sign into websites with your username and password, or the login may simply fail.

Based on information from Error loading websites (mozillaZine KB)

Firefox cache file was infected with a virus

Firefox maintains a cache where it stores temporary files such as web pages and other online media that you have downloaded from the Internet. Your Firefox cache is a folder on your local computer.
When you are performing a scan for viruses, some anti-virus scanners may find a file in your Firefox cache that it believes is a virus.

Note: It is unlikely that you have been infected.

Firefox does not launch some types of files that are downloaded into the cache, which prevents most viruses from propagating to your computer. For a virus to spread to your computer, it must be launched by opening or double-clicking on the file. Unless you have launched the file from inside your Firefox cache, you probably did not get infected with a virus. It is unlikely that Firefox has opened files of a suspicious type.

• Additionally, anti-virus scanners may incorrectly identify cached files to have a pattern matching a virus. To anti-virus scanners, some files that are otherwise harmless may be mistaken for viruses.

If you are unsure if the file location is in your Firefox cache, you can find the cache location by typing about:cache in the Location bar, and pressing Enter.

Steps

1. Because the files in the cache are temporary, you can permit the anti-virus scanner to delete the file if it's in your Firefox cache.
2. You can also clear your Firefox cache at any time. At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click on the ToolsFirefoxEdit menu, and select Options...Preferences....
3. Select the Advanced panel.
4. Open the Network tab.
5. Click on Clear now.
6. Click OK to close the Options windowClick Close to close the Preferences windowClose the Preferences window

Installing the Flash plugin

Adobe Flash Player is a plugin that allows browsers such as Firefox to display Flash media on web pages. Flash is often used for animations, videos and games.

Windows:

Installing Flash using the Plugin Finder Service

Watch a video of these instructions

1. Go to a page that uses Flash such as Adobe's test page.
2. A yellow notification bar will appear above the webpage. Click Install Missing Plugins. The Plugin Finder Service window will appear.
   
   
   
3. Select the most recent version of Flash listed, then click Next.
   
   
   
4. Review the end-user license agreement and select I agree if you agree to it. To begin installation, click Next.
   
   
   
   • If Windows asks to allow Adobe Flash Player to make changes to your computer, click Yes.
5. When the installation is done, click Finish. The page will reload and you should have Flash installed.
   
   

Installing the Flash plugin manually

Windows:

If the above steps do not work, you can try installing the Flash plugin manually:

1. Go to Flash Player download page at Adobe.com and download the Flash installer.
2. From the menu at the top of the Firefox windowbar, select FileFirefox and then select the ExitQuit FirefoxQuit menu item.
3. Open the file you downloaded (i.e. install_flash_player.exe), then follow the installer's instructions.

Mac OS:

1. Go to Flash Player download page at Adobe.com and download the Flash installer.
2. From the menu at the top of the Firefox windowbar, select FileFirefox and then select the ExitQuit FirefoxQuit menu item.
3. Open the file you downloaded (i.e. install_flash_player_osx_ub.dmg).
4. In the Finder, open the Adobe Flash Player.pkg to run the installer, then follow the installer's instructions.

Linux:

The simplest way to install Flash is to use your distribution's package manager. To install the latest version manually:

1. Go to Flash Player download page at Adobe.com.
2. When prompted, save the file install_flash_player_10_linux.tar.gz.
3. From the menu at the top of the Firefox windowbar, select FileFirefox and then select the ExitQuit FirefoxQuit menu item.
4. Open a Terminal window (in Gnome, click on the Applications menu, select Accessories, and then select Terminal.)
5. In the Terminal window, change to the directory where you saved the file you downloaded (e.g. cd /home/user/Downloads).
6. Extract libflashplayer.so from file you downloaded with the command tar -zxvf install_flash_player_10_linux.tar.gz.
7. As the super user, copy the extracted file, libflashplayer.so, to your Firefox installation directory's plugins sub-directory. For example, if Firefox is installed in /usr/lib/mozilla, use the command sudo cp libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins and then enter your super user password when prompted.
   
   

After you install Flash, start Firefox again. To confirm that Flash installed, open the Tools and then select Add-ons. If the installation was successful, Shockwave Flash will appear as an active item.

Troubleshooting the Flash plugin

See Managing the Flash plugin for steps to troubleshoot the Flash plugin and keep it up to date.

Firefox will not start

This articles describes what to do if the Firefox window doesn't open when you click the Firefox icon.

• If Firefox starts but won't load any websites, see Error loading web sites.
• If you get error messages that indicate a crash, such as "Firefox has encountered a problem and needs to close", "Quality Feedback Agent", or "Mozilla Crash Reporter", see Firefox crashes.

