Firefox help needed

[mich]

[FONT=&amp]I installed Firefox about 3 weeks ago and am gradually getting used to it, I have to log onto web sites each time I visit despite ticking 'remember me' box but Firefox does at least remembers user name and p/w, 2-4 days ago I had the following pop up which was a worry as I did not know updates were even being checked and as far as I know my version was up to date 43.0.1exe file version 4.42.0.0 so off I went to the d/l site where I down loaded and installed the recommended version which turned out to be exactly the same??? today I have the same pop up which I will ignore, what is going on?



After doing a manual check on updates I got the following pop up which shows FF as up to date.



any ideas??
[/FONT]

 

[Vistaar]

I have no idea why you have Firefox 43.0.1 (released December 18, 2015), but the current version is 47.0.1.

 

[mich]

I have just gone to the official Mozilla site where they tell me I am using an old version of FF so I have d/l the recommended update which turns out to be identical to the one I have installed 43.0.1 This is the kind of thing that put me off FF before, could you please give me a link to the d/l version 47.0.1 that you say is the latest.

edit: I wonder if this applies from FF d/l page- Click on the Free Download button to download the Firefox installer. The page will automatically recommend the best version of Firefox for you.

 

[Vistaar]

I have never actually been in your situation. Since updating isn't working, I would first uninstall Firefox 43.0.1, then try this international link: https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/.

 

[mich]

[FONT=&amp]Something is wrong! Uninstalled FF and removed folders from C drive via Computer which a simple ‘remove program’ does not do. Did a restart. Went to the link that you gave and d/l only to find that it was once again the 43.0.1 version. So installed it and found that it still had all my bookmarks p/w etc etc. I just don’t understand.


Edit. I wonder if this applies taken from FF d/l page - [/FONT]Click on the Free Download button to download the Firefox installer. The page will automatically recommend the best version of Firefox for you.

 

[Vistaar]

The main download page only tells me I'm using the latest version. I found a link for offline installers - but it gave me version 43.0.1.

This triggered a search that led me to a Mozilla Support link of considerable importance to those running Vista or XP: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/get-latest-version-firefox-windows-xp-vista. (If you have installed every Recommended update for Vista, then you should have KB2763674 from January 2013, assuming you are running SP2.) I wasn't aware of this because I haven't reinstalled Firefox this year, so thank you for bringing it to my attention. It's getting late now in the USA, but I'll be back tomorrow.

 

[mich]

I have done exactly that but still end up with 43, and I am running Vista SP3 all updates are up to date.

 

[townsbg]

What happened when you tried to uninstall FF? Try the FF main page. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

You can also try the language page. Both offered me 47. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/

 

[ilikefree]

Try Moz Backup before uninstalling then after you uninstall go to user app data roaming and delete the Mozilla Firefox folder there too
If it was me I would also use regedit and delete the Mozilla entry from the programs folder
HKLM_Software
HKCU_Software
Run Moz Backup again after reinstalling Firefox to get your passwords and bookmarks etc back

MozBackup - Backup tool for Firefox and Thunderbird

 

[Vistaar]

When I say a Mozilla link has "considerable importance to those running Vista" that is exactly what I mean. I'm not going to copy and paste the entire page here, but here's the link again: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/get-latest-version-firefox-windows-xp-vista.

For those who insist that everything be condensed to the size of a tweet: The general procedure for installing Firefox on XP or Vista now is to install 43.0.1, then update. The link goes on to describe a more direct approach "for advanced users" who are sure that they have the necessary updates (KB2763674 in the case of Vista). Obviously I have acquired 47.0.1 via regular Firefox updates, which is why I am just now learning about this even though it has been in effect ever since 43.0.2. Mozilla Support might have been able to answer this question more quickly, but it is certainly something that we at Vista Forums need to be aware of - and now we are.

 

[townsbg]

43 may be the latest full install of FF requiring everything else to be updates of that or a later version. Being on 43 though you should be able to download 47 from the website. It seems to me though that something is likely wrong with your install so I agree with completely removing it and starting over. Now if I remember right you went with Firefox because Chrome is no longer supported on Vista. I found at least 2 derivatives that still support Vista and even XP. Personally I don't like Chrome but to each his own.

 

[mich]

I noticed on my last FF install that it took only seconds say 5 – 10 max to actually install and as I remarked earlier all book marks etc came with it which leads me to believe that despite my removal of file folder (which remains after program removal) that the actual removal tool in vista does not remove the program just the short cut. Does this make any sense at all?

Perhaps I will do as ilikfree suggests and remove from regedit, if I can find it.