Table Of Contents

• Extension prevented Firefox from closing properly
• Specific error messages
• Firefox is already running but is not responding
• There was an error launching the application
• The program must close to allow a previous installation attempt to complete. Please restart.
• Error opening file for writing...
• Firefox 3 will not start on OSX 10.3.9 or earlier
• Firefox 3 will not start on Windows 98/ME or earlier
• Firefox will not start after installing add-ons
• Firefox previously worked
• Firefox will not start on Linux

Windows:

Extension prevented Firefox from closing properly

Norton IPS, Norton Toolbar, and Skype 4.0 are all known to prevent Firefox from closing properly. Firefox is still running, but no windows are open.

1. Right-click on an empty spot in the Windows task bar and select Task Manager (or press Ctrl+Shift+Esc).
   
   
   
   
2. When the Windows Task Manager opens, select the Processes tab.
   
   
   
   
3. Select the entry for firefox.exe (press F on the keyboard to find it) and click End Process.
4. Click Yes in the "Task Manager Warning" dialog that appears.
   
   
   
   
5. Repeat the above steps to end any additional firefox.exe processes, if more than one entry is found, then exit the Windows Task Manager.
6. Start Firefox normally.
7. At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Tools menu, and select Add-ons.
8. Select the Extensions panel.
9. (If it is listed) Select Norton IPS and click Disable.
10. (If it is listed) Select Norton Toolbar and click Disable.
11. (If it is listed) Select Skype 4.0 and click Disable.
12. Click on Restart Firefox.

Specific error messages

Firefox is already running but is not responding

See Firefox is already running but is not responding for solutions.

Linux:

There was an error launching the application

This error indicates that either Firefox is not installed or your shortcut to it is incorrect. Make sure that Firefox is installed at the location specified by the shortcut. If it isn't, install Firefox if necessary, then modify the shortcut to point to the correct location.

Windows:

The program must close to allow a previous installation attempt to complete. Please restart.

If you get a message saying The program must close to allow a previous installation attempt to complete. Please restart. when you start Firefox, see The program must close to allow a previous installation attempt to complete.

Windows:

Error opening file for writing...

If you receive the above error when launching Firefox on a Windows system, you may be required by Firefox to log in as an administrator. You can either reboot the computer or, if you have an administrator account, you can execute the program as an administrator.

1. Find the firefox.exe program file in the Firefox application folder on your system.
2. Right-click the icon.
   • (Windows XP) Select Run As.... Select The following user:. From the User name drop-down, select Administrator or another user that has administrator privileges. Enter the password required to log in to this account. Click OK.
   • (Windows 7 and Vista) Select Run As Administrator.... Complete a similar set of steps, as those listed above.
3. The Firefox application is started using the administrator Windows account. The user that was used to log in to Windows at startup is still the active one.

Mac OS:

Firefox 3 will not start on OSX 10.3.9 or earlier

Windows:

Firefox 3 will not start on Windows 98/ME or earlier

Mac OS:

Mozilla has stopped supporting OSX 10.3.9Windows 98/ME and earlier in Firefox 3.0 and higher. None of these operating systems are supported by AppleMicrosoft (and have not been for quite some time) and have multiple vulnerabilities that will remain unpatched. As such, you have the following options:

1. You can switch to another operating system. This is the most secure option. If you don't want to pay for a new operating system, you can get any of a number of versions of Linux which can run Firefox 3+ and can run on older machines. This ensures you have a completely secure system and access to all the great new features in Firefox 3+.
2. You can continue to use Firefox 2 which you can get from: our FTP siteour FTP site. Just because the browser will no longer receive security updates doesn't mean it will simply stop working. You will be using unsupported software on an unsupported operating system which poses a significant security risk.

Firefox will not start after installing add-ons

If Firefox previously worked but stopped after you installed extensions or themes, see Troubleshooting extensions and themes.

Firefox previously worked

If Firefox previously worked but suddenly doesn't start, it may be due to some corrupt data in your settings. Uninstalling and reinstalling Firefox would not fix this problem because your settings are not removed on uninstall.
To test to see if this is the problem, use the Profile Manager to create a new profile. If the problem goes away, you can then move your bookmarks and other important settings into the new profile.

Linux:

Firefox will not start on Linux

If you installed Firefox outside of your package manager, make sure that your system has the libraries listed in the system requirements.

Based on information from Browser will not start up (mozillaZine KB)

Parental controls

This article explains how to block websites or filter website content in Firefox that may be offensive or inappropriate for children.

• In addition to Firefox extensions, there are many third-party software packages that can filter content through your operating system or at the point where your network connects to the Internet.

Table Of Contents

• Windows 7 and Vista Parental Controls
• Parental control add-ons for Firefox
• Glubble for Families
• ProCon Latte

Windows:

Windows 7 and Vista Parental Controls

Firefox can use the parental control settings in Windows Vista and Windows 7:

• (Windows 7): See Windows 7 features - Parental Controls at Microsoft.com
• (Windows Vista): See Explore the features: Parental Controls at Microsoft.com

Parental control add-ons for Firefox

The following third-party extensions can be downloaded and installed into your Firefox browser to help to keep your children safe on the Internet. This Addons.Mozilla.org search for parental control lists several other extensions that may be suitable for your needs.

Glubble for Families

• Available: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/5881
• Cost: Free
• Description: Family fun browsing for children under 12

Glubble allows you you create a private family page where you can monitor and support your children’s online activities. Glubble provides games, chat, safe surfing, and a Family Photo Timeline service for uploading, storing, and sharing your photos online. Glubble integrates Ask for Kids, a safe search engine for children. Support for this add-on is provided by the developer at http://glubbleparents.ning.com/forum.

ProCon Latte

• Available: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/1803
• Cost: Free + option to donate to author
• Description: Filter out web pages containing explicit content based on text on websites; facility to maintain "good" and "bad" lists of websites

ProCon filters web page content by using a list of inappropriate words and replacing them with asterisks (***). Note that the bad word filter does not block websites containing the words; you must add the website to a Blacklist. ProCon can also block all traffic, making sure that only desired websites (set in the Whitelist) can be accessed. You can manage "white" and "black" lists of sites and pages. ProCon also has password protection in order to keep others from changing the settings. Support and additional documentation for this add-on is provided by the developer at http://procon.mozdev.org/



Based on information from Parental controls (mozillaZine KB)

Bookmarks

Bookmarks let you save links to websites you've visited in Firefox without having to remember their web addresses. This article describes how to make new bookmarks, view and manage bookmarks you've made previously, import bookmarks from other browsers, and troubleshoot problems with Bookmarks in Firefox.

Windows:

Note: Bookmarks are known as Favorites in some other browsers.

Table Of Contents

• Making new bookmarks
• Where to find bookmarks
• Managing bookmarks
• Backing up and restoring bookmarks
• Importing and exporting bookmarks
• Troubleshooting

Making new bookmarks

Watch a video of these instructions

To make a new bookmark:

1. Click on the star icon in the Location bar, as shown in the screenshot below. The star icon will fill in and your bookmark will be created in the Unsorted Bookmarks folder.
   
   
   
   
2. To edit the details of your bookmark, click the star icon again. The "Edit This Bookmark" box will appear.
   
   
   
   
3. In the "Edit This Bookmark" box you may change the details of your new bookmark:
   • Name: The title of the bookmark.
   • Folder: Where you want to store the bookmark. Click the drop-down menu to display a list of the folders you've used most recently, or select Choose... from the drop-down menu to display a list of all bookmarks folders.
   • Tags: May be left blank. Tags are used for searching bookmarks. For more information, see Bookmark tags.
4. Click Done to finish editing the new bookmark.

Where to find bookmarks

To display the list of bookmarks you've already made:

1. Click on the View menu, select Sidebar, and then select Bookmarks. The Bookmarks sidebar will open.
2. Click on a folder in the sidebar to expand it.
   
   
3. Click on a bookmark in the list to open it.
   
   

There are also other ways to view bookmarks:

• Bookmarks menu: At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click on the Bookmarks menu. A list of the bookmarks in the Bookmarks Menu folder will be displayed.
• Bookmarks Toolbar : The Bookmarks toolbar is underneath the Navigation toolbar (Back, Forward, Home, Location, etc.), and can store often-used bookmarks for quick access. For information, see Bookmarks Toolbar.
• Location bar: The Firefox Location bar allows you to search for pages you've previously visited, including bookmarked pages. For information, see Location bar autocomplete.
• Library window: Click Bookmarks on the menu bar, then select Organize Bookmarks.... The Library window will appear.

Managing bookmarks

To manage bookmarks in Firefox, see:

• Sorting bookmarks
• Bookmark folders
• Deleting bookmarks

Backing up and restoring bookmarks

Firefox automatically backs up your bookmarks so that you can restore them to a previous state. You can also create your own bookmark backups and restore them in another Firefox installation. For more information, see Backing up and restoring bookmarks.

Importing and exporting bookmarks

Firefox can import bookmarks from other browsers. Firefox can also import from, or export bookmarks to, an HTML file. For more information, see:

• Importing bookmarks and other data from other browsers
• Importing bookmarks from an HTML file
• Exporting bookmarks to an HTML file

Troubleshooting

For problems with bookmarks in Firefox, see:

• Lost Bookmarks
• Bookmarks not saved
• Bookmarks and toolbar buttons not working after upgrading
• Firefox 3 upgrade switches bookmarks and other settings to older version
• Restore the default Smart Bookmarks Folders
• Favicons do not display