[FONT=&amp]I will not be beaten… [/FONT]

 

[Vistaar]

Now that we know you were given Firefox 43.0.1 by design, the only real sign of difficulty is your "Update Failed" error message which prevents you from updating to the current version. I never had any problems receiving Firefox updates myself, but here is a Mozilla link regarding that error message: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/update-failed-error-message-when-updating.
I wonder if you are using a third-party firewall (not that I'm interested in solving problems caused by firewalls that I do not use). I would leave the registry alone!

 

[townsbg]

I noticed on my last FF install that it took only seconds say 5 – 10 max to actually install and as I remarked earlier all book marks etc came with it which leads me to believe that despite my removal of file folder (which remains after program removal) that the actual removal tool in vista does not remove the program just the short cut. Does this make any sense at all?[FONT=&amp][/FONT]

The new install retrieved your firefox profile from your hard drive which was likely not removed by the uninstall. I've done some investigation on my own and discovered that the website only offers version 43 on Vista without it being installed however on 7 it offers version 47.

 

[Vistaar]

I've done some investigation on my own and discovered that the website only offers version 43 on Vista without it being installed however on 7 it offers version 47.

Did you uninstall Firefox from your Vista VM to investigate? If so, let us know if you have any difficulty updating from 43 to 47. I tested the main download page using IE 9, and of course it offered me 43.0.1.

This policy seems somewhat discriminatory, because I'm pretty sure that unpatched Windows 7 also could not support SHA-256 signing certificates. There seems to be a presumption that Vista systems are less likely to be updated - which might be true, if only because of the difficulties with Windows Update that began last summer. I have also found that Windows 7 received further updates that Vista did not get. (This link is only for the very curious, not for OP's problem: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/3033929.) I'm getting in over my head, but this might help to explain why software vendors are dropping Vista like a hot potato, and maybe even why it's so difficult to check for Windows kernel mode driver updates these days.

 

[albertz]

I have been using Firefox for quite a long time. Chrome has update services which I don't like and cause problems, so Chrome was uninstalled some time ago.

As an alternative I've also been running Pale Moon 64-Bit. Which is very similar to Firefox and is able to use most of Firefox's add-ons.

The Pale Moon Project homepage

 

[townsbg]

Did you uninstall Firefox from your Vista VM to investigate? If so, let us know if you have any difficulty updating from 43 to 47. I tested the main download page using IE 9, and of course it offered me 43.0.1.

I built a buisness VM to see what version the website would attempt to download however I didn't try to install it and I have since deleted the VM. Not sure if I can find the time to build another today or tomorrow. Friday may be the next time I can do so.

 

[Vistaar]

I have been using Firefox for quite a long time...I've also been running Pale Moon 64-Bit. Which is very similar to Firefox and is able to use most of Firefox's add-ons.

What version of Firefox are you currently using? Any difficulties updating to 47.0.1?

We have a few Pale Moon advocates here - in fact I was a little surprised that ilikefree didn't recommend it to the OP in post #9. I was delighted to learn that Pale Moon did not end support for Vista when it ended support for XP (which is quite unusual these days), but nevertheless I will be surprised if their support for Vista lasts beyond next April 11. On the other hand, I believe that Firefox wants to retain support for XP as long as possible to prevent the further decline of their market share, and perhaps even gain market share now that Chrome has dumped XP and Vista. In other words, I think Firefox is our browser of last resort, so we might as well get used to it (or else buy a Chromebook).

 

[albertz]

What version of Firefox are you currently using? Any difficulties updating to 47.0.1?

We have a few Pale Moon advocates here - in fact I was a little surprised that ilikefree didn't recommend it to the OP in post #9. I was delighted to learn that Pale Moon did not end support for Vista when it ended support for XP (which is quite unusual these days), but nevertheless I will be surprised if their support for Vista lasts beyond next April 11. On the other hand, I believe that Firefox wants to retain support for XP as long as possible to prevent the further decline of their market share, and perhaps even gain market share now that Chrome has dumped XP and Vista. In other words, I think Firefox is our browser of last resort, so we might as well get used to it (or else buy a Chromebook).

Version 47.0. I don't update regularly. I sometimes have auto update enabled.

At one time I was running a much older version of a 64-Bit Firefox. Manual installation was required by copying compressed files to the hard drive. Firefox no longer offers a 64 bit version, though you can go into their archives and download older development archives, some of which are 64-Bit versions, however none of the archives list any version numbers. It started to have problems with add-ons and other incompatibles, so I switched to the official 32-bit version.

 

[mich]

Here is an interesting thing, yesterday I made 3 attempts to pay my Vodafone BB account by credit card, all was well filling out the details but upon hitting submit button I was told that internet connection had failed (3 times) and to try again later.
This morning I tried again but exactly the same results so I started up my old lap top which is still running XP and Opera plus AVG free anti virus which I run on both PC, I got straight through filled out details, hit submit and success.
[FONT=&amp]This must mean a bug in FF or a faulty original installation which is persisting even after 3 re installations. [/FONT]